“I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.”

Those are the final words from the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the 2003 novel by Mark Haddon, which charmed and intrigued me when I read it years ago.

That ending came back to me recently in a rush of sweetness. The occasion: I needed to send a sample interview clip to a radio producer who was considering booking me for her show (more on that later). So I found myself listening back to an old recording from a friend’s podcast on creativity (hi Anna!).

We'd recorded a conversation back in 2020, over two years before I quit my science job to focus on writing (and also, incidentally, just a few weeks before COVID-19 would shut down life as we knew it.)

Towards the end, Anna asked me what projects I was excited to work on in the future. I mentioned a few things, and then said:

“The last thing, that I’ve wanted to do for years and years and years…is a book about the history of Annunciation House.”

Anna and I had met as volunteers at Annunciation House, so she knew what I was talking about. I told her how I’d done an interview or two with former volunteers over the years, and collected a few old newspaper articles about the place. But the book I envisioned would be a huge undertaking, unlike anything I’d done before. If I was serious about it, I’d need to do a ton of research. I’d need to find sources. I’d need to craft a book proposal and plunge into publishing and, oh, yeah, find time to write a cool 60,000 words.

At the time, it wasn’t feasible for me. I had a full-time job (that I loved!) and two young kids.

But I couldn’t let go of the idea.

“I’d just love to hear more of those stories,” I told Anna. “How [Annunciation House] came to be, and how it evolved into what it became today…"

“I’m getting chills,” said Anna.

“I feel like if I don’t do it, someone else will,” I went on, “because the story is so good.

“…And I also feel like I would be a good person to tell the story, and if someone else does it I’m just going to be mad.

“But I recognize then that I have to get on it. I have to do it.”

Well, I did it. I did it!

It’s been six years since my talk with Anna; four years from the time I started to work on the book in earnest. And really, 20+ years since I first started to daydream about telling this story.

It feels really good to see it now, out in the world. It’s been a long time coming.

“I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.”

Gatherings

Strangers in the Province of Joy came out May 20. Since then I’ve gotten to connect with readers at a couple of events in El Paso and in Seattle, which was delightful.

Friends and family packed a corner of University Bookstore for a book talk on June 6, where I had a lovely conversation with fellow Seattle author Cameron Bellm. (She writes about the “intersections of creativity, spirituality, mysticism and activism,” which I’m positive is right up the alley of some of my newsletter readers; you know who you are; go check her out!)

If you missed it, you can watch a recording of the talk here.

Radio and Podcast Appearances

Now about that radio producer: Over the last month I’ve had the slightly intimidating pleasure of doing author interviews on several podcasts and radio shows, which you can watch or listen to online:

• The editor-in-chief of my publishing house, Orbis Books, sat down with me for this one-on-one

• Humanizing the Border with Tomorrow’s American Catholic

• Radical Sacred podcast

• Phoenix-based radio host Pat McMahon kept me on my toes for this appearance on The God Show

• I’m doing a couple of Zoom talks just for former A-House volunteers. If that’s you, and you hadn’t already heard about it, email me for details.

A few people have asked me if my book will come out in audio format. The answer is yes! but I don’t yet know when. It’s something I’m currently working out with my publisher.

A Favor: Your Honest Review

It’s been wonderful to hear from some of you who have already read the book— I’m glad it resonates!

If you’d be willing to rate and review the book (honestly, of course) on Amazon and/or Goodreads, I’d be ever so grateful since it helps connect with more readers. Detailed instructions to leave an Amazon review are here.

And if you still need a copy, you can request it from your local bookstore or library, or order from Amazon or Bookshop or straight from the publisher, where it’s currently 25% off.

Summer Reading

I’ve laughed out loud at every fantastically quirky book I’ve read by Maria Semple. Her latest novel, Go Gently, likewise earns its place in the hilarity canon. I’ll warn you that there was a stretch in the middle where I thought the plot was going too far off the rails, but trust Semple to bring all the horses back to the barn eventually. (Though if you thought my mixed metaphors got a bit too unhinged just now, then this book might not be for you; hinged it is not.)

For another fun summer read, check out this absolute dissertation from the Atlantic on the Best Restaurant Bread in America. (Author Cameron Bellm tipped me off to this gem in her own newsletter.)

Happy Summering!

If you need me I’ll be out in our front yard, where the raspberries have just started to ripen.

Sincerely,

Mary