February 12th, 2025 ✨
Melodies of the Moon Newsletter
Hi, besties!
Happy Snow Moon!
“Quotes about Rejection,” I type into the search bar on my phone.
“Rejection is redirection.”
“If you aren’t getting rejected on a daily basis, your goals aren’t ambitious enough.”
“Rejection is God’s protection.”
“I believe that rejection is a blessing because it’s the Universe’s way of telling you that there’s something better out there.”
“You learn more from losing than winning. You learn how to keep going.”
“Don’t let anyone, or any rejection, keep you from what you want.”
“If you give up at the first rejection, or the first bad review, you will never make it.”
“Successful people reject rejection.”
“Our best successes often come after our greatest disappointments.”
“There is no education like adversity.”
Thank you, Google. This does help the sting of another rejection.
On the last full moon, I had just finished the seventh draft of my manuscript — huzzah! I put it aside for a month and worked on some other projects. I have two WIPs:
Starring Role: Fame comes with a price… Blood. A contemporary fantasy set in the music industry in Nashville, where blood is the price of fame. Think vampires x the Illuminati
Vigilante Shit: The year is 2027. “The Band” is an underground resistance to the oppressive right wing fascist American government, a puppet ruled by the oligarchs tech-bros and Christian nationalists. Jane, the badass lesbian head of a Nashville record label doubles as the head of the resistance. Her team of women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ folks are taking down the wicked and corrupt president in the most exciting revolution the United States has ever seen.
*WIP is work in progress*
These have been fun and cathartic to work on while I try to take a break from Melodies of the Moon. After one month of shelving Melodies and working on these, I decided to revisit it for strictly a reread. I can never clear the story from my head because obviously I’m the author, and also Talia is super personal. But I told myself, pretend you don’t know the story and you’ve just opened this book…
And you know what? I LOVED IT. I loved my book. I wrote a fucking good book. I really enjoyed it.
And I hate that I’m programmed (by the critic in my head as well as society) to feel taboo for saying that and for believing it. Who gave me permission to be confident?! In this climate? How dare I?
Alas, my confidence was extinguished — only briefly, before giving myself a pep talk — because my excitement, hubris, and impatience filled my sails and set me off to start querying agents again. Yesterday I received a rejection from one of those recently queried agents, who told me:
I’m sorry to say that while I adored the premise, I found myself losing steam with the opening pages. I recognize this likely isn’t what you wanted to hear, but please understand this is just one agent’s opinion. I wish you nothing but the best in your writing endeavors.
Very kind, but obviously not the news I wanted. Did this agent not know how many hours, days, months, and edits I poured into the first ten pages for someone like her?! And this is the point at which I turned to Google.
Sometimes I think about life as an abstract, about what lessons I’m here to learn in this human experience. I’m sure there are a whole lot more, but I’ve narrowed it down to two big themes worth sharing:
Temper and Voice — I’ve always been emotional. I’m a highly sensitive, incredibly empathetic person, and sometimes that feels like a curse. When these emotions overwhelm me (e.g. this past month reading the news), I don’t just get sad and turn inward. I get angry. I want to scream at the world, “WHO LET THIS HAPPEN?” and it often gets me in trouble because I cannot hold back my tongue. But on the other side of this, I think my purpose in this lifetime is to use my voice for good and, on a small level, to inspire reflection and change in people, even if that’s just through a politically charged romantasy novel. So I think it’s an interesting duality that I must learn to temper my anger, frustration, and pain and channel it through my voice without letting it rip through me and out of me like a blazing fire.
Rejection and Patience — By the time I started college, I already learned that the biggest lesson God/The Universe was going to teach me in my life was dealing with rejection and learning to be patient. Over the years, I’ve learned that a) I dodged a bullet, b) it was meant to be, but not on that timeline or in the way that I had envisioned it or c) there was something so much better out there for me. I’m trying to remind myself of these experiences as I manifest my dream literary agent and publishing deal and life as a full-time best-selling author.
So aside from my self-indulgent reflection, what else is new since the last full moon?
