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Once again I’ll be at Authors Alcove for Origins Game Fair in Columbus, Ohio. Please stop by the booth and say hi, or come to one of my panels! I should have handouts for some of the panels. I’ll also have buttons and badge ribbons to give away!
Thursday
11:00 AM
Let’s Get Cozy: Writing Cozy Fiction*
GCCC – 2nd Floor – Meeting Room A 212 – Authors Track
Cat Rambo, Aaron Rosenberg
Everyone’s all about the cozy these days. What is a cozy, exactly? And how do you write one?
Friday
1:00 PM
Writing Resistance
GCCC – 2nd Floor – Meeting Room A 212 – Authors Track
Cat Rambo, Sarah Hans, Laura VanArendonk Baugh
How do we create narratives that inspire and encourage social change without writing propaganda?
Saturday
1:00 PM
Writing along the Gender Spectrum
GCCC – 2nd Floor – Meeting Room A 212 – Authors Track
Jenifer Purcell Rosenberg, Cat Rambo, Sarah Hans, Amy Schneider
How do we create characters that show and celebrate the diversity of the human race when it comes to gender and sexuality?
2:00 PM
Effective Worldbuilding *
GCCC – 2nd Floor – Meeting Room A 212 – Authors Track
Daniel Myers, Cat Rambo, C.S.E. Cooney, Jeri Shepherd
Games and fiction require creating interesting, immersive worlds. What are some tips and tricks?
4:00 PM
Giving Encouragement to Prospective Authors
GCCC – 2nd Floor – Meeting Room A 212 – Authors Track
James Daniel Ross, Cat Rambo, Addie J. King
How do you do it succinctly? How do you do it without that conversation becoming the rest of your day?
5:00 PM
Basics of Writing Short Stories *
GCCC – 2nd Floor – Meeting Room A 212 – Authors Track
Donald J. Bingle, Cat Rambo, Kelli Fitzpatrick, James Daniel Ross
How you get started writing – and then finishing – a short story.
Sunday
11:00 AM
All About Self-Publishing *
GCCC – 2nd Floor – Meeting Room A 212 – Authors Track
Sarah Hans, Cat Rambo, Aaron Rosenberg, Laura VanArendonk Baugh
Self-publishing used to be a bad word, but it’s become much more respected in recent years. Should you self- publish? How do you go about it?
*I have a handout for this panel. If you miss the panel, come by the booth afterward and I’ll give you the applicable handout (if I still have any).
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In June/July I’ll be teaching two multi-session workshops and a few one-offs. Here’s what’s coming up.
To register for any class, mail me at cat@kittywumpus.net and tell me a) which classes you want to register for, b) what rate is applicable, and how you would like to pay (Paypal, Venmo, or check preferred.)
Find the Heart of Your Story: How to Use Theme, Motifs, and Symbols in Fiction
Everyone tells you that a story needs a theme, but how do you figure out what your story’s theme is? And once you know that, how do you go about conveying and underscoring that theme without hammering a reader over the head with it? How do motifs, symbols, and other devices work to enhance the theme? We will explore theme, motifs, and symbols from a craft perspective and develop skills with them through a mixture of lecture, discussion, and writing exercises.
This class is designed for writers who understand story basics and are looking to advance and refine their short story skills. Students will work with one story over the course of the workshop in order to apply new skills as they are acquired.
Meets Sunday evenings, 7-9 PM Eastern time, June 1, 8,15,25 and July 6. (5 sessions)
Cost: Free to Schoolhouse Rock and Super Extra Deluxe Campus Pass holders, otherwise $299 for Patreon supporters; $399 for all others. Partial and full scholarships available; BIPOC, neurodiverse, and LGBTQ+ writers are particularly invited to apply.
The Basics of Fiction Series
Each two hour workshop covers what you need to know to really understand one of the fundamentals of fiction. Each session focuses on a specific aspect of fiction: characters, world-building/setting, and plot and includes writing exercises designed to hone your skills in this area.
This class is designed for newer writers who want to strengthen a specific aspect of their writing or build their skillset overall.
