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Shirred Eggs and First Drafts

Posted on | February 6, 2010 | 4 Comments - Write one! | Print This Post   

2010 kicked off with a bang. Well, not really because we fell asleep before we could do any fireworks, but the minute I woke up I was back to work on book four. It’s nearing completion but the truth is it will continue to be a work in progress until the book comes back from the printers. Until then, there will be many more revisions, copy edits, layering, texturing, subtle plot revisions, and so on.

Which brings me to shirred eggs.

Now, some of you may be wondering what on earth I’m talking about. Book revisions and shirred eggs? And what the heck is a shirred egg?

A shirred egg is basically a baked egg. This method of egg preparation is also known as oeufs en cocotte. The eggs can either be nestled in foods (like a casserole—use the back of a serving spoon to make an indentation before adding the egg) or prepared individually in a ramekin. You add a tablespoon of cream or milk to the top and that’s basically it. The end result is a firm egg white with a soft or runny yolk.

Sound easy enough?

That’s what I thought. Turns out it’s easy to overcook these guys, which I did with the first two batches which were still delicious but the yolks were cooked through and dry. Third time was the charm, though, and I think I’ll do even better next time, which will probably be tomorrow morning.

Which brings me back to first drafts.

Here’s the thing about first drafts: you have to finish a draft to have a first draft. There are so many good writers that show me their manuscript in progress and ask me if I think it can be published. My answer is always, “Maybe, but you’re going to have to finish it first.” It’s pointless to talk about it until the work is done, because you just don’t know what you’re going to get until you’re finished. That’s the hard truth about writing a novel—you may think you know how it’s going to end, but until you actually write it and see how well it works, you just don’t know. And let me tell you, crossing that finish line isn’t easy. But you’ve got to do it if you want to get published, because until you do, you can’t get an agent who in turn can’t get you a publisher who in turn can’t get your book onto the shelves in your local bookstore. You have to have a manuscript first.

And even once you finish the manuscript, your work is far from done. Celebrate, then get back to work. First drafts are exactly that: first drafts. They are rarely ready to be seen by anyone, and this is coming from someone who writes very smooth, tight first drafts. Your drafts will need work. How much work? Until it doesn’t read like a draft anymore, but a polished manuscript that could go straight to the printers if need be. The publishing industry is looking for writers who know how to write, who know how to self-edit, who know how to find strong, critical readers to help them get their work ready for their agent and publisher. If you want to get published, this is the path. There are always exceptions, yes, but for the other 99% of us, this is how it’s done.

If I had to give you one tip for finishing your first draft, this would be it: don’t go backwards. Don’t go back and fix things unless it can be done via “Search and Replace” or will take you less than 10 minutes a day to address whatever it is that’s really bugging you. DON’T GO BACK. Go forward, people. Finish it.

Okay, it turns out I have a second tip: don’t show it to anybody yet. This is not the stage for feedback, however kind or well-intentioned. Finish your first draft, clean it up, and then clean it up again. Then show it to your reading group or designated readers. Writing groups are wonderful but if your goal is to get it done as quickly as possible (because, let’s face it, this can take as long as you want it to take), then just get it done. Over-massaging and re-working elements of an incomplete first draft is premature, especially if it’s holding you back from moving forward it. Trust that your story is there, and go with it.

Here is a basic recipe for shirred eggs—it certainly gave me sustenance to finish this leg of the relay:

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons cream (whipping cream or heavy cream; half and half also works) or milk
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare two ramekins by spraying with cooking spray or butter.
2. Crack an egg into each ramekin.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of cream or milk to the tops of the eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the whites have set. Remove and let rest for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Once you get the hang of it, you can add cheese, cooked spinach, chives, green onions (that’s what I used in the picture above) in the last couple of minutes or garnish once it’s removed from the oven.

