Grab your copy of Southern Discomfort

It’s still in the process of publishing to all retailers, so check back at this link in case your preferred retailer isn’t live yet.

While it’s showing up as published on Amazon, last I checked it’s being a little wonky for some reason and not displaying the cover.

Reminder that only the ebook will be available for Southern Discomfort.

You can also add it to your Goodreads here!

Grab your copy

Check out content warnings

Not purchasing books right now but read Southern Discomfort in The Tales of the Scorned? Sharing about it on social media and/or leaving a review on any platform would be super helpful and appreciated!

How hiatus is going

Honestly, I’m so relieved to have formally announced a hiatus at this time. It’s given me the brain space to think, journal, and rest. Focus on my health like I wanted. I have so many doctors appointments between this month and next that I’m sick of ‘em. But it means I’m getting things done and taking care of myself, and we’ll count that as a major win.

I’m still working on writing projects here and there, per usual. Since hanging up the business hat, I had a sudden surge of old ideas percolate to the top and finally making sense when they hadn’t previously. I wrote the first few paragraphs of a brand new story and I’m playing around with it here and there as I’m inspired. I reread Nobody’s Darlin’ by Sarah Blue, am at the tail end of a Sons of Anarchy rewatch, and have an insatiable itch for MC omegaverse that can’t be scratched enough right now, so I’m stoked to finally have a solid omegaverse idea to play with since omegaverse is one of my favorite genres to read. Granted, my version of an MC for this story isn’t anywhere near violent or dark since I prefer my omegaverses fluffy, but still – tattooed dudes on motorcycles and lots of sex soothes the soul.

I’ve had a few realizations as I’ve let Aurora lie dormant. I’m not the same person I was when Aurora Graves was birthed, so a lot has changed and her skin feels restrictive, like I’ve outgrown her.

Southern Gothic will always be home, but I’m not much of a horror person anymore (I’ve been avoiding horror altogether for the past two plus years). It’s no secret I don’t like dark romance, and it bothers me being lumped into the genre and I guess writing it when I don’t like it, nor read it. It bothers me trying to force myself to write within genres that I’m no longer interested in because, while it’s hella nice to make a few bucks from my writing, money isn’t my motivator to put ideas on the page. While I can consume and write dark fiction… I don’t want to, and I haven’t wanted to for a very long time now.

Long and short of it: a new pen name is in order. Not to say I’m abandoning Aurora Graves entirely; she’s still gonna be here in a better-fitting genre (paranormal romance – many of my best ideas are PNR!) and in case I ever come back around to writing more on the dark side. However, I’ve always said to myself that if and when I start a new pen name, I’d take the time to do things right, have a few books lined up first before going all in.

I’m not too sure if any of this will matter in another year or two, anyway. How can I think that far ahead when our sense of normalcy has been obliterated for the foreseeable future?

Because real life can’t be ignored…

Straight up: shit is scary right now. Downright terrifying.

I might live in a red state, but the national death squad is still present here, and detention camps are nearby. I think there’s a new one being built within San Antonio city limits. A friend of mine literally sent me a fresh video of someone in our hometown being “detained” as I wrote this newsletter. There have been checkpoints and reports of abductions all around me and way too close to my friends and family.

The law of the land is clearly being ignored, but I think it’s still important we know and review our constitutional rights to keep them fresh in our minds.

I implore y’all to get familiar with your state laws, whether you live in a stand your ground or duty to retreat state (do your due diligence and crosscheck legislation directly with state government; this link is simply as a starting point for reference). Do what you can to protect yourselves and your loved ones. It is your right and obligation.

Privacy is paramount. Pay very careful attention to the terms of service and privacy policies you agree to when downloading apps and using websites and software. Research ways to improve your digital privacy and determine what your priorities are with it because you can’t do it all without losing your mind. Take time to review your social media usage, see if there are better alternatives or if you can skip it altogether. The more analog or offline we can get with our lives, the better.

Double and triple check information and its sources. There have been instances of AI creating false videos, bots being used to sew further discord online.

Report sightings and let your loved ones know. This website, Facebook groups, and local subreddits all have folks reporting in.

Perhaps most importantly, figure out who your local community is and become friendly and familiar with them. It’s become very clear that now, more than ever, we need to rely as much on ourselves as we possibly can. I know this line item can be difficult for a lot of us who have moved away or cut ties and may have our most substantial relationships online, and that’s valid. I think humanity has come to a crossroads with the internet, however, and it’s becoming important to connect with our immediate locale.

What helped me being far away from my main community was shopping locally, checking out local farms on Local Harvest and signing up for a community-supported agriculture membership, and signing up for my local library’s email newsletter and checking out what events were happening. These were an “in” to my new local community without feeling hella awkward or like I didn’t belong because we all need to shop for necessities, we all need to eat, and the library serves the community. It surprised me how much the library had going on, including events and classes on stuff that I’ve been interested in picking up like sewing and gardening!

Thank you for being here and supporting my author journey through its highs and lows. No matter where you are, I hope your belly is full, your home warm when it’s cold outside and cool when it’s hot out, and that you’re staying safe. Next time I check in, I hope I’ll have some good news for y’all with my next pen name and/or book.

Stay fucked, y’all.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewritten this newsletter, so I’m going to rip off the Band-Aid.

My erotic horror romance novella fell through

While I really wanted to write this kind of story – a horror romance involving snuff, necro, and vore – I couldn’t finish it for at least 25 different reasons.

I tried so hard. I had only two chapters and a short epilogue left. I fought like hell to not succumb to the worst of writer temptations: abandoning a story halfway through, never to return to finish it until much later, if at all.

At the end of the day, though, it wasn’t clicking.

After sitting on this feeling for a while, watching yet another project crash and burn before my eyes, and talking it through with some trusted friends, I’ve decided it’s time to face what I’ve been trying to tell myself since 2023.

I’ve reached a critical point as an author

Aurora Graves was born of a combination of severe depression and writing chapter 7 of The First Deal. I was unemployed, unable to get any job, sitting on a mountain of rejections from literary agents and one revise and resubmit from a traditional publisher for another book, and needed to keep myself busy.

I started posting to Wattpad because I wasn’t sure about indie publishing. In the meantime, having a weekly deadline to post a chapter every Friday morning gave me something to look forward to and shook me from the chains of depression by giving me something productive to focus on instead of how low I felt. It stressed me the fuck out towards the end after I finally found employment, but it filled a major void.

Now, instead of feeling inspired and hopeful when I sit down to write, I feel dread. Anxiety. Even anger. I’m antsy thinking about how I can’t wait to get off the computer and do something else. I haven’t even wanted to read in months. And I seriously can’t stand that I feel this way about something I choose to do.

The longer I’ve looked back and the more I’ve talked it out, the more I began to recognize the telltale signs: I’ve been burned to a crisp for so long that it’s reached well beyond what a little R&R can fix.

I can’t be Aurora Graves right now

Hopefully by now y’all know that I am autistic. Late diagnosed. So I haven’t quite figured out the secret sauce to not overdo, well, anything I do. Even the shit I like.

I still have a very bad habit of ignoring my needs and barreling through all the warning signs that I’m doing too much, because it doesn’t feel like it’s too much until it’s too late.

This is one of the many times that trying to push myself to do “the right thing” – write the next book ASAP, build community, push through and write every day – ends up harming me far more than it helps those who are normal.

Now, unfortunately, that means I can’t be Aurora Graves for a while.

Honestly, though, coming to this realization and putting it out into the universe has given me such a profound sense of relief. A weight I didn’t realize I was carrying has been lifted from my shoulders, and I feel like I can breathe again.

I’m so thankful for Aurora. She pulled me out of a very dark time and gave me meaning when I needed it most. She gave life to some of my greatest goals and dreams.

I’m grateful for you, your support and reading my books. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without it.

Truthfully, I’m scared of making this move because it feels like I’m throwing away years of hard work and tears. Though I’m hanging up the Aurora mask for a while, it doesn’t mean I’m quitting writing. One day, I want to come back to the stories I’ve left on the back burner.

I’m not sure what form that will take. Maybe it’ll still be novellas and novels as Aurora Graves. Maybe I’ll start a new pen name and start all over. Maybe I’ll do something different, like return to something like Wattpad or try a different form of storytelling.

For now, I want to set writing aside. I want to finish the huge diamond painting I started earlier this year. I want to start art/junk journaling and the scrapbook I’ve delayed for almost a decade. I really want (and desperately need) to work on my health and find an active hobby. I want to do a deep dive on my new special interest (I’ve fallen down a Mormonism rabbit hole) and get lost in something that breathes new life into me. I want to get back into reading non-fiction that interests me. I want to spend more time with my husband, who’s dealt with my workaholic habits for far too long.

The plans I have for myself in the coming months have filled me with hope and eagerness for this hiatus. I think it will be the break I’ve been needing this entire time, and it’ll invigorate me to return to writing with a renewed spirit.

I don’t want to lose you, dear reader, because I know I’ll come back to writing. It might be later this year. Maybe in a year or two. Regardless, I hope you’ll still be waiting for me on the other side.

TTFN – ta ta for now ❤️‍🔥

My books will remain published. Southern Discomfort will still be published, so make sure you’re following me on Amazon and BookBub to be notified when it’s released. Y’all ain’t getting rid of me that easily.

I hope y’all have a wonderful 2026. Stay fucked, abominations.

You may have noticed I skipped a newsletter last month. When words are in short supply, I imagine y’all would rather I use them for books instead of newsletters.

