Happy Summer! 🌞 June was all about Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, all 1243 pages of it, and taking a break from writing.
The Pillars of the Earth was an absolute saga published in 1989, set in 12th century England. It became a mini-series and even a video game. It’s history, cathedral building, and a whole lot of rated R drama that I was not expecting. But that’s okay, it’s good to be surprised and to step out of comfort zones. I thoroughly enjoyed it, wanted more, so instead of getting into my TBR list, I started #2 of the Kingsbridge series.
World Without End picks up the story about 160 years later, but still at Kingsbridge (hence the series name). It’s going to cover the start of the Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death, the latter of which, I’m looking forward to reading about. Follett does an excellent job of writing about the Middle Ages, and it appears that I’m all for it. Have you read these books or watched the miniseries?
For June, I noticed that just about everyone was taking a vacation on Substack, so I followed suit. However, this didn’t mean I left the building, so to speak. I ended up customizing my watermark (as you can see) and refining my logo to match the font of my watermark.
After publishing a stream-of-consciousness essay My relationship with time: tick tock goes the clock, and newsletter Cooking with Lani: said no one ever, I took two weeks off. But June has five weekends, and for the last one, I uploaded A mini memoir life: #1 stupid is as stupid does. This last essay is an experiment in micro essays or vignettes.
Substack directories are another way to be part of smaller communities, and I’ve managed to get listed on the Asian Writer’s Collective Nonfiction, and for Unlocked’s first newsletter showcasing Black, Global Indigenous, and POC voices. Needless to say, I was surprised to be featured!
In addition, I ended up collaborating with three other Substacks for future guest posts! I wish I could say more, but you know how these things go, until it’s actually out, it’s best not to say anything. But since you al have been humoring me on my Substack updates, I figured why not.
Whew. Now, that I’ve written it all out. June was a busy month despite not posting as much. Just goes to show you, behind the scenes work is a HUGE part of writing.
How’s your summer going? Digging into any good reads? 😘
Life, the Universe, and Lani 
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