Shirred Eggs Recipe Links:

• Shirred Eggs | Food Network | Recipe by Emeril Lagasse | http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/shirred-eggs-recipe/index.html
• Shirred Eggs with Sorrel | Food and Wine | Recipe by Chantal Leroux | http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/shirred-eggs-with-sorrel
• Shirred Eggs | Sunset Magazine | http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1598614
• Shirred Eggs | Real Simple | http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=524080
• Shirred Eggs | Group Recipes | Recipe by Vainwi | http://www.grouprecipes.com/35458/shirred-eggs.html

Writing First Draft Links:

• Shitty First Drafts: An Excerpt from Bird by Bird (though I highly recommend and reading the book in its entirety—it’s absolutely excellent) | by Anne Lamott | http://tiny.cc/wS5qJ
• From First Draft to Finished Novel | Writer’s Digest | by Karen S. Weisner | http://www.writersdigest.com/article/first-draft-finish-novel
• Tips and Links for Writing a First Draft | http://www.helium.com/knowledge/187801-how-to-write-a-first-draft
• Writing the Novel: Approaching the First Draft | SF Gate | by Pia Chatterjee http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/chatterjee/detail?blogid=118&entry_id=45214

Got Friendship Bread?

Posted on | January 30, 2010 | 1 Comment - Add Yours! | Print This Post   

If you’re following me on Facebook, chances are you’ve been hit—more than a few times—with images and posts from my new Facebook page, Friendship Bread Kitchen. Friendship Bread Kitchen is my new virtual kitchen, but unlike Café World (an addictive Facebook application that lets you run a restaurant and cook lots of fun things and put your friends to work for you), I experiment with recipes in my real kitchen on the Big Island of Hawaii. While food, family and friendship are important themes for me in my books, I don’t consider myself a cook or even someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen.

Not so anymore.

In the Friendship Bread Kitchen I’m not trying to be all things to all people. In other words, I’m not making soufflés or braised lamb shanks or roasted brussels sprouts drizzled in lemon juice (wait, I actually did make that tonight). In the Friendship Bread Kitchen, it’s all about—you guessed it—Amish Friendship Bread.

Now chances are you or someone you know has had Amish Friendship Bread or received its ubiquitous starter. The friendship bread itself is a sweet bread or quick bread, similar to banana bread (or, as one news reporter put it, a pound cake inside of a pound cake in terms of its moist richness—it definitely isn’t for people watching their cholesterol!). The starter is a sourdough starter though I’ve never been able to discern the sourness in any of the friendship breads I’ve made.

Amish Friendship Bread is essentially a culinary chain letter. You receive a baggie of starter from a friend, mash it for ten days (adding more flour, sugar, and milk on day six), then feed it again before splitting it into four portions of 1 cup each (by the way, my yield has always been more than 4 cups by the time I’m ready to start baking). You bake with one portion and give the other three to friends with instructions on how to care and feed the starter so they can bake and share theirs in 10 days. If you’re wondering whether or not the recipe is actually Amish (which, to my knowledge, no one has been able to confirm nor deny), I will say that the “1-2 boxes of instant pudding” in the list of ingredients is somewhat suspect.

A running joke is that “friends don’t give friends Amish Friendship Bread”—it’s a needy kind of recipe that most people don’t have time for. Because the recipes use so much sugar (and instant pudding), the fact that it’s made from a starter seems a bit irrelevant.

But it IS fun, and it is delicious, and passing it on has its charm. People either love it or hate it (see this recent post on About.com by Carroll Pellegrinelli: Friendship Bread – A Blessing or a Curse?) but I will tell you that if you were to walk into my kitchen on a day while I was baking friendship bread, you would swoon. My kitchen smells AMAZING when there’s friendship bread in the oven.

And you don’t have to pass it on—it’s just as easy to refrigerate or freeze the starter (or the loaves), or to feed it less so it doesn’t proliferate as quickly. You don’t even need to make the starter to end up with a similar result, but people will argue that it’s not the same. There’s a lot of TLC that goes into a bag of friendship bread starter which, if you believe it (and I kind of do), finds its way into the bread. You can make loaves, muffins, pancakes—the choices are endless. Even Martha Stewart gave it a whirl. See the video here.

So what is Friendship Bread Kitchen about and why am I doing it instead of cranking out my next book? Honestly, it was a small idea that blew up into a big idea, really really fast (kind of like the starter itself). I want Friendship Bread Kitchen to be a gathering place for people who love Amish Friendship Bread or who want to find new recipes or tips. I have over 50 GORGEOUS (did you get that? GORGEOUS!) photographs from food bloggers who have put their own style and stamp on the bread. There’s also vegan and gluten-free variations—I’m experimenting with two starters right now at the request of a couple of people (see? Join the page and you can actually get me to bake for you! Though you will have to come to Hawaii to get the bread).