In this newsletter

• Work-in-progress updates

• Southern Discomfort update

• Reader survey

• 2026 intentions

Work-in-progress updates

✅ title chosen

✅ blurb written

✅ editor booked

✅ cover designer booked

❌ manuscript completed

Yeah… I don’t know what to tell y’all except it’s still a struggle for me to write.

I’m still writing draft one. Chapter five, to be exact. I stalled out pretty hard in the middle.

Week 1 word count: 3,205

Week 2 word count: 7,384

Week 3 word count: 2,981

Week 4 word count (so far): 823

Side note: Looking back at the last word count tracker I have on file, 2,000-3,000 words per week seems to be the trend. So, looks like Aurora Graves is just a slow writer now. 😕

I’m tired of being on the computer all goddamn day, and it’s frustrating having to force myself to sit at the computer after work to, well, keep on working. Because that’s what writing has turned into: work.

It also doesn’t help that I’ve had a total of 16 migraine days in November, so obviously the last thing I want to do is keep staring at a screen for a couple more hours on top of the day job. Ironically, I’m on day two of another migraine as I write this newsletter, but thankfully it’s started to subside.

In any case, I’ve finally reached the ✨nasty✨ part, so it’s hopefully all downhill from here and will be in your hands when I originally intended it to be. I made the executive decision to push back my editor due date by a week and a half, which may slightly delay the release date, but we’ll see.

What I can confirm is I will never challenge myself to write a story to completion within a short period like this again. I thought this was going to be fun, but it really wasn’t. It’s been a lot more frustrating than I thought it would be.

On a lighter note: I’m pretty stoked about the cover! And I’m kinda in love with the MMC 😅

Southern Discomfort

Yes, finally, some news about Southern Discomfort! I have a cover for it and will be publishing once it’s finalized.

Due to the short length, it will be available only as an ebook.

My annual reader survey

It’s that time of year again! I have decisions to make for 2026, and I’d like to hear from you before I finalize anything.

Take the 2026 Reader Survey

Looking into 2026

This is the time of year when everyone starts sharing their plans and goals for 2026, and I will admit: I do have plans and goals of my own floating around. What I’ve learned from 2024 and 2025, however, is that I can plan and set as many goals as I want, but it will never fail that either life or myself will give me the middle finger and say, “Fuck off. I’d like to see you try again.”

That said… since I don’t expect to send another newsletter before the new year, here are my two biggest, most important intentions for 2026.

Figure out sustainability

I feel like most of my year has been spent bitching, bitching, bitching, especially about writing and being an author. I’m tired of having that attitude and I don’t want to bring it into 2026.

When I’m being extra negative to the point of giving up, that’s always been a trigger for me to hit the pause button and think long and hard about why I feel the way I do, why I’m complaining about the things I’m bitching about.

Oftentimes, I just need an attitude adjustment. I need to step away, take a break, go outside for some fresh air, touch grass. That usually helps, but in this case since I’ve been off and on breaks for the past two years, I need to figure something else out to make sure this whole author thing is sustainable.

Focus on finishing outstanding projects

I’m gonna level with y’all: I have a suspicion – paranoia, really – that I’ve been fudging this whole author thing because I have never finished telling the Witch Father’s story.

What’s even more sus about that is the timeline kind of adds up to confirm that 😳

So my second biggest intention for 2026 is to work on projects I’ve delayed, starting with the Witch Father.

Aurora’s outstanding projects (that y’all know of!):

• the Witch Father

• the New Year’s Ball universe

• dark vampire horror romance

• Ugly Like Me novel

• dark surfer romance

• secret project LITS

• Halloween novella

• death metal romance

What I’m into lately

My Ticket Home’s new album dropped and I swear to god, this has been the LONGEST edging of my fucking life, holy shit.

I’m not sure which track is my favorite, but I think it might be “One for the Garden.”

Keeping it short this month so I can get back to redacted. Don’t forget to take my 2026 Reader Survey – it’ll really help!

Stay fucked, abominations.

Yup, I made it back home to Texas! The move was relatively uneventful, thankfully – just really long and exhausting. I’m tired of moving lol.

Project updates

Like I mentioned in one of my previous newlsetters, writing has been on hold due to the big move. Instead, seeing as what was supposed to be a quickie novella has turned into a monster of a real romance novel, I’ve focused on completing character sheets for my current WIP to hammer out everyone’s backstories. Working on character sheets has allowed me to go into draft 2 with everything I need to know to complete the project. They brought out a lot of details and scenes that need to be added, so now I’m working on an updated outline.

Oh, you’re waiting for the “but”? It’s like you know me. Or the subject line for this newsletter is hint enough.

I’ll be straight with y’all: I really want to have a new release on my birthday this year. But at the rate this current project is going, it’s not gonna happen. I don’t feel confident in writing another 50k words, having the entire thing edited, proofread, cover designed, etc. by January. And I’m really glad I decided to take that pressure off my shoulders because a family emergency happened this week, so this newsletter almost didn’t happen.

After bitching this whole year about not being able to write a quick story, a novella… welp, somebody’s finally doing the damn thing!

I’ve dared myself to let loose, figure out a quick(ish) outline, and write an erotic horror novella in two weeks – just like I did for Ugly Like Me. (I don’t remember if it was written in exactly two weeks, but it was two-ish and happened hella quick after spending a month figuring out the outline.) The outline has changed a little since I first started working on it and now I feel like I can call it an erotic horror romance, but one thing hasn’t changed: this story is so fucked up.

I know most of you have read Ugly Like Me and thought it was pretty fucked. Let me assure you: this upcoming novella is so, so much worse. Seriously, I don’t think even half of you will read it due to the triggers, and that’s a generous guesstimate. This isn’t to be “edgy” and generate hype; I truly don’t think most of you will be able to stomach this story. I’m having a lot of fun with it though 😈

The outline is complete, and drafting begins next week, so I am planning on announcing more about it in the next newsletter.

Talking about it now, I’m kind of laughing at myself at the total dichotomy between my two current WIPs. I think I really oughta reconsider a second pen name ‘cause wtf!

Six months without Booktok & Bookstagram

It’s been half a year since I’ve logged off social media, so I thought I’d offer some thoughts on it.

The short of it is: I highly recommend everyone do it. Log off. Stay off. Take a deep breath. Touch grass. It’s been so freeing to not be burned by the constant dumpster fire that is social media. Not having to think of the current or next big piece of drama because it’s none of my business and I don’t belong in it has been amazing.

I have to admit though: it’s crossed my mind to get back onto Instagram and TikTok. Not necessarily to restart posting at full speed, but to be able to scroll and see what’s going on, DM folks, be more in touch with the bookish community. Because I’ve gotta be honest: logging off has been completely isolating. Unless I already had someone’s phone number or email and spoken to them via that method, I no longer hear from anybody.

I guess that is what I wanted, in the end: a clearer differentiation between real relationships and pararelationships. But damn… for someone who’s made at least half of their friendships online and communicates better that way, it really sucks.

At the end of the day, though, I’m not returning to Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Seeing my books being used to feed Meta’s AI without my permission was the nail in the coffin. Seeing that stupid push notification from TikTok “thanking” the president for delaying the ban in the US was another nail. It’s gross, and I refuse to kneel at the feet of tyrants.

While it sucks to not be connected anymore, I think my life is a lot better off without it. I’m a lot happier, and I’m writing again.

What I’m currently into

Calva Louise is one of my more recent faves, and they released a new banger of an album this summer. I have the entire Edge of the Abyss album on repeat, but “El Umbral” might be my absolute favorite. If you have the time and like their genre-bending sound, I encourage you to dig into their music video catalog and watch in order. Their vocalist creates their videos, carries a connecting narrative throughout many of them, and the visuals are completely insane for someone only a few years self-taught.

Amorphis’s new album Borderland dropped at the end of September and obviously I have to mention it. Amorphis uses a songwriter who bases lyrics on the Kalevala, a Finnish epic, and given the content and album art, I think I can safely assume this album is about the border along the Tuonela River separating the living and the dead. (Forgive me, I don’t know dick from shit about Finnish folklore/mythology.)

Also, My Ticket Home dropped another banger. I’m frothing at the mouth for their album to arrive. If you haven’t listened to them at all, I demand you go listen to their album Strangers Only immediately. Top tier album, 100/10, absolutely no notes.

As far as books are concerned, I’m still not reading anything new. Rather, I’m focused on collecting favorites in hard copy and, frankly, collecting all media in physical form. The most recent additions to my physical library include All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert and the deluxe edition of Burning Daylight by Emily McIntire. If you’re able to score one of the deluxe editions of Burning Daylight, GET IT – it’s gorgeous, omg.

I also binged the fuck out of Yellowstone, 1883, and 1923. I enjoyed all of them a lot more than I thought (although I absolutely see what Yellowstone is so problematic, like… yikes). Now, I’ve started watching Monster: The Ed Gein Story – I legit thought Charlie Hunnam was only good at acting as an outlaw biker, but this show is proving me so wrong.

For your TBR

The doctor wants to control me.

I’m always searching for where I belong, but when I learn about my mother’s murder, I find my new purpose: justice.

Dr. Ambrose killed my mother, and I’m determined to kill him.

As I disguise myself as his newest patient, he shows me how much I love being objectified, degraded, and used. The more he trains me, the harder it is to remember why I entered the asylum in the first place.

I will get revenge, even if I crave Dr. Ambrose’s sensual torment.

Even if I lose my mind.

Author’s note: This is a horror novella with explicit scenes. An extended content list is located on the author’s website. Reader discretion is advised.

Grab your copy

That’s it for this month! If you’re looking for a quick spooky and spicy read for Halloween, Claiming the Witch Father is always a good read – or reread!

Stay fucked, abominations.

