Dear reader, bright maiden, proud youth,

It’s been a long time since I’ve written to you, a winter for my soul. I wanted to write to you about Dicken’s essay What Christmas Is as We Grow Older, but I held my tongue. Worry, illness, a broken ankle—these have squashed and squeezed me. 

The functions of stories have been on my mind lately. I used to write thinking that people wanted escapism and to make them feel something, after all, that’s what science fiction and fantasy are often labeled. Romance novels are so niche that the titles of Harlequin novels often spell out their themes. Titles like these cracked me up when I worked at a library: The Billionaire’s Secret Baby Mama on the Italian Riviera or The Amish Girl and the Soldier Boy Next Door. I’m combining a lot of tropes in these made-up titles, but if you’re curious go looking (my exaggeration is only slight)! 

Nowadays, falsity flourishes. Virtual, augmented, artificial, filters, deepfakes—all these constructed boxes encroach upon us for incongruent proposes. With smoke, mirrors, and shadows, the magic trick beguiles us before vanishing. My husband showed me a video of a cunning husky tromping across a living room floor and depositing a panicked tabby cat into an illusory rug, like a cartoon hole. I’ve seen those rugs on Amazon. Falling! Only for the cat to angrily realize it’s safe. The husky seemed pleased as punch with the prank. The only thing that seemed unreal to me was the cat’s reaction. Cats and dogs rely less heavily than humans on sight. The video looked real but was AI generated.  All smoke and mirrors, prompted by someone who wanted to create something lighthearted. 

Later on, my husband read me a tale from the perspective of a groomer whose client for several years brought in her “Pomeranian mix” (aka raccoon) for grooming. Since the lady tipped well, and the raccoon behaved well, the shop owner approved. 

People do keep wildlife as pets. Raccoons and foxes are in the beginning stages of domestication. But, I thought, several years sounds wrong. I didn’t check though—it was simply an anecdote and I was busy. 

The story cycled back around, now with a very convincing picture. Under scrutiny, it looked altered. 

I looked it up, raccoons only live several years. They aren’t as long-lived as even dogs. The story, when we searched, was written by AI and the picture was fake.

I’m betting you’ve had a few instances where AI has fooled you. I bet, as well, that you’ve had instances where the falsity has been known to you but comfortable: power washing video games, the Sims, therapy chat bots, or something else.  I enjoy my fake world in Animal Crossing. Perhaps, like me, the kernels of truth have looked convincing but you didn’t have time to scrutinize despite something feeling off. 

Maybe escapism is what people want, but I’ve come to believe that what we truly need is authentic connection. 

Like pet birds, we return to the comfortable. Growth and connection are uncomfortable from the very start. As a mother, I’ve watched my little ones use new skills with fierce determination and frustration. Tears and joy rise and fall. As the old adage touts, no pain, no gain. 

I used to want to give you, my reader, an escape to make you feel something. We are surrounded by the lotus eaters of Greek mythology. Perhaps instead, I must enter fantasy and offer a portal back out, a portal that makes you think. (Without being didactic—I abhor proscriptive writing.)

What are some truths you think need to be told? 

What have you read recently? 

What do you want to get out of stories? 

Let me know if you’ve got the time. 💛

I’m beta reading now.

I Want to Read: 

• AI and the Future of Humanity: Why We Will Choose to Disappear by Joshua Commes 

• The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

• Crimson Regret by S. D. Donovan

• The Lies We Keep by Kayla Hicks 

The best picture books I’ve read recently: 

• Miss Molly’s Book of Manners by James MacLaine 
• The Flower Alphabet by Jerry Pallotta 

The best cookbook I’ve read recently: Salt & Time Recipes from a Russian Kitchen by Alissa Timoshkina 

The book that made me laugh the most recently: Crap Taxidermy 

Till Next Time!