While the Friendship Bread Kitchen has been taking on a life of its own, I have been writing like crazy in between uploading said gorgeous photos and hanging out with my three kids and husband. Book four is currently with my very cool and super smart rock star agent, Dorian Karchmar of William Morris Endeavor (and did I mention that she’s really, really nice? She is!). I’m revising and editing and smoothing and all that fun stuff (it’s actually not that fun, but I do truly love it). So I hope I’ll have some news for you soon but in the meantime, please swing by and say hi if you’re on Facebook. I have a giveaway going on right now at the Kitchen for an Emile Henry loaf pan from Williams-Sonoma. Even I don’t own one yet!

If you want to know more, here are a few links. And while the basic recipe rocked (we added raisins and walnuts), I am leaving you with a parting shot of the lemon poppy seed friendship bread muffins we made with our second batch of starter. It brought the kitchen down.

• Friendship Bread Kitchen on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fbkitchen
• Mia on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authormiaking
• No friends to give you starter? Make your own.
• Looking for instructions? Take a look at this.
• Sweet tweets! Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fbkitchen

Wanting is a Very Good Thing

Posted on | January 14, 2010 | 2 Comments - Write one! | Print This Post   

2010. I have been waiting for this year to come for reasons I cannot explain. I actually started writing it on checks last year. I have photos that I’ve dated 2010 when it was 2009. I’d say it even trumps 2020 for me, a year that I’m sure will get lots of media coverage and attention with people making all sorts of predictions and resolutions, end-of-the-world kind of drama and the like. But it just doesn’t do much for me. 2010, on the other hand, is my year, baby.

I have no explanation as to why this is the case, or what this even means. Nothing of significance could happen and I would still feel this way. On the home front, I’ll be 42. Nothing particularly jazzy about that (other than the fact that I’ll be FORTY … TWO … when did that happen? Really? We’ll save that for another post). I’m not pregnant (knock on wood), my three kids are growing up (one turns four on Sunday), there are a few exciting things in the hopper but nothing’s come out of the chute and there’s not even a guarantee that anything will. The country is still in a recession. So why the optimism?

As somebody who tends to occupy both sides — thinking and feeling, left brain and right — I can say that sometimes you just have to go with it. Even if you COULD explain it, what difference would it make? You’re still going to feel the way you feel, and that’s the important thing. 2010 is just a detail, a specific that gives you another piece of information but at the end of the day, that’s all it is. 2010 in itself is not going to do anything for me. As a concept, as a year, as a time in place it’s not going to change my life. That part is up to me.

So yes, I’m feeling expansive at the moment, which is not always the case if you’ve read any of my past posts. But it’s where I am now, and let’s face it — it’s so much better here than on the other side when you just want to keep rolling around in the mud. Expansive is a good thing. Wanting is a good thing. Wanting tells us what kind of experiences we want — you don’t necessarily want your neighbor’s house, you want the feeling you get when you are in that neighbor’s house or when you think of that neighbor’s house. Wanting points us in the right direction, in the direction of our heart’s desire. And of course it may change tomorrow — we’re human, after all — but for now let’s go with it.

So 2010, here you are. I’ve been waiting for you. We’re 14 days into the new year, two weeks to be precise, and all I can say is, welcome.

Visualizing 2010: Crafting Your Future

Posted on | December 14, 2009 | 1 Comment - Add Yours! | Print This Post   

You’ve probably heard about vision boards. Basically it’s crafting your future — literally and figuratively. It got a lot of press when The Secret was out a few years ago, and Oprah even partnered with Getty Images to create an O Dream Board desktop application so people could make vision boards without ever have to leave their computer.

