Writers Update - Feb 5, 2026
The Release Date and Some Thoughts from the Narrow Gap Between Finishing a Book and Wanting to Begin Another
The date is set. The files are uploaded, the cover is locked, and the book exists now in a very real way.
This is a snapshot of where I am mentally and practically now, that I’m standing less than a week away from release. What feels settled and what doesn’t.
And why I already want to start the next one?
Publishing Poetry Book on KDP
The release is scheduled for Thursday, February 12.
Poetry Beyond Pulse will be available as a paperback and Kindle edition through Amazon KDP. I decided against I am also working alongside IngramSpark, but that process is still ongoing and intentionally left outside the scope of this piece.
This volume includes 140 dystopian poems and soundscapes, mostly new material. Some poems have been published prior here in Hush Halo site in 2025.
Loving the Work Itself
Dystopian poetry works for me because it is abstract enough to allow conceptual thinking, but still grounded enough to demand clarity and internal logic. I don’t write single poems as isolated pieces. I start from a world, a tone, a set of rules, and then write inside that frame until it begins to feel self sustaining. That kind of work matches how my mind operates.
It is also strange enough to keep my attention. If the material becomes too familiar, I lose interest quickly. Dystopian themes force me to question language, power, intimacy, and control in ways that stay mentally engaging.
The challenge is kind of built in and I don’t have to manufacture motivation. The creative momentum comes from curiosity rather than discipline, and the work pulls me forward instead of needing to be pushed.
My creative process has so many details and phases, that I can jump around without dropping the ball.
Hitting Publish and Moving On?
You know what’s funny though? The instant the files were accepted and the project moved out of my hands, my attention shifted forward. My mind began assembling the outline of something new. As if the closing of one system freed up space for another to form.
There is a particular pull in the act of assembling my work and finally passing the finish line. Writing, sequencing, testing connections, and watching elements lock into place creating my flow.
This completion does not feel like an endpoint, I thought it would. It’s more like a release of pressure that makes room for the next build.
Does this mean that my process is working?
As always, I’m happy to hear your thoughts.
ps. Heads Up! In couple of days I will post shortly about my thoughts on cover designing.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
©Samia Oldman.
Discover my Poetry or read more about my writing process:
Did you miss the previous Writer’s Updates?
Ummm.... usually I write my cheerleading message Keep Creating....but in my old womanhood now....for you in this particular moment I'm going to change it a bit:
Take At Least A Coffee/Tea Cherishing Moment For Your Completed Work!
and then....
Keep Creating!
😁
Thanks for sharing your self with us.
Congratulations!! This is a huge milestone. 💐💐💐