Hey y’all. I can’t believe I’m moving in less than three weeks! 🤯 Because I’m closing up shop for the move, all ebooks are 25% off through the end of August. Reminder that I don’t know when/if I will be able to reopen, so grab your copies now if you prefer to buy direct.

Shop now

TL;DR

• Draft one of current project is complete

• I should accept the fact I need to write longer books

• Don’t expect a newsletter in September

Writing updates on the current WIP

Yes, it finally happened: draft one of my current project is finally complete!

I wanted to wait to do my initial read-through until after the move, but I got impatient and did it last week. I’m really glad I did because it helped me realize I wrote the second half of a novel.

Wait, wait, wait — I can explain.

Like I mentioned in my last newsletter, this was supposed to be a novella. Well, as stories are wont to do, an incredible backstory developed as I wrote. So, instead of ending up with the quick burn rock star dad’s best friend novella I set out to write (like, literally, Aurora — a novella with those tropes??), I ended up with a short novel. I wrote it in a different style, which lent to it being much, much longer than expected. And then the choice of tropes obviously screams for a longer work, but I started it right in the middle of the main romance action for a shorter work, so… I’ve ended up with the second half of a book at 50k words.

To distract myself from the stress of moving, I’ve thrown myself into reading a couple of craft books in hopes those will help with editing. If there’s anything you should know about me as a writer, it’s that I hate craft books more than anything. Nothing kills my creativity like forcing myself to plan/outline according to beats, use a plotting system of some sort, etc. I really want to improve my editing skills (I’ve never thought I was a decent editor, even as a professional), so I picked up a couple of craft books I’ve had my eye on for a while now, and thankfully, the books I picked aren’t stifling my creativity for once and I’m finding them to be incredibly helpful. I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas for developmental edits of this current project!

For now, as I’m focused on packing up my entire life once more and move across the country yet again, I’m reading more about editing, jotting down notes for edits, and brainstorming for draft two.

I’ve had some realizations as I’ve struggled writing a story to completion

As y’all know, I’ve had the worst time finding my footing after releasing Anything for the Devil: The Final Deal back in February of 2024.

It wasn’t until April of this year that I was finally able to get invested enough in a story to see it through — my current project. Even still, it’s taken me about five months to write 50k words, and now I need to go back and probably write 50k more.

I’ve been desperate to write something short. Anything short. I had one success with Southern Discomfort, but it kept trying to grow and grow as I wrote it. It seems every story I’ve tried to work on as a short or novella has grown far beyond that, which has made me abandon it because omfg I just want to write a quick story wtaf???

After so many fails this past year — and now realizing with the past few projects I don’t hate the fact they are going to be a longer — I think I need to face the music.

I should write longer books.

Have I told y’all the books I wrote before Claiming the Witch Father were over 75-100k+ words? Yeah. I don’t know why I keep trying to force this.

I know many of you are rejoicing, but I am not. I am annoyed. Personally, I love shorter works. Reading one doesn’t make me want to put my entire life aside to finish and subsequently ruin my day or week (yay hyper focus). They get straight to the point with very little fluff. Writing short is fantastic too and lightens the editorial load.

Deep down, though, I’m a novelist at heart. I’ve always called myself a novelist over anything else. So I guess I should stop fighting myself on it. I’m not the amateur I was when I wrote my first two novels, in which I wrote a lot about nothing; I’ve improved so much since then and now know how to make each word count, for the most part. I still have my paragraphs lol.

I have to be honest though: writing isn’t my job. And I don’t want it to be my job – I have a great job in real life that reliably pays my bills and into my retirement (and lets me take off whenever I have a migraine!). I want writing to be what it’s always been to me: an escape. A way for me to figure out the world. A fun, delightful affair that provides relief from the drag and horrors of everyday life. Because of that, I’m not going to have a release every few months; I’m not going to be on social media working Booktok or Bookstagram like my livelihood depends on it, because it doesn’t.

There’s a quote from Elizabeth Gilbert that has stuck with me:

“… I never wanted to burden my writing with the responsibility of paying for my life. I knew better than to ask this of my writing, because over the years, I have watched so many other people murder their creativity by demanding that their art pay the bills.”

—Elizabeth Gilbert

I did this once: I took a semester off during college to try being a full-time writer while working retail part time. Guess what never worked and who went back to school the following semester?

All that to say: because writing isn’t my job, because it’s something I do for fun, the reality is that releases are going to be farther between for me. The second writing feels like work is the second I start avoiding it. Writing has felt like a job since I started publishing indie, and I didn’t really want to do it anymore but felt like I had to to stay relevant.

I took a hard look at my author self this year as I’ve struggled to do much of anything. Did that thing all the experts say to do and got back to my “why” — just to realize that I’m trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole.

I’m done trying to force my writing to be something I never wanted it to be.

I know I would write more quickly too if I didn’t focus so much on the external world, keeping an eye on the news, planning and gathering resources for what’s to come for us in the US. Because I’ll level with y’all: I’m scared. I’ve been scared, not just for the US, but for the world. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do as more and more shit keeps hitting the fan to the point that writing fiction just isn’t as important as making sure my family has food, safety, and resources for whatever may go down.

So, some days I’m able to write more; many days, I’m not able to write anything. But here’s to being closer to our support system to ease the anxiety, and hopefully it won’t take me another five months to finish draft two 🍻

What I’m into lately

All I’ve been doing is rereading favorites, so I won’t bother listing those, but here are the craft books I’m reading:

• Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

• Intuitive Editing by Tiffany Yates Martin

And although Amorphis has released another song or two, one of my all-time favorite bands My Ticket Home dropping three songs is WAY more important.

Also, the new Lorna Shore and AFI singles fuck hard.

I don’t expect to send a newsletter in September, so I’ll see y’all in October.

Stay fucked, abominations.

We’re excited and nervous and anxious and hopeful. Please send all the good luck and vibes our way because ya girl is already losing a LOT of sleep stressing out.

As part of the move, we’re doing a huge purge, so now is the perfect time for a…

Clearance sale!

What you’ll find in this sale:

• $15 grab bags that include ALL Aurora Graves swag

• 50% off in stock signed books (very limited stock)

• 25% off ebooks, merch, and already discounted first prints and blemished books

Shop now

PLEASE NOTE:

• This sale will end August 8.

• Yes, I am shipping internationally for this sale! However, if you’re in the European Union, I’m very sorry I do not have the resources to be able to ship to you.

• Shipping within the U.S. is FREE with exception to merch. Since merch is printed by the platform that hosts my shop and is a separate thing, shipping charges will still apply to merch.

• Discounts will automatically apply at checkout. Prices will display at their normal rate in the shop, so don’t click away just yet.

• There may be some variances in contents of grab bags due to inventory. I’ll do my best to include everything in each order, but some folks may receive some repeated items if I have to omit something.

• Orders will start shipping July 26, but please be patient with delivery and allow up to 2 weeks for it to arrive. The USPS has been super slow this year, and it’s even worse in Kentucky. Seriously, I’m lucky I even get my mail.

Shop now

Moving to a different state means different business laws, so I’m doing my research now to make sure I do things correctly – and I’m 99% certain I’m going to have to change how I operate. Until I settle in back home and make that decision, my shop will be closing until further notice on August 31.

Writing updates

The upcoming move has me thinking about Anything for the Devil and the whole New Year’s Ball universe. I have a feeling I may get inspired to write more of Shannon’s story sooner rather than later.

But you’re probably wondering about the current project I’ve been working on.

Though I haven’t quite finished the first draft just yet like I had hoped (moving plans and an emergency vet visit has thrown a wrench into writing the past week, but I am currently writing the last couple of chapters), what was supposed to be a quick and fun novella has spiraled into a full-blown novel. Yup, draft one is 50k words and counting – and draft two involves adding an additional 10 chapters 💀 And the chapters for this one have been almost 3x longer than my normal length, so that’s about 30-40k more words, holy fuck dude 😭 That September deadline be lookin’ a lot more like November 🥲

Last chance to grab The Tales of the Scorned or read on KU!

The Tales of the Scorned feminine rage charity anthology is leaving Amazon and KU July 27, so purchase your copy and save it to your KU library now!

Southern Discomfort will be republished on its own later this year, sometime after the move.

Grab your copy

Stay fucked, abominations.

P.S., are you a book collector interested in receiving a proof copy of one of my books? I have a few lying around I’d love to send to new homes, so use this form to submit your info and you may get a surprise in the mail!

P.P.S, you really think I’d send a newsletter without mentioning the new Amorphis single I’m hella obsessed with??

Time flies when you’re having fun too! I started the new project I’ve mentioned previously on April 2, and I’m nearing 40,000 words 😱 While I’m close to completing draft one, I’m anticipating the word count to climb even higher in subsequent drafts.

Yes, we may be looking at a word count record-setting Aurora Graves book this year 😭

Does it have a title?? A blurb??? A cover???? A RELEASE DATE?????

Title and blurb – yes and yes. Those were written and done on day one. Will I share either of these things today? No, sorry – nothing is ever solid until we reach line edits, and that’s a draft three or draft four problem.

Cover – no. I’m not that far yet. I like designing my own covers, but I want to improve what little design skills I have. I got a cover design course to do so – plus help me learn a new-to-me graphic design program, because my mortal enemy is Photoshop – but I have yet to really dig into it. Been busy writing, you see. As such, I’m on a major delay with covers. (Yeah, that means Southern Discomfort doesn’t have a cover yet for when it rereleases after The Tales of the Scorned anthology. I’ll get around to it eventually.)

Release date – also no, also I’m not that far yet. I have an idea of when, but I’ll feel a lot more comfortable announcing a solid date after it’s in an editor’s hands.

