#dome 6

vote yes if you have finished the entire book. vote no if you have not finished the entire book.

In case you missed the Chirrup this month, Gentle Reader. It contained some fun and important things so I’m doing something I rarely do, which is rehash some of it here in the blog.

Not all of it of course. The real gossip and exclusives are reserved for my subscribers. Sorry not sorry, I love them best.

Favorite book I read in 2023?

Old Fashioned Cupcake, a charming and beautiful foodie manga about finding love and acceptance later in life… mostly via pancakes.

Just lovely. 

I’m currently reading another queer manga The Flower That Seems to Truly Dance. I’m enjoying it. But I’m only about ⅓ of the way in so not sure I recommend it yet. 

Favorite SF/F I watched in 2023?

Black Knight on Netflix.

A post-apocalyptic piece from South Korea that was tight and well-paced and hit all my favorite tropes of this kind of drama (for which I have a bit of a weakness). 

Favorite reality TV of 2023?

Peak Time on Viki.

Kpop groups that never made it in the industry compete against each other for a second chance. Talk about found family!

Surprise runner up?

Physical 100 on Netflix.

This would not normally be my thing but it’s absolutely riveting, especially if you look at it in terms of creating heroic, Alpha, and jock characters. 

Favorite romance I watched in 2023?

Our Dating Sim (the series) on Viki.

A sweet reunion romance about two geeks who were besties in high school but parted badly, and reunite in the workplace to create a dating video game. 

I’m currently watchingLast Twilight a Thai BL on GMMTV’s YouTube Channel, It is charming and well done. It’s a classic tropey story in that it’s about a bad boy with a tortured past and a heart of gold who becomes a caregiver to a rich ex-national athlete who is going blind. Of course they slowly fall in love. 

Favorite food of 2023?

Honestly? Soft tofu.

I discovered the joy of using it to

thicken smoothies,

spread on toast,

chop up with fruit,

make into pudding,

and mix with eggs.

Honestly, is there anything it can’t do? (For those who care, I eat meat, but I mostly am a vegetarian at home because that’s how I was raised and my body likes it.)

More 2023 food favorites? Some of these new dishes I discovered in Thailand.

Favorite tea of 2023? 

Well, my space oolong of course!

Deep Blue Abyss!

All about inventing it here.

At night it’s gotten cold here so I am into, of all things, Bigelow’s Orange Spice “Tea.” It’s a tisane (no caffeine) I drink in the evenings in lieu of my lazy arse not wanting to actually mull cider. 

Favorite songs of 2023?

I loved Jeff Satur’s creepy carnival-esk Black Tie.

For something a bit more classic and sweet, Eric Nam’s Only for a Moment.

But to be fair to my pathetic earworm self? Mostly I just had Medusa by Just B on repeat. What can I say? It makes me bounce. I love it when Kpop goes classic rock. (The MV is hella weird though.)

Other Kpop 2023 release I particularly enjoyed: 

Enhyphen’s Bite Me

Monsta X’s Beautiful Liar

The Rose’s Back to Me

BTOB’s Wind & Wish

iKon’s Panorama (a return to form for them)

TRENDZ’s New Dayz

Epik High’s On My Way

Stray Kids’s Get Lit

Hwang Min Hyun’s Hidden Side 

VIXX’s Amnesia (stunning MV, the Kings of Concept continue kinging)

Favorite new clothing item of 2023?

Also, likely my most worn item = this purse hook that can also be a bracelet.

I’m getting very into utilitarian jewelry these days.

Pretty and functional? Yes please. 

Favorite healthy discovery of 2023?

Korean skin care, specifically this sunscreen by Isntree.

Favorite interior design moment of 2023?

I bought these gorgeous nightlights for the Popster’s house because there are weird steps in strange places and I worry about him falling. They sit inside plugs and are motion activated at night, but very soft so they don’t hurt the eyes… and so pretty!

Speaking of which, I also got this GREAT Car Door Handle that inserts into the door jamb for extra help in standing up after a drive.

Just good stuff that happened in my life in 2023 

Bringing out a scifi trilogy of which I am, perhaps, the most proud in my whole career as an author.

To that end, working with Paul Sizer around the cover art for these books was the highlight of my 2023 professional life. He has such immense talent and it was such a pleasure to watch him tackle my vision for these covers and bring them to life even better than I imagined. I hope my whimsical muse brings me back to another story worthy of his talents in the future.

Just talking to Tom about Kpop. It’s a joy to find out that someone I already know and like is as deeply invested in the same pop culture fixation as me. I love geeking out about stuff I love.

Madam Askew & Grand Arbiter visiting me in my hometown. I got to take two of my favorite people around to my favorite places and feed them.  I’ve been in the steampunk world for over 15 years now and it’s the people I’ve met there that keep bringing me back. These two are the pinnacle of Good Eggs.

