This is Where We Are

Today’s snow flurries tell me that we’ve completely skipped over fall and stumbled into winter. I hope you all had a wonderful summer with your loved ones and friends. I made it a point to spend time with my family, rode horses on weekends and looked for houses on the water.

I know many of you have been waiting for some news from me. My last book release was in January 2016! Since then, I’ve been leading two very hectic lives, trying desperately to keep relevant in the book industry even without having a single clue about release dates and project end dates.

When I decided never to go Indie again, I knew this meant having to control my obsession with schedules and deadlines. In reality, however, it also entailed letting go of all sense of time! I mean, who can live with the unknown indefinitely? Certainly not someone who has made a career of being exact, articulate and accurate. Even the most laid-back person has to come to terms with something finite at one point, don’t you agree? So when your agent tells you that your manuscript is currently in pitch, with no knowledge of who is going to read it or when, it’s nerve-wracking

“Why don’t you just write another book?” she suggested, tired of my constant follow ups and vented frustration.

That’s what I did. I agreed to write another book for Anvil Publishing and turn over Asian rights to this distributor. And here I am, plugging away, halfway through writing what is turning out to be my favorite work.

In the three months that I’ve been writing again, both books have been acquired.

We have release dates, and I couldn’t be more at peace.

Eight Goodbyes is a simple romance between a pragmatic scientist and a head in the clouds author. I wrote this book as a palette cleanser to In This Life. As you all know, ITL was one heck of a gritty, angsty, dramatic book – I needed to come off that rollercoaster and write something lighter, simpler, more delightful. My beta reader (yes, I only had one) said it was the best one I’ve written yet.

But she also hasn’t read The Year I Left. It’s a tear jerker. I’ll be back to make you cry. Again.

The Year I Left is in many ways, my story. When I was going through the toughest times a year ago, I always imagined what it would be like if we were given a second chance to do our lives over. The Year I Left explores this. Can you really do everything over? Or is your core made up of your past and your present and does it determine your future?

Sorry for digressing.

You all know that my editor is Jim Thomas, former Editorial Director of Random House. Jim has been working with me since In This Life, has edited Eight Goodbyes and is scheduled to receive The Year I Left as soon as I can get my act together. We had quite a few very slow bites from other publishers, only two rejections and still a handful left in review. Because of the volume of submissions, they move like turtles in this industry and I can’t wait any longer. I want to get these books to you next year. You’ve been waiting so patiently and as you all know, it’s never really been about the sales. Here’s what I did: I asked that all submissions be pulled so I can turn both books over to Vesuvian Media. My decision to do so was influenced by two factors: Jim Thomas shares a connection with this publisher which means that my books will be in good hands. It is one of the few publishers who also engages in books to film. Because I’ve already established my connections with scriptwriters and Hollywood pitches, I decided that this would be a good route to take.

Let’s go back to the books.

I am happy to announce that Eight Goodbyes will be seeing the light of day in the summer of 2018. And that The Year I Left will follow shortly after, in the spring of 2019. Since all this takes place while I am also juggling the greatest career of my life, having a good publisher makes all the difference. I simply cannot afford to take this all on by myself. While it would have been less stressful to hit the PUBLISH button on my own, I don’t have the time to market, sell and promote these books by myself.

I’ve made a deal with my agent. I can drive her crazy with production schedule spreadsheets as long as I know that she doesn’t have to listen to me.

So, it’s a win- win.

I am grateful to all of you for your patience and support. I promise they will be worth the wait. I am most thankful for heaven’s blessings – for keeping me alive and well as I maneuver my way through the most demanding but also most fulfilling days of my life.