Dearest Gentle Reader
Letting books go out in the world on their own.
First off, thank you so much to everyone who purchased and read or is reading BRODIE! It means the world to me. One humble request, if and when you read it (or any of my books) please leave a review wherever you can. They are really helpful to authors.
As you know (because I mentioned it in this post), I love the podcast The Lyrics with Paul McCartney. I was listening to an episode about Hey Jude recently and was struck by Paul’s comment about how the song is received by fans/listeners. Basically he said that no matter what his intentions were when he wrote it, people would interpret the song in their own way, and apply it to their own lives. He didn’t use those exact words, but that was the drift. And I’ve seen this concept quite a bit recently from several authors, including Neil Gaiman (I quoted him in this post although it wasn’t exactly about this idea), and Kurt Vonnegut. Having just had a book come out, this resonated with me.
I’ve gotten a lot of mail from fans telling me how much they love my books and how important to them my books are. They comment on the characters, the situations, how my books opened their eyes and minds to a wider world view, or turned them on to historical fiction, or made them feel seen. But sometimes they say something (I’m sorry, I don’t have an example right off the cuff), that surprises me. Readers see things in my books I never noticed, and interpret situations and themes far differently than I thought of them as I was writing them. And I realized very early on that once the books leave my hands (metaphorically speaking) I can’t control the narrative. I have to let them go and let readers absorb them as they will.
But sometimes readers see exactly what I was trying to say. After reading Cherry Pie someone once told me, “That’s love. That’s what love should be and I wish everyone would read this book.” And that was exactly the reaction I wanted. When that happens, *chef’s kiss*. It’s perfection.
Like most of the known universe, I’ve been watching Bridgerton. And Penelope’s feelings about Whistledown (spoiler ahead!!) and how devastated she is when she has to stop writing, also resonated with me. She sees Whistledown as power, but also as the culmination of her dreams. To stop writing is to give up on her dreams. Really, that’s true of almost every writer, whether a composer like Paul McCartney, or a gossip writer like Penelope, or a romance writer like me. So with every book I invite you to share my dreams.
My favorite things this week:
BRODIE of course!! I hope eventually you all get a chance to read it. I was so happy when one reader wrote to tell me it’s her favorite book of the series!
This key lime pie recipe is the bomb. I made it for Father’s Day and everyone loved it!
I’ve been watching Star Trek Discovery on Paramount+ recently. I’m only on the second season, but it just keeps getting better and better. It made me cry the other night! I can’t remember another Star Trek movie or show that did that, not even the “City on the Edge of Tomorrow” episode from the original Star Trek tv show.
Quote of the Week:
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
Dolly Parton