4.5 stars + the importance of sharing

Well, I'm really delighted to share that Still Moving just got a great review! 4.5 stars from IndieReader.

Those moments when a stranger reviews your art are just...cool and weird and scary and all the things, y'know? You can follow the link above to read the whole thing, but I want to share 2 things that were especially meaningful to me:

"Still Moving makes a powerful case for facing uncomfortable truths when few traces of the COVID era have made it to popular culture. 'Self-help,' diagnostic, and other kinds of books about Long Covid are entering a market that is struggling against the world’s collective decision to push the pandemic out of sight and out of mind. Skyeris connects this to a long history of dismissal and deliberate blindness to other forms of disability and chronic illnesses. The author explores every facet of the world’s reaction to the disease and chronic sufferers, taking on toxic positivity as well as general discomfort towards a problem that seems to have no end in sight.

A poetic memoir, Still Moving documents Skyeris’s struggles with Long Covid, tackling the difficult subjects of disability, ideation, and depression with sensitivity and grace. It provides valuable insight on how to support loved ones suffering from all kinds of chronic illnesses."

First, I'm so honored that this reviewer found so much sensitivity and grace in my book. Those were definitely my intention, but of course there are no guarantees every reader will find them.

Second, this is the first feedback I've received that quotes Still Moving directly, which is notable for me.
This is the paragraph she chose:

However, my brain felt more like real seahorses, animals which are not actually good swimmers. In their native environments, they are awkward and slow, curling their prehensile tails around something stationary, living at the mercy of currents and circumstances. My mind was constantly fluttering, like the tiny fins of a seahorse, seeking to grasp something safe and solid.

Really, though, I'm sharing all of this to remind you to express your emotions, not just to yourself, but to your loved ones. Not everyone, not just anyone – but the people who truly love you and honor you in your fullness of being. In many ways, that's the essence of my book.

Given the state of the world, I think this is more crucial than ever. I have a lot to grieve, as I witness genocide livestreamed on social media. I have a lot to fear, as I witness anti-Semitism or transphobia or racism (among many other things), for my loved ones.

While writing Still Moving, I always imagined a loved one sitting with me and listening to the story, nodding and encouraging me. I'm grateful to know that I'm contributing to people facing intense challenges.


Warmth,
S. 

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