Updates

Hello, everyone! It’s still May! And while I usually only do a newsletter a month (roughly), I wanted to give newsletter subscribers a sneak peak for my biggest editorial discount of the year, coming this June. If you’re just here for that, jump down to the Freelancing section to see the discount!

We’ve had a surprising drop back into the 70s (and 60s!) this week, with lots of rain, and I am honestly thriving in that weather. I know so many people love summer and the heat and the sun (and I do too…to an extent). But this? Sign me the fuck up.

Dovah and I have also been taking more walks to our local wetlands and it’s been incredible. We’ve seen so my animals—tiny fish! Turtles! Snakes! Cranes! Birbs! An otter!!!!! It’s been feeding my soul a lot (and now I want to get into nature photography because my phone’s camera is just not cutting it but gods why are cameras so expensive cries in paycheck to paycheck).

Freelancing

Since we last spoke, I’ve wrapped up my three smaller clients, started on my fourth for the month and have spent a lot of time on admin—working on cleaning up the website, making some supporting materials for clients, writing down goals to continue to grow this business and level up myself as an editor; just…actually dreaming that I can make this truly work as a career.

It’s a mindset shift that only feels possible thanks to your support, from clients trusting me to edit their stories to everyone who has ever shared a promo post. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 🖤

• Openings: I still (tentatively) have one full manuscript spot available for June and July, with more in autumn. But, I do have at least one client for every month for the rest of the year and that, I feel, is something to celebrate. 🎉If you’d like to work with me, you can fill out my (newly revamped) contact form here!

• Discounts: as always, an evergreen reminder: if you’re a marginalized or self-publishing writer, you always get 10% off full manuscript edits!

• Deals: In June, it’s PRIDE MONTH aka the best month of the year. As a queer writer and editor, it’s a month I celebrate and am very invested in personally. But, now more than ever, queer voices, stories and dreams need to be heard, uplifted, understood, celebrated and protected. So, it’s time for my third annual Pride Editorial Discount!

Queer writers, if you book with me during June 2025 (for any full manuscript edit, with actual editing happening between now and May 2026), you will receive 50% off your edit. No need to disclose how you qualify. Simply reach out via my website and tell me you’d like to take part in the discount, using the code: QUEERSTORIESFOREVER in your email.

I cannot wait to see what queer stories we can bring to life together. 🖤🖤

Writing

So, I had hoped to write 10,000 words in BP#2 and my fantasy romance WIPs (each) and outline a new fantasy romance WIP I’ve been noodling this month. Instead, I decided to start over (again) with the fantasy romance WIP. Third time’s the charm, right? 😅 Good news, I’ve been having so much fun with it! Bad news, that means I’ve been neglecting all other projects.

Alas, we continue.

Want more in-depth details on my writing? Join my Patreon (free or at a paid tier) to get biweekly writing discussions, hot takes, updates and exclusive early access to everything related to my books!

Highlights

I wanted to have a section of things I’ve been enjoying lately, as well as a space to highlight what others are working on, highlight client wins or just share cool things. Behold the good things!

• Reading has unfortunately been taking a backseat, as I’ve been gaming quite a bit. I’m (trying) not to beat myself up about it, even though I am in the middle of some really cool books (The Fallen by Ada Hoffman and Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase). Maybe June can be a reading month?

• I, like many, are obsessed with the latest Sleep Token album, Even in Arcadia. I’m listening to it as I write this, in fact! It’s an absolute banger, every single song. Yes I’m memorized almost all the lyrics. Yes I’m obsessed and unhinged. Also, I heard rumors of a new Twenty One Pilots album (!). If that’s true, then that means three of my top bands have released new music this year and I am fucking HERE FOR IT.

• I finally moved out of my Cozy Gaming era with Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 and y’all. Y’ALL. I’ll dive into it more below but one of my top games of all time, hands down (even if I still, somehow, suck at it sometimes, even though I’m 10 levels away from max level lol 💀). If you’re a gamer, this is a must. If you’re not, I’d agrue this is worth getting into anyway. Pour ceux qui viendront après.

