Preparing for liftoff

Hi friends,

It’s an exciting time. My debut novel Endpapers will officially be out in less than one week — on 2/7! I hope you’ll pick up a copy, if you haven’t already ordered one.

Though I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything, I admit it’s intimidating at times. Almost everything I’ve been doing to prepare for the book launch has been brand new to me — new kinds of writing, new social media strategies, new layers of skin to grow.

But I’m also very grateful for the opportunities to step, and often fumble, out of my comfort zone. This week, I’m happy to finally share two things I’ve been working on:

1. Jennifer Fliss, a wonderful writer and literary citizen, asked me some deeply thoughtful questions about Endpapers, and The Rumpus published our conversation today: All Storytelling is Nonbinary.

2. Endpapers is about a genderqueer bookbinder and features a lot of scenes of her binding and repairing books. After pub day, my publisher, Algonquin, is going to run a special giveaway for a copy of the novel hand-bound by me! Over the weekend, I started the process, which you can watch in this 16-second teaser video.

   

Meanwhile, I’m holding onto fiction writing like an anchor. I’ve talked away about the shiny new novel I’ve been working on and how much I’m enjoying it. Well, even though I get only an hour here or there to write it, for the time being it feels like enough.

For one, it’s not yet good or bad, working or not working, controversial, or poorly paced. It’s not the book that’s about to be in the public eye. To be subject to judgment by readers, reviewers, friends, and family. It’s just a wonderful, personal thing, a thing of becoming and promise and potential! It’s the reason I do this whole crazy thing in the first place.

So even though I don’t have much time write it, one thing I’ve done recently to keep it’s young, hopeful heart beating is to invite two of my writing group partners (and good friends), who are also working on novels, to form a new kind of writing group. A sort of novel support group, for which we have no critique homework, nor will we necessarily share every page we write. (Or maybe we will! It’s up to us!)

My idea was simply to create a space to make — and keep — one another aware of what we’re working on, what things are lighting us up from month to month, where we’re stuck, and where we’re flying. It’s a way to not merely to keep us accountable but inspired, all the way to the finish line.

We had our first meeting this week, and it was amazing. Don’t get me wrong. I think critique groups and partners are helpful and important, but when I’m drafting a novel, critique is not what I need. Both the work and I need nurturing to make it to the end.

This week, as I shift my focus entirely to launching the novel of my heart into the world, I’m especially grateful for my writing friends. I hope you’re finding the support you need and deserve to get your work where you want it go — and that you’re giving it to someone else too.

Meanwhile, I look forward to next time.

Yours,

Jen