Into the Vortex

Before we left Montana, we visited the Montana Vortex and House of Mystery. It is on a small plot of land surrounded by towering trees, doubling as a mindfulness retreat space. The tour guide explained that this land contains a few energetic vortexes that bend the laws of physics, making gravity less powerful, and causing a stronger energetic pull in certain places. In one circular area, trees appeared to be bending towards the energy of the vortex. Big Foot, or Sasquatch wooden statues and memorabilia were prominent. Since traveling through Colorado, every state in the West wants to claim it as “Big Foot country.” I kind of like that, since Big Foot lore is often migratory. We have also seen a lot of Big Foot signs and flags in every RV park. Is Big Foot the patron saint of RVers?

It’s easy to dismiss these kinds of places as tourist traps. Most likely they are. But there is something in me that appreciates places in the world full of mystery, full of energetic portals and presences that make the unanswerable real. I enjoyed spending time in that wooded place, wondering what confluence of energy was meeting my own atomic matter in the quiet sunlight.

We’ve spent the last month after Montana near Seattle, Washington. Coming into Washingon, it was a dreary, foggy day, mist hovering over and through the curves of the mountains. The Pacific Northwest as an energetic vortex of mysterious places, thick gloomy woods, rain and fog, mountains and harbor bays. We spent a weekend in a log cabin in Olympic National Park on the Olympic Peninsula. We had the opportunity to hike the Cape Flattery Trail on the Makah Reservation, the Northwestern most point of the contiguous United States; we have now been coast to coast, having hiked parts of Acadia National Park in Maine last year. This was a beautiful place for Ramiro to take photos for his portfolio, but Tajin wasn’t so sure about the trail, and decided to stick close to me. Maybe we sensed a deeper, otherworldly energy here too!

We had the opportunity to stay in some log cabins on Lake Crescent so that we could explore more of Olympic National Park. In the Hoh Rainforest, we walked the Hall of Mosses, taking new author photos for me (more to come) and marveling at the moist, green forest around us. So many varieties of moss growing across fallen trees, boulders, the soft substrate of soil and rotted wood, shocks of green ferns, hemlocks, Douglas firs and Western Red Cedars, related to the giant Redwoods we will see in California. It was one of those places we wanted to soak up, to lay down and bask in. We also happened to pass through Forks, Washington during the weekend of the Forever Twilight Festival, and it was so interesting to see a variety of generations still debating over being Team Edward or Team Jacob.

During our stay, we collected trail snacks of plentiful wild blackberries, and I even used them to make pancakes one Sunday. Even the RV park where we stayed was covered with towering pines that cast us in their shade, both mysterious and comforting.

Being here has also felt like being in a time vortex. We spent a lot of our time here in and around Seattle, doing touristy things, and having fun times seeing our friends after several years apart. After exploring Manchester State Park, my friend told me that he thought I looked much happier in this new life, and I felt the same way about him. We were both living more truthful, fulfilled lives in our own ways.

We spent one weekend with him and his wife in Seattle, exploring the city, experiencing the interactive fun of a Mariners baseball game, going thrifting for new clothes, watching movies at their home, including nostalgic favorites on VHS, eating all the delicious food we could and crafting and talking into the night. In many ways, time had passed, and in other ways, it felt like we were reverting back to how we’ve always been in community together, while recognizing how we both have changed and evolved. At the same time, I started using the Marco Polo app with another friend, sending video missives back and forth to one another to keep connection going across distance and time away. This too feels like reaching across a loving digital vortex.

I loved visiting the beaches in Seattle, several bookshops and zine libraries, riding the train and trolly to explore the requisite tourist sites with Ramiro like the Space Needle and the Museum of Pop Culture. I got to attend the Seattle Horror Book club at Charlie’s Queer Books and the Silent Book Club in Tacoma, meeting new bookish community members doing cool things and sharing marginalized writer’s works.

Our friends also took us to the Ballard Farmer’s Market, and while walking among the stalls and alongside the buildings, we had a unique experience.

