This post was originally sent through my author newsletter on July 29, 2022. To subscribe to my newsletter and receive up-to-date news, musings, and more, click HERE.
This week, I got finished copies of Madison Morris is NOT a Mouse!
There is something so very special about holding the physical version of a thing you created. This book existed as an idea in my head. Then it was a draft on my computer. And another draft. And another. Then it was a PDF with illustrations. And now it's a hardcover book! (And an ebook, but holding that isn't quite as exciting; I hold my phone every day.)
Madison Morris releases on August 16th. That's so soon!
To celebrate my series hitting three books, I'm going to do a giveaway just for newsletter subscribers. In two weeks, I'll randomly choose a subscriber to win the trio of hardcovers pictured above. If you're someone who already bought Tally and David and plans to buy Madison—well, first of all, THANK YOU. And secondly, I hope you'll consider gifting the three books to a teacher, librarian, or young bookworm in your life.
I won't pick a winner until just before sending my newsletter on Friday, 8/12, so if you have friends who might want a chance to win, now's the time to get them to sign up! Here's the direct link for people to subscribe:
When I sat down to start drafting this week's newsletter, I'd just taken my first yoga class in almost a month. That's rare for me; I prefer to do yoga once or twice a week, in addition to my weekly dance class(es). But between our family's Covid stint and my regular yoga teacher going out of town right after my daughter was released from quarantine and then our family going to South Carolina last week, it just didn't happen. Sure, I could have done a yoga video at home by myself...but I didn't. Things got in the way. To be honest, I was tired.
On the mat the other day, everything hurt. My hamstrings were tight. My tree pose was wobbly. My plank pose was shaky. Even holding my arms in the air for an extended period of time was uncomfortable. A decade ago, I could take a break and bounce back pretty easily. Not anymore. These days, I lose flexibility and strength more quickly and have to work extra hard to get it back.
The other thing I did that same morning was start edits on the new book I told you about two weeks ago—the crop circle one, now titled The Thirteenth Circle. (The deal was just officially announced in Publishers Weekly!) Prior to the video-call MarcyKate and I had with our editor in mid-July, it had been months since I'd even opened that document. I popped in twice last week to move a few chapters around, basically the equivalent of pushing the furniture away from the wall you're about to paint. This week, I dove in.
At first, I couldn't nail down my main character's voice. I kept wanting to check social media on my phone. I paused to answer some emails. Eventually, I found the groove and did some good work...but it wasn't easy. I was out of practice.
Being a writer and a mover have always dovetailed for me. I am a more creative thinker when I take time to work my body. I can more easily focus and relax into a movement class when I've spent time using my brain in other ways. The absolute best day for me is one that includes both creative writing time and dance or yoga. So it was strange to feel rusty on both counts. Yes, I just came back from a week away, after an extremely stressful month prior, but I couldn't help feeling a little...disappointed.
How could I have let my body get so stiff? Why wasn't I able to pick up right where I left off with a writing project I absolutely adore? Never mind the extenuating circumstances, when something doesn't feel as good or as natural or as easy as I'd like it to (or even as hard, but the good kind of hard, which is totally a thing), my first instinct is to blame myself.
I should have, I could have, why didn't I, what if...?
Do you do this to yourself?
More importantly, how can you (or I) stop?
Next week is August, a.k.a. the slowest part of the summer. Or at least, it would be the slowest part of the summer, if I didn't have two book releases (David Dixon paperback and Madison Morris hardcover), followed by a week-and-a-half-long trip to pack for, concluding with my first in-person school visit of the new year (and thus a new presentation to prepare and rehearse). Plus, the new book edits are due around Labor Day, so I know MarcyKate and I will be busy with that. And I have to get my kiddo ready for kindergarten, and, and, and...
I'm going to have days where nothing feels smooth. I'm going to feel overwhelmed and disappointed in myself. But a lot of the things that are happening next month are good things! A book launch! A beach vacation! My first in-person school visit for Class Critters...ever!!! (And it's in my hometown, which makes it extra meaningful.) I want to try to stay positive. I want to think about how good and easy and natural the things I love doing can feel, rather than how tough they are sometimes.
Two days after my painful yoga class, I took a dance class. My body still felt stiff, but it wasn't quite as bad.
I've kept working on book edits, and each time I enter the document, it's easier to jump in. Every day, my brain is a little more on board.
Sometimes doing the things I love is easy. Sometimes it's hard.
Either way, I've got this.
Whatever you're working on or striving for this week, you've got this, too.
Next week, you'll get the fifth installment of Creating While Parenting, the short interview series I'm running this summer with fellow parents who work in creative fields. Stay tuned to meet another great kidlit author and mom!
What I'm:
Reading: My sister loaned me By the Book by Jasmine Guillory, the second title in the Meant to Be romance series, in which each story is based on a classic Disney animated film. By the Book is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, featuring Isabelle, a book editor and aspiring author, and Beau, a reclusive celebrity who's been commissioned to write his memoir. When Izzy ends up moving into Beau's house to help him finish (or rather, start...) his book, sparks fly. I will admit, I didn't like this one quite as much as the first in the series, If the Shoe Fits (a Cinderella retelling by Julie Murphy), but if you're looking for a few pleasant reading hours, check it out.
Watching: Lots of things. "Westworld," "Only Murders in the Building," "What We Do in the Shadows," rewatching "The Umbrella Academy"... Oh, and I can't wait to jump into season 3 of "For All Mankind" soon!
Listening to: My daughter loves dance parties, and her musical tastes tend toward the pop songs that run over the credits of animated films. We even had some car dance parties on our road trip. I still have "When Can I See You Again?" by Owl City, from the end of Wreck-It Ralph, stuck in my head...
Loving: It was a delight to see my kiddo interacting with her cousins last week. Playing, hugging, tickling, just chatting about things... Here she is with my brother's six-year-old son, doing sparklers. (This family trip was supposed to happen over 4th of July. Instead, we set off fireworks on July 21st...)