ICYMI, here’s some highlights surrounding those I care about:

• The announcement I teased in the last newsletter is here. E.A. Bard, one of the best writers I know, is launching her debut novel, a gorgeous historical romantasy, coming this fall! Go subscribe to her newsletter so you don’t miss any of the details!

• I’m currently reading one of my client’s first book, The Edge of a World by J.D. Rivers and I am enjoying the heck about it. You should go check it out before the sequel comes out!

Musings

If you’re not interested in long-form random personal musings, this is your time to close the newsletter! Thank you so much for reading and being here. I’ll see you next month!

If you want to read more personal thoughts, read on!

I wanna talk about Clair Obscure, the video game that has absolutely taken over my brain and my heart for the past few weeks. And, given it’s overwhelmingly positive reception, I’m not the only one. (Don’t worry, this will be spoiler-free.)

It’s not just one of the best video games I’ve ever played (and one of the hardest, good god WHY CAN’T I PARRY RIGHT 😭). It’s not just one of the most fantastic stories ever that absolutely broke my heart and made me cry multiple times (yet also had a fantastic splash of humor that I need to fucking study as a storyteller). It’s not just an entire font of inspiration that completely inspired, awed and motivated me as a storyteller and a creator. (The characters! The art! The story! THE MUSIC omfg the MUSIC.)

It’s also a fantastic example of pushing against what’s wrong with so much in the gaming industry. And I wanna talk about that.

The gaming industry, like many, have been broken by the greed of CEOs who are stupid asshats. Who continually gut their teams, citing failure that is either set against impossible standards, unsupported and thus doomed to fail, or in attempt to chase the latest thing that no one wanted (coughAIcough)—in the case of Electronic Arts and their attitude and decisions against BioWare devs, it’s a nasty trifecta of all three. As the industry has become a rotating door of layoffs to underpaid devs and games being pushed out incomplete, flooded with microtransactions or with even heftier price tags for bonus content or DLCs, it’s clear that CEOs are succeeding at destroying an industry that could, with some common sense and support, be flourishing.

You know, the way Larian proved it could, with the outstanding and overwhelming success of Baldur’s Gate 3. And now, the way Sandfall Studios has proven, with the release of Clair Obscure: Expedition 33. A team of 33 devs brought an epic, intense, heartbreaking, devastating and gorgeous game to life, shattering the hearts and raising the bar/standards of gamers everywhere.

(It’s interesting that both of these franchises are turn-based games—I feel more ironic than actually signaling something (you can pry open-world RPGs out of my cold, dead hands), but still.)

It’s baffling to me that studio heads and CEOs and “shareholders” don’t understand what I, and many other fans, feel are basic concepts. Support your devs. Invest in your devs—not just in the project they are bringing to life, but also in the form of their paychecks, benefits and their standards of living. Support human artists. Understand what you are trying to do and don’t do the opposite (this is at EA, who’s gutting and demolishing of BioWare and their vision I will never, ever forgive). The focus on rising profits and ridiculous expectations is stupid, yes. But also? It will organically happen if you invested and support your team.

See Larian and Sandfall as prime examples.

I hope, on top of not just pushing the boundaries of storytelling and creating fantastic games, that both studios can continue to push the industry itself, turning the tide away from some truly horrid practices. And I hope we, as a community, continue to support them and help make that happen.

PS: if anyone from Sandfall ever reads this (which I highly doubt but!) hi I love you thank you for everything I cannot wait to preorder and play every game you make forevermore. Also, please, merch. Like, epic proportions of merch. I beg, I beg, I beg. 🥺

Wrap-Up

Thanks so much for reading, no matter if you read the entire newsletter, only parts of it or anything in-between. I really like this new format and I hope you do, too! I’d love to hear your thoughts, whether here or on socials! Plus, tell me how you’re doing. What are you working on? How can I support you?

Take care of yourself and each other, okay? It’s important that you’re here and you deserve happiness, joy and safety. Never forget that, no matter how hot the fire grows around us.

Until next,
Nicole 🖤

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