Hello, friends! Today is the day, the official release date of You Again! What a strange and also exciting day. Sometimes I like burrow inside my own brain and think deep thoughts and feel deep feelings, and I'm sure you can imagine that a day like today is the ideal environment for emotional burrowing. To be honest, what I mostly feel today is thankful -- thankful for the opportunity to publish a novel. Thankful for family and friends who are so supportive and kind. Thankful for a publishing team that is patient and smart and really good at what they do. The other thing I feel today is anticipation mixed with nervousness -- about people actually reading the story I wrote, and about building and keeping momentum for my writing. I would love for You Again to be the first of many novels written, and of course I'd love for it to be the first of many novels published. So I'm trying to enjoy today with an eye for the future and big picture, paying attention to smart teachers and people who are a few steps ahead of me. And I'm trying to keep in mind the advice I've heard quite a bit this year in articles and on podcasts about writing and business: each person's journey is their own. Gather tips and advice and wisdom from those with proven experience, but filter it all through your own way of doing things, your own circumstances, personality, quirks, and needs. Go at your own pace. Do good work.
Anyway, if you're here you probably follow me on Facebook or Instagram too, but JUST IN CASE, a little reminder of book details: you can get it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble online. If you live in the Houston area you can get it from me at my launch party Thursday, November 7 (6-8 p.m. at Barbarossa Coffee on Louetta Rd) or really anytime. You can also buy it at book signings in Wilmington, NC and Independence, MO. For all the details, go to www.amandawatersauthor.com. If you happen to have a favorite bookstore you like to buy from, just ask them to order it!
Now. Even though that is my big news for the day, it's been a while since I posted a list of things on my radar and I think it's time, don't you?
1. What I'm reading...
I just finished The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn. The premise is that in the near(ish?) future, someone figures out time travel and send back two people to 1815 with the aim of getting copies of Jane Austen's letters to her sister and a lost manuscript called "The Watsons" that she burned most of before her death. It was fascinating, engrossing, and entertaining. I loved the author's imagining of Jane Austen and her family, and thought she did a great job depicting modern people trying to fit into Regency England. It's probably not for a Jane Austen purist, but definitely for anyone who likes historical time travel fiction. (content note: there is one short, slightly open door sex scene). I'm also re-reading The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan as an audio book. I wanted to have an audio book I could listen to in fits and starts or when I'm frequently interrupted, and since they've begun casting the Amazon t.v. series, I figured it was a good time for a revisit. Finally, I'm reading a fantasy review book that's taking some effort to get into, but I'm hoping it'll pick up soon if I can get some momentum.
2. What I'm listening to...
I am currently OBSESSED with the podcast Dolly Parton's Amercia. For one thing, I really enjoy Dolly Parton's music, I think she's an incredibly talented song writer, and I think she is a fascinating person, artist, and business woman. All that to say, I'm predisposed to like this podcast. Fortunately, it's also really well done. There are rabbit trails, deep cuts, and interviews with Dolly herself. The only down side is that I have to wait a week between episodes!
3. What I'm grateful for...
See giant paragraph above regarding book launch day!!
Unrelated, modern medicine gets a bad rap in some circles these days (maybe that's just my circles), but this week I'm definitely grateful for modern medicine. I'm also grateful for COOL WEATHER! FINALLY! Walking to school, playing in the park, eating outside, running and not feeling like I'm going to melt...all of it is fantastic.
4. A little inspiration...
This blog post by Tsh Oxenreider on The Art of Simple got me thinking this week. I'ts about the importance of defining who you want to be as well as the ACTIONS involved in being that person. Just a little food for thought in your day.
Have a great day, everyone!
