Hey everyone, and welcome to my tea party. Is it possible to do that online? I think it could be. Why don’t you make a mug of tea—or any warm beverage, really—and come back to this post once it’s ready?

*waits patiently*

Oh good, you’re back! Lately I’ve been kind of all over the place, though you hopefully didn’t notice. Like I explained in the short story Cats, Boxes, and Silly Humans, my family and I moved across a few state lines this summer. It’s been a wild and exciting adventure, and though I wouldn’t say it’s over just yet, I’m starting to feel at home in this new environment. I should mention that I’m currently in the process of decorating my room! I’m aiming for a sort of fantasy forest/writer’s bunker/cottage core vibe, and so far, it’s coming along quite nicely. I’m able to display my typewriter at all times—which I’m super happy about, as you might’ve guessed.

I’m also starting school next week, which is exciting and terrifying and intimidating all at once. (I don’t think I’ve been around so many people my age in like six years.) There’s a chance that everybody there has known each other since the womb, but in that case, I think I’d rock the New Girl outfit. I think I can be quite mysterious when I try to…. So, in any case, you’ll probably be hearing about my academic endeavors later on. Likely in the form of a short story. Oo, and speaking of school, I’m decorating my notebooks, and they are looking gorgeous. I’ll be sharing pictures in the group The Artist Corner (Very Sophisticated) in my forum, in case you’d like to gaze at them. ;)

What with school starting, there will likely be a month (September, what’s left of August?) where I maybe miss a few Tuesdays. I apologize in advance. I may also decide that posting every single Tuesday is simply not realistic, in which case I’ll make a big fuss and announce in a big, extravagant way that because of my schedule, blah blah blah, I can’t continue posting every week. So just a heads up in advance.

And lastly, the deadline for the Summer Writing Competition is fast approaching! If you’re working on an entry, don’t wait around, because the winner is announced next week! I’ve received a handful of interesting narratives over a wide range of genres, so I can assure you that the winning story will be a good one!

That’ll be all for now. I hope you all enjoyed your summer! I’ll see you next week!

—Leah Larkspur (13)