Baroque Music and Milk Perfumes

Happy mid-August! For me, in northern New England, that means Officially Pining for falling leaves and cooler temperatures, both of which are welcome in this, our unholy time of climate change. 

As a reminder, my debut Southern Gothic horror novel, I’LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOU, will be published on November 18, 2025. If you haven’t, please pre-order from a Black-woman-owned bookstore here. 

I’LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOU was at San Diego Comic-Con!! When I found out my book would be there, I couldn’t believe it. Please, bear witness to this lovely moment.

After SPECTACLE, Kokila will publish my non-fiction picture book about Charley Pride, America’s first Black country superstar, in May 2026. I will, of course, let you know when pre-orders are available and when the cover is revealed. 

Okay, let’s get down to business (to defeat the Huns).

What was this month like for me? I’m glad you asked.

This month’s lessons were patience and Baroque music. 

This month’s fragrances were coconut and milk. 

This month’s writing was romantic and meandering.

Let’s start with patience: I don’t have much. 

Least of all with myself, and especially when it comes to my art, which has been a lifelong challenge of mine. 

I know why and how I do things more than anyone else. I know what a meticulous person I am when it comes to my craft (shameless Afronauts Podcast episode plug). Yet, when I don’t foresee a complication and it holds me up, I am overwhelmed by frustration. Sometimes I start shaking. 

“How could I not have known this was coming?” 

“Why didn’t I consider every nuance possible in this plot/character/scene?”

Written, it sounds foolish and even cruel, but when I’ve spent hours and hours pre-writing and I feel like I know everything about this book, it sucks to be reminded I cannot plan it all. 

Art is a labyrinth. The mess is the beauty. As a poet first and foremost, I should remind myself of this more. No version of me “knows all” or writes everything “correctly”. That Beatrice doesn’t exist—and that is okay, and human, and necessary, and FRUSTRATING.

Cue the Baroque music. 

I saw a TikTok. 

A woman was in her car, discussing how listening to Baroque music helped calm her. As someone who was waist-deep in – “Why didn’t I consider every nuance possible in this plot/character/scene?” – I turned on the classical music. 

My favorites:

1. Concerto for Strings in G major, RV 151 – Antonio Vivaldi

2. Water Music, Suite No. 1, HWV 348: No. 2, Adagio e staccato – George Frideric Handel

3. Keyboard Sonata in D Minor, Kk. 9 – Dominco Scarlatti

As I was listening, I certainly calmed, aided by the wordless melodies on Spotify’s playlist. It was different from the lo-fi, hip-hop, and soul music I usually listen to. And I wonder if it was the age of the music itself? Some were hymns or songs that date back to the year 1600 or before. 

There must be something inherent in music that connects musicians across different eras (is anyone picturing a specific scene from the masterful movie Sinners?). Yet, every piece of music has a certain “presence" or “energy” that reflects the period in which it was created. 

Al Green was the 70s. TLC was the 90s.

Call it energy or passion or magic, but it was specific to them and that moment in time. I like to think of this as the oomph that reveals historical context and cannot be interpolated or sampled to better the original material.

Is that what makes baroque music so powerful? Perhaps, but it might also be the full orchestra sound and my appreciation for a good cello.

 Let’s talk fragrance. 

This month was for dupes. Here are the best ones I found at my local Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Homesense.

Coconut & Sandalwood by Sand and Fog is spearheaded by the burst of fruit and citrus notes that beautifully enhance the smoothness of the sandalwood. The fragrance is warm, but the addition of peach and milk notes prevents it from becoming overly woody. Instead, it results in a creamy sandalwood scent that I absolutely adore! 

76, Spicy Amber Vanilla by Miim.Miic is not my favorite scent by this company (that would be 108, Warm Vanilla Syrup). The best part about Black Opium by YSL® is the coffee note. That is the note it’s most marketed as by Yves Saint Laurent, yet this Miim.Miic perfume is overwhelmed by the jasmine, and unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of jasmine. 

165, Cream Gourmand by Miim.Miic is a near-perfect exact dupe. I assume it’s the lack of lemon sugar as a note, but aside from that hint of lemon, it’s exactly like Heavy Cream! Fluffy marshmallow is deepened with rich, creamy milk and sweet vanilla. Perfection!

This month’s writing was romantic. 

I meandered my way through plotting a romance for the first time in around a decade. The story is intense and gay (my two favorite things). Of course, I threaded magic and family tension into the story, but I challenged myself with multiple perspectives, including those of the grandparents of the love interests.

I've long wanted to write a romance novel that was part-romance, part-family saga. When you enter into a relationship with someone(s), you are also connecting with everyone around them. It's possible to have healthy communication with your partner(s) while experiencing an unhealthy or even frightening relationship with someone(s) close to them. Conversely, you might have a loving friendship with someone only to find that entering a romantic relationship with another close to them complicates things. What do you do then? And, in the case of my romance, what do you do if you’re all living in one house? 

I want to explore the messy, complicated, aching, and healing that comes from loving someone. Which is to say, I want to explore family. 

I have much to learn about writing romance. I’m studying genre conventions and reader expectations and blending that with my writing style and the narrative formats in which I prefer to write (such as epistolary, mixed media, etc.). As a lifelong romance reader, it’s been enjoyable to see how the sauce is made.

Here are the romance novels I’ve been reading (all bangers):

1. Vivid by Beverly Jenkins

2. When I Think of You by Myah Ariel

3. The 7-10 Split by Karmen Lee

As a reminder, my debut Southern Gothic horror novel, I’LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOU, will be published on November 18, 2025. If you haven’t, please pre-order from a Black-woman-owned bookstore here. 

Thanks for reading this month’s newsletter. I’ll write to you in September <3