Last newsletter post before pub day!
I’m feeling lots of things right now, including a fair bit of anxiety and nerves, but mostly I am feeling grateful. It’s a cliché, for sure, but it does take a village, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped Beyond That, the Sea come into being. So this week’s newsletter seems like a good place to name a few people, in no particular order, who have done so much for me and for the book—without their help, I wouldn’t be the writer I am nor would the book be the book it is.
Gail Hochman. Gail started reading the book late one night and couldn’t stop; less than a week later, she became my agent. She loves the book with all her heart, and I’m so appreciative of everything she’s done.
Everyone at Celadon Books. I feel so lucky to be at Celadon and to have the chance to work with such smart, lovely people who handle a nervous debut writer with such grace. Deb Futter, my editor, is a great reader and a wonderful person.
Alice Elliott Dark. I was incredibly lucky to work with Alice during my MFA at Rutgers-Newark. She has been so incredibly supportive of this book, writing a very generous blurb and sending me emails that keep me believing in it, too. I have learned much from her, and I’m so grateful she’s in my life.
Lynn Steger Strong. In 2018-19, I took the yearlong novel generator class at Catapult with Lynn and that’s where I wrote this book in its entirety. Lynn is smart and insightful and a joy; my life and my book would not be the same without her.
Will Allison. Will is a contributing editor at One Story, and in 2013 something in a story I wrote spoke to him, and he recommended that it be published. I don’t think I would be here today without that initial support and encouragement.
One Story. One Story published “The Remains,” my first published story, in 2014, and they have been here for me ever since. They are simply the best. If you are a reader, you should subscribe; if you are a writer, you should submit.
Hannah Tinti. Hannah is one of the founding editors of One Story, and she helped with my agent search; she also very kindly read the book and wrote a blurb before the book went out on submission, which is a heavy and generous lift. I know her lovely words encouraged editors to pay close attention.
Margot Livesey, Claire Messud, Ann Napolitano, Ann Packer, and Meg Wolitzer. These amazing women and writers all read an early copy of the book and agreed to write blurbs for it, and I’m forever grateful for their time and their graciousness.
Meghan Daniels and Rebecca Flint Marx. My wonderful workshop mates, who have been forced to listen to the ups and downs of this bringing-a-book-into-the-world thing for the past two years and have done so with such excitement and kindness.
The Novel Generator class cohort. Twelve of us wrote novels over the course of 2018-2019, and I am grateful to everyone in the class for reading the novel as it came into being and for providing wonderful feedback that helped the book become a better version of itself.
Family and friends. Thank you to everyone who has been excited for me, who has pre-ordered the book, who has told others to buy it and read it. Special thanks to my husband Adam who has joined me on the daily pre-publishing roller coaster ride and has done so with much patience and love.
Readers. Early readers have been supportive and encouraging, and that has been such a balm. The book has already been read by some wonderful people who have helped to spread the word; special thanks to Julia Quinn for talking about the book on The Today Show! We have heard, again and again, how readers want to stay in the world of Beyond That, the Sea, how they don’t want the book to end. I’m not sure there’s a nicer thing to hear.
See you on the other side!
A Bird's-Eye View, Theodore Robinson, American, 1889, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Congrats and good fortune!
May pub day be everything you desire it to be. Congrats!