Newsletter, summer style

I have a list of little essay topics for this newsletter that I am excited to write— things that have come up over the last few months that feel worthy of exploring more deeply. Usually these topics involve something that brings me joy, a way society rubs up against my own values or understanding of the world, a bit of a lesson on how to find happiness in the mundane, the surprise of the way life has come together unexpectedly and the way the struggle and the beauty are inextricably entwined and are the birthplace of hope and imperfection and honesty. (see also: all my books).

I’m excited to write these little missives, but in an effort to actually get a newsletter out, I decided instead to just write a little update without the pressure to make it something more profound or pretty. So stay tuned for my thoughts on coffee shops on Saturday mornings and communities built in parenthood and the absolute necessity of the artfully distributed random compliment. I don’t have that mind-organization available to me today.

Summer has started. It started a month ago, but due to travel and scheduling navigation, it feels like it really just started today. I have a huge amount of work piling up in these next two months— teaching, revising a draft of a novel, making a lot of progress on a draft of a different novel, fine-tuning a new project I can’t yet announce, and of course, being the project manager of this really tricky project called Keeping My Children Occupied for the Summer. This has turned out to be a full time job, complete with color coded schedules, a multitude of camps and babysitters and Activities (capitalization intended).

The work of organizing the summer has been infinite, but because of that I feel my drive has gone up. I put everything into making a summer schedule that recognizes the needs of everyone in the home. So I better take the time I’ve carved out for writing to, really really write my heart out. It’s sort of a new feeling— this year has been slow, writing wise. Partly by design— I was on a self-imposed maternity leave for a portion of it, and partly because of the randomness of publishing schedules and partly because of a fall and winter of illness. And mostly, I think, because it is easy to de-prioritize creative work when there are two kids and shifting schedules.

And there is a rightness to that. I want to spend weekends with my kids, so that former writing time is gone. I want lazy afternoons watching Thisbe put things into and take things out of boxes, her favorite hobby. And I want to be at the playground with other parents, embracing the lifestyle I might have one day scoffed at as not very cool at all but which is actually, surprisingly, comforting and lovely in this busy city of mine.

But. Thisbe just turned a year old— celebrating with boxed yellow cake in Puerto Rico. Fia is in a variety of camps. And I am determined to find a routine that works with this time in my life that I have maybe, finally, sort of, adjusted to.

So this is a summer of color coded calendars and busy schedules. But it is also a summer of writing— the kind that comes the year after the first postpartum year when things are a little less hazy and unslept and reeling. We are entering the predictable chaos, the overwhelm that is intense and unending but also often exists outside of my own body instead of the way it exists within a postpartum body. Things are no less hectic or impossible or emotional or fraught. But there is just that tiniest bit of space between myself and the chaos, myself and the kids, myself and the role of mother, and in that space, I have decided to trust, will come the work.

News

Two big pieces of news this month! One is the image at the top of this newsletter, which is the glorious cover of my upcoming picture book, A PLACE FOR FEELINGS, illustrated by Geeta Ladi, which comes out in early 2024. Geeta and I were finally able to share her beautiful cover (designed by Celeste Knudsen) and trust me when I say what is inside the book is every bit as special.

The second piece of news is that I sold another middle grade novel (out in 2025) to my wonderful editor. Here’s the deal announcement: Mabel Hsu at HarperCollins has acquired The Ordinary and Extraordinary Auden Greene by Edgar Award nominee Corey Ann Haydu, in a two-book deal. Pitched as a fairy tale version of Freaky Friday, this middle grade tale follows a 12-year-old girl who exists in two universes. In one, she's a shy middle schooler struggling with being her mother's caretaker and hoping to land the lead role in her school's production of The Wizard of Oz. In another, she's the last remaining princess of a kingdom overrun by dragons. When the two switch places, they must navigate life in the other's shoes and find a way home. Publication is set for fall 2025; Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Agency sold world English rights.

Lastly, I know I’ve been talking it up for a while but it’s actually getting very close to release for my next middle grade novel, THE WIDELY UNKNOWN MYTH OF APPLE AND DOROTHY. It comes out September 19th (2 months away!!) and it’s a toxic friendship story made out of Greek mythology. I recently did a school visit with a group of 5th graders who proved that 5th graders reallllllllllly know their mythology, and thus I am both excited and terrified to get this book in their hands so soon. Maybe you have an 9-13 year old in your life who is starting school in the fall and would love a high stakes, life and death Greek mythology inspired story to arrive at their home to help them ease into the new school year. Maybe you yourself remember that year you spent making terrible decisions in order to stay friends with someone Zeus’s-descendant level of cool. Maybe you have always been a little fascinated by the mythology of Pandora’s box. Maybe you’re just a sucker for an unbelievably beautiful cover. Or perhaps you simply know that preordering a book is one of the very best ways to support authors you love. Whatever the reason, it would mean the world to me if you would preorder the book for you or someone in your life that you think would like the book! OH! ALSO! It will be available in audio, narrated by two huge voice talents, so if that’s your jam, here you go!

Recommendations

I am living the fancy sunscreen life, and I have to insist that you join me. Supergoop is my best friend. I use their tinted face sunscreen, their kids sunscreen, and, oddly, their eyeshadow?? I don’t know, but I love it all. Most especially though I love this glow stick, which I use on my face and also my kid’s face and is the most portable, easy to put on, least annoying sunscreen on the planet. I keep them in all of our bags and, I am shocked to report, I took an entire weeklong vacation in Puerto Rico and did not get a single sunburn. I credit the ease of the products as well as how non-irritating they are to my sunscreen-sensitive skin.

While we’re on the subject of skin care (presumably you always go to your favorite children’s book authors for skincare and beauty tips???) I recently started using this serum at night and I am passionate about it! I think it’s really made my skin look better and brighter and serum-wise the price is pretty good, compared to its competitors.

Okay, fine, I’ll make a book recommendation. It is imperfect and has some dated moments, but I recently read THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ with my bookworm five year old (partly inspired by my research on it for the purposes of the book I announced above) and it was a really special experience. The book is over 100 years old, but it still captured her attention so beautifully, and I enjoyed how long and immersive it was, and how artfully it used repetition and imagination to create a novel that can keep a young child’s attention.

Please share with me your summer reading plans, your skincare tips, and any thoughts you have in how to transition more deeply into work/creative-mode after a year of feeling more solidly in parent/caretaker-mode.