Hey there! My name is Ashley Jade Parker. I’m a poet and a young adult fiction writer. You can find me on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter, and of course, here on Substack. Thanks for reading :)
Wow, it’s already August! Times flies when you go-on-vacation-and-start-a-new-job-and-start-querying.
Whew, you heard me. I’ve officially started querying my 75K science fantasy young adult novel focused on three teens who discover they’re meant to rule every universe imaginable. It has alternate realities, girl power, queer friends-to-lovers, and angst. What else could you want?
I noticed #AllYouCanWriteAugust going around on X, and I thought it was so cute, I had to participate even if I’m not writing it this August. I’ve done enough work that it feels justified. I tend to get a little shy online, since I don’t exactly have an audience here yet, but this trend caught my fancy. (I made a little moodboard for my novel below. I bet you could guess the title from it).
I keep missing online promotional trends but #PitchDis has caught my eye, “an online pitch event for unagented disabled authors.” I wanted to bring it to your attention in case it’d be of interest to you! The details are on their website here.
Querying is a beast in itself, as anyone could guess. I’ve done the revisions, attended the workshops, written the package, revised the package, and now, I’m ready to start pitching agents. I know everyone has an opinion about the querying process, as well as traditional publishing versus self-publishing. I’ve always been taught “You never know unless you try.”
I’ve been through too much this year to deny myself the pleasure of simply hoping. I’ve always been slightly delusional when it comes to my career, and it’s worked out so far. (In my personal life, I’m getting another article published with a well-known news outlet and started a contracting gig at a major global media outlet). Of course, I’ll take feedback and work on my other novel in the meantime.
I visited Athens, Delphi, and Santorini this summer, which was a beautiful experience that made my little PJO-fanatic heart full. The air was full of magic and history. It was my first time flying in eight months, and I wasn’t sure I was going to make the trip for awhile based on where I was at in my treatment. But I cajoled my doctors and whipped myself into shape1 because I was not going to miss Greece.
I’ve been working on a novel since I was eleven. (My first one was size 15 font but I still made it to 30,000 words). In high school, as I pantsed the plot and babbled on, but I ended up doing a lot of the work for my future self, which worked out because I’ve been professionally trained to edit now. I’m excited to get my story out there, even if it’s just the first ten pages.
All this to say, don’t give up and pursue your dreams, my friends! You never know what might happen. I wish you a fabulous August.
Where you’ll be able to find me:
Wishbone Words - “where we must go,” “The Little One,” “the pain is in the pruning,” and “dante’s inferno” coming November 2024
My latest on social media:
My last newsletter:
A report from Fan Fusion & city poems
I had the pleasure of attending Phoenix Fan Fusion over the weekend where I heard from amazing authors like Soman Chainani, Aiden Thomas, Heather Walter, Melissa Marr, Tracy Wolff, and more.
Looking for more of me? My website is here.
This is not to say you have to power through whatever you’re going through! Listen to your body and go at your own pace. I just really wanted to go to Greece, lol.