Hello friends! I haven’t been blogging a ton because a lot of my free time has been sucked into doing various publicity-related tasks. It feels somehow both like it’s taken forever for pub day to arrive, but also it’s gone by really fast. We are very close to the finishing line, so I wanted to send out some updates.
First, just to warn anyone who has subscribed to get this blog in digest format (via the SUBSCRIBE widget on the right side of the screen), normally these digests go out only once a week, and only if I’ve posted any blogs. For the month of September only, I’m going to change the settings so that blog posts go out the night they are published. I will have some interesting updates and bonus material for people who are excited about the book, so I will be blogging more frequently.
Second, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be about to have a book come out it is… a lot. It is really exciting and is a happy moment, but it’s also mixed in with a lot of anxiety (about people reading and judging your work, judging you when they don’t really know you, performing well for your imprint, people at work wondering if there is something wrong with your brain when they see another side of you, etc. etc. I could go on forever..) and stress (tons of events to attend, tasks to do, things to write, and oh yeah the PALLET of books I have to sign). To be honest, it is also a really bittersweet moment for me: while I have worked for so long for this event to finally be happening, there are people who won’t be here to see it, COVID is still raging, and many things feel uncertain. Luckily I have good friends supporting me who are ardently insisting that this event is to be celebrated. Will there be a custom Never Saw Me Coming shaped cake?? Absolutely. I have vaccinated friends flying in to celebrate privately in person and fun will be had.
Preorder information
Our preorder campaign is officially underway! Preorders are important because they count differently when calculating sales for the first week of debut (they are cumulative from the day the book is listed, which means months of sales). Here are a couple purchasing options: Politics and Prose for autographed copies; Bookshop.org to support independent bookstores; Libro.fm for an audiobook, and Vintage for UK readers.
Events
NB: these are not all the events, as there are some additional podcasts that will be broadcast at some point, which I will advertise when they are out.
Day Drinking With Authors podcast: this occurred already and you can listen to my lovely conversation with Molly Fader/O’Keefe here
8/23: McKinney Public Library: Debut Author Book Talk. Meet the debut authors everyone is talking about this fall. Join us for a conversation with Cassie Gustafson, June CL Tan, Vera Kurian, and Lee Mandelo about the ups and downs of publishing your first novel and how to stand out as a debut author.
9/6 @ 10:35 EST Times Radio First Edition: catch a brief live interview with me.
9/7 @ 4 pm EST A Mighty Blaze Might Mystery live interview, hosted by USA Today Bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan.
9/9 @ 8 pm EST Campus Crime Night: A back to school thriller event.
A panel discussion led by Nemerever. If you love campus novels, this is a great trio.
9/11 @ 5 pm Politics and Prose Live This is my official launch event and it should be amazing! P&P is a dream venue for any DC-based author. While it’s unfortunate that this got moved from an in-person event to online because of the panini, it should be really fun. Everdeen Mason is a regular interviewer for P&P (and other book venues, like the National Book Festival). We also happen to be very good friends who met at a writing workshop years ago, and years ago, we said something like, wouldn’t it be amazing if I got a book deal and you could host the event?? It should be a great conversation, because while she is a skilled interviewer, she also read this book in first-draft form, and also we are hilarious. Tickets are free, but you can also get a signed book.
9/16 @ 11 am EST Virtual Author Visit with Carmel Clay Public Library
9/23 @ 7pm EST Once Upon a Crime bookstore virtual event. Featuring myself, Raquel V. Reyes, John Copenhaver, David Tromblay, and Rachel Howzell Hall.