Meet my novel MADWOMAN!

The US version of the MADWOMAN cover is here and I'd love to tell you all about it

Happy New Year, all!

I have known what this cover looks like since September so keeping it secret has been an exercise in patience if there ever was one. I am thrilled to finally show you and talk a bit about the book and why I love this cover so much. Let’s just take her in for a sec:

I never feel shy to unabashedly say I love the covers of my books—they are works of art created by talented designers—(hello Godshot and Heartbroke by Nicole Caputo) and this cover for my forthcoming novel MADWOMAN is no exception. I knew when Gregg Kulick was set to design it I was in for something special as I so admire his covers and when Jean Garnett sent this to me I gasped. I screamed. It was instant love, no notes, fully perfect, everything I could have dreamed of. The strangeness of it, the captivating image of the woman in the water (is she coming up? Is she going down? Is she—like my sister offered—waiting to decide what the hell she’s gonna do—the expanse of dark space which represents so much. It all perfectly holds the book to me. MADWOMAN is being described as “literary suspense” or “thriller” and this cover extends such a perfectly ominous invitation.

I hope something about it feels inviting to you, and you will consider preordering it from an indie bookstore. The book is also available at my beloved Barnes and Noble and Amazon and lots of other retailers. I am sure you’ve heard writers give the preordering speech before, but if you haven’t, just know it’s the best and easiest way to support writers, bookstores, and generate excitement for a title (meaning more bookstores will stock and feature the book, etc.) You can also check in with your librarian and ask that they order a copy or five. Same goes for asking your local bookseller to stock it. This is a wonderful way to support the journey of a book. And, all of the preorder sales count toward a book’s first week of sales which is super helpful if a book is to make an elusive “bestseller” list. Okay, that’s all for my spiel. I love preordering books because I generally forget I’ve done it, and am surprised and delighted at the gift that arrives unexpectedly at the door. Yay for little treats.

I realize that I haven’t done a ton of talking yet about the book specifically, and now there is a description out there in the world that sums up a very small bit of the plot which I think does a great job of piquing interest but cannot possible account for the many characters in the book that I love, the places, the layers. I think as I get closer to publication I will have more to say about why I wrote this book, and how it came to me, why it feels like the deepest and most emotional thing I’ve ever written. I was recalling that in the early phase of writing the first draft (using the 1000 words a day method—Yay for the pub of Jami’s book! —also the great thing about this method is 1000 words often turns into 3000 words pretty easily) I cried every time I wrote it. Not because what I was writing was sad necessarily, but because there was so much intensive exploration going on—of self, of the past, tearing apart the stories I’d told myself, and getting closer to the capital T truth of things. I love what Ann Patchett’s mother is quoted saying—”None if it happened but all of it is true.” That feels exactly right for how I would describe my feelings toward my fiction writing. Writing the subsequent drafts were more of that intensity mixed with a ton of fun. Writing this book was never once boring, and was always surprising, just how I like it. Anyway, I really hope you will read it.

Dec. 2021, my daughter took the above photo and I love it. It accurately represents the state in which I wrote most of the book—a child hanging off me, come hell or high water style.

As for the makeup front of things, I have a few things to report. You know I swear by my old and sturdy mascara and will never stray but sometimes I can’t help but want slightly more volume impact, and for the formula to be a bit more buildable. I tried this one and I must say it’s pretty damn good. It doesn’t say it’s a tubing mascara but it operates like one so I sort of think it is. I get only the slightest shadow undereye if I put it on bottom lashes, but I’ve been liking doing the bottom lashes with this and using the VB on the top. I was also reminded perusing the VB site of the power of a brightening waterline pencil. I like to use it on the bottom waterline and a little under the brow for a little pop and lift trick. I think any could work well for this but she has one and it’s great. My final VB treat that I do think is a true standout is the Satin Kajal Liners. I’ve been playing a little more with colorful liners, and doing more of a cat-eye like I used to do religiously. I love how it opens up the eye. These are incredibly silky, glide on like a dream, and if you wear a primer under your shadow, they stay on great too. Overall I was really impressed by the quality of the products and would like to try other things at some point.

I think around the end of the year I felt a pressure to somehow sum up 2023 in a neat bundle and tell you about my favorite books and products of the year, and reader, I couldn’t do it. It felt too high stakes somehow. So instead I enjoyed others’ reflections, and privately reflected on 2023 for myself. I think it was a really special year for me. Selling Madwoman was a huge high of course, and wading through different waves of grief posting losing both parents in the last three years, and also leaning into joy. The best thing I’ve brought into my life over the past year is regular dance. I’ve actually been taking a cardio dance class twice a week, but even before that I’d been making it a priority to dance in an ecstatic and rigorous way to accompany my shaking routine (more on that another time). It’s been life changing on a deep somatic level. Also swimming. Dancing and swimming are two things I’ve loved since childhood and adding them back into my life now as an adult in a low pressure fun focused way has been healing, freeing, and brought me to a place with my relationship to movement that feels joyful after the sort of WTF feeling in my body post birthing two kids. I guess this is mainly a plug to reconnect with your inner child and ask them: what sort of movement do you love? And then do that! I thought for a long time the only movement I really loved as a child was gymnastics, but that’s not true. I do miss the sensation of flying but when I break it down what I loved most was the dancing, strength, and artistic aspects of the whole thing. And then of course, my relationship with water growing up in beach and pool culture being central as well and very missing from my life since being in Oregon. Fixing that for myself has been a huge gift.

Photo of twelve year old me informing the me of today and reminding me how much I miss those velvet leotards.

I think that’s all I have for now. I have a lot of fun content planned for this year, and I am really grateful to everyone who has subscribed and offered so many kind words. Substack feels like the best of the internet, reminds me of my love of old school blogs, and feels like a real way to connect.

Leave in the comments if theres any products you want to recommend, gossip about, or feel I NEED to try. Also any writing questions!

And thank you for being on my Madwoman pub journey of 2024! And stay tuned for me and Kimberly King Parsons next class offering in February! More details coming soon.

Before I go…

A JANUARY LIST OF ENJOYMENTS

*Just finished All Fours by Miranda July and loved loved loved it

*Currently reading Sweet Days of Discipline by Fluer Jaeggy

*Felt shook by this trailer

*Can’t stop eating this chocolate

*Obsessed with the yoga flows of Neeti on the MWH platform

*Cannot wait for Jaqueline Novak’s Netflix special to drop later this month. The most genius stand up I’ve ever seen.

*Loved this episode between Brad Listi and Melissa Broder on meditation

xoxo,

Chelsea