Boo!
Surprised to see me popping back into your inbox so soon? (Trust me, no one is as surprised as I.) Happy spooky season to you all!
I've said it before and I'll say it again: autumn is my favorite time of year. Nothing compares. I love chilly mornings and walking around my neighborhood cooing at Halloween decorations. I love running through Prospect Park on crisp afternoons to admire the changing leaves. I love the Day of the Dead and my November Scorpio birthday and, of course, National Novel Writing Month, which I have participated in every year since 2013. This year, however, I won't be drafting a new novel during NaNoWriMo.
Instead, I'm an official NaNoWriMo coach. (!!!)
I'll be writing a short craft essay and taking over NaNoWriMo's Instagram 11/7-11/11 to answer questions, give pep talks, and share all the tips I've learned over the last nine years of fast drafting! NaNoWriMo taught me not only how to be a writer, but how to be a writer who finishes projects. It is only by finishing novels that we learn how to write better ones. I would not be the novelist I am today without NaNo... so I cannot tell you all how excited I was to be invited by the NaNo team to be a coach. If you've been nursing an idea for a novel or have ever toyed with the idea of participating in NaNoWriMo, I strongly encourage you to do it. It's a wild ride!
But we still have the rest of October to get through before NaNo season hits. And what a busy two weeks it will be! Who knew that the intersection of Latinx Heritage Month (9/15-10/15) and spooky season would impact the schedule of someone like moi--the Latina author of a horror novel--so dramatically? (Me, I did. The writing was on the wall.)
And it's been an exciting LMH+spooky season thus far! The Hacienda has been selling at a healthy clip (we're in our third printing!) and cropping up on horror and Halloween-themed lists galore (Good Morning America! Harper's Bazaar! Buzzfeed! Goodreads! Vulture! Polygon!). Not only am I crushing through my final round of revisions for my next book (out August of next year!), I've also been busy doing interviews and visiting book clubs to talk all things spooky.
Speaking of talking all things spooky, I have a special announcement for any of my newsletter subscribers who live in the NYC area!
Tomorrow evening, Oct. 17, I will be speaking with Rachel Harrison, the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle, at an event called Cheers for Fears, hosted at a top secret location in the Meatpacking District. The location will be revealed tomorrow, so be sure to register for a free ticket on Eventbrite ASAP!
I'm not allowed to publicly reveal this location, but I think it's acceptable to hint that it might be a social club that has locations all over the world and it might share a name with iconic neighborhoods in NYC and London 👀 There will be spooky-themed cocktails, readings, book signings, and what is bound to be a spirited conversation between myself, Rachel, and our host Abby, she of the iconic blog Crime by the Book. (And did I mention that tickets are free?)
I'm excited and nervous and hope to see you there!
In the meantime, it's probably best for me to get back to that revision. After nearly 18 months of grueling work, Book 2 is finally taking its final shape. I saw the potential cover this week and absolutely lost my marbles over how dramatic it was--I can't wait to share it (and the novel itself!) with you all!
Take care and stay spooky xx
I've said it before and I'll say it again: autumn is my favorite time of year. Nothing compares. I love chilly mornings and walking around my neighborhood cooing at Halloween decorations. I love running through Prospect Park on crisp afternoons to admire the changing leaves. I love the Day of the Dead and my November Scorpio birthday and, of course, National Novel Writing Month, which I have participated in every year since 2013. This year, however, I won't be drafting a new novel during NaNoWriMo.
Instead, I'm an official NaNoWriMo coach. (!!!)
I'll be writing a short craft essay and taking over NaNoWriMo's Instagram 11/7-11/11 to answer questions, give pep talks, and share all the tips I've learned over the last nine years of fast drafting! NaNoWriMo taught me not only how to be a writer, but how to be a writer who finishes projects. It is only by finishing novels that we learn how to write better ones. I would not be the novelist I am today without NaNo... so I cannot tell you all how excited I was to be invited by the NaNo team to be a coach. If you've been nursing an idea for a novel or have ever toyed with the idea of participating in NaNoWriMo, I strongly encourage you to do it. It's a wild ride!But we still have the rest of October to get through before NaNo season hits. And what a busy two weeks it will be! Who knew that the intersection of Latinx Heritage Month (9/15-10/15) and spooky season would impact the schedule of someone like moi--the Latina author of a horror novel--so dramatically? (Me, I did. The writing was on the wall.)
And it's been an exciting LMH+spooky season thus far! The Hacienda has been selling at a healthy clip (we're in our third printing!) and cropping up on horror and Halloween-themed lists galore (Good Morning America! Harper's Bazaar! Buzzfeed! Goodreads! Vulture! Polygon!). Not only am I crushing through my final round of revisions for my next book (out August of next year!), I've also been busy doing interviews and visiting book clubs to talk all things spooky.
Speaking of talking all things spooky, I have a special announcement for any of my newsletter subscribers who live in the NYC area!
Tomorrow evening, Oct. 17, I will be speaking with Rachel Harrison, the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle, at an event called Cheers for Fears, hosted at a top secret location in the Meatpacking District. The location will be revealed tomorrow, so be sure to register for a free ticket on Eventbrite ASAP!
I'm not allowed to publicly reveal this location, but I think it's acceptable to hint that it might be a social club that has locations all over the world and it might share a name with iconic neighborhoods in NYC and London 👀 There will be spooky-themed cocktails, readings, book signings, and what is bound to be a spirited conversation between myself, Rachel, and our host Abby, she of the iconic blog Crime by the Book. (And did I mention that tickets are free?)
I'm excited and nervous and hope to see you there!
In the meantime, it's probably best for me to get back to that revision. After nearly 18 months of grueling work, Book 2 is finally taking its final shape. I saw the potential cover this week and absolutely lost my marbles over how dramatic it was--I can't wait to share it (and the novel itself!) with you all!
Take care and stay spooky xx
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