Mishell Baker

I'll be taking a social media break for a bit. Just putting this here so folks don't worry I've died 😂

My WoW guild discord chat is a font of endless, escalating nonsense.

Anytime I hear a phrase that is absolutely bonkers out of context (and even kinda IN context) I immediately respond, "... is the name of my next band."

Today's offering: MINTY FRESH PORCUPINE GHOST.

☺️

And yet here I am, still working on my book, still doing my treadmill time, etc. WHERE'S MY MEDAL.

If you knew the day (well, about 5 days in a row) I've had... losing all my hair has just been the icing removed from the stomped-on cake.

Can you tell I'm still cranky?

Scott Galloway was on thin ice with me already as someone who seems to talk a lot about fighting fascism while using its tools, and now he's gleefully announcing *joining* Substack. Today. Knowing what we know.

Yeah no. There are plenty of activists; I'll listen to the ones who walk the walk.

Ugggh. Sigh. I was gonna give you a chance even after the whole "Gosh if I don't use the evil platforms we should be boycotting, how would I reach anyone?" But now you are CHOOSING to START on substack, like a grown adult choosing to start smoking tobacco in the year of our lord 2026 - I'm done.

Eh, I'll figure it out I suppose. Just venting because I am tired of working. This is not a day that has been conducive to working.

Yeah, that's what I can't figure out - how it seemed to call so much attention to itself. I certainly wasn't paying it any special attention myself.

I feel like asking someone to read a whole book and comment on it is enough labor to ask of them without my following up two months after they made a comment to ask them WTF??? (assuming they even remember 🤣)

Honestly -- any time a reader makes a comment that's along the lines of "I think I see what you're doing here, mechanically as a writer" -- I feel like they are not into the story enough and I need to try harder to engage them.

If they said "I feel like this is going to be important later" I could just dismiss it, because reader feelings and theories are not 100% under my control. But something about the phrasing of "This looks like..." feels like a judgment. Looks like it how? What did I do to make it look that way?

So... what is this reader telling me? This is not actionable information. They are making a prediction, and they're incorrect - but is that for me to fix?

I can't tell if my (somehow?) making it LOOK important is causing an imbalance when it turns out not to be. And they don't tell me.

Is this comment saying I need to make it important to the plot? Or... somehow make it seem LESS like it's there for later plot?

They don't tell me *why* it seems like I'm doing setup for later payoff, so I don't know how to do it *less*. It's just a fact a person brings up about herself."

Holy Unhelpful Reader Comments, Batman!

"This looks like something that's being planted now to be important later in the plot."

It wasn't. It continues to come up, but the plot doesn't hinge on it in any way. It's just a fun detail.

So like...

Yes, I can be emailed at the same username I use here, at pm.me

You are amazing!! Thank you so much.

I WILL NOT let the Events of Today or the Symptoms of Today stop me from getting today's chapters rewritten.

Will. Not.

In general, I don't like to buy things from people who do not know and love those things. I buy books from people who know and love books.

I also do a lot of shopping at barnesandnoble.com because B&N was really, really good to me as an author. They did several writeups in their various blogs, featuring and praising my books specifically. It was awesome.

Just a little post in case people still don't know about Bookshop.org - the absolute best way to buy books.

Indeed there seems to be a problem with the book section of Amazon (at least) and sale links don't seem to work. I'm sure this will be fixed reasonably soon, and in the meantime, a reminder that Amazon is but one retailer, and my books are available many other places, including your local bookstore.

Branch manager branching out

Chocolate bunnies who have SEEN TOO MUCH

These chocolate adjacent bunnies have SEEN TOO MUCH.

That's a good idea; I'll keep an eye out.

I know this is supposed to enrage me, but I don't need my email service to be so private that I can use it in conjunction with shootings and arson and be completely safe from criminal investigation. This is not a level of privacy I expect to need from an email provider.

Oregon to nix cervical cancer diagnostic testing costs for patients, rest of US may follow suit • Ohio Capital Journal Oregon is set to become the first state in the country to require insurers to cover screening costs for cervical cancer patients, and that policy could expand nationwide if a new federal regulation…

Oregon is set to become the first state in the country to require insurers to cover screening costs for cervical cancer patients, and that policy could expand nationwide if a new federal regulation takes effect at the start of next year ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/03/05/r...

Looks like they don't serve my area, but they may be able to refer me somewhere.