Pub week
Or, how it feels to be shot out of a cannon
The book is here! It’s here! And I’ve spent most of the week celebrating her arrival in the world. I’m exhausted but also feel like I’ve been plugged into an electrical outlet, which is a very strange feeling and not good for sleep, I must say. But I AM NOT COMPLAINING (except for the sleep part. I am complaining about the sleep part).
Lots to share so here we go:
Elisabeth Egan reviewed the book in her “Group Text” column in the New York Times Book Review, and it was everything my heart could have wished for. “Lands like a refreshing, deep breath… ‘My Last Innocent Year’ is a heartfelt chronicle of a writer who realizes that her stories about girls with feelings matter every bit as much as the ones written by the guy who annotates The New Yorker.” Egan read the book exactly as I wanted it to be read, and I am so, so grateful.
I published an essay about shopping for a wedding dress with my mother-in-law on “Cup of Jo” which, it turns out, is the nicest place on the internet. Seriously, the comments are amazing. My husband and brothers-in-law have been reading them all to Annette, and we are all in floods of tears. I should say my wedding was a minute ago (2001), and Annette is not doing that well now so the essay came at the perfect moment.
Over on LitHub, I wrote an essay about campus novels and why we love them (although, as one person on Twitter helpfully pointed out, not everyone loves them. Duly noted!).
And for the Jewish Book Council, I wrote about the Lower East Side and Jewish specialty stores and how my family history connects with Isabel’s backstory. Also, Bernard Malamud’s The Assistant!
Two podcast interviews dropped this week. First, I spoke with Adam Vitcavage at Debutiful about the 90s and sex scandals and writing programs that work. I also spoke with Carinn Jade at Pop Fiction Women about consent and agency and navigating complicated relationships. I loved both conversations so much!
Here’s the graphic from Debutiful, which I just think is super cool:
Also, a super smart interview with writer Marissa Higgins (and by smart I mean she asked smart questions and edited my answers in a way that made me sound smart, too!) over at The Millions. Marissa has been an early supporter of the book, and I think the first person to mention my book on TikTok, and I am so grateful. Follow her on TikTok for more book recs!
On Tuesday night, I celebrated the launch of the book at McNally Jackson. It was incredible and I was so nervous and kept having to remind myself to breathe in the moment because this was really happening! I was in conversation with the incredible and smart Julia May Jonas, whose debut novel VLADIMIR is one of my favorites. I was so honored and excited to talk with her about the book in front of a crowd of family and friends (and maybe even some people I didn’t know!). My friend Terri took videos and sent them to me and I made an Instagram reel about the night.
Here are some other photos from the night:
Honestly, there is even more to report, but that’s all for now.
In the meantime, thanks to everyone who has bought the book, read the book, told a friend about the book… It’s really incredible.