Spreading a Network of Joy

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I’m going to try a new thing with this newsletter. Which, incidentally, you will find the following in today’s newsletter (feel free to skip to those parts):

1. Personal note
2. What brought me joy this week
3. What challenge am I facing
4. What else am I up to?
5. Loving and supporting my community

Personal note

If you’re a longtime subscriber, you know that my posting consistency can vary. Part of the reason is that I always feel so transactional, and I hate that feeling. I hate feeling like I’m always asking you to read or buy something from me. On the other hand, closed mouths don’t get fed (or however the saying goes).

But this year has taught me that just as I misunderstood networking to be transactional and self-aggrandizing, perhaps I’ve also misunderstood the joy of my newsletter. After all, networking is just introducing my awesome friends to each other. This newsletter can be that, too. Except instead of only a network of a people, I’m spreading a network of joy.

So, if you want more joy and connection in your life, join me weekly as I share what brought me joy, what challenged me, and what trouble I’m up to. (Or maybe you just want a fellow chaos goblin in your inbox—that’s fine, too.)

If that’s not your bag, I totally understand, too. I appreciate you for as long as you’ve been with me!

In the same vein, if my content makes you laugh, think, and feel less alone, please share it! Tell folks to sign up for my newsletter. Buy my books or read them on Kindle Unlimited. Leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Storygraph. Listen to my podcast Brazn Azn. Join me as I attempt to chronicle my daily Chaotic Joy on Threads or BlueSky.

What brought me joy this week!

I had several chances to connect with friends! Went to a birthday party for a friend, and I caught up with some other friends on different Zoom sessions.

Indie artist and musician Joseph Tseng put out a song for his Patreon subscribers that he also posted on YouTube called “Mad Hatters.” He offered it for those of us who feel like the world’s gone mad, and it’s just heartbreakingly beautiful.

My friend Leslie recently started a substack called, “This Is Important to Me.” Her posts run the gamut from music and artists she loves, to whatever thoughts that are swirling around in her brain. If you love words, pop culture references, and crackling wit, you’ll love Leslie’s voice.

Also, I got to watch the first five episodes of Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown” starring Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, and Chloe Bennet. All 10 episodes drop today, and I can’t wait to watch the back half. The show is a great commentary on the roles other people put upon us, our agency in creating our own roles, and working around the boxes people put us in. I enjoyed it, and found the delivery very funny, new, and intriguing. You can read my review here.

Lastly, Jin of BTS came out with his first solo album, “Happy.” It’s joyful, fun, and like a warm hug at the end of the day. My favorite track is “Heart on the Window (with WENDY)” because the duet is both so sweet and so desperate. If you love pop rock, infectious joy, and retro-’00s alternative, you’ll love this album! My full review is also up on my site.

What challenge am I facing?

I am working on talking more about myself.

Part of me finds that hilarious because don’t I talk about myself all the time? And yet, though I am very opinionated and loud about these opinions, I don’t really talk about what I’m doing. I don’t ask for help. (I always feel like people will think I’m transactional if I do—even when they are happy to help.)

The difficulty for me is how to do so in a way that doesn’t make me feel like I’m clout-chasing, braggy, and insufferably self-righteous. (We have an entire Brazn Azn episode about this very feeling!)

What else am I up to?

My second novel “Weightless” is out! If you’re into steamy, angsty stories full of messy people who have to move on from guilt and forgive themselves, all in the backdrop of K-pop, then “Weightless” is the book for you or a book lover in your life.

More than sales, what helps me is honest reviews. This helps other people make decisions on whether or not to risk reading a book by someone who isn’t famous. It can be as simple as “Loved how funny and ridiculous the characters are. I don’t listen to K-pop, but it was a fun glimpse into the world.”

I’m also chugging away slowly at the third book in the series. I had to throw out my original draft because I originally wrote it in 2021 and my style has changed a lot! Not to mention, my Korean cultural consultant told me that a lot of the plot was not plausible. (Seriously, the soul cry I cried. But I regrouped and I think the new draft is miles better than the original.)

For folks who like sneak peeks, here’s a completely out of context line from the draft.

Hwang Woo-jin had suffered through 23 years of more bad days than good ones in his young life, and if today had been merely one of those bad days, Woo-jin could have borne it.

Finally, most days, my main job is to be the human chair for my toddler Kitsune. She’s lucky she’s cute, because some days, I’m so frazzled I can’t write even if I have the time. Then I just waste it playing scavenger hunts and puzzle games on my phone.

Loving and supporting my community

If you’re still reading, I super appreciate you! Part of what makes me so angry about the election is that it is eroding our sense of trust and community—especially for POCs, the queer community, disabled community, and women. The gutting of social safety nets not only makes the already vulnerable even more vulnerable, it makes us ALL more vulnerable.

Who we love and care for is political. It shouldn’t be, but it is.

In this spirit of mutual aid and community, may I ask that you consider donating to my friend Jen Morlan’s GoFundMe for her children’s education. Her husband recently died of colon cancer (get screened, folks!!) and she has 3 elementary school-aged children. While they have some savings, being a single mother even as they deal with grief will be so, so difficult.

Jen was one of my dearest friends when I first moved back to the Bay Area 20 years ago. Though we were new to each other, her steadfast, faithful spirit has been a joy to me over these last 2 decades. I read at her wedding, and she read at mine. I watched her become a mom with grace and love, and my heart breaks that her beloved husband (and also my friend) is gone.

If you are able, I would so appreciate your kindness in helping her alleviate this burden.

Tell me about you

And finally, how are you doing? Have you eaten yet?

Both joy and challenges are better when shared! Tell me what brought you joy or challenged you this week. How can I support you?

More than ever, our love is defiance. Let us love extravagantly.