July 2022 Tea Time With Tempest

New Suns 2 has a cover and Ruby Finley has an audiobook | July 2022 Tea Time With Tempest

This month I’ve spent a ton of time thinking about the future and what I want from it. There are several things on the horizon that could mean great things for my writing career and my bank account (woot), which means I can start thinking about where I want to put down roots. Yes, this nomad wishes to be in one place for a long time. Or at least have a good home base so I can launch myself wherever else I want to go.

Like many Americans, I’m very worried about certain national trends. More and more I’m leaning into the notion that survival means ensuring I have community and that the people in it are as dedicated to mutual aid, support, and caring for each other as I am. Wherever I land, that’s the top priority.

All the examples of this kind of community I’ve seen are based on location: neighborhoods, towns, regions. However, I have friends and loved ones all over the country and around the world. I want to know more about ways we can provide mutual aid across distances, and best ways to organize such. I’d love to hear from anyone with ideas or experience in that area.

In the end, we all have to take care of each other. That’s how we’re going to make it.

🧡 Tempest


I have a bit of news to share with you below, but down in the comments I want to hear your news. Tell me about the stuff going on in your life that you’d like to share. Can be great things, or not so great things, or a funny story, or an epic story. Share pictures, share laughter, share what’s troubling you, share wisdom.


New Suns 2

Since the info is on all the book sites, I guess I’m allowed to start screaming about New Suns 2: More Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color. This anthology is a follow up to the amazing, award-winning New Suns anthology edited by Nisi Shawl.

cover of New Suns 2: More Original Speculative Fiction by People of Color

I have a story in this one and I’m in such good company. Darcie Little Badger (whaaaat), Tananarive Due (OMG), Karin Lowachee (swoon), Hiromi Goto (I caaaan’t), and over a dozen more names of similar caliber. fans self

Also the cover is beautiful and again features art by the very talented Yoshi Yoshitani. Look closely at the bottom right corner. Is that… my name under “Including Stories By…”? It is! Moving up in the world from appearing as “And Others” :D

The book is out in March 2023 and it’s available on Amazon for pre-order now. (It’s not in all bookstores yet, it seems, but I’ll keep you updated.)

Ruby Gets An Audiobook

It’s officially official: Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion will be out in audiobook as well as print and digital. YAAAY

Currently, you can pre-order the audio version through Amazon, B&N, and Kobo. And it’s set to release same day as the other versions, meaning you can listen to it on September 27th.

I am very excited to hear it myself as the narrator, Channie Waites, is so, so good. I’m lucky she was available for this. eeeeeeee

A Gold Standard

In other Ruby news, the book was picked as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. For those who don’t know, the JLG sends curated book boxes to librarians who then use those selections to inform which books they’ll buy for their libraries. So this is a big win for me. So excite.

Come Play A Game

This Saturday I’m playtesting a new writing game with the Fun and Games Salon-goers. This one combines a few ideas from the games we’ve been playing and some I’ve found in my research. Wanna join us and get in on the beta? Join the F&G Patreon.

Upcoming Class

Deep Dive Into Building Inclusive Worlds Header

One of my favorite Writing the Other classes is coming up in September: Deep Dive Into Building Inclusive Worlds

I love this class because we have a ton of extra smart people saying brilliant thigs that will help you create better worlds for your narratives and it’s all so fulfilling. I am one of many teachers and you should check out our full lineup.

Worldbuilding for speculative fiction and games can be a daunting task; even moreso for writers who want to create inclusive cultures filled with diverse characters without unconsciously replicating colonialist structures and viewpoints. This class offers writers a deep dive into key aspects of building inclusive worlds — Creating Cultures, Ideology, Religion, Cosmology, Sociobiology, Language, Research, and more — with a dream team of outstanding builders of speculative worlds: Steven Barnes, K. Tempest Bradford, Kate Elliott, Max Gladstone, Jaymee Goh, Lauren Jankowski, Pam Punzalan, Nisi Shawl, and Juliette Wade.

This four-week class includes video lectures and interviews plus extensive discussion and Q&A. Students will leave the class with a deep worldbuilding toolset and resources for further study.

The only hitch in this for me is that, due to reasons, I scheduled my Q&A week for the same week my book comes out. I’m sure it will be fine.

ANYWAY. Go register for the class or apply for a scholarship.

Enough About Me

I’m ready to hear from you 🤗 Just one note: this is a community space. Please keep in mind that this is my space, so please act the way you would if you were in my actual parlor having actual tea with me 😍

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