Is publishing a pyramid scheme?
No, but my friends would SHELL out if I ever joined an MLM so I am eternally grateful
It is over a month now since THE SUMMERS BETWEEN US made her entrance into the world. I’d say she came out with a few pushes and minimal tearing but I have no biological children so I don’t want to formally make this comparison. But yet, I’m too lazy to hit the backspace so I’m leaving it here. Baby TSBU is 323 grams, not colicky and unusually quiet but she has taken me on an emotional journey (and I hope she’ll take you on one too!).
For any readers who do have children, at least I’m not on my soapbox about how my dog is just my BABY. PS. This newsletter is written in the aftermath of my Edmonton launch so it’s part tired, part un-caffeinated and written in the same location (my childhood home!) of my teenage diaries so you’re getting adolescent mixed with tired thirty-plus year old energy so who knows what’s going to happen.
But in seriousness, this month has been a wild ride, in the best way. Readers have been slowly but steadily finding THE SUMMERS BETWEEN US and getting messages from people who *resonate* with Wes and Lia has made me so happy. When I started this book, it truly was just a passion project for myself and it is wild for me to see that a story staring a FMC like myself is resonating with others. I am so glad and so grateful.
I also am so grateful to the sales team at PRHC. While my book is not stocked at Barnes and Noble in store in the US, you can still order it online or on Bookshop.org and some amazing indie bookstores across the States are stocking it in store! But the real highlight has been seeing my book ALL ACROSS CANADA!
I love being a Canadian and I love my country and it has been so beautiful to see my book in stores in Walmart but also IN THE AIRPOTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. As a frequent flier since I was 18 and moved across the country for school, this is crazy and amazing and means so so much that my publisher and booksellers have made this happen for THE SUMMERS BETWEEN US, which I really feel is a love letter to growing up as a millennial daughter of immigrants in Canada. Also, it has been so fun that my friends, my sisters’ friends and friends of friends have been sending us THE SUMMERS BETWEEN US spotting across the country. What a magical way for this book to connect my community.
Also, I have to reacknowledge ALL of my friends because my acknowledgements do not do it justice and because I have the memory of a goldfish, is likely missing important names. But my friends, my family, everyone really threw in their support in a way I didn’t expect. My sisters hustled to spread the word to their friends, my mother read my book (and agrees it is not an autobiography lol), and my friends bought multiple copies and passed them along to their friends and friends of friends and let me tell you…if I start peddling Tupperware or HerbalLife soon, it’s because my people have been so supportive that my connection to reality has snapped. But truly, the community has been amazing and I even met another high school alumni at one of my events who heard through one of the various grapevine channels. What a moment!
The writer and reader community has also been so amazing. Special thanks to
for hanging out with me at The World’s Borough Bookshop last month and for making it all happen.
and
for being the MVP at my Edmonton event at Audrey’s Books and answering my dad’s very on the nose questions about publishing. Be sure to pre-order HONEY AND HEAT coming out this September!
I want to keep spamming photos, but that’s what Instagram is for, so you can check me out there for more of my photo dump content but basically thank you everyone who has been part of my life, come to an event, read my book, bought my book, told someone else about my book, messaged me to squeal about Wes and Lia, was generous with social media support on the journey to pub day iykyk, donated their ear during random neurotic moments, held my hand during writing spirals or simply provided the important gift of chocolate during my journey to becoming a published writer. You are all the best and I hope the world pays it back to you a thousand times.
For anyone who didn’t have a chance to hang out, I’ll be ending off this fun book 2025 at Steamy Lit Con! I think tickets are still available so check it out!
What I’m obsessed with:
TV: The Pitt - I am usually NOT a drama person because I am soft and need happy endings and low stress but god, I am obsessed with this show and somehow am coping through the emotional spirals of it all. Not for people who can’t handle gore (which is usually me, but medicine gore seems to be the exception), but for people who LOVE powerful stories, feeling like they’re in an AMPED up version of the ER and for heartwarming and heartbreaking stories, please give this a watch. Two of my close friends had to tell me to watch this show before I did and I AM SORRY I DOUBTED YOU!
Books: I read CAN’T GET ENOUGH by Kennedy Ryan on my plane to Edmonton and I think this is my favourite of hers yet. I am an ebook girlie but will be also getting a hard copy for Kennedy to hopefully sign for me at Steamy Lit. It’s both hot, heartwarming, tackles important topics like caregiving and grief, and I have an insane book hangover right now.
’s IT’S DIFFERENT THIS TIME is next on my list and everything I’ve heard about it makes it sound like it’s written for me. Dual-timeline, second chance romance? MY KRYPTONITE. Out in September! BACK IN THE SADDLE is a cowboy romance that has me kicking my heels. I love how she has a protagonist in STEM, manages heavy topics such as grief and divorce all in a hot and steamy story. A SINGEING summer read! Out in less than 2 weeks!What I’m Listening To: The Bridgerton soundtrack while I draft book 2 because lyrics do not work for me .
What I’m working on?
Book 2. Stay tuned for more details (but remember to breathe in the interim please!). These babies are putting me through it slowly, but as I’ve told many people… iterating is how I write and so we’re on iteration 1. We’ll touch base on iteration 10 everyone! But I think you’re going to love these guys. A trusted friend has said they are a touch hornier than W and L so….hehe.
Alright. I’ll be back in the inbox soon at some point with updates but until then, if you want to chat, DMs on instagram are open.
Have a great summer! I hope you get to spend some time at the lake (figuratively or literally!).
Ahhhh your book at the airport is making me weep!!! 😭 and thank you for including Joss Because!! Once I’m out of my writing deadline jail I can’t wait to read yours!! 🩵