After nine and half years in Nashville, I’m moving back to Boston. Exactly one month from the date this is published. It’s incredibly bittersweet, but I’m excited to be close to family again and to see all my friends and their babies!
Also, I’m hoping to kick off an Italian cocktail series for Instagram and the newsletter with my dad. He just doesn’t know it yet.
I updated my query letter.
I met with the loveliest author friend, that one of my best friends connected me with, and she let me pick her brain on all things writing/querying/publishing. She also offered to read/tear apart my query letter. So here’s my new hook as it currently stands:
In modern Italy, magic isn’t just hidden — it’s hunted.
Talia always daydreamed of being pursued by a hot Italian man. She just didn’t realize he’d be hunting her — literally. The Carabinieri, Italy’s oldest military force spawned centuries ago by the Catholic Church, have nearly eradicated the Streghe from Italian soil and have imprisoned those who remain. It’s modern day Italy’s best kept secret, aside from the long forgotten memory of women who possessed magic.
After her grandmother’s death, thirty-year-old American Talia visits her ancestral home and uncovers a major family secret: Nonna was a Strega, and she passed her “gift” on to Talia.
A mysterious and handsome Roman officer discovers Talia’s identity, and as she races to Puglia for refuge among a hidden network of Streghe, he begins his hunt for her. Will Talia be able to overcome her insecurities and shadows in order to summon the magic within her? Will she be able to master her magic before the Carabinieri find her? And will she be able to help the Streghe who still live, imprisoned in Rome?
Just an author and the fictional men she created…
I did say this was going to be behind-the-scenes of the writing process, and it certainly is, but I also promised you exciting stories and adventures behind the story. Some of you have read some form of the manuscript, though I think the only ones up-to-date are Louisa and Lucia. I have worked so hard on adding depth to my characters, which was definitely lacking in those early versions (thank you for being visionary saints and reading those versions).
I wanted to introduce you to some of my characters, as provided by Pinterest.
Trent - Australian native, the human version of a Golden Retriever. Outgoing, funny, intentional. Fiercely protects those he loves. Believes in honor. Not afraid to laugh at himself. Lovable. Confident. Emotionally intelligent. A little mysterious.
Fabrizio - My fictional San Donato boyfriend ;) He’s Italian. His flame for Talia has been burning for ten years, since they were teenagers. Humble. Kind. Generous. Artistic. A man of the Earth. Patient. Adoring. So Italian.
Lorenzo - A Roman Italian. Carabinieri officer. Confident. Intentional. Smart. Observant. Sexual. Smooth. Aggressive. A hunter in the body of a Roman God. A villain in the body of a fallen angel. Deep. Dark. Interesting. Sensual. Well-read.
Evan - Also from Australia but of Italian descent. The son of an Italian immigrant. Quiet, serious, willing to go to the ends of the earth for those he loves and die for them. The Husky to Trent’s Golden Retriever. Intuitive, smart, well-read, and creative. Believes in magic and fate.
Can’t wait for you to meet them!!
The Snow Moon
February’s full moon is a powerful time for reflection, renewal and setting intentions for the last stretch of winter before spring. Given its themes of endurance, clarity and preparation, here are some rituals to honor the moon’s energy:
Burn bay leaves for intentions: Write a wish or intention on a bay leaf and burn it in a fireproof dish or cauldron to manifest your desires. Bay is sacred in Italian folk magic, used for wisdom and protection.
Make lunar infused tea: Steep rosemary, lavender or chamomile under the moonlight for a tea
Honor your ancestors: Light a white candle for guidance and call upon your ancestors for wisdom as you navigate through the transition we’re all collectively going through
Write a manifestation letter: Describe your ideal future in the present tense. Read it aloud under the moon and keep it in a journal.
Book Divination: ask the universe a question, flip to a random page in a book, and see what message jumps out.
Journal with the moon: Reflect on where you were at last year’s Snow Moon and where you want to be by next year’s
Happy full moon, besties! ✨
xo,
Your author bestie Bri