November is finally here!
My debut novel, Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships comes out in LESS. THAN. THREE. WEEKS. *cue internal screaming*
Before I jump into a full-on panic, here’s what you’ll find in this newsletter:
Good News for Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships!
Sweepstakes, Swag, and Giveaways
Upcoming Events
I GOT MY AUTHOR COPIES!
What I’m working on next…
My favorite fall books
Good stuff for Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships!
Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships has received not one but TWO starred reviews from major trade publications! One from Publisher’s Weekly and one from Kirkus.
Goodreads’ named Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships one of November’s Most Hotly Anticipated Romances!
Sweepstakes, Swag, and Giveaways
Hopefully, you’ve already pre-ordered your copy of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships! But if you need a second (or third) copy for a friend, here are some chances to win a copy of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, including a copy annotated by me!
Enter the Goodreads Giveaway for Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships! There are 10 finished copies up for grabs!
My publisher teamed up with gin company Pomp & Whimsy for a sweepstakes! Enter here for a chance to win all six books pictured below!
To get a signed copy of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, along with some fun swag, including a bookmark and these adorable stickers, be sure to pre-order your copy from my local indie bookstore, Quail Ridge Books! When I spoke to Quail Ridge they had already sold over 87 copies! (OMG and THANK YOU! Also pray for me, ya’ll. I bought a Cricut just so I could make these stickers myself!)
Don’t miss my giveaway on Instagram! The winner will receive an annotated copy of the Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships, an “I’d rather be on a super yacht” mug, and a set of LLFS-inspired pencils from Longhand Pencils. You’ve already completed step 3 if you are subscribed to this newsletter! Yay! Find all the details here.
Upcoming Events
I have three fun events on the horizon! I’d love to see you there!
November 6th, 2021 at 2pm EST I’ll be doing an Instagram Live hosted by Denise Williams (@nicwillwrites), author of How to Fail at Flirting and The Fastest Way to Fall. Oliva Dade, author of Spoiler Alert and All the Feels will be joining as well!
November 23rd, 2021 at 7:00pm EST I’ll have my publication day event over Zoom with Quail Ridge Books. I’m really excited for this event because I’ll be in conversation with the lovely Therese Anne Fowler, author of A Good Neighborhood. You can RSVP to this event here.
December 4th, 2021 at 2:00pm EST I’ll be doing an in-person event at McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro, North Carolina with fellow local author Julie Ridley Smith, author of The Sum of Trifles. This is a ticketed event! If you plan to attend, be sure to grab your ticket here!
I GOT MY AUTHOR COPIES!
This is a last minute addition to the newsletter, so please ignore any errors, as I. AM. FREAKING. OUT!
We authors are always waiting for an email. Or three. Or four. Or…you get it.
Anyway, I’ve been waiting for a BUNCH of updates on various things. 5pm rolled around yesterday, and I thought, dang no updates for me today.
Then…
At 5:03 I got an email from the audiobook producer for LLFS that she’d send along the full audiobook, so I can hear it. (If you haven’t heard the sample of the audiobook, you absolutely must! The narrator, Karissa Vacker, and producer Sarah Jaffe, did an INCREDIBLE job. You can hear the sample here!)
At 5:30 I got an email from my editor with the updated cover for book 2, Luck and Last Resorts, and it was in FULL COLOR. And I had to lie on the floor because it is just so stunning. I responded to my editor in all caps and told her that I felt bad for every other book in existence because mine has the best cover.
As I was gazing at the cover and trying to grade, my husband shouted “Sarah! You might want to come downstairs!”
I knew there was only one reason he would yell for me to come downstairs like that, so I shouted back, “IT’S TOO MUCH!!!” and raced downstairs.
I opened the door and there were two boxes with Penguin Random House on them. (If you watch my videos from yesterday, you can still catch the delivery truck in the background!)
Here’s the box on my doorstep and the full stack of books.
Here’s a close look at the GORGEOUS ombre spine and back cover.
Here’s me telling this same story but being completely overwhelmed about it.
I’m going to take a copy of this book with me EVERYWHERE. I may do a few more giveaways this month, so keep an eye out!
What I’m working on next…
I finished all my work for Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships in April, and since then have been hard at work on the companion novel, Luck and Last Resorts, which is scheduled to be published sometime in August 2022. (Yes! Less than 9 months after LLFS comes out!) I’m thrilled to not have to wait as long to share Nina and Ollie’s story.
I recently turned in my revisions for Luck and Last Resorts, and it will hopefully go into production in a few weeks (aka I’ll only be fixing grammar stuff). Like I said, the cover is so so gorgeous and I can’t wait to show all of you! But in the meantime, here’s my mood board for this book!
What is Luck and Last Resorts about? The synopsis won’t be public for another week, but I’ll give you lovely subscribers a sneak peek:
They have a second chance at love, but there are some rough seas ahead in the new contemporary romance from the acclaimed author of Love, Lists, and Fancy Ships
Commitment-phobe Nina Lejeune lives by two rules:
1. Always have fun.
2. Don’t rely on anyone but yourself.
The first rule is easy; the second, she's only broken once.
Ten years after fleeing home, Nina is the chief stewardess on the super yacht Serendipity, single by choice, and perfectly content with how life has turned out.
But Nina’s ex-coworker and old flame, Irish chef Ollie Dunne, isn’t so happy with the status quo. One year after leaving yachting, he's returned as the Serendipity’s chef with an ultimatum: if Nina continues to deny she's in love with him by the end of this charter season, he'll go back to Ireland for good.
Nina and Ollie's shared secret from their past threatens to shipwreck not only their relationship, but the entire boat. But as their connection grows amidst chaotic guests and crew drama, could there be smooth sailing in their future?
Since I’m basically done with books 1 and 2, I’ve turned my thoughts to book 3!
I’ve talked a lot about Potential Book 3 on my Instagram and am having a fun time working on my option materials.
For those of you not in the know, option materials are what you submit to your publisher after you’ve finished the final book in your contract. I had a two-book deal, and now that book 2 is done, I have to submit a detailed synopsis and chapter of the book I want to write next in order to try and get a new book deal! It’s a bit stressful, but I am really hopeful that I’ll get to write Potential Book 3!
I can’t say much about it, but here’s my mood board for that project!
My Fall Favorites!
Last but not least, here are some of my favorite books that have come out this fall!
The Love Hypothesis- Ali Hazelwood
As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees…
Olivia Dade returns with another utterly charming romantic comedy about a devil-may-care actor—who actually cares more than anyone knows—and the no-nonsense woman hired to keep him in line…
The Fastest Way to Fall - Denise Williams
Britta didn’t plan on falling for her personal trainer, and Wes didn’t plan on Britta. Plans change and it’s unclear if love, career, or both will meet them at the finish line…