I’m a fan of doing it the old fashioned way — grabbing a bunch of old magazines, scissors and glue, then finding a piece of sturdy cardboard or card stock (I use a 5″ x 7″ inch mat board). When I first starting doing this back in the 1990’s, I didn’t use the term vision board. I knew it as a neter card, or soul collage, which I believe first came from Seena Frost. It’s tied into the work of C.J. Jung, James Hillman, and Roberto Assigioli. There’s something about doing it by hand, some kind of wiring that goes from the brain to the hand and vice versa as you’re flipping through the magazines and tearing out pages of whatever catches your eye. You’re not going for “pretty” or deciding on a “theme” or trying to create anything specific. You’re going through and pulling out whatever calls to you. You collect all your images and phrases first, without thinking or judging. Hmmm…you know, that’s a lot like getting ready to write a novel!

Technically I am supposed to be in very heavy edits for book 4 right now. I suppose the term “heavy” is relative, but it feels overwhelming and unwieldy. I know everything will be just fine in the end, but getting there … yowza. Yesterday was supposed to be spent writing (I paid for a babysitter and everything!) but instead I visited with a friend for HOURS. I didn’t get home until almost midnight. I felt completely guilty but was having such a great time I couldn’t stop. And thank goodness.

Now everything is starting to flow. I look at yesterday (and the past 41 years) as my gathering time, when I gathered what I needed to visualize my future as an author, noticing people and relationships, words spoken and unspoken. When you go through magazines and see images, it’s the same thing. Who knows why you like a picture — it actually doesn’t matter. Just tear it out and keep going. Don’t stop, don’t trim, don’t reconsider. Go until you’re tired of doing that, then spread the pictures out in front of you and let your eyes lightly skim over everything.

Pull the ones that are calling to you strongly, and begin to cut and piece them together on your board. What I like about the 5″ x 7″ size is that you have to really think about what’s going to go on and what’s not. If you love a big image, do you love it enough not to have enough room for something else? You have to make some decisions about what will fit, just like you have to make some decisions about what kinds of goals you want to achieve in 2010. How will everything fit together? This clarity will serve not just now but in the year to come.

As you cull through everything — phrases as well as images — it will become apparent what is supposed to stay. You’ll feel it, too, when you choose something you think you should choose, but it really isn’t working for you. We’re looking for connection here, for resonance. Trust it.

2010 is almost here and I cannot wait to see what it holds. If you want a hand in creating your future, think about making a neter card or vision board (do an image search on Google to see what other people have done–it’s inspiring!). My very best to you and yours as we move into the new year — I look forward to sharing some exciting book news with you in the months to come!

hugs,

Mia

PS. Remember my first novel, Good Things? It was on my neter card for 2005. I made it in March and envisioned that I would sell it by December. I got my offer from Berkley Books (Penguin USA) in October 2005, two months ahead of schedule!

Ode to Happy Endings

Posted on | October 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment | Print This Post   

I read a lot. It doesn’t matter if the kids are screaming or a deadline is looming, I have to read. Fiction, nonfiction, all books call to me but at the end of the day I gravitate towards books with those gosh darn happy endings.

I’m not talking about fluffy or cotton-candy-pink kind of happy (though I’ve read some of those, too). I’m talking about books with a hero or heroine we find ourselves rooting for, watching in both horror and fascination as they navigate the unwieldy circumstances of their lives. Will they make it? God, I hope so. I find it difficult to believe that we’re all put here on this earth just to fall flat on our faces and fail, over and over again. What kind of life experience is that?

I was perusing reader comments on amazon.com the other day in search of some new titles and I saw that there is always the reader that detests happy endings (and yes, I confess, I read the comments for my books too—how can you resist?). This kind of reader hates it if things get “tied up too neatly” or “issues are too easily resolved.” I get it: life’s not always like that. In fact, I’m sure he/she could regale me with stories (most likely personal in nature) of things that have gone wrong. Repeatedly. Sometimes with disastrous results. And, of course, with no happy ending.

But here’s why I write what I do: I write fiction that’s fun and entertaining, but also full of mishaps because I want my heroine to grow. I want her to figure it out, I want her to be pushed to really question what matters most. She won’t always, at least not right away, but eventually she finds her way. This does not mean that everything goes the way she wants it—it just means  recognizes the value of her ordeal. It is all not for naught. In coming through the other side, she opens herself to all the good things that come when we appreciate what life throws at us. It helps us appreciate what we have and refine what we really want.

