Issue #02: Perfectly Imperfect October
Happy Hallowe'en!
October 2025—the most confusing fall weather I’ve ever experienced whilst living in Southern California. I’d been looking forward to leaves in yellow, orange, and brown. Crisp mornings and blustery winds. Alas, we were served heat waves with a touch of muggy rain. I feel cheated! Still, I managed to read on-theme books and embrace all things pumpkin.
Highly anticipated: You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand Murder by Maureen Johnson and Jay Cooper
“November 1933. London. Seven people receive mysterious letters. Someone knows their terrible secrets. They are summoned to a posh townhouse where one is stabbed right in front of the others, but somehow no one saw a thing. Can you help Scotland Yard solve the mystery?”
I was thrilled to learn that there would be an interactive mystery book, complete with a case file full of clues and the final solution tucked away in an envelope, just in time for spooky season.
Because I was one of the first people to pre-order the book, Penguin Random House gifted me with this wicked cool tote bag!
Supernatural Speakeasy Cozy Mystery: The Hexorcist by Lily Harper Hart is a fun witchy mystery set in New Orleans and was perfect for some light bedtime reading. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the series and discovering what else Ofelia Archer gets up to.
5 Star Read: Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
“The best fantasy novel I’ve read in years, because it’s about real people... Impossible to put down.” ―Stephen King
This book is my new obsession. It’s categorized as Horror Occult & Supernatural but is also a multifaceted mystery about the Ivy League elite using dark magic to run the world.
What impresses me, possibly more than the intricate plot, is the structure and shape of the story. Chapters titled by season, three main timelines, two POVs, and dips into flashbacks. This is the type of book where every twist, turn, and reveal felt decadent.
*I learned today that the third installment in the series is set to release in 2026!
Like I said, obsessed.
I found out that Animal Crossing is coming out with an update!
Pie Lady Books created an Agatha Christie pie, and it just so happens to be the first Christie book that I read. She also did a fabulous pie for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Her talent is beyond.
Shopping for an upcoming trip that necessitates boots. I was feeling these in Chocolate! I love a pointy toe; the pointier, the better. I’m also excited about this fisherman-style sweater in Charcoal.
I love a good seltzer water, and recently I discovered Polar brand. Imagine my delight when I saw that they have these magical flavors: Unicorn Kisses, Dragon Whispers, Mermaid Songs, Werewolf Howls, Yeti Mischief, and Pixie Lights. What the what?!
My blind Maine Coon, Louie Luis Litt, has suddenly gotten over his fear of the Roomba and now harasses it daily.
I promised in my first issue to address beans being a whole thing in my world! I have MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), which seems to have caused some metabolic issues, including insulin resistance.
I’m a big fan of both Dr. William Li and Dr. Mindy Pelz and have adopted several lifestyle changes thanks to their generous advice—like a kiwi a day for my microbiome and intermittent fasting.
Dr. Li spoke on Mel Robbins' podcast about a study that came out of the University of Toronto1, which suggests that eating five cups of beans each week reduces visceral fat and helps reverse metabolic dysfunction.
And so the bean frenzy began.
I have an Instagram folder dedicated to bean recipes and I’ve found some winners! The seasonal dish I want to share this week is adapted from this Pumpkin Rigatoni with Rosemary Walnut Crispies. I swapped out the pasta for a combo of chicken and cannellini beans. The “walnut crispies” have rosemary and black pepper which is amazing—I want to put it on everything!
I’m finally entering my author era! I’ve technically been published before, in poetry anthologies and some early KDP, but we’re talking novels here.
Categorically speaking, I have four very different stories and audiences in mind. Writing all of them under one name is a marketing disaster waiting to happen, so I’ve been thinking about how I want to release these darlings into the world. If I want to make a real living at this, pen names are going to be part of the plan.
Another thing to consider: It used to be that self-publishing was seen as “vanity publishing,” but those days are long gone. Now it’s one of the smartest business models an author can choose. Ironically, traditional publishing has started to feel more like vanity. It’s a bragging right, sure, and flashy on the surface. But to take a lesser cut of the profits and give up my rights and control of my creative work just isn’t how I want to begin my author career.
All that to say, I’ve been obsessing over one story in particular this year and it’s likely what I’ll be writing for the foreseeable future! What I can share now is that it’s a cozy mystery, although perhaps not as cutesy as many others in the genre. It’s meant to be a series with shape, much like Ninth House as I was mentioning before. But I’m also writing to market because my small-business sense can’t resist the marketing angles.
But first, a murder board.
This may not have been the October I wanted, but it’s the October I got, and that’s perfectly imperfect in the most delightful way.
Stay shiny!
Jen
Luhovyy et al. (2015)