Thailand – truly the dream trip I had always hoped for. It’s rare for something I built up so high over so many years to actually live up to my expectations. I loved everything about my month there: who I went with, where I visited, people I met, things I ate, and learning more about the amazing language. Again please?

The amazing utterly unexpected support I am getting from the secret order of tea supporters (SOOTS). I just… words fail me. And I’m an author, that doesn’t happen often. 

Mom’s new kitten Dips!

Announcements!

Divinity 36 is coming to vendors by the end of the month (I hope). If you’re a Chirrup subscriber you have access to buy it in MP3 form directly from me right NOW. It is narrated by Michael Lesley. (He did The 5th Gender.)

You can also watch and listen to me reading the entire first chapter.

The Dratsie Dilemma (San Andreas Shifter #4) is delayed as about half way written, for good reason (explained in detail in the Chirrup). Basically I am experiencing a compound of health, family, and car drama. 

Quick reminder, if you got a Kindle or a KU subscription as a gift this year, all 4 Finishing School books are currently in Kindle Unlimited. You might want to read them before my publisher decides to take them out. (At their whim, not mine.) 

Most Popular as Voted by YOU

5 Most popular posts from 2023

Divinity 36: Read the 1st Chapter FREE & Listen to it in the Author’s Voice

75 Best Beach Reads for Genre Lovers (Fantasy, Science Fiction & Beyond)

10 Most Popular Questions About Gail Carriger Answered

40 Bookish Gifts! Miss Gail’s Pressie Suggestions 2023

In which Miss Gail Invents a Tea! Deep Blue Abyss AKA Space Oolong

Also:

So how’s the new book series doing, Miss Gail? (for Chirrup members only) if you want the password just reply to the most recent Chirrup asking for it.

Yours (destined to be killed by a tumbling TBR pile),

Miss Gail talking all things space tea, divinity, and writing related

In this installment of Gail is a Silly Bean. I discuss making blue space tea (and show you tons of examples of ways to prepare and drink it), the new Tinkered Starsong series, and other things writing related. 

DIVINITY 36 (book 1)

DEMIGOD 12 (book 2)

DOME 6 (book 3)

The tea is here (may be temporarily out of stock)

My lipstick

The glasses I am wearing do, indeed, have a tea party theme and they are from Pair Eyewear. 

Demigod 12: Tinkered Starsong Book 2

The new book is now out! Here I am celebrating the release of DEMIGOD 12, Tinkered Starsong Book 2, answering reader's questions and generally being silly. (I got very excited about a new throw pillow). 

Launch Party Q&A

I go deep on the nature of entertainment, celebrity, and creativity, as well as building alien races & planet, comfort reads, cozy things, neurodivergent characters, and what it meant so be a refugee.*

DEMIGOD 12

1st book in series is DIVINITY 36

Final book is on digital preorder, DOME 6

I'm drinking a purple butterfly pea leaf + oolong tea, soon to be released from Tea Punk Teas.  

All about teas, teacups, teapots, and my tea habits.

Dome 6 Launch Party (eating purple food!) with Gail Carriger

In which I chat about Dome 6 (and a COMPLETED trilogy!), answer your questions & eat PURPLE FOOD. 

Dome 6 is the 3rd and final book in the Tinkered Starsong trilogy and it's tons of fun and very comforting sci-fi in print & ebook. 

Direct from Gail. 

Chirrup (Gail's newsletter). 

Gail's makeup info here.

Specifically the lippy. 

The blue/purple space tea is here.  

Purple things I ate, in order, plus notes:

Sweetened Star Gooseberry (Kumquat) aka Phyllanthus acidus - you can watch the Weird Fruit Explorer eat the raw version of this fruit here. Which leads me to believe these candies have had A LOT added to them. I wasn't wild about these, they tasted almost alcoholic. 

Oishi Pillows Ube-Filled Crackers - these I liked a lot, it reminded me of the consistency of the yogurt coating plus the flavor of ube plus crispy cereal. 

Eng BeeTin Chinese Deli Hopia Ube Purple Yam Cakes (refrigerated) - these reminded me a little of moon cakes, very fresh tasting like just roasted yam, not too sweet, quite filling. 

Pastillas de Ube (chewy milk candy with purple yam) from the Philippines - these confused me but in the end I decided I didn't like them based on both consistency and flavor. I wanted them to taste more like Korean milk candy, which I love. (My favorite is the Lotte brand.) 

Binggrae Taro Flavored Milk - I truly loved this and had to stop myself from drinking all of it for lactose reasons. 

Rico Taro Flavored Bubble Milk Tea - way less excited about this, also it wasn't purple!

 Want Want GQ Tang-Grape Flavor candy - yummy if you like super grape things (which I do)

Finally was able to spring for @gailcarriger ‘s Tinkered Starsong trilogy physical copies ☺️. I already owned the ebooks, but there’s just something special about having a physical book to read.