(Note: This is a repost of a newsletter originally sent out May 10, 2019)
Happy Friday, guys!
I love the trade paperback format, don’t you? Admittedly, I read most of my books on my Kindle Paperwhite these days, because it’s just easier to carry around. Otherwise, my preferred reading format is trade paperback. It’s light, like as a mass market edition, but it’s closer to the size of a hardcover, which means the typeset is bigger for my rapidly worsening middle-aged eyes. (I’m getting old, kids. Get off my lawn.)
The new paperback cover! Ready for pre-order, with an onsale date of August 6th.
Book 6 has a title
Every writer has their strengths, and coming up with book titles is decidedly not one of mine. As I was writing my sixth book, I kept a running list in my phone of possible book titles as they occurred to me. By the end of the draft, I had about fifty titles… and they all sucked.
There was a lot of back-and-forth with my editor and agent about title ideas, and I know my editor had a lot of back-and-forth with the folks in-house at the publisher’s office, and there were many, many titles that were discarded. Titles are HARD. They have to be exactly right. It’s like naming a (royal) baby, and everybody and their mom will have strong opinions. (Personally, I like Meghan and Harry’s pick. Archie is cute!).
But! Finally! We have a title. LITTLE SECRETS will be coming to a bookstore near you in April 2020.
The in-between
I’ve enjoyed having some time off as I wait for my edits to arrive (there will be multiple edits before LITTLE SECRETS goes to print), so I took my husband and son to Florida to visit my mom and stepdad for March Break, and for some much-needed beach and sun.
Then a couple of weeks ago, Darren and I went on a grown-ups only getaway to Las Vegas. It was a belated 5-year anniversary trip, as we met in Las Vegas in 2013, and got married there exactly one year later. Vegas, with all its glitz and glitter and tackiness and grandeur, is special to us.
Now that vacation time is behind me, I’ve been playing with a new story. It’s very early, but I like where it’s going so far. I wish I could tell you what it’s about, but if I talk about it too soon, the idea will wilt like a picked flower. Happens every time. Book ideas, for me, take a long time to grow roots.
What I’ve been reading
I’ve read so many great books the last couple months. Here are a few recommendations for books that are out now, or releasing very soon (which means you should pre-order):
I’m late to the party with this one (as UNSUB was released in 2017), but hands down, this has got to be the best procedural I’ve read in a decade. Smart, contemporary, and with a strong female protagonist, I couldn’t put this one down. I just started the sequel, INTO THE BLACK NOWHERE, and I’m loving it just as much.
THE BETTER SISTER by Alafair Burke
Alafair is the writer I want to be when I grow up. According to BookTrib, “Burke didn’t set out to write a trilogy, but with the release of her latest novel of domestic suspense, [she] completes a set of three thematic novels that explore “the complexity of female relationships and the diverse roles that women play in contemporary society.”” You don’t have to red THE EX and THE WIFE to enjoy THE BETTER SISTER, but you should, because they’re that good.
ONE SMALL SACRIFICE by Hilary Davidson
Hilary is back with a new series, and you will love it! The official release date is June 1st, but as this book has been selected as a Kindle First Read, you can download it for free during the month of May if you’re an Amazon Prime member. I was fortunate to read this one early, and this modern mystery will thrill even the most old-school crime fiction lovers.
HER SECRET SON by Hannah Mary McKinnon
It’s great to have writer friends. I got this one early, too. Hannah, a fellow Toronto-area author (see picture below), did not disappoint. HER SECRET SONis a smoldering domestic suspense, and is on sale May 28th.
Also, what happens when two authors get together at a local eatery? They talk for three hours!
Enjoy the weekend! Happy Mother’s Day to all you amazing moms out there!
Jenny