Catherynne M. Valente

Character Postcard

Hello my loves!

In further adventures in making this tier worthwhile for you wonderful folks when the Livestream poll doesn't get enough questions for a stream...

I am letting you choose the characters for the new monthly reward!

Leave a comment telling me which of my characters you want a postcard from. I'll create a poll from that which only the Unverified Research tier and up can vote in. Then I'll get on the phone to whoever you chose and see what's new in their lives......

Four Year Anniversary Gift: The Collected Poems of Catherynne M. Valente (That's Me!)

Four years ago in March, I started this little Patreon.

In the time since, you and your amazing, astonishing support have made it possible for me to live between novels, to not have my house fall down around my ears, to have any kind of peace of mind, and to have an actual human child, a whole person who will grow up and do things and meet people and affect the world like the ripple of a little pebble, a being and a soul who would not exist without your patronage, month by month.

...

Audiography Playlist Volume Two: The Future Is Here

Here we are with another wildly successful second month of the Audiography Reboot: This Time Less Piracy!

The Future Is Here playlist is live (along with my selections!) and ready for you to sink your ears into. Can't wait--see you next month for a new theme and NEW MUSIC!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Xagb34UNBU3ajYhQlImvO?si=aMe4M33qS3CQ3rFuK4lyGA

Character Postcard: November

This month, you chose November, from Palimpsest! The OG Fairyland superfan. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the Great City and how life moves there now.

All my love to each and every one of you--the biggest Quarto there ever was.

Postcard Poll

And here are the choices suggested so far. Now, I want to say that any details in these will be classified as loose canons--if I were to go back and write a new Fairyland novel one day I will not hold myself precisely to what is said by A-Through-L in a postcard. I will try! But if a plot emergency comes up, well, life is like that. But on the whole they will be more or less canon-ish. Adjacent. Mostly.

CHOOSE THE FORM OF THE DESTRUCTOR!

ALLCAPS COOKBOOK PRESENTS: Bucatini with Mussels, Spring Peas, and Three Peppercorn Miso Broth

Bucatini with Mussels, Spring Peas, and Three Peppercorn Miso Broth

This was so fabulous it wouldn’t even talk to me in the halls at school.

I didn’t even really mean to make a good dinner that night, I just wanted to use up the mussels I bought for myself FORLORNLY because my husband is allergic to shellfish so I never get to have them anymore but he was busy so I busted them out.

Goddamn.

I used a base recipe but found to be WRONG and BAD. No, we...

Mad Mandatory Media Dissection Poll

All right, kittens! What am I reviewing this month? (Last month was a DOOZY!)

For clarification: the "haven't watched yet" tag means someone from the Mad Post-Doc tier requested this and I haven't gotten around to watching it yet, but will do if it's chosen.

Open Discussion

Here is your monthly place to chat and get to know each other! Feel free to talk about anything, but be kind, this is a safe place.

How are you all feeling?

Audiography Theme Announcement: Volume Two

Last month was so amazing, you guys! We created a huge playlist of joy that I'm still discovering new music from. This worked better than I ever imagined.

So here we go with the second theme!

May's Audiography Redux theme is: The Future Is Here

A little more esoteric this time, but not too much, we're still finding our feet!

Post up to three songs in the comments that fit the theme. That can mean anything you want: something with "future" in the title ...

The New Audiography Makes Its Debut! Volume One: Happiness

It's ready! All your songs and four of mine (I get an extra because I make the rules) all together in a beautiful WILDLY diverse playlist available right now for you to listen to and feel a little happy.

The only way to do this so that everyone can have access and I'm not pirating music (a major feature of the original Audiography) is to make a public playlist, but I will only provide the link to it here. So you can share it if you choose! But initial access will only be through this si...

Character Postcard: The Roadrunner from Space Opera

This Better Not Awaken Anything In Me: How Ted Lasso Totally Did Awaken Lots of Things In Me Even Though Absolutely No One Asked It To Go So Hard

Ted Lasso has virtually everything going against it. Especially in terms of getting specifically me, Cat Valente, to give it a chance.

But I really, really, really want you to give it a chance if you haven’t. So I’m gonna try to do this without major spoilers beyond the premise of the show.

First of all, the marketing team should all be given a serious, yet inspiring and oddly healing trip to the shed out back. It looked awful in the ads, trailers, basically ...

ALLCAPS COOKBOOK Presents: Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans with Pork Belly and Toasted Walnut Dust

Sichuan Dry-Fried Green Beans with Pork Belly and Toasted Walnut Dust

Sichuan peppercorns, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: you taste like flowers and citrus only both are on fire and kind of mad at me. You are pretty and goldenish red! Also you come in giant bulk bags that are very satisfying to pour into jars.

That’s most of the ways.

This is actually a remarkably quick recipe to whip up, but looks fancy af and seems like you spent a long time ...

Mad Laboratory Discord is Live!

Enough of you seemed interested in a dedicated Discord server for the community, so now, LIKE MAGIC, it exists!

There's not much there now--we need you guys for that. But I'll be logged in for the rest of the day to welcome folks, chat, and take suggestions. Come hang out! I have no idea what I'm doing! But we could all use some company!

We'll see how everything goes, but you are all a very special group and I don't foresee the need for heavy moderation. Please do not make me regr...

Mandatory Mad Media Dissection Poll

What shall I review this month, darlings?

