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I'm in the process of moving across the country. I am probably not going to release Unjust Depths for a bit. Possibly we'll be back in late November for A Very Gertrude Christmas-- I'll hopefully be settled in a new and fully furnished home at around that time and be able to write stress-free. Wish me luck! I am kind of taking the current situation as a chance to recharge the creative juices and not pushing it (as much as I can). I've been a bit of a workaholic on Unjust Depths the past few years-- I want to rediscover writing for fun rather than a "job." Even in the past few chapters of Unjust Depths, I've still felt that habitual "pressure" to get something done on a certain date. It'll take some time to disabuse myself of that notion.

In the meantime: there is a podcast about Unjust Depths called "All Union Radio." It's been really interesting hearing from people deep-reading my writing. If you haven't listened to it, you should! When I first saw it, I thought, "oh dear, I hope they do not get into too much trouble with people due to reading my work, which features a lot of troubling things." But I think they can handle it. Looking forward to the audience collectively getting to Violet Lehner.

Speaking of the audience. One thing that has been on my mind recently was how important Unjust Depths has been to some people. I know this might *seem* like a silly thing to think about *now* but it really has hit me just very recently. People have told me stories about people talking about Unjust Depths at gay bars, or at trans girl meetups, or that Unjust Depths helped them with their own identity and politics. I've been thinking about how I make art that has not just resonated with people but is genuinely very loved by those people and important to them. There is a ton more lesbian centric media now than ever, but I feel, not just from observing this but from being a lesbian who engages with art critically myself, that trans women and trans lesbians are very engaged and attached to art that they care about. There is less art for us, and we are fiercer about art generally and especially about the art that speaks to us. There is still a lot of emotional stake in engaging with a work of queer art. I did not have the expectation that anybody would treat my work like that-- I did not think that something I would create would *earn* that level of engagement. I am still not sure how I feel about this-- for a start I am happy, of course, that people like my writing so much! However, I am also a bit nervous-- I am one lady with brain problems and I am very cognizant of the fact I am not updating anywhere near as regularly as I used to. A part of me feels that I've tricked a bunch of people into caring and that I can only let them down-- another part of me wants to avoid feeling like Unjust Depths is "activism" or "political education"-- my only expectation is that it is fun to read.

So, I am still kinda processing that feeling. Hopefully I'll end up in a healthy and productive place with it. Writing about it helps.

Unrelated, but I've been piling up notes and ideas for a "Project Two." Some of my friends and beta readers have seen a draft of something-- but I'm working on a few other completely different concepts at the same time. It's been nice to tackle a bunch of these ideas that I've had all throughout working on Unjust Depths. It's really helped me come back to Unjust Depths with new energy each time I complete a draft. It's interesting because, the draft I sent some people was a bit more light hearted than Unjust Depths, with a bit more rhetorical and physical comedy-- but I've ended up a bit dissatisfied with it as I've been working on it, because it doesn't have a military component. It's been hard to come up with stories without being able to tap into those allegories of war and history. It's a fascinating thing to learn about myself. After all this time writing Unjust Depths, that format is so comfortable that it's hard to write things more removed from it. I am still not sure what shape "Project Two" would take-- or if or when or how it will be distributed for a reading public. I just know, it's nice to try writing something else for a change! One thing I am thinking is I'll write this little by little as a change of pace from UD, with the format being a series of novellas published when one is completed.

Anyway.