Oh, hey! You came to find me, but I’m technically on vacation and my essay about my dog’s prolonged walk toward death is over on Moms Don’t Have Time To. They recently launched a new website and all the content I’ve written for them before will be migrating over there soon.
But you can check out my new essay here!
Leave a CommentOh hey! You came to find me, but today I’m over on The Strong Sunflowers podcast to talk about my author journey up til now and discuss what’s next for me.
Check out episode 83 wherever you get your podcasts!
It was a long, slow road from manuscript to shelf, but my publication day finally arrived on June 21, just 6 days after my 40th birthday.
I took the day off my day job to celebrate because, let’s face it, it’s not like I was going to get any actual work done… and if you can’t take a day off to celebrate when you release a book into the world, when can you?! Here’s how I spent my pub day…
I laugh in the face of people who say authors should spend 2-3 hours a day on social media, cause ain’t nobody got time for that, but I definitely spent the first 3 hours of my pub day on social media. I was sharing pub day Instagram posts to my stories, interacting with post comments, posting myself to let people know the book was available, etc. I also started recording clips for a pub day reel, after I googled how to do it because I’m 40 and don’t understand reels.
Most of my book takes place in a gym, so of course I had to take advantage of a weekday off to go to one of the classes typically reserved for stay-at-home-moms. I honestly can’t remember the last time I took a gym class at 10 AM on a weekday (before pub day, I mean). Of course, I recorded video clips (before and after – I’m not one of those assholes who pulls out their phone mid-class) for my pub day reel.
I wrote a post for my blog to announce my pub day. I also had 3 other blogs I had written guest posts for months earlier hit on pub day (thanks, but y’all could have spaced that out and done me a favor), so I wrote blog posts to share those as well.
If there’s ever a day to go day drinking in a pub, it’s your pub day. I chose the Mean Eyed Cat in west downtown Austin because it’s one of my favorites, I knew it wouldn’t be busy on a Tuesday afternoon, and because I know they have Electric Jellyfish on tap.
Of course, I recorded more clips for my pub day reel and made a TikTok video because I’m still trying to figure out that platform.
The Mean Eyed Cat was conveniently on the way to BookPeople – Austin’s largest independent bookstore. I knew they had purchased some copies of the book because I had a preorder campaign with them, but I wasn’t sure how many, and if they would be shelved yet.
Imagine my surprise when I strolled over to the fiction section and saw the cover of my own book staring back at me, shelved cover out! I was so excited (and feeling slightly buzzed from the pub) I asked the BookPeople staff to snap a picture of me… which I didn’t like. So I took this one, wrinkles and all. Obviously I was still excited. And yes, then I recorded more reel footage.
After the kids were in bed on the longest day of the year, I capped off the day’s celebration with some wine and finished up my pub day reel, which I thought turned out pretty good. Certainly not a bad way to spend a Tuesday.
Leave a CommentToday is pub day for my second book this summer… sort of. I didn’t plan on this coming out just a week after my novel, but it happened just that way. Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis is an anthology about just that, how we create art and deal in the midst of a crisis. Some people chose, naturally, to write about COVID, social justice issues, or climate change. My piece is about our experience in the 2021 Texas winter storm (it’s toward the end of the book).
It’s probably the most political thing I’ve written publicly, but it’s not about politics (and neither am I). It’s about being decent to people in the face of political differences. It applied to the situation then, and it still applies in light of recent political developments, which I need not enumerate here. We are all better when we greet each other with empathy and acknowledge that everyone’s just an imperfect human trying to do their best. The internet has made it too easy to forget the humanity of those we disagree with.
She Writes Press will donate all royalties earned on this book to World Central Kitchens, a non-profit that feeds victims of natural disaster and war (most recently in Ukraine). The book is available for purchase everywhere books are sold, but I of course recommend getting it on Bookshop where you can support your local independent bookstore!
Oh, hey! You came to find me but today I am over on Lisa Haselton’s blog talking about my writing journey over time and how I got the idea for Community Klepto.
Leave a CommentOh, hey! You came to find me but today I’m on Dialogue: Between the Lines with Susan Wingate talking about writing flawed (and even unlikable at times) characters like Ann Josephson in Community Klepto.
Leave a CommentOh, hey! You came to find me but today I’m over on Women Writers, Women’s Books talking about the process and craft of writing comedy.
Leave a CommentOh, hey! You came here to find me to say HUZZAH on my pub day but I’m over on Dear Reader talking about my love/hate relationship with running to commemorate the release of Community Klepto. There’s also a chance to win one of 5 advance review copies of Community Klepto at the bottom of the article if you read carefully and follow directions.
Leave a CommentToday Community Klepto officially hits the shelves and I celebrate the release of my third book! It’s been a LOOOOONG road but the day is finally here!
Oh hey, you came to find me but I’m not here because I’m over at the AUSTIN FUCKING CHRONICLE! I’m floored, over the moon, verklempt – all the emotions! – at this incredible review they did for Community Klepto; it’s almost as funny as the book itself.
Check it out here and see how awesome it is for yourself!
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