We passed by this table with a red telephone on it and a sign that instructed us to pick up the phone. So, out of curiosity, I did. At first I was expecting the phone to have a recorded message, so imagine my surprise when Jack answered. We had a short but pleasant conversation about Jack, how his day was going caring for his baby and enjoying watching the folks walk by his window. He asked how my day was going and I explained that we were happy to visit the market and buy some award winning cheese and a bag of plums and peaches for ten dollars! Then, he asked if I wanted to see some bubbles. Confused, I looked up at the open window to see the small iridescent orbs floating out of the window. There was Jack, up there on a Sunday morning with his family, just trying to stay connected to the folks outside his door in some small way. Another portal, another beautiful connection.

In our efforts to visit as many National Parks as possible, we spent a day hiking the Paradise Falls skyline trail in Mount Rainier National Park. It was a gorgeous day on the trail, and as I huffed and puffed up and up and up, we stopped frequently to take photos, observe the mountain goats on the distant mountain and the marmots sunbathing on the rocks or foraging near the stream where the water from the mountain falls collects in the lower valley. At one point, Ramiro went on ahead and I walked a little away from the main trail to an overlook of the meadow and valley that was more quiet. The voices of other visitors faded away, and all I heard and felt was the gentle wind, the trickle of water, the distant roar of the falls and birdsong. Now, we have visited so many incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring places in our travels so far. But for some reason in that moment, feeling free from the rush of trying to reach a distant point or encroached on by other visitors, I looked over this meadow and cried. I firmly believe every now and then is important. It is a necessary release. And I couldn’t remember the last time I cried. Clearly, it was overdue. I was transported to a place and time all my own, where I could cry with love for being here in this moment, in this body, experiencing this magnificent place. I cried for the grief I feel daily that is living in the world today. I cried with gratitude that I was able to be there and may never get to be there again.

Today we time travel again into the darker days of the year, into the Autumnal Equinox on September 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere. Just in time for the turning of the season, and my favorite time of year, we had the opportunity to take advantage of the beautiful cool weather and took the ferry from Port Townsend to Whidby Island. There are several beautiful beaches and states parks here, and it also happens to be where they filmed the original Practical Magic film, still one of my nostalgic favorites, especially fun before we went to see Practical Magic 2 a few days after (have many thoughts on this sequel, both negative and positive, so let me know in the comments if you’ve seen it). The parks and beach where we hiked were beautiful, and visiting downtown Coupeville and the cute shops there put me in the fall spirit.

Dolly Parton and Tim Curry both passed away within a day of each other at the same age. Both were visionary artists and very gracious, giving people who, as others have said, didn’t take themselves too seriously, but took being themselves and their work seriously. Dolly’s music was so versatile and politically informed, and I loved that she collaborated with so many different artists and committed herself to helping others, especially her Imagination Library initiative to aid in literacy access for children and communities.

Tim Curry acting shaped my millennial childhood, from voicing Hexxus in Fern Gully to Pennywise in the IT Miniseries that traumatized me for a time in my life to his iconic role at Dr. Frank-N-Furter in Rocky Horror Picture Show and so many others. Even after suffering a stroke in 2012 that disabled him, he continued to participate in events and voice acting in meaningful ways, his kindness and wit always present.

All this is to say, we should feel inspired by these and many other artists, creators, activists and everyday people living as fully themselves. Our time on this plane of existence seems limited, though often recursive, nonlinear, teaching us lessons that turn over again and again. In this time we can be perceived as mortal beings, or as inter-dimensional travelers, we should feel free to explore as much as we can, and do the weird thing.

So, let’s do the time warp again!

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2026 Projects, Workshops and Events

What Happens Inside: Writing Body Horror Workshop with the Writers’ League of Texas on Wednesday, October 28th from 6:30-9:30pm CDT on Zoom.

*More events TBA

My horror collection, The Remedy is the Disease, is out now from Undertaker Books! You can order your copy now using the link above!

I am currently planning the rest of my readings, workshops and events for fall 2026 and will announce more details in soon!

