Cosy Vibes

July 2026

Hello everyone!

Finally, I have a progress milestone to share!

The Projects In Progress

As promised, this pass of edits for God Words Book 1 is complete! Woohoo!

What does that mean, though, Ash?

Well… rather excitingly it means that I get a little break while it is sent to *gasp* an editor!

Ohhhhh shit is getting real now, friends!

Naturally, during the break I will be writing God Words Book 2, or potentially segueing into another project that has been brewing for a little while—you may recall the Renaissance Project from earlier newsletters of mine. Either way, I am keen to get into writing some new material again after editing for so long!

Speaking of writing, here’s another little snippet from God Words Book 1 editing this month:

“People don’t want the truth—they just want to stop the ache inside. The one that tells them they’ve lost something they won’t get back, that someone out there took it from them.” His eyes flicked up, pinning her with their cold deadness. “Revenge can ease that pain, at least for a little while.”

The Other Worlds I’ve Gotten Lost In Lately

Every month I sit down to write this portion of my newsletter and think ‘oh, I didn’t really read a lot this month’. And then I list them and realise I am an idiot. So, here’s my reads for this month:

Dark Skies (ARC) by J.S. Harman - the last in the Darkworlds series and an absolute heart-stopper. I felt wrung out like a wet sponge at the end of this one, in the best way. Harman once again delivers absolute devastation, and nails the landing of a great trilogy.

One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig - the way I absolutely devoured these two books this month… I cannot express. The world, the characters, the magic—enthralling. I stayed up way past my bedtime reading them and slept through my alarm today after finishing it at 1:30am this morning. Worth it.

I also read a middle-grade fantasy beta that was incredible, and the cutest of dragon cosy fantasy alpha reads. More on both of these upcoming releases when I can share!

Off On Tangents

A truly random tangent today—I have recently gotten back into gaming. For those that know me well, video games have always been a big part of my life, but with time a premium right now it is not often something I get a chance to indulge in.

Lately, though, I have been obsessed with Pokemon Pokopia. I don’t know what it is about that game—the nostalgia of interacting with the Pokemon I grew up with? The little houses I can build for them? Watching them gambol around the environment while I clean streets and reconnect the electricity? I never thought I would enjoy running errands for Pokemon so much. It’s cosy, quirky and just so fun.

I’m also enjoying the overarching mystery of why the humans disappeared, and am keen to find out before my kids do so they don’t spoil it for me!

Do you play any games? If so, what are you playing right now?

If not, what has been something cosy you’ve retreated into when the world is a bit too much?

Take care of yourselves, lovelies!

Ashley Marasco

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