A Music and Publishing Kind of Summer – June 2024 Wrap

June unfolded into a wonderful month. From music awards updates to anthology fun, I’m excited to share the highlights.

A Third Nomination for the Josie Music Awards

In May, I received two nominations for the 10th Annual Josie Music Awards, Musician of the Year (Piano/Keyboard) and Media Company of the Year (Podcast/Radio Show) for Write on Track. Imagine my surprise when I found out I received a third nomination.

“Passive Aggressive” is up for Songwriter Achievement!

I can’t put into words how much this means to me. “Passive Aggressive” is one of my favorite songs I have ever written, so having my songwriting recognized for this award is a dream come true.

I’m so grateful to have three nominations for the awards this year. I wrote all about my categories and what each means to me in this blog post. Huge thank you to the Josie Music Awards for recognizing me for the third year in a row.

My ISSA Awards Dress and Shoes

Speaking of music awards, I’m so excited to share that I picked my dress for the ISSA Awards and bought shoes. Hint, my dress is purple. I can’t wait for you to see when I post pictures in August. I seriously can’t wait to go back to Atlanta for another unforgettable weekend.

The “Passive Aggressive” Lyric Video

I love lyric videos, and since “Passive Aggressive” is a favorite song of mine, I had to get a lyric video made for this one. Shoutout to my graphic designer, Eddie Davis, for creating it for me. Now, you can learn all the words and sing along.

Back to Seton Hill for In Your Write Mind

This month, I returned to Seton Hill University for In Your Write Mind. I had the most fun at the conference. It was great seeing friends, attending amazing classes, presenting my own workshop on submitting short stories to anthologies, and participating in a panel on writing-life balance.

Since my first IYWM in 2023 was virtual, I loved being back on campus. I had a blast, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference.

Anthology Updates

I have officially made anthologies my whole personality. Sorry, not sorry.

First, Clio’s Curious Dash Through Time by Wild Ink Publishing is now available for pre-order. The book comes out on August 6. I have never pre-ordered something so fast in my life. When this anthology releases, I’ll officially be a published author. I fully intend to film an unboxing video and take a photo holding the book. Also, there’s a good chance I’ll cry. I can’t wait.

Next, I’m over the moon that I can finally reveal I’ll be published in Enchanted Tales & Twisted Lore: Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Fables Reimagined by Cabbit Crossing Publishing. My new adult dark romantasy short story, “Dabria’s Shadows,” is a reimagining of “Death’s Messengers,” which is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. This is probably my favorite short story I have written, so I seriously can’t wait for the anthology to come out.

Also, I submitted another story for an anthology that I co-authored with my best friend. I can’t share more at the moment, but what I will say is I had the most fun writing this story with my friend. It was a fun experience, and no matter what happens, we’re proud of our story and plan on co-authoring more work in the future.

Writing for anthologies has become my new favorite thing to do. I’m looking forward to what’s next on this adventure.

Revising My YA Speculative Thriller

In June, I revised my YA Speculative Thriller. This book has my heart, and I enjoyed returning to the story. I made a ton of changes, and even though I edited the whole book, I still feel like more has to be done before I send it to my agent. I plan on taking some time away from the story and coming back to it in a couple months to make final revisions.

So, that’s a wrap on my fantastic June. So many fun things are happening for me in both the music and publishing worlds, and I’m super excited to see what’s in store for me in July.