Madwoman is going on tour! A big update!
Come see me, promoting books in the age of the digital living room, thoughts about attraction, and the lashes of my dreams...
Every summer I envision myself lying on the grass reading, my children playing nearby in total cooperation, and every summer… Well, there’s been a few moments like this. More and more of them in fact as my kids get older (which then requires me to consider the passage of time…gah!). But the realities of summer—the fact that work does not stop but children’s schooling does…I told myself this summer I would embrace it, teach my son to swim, take long walks with my daughter, be at ease and loosen the reigns of expectations around myself and my writing practice. LOL. Loosen the reigns? Me? hello! I have a book coming out Sept. 3rd, which means the summer is about preparing for that, which is no small task. There is a charge of busyness around it—I’ve (gratefully) been writing so many essays, guest substacks, interviews, recording podcasts, and generally wrapping my head around the fact that so soon I will shed my routine and head off to many amazing cities to talk to writers I deeply admire, at breakneck speed. I’m winding up to say I am sorry to say I’ve lagged on content here. A girl can only deploy so much content! Or, this girl at least. I’ve been watching the discourse around the CoHo Blake Lively movie universe, percolating on thoughts…many thoughts. One of them is that I wish our mainstream society (not you babies, I know you do!) valued richer depictions of important topics, like ahem domestic violence, which Madwoman, ahem, does. One of the things I’ve had to learn to do as a writer, and this is probably a post of its own, is process through my feelings around this. It’s a doozy making art in an age that seems to value…what’s even the word…simplicity? The opposite of complexity? I digress.
Let’s first talk about the fact that I get to go on a book tour! My first real one, because my other books came out in pandemic panic. In some ways I feel like a debut because of this, and I’m so looking forward to having this experience that I’ve always wanted. It feels like a writer rite of passage. Because if the reason I write is connection above all, then naturally, I can’t wait to connect with you. Will you come see me? Will you bring a friend or several? I will be so happy to meet you.
Here’s where I’m off to come September!
I will also be doing some online events including this one for FANE which will air Sept. 3rd, so if you are not in Brooklyn that night to celebrate in person, consider coming to this online evening. I will be talking with Ashley Audrain (eeeeee!!!). I’m also looking forward to this fun catch up convo with my pal Kailey Brennan for Write or Die. You can submit questions at the link prior to the event!
On October 27th I will also be doing a really special evening at Up Up Books with my bestie Genevieve Hudson. It will be a reading/signing/interactive writing evening. Meaning you will be invited and prompted by us to write and it will be a really lovely collective experience in a beautiful space. I’m also dreaming up a very Madwoman coded daytime event that will include a writing class, yoga session, and time for sharing and green juice and snacks and friends, so stay tuned for that. I love readings so much and I also crave a more interactive community experience as well so I think I’ll attempt more of this soon.
In other news, I wrote this essay for People Magazine a few weeks ago. If you haven’t seen it, I unpacked my ideas around “type”—why we’re attracted to who we’re attracted to who we’re attracted to. It was a fun and exploratory essay to write. It connects to Madwoman’s narrator who is very consciously making decisions to find a non-violent husband, and my deeper theory of why I’m attracted to short men. I hope you’ll give it a read.
Madwoman was named an Indie Next Pick which was so special. It means booksellers themselves voted for the book, and sent in reviews, and advocated for it. Booksellers are angels among us, which we know. It was really nice to see this, because it tells me people are connecting with the book. It also got a shout in Vanity Fair which was fun to see in the print magazine. I ran out and bought a copy at Broadway Books (where you can order a personalized copy of Madwoman by the way!) This is something that I never got to do with Godshot because of the pandemic. It was featured in so many magazines (a full review in Oprah! Time!) that I never got to go buy at the newstands because well, it was April of 2020 and we were still wiping down groceries.
A lot of this pre-pub has brought up some feelings around the release of my first book, Godshot. It’s been emotional to think how much the last four years have changed me (been reborn like 50 times), how I felt going into my first book’s pub and watching the world shut down at the exact moment I was supposed to be getting on a plane for my tour. It was another bummer among all the bummers and I don’t know if I ever quite processed the feeling of that loss at the time because there were so many other losses. I was dealing with my dad dying, I was scared for my family’s safety, the collective loss of so many lives, the daily fear people were living with…I jumped into writing my next book (this one!). There’s feelings and that’s okay. Mainly the anecdote to this is staying extremely present which I’m practicing big time.
I think it’s emotional to release a book into the world no matter what the book is, but this book is extremely personal to me and I know it’s all wrapped up in grief over my parents, especially my mom. This is my ultimate mommy book, for all you mommy issues peeps (I say that and then I write another ultimate mommy issues book which yes, I AM currently doing!) Which in some ways makes it very special feeling to see it finds its way, and in others it makes it harder.