Cost for series/individual workshop
The cost of single session classes:
Ready to Rock and Roll: Planning Your Book Publicity Campaign
Got a book coming out in the next year that you want to launch? Join me for a session where we’ll talk about different facets of book publicity, what steps you can take to maximize them, and how to create a plan that will carry you through the campaign.
This class is aimed at writers who are publishing independently or with a small press, although the plan will also help those publishing traditionally.
7-9 PM Eastern, Tuesday, June 10
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You Should Take This Class: Writing Second Person
Second person can be one of the most interesting POVs to work in, due to its complexity and relationship with the reader. How do you work with a reader’s innate resistance to being told what to do in order to exploit the unsettling nature of the POV? What stories are best suited to be told in second person. Through a mix of lecture, exercises, and discussion, you’ll learn how to use this POV and what to avoid.
This class is designed for writers who understand story basics and want to explore this POV in order to refine and advance their skills.
7-9 PM Eastern, Tuesday, June 17
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Canva Basics for Creating Book Covers, Zoom Background, Social Media, and More
The Canva tool can be a huge help when trying to create graphics. Learn how to use it for the things you’re most likely to want, such as Zoom backgrounds or posts sized for specific social media, as well as how to use templates and the resize tool to save yourself time.
This class is aimed at all writers looking to create graphics for self-promotion.
7-9 PM Eastern, Tuesday, June 24
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The Wayward Wormhole Barbados 2026
May Blog
Why do we insist on creating “destination workshops?” We believe personal experiences add interesting elements that ring with authenticity to a writer’s worldbuilding. Here are a few things I wouldn’t have learned about Barbados by doing research online.
I’m sure you would note different things than me, but time is short now, and noting the difference between research and experiencing a location’s reality can’t be emphasized enough.
The application window for The Wayward Wormhole Barbados – The Art of the Novella closes on May 15, 2025.
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Novellas are growing in popularity, and we want to help yours stand out.
Structurally, they can get tricky—they’re not mini-novels anymore than children are mini-adults—while still demanding full, fleshy, character arcs and immersive descriptions.
What if you could learn from professionals, while editing YOUR novella with a real-time feedback during a workshop?
Applications for this Science-fiction/Fantasy/Horror Novella Workshop
OPEN: March 21, 2024 CLOSE: MAY 15, 2024, AT 11:59:59 EST
SUBMIT: One page, single spaced, novella synopsis and the first ten pages by April 30, 2025
(The full novella is due October 15, 2025)
If you can’t use these options or need help with the application/payment process, please contact us using the “apply” address above.
Join us and work closely with:
Premee Mohamed https://premeemohamed.com/
Karen Lord https://karenlord.wordpress.com/
Tobias Buckell https://tobiasbuckell.com/
Cat Rambo https://www.catrambo.com/
Hone YOUR novella during the workshop, and leave knowing you’ve effectively incorporated new tools into your work. Selected students will be randomly sorted into cohorts of six. Each cohort will spend three days with each instructor.
PLUS: A full novella, One on One discussion with a professional
WHEN: February 7 to 21, 2026
WHERE: Oistins area, Christ Church, Barbados
Why Barbados? Karen Lord invited us, and we couldn’t say no to Barbados.
FEE: $2,500.00 US
(travel, accommodations, and food NOT included)
The Wayward Wormhole is working to secure group rates at selected hotels.
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Welcome to the town of Waatch! It’s not on this planet, but where it resides in its world closely resembles Anacortes, Washington. It’s right there on the water, similar to the Puget Sound. In that world it’s not a sound, but definitely a mainland with islands nearby. So naturally the people of Waatch eat lots of fish and seafood. Ryn, whose story is in The Slayer’s Magic and The Traveler’s Magic, loves crab. She would prefer a nice plate of crab with some butter. But her best friend, Yll, is most fond of salmon salad sandwiches. If there’s salmon salad around, she will go straight to it. Especially if she’s been flying. Shapeshifting into a bird is hungry work. She prefers to be a cute robin redbreast, but has been known upon occasion to become an eagle. She could catch her own salmon that way, but she’s not into raw fish. There are lots of eateries that make salmon salad, but Yll’s favorite is The Tea Shop in Waatch.
