February Fervour: Monthly Missives from The Dream Pedlar

Hello, Dreamer!

I know you weren't expecting this — I wasn't either — but I have a new little book out! It's a short fantasy story titled Mrs. D'Souza's Dispute with God. How fun and intriguing is that?!

Two things were annoying Mrs. D’Souza. One, the fact that she was dead. And second, the line of dead folks waiting to meet their Maker was insufferably long and impossibly docile.

Restless and teeming with questions, she decides to take matters in her own hands and sets out to find God. Not a big deal, really.

Except for one small thing. How do you seek someone when you don’t even know what they look like?

Both the ebook and paperback are currently available on Amazon. They'll go up on other retailer platforms in the coming months.

The reason for this unexpected but entirely delightful release is that the March edition of the International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors (IASFA)'s newsletter will contain an introduction written by none other than yours truly!

I was super thrilled when the opportunity to write a note to the IASFA's audience came up late last year and jumped at it right away.

In it, you'll read all about how I came to write fantasy fiction, how Indian gods, the Amar Chitra Katha comics I read growing up, and my favourite authors—Neil Gaiman, Erin Morgenstern, and Christopher Pike—influenced my life and writing journeys.

The IASFA is also running a promotion of free fantasy short stories during March 24—28. Mrs. D'Souza's Dispute with God will be featured in the collection.

As the promotion period will end before it's time for March's Monthly Missives, I'll send out a short reminder on the 24th.

Make sure you're signed up to receive 'News & Updates' in addition to 'Monthly Missives'. Alternately, if you'd prefer to only receive the Monthly Missives, you can update your subscription preferences accordingly.

I've created a little page to guide you on how to make these choices and changes. Check it out!

February has been a mixed month for me. Despite my exhortation in January's missive to focus on the process and not the outcome, I've been having much trouble following my own advice.

I've been feeling the passage of time too acutely to shrug off that sense of urgency such witnessing tends to bring.

It's only February, and some of the parents I know have already signed their children up for summer camps in July-August. Some of the camps are already full. Meanwhile, we're still shovelling scraping from our driveways whatever small amount of snow fell last week.

It's as if we can no longer afford to spend a season without looking ahead to the next one (and the one after) and preparing for it. So much of the present moment is spent in service of future events that it's hard to not get caught up in either anticipation or anxiety.

This makes me want to avoid thinking about the future entirely, let alone plan for it. Which, in turn, makes me realize that what I'm really afraid of is making the 'wrong' decisions.

As I was telling my dear friend and bringer of all good things into my life, H, earlier this week, we wish to have a bit of a slow summer, allowing D to spend his days without any agenda, instead of filling up all his weeks with either camps or travel, as most other families around us seem to be doing.

When I'm talking with other parents, all my certainty goes out of the window and FOMO shows up roaring wildly. But when I come back and spend some time in the quietude of home, shutting out the noise of the world outside, I once again grow confident and comfortable with the choices we originally made.

The following quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson kept coming to mind:

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

But how? How does one remain true to oneself when we're constantly being buffeted by the high winds of others' opinions and choices?

Fortunately, I have an answer to that question this time!

Many of you know I'm a big fan of the BigLife Journal, which is an excellent resource for children (and adults too) to develop a healthy attitude and mindset towards life and its challenges.

The founder, Alexandra Eidens, runs a weekly podcast for adults with useful mindset tips. In her latest episode, she shared a quote:

Make a decision, and make it the right one.

This simply means that once you've selected your choice, decide it is the right one.

In her latest newsletter introducing the podcast episode, Eidens shared the following:

We get so caught up in thinking about what we could be missing out on, that we overlook the goodness we've got right in front of us.

It's like we're programmed to believe our current situation could always be better. 

We all can learn to enjoy what’s in front of us, the life that we have right now...even if it's not exactly what we dreamt of.

Because even if what's in front of us is NOT what we want for our future, it still has the potential for growth, joy, and happiness.

So rather than being daunted by the fear of missing out, we can remember that it’s not so much which choice we’ve made - it’s more about the depth of our experience, and how much we are present in it.

~ Alexandra Eidens, Founder of BigLife Journal

So that, my lovely readers, is the secret to being satisfied with our choices in life.

How has February been treating you, my lovely ones?

Two months into 2024! Are you feeling the passage of time like I do? Have you come up with your own genius ways to cope with it all?

Write to me and let me know! You know I always respond to your notes.

Tales for Dreamers

the ghosts are leaving

This is a brand new tale I wrote just a few days ago! I took this picture from my favourite place on earth—the grounds of Paletta Mansion—overlooking Lake Ontario and facing the factories of Hamilton exhaling into the early morning air.

How I've missed writing these tiny tales! There are too many stories swirling in my head, and too little time in which to tell them all.

There I go again, wishing time would slow down, come to a halt even, and keep me bound to this very moment of happiness. (Now you know why the ghosts are leaving! 🤭)

Books You May Love

Once again, I've had to resort to writing a separate post to list out the amazing books I read this month.

One book that deserves a special mention here is The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar. A tale of an Indian-American immigrant's dilemma, of family secrets, of the Parsi way of life, all beautifully woven into a heartfelt and touching novel.

I have written about this book and the others I read over here.

Time to part again, dear readers!

Do you have any special plans for Leap Day?

I have none so far; I'd probably spend it doing what I love most — writing and hanging out with D and KrA.

The older I grow, the simpler my needs are. Below is a list of what I cherish in life. (Especially, daytime naps!)

I wish for you all that you cherish and value in your life too!

Until our next rendezvous

~ Anitha