The four years I lived in Austin, I had no real friends. Sure, everyone knew me. But no one knew me. I was rarely alone; always at an event or hosting something or posting photos with all my 'friends'. But I'd go home each night feeling
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Note: Close to 1,000 of you read my 2024 recap, which is crazy for such a personal piece. I'm touched that it resonated so deeply! “They choose the flashy place to live Network with the flashiest friends Work the flashiest job Read the flashiest books Showcase the
Some self-published authors make millions of dollars per year, and you've never even heard of them. I met a few of these author-millionaires last week in Vegas for Author Nation Conference (thanks David Kadavy for the rec), and it turns out that you can get rich
A short story and some writing lessons "When did you first know?" he asks. Well, I thought multiverses could totally be a thing, I say. I twist the ring on my finger, still getting used to its weight. I thought we could be in a simulation and someone
A long time ago, I met a man whose job was to travel to the most beautiful spots in the world, testing out the Kindle. Really. The only thing he needed to do was ensure the Kindle worked in each country. Flights, hotels, and food all comped. He got paid
Hi again from your dear friend Madi, Today, I'm just updating you on the fact that I'm slowly going insane. But first, been thinking of naming this newsletter 'The Last Honest Newsletter'. I mean, do you get anything else in your inbox that isn&
Palahniuk is referencing my short story, SLC Fever Dream. How did I get him to read it? I'll tell you in a sec. The good news? He might read your story, too! First, I took his advice and made the first sentence in the story, That Madi cocooned
New Mexico: 7/1 It's pitch black 75 stories below ground and my open eyes register nothing and my breath catches and I don't know up from down and my hands quiver and my head feels spinny and I try to calm myself but I can
Sharp turn sharp turn drop rise STOP go merge skid look it's a river look it's a forest look a historical home look OMG LOOK I'm gonna die wait all good yay look Pittsburgh's roads were like a plate of spaghetti thrown
I'm sick, laying on Mom's guestroom bed, watching Pachinko on my laptop, crying. On my nightstand, two heavily highlighted books on world building for SciFi. Through tears I spot a Sarah J. Maas novel on my dresser making awkward acquaintance with A Gentleman in Moscow. In
August 5: Madison, Wisconsin "Hello, welcome to [Hotel]. How may I help you?" he recites for the thousandth time today. "Welcome [Name]. Could you please hand me your credit card and your ID?" He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What brings