September Update
What I've been up to:I took a break from writing this summer and instead focused on hiking, traveling, lake life, visiting friends and family, working on various improvements around the house, and being constantly horrified by the news. Now that summer is waning, it's time to turn back to writing. What I'm working on:I have a lot of different WIPs that I'm half-heartedly poking at: a novella I'm pitching as KNIVES OUT in space, a novel about a galactic bounty hunter and the criminal he gets stranded on a harsh planet with, and a novel about the space rock band that teams up with a spy to pull off a heist. But something else has commanded most of my attention, which you can read about below. The Latest:Latest Listen:Tooth & Claw finally covered my favorite shark attack (in a 3-parter!), and National Park After Dark had a fascinating 2-parter about Teddy Roosevelt's adventure in the Amazon. Latest Read:Dark Summit - a compelling non-fiction book about the tragic and controversial 2006 Everest climbing season. Heated Rivalry - my usual go-to for m/m hockey romance is Taylor Fitzpatrick, but I picked this one up at the suggestion of a friend and it did not disappoint. Latest Watch:Season 2 of Andor (came for Diego Luna, stayed for the unflinching look at genocide and fascism) and Amy Bradley is Missing (I am never stepping foot on a cruise ship). What's Next:I have 3 upcoming stories to announce!
But most importantly, I'm self-publishing one of my queer sci-fi books! The target is to have it out in February 2026, and if you're subscribed to this newsletter, you'll already get all the big updates about it. If you want to read the nitty-gritty, I'll be posting about this journey more in-depth over on my blog: www.alexisamesbooks.com. You can also check out my Linktree for other places to follow me (and yes, I finally broke down and got on TikTok this week for self-publishing purposes). Stay tuned! |
Alexis Ames
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What I've been up to: A short and sweet update for my first newsletter of the year, because frankly, It's been piece of bad news after piece of bad news since the inauguration, and I don't have any book, movie, or podcast recommendations to add to this newsletter. As far as a writing update goes, I've had 5 stories published so far in 2025: Issue 97 of Andromeda Spaceways Magazine is out in the world, and it includes a story I co-wrote with Kat Veldt called "Maintenance". Do you like sad...
This is a long one, so buckle up. A wintry walk in the Upper Midwest. My favorite time of year. What I've been up to: Stories: Since September, I've had another story published! This is my 4th and final one of 2024, and it took 2nd place in the contest that I wrote it for: "Two Earthlings" - TL;DR Press 1K Word Herd Competition Anthology Awards (sort of): Two of my 2024 stories are awards eligible and are on the Nebula Reading List for SFWA members! "Proprietary Technology" "Two Earthlings"...
What I've been up to: I had 3 short stories come out in September! All 3 were released in the span of a week, so I'm still catching up on all the marketing for them. One was a complete surprise, too! "Proprietary Technology" - This story about a man who falls behind on his memory payments appears in Issue 8 of Radon Journal. "Safe Harbor" - This story about what happens when being stranded on a remote planet is preferable to rescue won second place in a Writer's Workout event earlier this...