Happy Thanksgiving & Holiday Signed Book Plates
Tis the season, etc.
The sides are the point.
Dear Readers,
A few years ago, my friends/family and I started going to a steakhouse for Thanksgiving. Honestly, I love this. Sometimes I get their Thanksgiving meal, and sometimes I just get a filet mignon. No prep, no cleanup, just showing up and eating a whole lot. It’s great! I hope whatever you do is great too, if you are in the US. If you aren’t it’s just gonna be Thursday. I hope your Thursday is great!
OK so here is my yearly offer to you and yours (if you’re in the US again, sorry to the rest of you, you’re still cool): if you buy or preorder a new copy of any of my books (yes, ebooks and audiobooks count) and send proof to me at either a reply to this email or to amyspaldingwrites@gmail.com I will send you A SIGNED BOOKPLATE AND HAVE YOU NOTICED I HAVE THE CUTEST BOOKPLATES IN THE DAMN WORLD and some stickers (also cute but I am not willing to make the same claim). I have so many stickers, y’all, for At Her Service because every time Sticker Mule runs a sale, I order some. You’re gonna get a couple stickers no matter which book you order. I have some No Boy Summer stickers kicking around too. Maybe a select few of you will receive an Out in Hollywood sticker sheet early?! WHAT!
<sits backward in a chair facing you> Let me be real with y’all. Even though preordering books is not something a lot of people do, publishers base things off of preorder numbers. I know, it is WEIRD. This is why you will see authors like me begging you to preorder! So just know that this is because it helps me because the sales and marketing and PR teams are like, oh, people are interested in this book.
Questions about getting signed book plates that you might ask me:
If I buy multiple books, can I have multiple bookplates? Heck YEAH you can!
Do these have to be for gifts or can this book be signed to myself? I encourage buying for yourself if you want to! Of course!
If I preordered through Skylight Books and I’m ALREADY getting a preorder perk, do I qualify for this? SURE WHY NOT!
Can I order from anywhere? Even [ahem]? Yeah, of course, look, do I PREFER if we only all shopped indie? Of course! I also know that sometimes you can’t! I am a Kindle reader myself and so I get a lot of ebooks there, I JUST DO. I’m not perfect. The only thing that matters is it’s a new copy (or a new preordered copy, if you are ordering At Her Service in any format).
And, yes, speaking of Skylight Books, that is the very best place to preorder At Her Service! If you order by release date, I will sign your copy AND send along A PRETTY EXCLUSIVE custom sticker sheet designed by Simini Blocker featuring characters and some important items from At Her Service and For Her Consideration! It is SO cute, and not just because I’m biased!
This is a short one because of the holidays, but I am legit grateful for ALL OF YOU SUBSCRIBERS.
Below, I have some great advice from Farrah Penn!
xoxoAmy
Consumption
Snacking
We’ve been eating Golden Oreos this week at work and you know what? I think they are the perfect and best Oreo. I SAID IT!!!!
Cleansing
I got a free sample of fresh’s Soy Face Cleanser and liked it so much I bought it. (This is currently 50% off on fresh’s site, just FYI!)
Listening
It is probably no surprised I am really into Fightmaster’s Violence. Just a note that this is an extremely thirsty record. FWIW.
Not Drying Out
I know I’ve talked about my Miro humidifier before but it’s the season where my body attempts to transform into a withered desiccated husk, and it is impossible for me to explain how much better my sleep and skin have gotten since I bought mine. It’s easy to clean and also it has a cool nightlight effect if you are easily amused by colored lights WHICH OBVIOUSLY I AM.
Get Your Ask On
Today we’ve got advice from Farrah Penn, author of Cancelled (coming next year!).
I'm worried all the cool ideas and tropes have already been done! Should I quit my manuscript?
FP: The short answer? No, don’t quit! Your story is unique because you’re the one writing it, even if it contains familiar themes and tropes. The good news is that readers gravitate toward ideas that feel familiar, even if they’re unaware they’re doing so. Sure, there might be only one bed at the inn—but how does YOUR unique character react to it? And why? Most importantly, what happens next in YOUR story? Despite the familiarity of the trope, audiences will read to see how your scene plays out. There’s a reason why retellings can be popular, and why certain tropes are beloved. You don’t have to feel pressured to invent something nobody has ever seen before. Adding your own flare to the familiar can be fun and still feel fresh!
If you have any questions about writing, publishing, revising, genres, querying, being on submission, etc., reply to this email and ask! Your question may be featured in an upcoming newsletter!
At Her Service is coming in February!
(And it’s on NetGalley now!)
A sweetly sexy, thoroughly modern new novel about single life, social media, career goals, and making the bold move to grab your own happiness—and write your own love story.
Max Van Doren has a wish list, and a great career and a girlfriend are at the top. But despite being pretty good at her job as an assistant to one of Hollywood’s fastest rising talent agents, she has no idea how to move up the ladder. And when it comes to her love life, she’s stuck in perpetual lust for an adorably perfect bartender named Sadie. Her goals are clear—and Max has everything but the self-confidence to go for them. Even her mother seems to assume she’ll be crawling home to her childhood bedroom at some point . . .
When Max’s roommate, Chelsey—an irritatingly gorgeous and self-assured influencer in plus-size and queer spaces—offers to sponsor her for a new self-actualization app, Max gives in. If she can’t run her own life, maybe an algorithm guiding her choices will help? Suddenly Max is scoring big everywhere, and her dreams are achingly close to coming true. But when one of Chelsey’s posts reveals Sadie’s part in the app’s campaign, Max is poised for heartbreak on all fronts. Tired of the sponcon life with its fake friends and endless selfies, Max realizes that to have true influence, she’ll have to find the courage to make her own, totally authentic way in the world.
“Spalding brings her twentysomething protagonists to life in this romance that delivers on both the heroine’s self-actualization journey and her happily-ever-after. A must buy” —Library Journal
I think usually anything potato-related is my favorite side (which also covers sweet potatoes/yams (SANS MARSHMALLOWS YOU BRUTES) but, c’mon, stuffing is also high up there.