My book tour this summer is partly a teaching tour, as well. Come catch me in the following five places so we can learn together!
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June 9th BALTIMORE, MD 6:30pm ET at Greedy Reads with City Lit Project: We’ll be doing a bunch of group exercises to help determine whether our current projects have just a premise, or a plot.
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June 10th ALEXANDRIA, VA 5pm ET at Old Town Books, we’ll be busting out the paper and pencil to tackle plot again. Followed by a 7pm book talk.
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June 13th NASHVILLE, TN* 10am CT at The Porch writing center. (I’m very nervous about the switch from ET to CT so come out, work with me on plot solutions, and help me get there on time!) *This class has a virtual option for non-local participants.
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June 28th LOS ALTOS HILLS, CA 10am-4pm PT During this day-long retreat with Happy Women Dinners at a private home in Los Altos Hills, I’ll help writers of creative nonfiction (all lengths, all types) to put stakes and momentum into their projects and to retrofit marketing angles onto the manuscript if they aren’t there already. Lunch and happy hour included!
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July 22nd MINNEAPOLIS, MN at The Loft Writing Literary Center. Author readiness intensive with improv and other play. We’ll learn how to pitch our projects out loud, describe them in 20 seconds or less, and practice other ways for you to be your book’s ambassador in a noisy and crowded market.
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All the respective class links are in my bio via Linktree. Space is limited, so don’t dally if you’re interested! And please feel free to share with friends who might enjoy these courses— I love teaching craft classes and I know we’ll have a lot of fun, while also making major progress in our work.
Let’s do this! Come see me on tour this summer for ALAN OPTS OUT!
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Infinite thanks to @littlebrown for supporting, for these fantastic bookstores and libraries and writing organizations for hosting, and to my conversation partners for taking the time to read my new novel and to talk with me about it.
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Hope to see you there! Share if you have friends in any of these places, I would love to meet them.
If you order an early copy of ALAN OPTS OUT from my local indie Oblong Books, not only will I go in before the book comes out and sign whatever you want inside the book, but also, you’ll get a nifty “opt out” sticker featuring Alan’s lobster, Lenny on it.
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Link to pre purchase from one of the best indie bookstores in the nation is in the linktree in my bio. Thank you for your support of me, Oblong, and Alan!
The #Greenwich of my childhood doesn’t match the contemporary Greenwich I explore in ALAN OPTS OUT. There was extreme wealth, yes, but also abundant nature, tons of outdoor activities: days were super social and everything seemed to take place outside. Sunday drives were a real thing. We’d load up as a family with turkey sandwiches, Pepsi (we were a Pepsi family!) and Cape Cod potato chips and head to North Salem, which had (still has!) the most gorgeous winding roads with insane views at every turn.
I carried a lot of my affection for the #06830 zip code of my youth into my new novel, but I also attempt to reckon with the ultra flashy, McMansion plagued, nature-squeezed place that it is now, where Tesla dealerships and Hermès stores replaced the 99 cent pizza slice joints and Korean produce markets of my 1980s youth. It will be interesting to see how Greenwich, Connecticut receives this book. The reception might not be kind.
We can’t wait to have novelist and publishing consultant Courtney Maum join us at the bookstore for an exciting evening focused on all things writing and publishing.
First, Courtney will lead an energetic 90-minute class for writers of any genre to help deepen their existing plot or create one from almost-scratch. Through exercises and discussion, participants will explore how book titles can set a project up for success, visualize their book as a whole and more.
This class is appropriate for writers of all levels working in any genre except poetry. Simply bring enthusiasm, lots of paper and a willingness to learn.
After the workshop Courtney will join us for a special discussion about her new novel, ALAN OPTS OUT. We’ll talk about her inspiration, and other writing tidbits, plus have a meet-and-greet and book signing.
Get your tickets at the link in our bio!
When I was a little girl, things were a little complicated on the homefront, so I liked to write in libraries where it was calm and quiet and I was surrounded by the smell and sight of books. Here are some of the principal libraries I wrote in as a young girl, and later as a college student. 📕 📚 💜 ❤️
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#ilovelibraries #librarylove #greenwich #librarians #librariansofinstagram
#Philadelphia, where u at?
Tickets just opened for an incredible thing I’m doing in Philadelphia on June 7th. The Rittenhouse Square restaurant Wilder is doing a five-course dinner inspired by the food and characters in ALAN OPTS OUT. I’ll be in conversation with my friend, former student, author extraordinaire and Philly local M. L. Rio during the event and—as if this couldn’t get better—Wilder is donating all proceeds to the charity of my choice. I’ve chosen the Philadelphia nonprofit Work to Ride.
