San Diego Forever! Also Ottawa

Welcome to the Stone Soup Digest! This is where I share what I'm up to and some of my favorite things from around the internet. Subscribe to Stone Soup to get this in your inbox on the regular.

Take Action

This newsletter has been heavy on the My Schedule content lately, but don’t worry—even when I’m on airplanes, I’m with you in the fight for our future. I’m just real tired in that fight. Anyway, here’s something that needs doing, and you’re the best person to do it. 

There are three bills currently awaiting votes that we can work together to stop:

• HR 7661, which I’ve bothered you about before, is an especially vile book-banning bill that would destroy the lives of queer authors everywhere. That’s not an exaggeration. 
• HR 8705, named for Charlie Kirk, would gut history and civics curriculums everywhere.
• HR 2616 has already passed the House and has now moved on to the Senate. Call your senators about this one.

It’s time to get on the phone: Learn the identities of your representatives and call them. That last link includes scripts specifically tailored for neurodivergent communication needs.

I know it’s scary to make these calls. And I know, without a doubt, that it’s less scary than being a queer kid with no resources and no understanding of the rich history of activism in my country. 

We can be brave so those kids don’t have to. Use the script and make the call. It’ll take ten minutes, and then you’ll know you did your part. 

And now…

Where In The World Am I?

Hey San Diego, did you miss me? Probably not, seeing as how I was just there for the San Diego Literary Festival. But I missed you! Which is why I’m coming back for Mona Awad’s San Diego We Love You, Bunny event.

EVENT: In Conversation with Mona Awad for We Love You, Bunny

Wednesday, September 30 at 7:00 PM
Meet Cute Romance Bookshop
8235 La Mesa Blvd
La Mesa, CA 91942

EVENT: Can*Con

If you’re not in San Diego, you’re probably in Ottawa (I’m advised that those are the two places people live). Which is such a lucky coincidence, because Ottawa is the location of my final appearance of the year! 

CAN*CON: OCTOBER 16 - 18, 2026
FRIDAY, 7:00 PM - Class Conflict & Revolution in SFF
SATURDAY, 10:00 AM - Discomfort as a Compass Needle
SUNDAY, 10:00 AM - Quirks and Perks of Writing for a Big IP

Featured New Release: Hellraiser: Resurrections - Hell’s Council #1 by Nero Villagallos O'reilly, Francesca Ciregia, and Joana Lafuente

We saw the fall of Butterball at the end of Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Now we’ll witness his rise as the wounded Cenobite is taken in by a mysterious do-gooder who slowly nurses him back to health, all while worming her way into his brain...and maybe even his heart?

The horrors come fast and hard in a tale of terror that revisits the classic Cenobite and fills in the gaps between Hellbound and now. But is Butterball the hero of this story, or is it the woman he’s falling for?

Barnes & Noble | Bad River Website | Find a Local Comic Shop

Currently Reading: We Love You Bunny by Mona Awad

In the cult classic novel Bunny, Samantha Heather Mackey was first ostracized and then seduced by a clique of creepy-sweet rich girls in her New England MFA program who call themselves “Bunny.” An invitation to the Bunnies’ Smut Salon leads Samantha down a dark rabbit hole (pun intended) into the violently surreal world of their off-campus workshops.

When We Love You, Bunny opens, Sam has just published her first novel to critical acclaim. But at a New England stop on her book tour, her one-time frenemies, furious at the way they’ve been portrayed, kidnap her. Now a captive audience, it’s her (and our) turn to hear the Bunnies’ side of the story.

Barnes & Noble | Bad River Website | Local Library | Libro.fm | Find an Indie Bookstore

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In the meantime, remember: Do what you can. Care for yourself and the people around you. Believe that the world can be better than it is now. Never give up.

-gailey