There’s something quaint, but audacious about the Waatch tea shop. In a town that is crammed with buildings circling the Great Ancestral Library, The Tea Shop is bold enough to be a picturesque cottage surrounded by an actual garden. The small, white picket fence out front becomes a trellised arched entry with entwined honeysuckle hanging from it. The garden is a haven for butterflies, which can often be seen from the cottage windows while dining. An abundance of Ryn’s favorite tea–chamomile flowers–grows fresh in the garden. The tea trays often contain cucumber sandwiches along with lots of sweets made from berries, but the one thing on the tray that draws the crowds is their salmon salad. Everyone in Waatch agrees The Tea Shop’s salmon salad is the best. It is popular with the Library worker lunch crowd. Lunchtime has been full capacity lately as Library docents and researchers gathered to gossip about the discovery of pests in the Library. The potential of the Library losing its magical protection is quite the scandal. Whispered gossip always goes well with tea and salmon salad!
Yll’s mother, curator of the Library, has been bringing Yll to The Tea Shop since she was a little girl. Recently, Ryn and Yll journeyed with a Library delegation to the island of Viatoro where they had salmon salad sandwiches in a seaside shop overlooking the bay of Viator, but their salmon salad didn’t have that one ingredient Yll loves. After much arm twisting, the highly secret recipe has been obtained. Can you guess what Yll’s favorite secret ingredient is?
The Tea Room’s Salmon Salad
Ingredients:
3 to 5 ounces of Smoked Salmon
5 ounces Pink Salmon
2 stalks of Celery, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh Dill chopped
1 Green Onion, sliced
1 Tbsp chopped Shallot
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Black Pepper
⅓ cup Mayonnaise
¼ Roasted Pine Nuts
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing well until combined.
Layer the Salmon Salad on bread along with green leaf lettuce, and thinly sliced cucumber. Salmon Salad is also delicious wrapped in a butter lettuce leaf.
Aaaand the secret ingredient is–lemon juice! The town of Waatch and the Ancestral islands are in a temperate zone of their planet. Lemons don’t grow there. No one is quite sure how The Tea Room obtains them. Speculation ranges from a secret hot house, to someone with Travel magic and the ability to travel to another part of the world to obtain the lemons. That rumor seems fantastical, but no one really knows for sure, and the staff at The Tea Room are very tight lipped about it. It remains a mystery!
CJ grew up in Southern California loving fantasy and science fiction. She is married to her husband of thirty plus years, has four children, and an ever growing number of grandchildren. Adopted at eight months old, she recently found her birth parents. She has a Masters Degree in Public History from Southern New Hampshire University, and if she’s not writing you can generally find her quilting, costuming, or traveling to spend time with those she loves. She’s a wannabe dress historian, and has worked with museums on historical dress recreation. The Slayer’s Magic and The Traveler’s Magic are the first two books in the The Beads of Bone series. You can find CJ at her website cjhosack.com and on Instagram and Threads @cj_hosack....
Onward and Forward
Greetings and salutations! We’re a twelfth of the way through the year now, and it’s definitely interesting times we’re living in. Remember to be kind to each other; the world needs it more than ever right now. Here in South Bend, it’s been cold and snowy, so the cats and I spend a lot of time either near the heater or under the electric blanket. I have finished up the most recent rewrite of the fantasy novel and am sending it off to meet its fate today. Wish me luck!
Here’s what you’ll find in this newsletter:
Advanced Short Story Workshop
This multi-session, advanced workshop is intended for students who have already taken a short story workshop or have comparable experience. Class material is determined by student questions and needs. Each session will feature a deep drive on a particular craft aspect, including optional writing and reading assignments, as well as workshopping each other’s stories. Students are expected to write a story and workshop it over the course of the workshop. You must submit a writing sample when applying of 250-500 words.
