A note from Jane
The sign said, in all caps: NOT PRO-MAGA.
Mark and I hadn’t been in Australia long when we visited Darwin’s night market, perusing the arts and crafts booths. I’d barely registered the tent selling books until that sign stopped me. “Look!” I said to Mark. The last thing I expected to see so far from home was a statement about American politics. (Obviously I was in error to doubt its reach.)
The author, a native Australian, was quite shrewd to use such an attention-grabbing sign. He waved us over to start explaining his extended RV trip through middle America, to better understand why Trump was voted in twice. Of course we didn’t need his book to understand that, so the author started pitching us a different one about the relationship between white and indigenous peoples in Australia’s Northern Territory. Neither of us were in the mood to book buy, and despite the author doing an admirable job of hand selling his work (and I told him so), we left.
The next day, Mark took a tour of Darwin, where he heard a number of surprising stories from the guide about the Aboriginal peoples, especially “long grassers,” an informal term for those who live as transients. Now Mark wanted the book the author had been describing, Longgrassing in Paradise, a term we hadn’t recognized at the time. Since the book was self-published and local bookstores didn’t carry it, Mark found the author at a different market and bought a signed copy.
The author, after abandoning a media career that included being a TV weatherman, told us that writing and publishing is now his full-time job. He called it his “lifestyle” to set up at markets and other venues outside the literary mainstream, which wouldn’t accept his books. Other published writers, he said, didn’t commit to selling their work as he did. And it’s easy to imagine why. As hard as he worked to make that sale, we were never going to buy his book until we were better primed to appreciate it. Certainly he could’ve titled the book better, but his timing was off.
Still, even if you don’t make the sale right away, it doesn’t mean the effort was wasted.
Jane
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Yet another date reminder solution: BusyCal
Dr. Kelly Wade writes, “Thanks so much for another great newsletter, Jane. I read with interest that another reader had recommended Fantastical. I used that app for several years but have recently switched to BusyCal because Fantastical is expensive and BusyCal offers very similar functionality for a one-time fee (which is less than Fantastical’s annual fee) or as part of a Setapp subscription. I also love using it to set reminders with a duration. Helps me plan out my writing tasks and avoid procrastination. 😀”
For people who use e-readers all the time
Visit ReKindle in the built-in browser of your Kindle, Kobo, or other e-ink reader, and you’ll land on a nicely organized dashboard: RSS reader, calendar, tasks, news hub, weather and more. H/t Dense Discovery
An alternative to Grammarly (and similar softwares) that incorporate AI
I know many writers are disappointed at how Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and other similar tools incorporate AI for revision, editing, and proofreading. I recently learned about Harper as an open-source, free alternative.
A search engine for words: OneLook
OneLook offers word history, related terms, definitions from numerous dictionaries, plus quotes, phrases, and lyrics that use it. H/t WonderTools
Next online class: Mastering the Art of the Synopsis
- Taught by: Jessica Strawser, career novelist and former editorial director of Writer’s Digest
- Ideal for: Anyone pitching their first novel or memoir
- Jane says: I haven’t yet met a writer who likes writing a synopsis, but Jessica offers guidance that lessens the pain.
- When: Wednesday, September 16, 1:00–2:30 p.m. EDT, or wait for the recording
Your turn: debut authors
In the last issue, I asked if there is a debut author you’ve read this year who you recommend. Here's a selection of what you said.
- I just loved Tara Menon’s debut, Under Water, about a fictional female friendship and upbringing in Thailand. Eco-fiction meets girlhood in lush poetic writing. —Mayuri Chandra
- Secrets of the Shield by Brian Kelsall is a wonderful middle-grade fantasy adventure set in the wilderness along the Canadian Shield geological formation. The author’s love for the landscape and natural world shines, and the heroes are plucky and relatable. I sincerely hope it will become a series. (anonymously submitted by Kirkus reviewer)
- Eat the Donkey by Anthony Reeves is a veteran marketing executive’s business manifesto against complacency that’s also an entertaining read with much of the advice applicable to life in general. (anonymously submitted by Kirkus reviewer)
- Coyote Girl by Sabrina Hicks is an impressive and original collection of short stories and microfictions set in the Southwest. Terrific writing. (anonymously submitted by Kirkus reviewer)
- Laura Mayer’s new book, Tryhard: A Cautionary Tale of Clocking In and Spinning Out. What’s refreshing about Laura’s book is that I now see it is possible to write about deeply troubling experiences from childhood while also writing with humor and sarcastic self-deprecation. I perhaps should have known this sooner, but nonetheless I’m glad I now know it. As a gay, stuttering, scaredy-cat, I too have difficult stories to tell. But no life should be devoid of humor. —Bill Leinweber
- Leila Renee’s Soft Spots came out on August 4 and as someone who did a book event with her a few days ago, I can attest that her debut is incredible. Funny. Observant. Painful. Hopeful. It’s got it all. —Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay
- Good People by Patmeena Sabit. A really compelling mystery about what happened to a teenage girl of Afghan origin who dies under strange circumstances. Told in the form of interview transcripts, it weaves together a rich mosaic of voices: her family members, neighbors, school friends, people in the family’s local Afghan community, police investigators and journalists. Really gripping and full of memorable characters. The Memory Museum by M Lin. Full disclosure: she’s a friend! A short story collection about people in contemporary China who live there, in the US, or in the spaces in between (one story takes place on a plane journey between the two countries). Beautifully and incisively written, with warm, psychological insight. Characters make difficult decisions but also hopeful ones. If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop, translated by Anton Hur. Science fiction short stories centered on women, translated from the Korean. Inventive and poetic, grappling with big questions around the meaning of life and family relationships. Enjoyable and thought-provoking. —Yu-Mei Balasingamchow
- Addie E. Citchens. Her novel Dominion packs so much punch in 230 pages. Dual POV in small town Mississippi, the year 2000. One POV is Priscilla Winfrey, wife of a powerful Black minister and businessman. The other is Diamond, the 17-year-old girlfriend of Pricilla’s most beloved, fifth son. The conflict surprised and captivated me. From a podcast interview I learned Citchens sold the novel in a two-book deal. The next one is an auto-buy for me. —Kelly Turner
Next question: For years I’ve owned a rice-filled neck wrap that you heat in the microwave, but it is now so threadbare it is leaking rice. It was handmade by a private individual who no longer sells them. Do you have one you like that’s available online? Hit reply and let me know.
Do you have a tools or resources question you would like me to ask all readers? Offer up your suggestion, and I might feature it.
Free resources featuring Jane
Upcoming online classes
Meet Jane at an event
- AALA People of Publishing (NYC), Sept. 30, 2026 (reporting)
- Author Nation (Las Vegas), November 10–13, 2026 (reporting)
- Books by the Banks (Cincinnati), November 14, 2026
- AWP Bookfair (Chicago), March 17–20, 2027 (exhibiting)
- PCPA-ACP Joint Conference (Chicago), April 7–8, 2027
“At electric speed, all forms are pushed to the limits of their potential.”
—Marshall McLuhan
By the time I return home, it’ll be time to make the fruitcake. |
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