A few months ago I heard someone say that “it’s harder than ever to get people to leave their “digital living rooms” (what a chilling term!) to read a book. I know this, and yet, we authors persist in writing books and content that requires a sustained focus. Why do we do it? I suppose we do it because we care about art, meaning, and depth, and probably because we’re following a calling that our very soul is emitting. I remain stalwart that we must persist in artmaking, but also, the second part to it all, art-sharing. We have to find new ways that feel fresh and incentivized to cut through the noise of our modern lives, and return us to the heart. To communicate to people why you created such a thing and maybe, why it will matter to them. While showing up for myself with self promotion can feel at times like screaming into a void…I also think, who else is going to do it? We’re in an age where it does fall to the author to do their part and do what they can to tell people about their book. Mainly I want to lead people to books in general and away from phones.
My beloved Powell’s books here in Portland has a sign in the window that says, “You will never think, ‘I wish I read less.’” It’s utterly true. I’ve never once felt like I had squandered my time or energy reading a book, but I have certainly felt that way cruising the internet aka my “digital living room”, and I know we can all relate. If I hang there too long, beyond the lovely interactions, my digital living room depletes me, forces me into the game of comparisons (never play this—it’s a rigged game!) and creates an energy of depression. So fun!
I am only one author, but I get the inside view of many of my author friends, and we are always having these conversations, so I feel like I have a decent perspective. There’s a lot of new books coming out every day, there’s a lot of authors asking you for attention, and there are barriers to getting media attention that cannot be denied. I don’t really want to write a post bemoaning the state of xyz, because there’s plenty of posts that lay it out for us, and while it’s important to be educated and aware, it’s a huge bummer and not necessarily motivating. I’m a solution focused person at my core. I like to get into solution really fast mainly because I simply hate hanging out feeling miserable.
So what does this mean? In essence, it means I have to run everything through that filter and make sure it checks the box of connection above all, but it has to feel genuine to me. Aside from the trends of the author desk tour (you do not want to see my desk, believe me) and “day in the life” (nope!) there are still ways I’ve tried to connect in a way that feels good to me in the hopes the right readers will find me. Feasibly we’re all looking for connection every time we log onto our apps or comment on a post, or post something ourselves. I love substack because it offers the chance for a more sustained connection. I love essays that do the same. One one hand it feels wild that authors are often expected to write additional essays around pub time but on the other, I get it. It’s a superhighway into intimacy and builds curiosity about a book.
So with that, my humble attempt to let you know, yes I’ve written a new book. Yes, I really hope you’ll buy it, request it at your local library, local bookstore, tell friends about it, write a goodreads review, promote on your channels if you feel called. Lots of ways to do help a girl out, and maybe you will feel like one of them fits your life. Know my gratitude soars every time anyone posts about the book. I truly love it, it’s never lost on me. But I also recognize the book is about to become her own. Not about me, but an object in the world that will have her own journey. I can scramble all I want to try to get the book into people’s hands in these months leading up, but in the end it’s what’s inside that will reach hearts and minds and compel you to pass the book to a loved one, or write your own art in response to it. We’re all a part of the greater conversation after all.
Okay, I have a beauty find I simply can’t shut up about. I was getting stressed with all my appointments and stuff right before I leave for New York and I was actually going to get lash extensions for the first time. But then I realized the appt I made conflicted with another obligation and I couldn’t very easily reschedule it. I cancelled and headed to the internet for answers. Very quickly I discovered these PRE-GLUED under lash lash extensions and let me tell you, as someone who has long applied (painstakingly) my own Ardell single lashes for special events, I will never again. This is a new era baby! Or new to me at least. Very quickly my childhood best friend informed me she’s been using these for years, like DUH, and uses the Kiss brand version. They took mere minutes to put on, and looks real good. I have been wearing them issue free for THREE DAYS. Sleeping, showering. I haven’t put mascara on them, and I think once you do that it’s probably just a one and done then which is totally fine for a special night, but these are magic baby.
This super weird photo is taken just right now after two sleeps on them, and I had applied them super quick and thoughtlessly. Obviously if I we’re doing it doing it I’d bring them further out to edge, but like, this is pretty good. It also does something sort of magical to the lash line, darkens it without the weird jarring line that over-lash falsies seem to leave.
Alright, that’s all.
Sending so much love. Tell me your travel hacks, what you’re reading and LOVING (not liking, LOVING) and anything else. xoxoxoxox 4-ever,
C
Just found you through Cheryl Strayed.
I feel like a Fan Girl, having ordered three of your books this moment.
Thank you for writing.
Just, thank you.
planning on going to Skylight on Fri! Can't wait to read your book