It's The Final Countdown

Birdy Cleary Arrives in Three Days!

Happy Sunday. My debut novel launches in three days. I planned to have some kind of post today that managed to be both easy to create and interesting to read, because I am tired, but I also want people to buy my book.

But we seem to have at least one weather-related kerfuffle per year, and it arrived right on cue this week. All is well, but suffice it to say that I wondered for a moment if I was on the set of Stranger Things, because the electricity was going bananas.

I had to look at my book by candlelight. JK it wasn’t that bad

So this is not the piece of easy-yet-intriguing content I had planned. It is even easier than I planned, though less intriguing. But this is the benefit of choosing to launch my book while my audience is still mostly people I know, and not a large and faceless following. Life is ridiculous, and though the perfectionist in me wants the book to rocket into success, I’m also playing the long game. Even if today’s post is suboptimal, that doesn’t undo all the hard work I’ve done up to this point, and it doesn’t destroy my writing career.

My daughter made our May calendar on Saturday, and she made sure to note that Birdy Cleary would be published on May 20. We won’t discuss the part about how we didn’t get around to creating the May calendar until May 16. What we will discuss is that I feel so much love and support going into this book launch, and I’m very happy.

I hope my book will be a great kickoff to your summer reading adventures. If you happen to be in charge of planning your next book club meeting, may I interest you in the free Birdy Cleary book club guide and accompanying playlist? It is best enjoyed after reading the book, and contains some spoiler-ish content, so maybe just give it a skim for now. The book club guide contains discussion questions, menu ideas, and a game, as well as a list of all the playlist songs in case Spotify isn’t an option for you.

The Birdy Cleary Book Club Packet

2.32MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

I also understand that not everyone will find the playlist tasteful. I can live with that. Feel free to swap in your own music for book club time. But if you want to immerse yourself in the literary experience…

I did also include a Noah Kahan song because it is perfect for a scene late in the book. As you can see, this demonstrates that I am modern and relevant.

You’ll hear more from me on Wednesday. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your weekend, thank you for reading, and prepare yourself for the millennial spiritual reckoning coming-of-age domestic suspense tale you’ve been waiting for. And if that description isn’t specific enough for you, I don’t know what to say.