Happy First 49th Birthday To Me!
Paperback Fun, Signed Copies, Reading Recommendations, and a Short Break
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been having a ball interviewing friends and friends-of-friends for my Authors Over 40 series, starring writers whose first novels were published after their 40th birthdays. There are too many amazing writers to list here, so please do check out the page, even if you’re not a writer yourself! Much of what the novelists say applies to any creative endeavor, passion project, or work that takes a long time to come to fruition.
And speaking of aging with pride, I turn 49 today! I say in my subject line that it’s my “first” 49th birthday for fun because the big 5-0 obviously looms large. Honestly, though, I’m okay with it. The Instagram version of my life contains many very true accomplishments I’m proud of: my amazing daughter who recently started figure skating and was brave enough to skate in a competition after just 6 months of study; my four historical novels, one of which was a USA Today and international bestseller; my 2.5 years of sobriety; some rock-steady friendships with women I’ve known from 3 to 30 years; two generous, healthy parents who taught me the meaning of unconditional love and support; a partner with whom I share all life’s pleasures and hardships who himself is about to launch his own exciting creative career.
And yes, there have been and continue to be hardships behind that social media patina. For the last two summers, I’ve taken time off from social media because I’ve needed a break from the shiny happy people to tend to some Serious Life Issues. This past December, I started taking an anti-depressant, which thankfully pulled me out of a well of despair. I’ve been facing some hard financial realities, and I’ve endured quite a lot of work-oriented rejection since the beginning of the year. There are more things I could list here, but those items aren’t really mine to explain—suffice it to say that like all of you, I try to support the people I love in their times of trouble, and that can be hard, too. Worth it, but hard.
But enough of all that! The paperback of All You Have To Do Is Call has a fresh, new cover, and it comes out on August 27! As always, you can order a signed, personalized copy of any of my books, any time, from Wellesley Books.
Even if you have already read and/or purchased All You Have To Do Is Call, I hope you’ll consider pre-ordering another few copies for the readers in your life, and/or forward this email to someone who might pre-order it. Thank you!
To celebrate my birthday, go on a vacation with my kid, and just generally regroup, I’m going to take a short break from Substack, including Authors Over 40, until mid-August when I’ll be back with news and interviews, including one with yours truly!
In case you need some summer reading recommendations, here are a few audiobooks I’ve downloaded from LibroFM and LOVED in the last few months. I’ll endeavor to give each a one-sentence endorsement….
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt – A charming story starring a sentient octopus will make you laugh and feel alive even as it rips your heart out.
The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang – I got utterly swept up in this heart-pounding story about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake while also learning so much about that city’s Chinatown and the opera.
Wellness by Nathan Hill – Hill goes all the way down every rabbit hole of modern life, from conflicting parenting advice to Google algorithms, with laugh-out-loud funny character thoughts and profound insights, all while telling a complex love story that had me rooting for the couple to the end.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto – A winning cast of misfits including a meddling Chinese mother, a recent widow who aspires to be a photographer, a journalist, a podcaster, and the brother of a man mysteriously found dead in a San Francisco tea shop? Yes, please.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar – I’ll be honest: I never would have read this avant-garde tale about immigration, addiction, art, and familial love told through the prism of Persian martyrs, in the voice of the hilarious and heartsick Cyrus, had a group of local writers not invited me to a pop-up book club to discuss it—but I’m so glad they did.
On that note, I hope July and early August is full of surprises (the good kind), and thank you for supporting me and my writing.
Kerri
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Incredible human. So glad I know you and that our paths overlapped. Xx
Happy Happy Birthday, Kerri!
So grateful for the oodles of inspiration you offer with Sandcastles.
May your time off lead to the inspiration and rejuvenation you need to
carry on in every area of your life. XOXO