I loved Thelma and Louise. That’s hardly the kind of happy ending you’d expect, but it worked for me on so many levels for all of the reasons I’ve stated above. Happily ever after doesn’t mean the prince and the castle (though it can, there’s nothing wrong with that) but in my mind that’s all gravy. It’s actually all about the heroine and, by extension, the reader. In real life we root for the underdog, the most deserving, the most passionate, those who have overcome all odds. So why not in fiction?

I think it’s great when we fall in love with the characters in a book and hope that things work out for the best, especially when things are looking pretty bleak. I think it’s okay to be thrilled, happy, relieved, when things do work out, because don’t we want that in our own lives?

I know I certainly do. Have a great November, everyone!

hugs,
Mia

TABLE MANNERS in Bookstores TODAY!

Posted on | August 4, 2009 | 129 Comments - Write one! | Print This Post   

The dining room is a theater … the table is a stage.

Chatillon-Plessis

What a perfect quote to announce the official release of TABLE MANNERS, my third novel published by Berkley Books/Penguin USA! Today is the day, and I’m thrilled to be in sunny northern California for its release.

I have a contest going on in celebration: I am giving away a signed copy of each of my books (that’s THREE books, signed to you or a friend), a special edition ceramic GOOD THINGS wall/desk plaque that says “Live Simple,” something delectable to eat and/or drink (TBD—I am going shopping next week!), plus other author goodies. The contest runs today until August 31 11:59 pm HST. No purchase is necessary to win—you just need to leave a comment on this post!

And because is a special day, I’m offering bonus entries: if you leave a review for TABLE MANNERS on amazon.com and/or bn.com during the contest period (leave a comment with your review in the body of the comment and where you posted it so I’ll know to give you the extra entries), you will receive not one but ten entries (twenty if you post at both sites), dramatically increasing your chances to win. Yes, I know this contest favors those who leave reviews (after all, it is my book’s release date!) but it is a random drawing using random.org so it is possible for anyone to win. This giveaway is open to readers everywhere (must be 18 years or older). And to make it more fun, for every increment of ten people who post, I’ll add more great stuff to the winning bounty (iTunes/Starbucks gift cards, foodie gifts, home and bath items, and more). I’ll tuck everything into a lovely book bag and promise it will be a prize worth winning!

I really hope you’ll have a chance to read TABLE MANNERS, which I loved writing and think (of course!) that it’s an all-around wonderful book. It is the follow-up to my debut novel and national bestseller, GOOD THINGS, but you don’t need to have read GOOD THINGS to enjoy this book—in fact, most of the wonderful reviews it’s received have been from brand new readers and reviewers. I am also very proud that TABLE MANNERS is a selection of the Doubleday, Literary Guild, Rhapsody, and Book of the Month Club book clubs.

TABLE MANNERS is a book with generous servings of food and friendship, with wonderful recipes from prominent chefs and foodies from Seattle to Paris (this image is the Sparkling Pomegranate Lemonade which Shannalee T’Koy at Food Loves Writing prepared and photographed! She also snapped a shot of the book above). You’ll meet the ever-resourceful lifestyle maven Deidre McIntosh, who has a knack for getting back up when life knocks her down. You’ll see how tenacious and creative Deidre can be while making room for the things—and people—that matter most. I know you’ll be cheering for her as much as I do!

I hope you enjoy my latest novel, and if so, please let me know—I’d love to hear from you!

• Read an excerpt from TABLE MANNERS by clicking here.
• Read my August newsletter by clicking here.
• Buy your copy now from Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.

hugs,

PS UPDATE (8/13/09): Wow, we’ve had a great response so I am off to pick up ten MORE items to add to the giveaway!

PPS UPDATE (8/29/09): Off to get three MORE items to add! Contest ends Monday!

PPS UDPATE (9/2/09): And the winner is .. .#13, L Nichols! She’s going to get a box full of books and goodies, a “Live Simple” plaque, and lots of sweet treats! And, because I love to throw in a last minute surprise, I pulled two bonus names: #120 Theresa Dell and #105 Kathryn Wilkie. They’ll receive a copy of the book along with a $10 gift certificate from amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com. Winners need to email their mailing address to me. Thank you to everyone who entered. And the winner of the See’s Candies gift card (a subscriber-only contest) will be announced in the next newsletter!

