PHEW!!!
Publication & hospital week is OVER!
Yes, that was an enormous sigh of relief that just got released over Lake Michigan.
Firstly – and most importantly! – my husband is fine! His procedure went swimmingly, he stayed overnight in the hospital for observation and is now home. And he’s all full of vim and vigor, chirping night and day about how great it is to have this behind him and how great I am and how wonderful my book is and life in general and marveling at how amazing he feels—
That’s when I looked at him and said, “You’re all hopped up on steroids now, aren’t you?” And then he laughed and remembered that he was (prescribed). So maybe a little letdown will happen. Maybe not. But yes, it’s great to have this behind him. Behind us.
Although those two days he was in the hospital were like, boring? Stressful during the procedure but I had five hours to sit around and wait (surgery & recovery), and then after that it was just more sitting around and waiting. Especially when they released him. Waiting for administration. Waiting – almost 2 hours! – to get a lung X-ray before he could go home. (SOP.) Just—waiting.
And in the midst of that waiting, I had a book launch.
So much is at stake with every book. Of course there’s happiness and accomplishment and pride. But the truth is – and it has always been thus – that an author is only as good as her last book’s sales. I mean, in a purely business sense. So the launch of a new book is also the launch of a million fears and hopes and prayers, because I very much would like to get another contract to keep writing books. So anyway – joy and stress. (Kind of like life, right?)
But I really forgot, at times, that I had a new book out because this whole week was completely unlike any pub week I’ve ever had. Then I would remember and panic that I wasn’t doing enough to promote it, then I’d remember my husband and start mothering him, then I’d think to myself, “I really could use a long nap,” and—
Oy vey.
But yesterday I did go out and visit my book in a bookstore! That’s always a golden moment, and Three Avenues Bookstore reached out to tell me they had a lot of copies in and that I’d said I’d stop in to sign them, so I did!
For those wanting signed copies of my book, you can call Three Avenues to purchase one, and they’ll call me in to sign it and then mail it to you!
Tomorrow, too, is a nice—familiar—pub week activity; it’s my first bookstore event! I’m thrilled to go up to Blue House Books in Kenosha, WI (the awesome Renee Rosen volunteered to drive me as I don’t have a car), and I’ll be in conversation with Natasha Lester who also had a new book out this week. I loved The Chateau on Sunset! I’m a sucker for old Hollywood books but this is so much more, a fresh take on Jane Eyre combined with a touching story about sisterhood. Highly recommend!
Here’s a link to my other events; so far it’s mainly Chicagoland, although I’ll be in Nashville, Indiana in July and in southern California for a couple of events with my friend Elizabeth Letts in late September/early October.
And please, if you can talk about my book, ask your library or local bookstore to order it, or recommend it to your book club, I’d really appreciate it!
We’ve also reached out to the winners of the sweatshirts & books, so please check your email (and spam folder) to see if you are one of them! We’ll be doing more stuff like that in the future.
After one book pubs, then you start thinking about the next. Or actually, you usually start thinking about the next immediately after you turn in the latest one. But sometimes circumstances mean that you want to wait to see how your latest does, or see how the winds of publishing are blowing. Or life’s little curveballs complicate your ability to focus. (Ahem.) So while I’ve been playing around with many ideas this past year, it’s time to focus on “the one.” I’m talking with my agent about that, and we’re circling around “the one,” and I’ll be so happy when we do.
Because I’m simply not myself unless I’m writing.
I want to thank everyone for all their support during this very unusual week! And here’s a list of some of the interviews and podcasts I’ve done as well as a link to an article I wrote for Town & Country about the book and its modern parallels:
As I said before - Phew!
Have a great weekend, and may you all be as happy as my husband on steroids.
💚👍🙏🌹🌈
I'm so relieved for your and your husband, and excited for you with this wonderful success!