Autumn Leaves
The end of a novel & a podcast experiment
Hello Matterhorn Readers,
It’s been wonderful to meet some new readers these past few weeks as I wrap up my psychological thriller. Hi and thanks for joining!
I have truly enjoyed sharing my serialization with you these past few months. At the close of this novel, I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for all the support with this long project as well as give a hint of my upcoming direction.
Since August, I’ve been much busier than I imagined with my new job and haven’t had a chance to talk with you all as much as I’d like. I’ve also found that we inadvertently moved into a WiFi dead zone…which admittedly has occasional benefits but makes it difficult to communicate with all of you.
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These posts were scheduled over the summer in anticipation of our move to London and the demands of my new job. However, my somewhat-absence has made me realize even more how much I value having this publishing platform due to the ability to connect with readers and writers and push the boundaries of what published writing looks like. In a few months, I’ll be able to devote more time again with this renewed sense of purpose.
My mind and body don’t feel the same without a devoted writing practice. However, I’ve had some wonderful inspiration recently, including a reminder of how much Transcendental philosophy speaks to me whilst teaching Emerson, some intriguing characters on the train, and pondering about potential sequels starring the spy Marie (who currently awaits assignment in Bretagne).
Again, this desire is a good reminder of how much the writing means to me. I’ll be back in it again soon. Here’s a quick look at what’s going on with The Matterhorn and what I’m thinking about for 2025.
An Interpreter in Vienna
Well, we are at the end of road with Marie — for now at least. Thanks for joining me on the ride1. I’ll be publishing this psychological thriller on Lulu in the coming weeks and all paid subscribers will receive a free e-book. Stay tuned for more!
We also have a winner of the contest to guess the ‘big baddies’…congratulations to
for catching the trick and solving the puzzle! I’ll send Troy a free copy of the paperback when it’s out. [Troy also just finished publishing his serialization - Lamb - a gorgeous story that I highly recommend.]I originally thought this might turn into a series - traveling to Cyprus next and with another story in Basel. Some of the minor characters (i.e. Akihiro, Fred, and Roger) would have more life there. Let’s see.
Here is the updated Table of Contents where you can read the novel in full:
🎙 The Podcast
I also experimented over the summer with a new chopped down style of the podcast that focuses on a different text each week under a larger conceptual realm or a topic, such as a subgenre of literature or a particular art form. Each episode is 10-15 minutes and builds on the one before it for a set.
I won’t have time to record more episodes these next few months but wanted to bring you a Beta trial for this form. The eight-part series I’ll publish is about the epistolary form, one I used for the novel I’ve just serialized here. I also thought it would be fitting for the holiday card season!
What’s up for 2025?
I’ve got a few projects up my sleeve! It will take a little time to get there, but I’m excited to get into a rhythm with this and experiment in some new ways come summer.
Although I’ll have less time in the first half of 2025 than I’d like, I’ll be sharing some shorter pieces with you. There will be some fiction, word sketches, and Brunch posts: cultural essays. I might write about some of the places I’ve discovered in and around London or share some ideas about the literature I’ve been reading. Uncharacteristically, I’ll take this more week by week and see where it takes us, so I’d love to hear what you respond well to as I flush out the parameters of the bigger projects.
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When I do manage to write or pop on to Substack to read some of the wonderful work on the platform, I continue to enjoy it immensely. My writing at home in the early morning has been mainly word sketches that may develop into larger pieces and occasionally dipping into a triptych of novellas I was working on last spring.
As always, I’d love to hear about what you’re currently reading or writing. Some recent favorites include Anh Hung Tran’s film The Taste of Things and Olga Tokarczuk’s novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead (now reading her latest, what an amazing writer!). I’ve recently started Yellowface, a novel about the publishing industry - I’d love to talk about this one with other writers especially - it’s wild.
That’s all for now. Today, we celebrate my son’s sixth birthday!
Be well!
Big thank you to my biggest supporters of the novel and those who have also suggested edits (and German updates -
!) along the way! Some of this support is also hors-comments and even via their own hosting of my interviews or guest posts that have led readers here. They include 🙏💜💜💜 (I’m sure that I’ve missed a few obvious ones…you know who you are!)Serialization - I’ve found - is an exciting but occasionally exhausting task. Support comes in many forms and I am lucky to have found so much here right on the platform.
Yes, exciting and occasionally exhausting is about right. Congratulations on finishing this one! I want to find time to read it one day.
It’s been an absolute pleasure to read through it all, Kate. I should be the one thanking you, not the other way around! :) (And happy birthday to your little one!)