Almost There …

Posted on | July 28, 2009 | 21 Comments - Write one! | Print This Post   

We’re only a few days away from the official release of TABLE MANNERS and I gotta tell you—I can’t wait!

I’m in rural Washington right now, looking at the gorgeous lakes and trees and mountain that inspired GOOD THINGS and its sequel. The trip from Hawaii to Washington was … well, let’s just say that I had my hands full with three kids, bags, car seats, diapers, snacks, DVD player, ID, and stickers. My three year old spilled apple juice all over him an hour into the first five hour leg of the flight. Cue to me in the airplane bathroom, rinsing his pants while bouncing the baby in the Bjorn. Lovely!

There’s some kind of heat wave in Washington now, and it’s much hotter than what I’m used to in Hawaii. I know—funny, isn’t it? But life’s like that, full of the unexpected, and sometimes you just gotta roll with it. So when I was in Borders today and saw that they already had my books out, I was like—I’m rolling with it! Remember, I’m not in Seattle proper (I’m a good hour plus away), so seeing my books outside of major metropolitan areas is a good thing, even if the books are out a bit earlier than expected.

I just posted some early reviews here and there are also a few lovely links and blog posts mentioning TABLE MANNERS:

• One Literature Nut: A lovely author profile of me and TABLE MANNERS.
• Book Binge: The three lovely ladies of Book Binge did a book watch shout-out for TABLE MANNERS.
• Food Loves Writing: Amazing photography of the book and sparkling pomegranate lemonade (recipe featured in TABLE MANNERS) by the very lovely and talented Shannalee. Looking at those pictures again are making me VERY thirsty! Image (c) Food Loves Writing.

Yes, I know I just wrote “lovely” a million times but despite this sweltering heat (it’s 10:30 at night and I’m still sweating after a shower!), I’m just so full of gratitude for all of you who take the time to read my books and write about them (or take pictures of them!!). THANK YOU!

What else? Oh, yes. A contest. I am giving away a signed copy of each of my books (that’s THREE books, signed to you or a friend), a special edition ceramic GOOD THINGS wall/desk plaque that says “Live Simple,” something delectable to eat and/or drink (TBD—I am going shopping next week!), plus other author goodies and swag. The contest runs from August 4 to August 31 11:59 pm HST. No purchase is necessary to win—you just need to come back on August 4 and leave a comment on my August 4 Release Date post.

Now for the bonus entries: if you leave a review for TABLE MANNERS on amazon.com and/or bn.com during the contest period (and leave a comment with your review in the body of the comment and where you posted it), you will get not one but ten entries (twenty if you post at both sites), dramatically increasing your chances to win. Yes, this contest favors those who leave reviews (after all, it is my book’s release date!) but it is a random drawing using random.org so it is possible for anyone to win. Plus this giveaway is open to readers everywhere (must be 18 years or older). And to make it more fun, for every increment of ten people who post, I’ll add more great stuff to the winning bounty (iTunes/amazon gift cards, foodie gifts, etc.). Look for details on Aug 4 or subscribe to my spam-free newsletter.

I’m off to cool off—sparkling pomegranate lemonade anyone?

Good Things in the Mail…

Posted on | July 17, 2009 | 2 Comments - Write one! | Print This Post   

Or the sequel to Good Things, to be exact! (Which, by the way, is on sale at Amazon.com this week for less than $5!)

My publisher, Berkley/Penguin, just sent me an early copy of Table Manners. I love getting packages but of course this was especially exciting. I’ve been working on the book for over a year and have been looking at the cover art for what feels like forever, and yet it’s still incredible to actually see the real thing in front of me. Expect to see another post like this when I actually see the book on the shelves!

If you are an aspiring writer (well, I actually believe that if you write, you are already a writer, so I should probably change that to “If you are a writer who aspires to be published…”), I will not lie—writing a book is a lot of work. Even if you love writing as I do, it’s still work. And revisions? Boy. Tough stuff. Keep the tissues near by—you’ll need it. I couldn’t find mine today and I was a mess.

So while I am in the middle of some seriously hard work right now on book four, it was such a joy to hear that familiar beeping sound from Fedex and then find this on my doorstep. It’s officially in bookstores on August 4th (a Tuesday!) and I hope you’ll pick up a copy and let me know what you think!

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