That said, I can confidently share ✨tropes and triggers✨ 🤩

I know a lot of y’all are looking at this and wondering: is it dark at all??

Well… not in the least. It’s angsty and heavy, for sure, but it’s nowhere near dark. Given *gestures vaguely* the current hellscape we’re living in, I really have not been keen on anything dark or violent. It’s been so cathartic to work on a piece with tropes I’ve been dying to write without worrying about how to make it dark, so I’m letting it be the story it wants to be. And because it’s still angsty and heavy, I’m refraining from starting a whole new pen name for angsty contemporary romances. I hope you understand and will still hang on for the ride.

Do you like the dad’s best friend trope? How do you feel about death metal romance?? Reply to this newsletter or leave me a comment to let me know!

Reader question: How do I get my ideas onto the page?

This question comes from a reader from the last newsletter…

I thought this one would be fun to answer, especially because I don’t exactly do it the same way every time. But here’s how it generally happens.

1. The Idea™️

Ideas are weird little things that seem to come out of nowhere and, with the passage of time, seem like complete and total nonsense, ‘cause like… where the fuck do they come from???

I get a lot of my ideas from music. A song will be playing, and my brain catches onto a particular lyric. Synapses do their thing and connect those lyrics to visuals I’ve seen, people I’ve met, places or things I’ve wanted to explore.

While half of my ideas stem from music, the rest come directly from whatever I’m doing in real life. When I’m stuck creatively, the sure fire way to get things moving again is for me to get out of the house and do something, even if it’s just driving around town, because I’ll see, hear, or experience something that will trigger a spark.

And, suddenly, a scene starts to play.

2. Getting The Idea™️ out of my head

If you ask Mama Graves, she’ll say I’ve always had a notebook in one hand and a pen in the other, my constant companions everywhere I went (yeah, even during church). With the advent of smartphones, my trusty little pen and pad turned into the notes app on my phone.

Most of my ideas start as notes, so I’ve got a shit ton of scrap pieces of paper filed away and even more digital scraps between my phone and computer. Much of the time, it starts with writing an actual scene and following it however far it’ll take me; other times, it’s a quick summary sentence or paragraph and notes or links pointing to what inspired it, including a song or short playlist.

This is a random example. Out of context it doesn’t make any sense – and, hell, sometimes looking at it myself I’m like ????? – however, I believe it’s important to always leave breadcrumbs to an idea’s origins. Even if I’m confused when first rereading my notes, that initial spark almost always comes back, which adds fuel to the fire.

I don’t always pursue a spark right away, though. I have more ideas than I know what to do with. Sometimes a spark lasts only five seconds, and I’m not about to waste my precious time on a tiny blip that fizzles out as quickly as it came. Instead, all of my ideas sit in the simmer pot for a very, very long time, percolating until one day it boils over and I can’t ignore it anymore – it demands to be written and told. A character comes to life, taps my shoulder, and knocks me over the head, saying, “Get to work!”

3. Getting The Idea™️ onto paper

When I can no longer ignore characters, that’s when I explore my notes more deeply.

I have a couple of templates to help with this, but the main one I’ve used the past couple of years is like a summary doc that includes:

• Initial notes (e.g., the one-line summary)

• A longer summary (the paragraph summary)

• Characters, specifically notes/ideas about the FMC (female main character) and MMC (male main character)

• Tropes (trope ideas have a question mark after them)

• Triggers

• And a modge podge of scene ideas that I keep track of as they come to me

The potential scenes list is where the gold is. A lot of the time, that’s where my notes start out: after a jot down a quick idea, it turns into listing out a bunch of potential scenes long before I figure out who the main characters are, what the beginning or the end are, tropes, etc. Tropes and triggers tend to be an afterthought, more of a preemptive list to help me with refining the blurb and marketing later on (also to help remind myself and keep track of triggers because I’m paranoid of missing something and upsetting someone).

Eventually, when I start writing, I move these details from my space in Anytype to my working document in Storyist. There, I have more in-depth templates for each individual main character, a doc for supporting characters, a “spitballin’” doc for any and all ideas that come to mind to work out potential plot directions, etc.

4. To plot or not to plot?

I won’t delve into my tumultuous history with plotting and how it was a huge factor that made me quit writing for 10 years. 🙂‍↔️

That said, I do typically outline these days. There are a bunch of different methods and ways of plotting and outlining — the three act structure, the five act structure, the snowflake method, the hero’s journey, beat sheets, the LOCK method — but nothing makes me want to quit writing all over again like a formal outlining method. After years of trial and error, I’ve figured out that zero drafting is my sweet spot.

You’ve heard me mention this method before. Basically, it’s something between an outline and a bare-bones first draft. Because this is what happens: I start planning out scenes since my notes start with scene ideas, but my brain doesn’t work in scenes but in chapters, so it turns into chapter outlines, but then I start adding details and BAM! suddenly there’s dialogue. Once there’s dialogue, it’s no longer an outline, and there’s ALWAYS dialogue in my “outlines.” Enter the zero draft.

I love this form of outlining because it doesn’t feel like plotting. It gives me the freedom of pantsing (writing without an outline) while keeping track of details and being able to work out plot holes or missing details before they become problematic later on. It makes writing feel like it takes for-fucking-ever, especially since adding more of the fancy and sensory details comes in subsequent drafts, but editing is quick and fun. It allows me to focus on one thing at a time, like figuring out the plot first before writing in my weak areas (*cough cough* line edits) so the story I craft only gets better and better with each pass.

I want to hear from you: would you be interested in following the complete process of me writing a story from idea to published book? I’ve toyed around with the idea of “write a book with me” to let y’all in on my process from start to finish since I think it’s interesting and wild to watch creatives do their thing. Leave a comment or reply to this email to let me know if you’re interested!

What I’m into lately

Listening

My friends, it’s a great time to be an Amorphis fan because they just released an incredible new single last week and announced a new album.

I’m betting y’all would be much more interested in my current writing playlist, though 👀

Don’t come after me, the actual death metal starts like 20 songs in 😂 The official playlist will be different from the writing playlist!

Watching

I’ve been bingeing Acre Homestead videos for whatever reason. I guess because it’s a great for background noise as I’m doing something else with the occasional interesting tidbit to make me glance up for a few minutes, but still allowing me to get work done on something else.

I’ve also gotten into Tank the Tech’s Roadie Storytime series. I’ve watched his other roadie videos and interviews, but the storytime vids are absolutely delightful too.

Off YouTube, Mr. Graves and I went to see Sinners in theater, and y’all, if it’s still playing in theaters near you, cancel your plans in the next few days and GO WATCH IT. Listen, I know I said I haven’t been keen on anything violent, but damn… this is exquisite.

Reading

Continuing on with a Southern Gothic theme: it’s been on my TBR since it was released, but I’m finally reading Then, Earth Swallowed Ocean by my lovely friend . My friends, believe the hype about this one. It’s pure fucking poetry on the page. I’ve been reading it for over a week now despite it being around 330 pages or so, but I’m enjoying reading it in small chunks to chew on it and savor it. It’s just that kind of book.

That just about does it for this month. I’ll be heading into draft two by July at the latest, and I can’t tell y’all how stoked I am for edits for this one. I’ve been so damn excited from day one, and I really hope y’all are too!

Stay fucked, abominations ❤️‍🔥

The anthology will be unpublished at the end of July, so you still have a chance to grab the ebook or one (or all!) of the four volumes available in paperback. Plus, it’s available to read through Kindle Unlimited, so save it to your library now!

Read The Tales of the Scorned now

Please know while the anthology will be unpublished, Southern Discomfort will be republished on its own at a later date.

I’ve been wanting to write a sapphic Southern Gothic romance for a while now, so I’m stoked I finally had the chance to do it and for a great cause (even if writing it felt like pulling teeth). I feel like I didn’t talk much about this one though, so I thought a little interview about it might be fun for this newsletter.

An interview with Aurora about Southern Discomfort

How did you come up with the title?

I feel like “Southern discomfort” is a common play on the name for a liquor of similar wording, so basically what happened is I used that as a placeholder… and ran with it because if it fits, it sits. And that title sat, boy, I tell you what.

How long did it take you to write Southern Discomfort?

An embarrassing amount of time for it being just over 14,000 words. Total, I want to say it took over 3 months.

I struggled, y’all.

What made you want to write a sapphic story?

I’ve wanted to for a couple of years now but scrapped the idea… and then couldn’t think about anything else. And because it bothered me, I knew I had to write it. Also, I honestly didn’t know how to write a male main character within the context of feminine rage besides the obvious “support women’s wrongs” or killing characters, so I didn’t.

Do you think you’ll write another sapphic romance?

Nah. This is the only explicitly sapphic story idea I have, and I feel more comfortable writing male love interests.

So is there something in your own life that inspired Southern Discomfort?

Oh yeah, definitely. Val’s story is deeply rooted in my own.

What’s your favorite scene from Southern Discomfort?

Val and Noelle at the motel. I spent the longest time on that chapter, not only because it was hot AF, but because it tapped into a really deep and vulnerable vein that bled out on the page like pure art.

It’s over. I finally “got it out of my system.” I can leave this hotel room and go back to business as usual knowing we’ve made our peace and did what needed to be done. Now, we no longer have to wonder, what if?

She falls to my side. The AC unit kicks on again and cools our overheated, sweaty skin. I look over at Noelle with words loaded, but they disappear at the sight of her glassy eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I murmur, stroking her cheek with the backs of my fingers.

She takes a deep, shaking breath. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” she whispers to the ceiling. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”

Words fail me—there’s none to be found in Noelle’s soft cries and sniffles. All I can offer is a hand squeeze.

