Obsession

Brains are weird. Mine is one of those that never shuts up. I sub-vocalize everything I read and everything I hear. Taking something “out there” and hearing it again “in here” is how I process information. And when I’m not reading or watching TV or in conversation with someone? A constant stream of thoughts, again, all sub-vocalized. Meditation? Full of chatter. I’m not remotely a talkative person, but my internal voice is never quiet, even though I dearly love silence. If this sounds hellish, it kinda is. Also, I’m used to it. (And if you’re wondering, yes, I also get brain pictures with everything.)

Another fun fact, I also inherited an obsessive brain (thanks, Mom). Work-wise, at least, I’ve learned to lean into that one. I freelance copyedit for Jaymee Goh at Tachyon Publications (recently nominated for a Hugo as best editor – go Jaymee!). Besides knowing numerous oddball grammar rules and not a few sections of The Chicago Manual of Style by heart, copyediting requires the ability to read meticulously -- basically, character by character. (Don’t judge me by my newsletters! Different hats.)

I also make good use of my obsessive brain in my writing. I love words and playing with them endlessly till the prose feels just right. I also love research and learning, so I'm forever falling down research rabbit holes. All three mythology books took so much research, even tho in its final form, the info was used in new and different ways. I can even end up doing a deep dive for a short story. The one coming out next month in Adventitious for example. It wins hands-down for short story research as I spent a couple of months learning enough about the Asian Economic Crisis and Jakarta riots of the late 1990s to use it as a backdrop. Hopefully an eye for detail (a brain for detail?) pays off for my readers with rich world building and immersive stories. All of My Tomorrows, comes out June 1st. It'll be free to read eventually, but a really great pro-paying magazine could use your support and you'd get to read all the stories right away. Also, if you haven’t yet had a chance to check out The Perilous Gods set, the books can be read in any order and are available at all major sellers. Based in Greek, Slavic, and Maya myth and lore, pick a pantheon that interests you, and dive in!

Available in ebooks, paperbacks, and now audiobooks performed by the amazing Jonathan Todd Ross

**AI-free, from cover art to writing to narration**

And speaking of... ta da ... 🥳

Where the Shadows Dwell, out today in audio!

A darkly fantastical standalone adventure unfolds when two brothers accidentally bring the Mayan destroyer of worlds back to life in 1960 Guatemala...

Find it at multiple audiobook outlets including Audible (direct or through Amazon) Libro, and Chirpbooks (seriously, check out Chirpbooks -- no membership needed and lots of deals!), and through library audiobook providers like Hoopla and Libby / Overdrive. (If your library doesn't carry The Perilous Gods set, PLEASE, PLEASE REQUEST THEM...)

​https://geni.us/​godssl​

​https://geni.us/whenthewindss​

​https://geni.us/whshadowsdw​

To wrap up, as usual, a cute animal video: Cat Math

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Till next month, happy reading!

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L. D. Colter has farmed with draft horses and worked as a paramedic, Outward Bound instructor, athletic trainer, roller-skating waitress, and concrete dispatcher, among other curious choices. She’s an author of contemporary, epic, and dark fantasy novels, a WSFA Small Press Award finalist, and a two-time winner of the Colorado Book Award for science fiction and fantasy. Her website can be found at ldcolter.com​

Other links: https://linktr.ee/L.D.Colter​

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