Friday Reads 2.9.24
It’s Friday, and you know what that means. Let’s talk about all the things!
It’s been a very packed week! First, happy 87th birthday to my elegant, beautiful mom! I was able to sneak down to Florida for a visit, which was so lovely, and now I’ve pivoted back to work, flying to Alabama for a writers’ retreat. Last night, we went to the Little Professor Bookshop to see the magnificent interview the also magnificent about her new novel, WHERE YOU END. It was very fun. And you all know my huge fascination with all things twins, so I can’t wait to dig into this story.
Two flights and some downtime at the beach has helped me net a bunch of words on the new book, so I’m excited to see what today and tomorrow bring. I write well on the road, and with a whole day ahead with nothing but a quiet room, a pot of tea, some peanut M&Ms, and a nascent story, I’m hoping for a big word count day.
Why, you ask? With this new book outlined, I’m finding it a bit easier to sit down and start writing. I’ll have more on that in the next 22 Steps series, Step Six: The Outline, coming in the next week or so. I’m also working on a couple of interim steps regarding how to schedule your day and how to deal with resistance. Such a character, resistance. It's almost alive. It's the Frankenstein of our creative existence.
The page proofs for A VERY BAD THING are also on my calendar, right on schedule, and I’m excited to do one last pass to align the comments, then print it out and read on paper as if I’m you, so I’m tackling that next week. I’ve already cheated and looked through the manuscript, and I am as in love with my proofreader as I am with my copyeditor. These ladies are killing it! This book is so much tighter and cleaner thanks to their efforts.
I also finalized the last edit of a short story I wrote for an anthology coming out in October from Titan Books, DEATH COMES AT CHRISTMAS, edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane. My story, O Murder Night, was largely informed by the trip to Ireland last fall. It started as a supernatural mystery and when I rewrote it to be straight crime, a whole new world opened. I hope to explore the rest of that story…one day. I will say this. The base of this story is what I envisioned when I first started A VERY BAD THING, so the two are quite intertwined, though one is 1930s Ireland and one modern day. All in all, it’s been a very fun experience.
A lot, yes? When I say writing about writing breeds writing, I am not kidding.
On to the books!
FIRST LIE WINS by Ashley Elston ended up being a blast. I never like it when I see reviews that suggest there is a mind-blowing twist because I immediately go on the hunt for the clues and red herrings, and because I was on alert, I figured out part of it early on. But that just let me sit back and admire the wildly intricate Ocean’s Eleven-esque machinations. It’s going to be a super fun movie or TV show, for sure.
has a new book coming—EVERY MOMENT SINCE—and I get to read it early!
Hank Phillipi Ryan’s latest ONE WRONG WORD is out this week. Have you read Hank before? Her books are so great.
The slow read of Wolf Hall is going well, though I fell behind this week because the book was too big to pack. I’ll hopefully fix that this week.
Here are a few pieces from the Subsacks that I enjoyed, too:
Beware the Brain-Pickers by I wish I could go have coffee/lunch/drinks/dinner with everyone who needs to ask me for info, a favor, or just wants to say hi. But especially now, with all the extra appointments and the deadlines, I am both tired and pressed for free time. Sarah gave me an elegant solution that satisfies my desire to help, and protects my time and energy, Thanks!
did a very fun piece about how she’s building her creative businesses using a great gardening metaphor. It’s probably better than my magical bakery analogy, but the gist is the same. The more you put out there, the more your garden grows.
put the secret to success in her sub-head… guess what it is? (Yes, you guessed it — doing the writing!)
My friend has a beautiful, heartfelt letter you need to read. It doesn’t matter what challenge you may be facing today, internal or external; her words are a soothing balm.
Oh, something else very cool…I can now sell directly to you from my website! If you’re interested in a great deal on my print books, check it out here.
That’s it from me this week. How about you? What’s on your reading plate this weekend?
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