Self-promotion
Are you sick of me yet? I am
It’s been said by other writers, but when you spend seven years working on a book pretty much in isolation and then have to go out and hawk said book on social media and elsewhere—well, it’s a bit jarring. I’m sick of myself, my voice, my face! The only thing I am not sick of is my book, and I can’t wait for it to be out in the world. In a way, it feels like it already is because so many people have read early copies and are reviewing it—for better or worse—on Goodreads and other places, but the fact is pub date is still two-plus weeks away (Feb. 14) and then the real fun begins, or so I’m told.
If you haven’t preordered it already, Barnes and Noble is offering a special promotion on preorders through Friday, January 27. If you use the code PREORDER25, you will get 25% off preorders! Here’s a link.
While you’re there, here are some other titles coming out in 2023 you should check out. Some I have already read and loved. Others are books I’m looking forward to by writers I know and admire:
All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky (July). I loved Madievsky’s feverish debut about two sisters in Los Angeles coping with addiction and intergenerational trauma. But somehow, despite that description, the book has a light touch and a hopefulness, plus gorgeous storytelling. I was not surprised to learn that Madievsky is a poet: her language is gorgeous. You might want your highlighter for this one. Also, I found her description of post-Soviet communities fascinating.
Social Engagement by Avery Carpenter Forrey (May). Another debut, this one about millennial wedding culture and the way social media distorts reality. Callie Holt’s marriage is over before it starts (“In a plot twist fit for an Alanis lyric, the wedding day was perfect before we broke up”). But this is more than a fun romp through gorgeous destination weddings, although there are plenty of those. Forrey examines the gap between what we post and who we are beautifully. She also writes about the body in a way I haven’t seen before. My editor once told me there’s one book every summer that women with MFAs read at the beach. SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT might be that book!
I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of Laura Belgray’s Tough Titties (June) yet (not for lack of trying), but how can you go wrong with a book called Tough Titties (and the subtitle: On Living Your Best Life When You’re the F-ing Worst)? Also, anything written by genius copywriter Belgray can’t miss. I love Laura and she is fucking hilarious.
I’m also dying to read The Tip Line (April) by Vanessa Cuti, a fellow BookEnds fellow, the novel fellowship program run by Susie Merrell and Meg Wolitzer. Here’s the premise: a tense thriller with a main character who answers the phones at a police tip line and may just hold the key to solving a series of murders. Yes please!
Other titles I’m looking forward to: Claire Dederer’s MONSTERS, Rachel Kollercroft’s STONE COLD FOX (great title), Dizz Tate’s BRUTES, Nicole Chung’s A LIVING REMEDY (I loved her memoir about adoption ALL YOU CAN EVER KNOW), Rebecca Makkai’s I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU and Curtis Sittenfeld’s ROMANTIC COMEDY.
Speaking of Curtis Sittenfeld, if you follow me on Twitter (or really anywhere), you might have seen her recent shout-out about MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR. Curtis is one of my favorite writers—I’ve read almost everything she’s read (have to catch up on RODHAM) and PREP is one of my favorite books of all time.
I’m going on tour! I’ll be in New York; Madison, CT; Washington, DC; Cambridge, MA; and Old Greenwich, CT in mid- to late-February, in conversation with some AMAZING writers like Julia May Jonas, Suzanne Kingsbury, Matt Klam, Samantha Greene Woodruff and Terri Trespicio. Come say hi! Find more details here.
Audio book rec: I’m listening to the audio book of Elena Ferrante’s THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS read by Marisa Tomei, and it is fantastic. The combination of Ferrante’s ferocious storytelling and Tomei’s narration is incredible. No one writes about the life of adolescent girls like Ferrante. She understands what lies behind the smallest glance or intake of breath. Also, anyone who says you need a gangbusters plot to propel a book hasn’t seen what this woman can create around a bracelet. Highly recommend!
And because you made it to the end of this newsletter, here’s a little prize for you! I made a playlist for the novel, mostly 90s songs and also songs that inspired me while I was writing. You can listen to it here, if you’re into that kind of thing.