June & July: Just Surviving

 

 Why I thought this title was a good idea is anyone's guess, but here we are, making the best of it.

My admin job is... mindless, in a sense. Working with three people who are much older than me, yet somehow so immature, is like running a daycare while trying to meet deadlines. It's almost impressive how I'm expected to keep my sanity and hit targets at the same time. The best part? I do it too well.

I didn't get the Hachette internship, yet I'm genuinely so happy for the people who did. My application for the Hachette entry-level role wasn't reviewed either and, to top it all off, I got ghosted by the Talent Acquisition Manager at a well-known publishing house for reasons that remain a mystery to me. Safe to say, life has been anything but linear.

That said, I'm still here. I'm still learning, still writing, and still trying to break into publishing, all while navigating the pleasurable pain, if there is such a thing, of a 9 to 5 that tests my patience five days a week. If nothing else, it's definitely building character.

The David Shelley podcast with David Perell was insanely good. I know CEOs are supposed to be knowledgeable, although my God, listening to David Shelley speak was intelligence on a completely different level. Hearing about his journey to becoming CEO was fascinating. He covered everything from the rise of sprayed edges and book tours to submissions and pretty much every corner of the publishing industry in between. I could have listened to him talk for hours.

I finally watched Off Campus and it was amazing, from the cast and the references to the plot changes and everything in between. Did it linger in my mind more than I expected? Not really. Did I rewatch it? I was supposed to. Unfortunately, I couldn't be bothered. It was great, don't get me wrong. Even so, I'm not exactly counting down the days until season two.

I watched Argentina get away with what can only be described as wrestling on a football pitch, which is impressive considering the sport is meant to involve a ball, not auditioning for WWE. I watched Egypt get robbed of a chance, the Congo goalkeeper prove a lot of people wrong, and England actually look like they knew what they were doing for once. Spain defended like their lives depended on it, or like they genuinely thought the trophy was the World Cup, which, honestly, I respect. They deserved the win and proved it.

As for the referee of the final, if you want to know who it was, just open TikTok. I promise you won't have to search for long because there are approximately 300 edits of him. Football fans really do have their priorities in order.

H.D. Carlton once stated that Haunting Adeline and Hunting Adeline would never become movies or television adaptations, yet here we are with the announcement that exactly that is happening.

To be fair, she was never completely against the idea. She made it clear that it would only happen if the project was in the right hands, she had creative involvement, and the story was treated with the care it required. Those conditions appear to have been met, and an adaptation is now officially in development. It is an interesting reminder that, in publishing, even the firmest "never" can sometimes become a "under the right circumstances."

Ana Huang’s The Keeper, the final instalment in the Gods of Games series, is bringing the series to a close, and we’ve already been given a look at the artwork alongside the various exclusive editions.

I can’t say I’m currently counting down the days until its release, although I have learned not to dismiss an Ana Huang book too quickly. I felt similarly about book two, The Defender, which ended up becoming my favourite instalment of the series. So while The Keeper may not currently have me on the edge of my seat, there is a very real possibility that it could surprise me.

I’m still here, navigating my way through a job I don’t particularly love while continuing to build the skills, experience, and resilience needed to get into the industry I do love. It’s not exactly the straightforward path I imagined, but apparently careers enjoy adding unnecessary plot twists.

Then, of course, another Hachette opportunity appears.

Wow.

I’m wishing everyone applying the very best of luck, myself included. The publishing industry may be competitive, unpredictable, and occasionally feel like trying to get through a locked door with no obvious key, but I’m still knocking.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned in the workplace is this: an environment only becomes toxic when unacceptable behaviour is allowed to continue unchecked. Setting boundaries early, addressing issues directly, and making it clear what you will and won’t tolerate changes the way people approach you. When you establish that standard from the beginning, people learn to treat you with the respect you expect.

Let’s see what Anxious August brings because, yes, it is absolutely anxious, and no, I will not be changing the name. Some titles simply choose themselves.

I’m not reading anything new just yet; instead, I’m rereading H.D. Carlton’s Cat & Mouse Duet because apparently, I needed to remind myself exactly what kind of chaos we’re dealing with.

If it is as dark as I remember, this movie is going to be an uncomfortable watch. Not because it lacks intrigue, rather because some scenes are likely to push the boundaries of what audiences are prepared to see brought to the screen.

As always, My Let’s Connect page is where it always is, so don’t forget to give it a quick look to see where else I’m active.

See you between the pages,
Vivian