The Things You Learn / 'The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue'

So much for a free, "weekly" newsletter. We probably should've said "weekly - with caveats."

I'm extremely proud of the fact that I've recently, more than at any other time, consistently prioritized releasing and preparing Pomonok content. That I am taking this endeavor seriously, and that I finally have the bandwidth, the ADHD meds, and the creative drive to give Pomonok the respect it deserves.

However, as I've mentioned previously, when you're a one-woman operation, you're not always going to be able to get to all the posts, all the social media platforms, all the releases on time. Especially when life throws you curveballs, and you have no one to pass the tasks along to.

Plus, there's the fact that I'm still learning what works for me and where the gaps in my knowledge/experience are. For example, I haven't been taking nearly enough advantage of being able to schedule certain posts in advance. I'm still figuring out how much I can realistically bank in advance, and when I have to start doing so in order for releases to go smoothly.

And then there's little things like the fact that Ghost (the platform through which you're receiving this email and my posts) has certain limitations on a free account (which is what I have) that force me to manually change newsletter headings (because I can only have 1 newsletter at this tier) and I always forget to do it, so I've been sending out "Team Pomonok" emails with a "Pomonok Publishing" heading.

I know. These are not huge deals. Still, it'll be nice when I get into enough of a rhythm that stuff like this will be automatic and the little mistakes won't happen so much.

This way, I can put all my focus and attention on making bigger, more interesting mistakes. 😁

Love and hugs,

Teresa

POMONOK PODCASTS: Updated 'Finding Felicity ENCORE' Schedule!

There have been some bumps in the road for Finding Felicity's release schedule, but FF: ENCORE Episodes 0-8 are available NOW, and from this week forward things should go a lot more smoothly as we head toward our ALL-NEW EPISODE on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th.

Here's what you can expect:

Fri 8/16/24 - Ep 9: ‘Thanksgiving (Or, Hannah's The Best)’ (guest: David Schatanoff Jr)

Mon 8/19/24 - Ep 10: ‘Finally (Or, Maybe These Drugs Will Help)’ (guest: Katherine Murray-Satchell)

Wed 8/21/24 - Ep 11: ‘Gimme an O! (Or, Nothing Sexier Than a Planner)’ (guest: Theo Motzenbacker)

Fri 8/23/24 - Ep 12: ‘Friends (Or, You Win Some...)’ (guest: Paulina Bugembe)

Mon 8/26/24 - Ep 13: ‘Todd Mulcahy, Pt. 1 (Or, Motherf*cker Deserved It)’ AND Ep 14: ‘Todd Mulcahy, Pt. 2 (Or, Just Go Home Already)’ (guest: Jenna Payne)

Wed 8/28/24 - Ep 15: ‘Love & Marriage (Or, It Was Very...Felicity)’ (guest: Andrea Levine)

Fri 8/30/24 - Ep 16: ‘The Fugue (Or, New York Is a Big City, Y’all! Damn!’)’ (guest: Bryant Dillon)

Mon 9/2/24 - Ep 17: ‘Assassins (Or, Noel Crane-Future Men’s Rights Activist)’ (guest: Jen Levin)

Wed 9/4/24 - Ep 18: ‘Happy Birthday (Or, This Is Some Bullsh*t)’ (guest: David Schatanoff Jr.)

Fri 9/6/24 - Ep 19: ‘Docuventary (Or, Brewing for a While)’ (guest: Katherine Murray-Satchell)

Mon 9/9/24 - Ep 20: ‘Connections (Or, Felicity Is a Terrible Boss)’ (guest: L. Stephanie Tait)

Wed 9/11/24 - Ep 21: ‘The Force (Or, Just Write a Star Wars Episode If That’s What You Wanna Do!) (guest: Tiffany Frances)

Fri 9/13/24 - Ep 22:  ‘Felicity Was Here (Or, The Season Finale with All the Feels!)’ (guest: Dayna Webber)*

Mon 9/16/24 - Ep 23: ‘Sophomoric (Or, The One Where They're All As*holes)’ (guest: Jen Ponton)**

Wed 9/18/24 - Ep 24: ‘The List (Or, High Voltage)’ (guest: Amanda Love)

