The Friday Five!
"Everything's gonna be all right, it's going to be okay"---Dolly
It’s March 1st! We made it! For some reason, this day—-despite the fact that official spring is actually still a ways off—-has always felt like the finish line for my seasonal blues. Last night it was light well past 5pm. Our daffodils, ever hopeful, have been blooming for over a week now. And as I write this, the birds are singing so loudly outside I can barely hear anything else. This fall and winter has been a tough stretch, I can’t lie. And we still have a ways to go. But seeing *some* change, after so many days that felt Just the Same, is a wonderful thing.
I now have TWO books out with editors, because freaking out waiting for one to give feedback was clearly not enough stress for me. The next step: revising like crazy to make the books as good as possible. After 28 years and 14 books I am kind of starting over in a market that seems *really* hard to crack, especially if you write contemporary YA fiction. But I can’t write about fairies or murder, just like I couldn’t write about vampires and dystopias back when they were popular. I am, for better or worse, the writer that I am. And when doors are tightly shut, you have to look for another way. It may be this Substack! Somewhere else digital! Stay tuned.
This week I’ve been rereading Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep, and it’s just as good as I remembered. It’s that rare book that is a teen voice but transcended genres, and it’s been a real inspiration each time I go back to it. She perfectly captures the insecurity and constant second guessing that IS adolescence. And the cover remains one of my very favorites of all time.
I have been dismayed to learn from my daughter that the “preppy” aesthetic no longer means pink and green grosgrain, but something else entirely. (Smiley faces? I think?) But for us Gen-X folks, it will always be this. Makes me want to put on my add-a-bead necklace. Memories!
One of my dearest friends is going through a really hard time now, and I feel so helpless. She is, to put it simply, everyone ELSE’S rock, so when she’s struggling it hits hard. We are all up against so much right now. I just want to make the world a grilled cheese, then put everyone down for a nice nap. Lately, it feels, as she said this morning, like the opposite of the good old days. I am making her a casserole. Checking in every day. Doing my version of prayer in hopes things improve. But comfort is so hard. If you have any other ideas of how we can all support each other right now, I am all ears. Maybe there’s something I’m not thinking of?
Finally, speaking of support, I am so grateful for all the longtime readers of my books. In these times of great change, career-wise and in other ways, knowing that my stories have been a part of so many other people’s is the best kind of anchor. This week, I signed a book for a girl named after Auden from Along for the Ride, on the occasion of her birthday: her mom wrote a long note saying how much she loved the book and the name. I know there are a lot of pets named Remy, Dexter and Macy out there, but an actual person? Oh, my heart. I am so, so lucky to get to do what I do. Even in this hard stretch, all that work still counts. Thank goodness.
Have a good weekend, everyone!
Oh my gosh my first car was named Remy. This Lullaby has so many great lines but for whatever reason I always think of “and just like that, I had a job and a car payment before my 18th birthday”.
I hope so much that we get to read your stories. It’s so hard for me to imagine you of all people feeling like you are starting over. Your stories are so important. ❤️
At 32 years old, I have found my way to your blog in my search to see if I somehow missed a release in the years since The Rest of the Story. I'm glad to see you have 2 books with editors.... looking forward to reading them soon!