I’m incredibly heartened to that the book has been received so well by several reviewers. Here are some reviews and podcasts I’ve appeared on lately so you can get a sense of the book:

• You can read a review of the book here in Sinister Scoop!
• Review by H.V. Patterson
• Review by Alex Brown
• Susto Podcast Interview
• The Basement Girls Podcast: The Wolf Man
• The Scares That Shaped Us: The Thing

If you missed the virtual book launch I did last week with two of my favorite writers and supporters, Rios de la Luz and Ryan C. Bradley, you can watch the recorded reading here!

My poetry chapbook, Offerings to the Tumbled Temple, is also out now from Purple Ink Press! You can purchase a copy here. Chapbooks like these make great gifts for your poetry loving friends! You can also order a copy from your local indie bookstore or, if you love your local library, you can request that they stock a copy.

Indie bookstores currently stocking my books:

• BookWoman in Austin, TX
• Red Salmon Arts/Resistencia Bookstore in Austin, TX
• Austin Public Library Shop, Austin, TX
• Lark and Owl Bookstore in Georgetown, TX
• Haunt Happy Books in Lockhart, TX
• Curio Mrvosa in Taylor, TX
• Nowhere Bookshop in San Antonio, TX
• Boerne Bookshop in Boerne, TX
• Interabang Books in Dallas, TX
• Palabras Bilingual Bookshop in Phoenix, AZ
• Word Horde Emporium of The Weird and Fantastic in Petaluma, CA
• Secret Garden Books in Seattle, WA
• Poetry chapbook coming soon to the Open Books: A Poem Emporium in Seattle, WA!
• Coming soon to Thrillerdelphia in Philly, PA!

Here are some ways that you can help me to promote my book (and other indie poets and writers):

• Buy a copy if you can.
• Share the book with your loved ones.
• If you love your local library or independent bookstore, you can request that they stock a copy.
• Nominate my book(s) for your next book club read!
• If you or anyone you know reviews books, you can request an copy from me to review!
• I am now booking for 2026 events, so if you have a bookstore, community organization or space you would like for me to provide a workshop, reading, author talk, etc, comment or reach out via my contact page on my website to plan further!

Open to New Editing Clients for the Fall!

The summer is almost over, and I’m opening up to a few new clients! As a professional editor and mentor, I would love to work with you to support your creative goals and develop your current projects!

I would love to take on folks who are working on poetry manuscripts or novels of all kinds, especially weird, speculative work, but I’m open to all forms of writing! You can read some testimonials from my current clients. I offer a variety of services and rates to fit your budget, so reach out today to schedule a consultation.

What I’m Reading and Watching: PNW Books!

Because we are in the Pacific Northwest and will be into November, it only seemed fitting to highlight from of the things I am reading, watching and playing that remind me of the beauty, mysteriousness and weirdness of this region of the country. It is a place of deep, quiet, moss covered forests with ancient, towering trees, as well as the many bays of Pugent Sound and the Pacific coastline that we will be following down into Oregon and California.

One thing I have been enjoying watching is the most recent season of Dimension 20 on Dropout.tv, City Council of Darkness. This season depicts a coterie of vampires who have fucked up in a major way when a party in their San Francisco loft goes awry and they are banished to Purpee, Oregon. As they try to make the best of their situation, they realize that all is not right in Purpee, and nothing is as it seems. If you’re a fan of What We Do in the Shadows, this is a great season! It has vampires, werewolves, ghosts, malevolent forest spirits, Big Foot teaching our vampires kumite, and perhaps most sinister of all, wealthy families trying to invest in and build AI data centers on public land! We watched all of Gravity Falls last year and I look forward to rewatching it as we head into Oregon.

I got hooked on playing Tiny Book Shop, a video game in which you are a bookseller with a mobile bookshop who has moved to a small coastal town and is trying to make a name for themselves and build community. I found this game because of Sadie Hartmann, aka Mother Horror, and have really enjoyed playing in. It’s pleasant, funny, cozy and actually quite fun to recommend books to the locals of this town, building friendships along the way. I used to be a bookseller after all, so what could be more fitting? We haven’t gotten to watch Widow’s Bay yet, but with more small town coastal horror coming our way like Below with one of my favorite horror baddies, Josh Hartnett, it feels appropriate. Might even need to throw in a rewatch of Midnight Mass while I’m at it!

