Ink & Pixels
stories worth sharing
To catch you up, for the last few years I've been writing sci-fantasy; a sub-category of sci-fi. Dune and Star Wars fit here, "a hybrid genre blending advanced technology, space travel, etc. with magic, supernatural powers, etc.".
Attempting to wrestle a collection of scenes into a novel with young children while co-running a clinic with Kyle—well, it happens seasonally; almost none in the summer, lots in the winter, and variable shoulder months.
I’m so grateful for this journey, and my crit group was entirely right when they cautioned that “your first novel is a learning experience”. Someday, I will overhaul that stalled plot, sharpen the stakes, and pull the reader in from page one. I hope to, anyway. The years that have passed have taught me a little more about the craft; I am a better writer, now.
Wow, 41 books in my 2023 Goodreads goal of 40! I read a lot of cookbooks, and whatever happened to be on the library display shelf and I could quickly grab while hurrying to the 3yo’s clarion call from the other side of the room. Here’s my complete 2023 reading list; I’ve summarized the top 7 and lowest 3 below.
This year, I managed to read 37 of 40 books of my Goodreads goal. That was also the year I started Analog August; a 30-day fast from social media. You can browse through that chronicle on Instagram. I embraced much craft, natural beauty, and found an invaluable calm in appreciating the work of my hands apart from a screen. You’ll see that reflected in my book summaries below.
When we got married, I was told on no uncertain terms was I to break up the family set: Kyle’s & mine were to stay on the Reiter mantel. We were in a basement suite our first year, and anyway I didn’t have a fireplace to hang anything. It felt so strange not to have stockings, so as a temporary measure I bought some cheapies from the dollar store and tucked them to hang out of high drawers in our games cabinet, just so I could see the familiar sight.
Grandma graciously gave me the cutoff remains of what supplies she had; a bit of red flannel, a short string of pearly sequins, red eyelet ribbon, and green quilt backing for a tree skirt—which I did make that first year. But I did not possess the needlework ability that I do now, and though she’d given me two blank stockings, I knew I wanted a matching set… and there wasn’t enough material for our future kids’. The supplies went into storage.
Ashley Reiter is a speculative fiction writer based in British Columbia. Her debut novel, Resonance Between Our Suns, is now in Kickstarter prelaunch. She is the author of the children's picture books The Lonely Bear Who Went Looking For A Party and Tell Me a Story Mumma.
Crafting Eden, her monthly newsletter, invites readers into finding more of the beautiful, resonant, and true.