She chokes on a sob. “Will you stop being ashamed of who we are?”

–Excerpt from Southern Discomfort by Aurora Graves

Will you write more of Val and Noelle’s story?

I’ve been on the fence about expanding Southern Discomfort. I planned on it at first because I had so much I wanted to incorporate that put me well over my word count limit for the anthology. But like I mentioned earlier, writing it was akin to pulling teeth, so I’m no longer inclined to go back to it.

Why haven’t you dropped the playlist for Southern Discomfort yet???

Okay, okay, shit, here you go:

It ain’t much, and I didn’t really actually listen to it while drafting, but it exists nonetheless.

What I’ve been into lately

The last two weeks have been hell with one of my famous nonstop spring migraines, so things have been slow and easygoing this season.

Reading

I’m still not really reading anything, though I was convinced to finally read No Way Out by Santana Knox last weekend since it’s short. Currently toying with the idea of a comfort read (e.g., Carian Cole or Nikki St. Crowe), but we’ll see.

Watching

Mr. Graves and I have been binge watching Letterkenny for the hundredth time, plus I finally got caught up on Shoresy. Every girl deserves a Shoresy, fuck 😅 I’m also trying to stop using streaming services, so I’ve been on YouTube quite a bit lately, watching a shit ton of Nick Crowley videos (my favorites being his series on YouTube’s Darkest Videos, YouTube’s Darkest Channels, Darkest Moments in TV History, etc.) and palette cleansing with gardening videos. My favorite channel so far is Epic Gardening. Also been watching a ton of concert performances and history of black metal videos for whatever reason.

Listening

Still listening to Amorphis almost exclusively. Like, before I went on vacation I actually bought their last four albums to listen to on the plane. Relearning how to download and play MP3s was an experience, y’all 🤣 But when I do manage to break away from the Finnish gods, I’m listening to a lot of death metal and, lord have mercy, that is scratching a special itch in my brain right now. New faves include Scar Symmetry, Insomnium, and Dark Tranquility.

Writing

I can’t lie: I’m back on my rock star bullshit. 22,000 words into it, in fact! It’s kind of funny to think that I’ve struggled so much with writing since February 2024, unable to write much of anything, when I simply needed to keep doing what I was doing in the first place. Here I thought I wanted a break from rock star romance 😂

Maybe I’ll feel comfortable sharing a teaser in the next newsletter.

Till then, stay fucked, abominations ❤️‍🔥

It’s more important than ever to fight for our rights. Fuel your rage and support reproductive rights by purchasing your copy of The Tales of the Scorned Feminine Rage Charity Anthology ebook and/or paperbacks on Amazon. Royalties will be donated to three funds: Lilith Fund, Brigid Alliance, and Planned Parenthood.

This is the first anthology I’ve contributed to, and I’m proud to be able to contribute to a charity anthology focused on such an important issue all of us are grappling with.

Fuck the man. Eat the rich. Rage.

Something you should know about Southern Discomfort

I realized I should clarify expectations for the piece I wrote for the anthology.

Southern Discomfort isn’t anything too crazy. For once, blood doesn’t come as part of the trigger warnings – there are no murders or torture scenes. I wasn’t feeling mayhem for this piece. It’s easy to write that in, given the theme, but I didn’t want to play that fiddle this time around. Feminine rage is still present, of course, but in a different package. It really is Southern Gothic. This short story focuses more on the general unease any feminine-identifying person or black sheep deals with daily in the South, and destroying the ultimate source of the problem, which isn’t one person or even a group of people. Despite going against the norm, I hope y’all still enjoy Southern Discomfort for exactly what the title presents: the discomfort of existence as a woman and queer living in the South.

The anthology is out for a limited time, so be sure to grab it before the end of July!

Order now

Anything for the Devil sale starts now, shipping worldwide*

I straight up forgot about the promised Anything for the Devil sale. Between being preoccupied with a project and flat-out not liking dealing with shop stuff, I’ve been avoiding it.

Anyway, use code AFTD25 for 25% off:

• all Anything for the Devil books, including ebooks and paperbacks (pbs are sign and come with some swag)

• Anything for the Devil character art (ships free within the US!)

• Timeless T-shirts (sizing up to 5XL)

• the Anything for the Devil book box – comes with the complete signed paperback trilogy, all character art, all the swag, a backstage pass signed by all the band members, and extra goodies (plus free shipping in the US!)

Shop now

If you order paperbacks or the book box, please allow me a few weeks to get those shipped out. I don’t maintain stock and have to order books from the printer, which can take 2-4 weeks to receive. Given the current economic and political climate, it may take longer, so I appreciate your patience getting your orders shipped to you.

*Please note: I am happy to ship worldwide, but I am not able to ship to the European Union due to new regulations. Reminder for international purchasers that you are responsible for any imposed tariffs. Sale ends this Saturday, May 3. Thank you for your direct support!

Got a burning question?

Let’s shake things up a little.

If you’ve been wanting to ask me a particular question – whether it’s about a promised upcoming release, my writing process, how I take my caffeine, what my favorite [insert thing here] is, etc. – ask me anonymously in the link below and I will answer in a future newsletter!

And before anyone asks how I’m genuinely doing: I’m fine lol.

Ask Aurora anything

Stay fucked, y’all.

Thankfully it’s not as bad as I thought it was. Right after it happened I was convinced I broke my ankle, but it’s just a bad sprain. My whole foot looked gnarly and bruised AF, but thankfully I’m healing up pretty well – just in time for my trip home! Breakfast tacos and HEB, here I come 🌮

Anyway, I think after this month I’m going to switch things up and send a newsletter once per month. I’m getting tired of being up in your inbox with the same shit – jumping projects, no news in sight of a new release – and I imagine y’all might be getting irritated with me at this point too.

Anyway, let’s get into it.

I’m no longer on Meta platforms or TikTok

If you just went over to FB, IG, or TikTok to check if I’m lying, you’ll still see my profiles up – I’m leaving those for now to have my handle claimed and occupied so nobody is impersonating me for whatever reason. But I’m logging off these platforms with the intent to never get back on unless it’s to delete them.

Removing myself from the centers of the bookish world as an author is a questionable, if not even risky, move. I deleted my personal profiles last year and haven’t looked back, so I’ve really been looking forward to letting go of my author profiles, too.

What really sucks is just how much of the bookish community operates solely on Instagram or TikTok. I really hoped after the initial TikTok ban scare folks would’ve learned and moved to platforms they have more control over (yes, if you’re an author reading this and don’t have a newsletter yet, I am judging you harshly), but the most anyone has done is moved to Instagram or Substack with no alternative.

While I am a total chismosa and will miss out on the latest drama, I’m honestly looking forward to not knowing anything going on in the bookish world unless it’s on Substack (, anyone?), Reddit, or landing in my inbox through newsletters. Ignoring social media has really helped restart my creativity this year, and now I’m completely away from the epicenters, I’ve written around 10,000 words in a week, which I haven’t done in quite a while!

Speaking of…

Writing updates

Yeah, remember how I said earlier I’m tired of only reporting on project jumping?

I teased a spooky season project in my last newsletter, which I wholeheartedly regretted as soon as it was sent out 😂 Once again I’ve gotten into the weeds of brainstorming and outlining, so what was supposed to be a straightforward and simple erotic horror is anything but now. Which is fine… but it totally throws my plans out the window 🙃

Could I still do a straightforward erotic horror novella? Oh yeah, absolutely. But the backstory is now too interesting, and I don’t want to turn back. Unfortunately, this means it’s in the simmer pot to percolate for a little while.

So I switched gears and decided to work on the Witch Father novel for a minute 🫣 If you remember in my huge, all-encompassing writing updates newsletter from February, I was debating between continuing on with it as a novel or the novella series I originally planned. Well, the longer I stared at the novel title I came up with a year or two ago, the more I realized I couldn’t let it go. Now, I’m making adjustments to my outline to make it a novel.

I’m not saying the Witch Father novel will be ready for spooky season because it won’t be. I’m not writing anywhere near what I used to. (If you really want to know, in my prime I could write anywhere between 2,000-7,500 words per day; now, I’m lucky to average 200-500 per day when I try really hard, or just over 1,000 once or twice a week if I’m really lucky.)

I think a birthday release (January 2026) may possibly be in the cards for the Witch Father. I’m really trying to aim for a new release on my birthday every year, but my moody ass can’t make any promises for any particular story right now.

All that, and I’m still jumping between stories.

Remember for-funsies project LITS? Yeah… I reread the outline and basically I think it’s the most genius thing I’ve come up with, so I’m pretty enamored with it once again. HEAR ME OUT, hear me out: the outline is mostly done and solid, and it’ll be a novella, so it’s a viable project.

So what the hell did I write those 10,000 words for in the past week?

It’s for something I haven’t told anyone about. I ain’t even about to tease. Protecting my peace and joy with this one!

“Aurora, why can’t you make up your mind and stick to one project?” you might be asking. Well, (@thereadersofi on Instagram) has demanded repeatedly, anyway 😂

I don’t know the answer to that besides maybe I’m just not supposed to be writing during this season and I’m trying so hard to defy that. Or maybe this is my new normal and I’m still refusing to accept it. Or maybe I’ve been trying to work on things that just don’t spark joy for me like it used to.

The Tales of the Scorned

Release day is right around the corner! ARCs are being sent out tomorrow from Luna Literary.

Those not ARC reading, preorders are open! Remember, all royalties will be donated to three organizations that fund, provide, and benefit reproductive rights within the United States: Lilith Fund, Brigid Alliance, and Planned Parenthood.

