July News
You may be thinking, what happened to the June newsletter, Sally? Funny thing, that. I crafted the whole thing and then somehow managed to delete it. Now that takes talent. And here I thought I could only make things disappear in Word.
At any rate, Happy Belated Birthday, America! Per usual, I ran the Peachtree Roadrace, albeit virtually this year. My time was just under a 15 minute mile, which is an improvement for me. I increased my warmup and decreased my run time to my walk time, but my overall time got faster. Pretty sure there’s a life lesson for me in there somewhere, a metaphor for how I shouldn’t push myself to go as far or as fast. Will I listen? We shall see.
Mostly, my past few months have been revisions on Little Miss Petty. This novel is proving to be a bit…petty. There’s probably a life lesson here, too. Something about not writing about karma, probably.
In June I did get to do several things I love: wish my high school BFF a happy 50th birthday (a related surprise below), go to Disney with husband and BOTH kids to say goodbye to Muppet Vision 3-D, and commune with both sets of parents for Father’s Day. All of this travel and family time is good for the soul but not quite as good for the revisions. Even so, family time is precious, so revisions had to wait.
This month—and the rest of the year, there’s a lot going on. Mark your calendars for several fun events and/or online classes:
July 7-18 Online class—Wrestling with Revision—Register through Savvy Authors here
July 7—eye doctor appointment—you don’t have to go to this one but I thought I might remember it if I typed it out
July 12 Signing—Birch Tree Bookstore in Dallas, GA—3:00-5:00
July 17 Book Club Discussion—The Book Worm Bookstore in Powder Springs—6:00
July 22nd—the audio version of The Happy Hour Choir will be released!
July 26th Signing—The Reading Attic in Marietta, GA—1:00-3:00
August 4-15 Online class—The Nice Girl’s Guide to Conflict—Central Ohio Fiction Writers—registration link coming
August 14—apparently I’m going to the dentist—your presence isn’t required for this one either
August 23rd—Book Club Discussion—Birch Tree Bookstore in Dallas, GA—11:00am-12:30pm
September 20—Workshop with purchase of book—Novel 101: An AMA About Publishing—Read it Again Books in Suwanee—3:00
October 6-19—Online class—Prodding the Procrastinator Within—Register through Savvy Authors—link coming
December 1-14—Online class—The Nice Girl’s Guide to Conflict—Register through Savvy Authors—link coming
Y’all, not gonna lie…typing that out made me tired. Whew. Important note: I have bookmarks and stickers for all of my signings. Those who buy a copy of Nobody’s Perfect from the bookstore in question will also get a free novella from yours truly. Already have a copy? Books make great gifts, and there’s no better way to bond with a bestie than in a bookstore. I don’t make the rules.
New Reads
How to Get Away with Murder—A fun dual timeline mystery and quick Mother’s Day read
The Page Turner—I have a feeling many of you would like this book about a college grad who loves romance but whose parents are literary. Lots of heart in this one. I attached my review, but…I think this book just hit some really specific nerves for me that wouldn’t be a problem for any of you, so feel free to skip my thoughts, such as they are, and read the book.
The Paris Widow—Domestic suspense and a great summer read. Also an Edgar winner!
Carrie Soto is Back—Another compulsive read from Taylor Jenkins Reid.
New Movies
The Materialists—Both a classic romance and a commentary on how little we’ve evolved when it comes to what we look for in a mate. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and the scenery of Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans wasn’t bad, either.
F1—A fun popcorn movie. It’s Talladega Nights, but make it serious.
The Life of Chuck—what an odd duck of a movie. If you’re looking to stretch your brain while contemplating how short life is, then this one is for you.
Megan 2.0—an action comedy romp that’s lighter on the horror than its predecessor. One scene in particular made me laugh so hard I almost cried.
Jurassic World: Rebirth—I think this one is well worth your time, especially if you’ve missed the tension of the original Jurassic Park. It’s another solid popcorn movie IMO
The Phoenician Scheme—another odd duck of a movie, but you know that going in if you’ve ever seen Wes Anderson. I will say I think his movies must be better on the big screen due to the visuals he chooses. I enjoyed this even though I can’t tell you exactly what was going on. This is a movie for those who like deadpan humor and have a high tolerance for oddity.
Hey, hi. Do you like this new format? Can you even tell a difference? Please let me know. Also, are you getting anything out of books and movies? I could scrap ‘em. Anything you’d like for me to add to the newsletter? I’d dearly love to know.
In the meantime, thanks, as always, for your support. It’s folks who buy my books, check them out of libraries, tell their friends, and even tell their enemies who help me do this job I love to do. Thank you.
As your treat for reading allll the way to the end of the newsletter, behold the porch goose I got for my bestie. Goldie traveled in my suitcase—still shocked TSA didn’t inspect my luggage—and then buckled in for a trip to her forever home. Nothing says love like a porch goose, amirite?