Fri 9/20/24 - Ep 25: ‘Ancient History (Or, Course Correction)’ (guest: Stacey Kade)

Mon 9/23/24 - Ep 26: ‘The Depths (Or, The Slut of Washington Sq. Park)’ (guest: Stacey Smith?)***

Wed 9/25/24 - Ep 27: ‘Crash (Or, Noel is Not an A-List Guy)’ (guest: Brock Wilbur)

FRIDAY 9/27/24 - (NEW) - Ep 28: ‘The Love Bug’

*this marks the end of Felicity, Season One episodes / **this marks the beginning of Felicity, Season Two episodes / ***the question mark is part of her last name, not a typo

So, catch up on what you've missed over at Pomonok Podcasts, and then join us for the rest of our Finding Felicity ENCORES TOMORROW, AUGUST 16th!

OTHER POMONOK NEWS:

• The script for Teresa's film directorial debut, Happy Birthday Harold!, is just about finished! If you'd like to receive an advance reading copy of it, subscribe to the Pomonok Pictures tier of our newsletter, and a PDF of the finished script will be sent your way, along with updates on the film's progress!
• Our first interactive, text-based game, ROBOT GIRL, is coming along! The first two chapters of Part 1 should be finished by next month, and our goal is to have ROBOT GIRL PART 1: Teenage Dream finished and available on Steam by December! If you'd like to be one of our advance play-testers, as well as guarantee yourself a copy when Part 1 is released, consider subscribing to the Pomonok Games tier of our newsletter for all the updates!

POMONOK APPROVED: BOOKS

We're huge fans of speculative fiction, and we love reading books in those genres by women, non-binary authors, and people of the global majority. When considering what book to recommend this month, there were several choices that could've made their way into this newsletter.

One thing we thought about for our first Pomonok Approved recommendation is that we wanted to select a work of speculative fiction that is recent, and that's also only one book. Not one of a series – which is difficult, because so many sci-fi and fantasy books are part of a trilogy, or a longer series.

V.E. Schwab, author of the best-selling The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (2020, Tor Books), has said many times that there won't be a sequel to the novel, because of the way she works as a writer:

I write from the ending backwards. So when I'm writing something, I know whether it's a standalone or a series. I just, I know it from go because if it were a series, I would structure it differently. 

The endings are contentious, but the ending is also what as an author I choose. I make everything backwards from there. So when I decide on an ending, it's not a thing I do lightly. I specifically choose the moment of departure, and I always caution readers to think of it like, the story doesn't stop — it's a party you're no longer invited to. You have to go home. 

The difference between a successful standalone and an unsuccessful one, is that if you succeeded, the reader should want more. But they shouldn't need more. 

Addie LaRue is a compelling, whimsical, beautiful nugget of a book, and absolutely does not need another installment. All you want is keep hanging out with Addie once the novel is over, because she's a fascinating character. Getting to experience a totally new story through that character would surely be a joyful experience! What it's not, is necessary. Addie LaRue is perfect all by its lonesome.

If you've been sleeping under a rock since COVID lockdown, and/or don't pay particular attention to goings-on in the literary world, Addie LaRue tells the story of a free-spirited young woman named Adeline in 1700s France who, in trying to escape a forced marriage and a small village existence that feels suffocating to her, ends up making a deal with a Dark Force: she will live forever, having all the time in the world to live the life/lives she wants. The caveat? No one will ever remember her. She will only be remembered for as long as she's interacting with someone, and the second they turn around and walk away, it's as if she never existed.

The story jumps back and forth in time between 18th Century France and 21st Century New York City, where Addie lives, having not aged a day despite having been alive for centuries. It's there that she encounters something stranger than anything else she's encountered since making her deal with that ancient Dark Force.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is alternately harsh and beautiful. We experience darkness and fear and Addie's suffering, but we also experience the pure, simple, yet euphoric delight of living and human connection. If you're looking for a fantasy novel that you won't be able to put down, and once done, that you won't be able to stop thinking about for all the right reasons, get your hands on this book.

Get your copy of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue at Bookshop.org!

Have a question or a comment for us? Reply to this email, or email us directly at teampomonok@gmail.com! See you next week!