Southern Discomfort is a sapphic second chance Southern Gothic romance in Volume One. Valerie locked herself firmly inside the closet when her best friend Noelle confessed her love on the night of their graduation. They may have lost touch for a few years, but when they run into each other again, it’s like nothing really changed – especially after they are forced to endure a forced exorcism together at their local church. Valerie has to confront her truth: that she has a second chance with the girl she loves, and the bigots in their lives need to pay for their sins.

Content warnings include:

• Bigotry

• Blasphemy

• Degradation (light)

• Homophobia, lesbophobia, biphobia

• Religious trauma

• Sacrilege

• Sexism

• Sexual assault (unwanted groping)

Preorder Tales of the Scorned

Three years of Anything for the Devil

Holy crap, it’s been three years since Anything for the Devil has been out in the world in some shape or form. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Since I’m going on vacation in a couple of days and won’t be near a computer, I’m holding off until I get back, but mark your calendars for a sale in honor of Anything for the Devil’s three-year anniversary during the last week of this month! I’ll be sending out a coupon code exclusively for my subscribers in the next newsletter.

Please note: physical orders are shipping within the US only. International folks, I do have signed book plates available to mail (without tracking).

Shit I’m into lately

Unfortunately, I have not been reading, like, at all the past month. Just not in the mood. I am pretty excited to eventually get into Sarah Blue’s Pucked Up Omegaverse trilogy at some point. Probably during my flights.

Howeverrrrrr my playlists have revved up recently.

To heal the broken heart of my fave slam band, Slamcoke splitting up, I’m really getting into Amorphis the past few days for no suspicious reason whatsoever 👀 This is in the playlist, but I’m certain some of y’all appreciate music videos still.

If you’re wondering if I just fell in love with yet another long-haired man with nose piercings, maybe mind your own fucking business, damn dude 🤣

Books you should read

If you haven’t read anything from Audrey Rush yet, do you even like me???

Our desire ends in death.

Working at a funeral home provides the perfect opportunity for me to get rid of the evidence. As I’m investigating the property, I find a woman indulging in intimate “self-care” among the dead.

Ren works at the mortuary too. Every day, she buries herself in her self-loathing, using pills to numb her senses. As I stalk her, I learn that more than anything, she wants to be sensually used until that bitter end.

I see her potential: An empty void. A vessel waiting to be filled. A toy for me to break.

We make a deal—I’ll use her to practice my murderous craft, and in return, I’ll help her end it all.

As we near her final days, I realize that torturing Ren with pleasure and pain is the greatest high I’ve ever known.

Then a rival takes matters into his own hands, giving her the ability to finish herself. I won’t let that happen.

I’ll force Ren to realize that not only do I own her final breaths, I own her death too.

Author’s Note: This dark stalker romance follows a serial killer and his obsession with a depressed crematory operator. An extended content list can be found within the book and on the author’s website. Read discretion is advised.

Get your copy of Grave Love

Stay fucked, y’all ❤️‍🔥

Hey y’all. So apparently I missed a newsletter. We said goodbye to one of our bunnies the week before the last newsletter was supposed to go out, so it slipped my mind. There was a week between finding out at an emergency vet that he had fast-moving, widespread cancer and making the decision to say goodbye humanely, and I just wanted an escape. I took that week off from writing to read.

What I read

• Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (reread; one of my all-time favorites)

• Hate That Blooms by Izzy Ravas

• Golden by S.B. Hazel

• Baby Proposal by Evie Rose

• Complicated Hearts duet by Ashley Jade

• Hush Little Baby by Ashley Michele

• It Was Only a Kiss by Ashley Michele

Of course, with a looming deadline, I couldn’t take much more time off, so straight back to writing Southern Discomfort I went.

I’m very happy to report that a full draft has finally been finished, and after receiving feedback from critique partners, I’m in the first round of edits before tossing it at the editor.

Who woulda thunk, having a deadline has been good for me. So much so that I’ve decided to have another release this year for spooky season 👀

Want a hint?

While I’m planning on having this ready for September or October, my brain is on its bullshit and already making this story a hell of a lot deeper than I wanted it to be 🙄 So we’ll see if it’s this spooky season or not. Stay tuned.

The Tales of the Scorned feminine rage anthology cover reveal

Speaking of the anthology – last time I shared the full author list, and now I get to share the cover reveal for all four volumes!

If you’re interested in being an ARC reader for the anthology, ARCs are handled by Luna Literary and you can apply here.

Interested in ARC reading only Southern Discomfort? Respond to this newsletter or leave a comment and I might offer my own ARCs if there’s enough interest.

Preorder the anthology now

My books are no longer in Kindle Unlimited

If you’ve been with me since 2023, you already know I’ve been out of Kindle Unlimited and published widely for quite a while. I decided to throw my books back into it earlier this year on what felt like a whim but was really a result of mulling it over for months.

Despite the fact I thought about it for a while, I found myself immediately regretting it. The platform I use to run my shop announced a partnership with Bookfunnel just a couple of days after I made the switch; then a major pirating website resurfaced and made me remember, oh shit, I have to pay attention to pirating again in case Amazon terminates my account; then the latest round of Amazon stripping page reads from KU authors happened, and most of those authors are friends of mine in the same genre. All of it was enough to scare me right back out of the program immediately.

When you see an author call themselves “wide,” this means that their books are available outside of Amazon. Enrolling books in Kindle Unlimited requires exclusivity with Amazon, which means that ebook cannot be available elsewhere at the risk of losing your Amazon publishing account – which includes pirated copies that are obviously beyond an author's control. You think Amazon cares? All they want is that dough, so any excuse not to pay authors is a good one. You’ll see this isn’t the case for all authors, however; traditional publishers have contracts with Amazon which may allow their authors to have their ebooks available in KU as well as other platforms. Simply put: indie authors don’t have that kind of pull and are forced into exclusivity with Amazon.

I’d like to apologize for going back and forth on this. I know it’s irritating, not to mention confusing. For the sake of consistency, future Aurora Graves titles (barring Southern Discomfort as part of The Tales of the Scorned anthology) will not be in Kindle Unlimited.

Again, I’m sorry for being inconsistent and aim to be more consistent in the future.

Where you can find my books

My books will always be available in my official shop, both ebooks and paperbacks, plus any special editions (did you know the discreet hardcover is available only in my shop now?). In addition to paperbacks being signed, each paperback order comes with swag! Not to mention the printer I get them from has incredible quality. Sure as hell beats Amazon.

Borrow my books from:

• Your local library (currently available on Libby and waiting for Hoopla to process)

• Kobo Plus (which offers ebooks AND audio for $9.99/month!)

Sign up for a free trial of Kobo+!

Buy my books from:

• Amazon

• Apple

• Barnes & Noble

• Books-A-Million

• Smashwords

• Walmart

• and other retailers

A’ight, back to the editing cave. Stay fucked, abominations.

The Big List of Aurora Graves Writing Updates™️

This newsletter will be a very long one.

TL;DR: writing is hard and going very slowly.

Obviously, it's been a hot minute since my last release (coming up on a year, if anyone's keeping track). I tried resurrecting the old Facebook group a few months ago to keep myself accountable writing for a month and, well, the election happened, and I wasn't very invested in the story I chose to work on, so that kind of fell apart rather quickly.

As the new year started and I was considering next projects, I wanted to keep the stories I work on this year short and simple. Go back to what gets my gears turning, write a couple of novellas or something. Those of you who've read Anything for the Devil know better, though: ya girl don't do simple. When I sit down to plan or even pants (write without a plan) a story, things get very complicated, very quickly. Not that this is a bad thing; it just means I have to throw out my original plans.

Anyway, given the current state of the US, all plans have been thrown out the window, anyway. I'm a little too preoccupied with real life.

I'll get into *gestures vaguely* all that in a bit. Right now, let's get into some updates.

A quick explanation about my writing process

Some writers are called plotters, where they plot their entire story before ever writing a word down for the actual draft.

Some writers are what are called pantsers, where they start writing without a plan — they write by the seat of their pants, throwing caution to the wind and taking them wherever their characters may.

And then there's freaks like me who start off writing notes that turn into an outline, and before you know it, WHOOPS! There's stage direction and dialogue in the outline, and you're writing the actual story in the outline so you don't forget any details you really wanted to include. This can be referred to as zero drafting, which is like a mishmash of outlining and writing the barebones draft of a story. In some status updates you'll see that phrase, zero draft, so that's what that is.

The Witch Father novel

Status: unraveling the outlining. 4,549 words.

It's been over two years since Claiming the Witch Father was released, and I've had the first chapter of the novel available to preview for almost just as long without a promised publish date.

I know, I know… the worst kind of author 😭

Those of you who have read Claiming the Witch Father know that it leaves off on a question mark. I wouldn't call it a cliffhanger, but I guess romance readers would (speaking of: reminder that it's paranormal erotica). Anyway, obviously it ends that way for a reason — that's not the end of Sam and the Witch Father's story. Actually, I had a small series of novellas planned for these two, kind of following them through the Wheel of the Year as they navigate their relationship.

But then I let popular opinion start sinking into my brain.

People don't want to read novellas or series; they want thick-ass novels that explore every facet of a romantic relationship with chapters from each main character's point of view.

With that in mind, I went back to the outline and tried adjusting things to make it into one single novel. Minus the dual POV, of course — some characters should remain mysterious, and the Witch Father is 110% one of them.

I'm not sure if y'all understand this by now, but I don't write long books. I don't even write standard-length books. I don't want to.

