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Two Things at the Same Time
Dear Readers,
I’ve been writing about how I’ve been drafting OUT IN HOLLYWOOD #4 (I almost slipped up and typed the working title which surely would have jinxed someone in sales to find something wrong with it so whew disaster narrowly avoided) and how well it’s been going (just typing that makes me want to barf from potential jinxing but think of how proud my therapist would be to read this sentence, I mean, the part about how well it’s going, not this parenthetical about barfing).
Spoiler alert: it is still going well! But I did have to take a slight pause because I received my first pass pages awhile ago and realized that I couldn’t avoid them any longer. If you’re not familiar, first pass pages are the actual formatted pages of your manuscript. It’s no longer a casual Word document that may contain your novel but also basically looks like anything you could have pulled up and typed as a goof, so to me it really takes the pressure off. Anyway, once it’s formatted, for some reason the person whose job it is to check for typos and printing errors is the author. I AM PARTIALLY IN JEST HERE because obviously there are people who do this for a living, but the author is also asked to do it too. People will say to me, “Amy, this is ridiculous, why should you have to do it?” and I ask them, “Can you imagine one single person more invested in making sure this matches perfectly how it’s supposed to?” NO! So I also feel very lucky to get to do this, I mutter, as I’m rereading my book for the nth time.
The timing can also be very paralyzing. Often I am first-drafting one book when I receive these pages, as I was this time. So I am confronted with both the rawest goop from the inside of my brain while reviewing beautifully formatted pages of a novel that’s gone through multiple rounds of edits with multiple genius people. When first-drafting is hard, this is like a weird kind of torture. This is like Elisabeth having to look out the window directly at that billboard of Sue!!!!!
So here I am with a first draft I feel so fucking psyched about, the best I’ve felt about a first draft in awhile, and then that box of beautiful pages showed up, and I thought WELL I AM TOAST BECAUSE NOW I WILL SEE ALL THE SHITTINESS OF MY NEW BOOK. Look, I don’t want to say things are going BETTER for me or anything (NO JINXING) but I stayed excited about the new book AND I was delighted to get to revisit ON HER TERMS once more while I could still make little edits, polish it one last time before it stops being mine and starts being everyone’s.
Is it bad I am concerned about how nice this all feels??? MAYBE???? The thing about publishing is that its realities often don’t intersect perfectly with your emotional health* so I have been working hard to figure out how these things can at least clash less. If this holds true for multiple projects I will feel like a wizard, a genius.
Speaking of ON HER TERMS, be sure to check out this exclusive preorder exclusive if you order from my local indie, Skylight Books!
Yes, still true, if you preorder ON HER TERMS from Skylight Books, you will receive this exclusive AND EXTREMELY ADORABLE sticker sheet featuring the pets of ON HER TERMS, Fernando (lower right) and Small Jesse Pinkman (upper left).
A reminder that if you already preordered the book, simply reply to this email with proof OR forward proof of preorder to me at amyspaldingwrites@gmail.com and I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Yes it is just that simple!!!
More ON HER TERMS news… for all of you NetGalley folks… it is now available to request on Netgalley!
So get your request in! I genuinely cannot believe people might be reading it as we speak! This part never gets old.
xoxoAmy
Check This Out
If you love or even LIKE musical theatre, please check out this brand new music video (a Playbill exclusive!) of the upcoming musical THE FITZGERALDS OF ST. PAUL which was written top to tail (this is obviously a musical theatre term) by my dear friend Christie Baugher (who most people know as Timid Frieda because of social media handle choices she’s made).
One of the great things about life as someone who creates things is you tend to end up with friends who also create things, and for me it is very exciting that for this friendship that thing is MUSICAL THEATRE which I can no more imagine creating than I could making a baby tiger appear out of thin air. AND I HAVE TRIED! (On the musical theatre front, not the tiger…yet.) Watching a friend work on this show the last decade has been so cool to witness, and to have it becoming more and more real is amazing. If you’re in Buffalo, please go see it at the Irish Classical Theatre Company in November! (I WILL BE!)
On Her Terms
ON HER TERMS is coming February 25, 2025! It’s Book 3 in the Out in Hollywood series, but you can ABSOLUTELY just…read it. It won’t ruin anything, I promise.
Fresh off breaking up with her boyfriend and swerving away from the conventional, TikTok-ready married life she never wanted, Clementine is ready to explore the alternatives. Not that she wants to be single forever, much less die alone. But at thirty-six, it’s time for her to experience new things—including in her love life. And though an invitation to a fake relationship to appease family sounds like a recipe for disaster, Clem finds herself agreeing to the ruse with smart, spirited dog groomer Chloe Lee anyway . . .
Chloe is long past her own baby gay era, but even before they’ve tackled Clem’s parents’ anniversary party and Chloe’s friends’ wedding, the two of them end up spending a lot of time together. As the attraction between them grows stronger, it all begins to feel very real to Clem. Chloe, however, is fine as just friends—plus she’s convinced Clem is just eager for “someone” to take her off the singles list. How to persuade her otherwise? After all, Clem is starting to realize her life is wonderfully full and being “alone” doesn’t scare her a bit. Still, being without the tiny powerhouse that is Chloe, specifically is a whole other story . . .
Wise, witty, and full of heart, this is an uplifting love story about being true to yourself and your desires, even if it means plunging into uncharted territory.
“On Her Terms is a delightfully funny and tender ode to second chances, all the romantic feels, and finding—and loving—yourself at every stage in life. A bright jewel of a romance.”—Ashley Herring Blake, bestselling author of Delilah Green Doesn’t Care
“Nobody look at me while I'm reading an Amy Spalding book because I'm worried I have the cheesiest grin on my face the whole time! On Her Terms is so funny but also disconcertingly relatable if you happen to be a queer person still figuring out your own queerness later in life. I loved watching Chloe and Clementine banter and flirt and eventually admit to themselves that what they were pretending was fake was actually very, very real.”—Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of With Love, from Cold World
“I adore all of Amy Spalding’s books and On Her Terms is no exception. I related so much to Clementine’s story, and I think so many other people will too. This book is about coming out and coming into your own later in life, finding the courage to do what you want, instead of what’s expected of you, and, of course, falling deeply and gloriously in love.”—Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author
“Amy Spalding continues her takeover of gay LA! On Her Terms is another sexy, smart addition to her interconnected tales of queer women in Hollywood and their misadventures in love, work, and life. I loved watching another of Amy's expertly drawn, quirky, self-aware heroines embrace the potential in her work, her friendships, and, ultimately, herself — on the road to falling for her dream girl. Cheers, queers — Amy Spalding is for us!”—Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author
“On Her Terms might be my favorite Amy Spalding book yet—probably because it’s the steamiest yet! I related so hard to Clementine’s desire not to follow the expected steps of life, like marriage and kids and relegating friendship to a lower status once those big-ticket items have been achieved. I also think this book will be so affirming for all the bi babes who have ever questioned their place in the LGBTQ community—the B is there for a reason!!”—Celia Laskey, author of So Happy for You
*to say the least