The Crime Lady V.2, #3: Book Tour Updates, and More
The Real Lolita publishes in less than two weeks. I’ve done well for months to stay chill and enjoy the pre-publication runup, but the closer to publication I get, the more the jitters want to insert themselves into my brain. It’s normal, I know. And those jitters are still superseded by excitement and a feeling, every now and then, of utter breathtaking amazement that I am publishing a book, this book. I don’t want to lose that feeling. It’s too precious. It’s a link between me, the writer working alone, and me, the author about to meet her public — and express more gratitude than I can possibly convey.
It all begins on September 11, with a preview at Bouchercon. What can you do, in the meantime?
Pre-order. Here are the publisher links for the US, Canada, and the UK editions, so you can choose your preferred retailer, be it Amazon, your favorite independent bookstore, or any other, and buy your copy.
Write a review. It’s been amazing to get so much early feedback, via email, on social media, on Goodreads, wherever. And if you’ve read it and haven’t voiced your opinion yet, please do — and certainly please do so once you’ve bought a copy!
Share the enthusiasm. I keep hearing the phrase “your book is everywhere” and that’s great — but visibility begets visibility, so don’t be shy about posting on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook or your social media platform of choice, or sharing this newsletter, or telling people in person (I know, what a concept.)
See me on tour. The graphic gives the highlights; my website has far more details. And there are a number of events in late October, November, and beyond to be announced soon.
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Here’s what new in The Real Lolita coverage since my last dispatch:
My Vanity Fair August issue essay was posted online
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nylon, and Elle featured the book in its fall previews; Nylon’s Kristen Iversen says my book “works brilliantly as both detective narrative and cultural history” and gives “brilliant insight into a tragic story, but also a nuanced, empathetic look at the young girl at its center.”
The New York Post wrote about Sally Horner
The Atlantic wrote about my book in the context of #MeToo and Lolita
And Goodreads is giving away 25 ARCs; the deadline to enter is September 6.
And while it’s not book-related, I also wrote a feature — on what forensic scientists think of the true crime boom— as part of Vulture’s recent True Crime Wave, a collection that I would strongly urge you all to check out if you’ve yet to do so.
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With the fall approaching, here’s what I’ve read recently and recommend:
Sara Gran’s long-awaited third Claire DeWitt crime novel, The Infinite Blacktop
Katrina Carrasco’s crackling, rollicking debut historical novel, The Best Bad Things, which you should definitely buy when it’s out in November
Sally Rooney’s debut novel Conversations With Friends, what gorgeous dialogue and an ending that felt so earned for a literary novel. I gather Normal People is leagues better, and I’m curious to know how.
Olivia Laing’s first work of fiction, Crudo, the most successful of the novels written post-2016 election I’ve read so far
Lea Carpenter’s Red White Blue, which deconstructs the spy novel and puts it back together again in a way that felt contemporary and fresh
R.O. Kwon’s The Incendiaries, deserving of all the debut novel hype
Dubravka Ugresic’s American Fictionary and Fox, about which more in some other newsletter or venue because I feel like she broke open my brain and entered my central nervous system and now I must read her entire back catalog
And Oyinkan Brathwaite’s debut My Sister, the Serial Killer, which is audacious and wonderful and so in my sweet spot.
Next time you’ll hear from me is publication week, when I’ll have so much to share. Until then, I remain,
The Crime Lady