I like writing stories on the shorter side, quick and snappy books you can read in a day but still think about for the rest of the week. As much as I love reading, I limit myself to reading on the weekends — otherwise, I'm hyperfixating on a book until it's finished, and then I want to keep on reading, even if I have work. Like y'all, I'm an adult and have responsibilities; I can't spend all day every day reading. So reading books on the shorter side over the weekend helps to keep my hyperfixation tendencies in check.

I have a goal to write an epic-length book one day. But for the rest of my books, I prefer for them to be 350 pages or less. Really, 300 pages or less.

Even still, having popular opinion stuck in my brain really threw me off for the rest of the Witch Father story, and I let it fall to the wayside.

To top it all off, I based it on a real entity, on real traditional witchcraft because I'm a nerd who loves researching religion and spirituality and wanted to incorporate that into a story. While I recognize writing about a real entity wasn't the smartest idea and I don't have regrets writing about the Witch Father, it's tricky business moving forward with the story and incorporating elements of traditional witchcraft because its roots are incredibly problematic, and I don't want to ignore that.

I realize how niche of an issue this is. I'd be genuinely surprised if anyone knows what the hell the Shabbos Queen and that story is, or that aspects of traditional witchcraft is based on accounts from witch trials that are rooted in antisemitism.

But here's the rub: I know better.

With the revised version, I adjusted things to avoid problematic issues going forward and, instead, venture more into Southern lore. "The Devil is beating his wife" is a saying I grew up hearing, so I thought it would be interesting to take more of a witchy Southern angle like that instead of straight trad craft.

So for those of you wondering what the hold up is with the rest of the Witch Father story, that's what's been going on with it. It's a clusterfuck.

Maybe one day I'll get it figured out.

Metalcore romance / New Year's Ball

Status:

I struggled with writing all last year — mainly because the only stories coming to me were from Anything for the Devil characters, but Anything for the Devil isn't as popular as Claiming the Witch Father or Ugly Like Me, so I wanted to focus on writing other stories that I thought y'all would want, instead.

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to see a trend here.

I wrote a little bit of Shannon's story. I wrote a little bit of Ty's story (the guy wanted to talk, so I listened. Not sorry). I've got notes and plans written down for each spin-off. I even have an idea of a prequel novella for Stephani's parents I'd love to explore.

The New Year's Ball universe is my ultimate passion project. Even if it's not my most popular work, I'm going to keep writing it because I wrote it for me and me only. I've been threatening to say "fuck it" and run back into the New Year's Ball universe for months now, but I still haven't done it. Writing up this newsletter, I'm really starting to see where and why I've been going wrong and struggling so much, so I think I will return to this universe sooner rather than later.

Here's the catch: in order to make this series work, I'm 99.9% sure I'm going to have to unpublish the Anything for the Devil trilogy and republish it all as one book — that way I can move forward with future books under one series and not a confusing "this series is part of a larger series but you HAVE to read this series first" type of deal.

Ew, now I've written that out, yeah, I have to make that change. 😩 Heyyyyy, looks like I'm finally getting my thick book, after all! 😂 (Wait till y'all get Shannon's story though — I got a feeling deep in my bones that's gonna be a thicc boi™️)

Lmao watch, I'll start churning out long books after my short book spiel 💀

The Ugly Like Me novel

Status: outlining/zero draft. 28,838 words.

I was working on the outline/zero draft around October when I hit a wall around the 65% mark. The election happened shortly after, anthologies started popping up, so I switched gears to get to work on anthology submissions and let the Ugly Like Me novel simmer for a bit.

Given current events, I feel confident in saying I'll return to it pretty soon.

When this is published, it'll have a different title to differentiate from the novella. Which sucks because how perfect is Ugly Like Me for Korey and Leah's story 😭 I did this to myself.

LITS

Status: 6,349 words.

A few months back I had teased a new for-funsies project, title acronym LITS. Since signing up for anthologies, I haven't written anymore for this one at all, but I've been thinking about it lately. It's very different, unique, challenging for me to write. It was supposed to be one of the simpler stories and yet I found a way to make it a little more complicated, so…

Out of all my ideas, however, it's still pretty straightforward, and I think this one may get finished sometime this year.

Dark surfer romance

Status: zero draft, 4,248 words. Abandoned.

I mentioned this one at some point between fall and winter. Haven't worked on it since October lol.

Yeah... October was full of throwing shit at the wall to see what would stick. Obviously, nothing did.

I think this one will become a story I play around with whenever the mood strikes since it's a bit of a nostalgia project. There’s a plot in there, but again, it’s not one of those I-must-work-on-it-or-I’ll-die projects.

I'm not sure if this one is all that dark, either. I mean, it kinda is — I'm confused about it since my sense of dark is apparently way more messed up than the average dark romance reader's.

Ultimately, if it does get written and published, I really don't think it's an Aurora Graves kind of book. (More on that after the anthology update.)

Feminine rage charity anthology

Status: still writing. 7,157 words out of 15,000.

While it's been difficult to concentrate on anything during this tumultuous time, writing sapphic smut has been a great distraction 😅 Even though it's fun, it's still been difficult to write. I've started over a couple of times, so this is draft #3.

Honestly, after texting with my writing bestie Michelle Cruz (find her over on) about it yesterday, it’s lookin’ like a scrapping draft #3 to let draft #4 come in like a wrecking ball kind of weekend ahead.

It's due by the end of March, but...

1) I have yet to finish a complete fucking draft.

2) I have yet to send it off to my critique partners for their feedback (although Michelle is getting plenty of texts of me bitching about it).

3) I need to send it to an editor after all that.

So I've been panicking ever since I signed up for it because hi, hello, I'm a writer who can't fucking write anymore, apparently.

Either way, it'll get done. The horrors persist, and so must I.

Southern Discomfort is a sapphic Southern Gothic second chance romance that will be in The Tales of the Scorned femme rage charity anthology. Yes, it features the fun stuff like religious trauma and sacrilege (and boy, is the sacrilege in this one fun), but TWs include homophobia, bigotry, sexism, etc. — classic Southern Gothic content warnings.

Preorder the ebook on Amazon

Hey, didn't you announce you were in two feminine rage anthologies?

I did, but I pulled out of one. It was a horror anthology, and the one and only idea I had for it wasn't panning out. To be frank, I straight up have not been in the mood for horror for the past year, so I withdrew to focus on a project I knew would work out.

Other projects and… possibly a new pen name?

Of course, I have a shit ton of other projects and plans that I dabble with here and there. I have a few non-NYB rock star stories I'm really itching to write, but most of them are, well, just plain ol' contemporary romance and not anything dark. Actually, one of them I figured out how to make it gritty, so that's something — I think it could still pass as an Aurora Graves book on the lighter side.

But that's a huge thing I've been struggling with the past year: whether I keep publishing as Aurora Graves, or if it's time for a new pen name.

Like I mentioned above, I haven't been in the mood for anything horror or even dark. I haven't been watching horror movies because I can't really handle blood, gore, or violence lately. When I texted my BFFs about withdrawing from the horror anthology because I didn't have any other ideas, they were like, "What do you mean?? Isn't horror your thing?"

Yeah, it's supposed to be my thing. Spooky spicy stuff — that's what I set out to write as Aurora Graves. But I haven't written anything like that since The Final Deal, and all the ideas and stories I've had inspiration for on are the complete opposite. Most of them aren't even dark.

So it's been on my mind that if I'm not writing spooky spicy stuff like Claiming the Witch Father or Anything for the Devil, or at least something on the darker side like Ugly Like Me, then… is it time for me to step away from Aurora Graves for a little while?

Well... probably.

But I've put in a lot of work over the past couple of years, and I feel like stepping away now is flushing it all down the drain. Here's what I'm realizing as I'm writing this newsletter, though: I'm creating so much pressure on what I think you want to read rather than what I want to read (and ultimately write).

Look, straight up, I'm not writing any of my stories for you. I didn't start writing thinking about the market. I didn't even start publishing thinking about the market. I've been writing for a very long time, and I can tell you from experience that the second I started thinking about the market was when my stories have gone to shit and were quickly abandoned. When I decided to quit pussyfooting around and started publishing on Amazon, it was because I figured it'd be nice to earn a few dollars for all the hard work I put into my books to maybe help pay off my student loans a little quicker. (I have so much student loan debt, please buy one of my books or some merch/swag lol 😭)

All this to say: I have a sneaking suspicion that the new pen name I've been itching to dash after is a symptom of a bigger problem, which is me worrying too much about what you want, dear reader, instead of what I want.

So does this mean you're going full-force on one project to publish something sooner?

I don't think any of you are necessarily asking anything like this, but my internal guilt definitely has been.

If it wasn't apparent from all the updates above, I haven't been able to choose a story to work on. None of them have really screamed at me as the one I need to be working on right now.

My dear friend Harleigh Beck told me all throughout 2024 that if I needed to step away from writing for a little while, that's okay — but I've been afraid that if I did decide to go on hiatus that it'll be another long one because I'm at a point where I could walk away from writing for a while and be perfectly content.

I know that's a sign, but I put to much work in the past couple of years to go on hiatus.

There's a Quentin Tarantino quote that I kept in the back of my mind as I started publishing:

And just the other day I came across a YouTube Short of Randy Blythe discussing Lamb of God's music and how the band doesn't make music for everyone — they make music for five people (hint: there's five members in Lamb of God).

Even though I always write for myself, I lost that focus last year after Ugly Like Me blew up. I kept thinking (and hell, keep thinking) that I needed to chase after the wave of popularity to keep getting more readers and sell more books. At the end of the day, that's not why I started to tell my stories.

I think what all of this means is that I'm going to go back to the stories that compel me want to write, whether I think you'll end up reading them or not.

