We Made It!

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

Today is a very special, joyous day. It’s PUBLICATION DAY! I’m fortunate to welcome my third book into the world. Right now, The American Daughters is available everywhere in hardcover, electronic, and audiobook formats. You can find it in independent and airport bookstores as well as in libraries. I’m going on book tour starting today, and you’ll find the schedule below. I hope you enjoy the book, and I hope to see you out and about. Thank you for all your support on this journey!

Every book an author writes is a journey unto itself. Time folds on itself in the process. It feels like writing The American Daughters was a short ride, but I started years ago. In fact, I remember exactly when I started.

I wrote the first word of The American Daughters on Monday, December 21, 2020. That was in the first year of the pandemic, and I was holed up at Grisham House with a wicked case of writer’s block, the worst I ever faced. Hadn’t written for a couple of weeks.

On December 6, I had tossed 80 pages into the recycle bin, which meant I had no work to show after months away from home. Forcing my writing never helped, so I made myself follow my distractions. Those distractions would inevitably influence my work.

I read Mrs. Dalloway for the first time and watched LOTS of TV and films--The Hours, Belle starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, anime in the form of Neon Genesis Evangelion—and playing songs on repeat to sooth myself into a flow state. One of those songs clicked: “Loom” by Ólafur Arnalds, which I’m playing now as I write this post. It must have worked then as it’s working now.

During my stay in Oxford, I took many photos each day to stave off…what? Boredom, loneliness, confusion? I’m still not sure, but I took many photos. Pictures of the landscape along my favorite trail where the fawn played peekaboo. Pictures of houses for rent. And pics of almost every meal I prepared with my own hands. But on Monday, December 21, 2020, curiously, there’s only one photo. It’s snap of a big sloppy salad I made that was bigger than my torso. Did I eat anything else that day? Did I go outside? I don’t know. I might have written for six hours or 16 hours. What I do know is that I wrote my behind off because that was the day I met Ady, the main character of the book.

She was in a tough spot: stuck in a townhouse in the French Quarter in 1862 with a slaveowner and several of his pals leering at her. This made her quite angry. Clearly, she was unbowed and unbroken. Over the next few months, she told me everything about her life. I was just the stenographer.

Top 10 Things to Do When You Put a Book Out

1.      Build a great team: no writer can publish a book alone. Having the right people in your life from the jump makes everything that much sweeter. Your success is their success.  

2.      Choose the right cover: most readers really do judge a book by its cover. More importantly, you should love the cover when you see it on shelves.

3.      Talk to everyone who wants to chat with you about your book: Podcasts, journalists, book clubs. It’s very nice when people are excited about your work, so join the fun.

4.      Get plenty of sleep.

5.      Yes, do social media: people are on social media. What better way to make readers aware of your work? Also, folks want to follow your story, so let them in whatever way you feel comfortable.

6.      Plan your book events: there’s nothing like being able to share your work with readers directly.

7.      Drink plenty of water.

8.      Thank everyone: kindness and good manners never go out of style. Err on the side of kindness at every opportunity. “When in doubt, give.” - Bjork

9.      Be grateful: in whatever way you show it, whether through prayer, meditation, or in giving. It’s a small miracle that any book exists. Don’t take it for granted. Not for a second.

10.   Live in the moment: Take deep breaths. Take it all in. You earned this brief moment in the sunlight.

Oh…and before I forget, this is the salad I ate on Monday, December 21, 2020. Yes, I know it’s a mess, but it was very tasty.