Hello my fellow Dream Chasers and welcome to my newsletter! Let’s get right to it!

This month, in fact one week from today, I will be attending the 2019 Writer’s Digest Annual Conference! I am practically bursting with how excited I am. Last year was such a tremendous experience and I cannot wait to be surround by hundreds (hundreds!) of writers just like me!

Last year I did the Pitch Slam, which is an event where a number of agents, editors, and publishers are placed in a room and you have one hour to meet as many as possible and pitch your novel (or other written project that you’re looking to publish). It’s basically speed dating. The prospect of it was terrifying at first, but once I got into it I had a lot of fun and I met some really amazing people.

The experience also helped to really humanize the process of traditional publishing. It transformed the agents from inaccessible gate keepers into people who are just trying to do their job. It changed my entire perspective on the querying process, and really helped me understand that rejections, though they stink, aren’t personal. And trust me when I say that these people do not want to say no to you.

That being said, I will not be doing the Pitch Slam again this year. First of all, I don’t have a piece of work that is ready to be shopped for publication. In the world of fiction, general consensus is you don’t pitch until you have a perfected manuscript (apparently the process is different for non-fiction). Second of all, even though I now know what to expect from a pitch event like this (all pitch slams are a little bit different, but the core experience is the same) it’s still daunting to think about. Last year I spent the entire day on Friday with the specter of the Pitch Slam hanging over my head. Not only was it a little bit distracting, but many of the workshops I attended were in preparation for the event. There was so much content I missed out on because I was focusing on querying and pitching.

But not this year! This year, I am attending the full day Thursday seminar on creating tension in story telling. The workshops I’m attending during the main conference will be focused on craft and really elevating my writing. I am so beyond excited to learn and evolve my passion, and take home actionable techniques to apply to work I’ve already “completed” (three novels at different stages of editing) and to work that is to come (I have another idea that’s been begging for attention all summer). I cannot wait to fully immerse myself in this world and really enjoy and absorb the knowledge.

And of course, I can’t wait to see everyone! I am so looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and introducing myself face-to-face to some of the members of the online writing community that are also attending. This event is so much fun and I simply cannot wait to go!

That’s all I can focus on right now! So here’s an update on my work:

As of this email, I have completed edits for The Things We Keep From Others. I’m in the process of setting up beta readers and looking forward to the feedback they will provide. If you're interested, head over to my website or Twitter and let me know!

Sadly, I did not place in the Write Practice's Summer Writing Contest. Stay tuned, though, because that story will be up on my website shortly! Until then, feel free to puruse some of my other short stories right here.

I’m continuing to do short story reviews on my book review blog, Kristine’s BRF. I will continue to do so as long as people keep submitting (I already have a somewhat substantial reading list). Rest assured, it may take me a while, but I will most certainly get to everyone. If you have a short story (and I use the term loosely – I’ll take a look at anything under 40,000 words) of any genre I’m happy to add it to my list and review it. Check out my pinned tweet on Twitter, or submit via my website or email! Please note, while I’ll read just about anything, I most likely will not read stories containing graphic and gratuitous violence of any nature.

I’ve also added a new piece of artwork, called Blooming, to my website! Check it out right here!

Photo for this section courtesy of Kazuend via Unsplash.

For this month, I think that’s it! Now get ready, you know what’s coming!

As I’ve said, my favorite part about doing this newsletter is gaining insight into my fellow writers' lives. Everyone has such a unique story to tell, and it brings me great joy to share those stories with all of you.

This month I feature Rachelle Braido, a writer that I met almost exactly one year ago at the (yep, no surprises here) Writer’s Digest Annual Conference. We were both accepted into a special writer’s breakfast on the last day, and we sat at the same table. Rachelle told me all about her writing adventures, and with this interview I got to learn so much more about her fascinating, beautiful life.

Rachelle started writing when she was 8 years old. Her love for reading helped inspire her to create stories to share with friends and family. In middle school she was the editor of the school paper, and, at 13, she received Honorable Mention in the NW Young Fiction Writers Contest in The Oregonian for a short story. She went on to publish a variety of poems in high school.

Being gently nudged in the direction of a “solid” career, Rachelle earned a college degree in International Studies and a Master’s in Business Administration. She currently holds a position in operations management and finance, but writing is, and always has been, her true calling.

