Three Debuts and a Sophomore Novel

A Real-Time Check-In On Our Wild Publishing Rides

Things are HAPPENING!! Before we dive into our regularly scheduled programming, we wanted to give you a real-time check-in on this rollercoaster of a year.

This time last year, Lauren led the charge and was our first-ever debut with La Vie, According to Rose. We had our first book baby to hold, and we all began to feel the magic of what was happening. They say a rising tide lifts all ships, and it certainly felt true to us. Three book deals followed hers, and Lauren sold her sophomore novel on proposal to Lake Union in October. It has been a roller coaster of excitement, nerves, joy, and vulnerability, and we walked through every bit of it hand in hand. Today, Amy is two months out from her debut, Hadley is three months out, Erin is four months out, and Lauren just turned in the full manuscript of her second novel to her editor. It’s a wild time. Let’s chat about it. 

How We’re Feeling:

2 months until debut (Amy): Two months is this weird time where it feels SO soon and yet still far away. I am focusing on enjoying every little moment as I go because it’s all part of it. Launch is one day but there is so much excitement and fun along the way, so much to celebrate that I am trying to be present, enjoy where I am and be thankful for how far I’ve come, and not rush through it to get to pub day. 

3 months until debut (Hadley): I’m oscillating rapidly between excitement and anxiety. There’s so much pressure on debut novels to make a splash, but not a lot of guidance on how exactly an author can make that happen. Because I don’t have a publicist assigned to my book, it’s mostly up to me to get the word out, and I’ve been very busy mailing ARCs to bookstagrammers and indie booksellers, pitching podcasts, and assembling an early review team. Oh, and trying to write that second book! It’s a lot, but I keep reminding myself (okay, Amy keeps reminding me) to take a deep breath and enjoy the process.

4 months until debut (Erin): On the one hand, being four months out still seems VERY far away. On the other hand, I feel the need to be DOING something right now—pitching essays, trying to get on podcasts, etc. It’s hard. I am definitely riding the ups and downs of publishing each week—sometimes each day! I also am weird in that I seem to glaze over all the amazing things happening with the book, but that 2-star rating (not even a review!) some random person gave me on Goodreads really hurts.

One year after debut (Lauren): The months leading up to your debut are such a whirlwind. There are so many highs, a few lows, but beneath it all is this mounting hum of anticipation. By the time you reach your debut date, you’re floating on air. But things that go up, must come down eventually—and that’s a good thing. I feel much more grounded now than I did a year ago.

Favorite Moment So Far:

Amy: My book is dedicated to my husband, but he had no idea until he opened the advanced copy. The Days I Loved You Most has been in the background of our entire relationship, and he’s been such an incredible support, so it was a really sweet moment to finally share that with him. Also, holding my book in translation for the first time was WILD. To illustrate how publishing can take forever but then suddenly speed up beyond comprehension: In January, 2023, I was working on a major revision for my agent before we went out on submission to publishers. I had no book deal, and a ton of work ahead of me. By November 2023, that same year, I was holding a physical advanced copy of my book, translated into German. It felt as unbelievable as it sounds. 

Hadley: My first NetGalley review from a stranger made me cry happy tears! She gave it five stars and described the book as “a gut punch to her emotions,” even saying she wanted to buy a copy for her keeper shelf. It’s incredible to realize that people I’ve never met are reading my words, loving my characters, and having their own emotional experience with a story that started as nothing more than an idea in my head. 

Erin: I loved getting to see my cover for the first time. My editor and I knew we wanted bold—with a name like Hate Follow, how could the cover not be bold?—and I was lucky in that I got to choose between two options of illustrators. The end result really blew me away. I started crying when I first opened the file. Seeing the characters come to life—especially Mia’s bright red hair—was completely surreal after having these characters in my head for 3+ years. 

Lauren: Stumbling across La Vie, According to Rose in a bookstore is a dream that always leaves me shaking. I wish I could reach back in time and pluck my childhood self from the past to experience the moment with me. If only that little girl knew how things would turn out.

What We’re Struggling With:

Amy: I love the internet and enjoy social media, that kind of sharing has always come naturally to me, but I struggle with the balance of wanting to share and also feeling overexposed at times. Pre agent or book deal, I openly cataloged my journey to publication and my writing life, but I went through phases where I would go dark and enjoy being present in reality and my creative process. With The Days I Loved You Most coming out, I’ve been more intentional and consistent online, but that leaves me feeling like I don’t have that retreat to privacy I sometimes crave. I am also navigating responding to all the lovely posts and comments about my book, because I am so grateful and want to thank everyone (which may not always be sustainable, but for now feels important)! But it does take time and sometimes makes me feel scattered. It’s a constant push-pull of wanting to build community and wanting to go off grid, the balance of sharing what I’m up to and immersing myself into the creative life without the distraction of documenting it. 

