Hi everyone,
I'm just back from a stroll and the sun is doing something it has rarely done since the holidays — shining. Spring is arriving to Budapest, or at least sending a Save The Date card. It's too early to trust it, but pure enough to be delighted. The city has a buzz to it, some of it seasonal, some of it political — Hungary's national election is April 12 and people who've been holding their breath for years are cautiously optimistic. But anything could happen, which reminds me how tough it is to be cautiously optimistic these days. It's times like this that I come back to art, to the people who matter, and to finding new ways to connect. In some ways, that's what today's dispatch is all about.
It's been a while since my last one. These gaps happen. But I have news.
With Love, Budapest
The first thing involves something you've been hearing about since the fall of 2022: the mythical novel. Much of last year was spent with proofreads, edits, and notes from beta readers (and yeah, naming and renaming, I know). One such reader gave me such insightful notes that I (a) rewrote the last 20% of the book, and (b) invited her to be my editor. I'm thrilled with this last phase of the book's growth and Alexandra's support has pushed me to make the novel really feel complete.
In addition to the text, I've arrived at a final name and cover design. I will unveil it now.
The release is scheduled for November. Those of you who continuously touch my heart by way of your support as paid subscribers–thank you, really–you will be showered with perks when the book is released and printed.
Relevant Experience on Substack
Also, in an effort to "get out there" and find audiences on new platforms, I launched a publication on Substack that chronicles my very strange working life.
One of the things I hear over the first six months of any new acquaintance is some form of, "Jesus, how many jobs have you had?" And I have to believe that some people go away thinking that I am a fabulous liar or a spy.
The pieces are non-linear vignettes from the 48 different jobs I've held since my working life began in middle school, ranging from Alaskan fishing debacles, to video game testing, to tagging along for shady dealings on the Mexican border.
Links to the first few stories below, and if you take a moment to click over and subscribe, I would be tickled.
Coming Up
Next week, I will share more project updates, including about the documentary where I'm about to jump into a deep attempt at animating some of Bullet's ink on paper works.
Flower Delivery: Tucker and the Fuck-Off Time
A taste of Relevant Experience:
We were scarcely out of the lot when he laid out the philosophy of floral delivery: it was all about the fuck-off time.
“You see, you got your morning deliveries, right? You can knock those out in, hell, hour and a half. Two tops. Turn-here-turn-here-turn-here! Shit, you missed it. Flip a bitch. OK, so you knock it out in two hours and Chuck ain’t gonna wonder where you are till at least eleven-thirty, twelve. So what’s that give you?”
I didn’t answer. He looked at his watch and counted on his fingers.
“That gives you an hour and a half of fuck-off time!”
He rocked in his seat, like his calculation was a triumph. Then he started digging his jeans pocket.
“You want one of these?” He’d produced an orange prescription bottle, and shook out a few little white tablets.
Read more about Tucker on Substack →
SCRAPBOOK
Tidbits from the last few months.
I visited Dubrovnik in January. What a lovely experience. I highly recommend an off-season visit when the city isn't overrun and you can get lost in the winding side streets and on endless staircases. But if high season is all you can manage, it's still worth the visit.
I made an appearance on Tilos Radio here in Budapest, talking about With Love, Budapest, other writing endeavors, and a literary collective called Roam that I recently launched with three other writers from around the world.
Clockwise from top left: (1) the red awning that shows up twice in *With Love, Budapest,* (2) last night's full moon through the Szabadság Bridge, (3) a moment from my trip to Puerto Rico in the fall, (4) at the resting place of one of Bullet's grandfathers in New York during our production trip last fall.
For those of you who scrolled this far, thank you. Thanks for reading. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. It started over ten years ago with this list and I love that you're still here. I love hearing from you, so hit REPLY and send me an email, and feel free to forward it to anyone else you think might want to come along...