Applications close February 26 or when the class fills, whichever is sooner.
Meets Saturdays, 12:30-3 PM Eastern time, March 1, 8, 15, 22 and April 6 and 19. (No class May 29 or April 12).
Cost is $499 for Patreon supporters; otherwise $599. Full and partial Plunkett scholarships are available.
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Books that I read to blurb or edit are not included in this list. I read over 200 books in 2024, counting books read for editing and feedback as well as for pleasure.
My Top Reads of the Year
Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjel-Brenyah is near future SF focused on the prison system, and is a gripping, savage indictment of the way we treat criminals.
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso is modern day fantasy with gorgeous worldbuilding and a great queer protagonist.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (and all the subsequent books) are amazing examples of LitRPG, and if you like to play games, you will love these books. This was originally an indie book, but it’s been picked up by a major publisher and is very available.
Menewood by Nicola Griffith is the sequel to her amazing book Hild, and is just as beautifully written.
The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings is fantasy set in a post-Katrina New Orleans and it is gorgeous. I interviewed Alex for If This Goes On; Don’t Panic. You can find the episode here.
The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston is Diehard in a castle with a strong female protagonist and I ate this up.
The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim is a horror thriller that is transfixing.
Liberty’s Daughter by Naomi Kritzer is near-ish future SF that shows you what a libertarian state really would look like.
Metallic Love by Tanith Lee is the sequel to The Silver Metal Lover so if you loved that book the way I did, you’re welcome.
Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky is wonderful SF that feels very timely.
How to Be the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler is funny as hell and well worth picking up. I’m really looking forward to the sequel.
Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell is cozy horror and an utterly delightful love story.
Other 2024 Reads I Really Enjoyed and Highly Recommend
The Poisons We Drink – Bethany Baptiste
Ancestral Night – Elizabeth Bear
Necessary Poisons – Andrea Blythe
The Savage Detectives – Roberto Bolano
Fortune’s Fool – Angela Boord
The Outcast Mage – Annabel Campbell
The Fall is All There Is – C.M. Caplan
Ring Shout – P. Djeli Clark
The Mercy of Gods – James S.A. Corey
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario – Matt Dinniman
The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook – Matt Dinniman
The Eye of the Bedlam Bride – Matt Dinniman
The Gate of the Feral Gods – Matt Dinniman
The Reformatory – Tananarive Due
The Spell Shop – Sarah Beth Durst
Dr. No – Perceval Everett
God’s Country – Perceval Everett
Under the Skin – Michael Faber
Victorian Psycho – Virginia Feito
Shades of Grey – Jasper Fforde
Dragonslave – Dominque Glass
The Unstrung Harp – Edward Gorey
Hild – Nicola Griffith (reread)
This Princess Kills Monsters – Ry Herman
Still the Sun – Charlie N. Holmberg
Dead Set – Richard Kadrey
Fateless – Julie Kagawa
When the Tides Held the Moon – Venessa Vida Kelley
A Sorceress Comes to Call – T. Kingfisher
The Bones Beneath my Skin – TJ Klune
The Poppy War – R.F. Kuang (reread)
Station Eternity – Mur Lafferty
Red Sister (Book of the Ancestor 1) – Mark Lawrence
Grey Sister (Book of the Ancestor 2) – Mark Lawrence
Holy Sister (Book of the Ancestor 3) – Mark Lawrence
The Scarlet Throne – Amy Leow
Six Crimson Cranes – Elizabeth Lim
Black Mouth – Ronald Malfi
Legacy of the Brightwash – Krystle Matar
Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear – Seanan Mcguire
The Fifth Veil of Salome – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Tusks of Extinction – Ray Nayler
The Witchstone – Henry H. Neff
Hum – Helen Phillips
Haunt Sweet Home – Sarah Pinsker
The Book of Doors – Gareth Powell
Hells Acre – Lilith Saintcrow
The Incandescent – Emily Tesh
Camp Damascus – Chuck Tingle
Womb City – Tlotlo Tsamaase
State of Paradise – Laura Van den Berg
The SafeKeep – Yael Van der Wouden
Saga, Vols 2, 3, 4, 5 – Brian Vaughn
Horse of a Different Color – Howard Waldrop
Wheel of the Infinite – Martha Wells
The Witch King – Martha Wells
The Staircase in the Woods – Chuck Wendig
The Nickel Boys – Colson Whitehead
Firewatch – Connie Willis
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One thing about me that many people don’t know is that one of the things I’ve been doing since the beginning of 2020 is working with the If This Goes On (Don’t Panic) podcast, which I helped co-found. I love doing this because I get to talk with such interesting people! Here’s the episodes from 2024 where I co-interviewed with the excellent Alan Bailey, who is the reason the podcast keeps going.
