Happy June newsletter!

Yes, I realize that it's almost July lol

(Sorry if you are receiving this newsletter a second time! Something weird happened with Substack and it’s saying that my original post is unpublished. No idea what happened there. If you’re receiving this for the second time, hello again lol)

Well, well, well. Here I am, squeezing in my June newsletter on the literal last day of June lol. June was a very exciting month for bookish things. I revealed the cover for my second adult romance novel The Partner Plot! It goes on sale February 27, 2024 and it’s currently available for preorder. I will be doing a preorder campaign, so save your receipts! The Partner Plot is a connected standalone to The Neighbor Favor, and it’s about Lily’s older sister Violet. Here are the two covers side by side (both are designed and illustrated by Lila Selle).

Fun fact: I wrote the first 25k words of The Partner Plot and realized that the beginning was all wrong, so I went back and started over hahaha. In the moment, it felt like a very bonkers choice and it cost me an extra month of drafting, but ultimately it was the right decision. I am so excited for people to read this story!

The Neighbor Favor had a pretty exciting month. The first big surprise was that Kiley Reid (author of Such a Fun Age) went on Good Morning America and recommended TNF as a summer reading pick. I discovered this news in real time when another author posted about their book being on GMA, and in the background of their photo, I saw the cover of TNF, and I went…wait, is that my book? LOL. It was very surreal and cool! TNF was also highlighted as a best romance book of the year so far by The New York Times, Amazon Books and Library Journal. I’ve never had a book receive this kind of attention before, and I definitely don’t take it for granted. It’s really heartening to see people connect with Lily and Nick, two deeply introverted people seeking connection with each other. Thank you for reading this book!

In case you’re under the impression that June was all sunshine and flowers for me, let me clarify that it was not! This month I missed an important deadline for my next YA novel, which means that it won’t be publishing in Summer 2024 like I’d hoped. It will most likely publish in 2025. I know that seems very far from now. No one is more disappointed than me!! But sometimes a book needs more time and there’s no way to get around that. I’m more interested in writing a good book that I believe in than rushing a book and not giving the characters and plot the care that they deserve. (Quality over quantity as they say, lol.) I always try my best not to miss deadlines, and if I think I’m going to miss one, I let my editor know right away so that plans can be adjusted accordingly. That’s kind of what happened here. I wrote the first draft of this book very quickly earlier this year. I wrote it in about two months, which is about half the time that it usually takes me. I was so focused on handing in the draft on time, as opposed to giving the book the time that it really needed. I realize now that I wanted a metaphorical gold star, which is ironic since this next YA is about an overachiever who is afraid of failure lol. My usual process of writing a first draft is 1) brainstorm, 2) free write, 3) outline, 4) draft. After the draft is complete, I print it out and edit it by hand, which usually includes a significant plot overhaul. Then I apply those edits to the manuscript, read it over again aloud, then I send it to my editor. Suffice to say, I did not go through my normal process within those two months lol. But I am making up for that now. I have my editor’s developmental letter and I printed out the first draft yesterday, and I’m going to spend the rest of the summer digging back into this story. Wish me luck lol.

Content wise, I watched some good stuff this month! I saw Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret, which was absolutely delightful. Then I watched a documentary about Judy Blume on Prime called Jude Blume Forever, and it was equally delightful and made me cry. I read Forever in high school and I still have that same copy on my bookshelf. I watched season 2 of The Bear (perfect, no notes). I saw Across the Spider-Verse (also perfect, no notes). I really want to see Past Lives but it’s still only playing in select theaters, none of which seem to be in New Jersey lol. Like majority of the population, I’m looking forward to seeing Barbie, and I’m also looking forward to Joy Ride.

Most recently, I finished reading Throwback by Maurene Goo, which I loved! I also reread If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin. Currently, I’m reading Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz and Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder, and I’m really enjoying both!

I will try send another newsletter in August, but since I’m going to be focusing on this revision, I feel like my next newsletter will probably go out some time in September. At that point, I will be able to update you on seeing Beyonce in concert :)

Until then, I hope you all enjoy the rest of summer!

xo, Kristina