Dear friends,
I took my own advice from a few months ago and did something playful and fun. I gave myself permission to detach from the rest of the world and just sink into two days of things I love: books, writing and friends.
Delightful is the word that is sticking with me and because it was such a sunny experience I want to share it with yall. I also have exciting book updates and a crazy adorable idea that we could Pen Pals?!?!
All the things I bought at Book Con, minus two books that I snagged on the way out.
So sit down. Do your feet hurt? My feet hurt. Grab something nourishing and let’s catch up!
Bold
The highlight of my April was without a doubt Book Con in NYC. A group of friends and I spent two days gallivanting around Javits center talking about books, listening to author panels, buying bookish swag and just enjoying the vibe.
In the words of one friend,
I love that there are so many book people in the world.
Me too.
Book Con is a convention (much like Comic Con thought not as big and with fewer costumes) that takes over the Javits center. There are rows and rows of booths filled with crafts and clothes. Everything from book-themed teas to every single bookish sticker you could ever imagine. There are trinkets and t-shirts with quotes from your favorite fandom and of course...books. Small bookshops, major publishers and Indie Alley, an entire section just for self-published authors.
It was cool to see Indie authors with long lines of people who had pre-ordered their books and were waiting for autographs. Many of the authors were generous with their time and allowed me to ask questions like, what printing services do you use and who designed your cover?
First photo when we arrived!
Consent matters.
College bestie came to town.
Panel with Victoria Aveyard & Soman Chainani
On the upper floor are panels–gatherings where authors are interviewed about a specific topic and you can make reservations to watch. I went to three of these and they were all stellar. A recurring theme that is coming up in book conversations is the use of AI. It’s having a huge impact on the integrity of the writing world, but I felt really encouraged by Leigh Bardugo.
Bardugo is the author of several fantasy series, my favorite of which is Six of Crows. She talked not just about the ethics of AI, but about what it means to be a creative person who must sit with challenges and questions. You have to struggle through a sentence structure, a plot hole, a broken character arc so that you can have the satisfaction of getting to the other side. There is confidence and pride that comes from contenting with a problem and solving. She suggested that the ability to ask AI when things get tough is robbing us the self-efficacy that comes with these victories.
I think you know I’m not over here using AI to write my books, but still I’m sitting with that. I’m pinning that for the next hard moment, the next time my fingers itch for a short cut. The satisfaction on the other side is worth the discomfort. It’s an invitation for all of us to practice the skill of delayed gratification and remember how much we’re really capable of.
Bookish
The night after Book Con I dreamed of my launch party. It was a nice dream, but a look at the map below will tell you that we are not there yet.
We have, however, made progress. Lots of it. Two major steps forward.
First Major Step: my editor and I have finished the structural edits, a giant jigsaw of moving chapters around, merging things together, chopping other things apart. The main consideration is to make sure that when the story switches between points of view, the tension matches. For example, if Character A is fighting for their life we don’t want to switch to Character B grooming a horse and whistling. Those are two very different levels of tension.
Second Major Step: I hired a cover designer. GUYS! This feels like a huge moment and I’m trying to savor it because I’ve been dreaming about getting to this step for a while. I did a lot of research, a lot of scrolling through artists and price referencing and staring at books in Indie Alley at Book Con while muttering to myself. I’ll return to this topic in another newsletter to give you a deeper peak into the collaboration with this artist.
My Crazy Adorable Idea about Pen Pals
As I move into the design, final edits and launch phase I’m thinking a lot about what it means to invest in myself. For the past six years, investing looked like protecting creative time and confronting self-doubt so that I could actually write something.
At this phase, investing is money. It’s paying artists and editors for their time and skill to launch a polished final product. It’s advertising and outreach to get my book into the hands of readers who will love it.
To support these costs, I’ve built a paid level of the Bold & Bookish subscription, Pen Pal Patrons. For $7 a month, you will get a piece of snail mail from me that connects theme-wise to the free newsletter. The mail will include: a hand written message and a creative token. Tokens could be book recommendations, affirmation cards, a creative challenge/games or even a whimsical recipe.
The token will change from month to month but the intention stays the same; to inspire everyday creativity and thank you for investing in my writing journey. You can subscribe by clicking the “Who Doesn’t Love Snail Mail?” image which will take you to our website!
Bold & Bookish Programs Open for Enrollment
Okay this was a long one but there were a lot of pictures so hopefully that kept you until the end. I’m feeling energized moving into spring and if you aren’t that’s really okay. Seasons are seasons. They come, they stay, they pass. I’m sending you some fresh energy if you need to borrow.
Stay well. Do something nice for yourself. I’ll see you soon!
Much loves,
Cat
