My First National Bestseller

Thank you!

Hello and welcome to Sitting in Silence, the newsletter about writing, craft, worry, and joy.

Today is the four-week anniversary of the publication of The American Daughters. It’s been a wonderful whirlwind tour to D.C., Houston, Memphis, San Francisco (virtually), Georgia, and Mississippi (x3) bookended by appearances at home in New Orleans. I even got to do awesome special events like an intimate pop-up at Orange Couch Coffee (where much of my first book was written) and a Sunday night chat with Book Friends Book Club, who had incredible questions and an even better vibe (seriously, every author should visit them[!]).

Writing is a solitary experience, so there’s nothing quite like meeting readers in their favorite bookstores, libraries, and online.

My first two books, We Cast a Shadow and The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You, did well critically and commercially, but the energy around The American Daughters has been bigger and brighter than anything I’ve felt before as an author.

Seeing the book in airports, watching readers purchase armfuls for loved ones (my old friend Mary Matalin has the current record; she showed up with a bag of 12 copies at the New Orleans Book Festival), and learning that booksellers have repeatedly run out of copies (we’re in the third printing now!) tipped me off that something is different this time around.

Something is different.

Nicole Counts, my brilliant editor at One World Random House, has informed me that The American Daughters is officially a National Bestseller. It actually became a bestseller at the end of the first week of release, March 2. But news takes time to travel in the literary world.

I’ve never written for money or acclaim. I just want to tell interesting stories that reflect the community I love. But I’ll admit it feels very nice to watch the trajectory of Ady, Sanite, Lenore, and Alabama’s book from an uncertain idea (“I can’t write about this topic in this time period, can I?”) to a tale that surprised me repeatedly even as I drafted it to a book on coffee tables and electronic devices everywhere. (There’s a great audiobook version of the novel too.)

Now, you might think that writing a National Bestseller means I’ll be invited to Buckingham Palace or perhaps get a lifetime supply of champagne. Nothing could be further from the truth. However, as the book moves into its next printing, you will start to see a subtle addition to cover: a little golden badge that reads NATIONAL BESTSELLER.

Young Maurice, who used to write fan fiction about the X-Men, G.I. Joe, and, yes, Dolly Parton, never imagined this day would come. It’s a cool moment and one that I will cherish.

Thank you to everyone who has purchased, read, and reviewed The American Daughters. More to come!