Hey, what’s up! It is Hattie, it is Friday, it is time to talk about everything that happened this week and the things that didn’t. Last night, I watched the trailer for READY OR NOT? which is a great horror-comedy-thriller-slasher. Immediately after, YouTube’s algorithm said “Hey girl…It’s 11:58pm…why aren’t you watching Heat?” So maybe I will do that tonight. Heat is free with ads on YouTube. Heat 2 is currently 14% off at Barnes and Noble. Congratulations, you now have weekend plans.
I Have Weekend Plans
Boy! I did a lot of stuff this week. I am going to do even more over the weekend – finish a bunch of freelance work, go to a Barbie pop-up event, complete the paperwork for my new passport. Did I ever tell you guys that I lost my birth certificate? This was in college – in my infinite wisdom, I thought the safest place for my birth certificate would be inside a book, and when I moved out of the dorms and donated a bunch of books, I guess I donated my birth certificate as well. Oops. I got a new one, of course,1 and after a trip to Mexico with my family just two years later, I managed to lose my passport. Luckily, I haven’t needed it over the last six years, but now that I’m going to be traveling to Europe for work2 it’s time for a replacement. So, I’m going to get all gussied up and go with my friend Tara to take new passport pictures. Hey, speaking of Tara – she hooked me up with an advance copy of a novel I’m SO excited about. Binge-reading is a priority on this weekend’s schedule for me, right after, uh, everything else.
And I’m also going to watch The Big Chill because it’s finally available to rent again.
Wedding Season is OVER
…For me, anyway! Unless any of my friends elope! In the last six weeks, my beloved Rosa and Chloe have both gotten married3 in gorgeous ceremonies. Last week, I was a bridesmaid for the first time ever, since Chloe appointed me her MOH. There is currently a humongous bouquet slowly drying in my living room and an elaborate floral hair clip tucked into my freezer, because I haven’t found my bag of silica gel to slurp out all the moisture yet. It’s around here somewhere.
Chloe just received a lot of photos back, and they’re all stunning. I won’t share those yet – but I do want to commend my mom for finding shoes that perfectly matched the MOH dress Chloe and I picked out:
Okay, and also this photo where we said “Wait, can we ‘cheers’ our bouquets?”
I also go to ride in a convertible for the first time last weekend4 thanks to my friend Sophia and the rental car company that graciously bestowed A MUSTANG upon her. 10/10, great wedding weekend.
What If I Do Some Different Stuff?
Dear readers, I have been playing around with the idea of changing things up here at Hattie’s Weekly Newsletter Headquarters. I think I’d like to diversify the content I’m sharing here, especially as I’m shifting gears to talk about my novel more. I’m still going to stick to the Monday poetry prompts and the Friday dispatches, but my Tuesdays/Thursdays…well, they could get weird! And I’m not opposed to adding in an occasional (monthly?) Wednesday post for free subscribers, either.
Here are some ideas I’ve had. They’re just that, Ideas, and I would love YOUR opinions/feedback, however you’d like to give it. Email me, text me, DM me on social media, comment on this post, anything. And if you have ideas – if there are things you’d like to see me writing – please tell me!
Fiction first drafts – I’ve been tooling around with some short stories recently, and thought you might want to see those first drafts, before I revise and submit them
Listicles – my top X entries into Y category, whether it’s “Lipsticks That Are Now Discontinued” or “Songs That Remind Me of People I Only Met Once” or “Episodes of ER”
Reading diaries – in-depth notes, thoughts, and reactions to the books I read (mostly novels but maybe some craft stuff), much like my bestie Chloe of
does (Chloe shares her book notes with me in Notion and it always blows me away!)Advice Column – what if you wrote in with writing/life/writing life questions, and I answered them to the best of my ability?
Book Talk, Now With More Books
Hey! Speaking of books. One year ago today I learned that Poems [for, about, because] My Friends would be published by Bullshit Lit and now, it’s almost here. You should buy it and read it, because if you’re reading this newsletter, you probably like me and/or poems enough to enjoy the book. Pre-order your physical copy today, please!
And while you’re at it, why not buy How to Write a Novel: An Anthology of 20 Craft Essays About Writing, None of Which Ever Mention Writing from Autofocus Lit? I have an essay in there! You knew it as Buy My Silence; it has been slightly revised and renamed Silent Treatment for this very cool anthology project. Take a peek behind the scenes of my novel-writing process (and hear from 19 other talented writers, who I’m thrilled to be associated with!).
I know I’ve been doing a lot of shameless self-promotion on here recently. To say thank-you, I’m running a special on annual subscriptions to my paid plan. Do you want a full year of Hattie’s Top-Shelf Premium Words, for 25% off the MSRP?5
Click the button, and it’s yours!
TIDNBTW
As always, the stuff that made it into my heart, but not into my cart. Things I Did Not Buy This Week:
Well, well, well. My old nemesis, Build-a-Bear Workshop,6 has FINALLY brought back the Cinnamoroll plushie I complained about in this column for weeks on end! However…he is still only available ONLINE, where I cannot BUILD HIM MYSELF, so I guess I will just wait until I can GO TO THE MALL after he returns to stores on JULY 10 like an ADULT WOMAN
This cute little green purse is way too expensive for a TJ Maxx find, but I know I would carry the hell out of it:
I did not buy this ballgown from Windsor this week. Because I got it a few weeks ago at the mall. For 90% off ($19.99). Everyone needs a $20 sparkly ballgown, in case of An Occasion arising. And I already have an event in mind…
I did not buy the Sanrio calculators because a) I am good at math and b) $34 for a calculator is a bad deal. But look at the Hello Kitty and Kuromi ones! So darling.
I want to go visit the Totally Good Time store in the Catskills sooooo bad. This week, on Instagram, they posted a T-shirt with the quote “I’ve got moves you’ve never seen,” a movie line I recognized immediately. A lot of the stuff I want is sold out online – like the Ferguson Bishop sweatshirt and Gave Me Cookie Got You Cookie beanie (both New Girl references), and the entire First Wives Club collection – but when I go up there, I’m buying my brother the American Psycho bumper sticker.
I did not buy a ticket for Asteroid City, the new Wes Anderson movie, because AMC owes me some free movies. I hope I can use one of my (many, many, far too many) AMC free-movie passes to go see it this weekend.
I’m still tempted to sign up for Homework Club, but I don’t know if it’ll be more helpful than bullying my friends into bullying me into writing on a schedule.
I’d like to conclude with something you SHOULD buy this week!
of is a tremendous supporter of this newsletter. He has a new book coming out, Beyondtopia: Legends, an anthology series blending a variety of folklores, heroes and legends all reimagined for American and international audiences with a unique flavor. It’s out in August, but you can preorder it now – in fact, you should preorder it ASAP!That’s it for Friday. I’ll see you Monday, but I hope to hear from you sooner in the comments, in the email replies, or out in the world. Thanks for reading.
It’s surprisingly easy and also surprisingly common, so don’t be embarrassed if you have also lost vital documents!
I’m going to be TRAVELING to Europe for WORK!!!
Though not to each other, even though I think ALL my friends should marry each other and live in one apartment complex, to make it easier for us to hang out.
I’ve ridden ON convertibles plenty of times because I have been in a few parades, but IN the car is different!
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Build-a-Bear I LOVE YOU, this was a JOKE and I’m SORRY oh no what the hell why did I say that