Dearest Lore Keepers,
What a busy month it’s been! The desert is in full bloom, and we’ve nearly reached triple digits here in southern AZ. My life is in an uproar, much like the wildlife around me as temperatures rise. But all for good reasons! I’ll share more in next month’s newsletter, once things calm down. On that note, if you’ve been keeping up with my fundraising campaign, I do apologize for the volume of emails you’re receiving this week. Thank you for your continued support in spite of my filling up your inbox!
Book Spotlight
Lily for innocence. Pine for protection.
In Lily’s Passage, you will encounter floriography—the language of the flowers. The code is taught among the fairies as a way of passing covert messages, from I love you to find sanctuary here. Outsiders see a pretty bouquet. But to those who speak the language, floriography gives every bloom a hidden meaning. As you embark on your journey through Alderdale, keep in mind what each flower may be saying to you along the way.
Reading
The Queen and the Shadow Witch by Leanna Rapier
I have the privilege of being an ARC reader for this fellow Tucsonian author, and I must say I’m quite enjoying the ride! Be on the lookout for my full review coming later this month. If you enjoy portal fantasies, clever worldbuilding, and heroines who start out less than perfect, you should definitely pre-order your copy of this book.
Research
Desert flora and fauna are once again at the top of my search history this month. I never cease to be amazed by this wonderful place I inhabit.
Updates
✨ Lily’s Passage is 47% funded! Praise the Lord! Thanks to generous donations, Etsy sales, and a successful craft fair the past month, I’m nearing the halfway mark on my fundraising journey. Though there’s still a ways to go, I feel the momentum gathering as I pursue the road before me with renewed vigor.
✨ My fundraising campaign is halfway through, but you can still become part of the story! Check out my campaign page for more information.
✨ Thanks to life being pretty hectic, I haven’t been able to work on Holly’s Portent as much as I’d like. So I’m just enjoying the drafting process as I see the story unfold—slowly—before me.
✨ You can keep up with me on social media and find my other links on my Linktree.
Lore
Going through old journals is like stepping into a time machine. As I’ve been doing some spring cleaning, I’ve unearthed many of my previous notebooks, all of which are filled with story ideas, poetry, sermon notes, grocery lists, diary entries—my life in words. Some of the pages give me pause, especially when I remember why I wrote them.
Writing has carried me through seasons of famine and seasons of bounty. This makes sense, considering I journal to talk with God. Even the scraps of creativity hold glimpses of me reaching out to commune with my Savior.
My novels are no exception. When I revisit Lily’s Passage, I’m transported to where I was back then. (I talked about this time in a previous newsletter.) As I work on Holly’s Portent, I find myself in a season of planting and waiting—a sowing season. With the publication of my first novel on the horizon, doubts continue to assail me throughout my creative process. What if I never finish fundraising? How will my book be received? When will I finish writing this series? What if my words go out into the void?
These questions are nothing new to most writers, and I’m sure similar ones plague anyone striving to meet a goal. The “imposter syndrome” as it’s often called settles in and becomes an obstacle to my work. In these times, I must remind myself of two things:
1) All must happen in the Lord’s perfect timing
2) I was called and equipped for a purpose
Nothing is wasted at God’s hands. This season I’m in—of waiting for things to grow—is necessary and good. A song by the Oh Hellos comes to mind as I reflect on this truth: “The sun, it does not cause us to grow/It is the rain that will strengthen your soul” (“I Have Made Mistakes”). I need both sun and rain to thrive—my word for the year.
As for the Enemy’s accusations that my work isn’t good enough—those weeds must be uprooted. For if left unchecked, the lies will grow alongside the crops, making harvest season all the more difficult.
As the wind blows,
Sydney Frusti