Postcard Poll

And here are the choices suggested so far. Now, I want to say that any details in these will be classified as loose canons--if I were to go back and write a new Fairyland novel one day I will not hold myself precisely to what is said by A-Through-L in a postcard. I will try! But if a plot emergency comes up, well, life is like that. But on the whole they will be more or less canon-ish. Adjacent. Mostly.

CHOOSE THE FORM OF THE DESTRUCTOR!

Open Discussion

Here is your monthly place to chat and get to know each other! Feel free to talk about anything, but be kind, this is a safe place.

How are you all feeling?

OMG NEW REWARD PATREON HAPPY FUN TIME THING

We're starting a new monthly feature here at the Mad Fiction Laboratory!

Wha? Why? did we meet a new goal?

Nope.

Is it my birthday?

Maybe? Statistically, it's probably one of your birthdays. Three more weeks til mine though.

No, I just really wanted to. I've wanted to do this one for a long time, but work and child and EMOTIONS have sapped all my energy til now. Well, I still have no energy, but this morning a tiny sparrow of motivation barely brushed by my windo...

Discord/Slack Possibilities

Hey everyone! 

So this is a thing people have been doing and I wondered if you guys would be interested in doing it too.

Would you want a dedicated Laboratory Discord channel or Slack? Would you use it? We did try with Patreon's Throne app but it was quite off-putting with how much it tried to monetize every interaction and we all kind of communally peaced out. But Discord and Slack don't have that issue, so what say you?

I'm Not Okay; You're Not Okay: Dealing with 2020's Endless Denouement

Writing is hard.

This is not going to be me bitching about my job for 3000 words. I am well aware that all things considered, in the history of the world and the socio-economic map of this culture, my job is a beautiful glittering jeweled ice cream cone on top of a lovely lush green hill.

But writing is still hard.

Everything is hard. Remember when I used to tell you cute little anecdotes about the weather in Maine at the beginnings of these things? The gentle snow, the howl...

Monthly Postcard: Decibel Jones

Now, you don't get pretty cursive from a washed up rockstar. You get purple eyeliner on the back of a stolen Save the Date card.

There are some little clues to Space Oddity in this one--special privilege of being patrons! Dess will see you all soon...and I'll be posting a real excerpt in the next few days. 

And as a VERY special treat, Heath Miller, who recorded the Space Opera audiobook and who most of you know I am married to, recorded this postcard in the official...

It Was Misogyny All Along! A Series of Yes But Also No Reactions to Marvel's Wandavision

It really is ever so much easier to review something when I hated it. Or when I just love it so much. I just open up the Ol' Scrivener and gush.

But with Wandavision...there is just SO much to love.

And SO much to absolutely not love.

And what is not lovable is so directly related to problems with the MCU at large rather than the show as a discreet media unit.

And what is lovable is so directly related to television as a whole damn memetic seascape ...

Strega Nona's Any Night Umami-Tsunami Pasta

Fuck food.

Seriously.

It's been too long, with too little respite, and I live on a damn island where I can't get things delivered easily, so I'm so sick of cooking and coming up with things to cook that don't bore me to tears I feel like fire-bombing my kitchen most nights.

DOING GREAT, HOW BOUT YOU?

So a few weeks ago I asked Twitter what their favorite low-effort recipes were, and after thousands of suggestions to which my responses varied from I'LL TRY IT to YOU EAT...

Mandatory Mad Fiction Media Dissection Poll!

All right, dear hearts. What shall I review this month?

Postcard Poll

And here are the choices suggested so far. Now, I want to say that any details in these will be classified as loose canons--if I were to go back and write a new Fairyland novel one day I will not hold myself precisely to what is said by A-Through-L in a postcard. I will try! But if a plot emergency comes up, well, life is like that. But on the whole they will be more or less canon-ish. Adjacent. Mostly.

CHOOSE THE FORM OF THE DESTRUCTOR!

Open Discussion

Here is your monthly place to chat and get to know each other! Feel free to talk about anything, but be kind, this is a safe place.

How are you all feeling?

February Postcard: A-Through-L!

Our monthly character postcard comes to us this time from Fairyland--with guest lettering by my massively talented friend Kris McDermott (Wyverary claws are not so excellent at holding pens).

What’s The Matter, Don’t You Like Our Smart People Music? or I Don’t Know What Will Save Modern Cinema But It 100% Isn’t Tenet

Oh my god, you guys chose Tenet! What a CRAZY UNFORSEEABLE YET TRÈS FORTUNATE turn of events because I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS EARSPLATTING MONOCHROME GLUMBEAST.

But first, I’m gonna need you to watch a YouTube video.

This one. Clicky-clicky.

I’m afraid I’m quite serious, and I will wait for you to go watch it and come back. It’s only three minutes and it’s vital th...

ALLCAPS COOKBOOK PRESENTS: Unicorn Pancakes!

In the constant quest to find food my toddler is willing to eat, I am not ashamed to resort to food coloring.

But! The color scheme is not the only thing that makes these Unicorn Pancakes! I stole this recipe RIGHT OFF A CHILD, i.e my friend’s daughter, and they’re totally delicious, barely even need butter and syrup. The coconut oil and salted butter gives them a unique salty-sweet tropical flavor that UNICORNS CRAVE.

DON’T YOU WANT TO BE THE MOST POPULAR HOUSE ON UNICORN D...

Mandatory Mad Fiction Media Dissection Poll!

All right, dearhearts. What shall I review this month?