Hello, I'm new here.
"Am I in the right place? Is this the Substack party?"
Oh, good. My name is Jenn Grainger; some friends call me Jenzi.
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I'm currently wandering around Asia. I take photos, and I am writing a novel to stay sane. People writing novels may find that amusing because it's definitely one of the most challenging things I have ever done. I am without doubt the most unlikely person to be a writer. But for some crazy reason I love it.
Travelling solo, and writing solo means you spend too much time alone. I write in cafes, not only to satisfy my cafe obsession but for a community vibe and opportunity to meet people and have conversations.
I identify as curious. It could be my pronoun, or my name could be Alice, either way it's a big part of who I am.
Only four days ago I was listening to Eleanor Anstruther's podcast talking about her Substack newsletter.
"That's interesting" I said out loud to myself, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a rabbit pop up out of its hole, and it threw a book at me to see if I could catch it.
And I did– it was a pop up invitation to a big party. So down the hole I chased the rabbit to discover what's really going on in the stacks. It wasn't just a party, it was a new world.
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Now I know I'm a little off track here, but stay with me.
As you can see I can add a little fiction to embellish the story. But real life can lack sufficient juiciness to be interesting. Don't you think?
And that, dear friend, is what gave me an idea— about what to bring to the Substack party, and you—I’ll write little stories. "I can manage that each week" she said to herself. “Purely for entertainment value and a writing practice”, and as Mark Twain said Write what you know.
So— the stories are set in cafes, mostly in Asia, but I might nip over to Istanbul, Italy, or the Greek islands. Who knows where I will turn up? That is part of the fun.
Espresso Stories ~ a free weekly autobiographical~fiction series.
Some of it is true. A lot of it is not.
https://curiousmindstravel.substack.com/about
If you click it, it means you are curious, perhaps interested in Travel, Asia, Cafe Society, or the ups and downs of a beginner's writing life.
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Stay curious, yours truly. 🐰 ☕️ 📖