New Book Announcement and Things That Have Happened This Year So Far

Hi Reader,

It’s been a minute! First off, I’d like to announce that I have a new book coming next year. When I was Death is my YA debut. I put everything into this book at a time when I desperately needed a story to hold all of my grief and anger and brokenness and hope. I’m equal parts excited and nervous to share it with you next spring. More about the story below!

In addition to When I Was Death, I’ve been working on two other books that are in various stages of the publishing process. Juggling three different projects has been weirdly . . . pretty okay? I’ve developed a rhythm these past few months—drafting one book, re-reading another, and editing a third. So when I hit a wall with one project, I can always pivot to another. As a result, I rarely have those awful moments (or days) that I had before, where I would panic because I earnestly believed I didn’t remember how to write a book anymore. That said, I have definitely pushed myself harder than I have creatively . . . maybe ever. It’s been immensely rewarding, hard at times, but mostly, I just feel extremely lucky that I get to do this five years after my first book published. In the words of Lori from the White Lotus, I’m just happy to be at the table.

Anyway, I figured I’d catch you up with a list of things that have happened to me so far this year—spanning everything from books that made me cry and things I’ve baked, to movies I’ve watched, products I’ve bought (and loved), and things I’ve done, etc. So without further ado . . .

• I finished drafting my first novella and fell head-over-heels in love with the form. There is something electric about working on a project so short, every word counts, and I love the challenge of compacting an entire story and character arc into 100-ish pages.

• One of my New Year’s resolutions is to work through the stack of cookbooks I’ve acquired over the years. Recently, I baked the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten, thanks to Sohla El-Waylly’s cookbook Start Here: Instructions for Becoming A Better Cook. I can, in fact, confirm that I’m a better cook thanks to Sohla, who is a genius and kitchen wizard. I’ve learned so much from her.

  

  Banana bread thirst trap with a gay Goodnight Moon print in the background

• Again, à la Sola, I spatchcocked and roasted one of the best chickens I’ve ever eaten. The next day, my partner made chicken salad out of the leftovers and the entire experience was transcendent. Seriously, if you buy one cookbook this year make it Sohla’s.

• In anticipation of the Oscars, I watched Flow with my own black cat who seemed to love it as much as I did.

  

  She was like this for almost the whole movie

• I also watched The Substance, which was thrilling and grotesque in the best way.

  

  The set design in The Substance is next level

• I started meditating every day and, annoyingly, it’s super helpful when it comes to not crashing out. This is one of my favorite guided meditations.

• I read the book The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell—nonfiction about trends and viruses and how and why things hit big—and the section about Sesame Street made me cry because wow . . . the sheer amount of thought and effort and time and hard work people put into educating and caring for their kid viewers (aka me way back when) is so touching.

• I finished a season of my favorite reality show, Single’s Inferno, which has a very trashy premise (hot singles stranded on a deserted island get to escape to a paradise if they match up in a series of dating or athletic games) but is surprisingly wholesome and pure.

• I also watched Amazon’s Wheel of Time series before its cancellation was announced. I felt like the show was just starting to hit its stride, and I’m a bit heartbroken that it’s over.

• I went on a cruise and got very, very seasick despite several prescription-strength nausea medications. Never again.

• I’m a bit of a skincare junkie and lately, I’ve been really into Caudalie. Their Vinoperfect Dark Circle Eye Cream is a game changer (my eyebags were usually so bad I looked like a Tim Burton character). I also really love their hand cream.

• I deleted Threads and stepped back from Instagram, which has really made my brain feel better. I deleted Twitter (or X or whatever they’re calling it now) and my personal Facebook account last year, and I have zero regrets.

• As part of my New Year’s resolution to spend less time offline and more time hobbying, I’ve developed an obsession with coloring. Coco Wyo coloring books are my current favorites and I love using alcohol markers because the colors are so juicy and saturated. There’s nothing I love more than listening to an audiobook (recently I finished The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle, it was excellent) and coloring to my heart’s content. I thought about sharing one of my favorite coloring pages but I’m too embarrassed so . . . [Insert image of cat Cthulhu sipping juice out of a skull cup here].

• I acquired more Re-ment sets than I care to admit and used them as writing rewards to help me stay on top of my deadlines. It (kind of) worked. Something about positioning tiny little food models in my tiny little kitchen soothes me like nothing else.

• I started making green juice when my partner came down with the flu, when I realized that making my own juice at home is both cheaper and tastier than buying it from the grocery store. I don’t know if my ¹homemade ginger green juice helped her recover faster, but what I do know is that it was so tasty I’ve kept making it, and now I’m just one of those annoying people who makes green juice semi-regularly and feel the need to tell everyone about it.

That’s all for now! Take care of yourselves.

Alexis

1. I don’t really follow a recipe, so my green juice is a little different every time. Usually, I’ll put a bunch of kale, celery, or cucumbers (if I have them), a piece of ginger about as big as my thumb (more if you like it spicy), some sliced apples, a carrot or two, a grapefruit, some mandarin oranges, a pinch of salt, a crank or two of black pepper, honey to taste (add a good amount if you like it sweet like I do), water, and lemon juice into the blender. I blend it until it runs smooth and strain the liquid over a bowl (probably even better to use a cheesecloth) until the juice drips out and just the sludgy vegetable pulp remains. You can mix it up and add whatever produce in your fridge is about to expire—mangos, bananas, berries, whatever you have. It’s pretty hard to mess up.