I love my books because I'm writing them for me — I'm just inviting you along for the ride.

Stay fucked, my abominations.

P.S., Ugly Like Me paperbacks are currently with the printer, so I’m hoping I’ll get those in the mail and sent to those who ordered a copy in the next 2-3 weeks.

Order your paperback/ebook NOW

I’ll have news about writing updates in the next newsletter on February 13. Thanks for letting me bug y’all twice in one week ❤️‍🔥

P.S., don’t forget to enter the Aurora Graves x Haunted Delights birthday giveaway! Closing Wednesday, February 5.

Enter the AG x HD giveaway

First things first…

The limited edition preorder of Ugly Like Me is LIVE… with a surprise!

I decided last minute to throw the (updated and corrected) ebook into the sale, too, so you have the opportunity to grab just the paperback, just the ebook (especially for those outside the US), or a paperback + ebook combo! Now you can tell all your friends that they can finally grab the ebook before it’s gone forever.

Did I mention there’s free shipping for the paperback, too??

Preorder NOW

Please note: you’ll get the ebook instantly (delivered through Bookfunnel, so there won’t be a link in your order confirmation email), but paperbacks may take an upward of six weeks to arrive at your doorstep. Reminder that I’m shipping within the US only.

Aurora Graves x Haunted Delights birthday giveaway

It’s the yearly tradition with scent extraordinaire and my birthday twin, Haunted Delights! This year we're teaming up to give one lucky abomination:

• an Anything for the Devil book box* containing the complete trilogy in signed paperbacks with a backstage pass signed by all the band members, character art, and swag

• a Haunted Delights rockstar wax melt

• and a $50 e-gift card to the Haunted Delights shop

*Please note: the book box is a scratch and dent box, so the paperbacks may have some slight scuffing or dents on the covers or spine.

HOW TO ENTER

Hit the button below to enter your email address, which will sign you up for the Haunted Delights newsletter (and mine, if you’re not on it already).

Trust me, you want to be on the HD newsletter to know when the next incredible scent drop happens!

GIVEAWAY INFO & RULES

• Giveaway closes on Wednesday, February 5.

• Winner will be contacted via email by Aurora Graves (aurora@auroragraves.com) on February 6. Winner must respond within 24 hours or their prize will be forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

• Open to those 18 years of age or older. US only.

• Winner must provide mailing address to receive physical items.

Enter the AG x HD giveaway

Aurora Graves books are back in Kindle Unlimited

I completely forgot to announce it in my last newsletter, so here’s an extra birthday present from me to you! You can now read my other books on Kindle Unlimited.

Read Claiming the Witch Father on KU

Read Anything for the Devil on KU

Thank you for celebrating another year of life with me today!

Stay fucked, my abominations ❤️‍🔥

However… it will be a limited edition preorder run.

Once the preorder window closes, there will not be another chance to get Ugly Like Me.

Paperbacks will be available to order for a very limited time:

• Preorder opens: January 29 at 12 p.m. Eastern

• Preorder closes: January 31 at 9 p.m. Eastern

Each book will come with a collector’s note that is hand numbered and signed by yours truly.

Please note:

• This will only be available for domestic shipping within the US.

• Only one paperback per customer.

• Please allow up to six weeks to receive your order.

Mark your calendars! The next newsletter will be sent when the preorder window opens so y'all don't miss out. ❤️‍🔥

The major plot point? The noncon between Korey and Leah.

I’ve been hesitant to make the change and this announcement to the point that it made me put off writing the novel altogether for a while. Most of y’all picked up a dark romance that centered on an unhinged MMC featuring noncon with praise, and I imagine that’s what you’re expecting for the full-length novel, too. But Korey and Leah’s story has been with me for a very long time, and I think taking the noncon out is necessary to stay true to their story.

“Then why the hell did you put it in in the first place, Aurora?!”

Dude, this was just supposed to be a novella, one and done, nothing serious 😭 It ended up being one of those projects I had to get out the door ASAP, and by the time I realized it should've been a longer novel, it was too late.

On top of that, I’m an experimental writer. I like to push myself to write in new ways, try new tropes, push my own boundaries. Make myself uncomfortable. Writing a story with blatant, detailed noncon and an unhinged character – writing an actual dark romance for once – was me making myself uncomfortable and experimenting to see if I could do it.

I came. I saw. I conquered.

While I ended up liking what I wrote more than I thought I would, it’s not exactly something I want to write ever again. Neither noncon nor dark romance.

Morally black, irredeemable, unhinged-for-no-reason characters and stories are not my thing. I don’t like reading it, nor do I like writing it. Basically, I make myself cringe when I go back to reread parts of Ugly Like Me.

So for the sake of Korey and Leah’s full-length story, I’m taking out the noncon between them and leaving it at dubcon at the most. Their story makes so much more sense without it, and I promise it will be so worth the change.

That’s what matters at the end of the day, in my opinion: that every writer writes the story as it’s meant to be told.

And honestly, even though Korey might be fucked up, he loves Leah too much.

If you love the original novella as it is, stay tuned – I may have something up my sleeve in the next newsletter 👀

If you ask my readers, they'll probably say I write dark romance. Although I've tapped into the dark romance reader audience to find my own readers, the label has never sat well with me. It never felt right.

Aurora Graves was borne of the swamp in April 2022 as a Southern Gothic writer. Spicy Southern Gothic stories you can't tell mama about.

The thing about Southern Gothic, though, is not a whole lot of people are googling or asking specifically for the genre. Not that it never happens — just doesn’t happen as often as, say, dark romance + specific tropes. Or horror romance. Or erotic horror.

That’s what I love about the Southern Gothic genre: it can encompass all of these things. I was hesitant to embrace the romance genre, but after episode three of The Last of Us completely and thoroughly destroyed me, I was ready to embrace the HEA/HFN life because, God help me, I need the occasional reassurance that all will be well at the end.

2024 was the year of rest for me. I spent a lot of my (admittedly, forced) downtime contemplating where I wanted to go in my author career. What I was doing right; what I was doing wrong. Things I liked doing and things I hated doing. What I wanted to write more of and what I wanted to not write. Especially after Ugly Like Me took off, which I feel like is a far cry from everything else I’ve published up to this point, I was left digging for the core of all my stories so far, searching for a common thread because I felt like I had royally fucked up publishing my now most popular work.

Though I felt like I screwed up bad, I realized all my stories were still deeply rooted in Southern Gothic. Whether paranormal romance, or horror romance, or contemporary dark romance, I can still clearly see that Southern Gothic thread connecting everything together in my universe.

So 2025 is the year Aurora Graves returns to her roots while continuing to embrace the romance genre. Instead of trying to call myself something I’m not — a dark romance author — I’ll stick with what I started with a little update.

Aurora Graves, author of Southern Gothic romance.

Beyond the ever-present genre confusion/debate, I feel like I’ve been at war with social media for far too long. Honestly, though, what author isn’t? And now with the looming TikTok ban that may or may not happen, many indie authors (especially indie romance authors) are in the lurch. Now where are we supposed to find our audience and connect with new readers?

To be fair, I’ve been pulling away from social media this year. It started with getting ill multiple times at the beginning of the year, which turned into taking an actual break from author stuff for a couple of months (or few, I don't remember). Then, after a month of giving it the ol' college try and posting almost daily to social media like "you're supposed to" and seeing diminishing returns, I said screw it and posted maybe once per week on Instagram before falling away from that, too. TikTok I was consistent with for about two weeks before the algorithm supposedly reset and views went back to being shit, so I finally gave it the middle finger, too.

The only thing that’s helped besides TikTok when it works has been Facebook groups, and those have become rather inhospitable to authors. With how some authors spam copy-and-paste self recs, I can honestly see why.

Regardless, I’ve always felt like I’ve been wasting my time with most social media. When I’ve focused on “working ahead,” batch creating and scheduling posts for socials, it’s been nothing but a huge time suck and keeping me from writing.

Okay, that’s a bit of a lie — it was getting to where I was using social media as an excuse not to write.

Then all the drama with the book community ensued, especially with the rise of AI and the witch hunts that followed. There for a hot second it got so bad that I had to pause with each post before liking it and scrolling to question, “Is this even real?” before finally having to ask, “What is real?”

That was a weird train of thought to have.

I’m also the type of person who looks at their weekly screen reports on their iPhone. Usually I just glance at the daily average and move on with my day, but when I was contemplating deleting Facebook, I got curious about how much time I was spending on which platforms. 1-2 hours daily on Threads alone was a wake-up call.

I knew what I had to do.

I’ve started with removing Facebook from my phone, because I wasn’t really using it much anymore, anyway. And before the year is over, I’ll remove Instagram and Threads from my phone, too.

Yes, I’m aware Substack is another form of social media. Didn’t exactly say I’d be quitting social media altogether — just removing the time-wasters so I’ll be encouraged to do more of what really matters. And since I’m moving my newsletter here, makes sense to me to focus on Substack, anyway. 🤷

All year I’ve had a phrase on my letter board: Writing comes first. It was supposed to serve as a reminder to keep my priorities in check and keep my focus on the thing that matters most, the thing that makes me an author. And yet that’s exactly what escaped me all year.

2025 is going to be different. 2025 is the year that writing comes first.

All that to say, my lovely abominations, is that all news and updates will be found here in my newsletter — don’t count on seeing what I’m up to on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or elsewhere. It’ll be funneled through here first, and I’ll have the occasional post elsewhere.

I’ll apologize in advance for being up in your inbox twice within a week since I promised another newsletter on January 2nd.

And just because I am that cringe person who loves saying this every year: I’ll see y’all next year! ❤️‍🔥