Manifest Monthly: February

Nostalgia and romantasy

Hiya buds.

The heat has really kicked it up a notch here in Perth and I’m finding myself dreaming of the cold, of crocheting cardigans and making soup. Alas, a bit more sweat to go until then, I think.

In this newsletter:

• Made of Steam and Stardust updates

• How nostalgiacore is healing everything

• Romantasy round-up (I don’t like the term either)

• The novel I’m currently working on

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Novel Updates

Made of Steam and Stardust is now on Goodreads and Storygraph, and has a release date! The book will be released on 12th May 2025. Keep an eye out for Perth book launch details soon.

What’s New

I’ve been very indulgent these past few weeks with what I’m choosing to consume. EA recently rereleased The Sims and The Sims 2 and the nostalgia and familiarity has been unreal. I didn’t expect the level of comfort it would bring. I’ve also been obsessed with The Great British Bake-Off (I usually like to watch something low stakes while I crochet), and while it isn’t nostalgic, it brings the same feeling of comfort.

There’s so much happening both on a world scale and a personal scale, and it’s so easy for me to feel overwhelmed, so I really need and appreciate these outlets (when I manage to fight the you should be writing guilt.) It also helps to have something else to focus on. My anxiety gets hyper-focused on certain things, so finding safe topics like Sims and cute reality TV feels like taking an iPad with no parental controls from a toddler and giving them a wooden rattle instead.

So next time you see me staring off into space, I’m probably thinking about my Sims or yarn colour instead of my novel.

Have you got something comforting you turn to when everything feels too much?

On Romantasy

Speaking of invoking a feeling of comfort, I think this has influenced my reading of late. While I’m not a fan of the term ‘romantasy’, it’s the easiest word to describe what I’m reading right now; specifically, female-led adult fantasies that are trending in book spaces.

I’m finding these books to be really easy to read. They’re accessible, which is probably why many people who don’t normally read are picking these up and loving them. I appreciate them for that and absolutely loathe the recent articles that call these readers ‘lovers of fairy porn’.

I’ve been reading:

• The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen, which first entered my radar after seeing it in some YA sections, but the protagonist is 23 and there’s adult content (though nothing too graphic so far).¹ It’s pitched as being Percy Jackson meets The Hunger Games, in which Greek gods are part of the modern world and every so often they call on mortals to compete in the deadly games of the Crucible to decide which god becomes king or queen. The main character, Lyra, is chosen by Hades. It’s a bit more slow paced than I expected but still very enjoyable.

• Ledge by Stacey McEwan, who I did not realise until recently was Australian (yay!). Another very accessible fantasy, Ledge follows young woman Dawysn who is taken from her icy prison home as a sacrifice for creatures called Glacians, until she escapes and starts a quest for the truth behind the Ledge.

• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros is currently on my bedside table. I enjoyed Fourth Wing, thought it was fun, but after watching all the Onyx Storm hype I had a bit of FOMO so I’m catching up now.

What I’m Writing

It probably sounds like I haven’t been writing much, but I actually have. In between edits for Made of Steam and Stardust, I’ve been working on Boy of the Forest, a YA fantasy that’s The False Prince meets The Dark Crystal, to hopefully send to my publisher in the coming months. It’s been a long slog since 2016, but every edit and rewrite brings it closer to its full potential.

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How are you? Have you been in indulging in comforting activities or reads lately? I’d love to know!

1. I could go on for a whole other post at how being 23 years old totally counts as being a young adult, but as we know, the category has always been notoriously hard to define. I recently enjoyed this podcast episode from Novel Feelings that dives deeper into the definition of YA (or lack thereof).