butterflies

Earlier this week I looked up “anhedonia” because I was worried that I wasn’t feeling joy like I used to…it could be depression or stress. Anxiety can make you hustle so hard that you forget to stop and enjoy your achievements because there’s always something else to get done. This morning we signed a two-book deal that will continue the dragon series, then I talked to the theater producer and for the first time in a long time, had butterflies in my stomach. I think because I’ve been wanting to get back to writing for the theater for a while now and my ideas about adapting Say Her Name didn’t seem too far out…everything’s possible at this early stage of development. Hopefully I can find some local teens who are interested in acting and collaborate with them. Then I had another call with my film agent and we are *this* close to closing that deal. It’s for the option for the first two dragon books so there’s no guarantee a film or TV series will get made, but it does feel real now in a way it didn’t over the summer. Had a great conversation with an editor on Tuesday about a new picture book…as my amazing agent pointed out, “Zetta, this is your week!”

2020 has been a dumpster fire and we still have election drama to deal with, no one has been charged with Breonna Taylor’s murder (though the civil suit was settled this week) but I am grateful for my team and the technology that has made it possible to communicate with creative folks all over the country. The pandemic has certainly forced us to innovate and adapt like never before. I saw on the local news last night that the monarch butterflies are a little late starting their annual migration back to Mexico. I hope the smoke generated by the fires in California doesn’t interfere with their journey. With all the chaos we humans have created, it’s reassuring to know that some life-affirming impulses in nature persist…