WTR is an exceptional nonprofit run by an exceptional person, and I’m so delighted that we can contribute to WTR through this festive dinner. If you can’t make it to #Philly yourself, please share with someone who can! All info and registration through the link in my linktree. 📚 🍴 🐎 🎤
I’ve been sitting on this announcement because it’s just too heartbreaking, but on May 1st, my father passed away unexpectedly. There’s no good time for bad things.
Friends and family have been asking if I’m continuing with my tour and the promotion of my novel, and the answer’s: yes. For one thing, writing is keeping my head above the water. But also, this book was inspired by my father so promoting it is a way to keep in touch with him. I grew up in a Greenwich, Connecticut that was opulent and flashy and more “have everything!!” than “have not,” and this is the Greenwich (and the lifestyle) that my character Alan, inhabits, and tries to turn away from. It’s also the lifestyle my father left in 2008, relocating from New England to the Tennessee and Georgia of his youth, swapping out galas and tee-times for fried chicken on the porch with his five children, his big dogs, and his favorite music on the stereo. To know my father would be to never guess that he was once a major deal on Wall Street, Salomon Brothers in particular, unless you worked with him in the complex that, pre 9/11, had its own zip code: 10048. If you met him over the last decade, you’d probably think he was retired from a career in country music production, or flannel shirt consignment, or interior design consulting, because he had great taste.
I didn’t dedicate my novel to my Daddy, but I’ll dedicate my tour to him. The proof that he loved this book and what it stands for was evident in the fact that when he died, he had my book cards in his money clip with his beloved punch cards for his favorite coffee shop.
So, Dad, I’m going to continue to be out here hustling for this story that was partly inspired by you. I don’t think I even realized you’d inspired this novel until I started writing your obituary and realized that the arc of your life so closely matches Alan’s own. Thanks for showing me the “good life” modeled in fancy magazines when I was little but ending with a life that was truly good and simple and paired down to the essentials: family, food, pets, and Hallmark rom coms.
You would have loved Alan. He would have loved you. I wish we’d had more time.
Excited to share the fifth author who blurbed ALAN OPTS OUT!
When I need to escape inside a book that is a guaranteed good time (which for me means: beautiful writing, multilayered character development, wit mixed with pathos and a setting that feels real enough to touch) I reach for J. Courtney Sullivan.
When I need to take a book on vacation so I can have a vacation inside my vacation, I reach for J. Courtney Sullivan.
When I needed a refresher on how the hell to do a multi-person narrative successfully, I reached for J. Courtney Sullivan, because she is the queen of the multiple POV novel.
I’m honored that a writer of her stature enjoyed ALAN OPTS OUT! Thank you so much to my Massachusetts Courtney. 🦞 📚
Exactly one year from today, I’m taking my teaching approach abroad!
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The weeklong writing workshop will take place in a sprawling hacienda in Níjar, Almería, in southern Spain. The estate borders the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, and accordingly, walks, hikes and scenic outings will be on the menu alongside intense (but joyful!) craft classes. Speaking of the menu, we are going to eat SO WELL. #Níjar is known for its tomatoes, hearty stews and line-caught fresh fish incorporated into traditional Mediterranean fare. If you drink alcohol, you probably already know how good Spanish wine is. (#Rioja, anyone?) If you do not drink alcohol, ice-cold N/A alternatives will be at your disposal. The estate will be privatized for our use and we’ll have a chef for all our meals. All the rooms are private and come with en suite bathrooms; most rooms have a terrace.
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But let’s get to the writing! Like all my workshops, I organize the program to welcome writers of all genres and skill levels. It doesn’t matter if you’ve already published a #1 New York Times bestseller or you’ve never published anything at all: you will feel inspired, challenged, and supported at your particular experience level throughout our time together.
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One-on-one sessions will take place prior to the retreat so I’ll be familiar with your work before you land in Spain. The day’s lessons will be organized much like my workshop @turningpoints_writers in New Mexico, with a combination of craft improvement and industry know-how so that you’ll make progress in your manuscript, and also in your capability to promote and sell your manuscript.
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Spots are limited but the first-come-first-served admission process is hassle-free: you simply book a spot. Perhaps a great last minute #MothersDay present would be a trip to Spain next year?
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Questions? You can write to [email protected] or DM them here on Instagram via @uptrek.com (Curious about UpTrek itself? My gal pal @rebeccamakkai has taught twice for them so we’re in great company!)
Update from the #kitten desk. At six months and change, Rocky takes his position of “box inspector” very seriously and Goose is thriving as the serious-minded curator of “what we watch on television.” She enjoys her part-time position as blanket tester, and Rocky is currently exploring a career in martial arts. Both kittens excel at knocking over vases, eating plants and stealing food. The two have summer plans to hide all of the drain stoppers in a place that we can’t find them and to tear our window screens.
