Debut Lit

Have just been advised (reminded) by a new friend today that being a debut author is something special. It only happens once (in fact, I suppose the curse is remaining a debut author forever). It's new and exciting. You have an excuse to know absolutely nothing at all. I also get to work with this amazing organization: Debut Lit. I am reading with them in San Francisco on Oct. 9. And I have guest blogged for them this week about my twelve first chapters. Not my first twelve chapters. My twelve first chapters. So. Many. Check out my guest blog post. Pretty cool.

Top Five Things I'm Doing While I Wait

This is a weird time. The book is out of my hands but not yet in anyone else's. In my wildest dreams, every man, woman, and child (and their dogs) in America buys a copy of The Atlas of Love. In my wildest nightmares, no one does but my mom. Probably, reality will fall somewhere in the middle as it always always always does. The path to getting one's novel into a bookstore is looooooong. So here's what I'm doing while I wait through this last (I think?!) bit:

1) Well, blogging. And otherwise trying to make connections with people who might read my book.

2) Marketing/Publicity. And otherwise trying to meet and connect with people who review books and help people find books they might want to read. This is noble work. Aren't you always so, so grateful to people who recommend to you books you read and love? If you know anyone who reviews books or are someone who reviews books, please please let me know.

3) Starting book the second. I had forgotten how daunting it is starting a novel. This one should be different than the first in that now I know that I am capable of writing a novel, a thing I was in no way sure about before I did so. More on that in a future post. For the moment, suffice it to say beginning again remains daunting and scary -- and interesting and fun -- and daunting and scary.

4) Running around after my two-year-old. Many of the people in my life really care that I have a book coming out in a month. My two-year-old isn't one of them. His life -- and my life with him -- is unmoved by such things. We continue to do what we do -- park, beach, playground, nap, food, bath, running around and around and around.

5) Panicking. What if people don't like it? What if people don't buy it? What if people do buy it, and then they don't like it? Et cetera. More on this in a future post too.