Here are some of the books I’m reading right now that is giving me PNW vibes:

1. Moonflow by Bitter Karella
   • This book is on my Eco-horror recommendations from July, but I am finally getting to read it now and it feels fitting to include it here too, as the majority of the book takes place in the Pamogo forest, a fictional state park and forest bordering Oregon and California in the Cascades in which visitors go in and rarely make it back out. This book has been a wild ride so far, atmospheric and gruesome. I wouldn’t recommend it for folks who don’t like horror, but if you are into that, pick up a copy!
2. Scuttler’s Cove by David Barnett
   • I read Barnett’s newer title, Scratchmoss, on Netgalley earlier this year, and since these books are interconnected, I got a copy on Kobo to read this book and see how it is connected to Scratchmoss. Both are about small English towns cursed by an otherworldly being, and I’m here for that.
3. The Nighthouse Keeper (Book 2 in the Blight Harbor Series) by Lora Senf
   • This is the second book in the Blight Harbor Series. I read The Clackity a couple of years ago, and was excited to find a copy of The Nighthouse Keeper at Kingfisher Bookstore.
4. America’s Most Gothic by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes
   • Returning to this title again now we are entering spooky season!
5. Love and Other Conspiracy Theories by Mallory Marlowe
   • I saw this in one of the recent bookstores we visited, and it just looked fun! I love a good paranormal romance, so why not?!
6. Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel
   • This book has been on my TBR for a while, and Viel is based in Washington so it feels fitting to prioritize reading it soon.
7. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (adapted into a film on Netflix!)
8. Wildwood by Colin Meloy
   • This book is being adapted into an animated film by the same studio that created the Coraline film, so I hope to read it before I see the film.

I got some more interesting book recommendations from this list by Powell’s Books.

I am also reading a variety of ARC’s, continuations in series I have already started or nonfiction books in celebration of Latinx/e Heritage Month. There are so many new horror and speculative works I am reading/plan to read, including:

1. Muñeca by Cynthia Gomez
   • I’m listening to this one via audiobook via The Queer Liberation Library on Libby and am really loving the dual POV and queer storytelling in a historical Oakland setting. I enjoyed Gomez’s other stories, so excited to read more of her work.
2. Bruja’s Nest by Brenda LaTorre
3. Afro-Mexican Construction of Diaspora, Gender, Identity and Nation by Paulette Ramsey
   • I found this book on Hoopla and have always been interested in the Afro-Mexican communities of Guerrero and Costa Chica, as that is where my husband’s family is from. Very interesting so far!
4. The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan
   • I’ve read Jennifer Givhan’s last two novels and they really stuck with me, especially Salt Bones, so I knew I had to get a copy of The Sleeping Sisters!
5. Rooted by Leopoldo Gout
6. If You Think You’re Lonely Now by Gus Moreno
7. Filth Eaters by Ito Romo
8. Something Follows Us Home Anthology edited by Cynthia Pelayo
   • This is an ARC I received at Stoker Con. My friend in Seattle, a former bookseller, also gave me an ARC of the anthology in Spanish, so it will be interesting to read both and compare and contrast the translations.

Writing Prompts

If you saw this tree while wandering in the woods, would you crawl inside and take a look? Where, or when would it take you when you came out the other side?

Call to Action: Community Care Spotlight

This space is meant to spotlight communities, creators and activists who are taking action to resist and do caring things for others. This month, I am highlighting two organizations comprised of authors, librarians, booksellers and community advocates who are fighting against book bans and censorship, especially after Dan Patrick’s declaration that his office is “coming for your books,” in Texas. You can learn more and support their efforts here:

• Authors Against Book Bans
• Texas Freedom to Read Project

Leticia