Book cups and book feelings

I'm working, ok

My book is now in paperback wherever books are sold. It’s wild to get here. I didn’t think it would. I have so many friends whose paperbacks were canceled or who were paperback originals, and so there was no opportunity for a second edition. I maybe have a little survivor’s guilt about it. I got a shoutout in Paperback Row, which was hugely exciting. And I was in Jane Ratcliffe’s substack. It’s a very good one, her substack, and I’m not just saying it because I’m in it. You should probably subscribe.

I’ve been making some cups that match books I loved from 2022. I started with my own book cups and then went from there. I’m doing this with about a dozen books. Here’s one of the first, a haunted AF novel by Megan Giddings called THE WITCHES COULD FLY. I loved her first book, LAKEWOOD, and so of course I needed the second one. This is an English grolleg porcelain single fired to cone 8 (2273F).

I’m working on a "finished copy” version of this—I feel like this is the rough draft. Then I’ll send it to her. I am not selling these cups—they’re just gifts to the authors—but I will have new cups in my storefront soon if you’re interested. If you’re here, reading this, you’ll be the first to know about new cups. I am currently firing tests for the next round of book cups, too.

Here’s Jessamine Chan’s THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS, also English Grolleg porcelain, single fired to cone 8 (2273F). Also a rough draft cup.

I am working on the new book. Some days are better than others. A lot of writing is just staring off into space, apparently, and I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I have a lot of little post-its with questions on them, and I keep putting them on the wall in front of the desk as a way to keep thinking about certain parts of the work as I draft it. Then when the post-its become sections of the book, I can arrange them on the wall too, and get a better sense of the whole thing. It’s so hard to write about something that’s still happening. Some days I can’t wrap my arms around it. Other days I can read it in my head. What do you do when you’re writing and not writing?

Next post is about writing, obsession, desire, and horses (obvs)

Reading and super into now:

Maddalena and the Dark, by Julia Fine, out in June from Flatiron Books

The Ocean Issue from ecotone

Just finished & loved:

The Light Room, by Kate Zambreno, out in July from Riverhead Books

The Militia House, by John Milas, out in July from Holt