I signed up for a class/reading but forgot/couldn't come. Can I get a refund?

No.

If you signed up and then find out in advance that you can't come, or if you are having a day of emergency and let me know over email even up an hour or two before something starts, absolutely you can get a refund (allowing for a $50 cancellation fee & $7 processing fee).

But once the plane takes off, that's it. Just because you weren't there doesn't mean that I didn't spend time and energy planning and preparing.

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Why can't I sign up for a payment plan using PayPal?

Podia (the platform I am on) doesn't allow that. They explain why here. PayPal, however, does have credit and Pay in 4 options!

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Oh no, the latest installment in the payment plan bounced. What happens now?

Life happens, and I get that. 

The first notification that a payment has bounced, I always sit on, because sometimes life is like that and accounts are in flux. However, once I receive a second notification, I will follow up with the person over email. If it’s an issue with the credit card or accounts being overdrawn (listen, I’ve been there!), this is the point where it can be addressed, or we can continue with payments over Venmo or PayPal — whatever works best. 

If someone does not respond to that follow-up within 48 hours (and doesn't have an out of office/medical leave type of autoreply), I send another email, which they have 24 hours to respond to. At that point, if they've entirely ghosted, l revoke access to the course and/or container, as well as to my future courses, readings, and other offerings. 

Can I get a recording?

Every class I teach is different. Some classes are recorded for accessibility, but some are not in order to facilitate participants's privacy. It will always say whether a recording will be available on the class page. Be sure to read the fine print.

Can you send me your slides/deck?

No. Those are proprietary.

Can I send you an ARC?

Sure! But I will give a caveat, since publishers are increasingly precious with physical ARCs:  I am not on staff or regularly freelancing for any publications at the moment, so odds of me reviewing your book are low. If you are only sending ARCs to people you can possibly get reviews from, feel free to skip me! Wishing you all the best with your launch.

That said, if I love the premise, I will absolutely post about it on my socials with links for pre-order. And if you still want to send me one, check the contact page for details.

Will you blurb my book? 

Maybe! Blurbs are an unfair game, but this industry runs on them. The more advance notice you can give me to consider your project, the better. (I cannot blurb your book if you give me less than 6 weeks notice. At least a few months is preferable!)

I prioritize fiction and literary nonfiction by LGBTQIA+ authors and am always interested in hearing from women of all backgrounds who have stories related to religious extremism and spiritual awakenings. I’ve also got a big soft spot for my fellow Midwesterners and folks from the South.

Please note that I do not do proposal blurbs (industry opinions on them are mixed at best, and I truly do not believe they will help sell your project).

I'm having my [college/grad] students read your work. Can you come visit the class over Zoom?

Talking to university students is always a priority for me. Get in touch through the info on my Contact page.

My book club read Heretic! Can you come talk to us?

Thank you for reading! Get in touch through the info on my Contact page.

Can you come to my town for an event?

I want to travel all over the US to see readers — especially to parts of the country that don't usually get high profile book tours. 

But the truth is that money is the great constraint. Most publishers do not pay for extensive book tours. I paid for part of mine. Many of my peers save in order to finance their own book tours. In all honesty, it is extraordinarily expensive to travel solely for a singular event — we might be talking plane, hotel, rental car or ride shares, meals, and that most invaluable of resources: time. Even though most of that is tax deductible for the working writer, you still have to have the cash up front. And then also be taking the health risk in a COVID world.

I say all of this to pull the curtain back on what goes into making even the chillest small-town book reading possible. Personally, it is a dream of mine to do a "red state" only tour of Heretic. Someday!

Can I join your writers' group? (this is probably the most frequently asked question)

No. I encourage you to start your own! My writers' group wrote an article for you with all the tips and tricks we've learned over our many years together.

What's your perspective on astrology? 

My approach these days blends a traditional Hellenistic understanding of the planets' natures with the modern context of our lives and conditions, informed by an increasingly animistic understanding of the world around us.

What’s your astrological lineage? Who have you studied with? 

I’m a professional astrologer and a professionally trained astrologer, which is to say, I both make money through this practice and have continually sought mentoring and training which exceeds my own. Experience is the best teacher, and no one can give you an official stamp of certification. However, unlike newer divinatory practices like tarot and other psychic practices that are heavily intuition based, astrology does have centuries and millennia of well documented technical traditions that can take years to learn and perfect. (Part of what attracted my Saturnian ass to it in the first place.) Working with teachers helps.

So, for the discerning and the curious:

I’ve studied one-on-one with veteran astrologer Rebecca Gordon here in New York City through her rigorous private mentorship program. I am two years into a four-year Sacred Arts program with the extraordinary Briana Saussy, of which astrology is one part of coursework. I count my dear friend Mecca Woods, who encouraged me to pursue astrology professionally before I considered it for myself, as a personal mentor. I worked for Chani Nicholas for a year as part of the original full-time, 5-person team that launched the CHANI app, which was an invaluable part of my journey. Through their publicly available podcasts, courses, and writings, I have learned from the deeply generous Janelle Belgrave, Chris Brennan, Austin Coppock, Diana Rose Harper, Sam Reynolds, Amaya Rourke, Leisa Schaim, and more. Also, Kaitlin Coppock's work with talismanic materia through Sphere & Sundry has been a great source of wisdom that has deepened my own practice over the last few years.

How long have you been studying? 

Since 2015, early in my Saturn Return. I sought formal training with Rebecca Gordon in 2018.

What zodiac do you use?

Tropical.

What house system do you use? 

Whole sign.