Adriana Kantcheva

Catching Words

Dispatches from a writer of speculative fiction.

Hello, ,

My birthday is coming up and, as is usual for me this time of the year, I’m in full creative mode.

I’m not sure if that’s because of the cooling season, which makes me want to cuddle at home and write; or because another year of my life passing reminds me of all the things I still wish to accomplish; or because I never get enough writing done during the summer because of the school holidays. I’m catching up now, and that feels good.

Welcome to another installment of Catching Words.

Upcoming publications

I have two upcoming publications, one fiction and one non-fiction:

“Vedritsa of the River” (originally published in Trollbreath Magazine) will soon be available in audio through PodCastle.

I've heard other pieces recorded by my designated narrator, Kat Kourbeti, and can't wait to hear how she interprets my Balkan-tinted sapphic romance story.

In the beginning of next year, SFWA’s Planetside will publish an essay of mine that deals with handling a longer project without an outline.

What I’ve been up to

• I realized I have a submission deadline coming up, so I’m back to working on my steampunk-ish science-fantasy novella after some helpful editorial feedback. Simultaneously, I’m scouting relevant passages for the future expansion that will turn it into the first part of a novel.

• Before pausing this to return to my novella, I was midway through creating a retrospective outline (because I’m a pantser) of my fantasy novel in preparation for its first major revision. It’s going slower because I get all these great ideas and have to pause every five minutes to write them down. Not complaining.

• Just before sending this newsletter, my brain decided to dump several pages about a project that has been circling in my mind for a while. That makes it the third project in my pipeline. I need to keep calm.

An excerpt

From the rickety shed behind the pier—the headquarters of our bustling business—I hear Dimo snore. My boss is setting a good example. There’s nothing else to do in this heat but soak in a body of water or sleep. As I’m now an employee, and Vedra is terrified of water, we choose the latter option.

Before I nod off, I take her hand in mine. Vedra has never shirked from my love. Even with her advancing age—while I remain young—she’s never thought of herself as undeserving of my tenderness. I’m grateful for that.

(From "Vedritsa of the River")

A recent snapshot

The author of this newsletter likes to climb. After fifteen years of pausing rope climbing, I’ve started bouldering. It’s a joy and a pain, but good pain.

(Image description: two images. The author atop an artificial cliff and (nearly) atop a rope climber).

Books and music

• Reading: Six by M. Luke McDonnel. I was given the ARC of this book to read, and I had too much fun not to mention it here. I recommend this novel without reservation. Six is a corporate sci-fi thriller that explores the darker side of a high-tech utopia on an alien but realistically imagined planet.

• Music: Andrew Belle, especially his song “Pieces.” His melodies meander like rivers, making tracks for my creativity to flow along.

A nugget of honesty

During my live reading on Strong Women - Strange Worlds last Friday, my cat, which I hadn’t noticed being in the room, suddenly appeared and started meowing really, really loud to get out. She’d never done this before and didn’t stop. In the end, I had to interrupt my reading to let her out because I couldn’t hear a word I was saying. That got me very stressed. Though I managed the reading fine, my cool shattered during my outro. I was later told that nobody could hear the meowing. Thanks, microphone (not thank you, cat). I’ve written a little about why public speaking is not the easiest for me in this post. I won’t let this set me back.

One-Sentence Story

The Voice was like a pressure wave inside him, ripe with grievances still sore, but It didn’t make it past the cage of his chest.

Until next time!

Adriana

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