We interview Tananarive Due about THE REFORMATORY.
We interview Alex Jennings about THE BALLAD OF PERILOUS GRAVES.
We interview Jamie Lackey about her Kickstarted novel, TOIL AND TROUBLE.
We interview Peng Shepherd about ALL THIS AND MORE.
If This Goes On (Don’t Panic) is a hopepunk podcast for sci-fi, fantasy, and life. Check it out here!
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One thing I did last year with my writing community was implement a planning session at the beginning of the year, with a six-month check-in midway through the year. We talked about what was coming up during the year, what we wanted to achieve, what might derail us, and strategies for making the most of the year.
For me, that worked very well, and it’s helped even more to add “Motivation Monday” sessions to my school, a weekly online session where we talk about what’s coming up that week and what problems we’re facing as well as share coping strategies and productivity hints. This year I’m doing it again, with quarterly check-ins, because it worked. I realized I got a LOT done last year once I sat down and listed it all. Looking back at the list of what I accomplished, I feel a lot less guilty about the times I just goofed off and played Stardew Valley or Baldur’s Gate 3.
Want to try this for yourself? Here’s the questions I’m asking people to think about this year, along with my answers to each one. (If you are interested in joining us for the planning or motivation sessions, here’s details about the Patreon campaign.)
2024 Review (Don’t worry if a question isn’t applicable! I’ve been thorough and used the list I use)
What did you get accomplished in 2024 and how do you track these things?
I had a new book, RUMOR HAS IT published in hardback (recommended by Bookish, Gizmodo, Publisher’s Weekly, Reactor) and my book DEVIL’S GUN appear in trade paperback, finished two books (SAHALAH and WINGS OF TABAT), taught a bunch of classes, traveled to Orlando, Savannah, Atlanta, New York City, Bellingham, Indianapolis, Surrey, B.C.and Chicago. Wrote three stories and published four.
I track stuff mainly through my big schedule spreadsheet and Scrivener, but I did also track my reading and movies I watched in a blog post. It’s not the end of the year yet, but I have read close to 200 books this year, and in looking at it, I’m pleased to see I read fairly diversely as well.
What did you write in fiction?
Two novels and three stories
What did you write in nonfiction?
An on-demand class (Eating Your Words), some Medium articles (Writing Speculative Stories, What’s Up with the Hugo Awards This Year, and Thoughts on F&SF Awards, Being Desired at Sixty, Solo in the Theater, Thoughts on Recent News of Neil Gaiman, and What Is Cozy Fantasy: Definition and Suggested Reading) and some blog posts, including I am Cat Rambo and This is What I Believe.
Interviews included author spotlight for Lightspeed by Alex Puncekar, a blog post for Jennifer Brozek, an interview with C.M. Caplan, an interview with Nora Peavey, talking with Paul Semel about RUMOR HAS IT as well as DEVIL’S GUN, and the Walter Day Trading Card site and a birthday write-up on File770.
What other art did you make?
I decorated a guest room and drew some cartoons, inspired by Lynda Barry’s book on cartooning.
What did you edit?
I edited four novels for Arc Manor, including ones by Yaroslav Barsukov, Randee Dawn and Ben Bova. I edited a bunch of stuff for private clients, including three novels and a number of short stories.
What appearances did you make, virtual and live?
What publications appeared?/What sales did you make?