Hadley: I echo everything Amy said about feeling overexposed. It’s so vulnerable to put a book out into the world, this thing you’ve worked on alone for so many years. Every step of the process has been anxiety-producing for me, from asking for author endorsements to posting on social media. As someone who hates being the center of attention, I break into a sweat just thinking about my upcoming author events. But I’m determined to feel the fear and do the scary thing anyway, and with each forward step I get a little braver. 

Erin: So many things! I’m working on a new manuscript, which is fun and exciting. But I started a full-time job last spring (I was a freelance writer prior), so now the only time I can write is after work, and after my kids (6 and 8) are in bed and the house is picked up. That’s usually between 9-10pm. Sometimes it’s fun and energizing, but sometimes I am just exhausted. I’m trying to give myself grace. Also, I’m learning to navigate getting reviews and starting to see numbers from Goodreads Giveaways and such. As the last one of the group debuting, I’m lucky to have these ladies to turn to when I panic.

Lauren: Earlier I said that I feel grounded these days, and that’s true, but turning inward has come with a lot of introspection. I’ve spent the past year questioning my book’s “performance;” questioning my own “reach;” even questioning what I want from my career, what kind of author I want to be, and my need for external validation. There’s been so much growth in asking these questions and being honest with myself, but it’s also been hard to face certain truths. To say it’s been a soul-deep learning experience would be an understatement. And I’m still learning.

What We’re Looking Forward To:

Amy: I’m looking forward to not making people wait anymore! It’s been such a long road, and I’m so lucky to be surrounded by an incredible sea of support with friends and family rooting for me and dying to read this thing that I’ve grappled with for a decade. So it will be such a relief to be able to finally share it with everyone. It is so hard and feels tiresome to keep teasing it (and I imagine feels even more so for them!), to keep saying, almost, not yet, but soon!! So it’ll be wonderful for it to exist in the world for whoever wants to read, and for it to no longer be this thing that is just mine.

Hadley: I’m excited to see my book on the shelf in my local library. This has always been my biggest author dream, and I recently discovered that the two library systems near me have each ordered six copies. Nothing will make my book feel more “real” than seeing it with a call number.

Erin: Like Hadley, I can’t wait for my book to be on library (and bookstore) shelves. I’m also excited for book events and festivals. Even though I’ve been a professional writer/editor for 20 years, it’s going to be pretty awesome to officially call myself a published author.

Lauren: I’m about to dig into developmental edits for book two, and I’m so excited to make this story shine and begin research for the next one. Amy frequently has to remind the rest of us that we have plenty of time and we don’t have to rush through things, which is such good life advice and also very hard for my scarcity-mindset to accept. But on the other hand, once the idea bug bites, it’s hard to think about anything else!

What We Are Reading Right Now:

Amy: I am lucky to be reading an early draft of Lauren’s Book 2!! (Writing) Group Chat perks. I won’t share much except to say it’s fab, and I am so proud of you, Lauren.

Hadley: Honestly, my brain has been so scrambled from debut stress that I’ve had a hard time reading lately. But I’m about to start an ARC of The Disappeared by Rebecca Sanford, a novel inspired by the true story of the brave mothers and grandmothers who spoke out against the military dictatorship in Argentina in the 1970s. It looks incredible and I’m especially excited to read it because Rebecca and I will be doing an event together at Zibby’s Bookshop in LA on September 5.

Erin: My TBR pile is overflowing at the moment. I’ve been reading some non-fiction books for research, and I have two friends’ manuscripts I’m excited to read this month (including Lauren’s!). My read-in-the-bathtub book right now is Amanda Eyre Ward’s latest, Lovers and Liars. I’m about a third of the way through and enjoying it. There’s three secret-keeping sisters and a wedding in a castle! What’s not to love?

Lauren: My toxic trait is I’m often reading five books at once. Right now, on my Kindle I’ve started my friend Jane’s new travel romance Summer Ever After, which is a First Reads pick for June. I’m listening to Richard Osman’s latest Thursday Murder Club Mystery, The Last Devil To Die. As for physical books, I’m about to get into an early copy of Marjan Kamali’s The Lion Women of Tehran, which sounds incredible. It publishes July 2, so there’s still time to preorder! 

Now that you know a little more about us, we’d love to know more about you!

Chime in below: Where are you in your journey and how are you feeling today?

Tune in next time as we chat about HOW WE FOUND COMMUNITY AND HOW YOU CAN TOO! 

And congratulations to our book giveaway winner: Gabi C!

*Everyone who signed up before May 31st was automatically entered into the giveaway, and Gabi will be receiving signed copies of all FOUR of our books. We hope you enjoy, Gabi!