Visibility
I bought five T-shirts on the road.
Out of town
Dear Readers,
I’m still somewhat in a state of disbelief and shock, but mostly purely grateful and humbled to, this past Saturday night, have been awarded the 2023 Visibility Award by the St. Louis chapter of the Human Rights Campaign.
Visibility is exactly why I do what I do. Look, yes, I enjoy shenanigans and meet-cutes and HEAs, but it also means the world to me to write about characters who represent the real world. That’s how I think of it, whenever someone asks me about my decision to include marginalized characters in my my books, especially queer characters. To me it isn’t some calculated choice; to me it reflects the world I actually live in.
Y’all who read this newsletter know this! I love writing queer characters who live crowded, messy, fulfilling lives, who get happy endings, who are loved for exactly who they really are. After so many years of watching queer folks be erased, stereotyped, or villainized in media, it feels incredible to do the opposite.
Getting awarded for the thing you love doing feels like a trick; it’s an honor just to do the thing, y’all! To have it happen in my hometown makes it even more special. To have it happen during a time like 2023 when new laws and hateful rhetoric threatens to push us back into the margins is beyond moving.
Yes, don’t worry, I also ate toasted ravioli, drank a Schlafly’s, and whiled away not insignificant chunks of time at Mokabe’s. I went to St. Louis Pride (unsure why in September but OK) and ate brisket from Salt & Smoke. I ate at a weird restaurant called The Train Shed. I saw a lot of people I loved! I also saw a pro-provel “cheese” piece of merchandise I turned my nose up at!!! I love you, St. Louis!
Below, I have some great words of wisdom from Falon Ballard!
xoxoAmy
Consumption
Snacking
I am OBSESSED with Trader Joe’s Snacky Clusters, which are the dream come true for my sweet/salty-loving heart.
Reading
My on-the-road read was Rasheed Newson’s beautiful My Government Means to Kill Me which is a heartbreaking, hilarious, brutal, joyous novel set in 1980s New York as ACT UP launches.
Listening
I’ve been walking around other cities listening to the soundtrack to Stop Making Sense. I’m not, like, a sound person (I was told back in high school I’d already screwed up my hearing from listening to music too loudly, etc.), but whatever the remastering did, well, it’s very good. (No one tell me, I just said I’m not a sound person.) Some records sound brand new forever, and this is one of them.
Cooking
I’m obsessed with the Trader Joe’s 5 Items or Less Instagram, and their recent-ish Mediterranean Grain Bowls recipe was SO DELICIOUS that I am still thinking about it and planning when I’ll eat it next.
Get Your Ask On
Today we’ve got advice from Falon Ballard, author of Just My Type.
How do you balance your dayjob and other responsibilities with your writing career?
FB: I still struggle with this to be totally honest, but I have found a couple of things really work for me. One is lists. I sit down every Sunday and make a to do list for each day of the coming week. It really helps me manage my time so that I'm taking care of my responsibilities for both my day job and my writing. I make it a point to do as much of my "job" as possible during my kid's school day so that when he gets home, I can focus mostly on mom-ing. I also try to be as consistent as possible with my schedule. Both of my jobs are essentially freelancing, but I still get up and start work at the same time each day. I make time in the morning for returning emails and checking off simple to do list items and then leave the afternoon for writing/editing time. It's not perfect, but it works for me!
I'm worried all the cool ideas and tropes have already been done! Should I quit my manuscript?
FB: Absolutely not! If you gave the same idea/trope to ten different writers, they would all write it differently. Someone else might have done your idea, but they haven't done it the same way you will. If you love it, write it!
How did you find your agent and/or get your first book deal?
FB: I got my agent through the now discontinued Pitch Wars, so I'm not much help there, but my submission story is a testament to one of the age old pieces of writing advice: write the wait! My first manuscript went out to editors the second week of March in 2020. So basically the week the whole world shut down. Fabulous timing! Everything was so uncertain at that time that my agent told me to just write whatever would keep me actively writing. And what I wrote was Lease on Love. My first book never sold, but while I was writing the wait, I wrote the book that got me a deal. So write the wait because it works!
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.
“Amy Spalding's writing will make you swoon, laugh, and fall in love with how outrageous Hollywood can be. I was rooting for Max and Sadie's achingly sweet romance, and found it hard to let go of them once I finished. At Her Service will stay with you in the best way possible!” —Erin La Rosa, author of For Butter or Worse and Plot Twist
I regret that I did not make time for Lion’s Choice.