What other things were notable?
Of the accomplishments of 2024, what are the top 3-5 that you had?
Finishing not one but TWO books!
Co-ran a writing workshop that was SPLENDID
Witnessed a total eclipse
Ran the craft book and short story discussion groups, as well as an assortment of other Rambo Academy events that enriched my writing.
What are 1-3 of the worst writing-related disappointments?
Mainly I didn’t get some short stories in to various anthology calls. I also have a story that has been sitting in limbo for FOREVER and I’d really like to see it come out. I also want to do another collection, but that requires me getting my butt in gear and sorting through all the recent stories.
What did you do in 2024 that had the most positive impact on your life?
I started being serious about taking Tuesday and Thursday off since most weekends I teach and/or write. I can write on those days if I want to, but I don’t have to do paperwork, teaching stuff, or Patreon things. Often I go to see a matinee, which resulted in seeing a lot of movies I wouldn’t have normally seen. This really recharges me and keeps days from blurring together.
2025 Planning:
What are 3-5 things you want to accomplish overall in 2025?
What’s one thing you’d like to successfully incorporate into your work routine?
I would like to be better with my to-do list.
How do you want to refine or improve your tracking system?
I’d like to keep some electronic notebook where I put down what I get done each day.
What’s one pleasure that you don’t have enough time for? Can you use it to reward yourself for hitting goals?
I really love rock-hunting, and driving up to Michigan to find fossils on the shore is one of my favorite things. I’m going to schedule a monthly trip to do so that will be my reward for monthly goals.
What three things are likely to derail you in 2025? How can you plan to diminish their impact?
I am a programming lead for WorldCon, and that will eat up some time. I’m trying to stay on top of items right now and also not plan anything else for August.
Doing the dev edits for WINGS OF TABAT, although I hope that will be an easy task. Turning them around quickly rather than procrastinating would be good.
Doing the marketing for the release of WINGS OF TABAT. Since it’s the last book in the series, I’d like to pull out all the stops. That requires being organized and doing a lot of planning beforehand.
What’s going to bring you hope in 2025?
My community – friends, family, students, mentees, fellow writers. That’s what keeps me going.
What are you looking forward to in 2025?
Writing my current projects, which I’m stoked about. An upcoming trip to the Barbados. Chances to visit good friends and spend time with family. Having WINGS OF TABAT come out and marketing it. Being Guest of Honor at Confluence. WorldCon in Seattle. Seeing if those yellow rose bushes bloom this year and getting a chance to sit out in the yard and watch fireflies appear in the evening. Seeing what happens with the fantasy novel I just turned in to my agent (*fingers crossed*). Continuing to live a happy and productive life that gives back to the world.
What’s going to be your theme song/ slogan /image to keep you going in 2025?
I am still thinking about this one.
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I will be offering 6 weekly sessions of my writing short stories workshop on Saturdays, 9:30 AM-12 PM Eastern time, starting January 4, 2025 and going through February 8.
In these six sessions, we will cover plot and story structure, character, world-building, style and technique, and how to move forward to begin (or continue) selling short stories. Each class will consist of lecture, discussion, and writing exercises for the first half and then turn to a critique of each other’s work. Students are expected to turn in at least one story for workshopping as well as critiquing each other’s stories.
Classes will be recorded for student use only.
To apply, please mail cat@kittywumpus.net a 1000 word writing sample (does not need to be a complete piece) as well as a brief (1-3 paragraph) statement about why you’d like to take the class. If accepted, the cost is $400 for Patreon supporters and other Rambo Academy community members; otherwise $500.
There will be three Plunkett scholarships; to apply for one, simply mention that you would like to be considered for one, and whether you need a full or partial scholarship.
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Want access to a lively community of writers and readers, free writing classes, co-working sessions, special speakers, weekly writing games, random pictures and MORE for as little as $2? Check out Cat’s Patreon campaign.
"(On the writing F&SF workshop) Wanted to crow and say thanks: the first story I wrote after taking your class was my very first sale. Coincidence? nah….thanks so much."
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