I'm so very excited my story "A Menu of First Favorite Meals" is now live for you to read at @uncannymagazine.bsky.socialwww.uncannymagazine.com/article/a-me...
Monday: Fluffernutter Sandwich You smile and greet me by name when I arrive: โHi, Mira, please come in.โ Itโs the same polite smile you give the doctors. You know who I am, but my identity is just a f...
nothing quite like waking up briefly at the unholy hour of 5am (I am not a morning person) to submit a short story somewhere because they have a submission cap and I have anxiety. and now, back to sleep to sleep I go ๐ด
It's September's newsletter! A brief tl;dr of Flights of Foundry, The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2024 flailing, and a college update (pro tip: maybe don't take 5 classes at once). Also, this might be the last newsletter via Buttondown! Might switch to Beehiiv ๐
Hello! Welcome to V.M. Ayala's definitely on-time newsletter updatesโhi yes, it Val, it me. It is, in fact, September 30 and not Oct 1 like the last...
*sighs* as much as I do not want to use substack, buttondown is getting buggier and buggier and just ate an entire newsletter draft and won't load, so do y'all have recommendations (that are, again, NOT substack as I would like to avoid them if I can help it)? something ideally with free options!
today is a big head empty day, sorta. I'm rewriting a short story. again. every time I edit this one, it expands. it started as a 2,700ish word story. then became 3200ish words. this version is now 4500ish words... I'm trying to give my ideas proper space, which was this story's main feedback ๐
finished my last day of panels at Flights of FoundryโI'm SLEEPY and so full of joy that I got to take part in so many great conversations this weekend. I still worry I flubbed my words too much, but it was such a great convention with so many great topics and panels and people ๐
and that's a wrap for my final panel at Flights of Foundry! it was so fun talking TTRPG actual play with @mikerunderwood.bsky.social@ashvalewrites.bsky.socialโand now I also have many new actual play recommendations to go watch/listen to ๐ (I also have an urge for a longer campaign somedaaay.)
first two panels of the morning are done! only one panel left later and Flights of Foundry is somehow nearly over ๐ญ I had such a great time talking to @valerievaldes.bsky.social@lizzieblackwood.bsky.social about Romance in Games. I still want to flail about my Bioware romance faves and more ๐
I also take objection with the implication in the post that if you don't share her opinion by the end of it, you're bad at maths. I don't often play this card but: I graduated from one of the top scientific schools of France, read the article, and I still disagree with her conclusions. So there.
second day of Flights of Foundry was over for me a bit ago, as I only had one panelโand it was such a fun one! I'm STILL thinking about @itsamia.bsky.social's super thoughtful questions. seriously it was such a great conversation ๐ tomorrow is the last daaay! I have three panels, then I sleep.