Author Life Update: Self-Publishing, Travel Plans & Current Reads

Spring has sprung, receded, and sprung once more. Welcome to life in Canada.

Last weekend, Southern Ontario was battered by a paralyzing ice storm that crippled power lines, toppled trees, and sent what appeared to be 90% of the city on a harrowing quest for coffee and a hot meal. Gas stations stretched around the block as people scrambled for fuel, creating a chaotic scene eerily reminiscent of the infamous toilet paper shortage of 2020. History does indeed repeat itself, but never in the same ways.

Even though we didn’t have power, we had plenty of shelf-stable food, water, flashlights, batteries, and blankets. Hunkered down in the dark, we passed the time napping, reading, and cobbling together meals that consisted mainly of cold pepperoni, cheese, and chocolate chips. We grieved the death of the Internet and our phones, and we contemplated (not for the first time, mind you) how the so-called “electric city” could have such abysmal infrastructure even on the best of days.

Although we survived the great Ice-pocalypse of 2025, the rest of the week felt like an emotional rollercoaster. On a positive note, I finally finished translating Places Untamed, which was a relief; DeepL did most of the work, but formatting the book to comply with French grammar conventions was daunting. On a slightly less optimistic note, I received some surprising news midweek, and to be honest, I’m still processing my feelings about it.

Regardless, these past several weeks have given me plenty to blog about. So, let’s jump in.

Mental Health March

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always looked forward to March: warmer days, an extra hour of sunlight, the strangely comforting smell of fresh mud and wet pavement. What’s not to love about spring in Ontario? I had high hopes for this month, only for a couple of major setbacks to trigger a wave of self-doubt. I’ve struggled with depression before and know too well the feeling of treading water. I know that the secret to survival is to keep breathing and trust the current’s direction, but sometimes, just staying afloat feels impossible.

My mom used to have a sign in the kitchen that said “This too shall pass,” which she always referred to whenever life felt out of control. So, when March decided I needed an extra dose of winter blues, I looked at that sign, sitting quietly on the bookshelf in our living room, and vowed to let this month pass, too.

In spite of (or maybe because of) these heavy feelings, I went ahead and published Places Untamed on March 13th. When you self-publish, the rules are yours to make and break. Besides, writing has always been a source of comfort for me in dark times, and occasionally you need to create your own happiness. If that doesn’t work, maybe a change of scene is necessary. (I’ve never been sad on a plane.)

Travel

In addition to releasing Places Untamed, I also managed to translate, format, and upload the French version of the book, Lieux Sauvages, to Amazon. If you’re subscribed to my YouTube channel, then you already know I’m heading to France in a month to visit family, and I want to bring a French version of my latest book to share with them.

Since I’ll be staying with family, I don’t need to worry about renting a car, booking accommodation, or factoring meals into my travel budget. You probably already know this, but France is famous for its cuisine, so I hope I actually get to enjoy the food this time around. When I was in Colorado last summer, I didn’t eat more than a handful of trail mix for the first three days of my trip. My appetite just kind of… vanished. It was weird, but apparently not that uncommon for first-time solo travellers.

As an amateur travel vlogger, I’m so excited to film my journey. I figure if I can commit to just 5-10 minutes of filming per day, I’ll have more than enough footage for a 30-minute video. (This will also be a great opportunity to test out my tripod in an outdoor setting.)

Current Reads

I’ve got two books on my nightstand currently: Suzanne Collins’s Sunrise on the Reaping and Jodi Picoult’s House Rules (I’m a huge JP fan. Like, massive.)

Sunrise on the Reaping takes place during the second Quarter Quell and follows 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy’s rise from underdog to victor. You may recall Haymitch from the original Hunger Games series: he was Katniss and Peeta’s mentor, a raging alcoholic, and the sole occupant of District Twelve’s Victor’s Village. It’ll be interesting to see how Haymitch’s time in the arena influenced not only his return to the Districts, but his role in overthrowing President Snow.

House Rules is a multi-POV novel centring on Jacob, a teenager with ASD who is obsessed with forensics; his younger brother, Theo, a skateboard aficionado with a habit of sneaking into strangers’ houses; and their mother, a part-time advice columnist for the local paper.

When a man is found dead in the woods, all signs point to Jacob being the killer, from his encyclopedic knowledge of decomposition to his fascination with criminal investigations. But perhaps things aren’t as they seem.

I still have not read Pearly Everlasting, but since it’s a paperback, I’m planning to read it on the plane.

That’s all for now! If you’re into writing, travel, or books, let’s connect, whether on YouTube, Instagram, or right here in the comments.

See you next time!