Tattoos and Tyrants

Hello void!

This entry has been a long time coming, and life is keeping me busy. Apologies!

First, thanks to the tens of you I met at my local No Kings 3.0 Festival. It was my first time putting my art out there like that. I feel like I really refined my pitch about my book. (Also it was my first No Kings protest I could make due to other scheduling conflicts.)

Pitch:

What if George Orwell wrote Animal Farm inspired by the modern United States? My novel, Animalia, is an ADHD-inspired, rage-to-page, modern day political fable with TEETH. It’s about a group of self-governing animals in a county, and while things aren’t perfect, they are pretty good. There’s Animal Rights, they got rid of the concept of predator vs prey, every animal has a voice. So, when an autocratic Baboon (pretending to be a Gorilla) seeks power and starts his For Animalia’s Future Order (FAFO), what are the downstream effects on the innocent and marginalized? And is that autocratic Baboon the real threat, or is there something/someone more nefarious controlling that ridiculous monkey?

Animalia is no way inspired by real life. For example, you would never have a FOX character be part of the news media who lies to push a particular worldview? Never in real life would religion be used to manipulate citizens solely for votes?!

Littered with pop culture, historical, literary, mythological, and classical references, from Chappell Roan to Aesop to Edgar Allan Poe, Animalia was written over two frenetic months in 2025 when I woke up with a story fully-formed in my head.  Captured by the muse, I was a pure conduit for this novel and my attempt to employ fiction to serve as a whimsical, poignant, and necessary defense against tyranny.

Lots of people were interested in the other books I recommended and my influences. Additionally, the amount of people who THANKED ME for writing this was surprising. Just knowing that we all fight fascism in different ways was very encouraging. Our crowds—in a very conservative city—were heartening, but seeing the major cities and the opposition to a petty despot was just wonderful.

Second, I have picked up a new book:

Lessons for Cats for Surviving Fascism.

As a fellow writer in the animal against tyranny sphere, I grabbed this the other day. It’s a delight, but really leans into the idea that cats DGAF if you try to control them. The author clearly knows cats. The chapter about unpredictability was wonderful.

Third,

My local copy editor has not only gotten her changes to me, but I have implemented those changes on my most recent version of Animalia.

Fourth,

I am getting back into the querying process soon (I call all times soon). Adulting (yay colonoscopies!), my day job, home renovations, kids, all sorts of life events have been keeping me fairly busy.

Fifth,

I have a new idea for an anti-authoritarianism tattoo, based on the greatest state flag in the United States. I won’t say what it is, but there will be clues.

Until next time.

~Grif