Counting Down to Launch 🚀
Only 11 days to go! Plus win a copy of Jessica Strawser's latest.
If you’ve been reading my newsletter or following me on any of my socials, you know I have a book coming out soon! So, what does it look like in the days leading up to a book launch? Well, it’s a lot of marketing and publicity hustle and prep.
First off, it’s a challenging publishing world out there, and unless you are in the publisher’s top 3-5% of books, authors have to do a lot of the heavy lifting for marketing and PR these days. That means I’ve been hard at work doing a few things:
Adding pages to my website about the Sacro Bosco garden and Salvador Dalí.
Creating a cookbook with several chefs, food book bloggers, and food historians, and testing my own recipes. This part is a LOT of fun. I love seeing the creativity of everyone who submitted, and I sure as hell love testing out the recipes!
Creating postcards with a couple of recipes to hand out at my book events.
Writing essays and filling out interview questionnaires.
Doing all sorts of press and podcast interviews, including this one I did with Ciara at Harlequin’s HTP Hive yesterday:
Planning for and updating my Events page.
Getting ready for my launch at Harvard Bookstore! I’ll be in conversation with author and podcaster Mark Cecil. I hope I’ll see a few of you there!
Next week, I’ll be in the thick of it all, so forgive me if I skip posting until after my launch. 😍
But let me leave you with these fun things:
WIN AN ADVANCED COPY OF CATCH YOU LATER
I had a chance to read this book early, and here’s my review: CATCH YOU LATER by Jessica Strawser hit me right in the heart with its exploration of the ripple effects of a single choice. The suspense pulls you along, but it's the characters and their tangled lives that really made me keep turning the pages. I was especially struck by how well Strawser captured the deep connections between female friends and the weight those relationships carry over time. The dual timelines worked beautifully to unravel the mystery of Mikki’s disappearance while also showing how those left behind continued to be shaped by it. It's not just about solving a mystery—it's about facing yourself and the past in a way that feels raw and authentic. For me, this book is not just a thrilling read but also a poignant examination of loyalty, identity, and the courage to face the unknown. I think it’s one of Strawser’s best books yet.
One impulsive decision changes the lives of two best friends forever in a powerful novel of suspense by the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Caretaker.
If Lark and Mikki didn’t have each other, they’d have nothing in this miserable town. So the best friends stick together, working the night shift at the highway travel stop, going nowhere fast. Until a stranger drops in, heading for Florida, and Mikki impulsively leaves with him, never to be seen again.
Eight years later, Lark is finally getting her life back together for the sake of her young daughter and Mikki’s lovably prickly grandma, who can no longer care for herself. People have almost stopped blaming Lark for Mikki’s disappearance, and she’s engaged to the nicest guy on highway patrol. But when the stranger who drove off with Mikki reappears looking for her, nobody knows what to believe.
As the search reignites, Lark fights to find out whether Mikki is really missing or doesn’t want to be found. But piecing together the chain of events set into motion that fateful night could threaten everything―and everyone―Lark has left.
Do you want to win this book?
This giveaway closed on Sunday, 09/22/24. Winners will be notified within 48 hours of the giveaway closing and announced in my next newsletter/post.
Important to Note: You must be 18+ and a United States resident (pesky international laws make it tricky to do giveaways worldwide). If you are someone who loves to read the rules, you can find the obligatory info here.
Note: The winner of the giveaway for Jennifer S. Brown’s THE WHISPER SISTER will be announced alongside the winner of Jessica Strawser’s book in my Sep 26 post.
WHAT’S BRINGING ME JOY
I’m going to see Johnny Marr (formerly of the Smiths) and James at the end of October, and I’m stoked. Looking forward to hearing this song, one of my faves.
Spooky season is nearly here and I've been listening to my massive fall/ghosty/halloweeny playlist. One of the songs is Evil by Eartha Kitt. Just found the video and oh, it's wonderful.
I might have to make these at some point! So cute.
If you love food and love Italy, and haven’t read THE CHEF’S SECRET or FEAST OF SORROW, click the links to learn where to buy your copy! And now you can pre-order IN THE GARDEN OF MONSTERS!
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"unless you are in the publisher’s top 3-5% of books, authors have to do a lot of the heavy lifting" Then you should get a bigger cut : ) Not really kidding, they're making you work more. Good luck Crystal keep letting us know how this end of the business is working. If you don't mind. It's fascinating.
I'm so bummed I'm going to miss this launch by ONE DAY. Can't wait till I get my hands on this book.