Introducing VESSEL: A Novel

Dear friends,

​Guess what? Nope. Don't guess. I'll just tell you. After years of writing and editing and submitting and getting an agent and losing my agent and new projects and leads and losses and the constantly cinching of new talent in the publishing industry...

I've decided to self-publish my debut novel. 

I've been dreading self-publishing, if I'm honest. But at this point, I've been working on this book for over a decade and I want it to just see the light of day and maybe finally worm its way into someone else's heart, publisher or no publisher. 

So here I am. I'm shit at marketing, let's be real, but I want to share this with you lot first. There are fewer than 25 of you subscribed to this email list, and who even knows if any of your addresses are still active! I'll be sending updates to you as I'm working on the book. Little things, like character names and profiles, bits of history and drawings, etc. Today I've got a snippet for you, and I hope you enjoy it. 

The book, Vessel, is a blend of Rory Power's Wilder Girls and the 2019 movie "Midsommar." 

Image from 1973 film "Satan's School for Girls." I don't own this image, source link provided below.

Image source

It's a story about a girl in a hyper-religious cult who is coming to terms with her sexuality. Our heroine, Paige, is a true believer in the purity culture she's been immersed in her whole life and is so desperately chasing it for herself. She wants to be her community's chosen one, but when she's picked (and not first) for the job, she can't escape the rotting truth of her own imperfections. She's in love with a girl, her brother gets himself arrested, her family is falling apart, and then the girl she loves gets herself arrested, too. 

Soon, she falls in line with a resistance group, but the price they want her to pay is steep: they want her to murder the community's leader, the Matriarch. 

Stuck between bad and worse, Paige must decide which is better: the strict, zealous love their religion preaches, or fighting for the freedom to search for her own version of "home"—even though she might never find it.

The snippet below is an excerpt from the community's holy book, The Statutes of Equality. You'll see a bunch of influences from various religions and high-control groups, mainstream and marginalized alike. This one in particular is inspired by a pamphlet I got while walking by the Church of Scientology here in Pasadena! 

Thanks for your support over the years. It means a great deal to me. 

Until next month, 
Rie

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Why I Gave You This Book
An excerpt from the Statutes of Equality

­THE SCREAMS OF OUR ANCESTORS ECHO across the empty desert plains surrounding our small town; there is no one left but us. We refuse to fall prey to their temptations; it was their weakness, their selfishness that nearly removed us all from Earth. This community is the lone survivor of a destructive war, and therefore peace is taken very seriously in our town of New Standard. History has taught us, then, that peace is in our hands. And I tell you, Friend, that the key to peace is love. Take solace, Friend, and keep sweet. You are part of my community, and I exercise love[1] toward you. 

We have learned from our ancestors: the experience of one individual is so much less significant than the community as a whole. We have learned that goodness rewards the faithful, especially in times of suffering. Here in New Standard, love is prevalent, because love is everlasting, love is peace. We stand firm in our keeping of our love, of our peace. We cling to our faith and we cling to each other because they let us survive on a crumbling Earth. 
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Join me, Friend. Take my hand. Take solace in the love found in our community, because there is room for nothing else.


[1] Love, v. To exercise mindfulness toward a fellow Friend emphasizing patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control, without envy and without boast, without pride and without rudeness. To love is to center your whole mind around your fellow Friends, to be selfless, to value your community above all else, and to always put others first. You are only one part of this community; it can only thrive if the Self does not get in the way of the Whole.