Seasonal Newsletter – Page 2

Season Summary: Autumn 2023

My visual piece “Word” was released in Cool Beans Lit’s autumn 2023 issue.
Multiple visual pieces were released with Quibble’s October 2023 issue. See my Updates page for the full list with links.
New stuff! I’ve begun posting interviews on my blog. I am delighted to partner with editors, writers, and publishers to bring you an insider scoop on what’s going on in the industry. These posts will continue through the new year. Make sure you subscribe to stay up to date.

Updates & Work in Progress: Winter 2023-24

My short fiction “How to Make a Pet Rock” is scheduled for a spring 2024 release with The Bookends Review. Keep your eye on my Updates page or Twitter for the official announcement with a link where you can read the story.
“Glycerine” is set to reprint with Blank Spaces Magazine’s March 2024 issue. You can pre-order your copy here. I am excited to see this in print once again—it is a favourite.
I will be spending more time writing my work-in-progress this season. You can expect some incremental updates through late winter and into spring 2024.

What I’m Reading: Winter 2023-24

I finished Elizabeth Hay’s “Snow Road Station” and anticipate a likely third installation in this series. Have you read “Snow Road Station” yet? Do you read Elizabeth Hay’s books? Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts.
As part of my market research, I’ve been reading some romantic comedy bestsellers. One that stood out to me as having perfected the formula is “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne. If you’ve read any of her books, please start the discussion in the comments section of this post. I’d like to know what you have to say.
For the winter, I’ll be continuing market research as well as reading old classics—some for the first time ever. At present, I’m binge-reading C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” is the first book of this series. I found the boxed set at my local bookstore, and so have decided to read the full chronicles. Have you read it? As a youth? Or perhaps as an adult? Let me know.

And that’s it. Enjoy winter. Please share your comments below. Stay tuned for my next blog post. Wanna get it in your email inbox? Subscribe to stay informed of my newest articles, story reviews, updates, and more.

Cover Image: Photo by Ameruverse Digital Marketing Media on Pexels.com

Seasonal Newsletter

Seasonal Update: What has Pauline Shen been up to? What can we expect to see from her next?

September 21, 2023August 27, 2024 Pauline Shen

Season Summary: Summer 2023

My visual piece “Eye” was released with Quibble’s Snake Eyes issue in August.
You can find my artwork “Word” in Cool Beans Lit’s Autumn 2023 issue.
New posts are up on my blog. You can continue to expect a series of short fiction reviews, posts on writing craft, updates and more!

Updates & Work in Progress: Autumn 2023

I am shaping my brand and messaging. You will notice gradual changes on my website, blog, and Twitter account.
With a few scene tweaks, I’ve pulled my manuscript out of the YA category and back into the realm of millennial fiction. Really, the adult characters took the story in a new direction all on their own. You will see fewer updates from me this season. I am pulling-back on writing time to conduct additional market research.
I’m looking to add more content in video form. I’ve set-up a Rumble account and am deciding whether to use YouTube. Please comment with your recommendations.

What I’m Reading: Autumn 2023

I spent the summer reading Jules Verne. If you only read one of his stories, I recommend “From the Earth to the Moon,” as it is unexpectedly humorous. In addition to having been ahead of its time, the characterization is excellent and contains social commentary on human behavior that is applicable to the present day.
Speaking of translated works, I also re-read Gaston Leroux’s “The Phantom of the Opera.” I first read it in seventh grade. Reading it later in life is a far different experience. I appreciate how everything surrounding the mystery of this Opera Ghost comes to a climax, not only with Raoul searching for his love Christine, but as the culmination of all the foul play that effects the new managers, the stage hands, and others. This isn’t the semi-cute lovesick phantom characterized in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of the same name. He is 100% bad guy. Read it for yourself and see what I mean.
I am reading Elizabeth Hay’s “Snow Road Station.” This is a sequel to “His Whole Life,” although it isn’t specifically advertised as such. The narrative follows Lulu Blake who, in the previous book, was a supporting character grappling with her unstitched relationship with her brother, Guy, while also attempting to get her alcoholism under control. In “Snow Road Station,” we see Lulu confronting the reality of childlessness as she progresses from middle-age into her sixties. You see, while death is a certainty in life, motherhood is not. Hay captures this tragic realization in a well-woven tale of love and friendship.

And that’s it. Enjoy autumn. Please share your comments below. Stay tuned for my next blog post. Wanna get it in your email inbox? Subscribe to stay informed of my newest articles, story reviews, updates, and more.

Cover Image: Photo by Ameruverse Digital Marketing Media on Pexels.com

Candid Talks, Nonfiction, Seasonal Newsletter

Seasonal Update: What has Pauline Shen been up to? What can we expect to see from her next?

June 21, 2023August 27, 2024 Pauline Shen

Season Summary: Spring 2023

My short story “Jubilee” appeared in print with the March issue of Blank Spaces Magazine
I photographed a dopping of common mergansers that The Signpost [Dorchester] ran in April
Blank Spaces Magazine posted an author interview with me: Coffee Chat
Quibble Lit featured my photographs “Pink Tulip,” and “Female Cardinal” alongside audio poems in Issue 10

Updates & Work in Progress: Summer 2023

My blog is up and running. You can expect a series of short fiction reviews, posts on writing craft, updates and more! Comments are welcome.
I’m working on a manuscript that will likely be marketed as YA fiction. My intended readership is millennials, but the story is moving in a direction of its own. We’ll discover what these characters have in store for this plot.
I am looking to acquire a video capture & edit program in order to add more content in video form. Please let me know if you have a recommendation.

What I’m Reading: Summer 2023

I’ve just finished Jane Friedman’s The Business of Being a Writer which has led me to add Peter Ginna’s What editors do: the art, craft, and business of book editing to my summer reading list. It’s research, really, but still counts.
I am continuing the Simon & Schuster version of The Bible: Designed to be Read as Living Literature. It’s the KJV presented chronologically in prose form (for the most part) so that it can be read like a novel. That doesn’t mean that I’m binge-reading it, though.
Elizabeth Hay’s new book Snow Road Station is on my list!

And that’s it. Have a great summer. Please share your comments below. Stay tuned for my next blog post. Wanna get it in your email inbox? Subscribe to stay informed of my newest articles, story reviews, updates, and more.

Cover Image: Photo by Ameruverse Digital Marketing Media on Pexels.com

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