rejected

July is my first book’s 9th birthday month. You can buy copies from me directly, signed or unsigned, for $10 a copy and shipping is free. Venmo me at Wendy-C-Ortiz with your address and who to sign the book to. Alternately, you can also buy the book anywhere books are sold.

Excavation: A Memoir was published by Future Tense Books in July 2014. At the time I had a three-year-old kid, and my father had passed away just a few months prior.

Because it was a small press book, I did a lot of work personally to promote it. I kept a spreadsheet of where I hoped it would be reviewed and emailed venues directly, I contacted bookstores and set up my own west coast book tour that I took that summer with my family, and I said yes to every interview request. Most small press authors know the drill. I was rewarded with a strong readership and a lot of good press, including some coverage in my hometown paper, the Los Angeles Times, as well as in places like the National Book Critics Circle blog, among others. Since it was published I’ve had numerous visits to colleges and universities and writing centers on behalf of the book, and I’ve read, taught, and performed all over the country.