Rachelle focuses her talents on writing what she loves, namely intercultural pieces and relating human experiences, particularly in extreme conditions. In fact, she's even had an intercultural piece published in a literary magazine in The Hague. In 2016, Rachelle began work on her first novel, a narrative on Bosnian Genocide, which is informed both by her college education, and the extensive research she continues to do. Sharing her views on her current work in progress, she had this to say:

“I chose to write about former Yugoslavia, but I wasn’t sure from which perspective. I read many books and watched several documentaries about the war and the history of the Balkans. Once I chose Bosnian Genocide, I searched for refugees in Portland and was finally introduced to a family that had survived the concentration camps in NW Bosnia. I started interviewing them and recording their experiences with no journalistic training. I then traveled to former Yugoslavia and revisited the sites. For part of the trip, I was with two of my book subjects; for the rest of the trip I relied on private tour guides and my own feet.

"I am on my fifth round of edits now as I am changing POV [point of view] again. I settled on 3rd person limited and am polishing and bulking chapters until my next conference and pitch sessions in September (PNWA). I have not yet found an agent or publisher, but I haven’t mass submitted yet.

"What I have accomplished so far with this project is what I am most proud of in my writing career. It has been tremendously challenging but highly rewarding. I have met and interacted with some incredible people and formed some solid friendships for life.”

So who is she writing for? Her current work focuses on some of the darkest atrocities committed against mankind. Though she crafts her work beautifully, telling the most amazing and tragic stories of human survival, she says her work is for “adults and emotionally mature adolescents who seek knowledge and a deeper understanding of life, particularly cultural differences, the experience of war, or life in extreme living conditions.”

But Rachelle doesn’t let the darkness seep in. Aside from travelling for writing, she travels for fun! She loves to take off to not only explore, but fully immerse herself in the beauty of other cultures and languages. Having friends around the world, Rachelle uses her amazing network and Air BnB’s to avoid hotels and tourist spots to make sure she gets the most authentic experience a visitor can get in any destination she chooses, forging lifelong bonds along the way. She says, “I plot out a few ‘must sees,’ then explore and interact with people, places and culture on my own.” What an amazing and adventurous way to experience the world!

When I asked what mantra or quote she uses to keep her motivated while pursuing her dreams, Rachelle told a story instead. She said, “I use a dark memory to motivate me. I was near death in 2004, lying in a hospital bed completely out of control of my circumstances. It was unexpected and I was only 30, so I wasn’t ready for death. My body was dying but my mind was active. It was hell. I was full of regret and sad I hadn’t done everything I wanted. I made a promise to myself that if I survived, I would finish everything I started and travel to places I wanted to see and spend my time on things that mattered. I think about that experience when I feel frustrated and want to give up.” What better way to experience a terrifying tragedy than to turn it into something positive, motivating, and inspiring!

I think the best part of the interview is what Rachelle had to say about writing. “Writing feeds my soul. It has opened unimagined doors in my life and led me to interact with amazing individuals and travel to beautiful places.”

Rachelle’s journey is so powerful, and I love that her experience has brought her so much insight, joy, fun, and love. It’s a true testament to the power of the written word that it should bring people together the way that it has done for Rachelle. I am so inspired by her, and I am so privileged to call her a friend!

To learn more about Rachelle and to read some of her work, visit https://rachellebraido.com.

Know someone you'd like featured in the Peer Highlight? Send me a recommendation by clicking here!

Some out-of-this-world news out of India this month!

On July 22nd, 2019 India’s Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched Chandrayaan-2, its second Moon Mission. And on August 4th, Chandrayaan-2 sent back its first pictures of Earth as viewed from its orbit (please note, the image included in this section is not one of those images). By the time of this newsletter, the Moon Mission will have completed its five orbits of the Earth, and will be on its way to its first moon landing, scheduled for early September.

The mission cost about US$150 million (S$205 million). On completion of this mission, India will be the fourth nation to land on the surface of the moon, following the United States, Russia, and China. ISRO’s goal for this mission is “to gather data on water, minerals and rock formations on the lunar surface.”

Read the full article, and learn more about Chandrayaan-2 and ISRO's mission, right here.

Photo for this section courtesy of Greg Rakozy via Unsplash.

If you have a good news story you’d like me to feature, I’d love to hear about it! Click here to send me a story!