The Size & Shape of Success + an invitation and a 2024 round-up
Peaches and success, a book launch event, my did-do list, and your favorites.
Greetings readers and writers,
This summer I wanted the peach tree in my front yard to have some extra protection against disease, a little boost to help it thrive. I gave it a little professional TLC and when that resulted in bountiful blooms, I tied organza bags around about a third of the small, green fruits that emerged. The tree has gotten to be probably 10 - 12 feet tall. I figured that would leave some for me and plenty for the birds. We set the automatic watering and went on a long family trip.
I returned to discover organza is no match for an intrepid squirrel and his baby bunny sidekicks. How could I be upset? It was baby bunnies. Honestly, there was a touch of relief. I no longer had to be vigilant, worried that something would happen to the tree’s tiny fruits. Instead, nature had, quite literally, taken it’s course. The tree itself was healthy and robust and there were still a few peaches (and organza bags) hanging on, but the squirrels and windy weather made short work of them.
So I let it be and instead bought pricey local peaches at the farm stand, four or five at a time, letting them ripen on the counter.
That is, until we went to Maine and my brother-in-law showed up with grocery bags full of fresh picked peaches from the trees he tended in his backyard. Heaps of ripe peaches, so many we had to sort through them daily for the ones rotting before we could eat them. We made peach crumble and cobbler and put them in yogurt and smoothies and ate them with every meal. They were juicy and delicious and I could never get sick of them.
A part of me felt sad, maybe a little bit resentful. Why were his trees so productive and mine never even got the chance to ripen? But it’s hard to feel bitter when your mouth is full of sweet, homegrown stone fruit. Our trees grew and bloomed in entirely different circumstances — how could I expect them to have the same result? And I knew how much effort went into caring for fruit trees, yet here was my BIL sharing in his overabundance, his success, expecting nothing in return except, well, helping to find creative ways to consume a few dozen peaches.
Last year, I moderated a panel of writers who shared their experiences editing their novels under the auspices of agents and traditional publishers. These were, for the most part, authors who’d gotten their agents (and in some case book deals) only in the last year. Enviable! Yet they offered up their time and knowledge to their writing community, and in sharing their success, made it more likely for the rest of us to benefit and succeed as well.
Success doesn’t always look the way we think it will. Sometimes it takes longer or comes in a different size or shape than we’d hoped. The two things I published in 2025 were not on my writerly bingo card, if you’d asked me more than a year ago. I had hoped for a new novel draft, maybe an agent, or some serious short fiction publications. Instead, I found a way to bloom in the soil I found myself in.
By the end of August, the peach tree was surrounded by shredded organza bags and peach pits and utterly bare of fruit... except for two sad-looking peaches which had managed to stay clinging to the tree, shrouded in faded green organza, no matter the weather or wildlife assault. They looked too green and too water-stressed to be edible; I was convinced they’d be rotten inside.
But I cut them open anyway, and inside, they were perfect. And there was just enough for each member of my family to have a slice.
Other inspirational peach posts:
It’s Party Time
It’s finally happening: our in-person launch event for New Year, New You is NEXT WEEK at Porter Square Books on January 16th at 7pm!
We have an amazing line-up of authors and guests, including Elizabeth Bear, Chris Campbell, Brigitte Winter, Nick DePasquale, Max Gladstone (moderating), Scott Lynch (emcee!) and, of course, yours truly. There will be kitschy New Year swag, snacks, and speculative stories. You can RSVP with Porter Square Books to help us plan or pre-order a signed book if you can’t make it. Hope to see you there!
2024 Round-up
My Did-Do List of 2024
Turned 40!
Co-published and contributed to a successfully Kickstarted short story anthology
Finished writing 4 short stories; started at least 3 others
Sent out 20 short story submissions (mostly rejections, but still!)
Was published in Trollbreath Magazine twice: Cryptid Car Rental | An Interview with Editor Chris Campbell
Read and gave feedback on 1000+ pages of writing as part of manuscript reviews and writing groups
Taught four seminars this year with the Metrowest Writer’s Guild, Grub Street, and University of Denver
Published 20 issues of this newsletter!
Started working with speckled clay in the pottery studio
Re-vamped my website
Still working on a novel
Attended a personal writing retreat at Highlights
Links You Loved in 2024
19 Writing Conferences for Emerging and Established Writers {Electric Lit}
Why Are Debut Novels Failing to Launch? {Esquire}
Rebecca Solnit: How to Comment on Social Media {LitHub satire, my friends!}
Fee-Free Writing Residencies {Erika Driefus}
Octavia Butler Told the Future {The Atlantic}
Best of Books, Marketing & More 2024
Seeking Validation + publication, a workshop, & summer loves
Revision and Re-vision + opening lines, literary equity, & newsletters
Hold strong, new beginnings are tough. I’m so glad you’re here and can’t wait to see what you make this year.
~Allison
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If you’re looking for more of my writing you can find it in Trollbreath Magazine and New Year, New You: A Speculative Anthology of Reinvention
Love the idea of success coming in a different shape - or from a different tree - than we had originally planned. An excellent reminder to enjoy the sweet fruit that life offers however it comes into our lives and our creative spaces! Thanks Allison!
Love the did-do list! (Probably not a surprise if you read my last newsletter.) And delighted to discover the popularity of the fee-free residencies resource. Happy New Year to all!