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March 2024

Thank you to all the sharp-eyed readers who checked up on my last email. You’re right, it said we were “in February” when it should have said “almost in February”, and was in fact sent a couple days early! That’s how you know this newsletter is written and managed by a human (me!), complete with little human bungles that happen every now and then.

On that note, I’ve been hearing lots of discourse around how AI will affect the arts and entertainment industries. It’s wonderful that people, businesses and government are all talking about this at the same time, and wanting to establish healthy boundaries while the technology is still young. That’s something we didn’t know to do in the early days of smartphones (which was just under 20 years ago, if you can believe that!), the effects of which are only really coming to light in recent years.

But while it’s wonderful that we’re learning and growing as a technology-using species, some days I do feel weary from swimming in all that information.

Books have been an abode of peace, a sweet respite from it all, even non-fiction books that also plunge me into more information. At least in book form, it’s like swimming in a sanitised pool with four walls and lifeguards, rather than in open ocean with changing tides and (if you’re in Western Australia) stingrays, jellyfish and sharks 🦈

Right now, I’m reading Feel Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal, hoping to learn solid principles for staying on top of my writing without stressing out. Most of the time, I’m racoon 5 (see below), but with the help of this book, I’m aiming for a 7 or 9.

The Guy from the Wedding is most of the way through pre-beta revisions, after which it’ll spend a little time in beta. I’m sorry this book is taking so long to finish. It’s actually the longest book in the Somerville Downs series, which hopefully means the remaining three books will follow much faster.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the latest excerpt from my WIP. I’m quite certain this scene will make it to the final cut. Happy reading!

Peace,

Birdie 🐦

WIP excerpt from The Guy from the Wedding

The twenty-four hour convenience store is under the next building. I step over a bunch of now-soggy cigarette butts in the middle of the sidewalk, and pass the broken street light the council hasn’t repaired yet. It’s the only one around that flickers in the rain, giving this section of street an extra shady vibe, like no one would bat an eyelid if a murder happened in the back alley.

Actually, no, people would definitely notice. That kind of thing is rare in this sleepy city. But compared to the even sleepier suburb I grew up in, the possibilities are endless. I guess that’s why I prefer it here.

Adil, the shopkeeper, greets me when I enter, and tempest outside drowns out my hello. The shop’s sickly fluorescent lights are all slightly different in brightness and colour, giving this place a cobbled-together vibe. The rain picks up some more, and Adil turns up the English soccer on his tiny TV while I nab a grimy bag of choc chips on my way to the fridge.

The last jug of milk still has a few days left, but I’m not sure I can trust it. Not when the yoghurt one shelf over has already expired, and all the cereal boxes on a nearby shelf come with a layer of dust as thick as my sister’s leather-bound planner. I’ve heard sour milk can be good for baking, but does that apply to pasteurised milk too? While Adil’s distracted, I prise open the flimsy plastic lid, careful not to snap the connectors on the freshness ring.

The milk just smells like milk. Fresh enough, with zero crusting along the rim of the bottle. It’s perfect. I pop the lid back on and turn to go.

“Watch it!”

The lid pops off. Milk goes everywhere.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry! I—” I look up.

Standing in front of me in a wet dress shirt, unbuttoned at the top, clutching a charcoal jacket with dark patches where the rain hit, is none other than Captain Cologne from Sarah’s wedding. He looks as off-putting as he did earlier tonight, reeking of milk and alcohol, blue eyes wide with shock.

“I don’t believe this,” he mutters. “Are you following me?”

“Um, I live here, so if anything, you’re the one following me.”

“You live in a convenience store?”

“Clever. You’re obviously a genius at everything except sneaking around.” I pick up the lid and twist it back onto the jug—now slightly less full than before—tightly this time. Then it hits me that I shouldn’t have said anything about where I live. What if he really is following me? What if I’m about to be the back-alley murder?

“I wasn’t sneaking anywhere,” he says, pinching his soaked shirtfront away from his skin. “You just need to look where you’re going.”

“Like that would have made a difference. Most people don’t walk that quietly by accident.”

“Well, I’m not most people.”

“You can say that again.”

The Guy from the Wedding by Birdie Song. Coming soon.

What do you reckon? Love it, hate it? I’m itching to know. Reply to this email and tell me, pronto!

From friends and around the way

Sheltered Hearts by Mary Crawford
Is he as good as he looks on paper? Jessica needs to get to the heart of the matter and discover who the real Mitch Campbell is. Special promo until 4 March.

My Ex and His List of Demands by Jessie Cal
Who knew a little blackmail and some sizzling romantic interludes could make Anne-Marie reconsider her life’s choices?

Love Finds a Way
Navigating the winding road of love. A book fair.

Lucky in Love
A sweet and clean book fair of HEA endings that touch the heart.

Sweet Romance March
Borrow sweet books in Kindle Unlimited.

You might enjoy this too:

Insights from The Friendly Mind:

An emotional blindspot is a psychological vulnerability that keeps you suffering because you’re not aware of. Unfortunately, nobody is required to take a class on what emotions are and how they work. Which means we go through life with emotional blindspots we’re not aware of and no way to compensate for them.

Read the rest: 5 Emotional Blindspots Most People Never Notice

By the way, reviews are a huge help to small-time indie authors. Both good reviews and bad ones help readers hone in on the books and authors they resonate with. If you’ve enjoyed one of my books, I’d love it if you would leave me a review or star rating on BookBub, StoryGraph or Goodreads.

The Guy from the Wedding – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Internet – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Library – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Park – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

The Guy from the Flower Shop – BookBub – StoryGraph – Goodreads

Well, that’s it for now! Subscribe to my newsletter if you’d rather get these updates with pictures, sent to your email inbox. You’ll also get a little thank you gift for signing up.