Lots and lots

Writing is rarely as simple as sitting at a desk, on your couch, or in your bed, and just letting inspiration hit you. So rare, in fact, I would feel confident in saying that that is a rare outlier of an occurrence.

This month has been filled with ups and downs for me. After about an 8 month reading, and writing slump, I am back, and more committed than ever to continue my momentum.

Current Projects

In a move that has surprised even me, my current focus genre has shifted. I have always considered myself a thriller writer. I enjoy building masterful and mysterious stories that leave my readers gripping their seats, and clutching their pearls at the end of it. I have never particularly enjoyed the written medium of fantasy (preferring to write within the familiar realm of humanity). Which is why a sudden shift into Gothic Fantasy was both surprising, as well as completely expected.

I have always loved all things dark, and visceral. Yet I struggle with getting into those things in the written word. I have always preferred a visual medium such as movies and television for my dark stories.
On Mother’s Day, my fiancé took me to a local Indie Bookstore called Athenix Books & Brews in Little Falls, NY. There, I picked up a book called Innamorata by Ava Reid. I was brought in by the striking cover. It was dark, mysterious, and exactly the kind of thing I love. By then, I had not finished reading an entire book in about 7 months, my reading slump causing me to abandon each title I picked up, sometimes only a few pages in. But this book kept me gripped.

It was the darkness of the story, the elaboration of the world-building, and the layers to the characters that really gripped me, and inspired my current obsession.

Gothic Fantasy

There is a particular idea I have had for a very long time that I’ve never worked on, simply because it “wasn’t my genre”. That is the world of Fairytale Retellings. The particular story I wanted to retell was (being the contrarian that I am) a somewhat obscure tale by Hans Christian Andersen called The Wild Swans.

Growing up, my mother had a large collection of VHS tapes. One in particular had two different tales on it. The Snow Queen, and a 1962 release of a Soviet film called The Wild Swans, directed by Mikhail and Vera Tsekhanovsky at the Soyuzmultfilm studio, and released by Just For Kids, in an English dub, where it eventually landed into my tiny hands.
I LOVED this film growing up. Still love it as an adult.

As the market becomes flooded with retellings of Beauty and The Beast, or Cinderella, I wanted to retell a Fairytale that I feel deserves more recognition, and While beloved in its home country, it largely remains a forgotten gem in Western cinema and animation history due to the limits of its availability, and the overshadowing of Disney adaptations of other Andersen tales.

As it stands, this month, I have completed 22,000 words of my draft of what I am calling ‘Where Wings Grow’, which will be a Dark, body-horror version of Andersen’s classic tale.

As for my Domestic Thriller ‘Until She Breaks’, regrettably, that project is shelved for the time being. I want to transition that book into a collaboration with another author at some point, as I have lost a lot of steam and passion for the story.
I still feel it is an important story to tell. It is, at its core, a story of feminine rage and female justice in an age group that is not typically represented as main characters with agency, sexuality, or saving the day. I am also painfully aware of my own limitations as an Author, and no longer feel that I alone can tell this story with the depth and intensity it needs to succeed.

On a lighter note, I am also working on a Suburban Fantasy I am calling:
The Sovereign Republic of Kevins’ Patio (And Other HOA Violations)

Long story short, Kevin is just a dude. And he happens to move into a neighborhood inhabited by Fae creatures, including a busybody HOA president armed with a clipboard, and a long list of violations.
Yes, you read that right. It is exactly what it sounds like—a fun, satirical, and slightly chaotic dive into the absolute absurdity of suburban warfare and neighborhood power trips. It has been an absolute blast to write as a palate cleanser between my darker projects, and I think you’re going to love the sheer pettiness of Kevin’s battle against the neighborhood association.

I have also launched a third (yes, THIRD) Substack, entitled Corvid & Quill, entirely dedicated to writing updates.

Personal updates

In my personal life, there has been a deep touch of sadness. At the end of this past month, on June 26th, my dear Grandmother passed away. This past week has been extremely difficult for me, and my family as we try desperately to navigate a existing in a world where she no longer does.
As a part of the service, I wrote and gave a speech about my grandmother, sharing a memory from childhood of her giving a lay speaker sermon to the children’s congregation of our family church. While I would love to write more about her, and dedicate something to her, I doubt my ability.
My Grandmother was such an incredible woman who touched so many lives, I do not believe I am a skilled enough writer to do her the justice she deserves.

What’s next

Between drafting, website tweaking, and managing a very lively household (and keeping up with my sourdough baking schedule!), I’ll be diving right back into the pages in this coming month.

Thank you all so much for reading, supporting my work, and coming along on this wild writer’s journey with me. Drop a comment or hit reply to let me know which project you’re most excited to read!

Warmly,

TylerMarie Jenkins