Would YOU do this?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Would YOU do this? Such an unbelievable journey.  In every way.  Reds and readers, you are about to hear a remarkable tale of persistence, diligence, passion, perseverance and…mileage.  And I should also mention talent. Super duper supreme talent.  

We are delighted, beyond delighted, to welcome the brilliant and fabulous Jenny Milchman.

Read on. And gasp.  As I asked before: Would YOU do this? 

The World’s Longest Book Tour Version 2.0

   By Jenny Milchman

I had a very long road to publication. I wrote seven novels over the course of ten years before my eighth finally sold and became my debut.

Which is a story for another Jungle Red post because that book had been roundly rejected by publishers before being offered a deal from an imprint that had turned the same book down six months before. My novel, Cover of Snow, went on to win the Mary Higgins Clark award and be a finalist for two others, earn praise from the New York Times, and a big etc.. The lesson? If you’re receiving rejections, learn from them, yes—but also don’t necessarily assume they’re the last word. Other things can come into play.

Anyhoo. After that amount of rejection—and sheer time—you can believe I’d encountered a fair number of supporters along the way. People who’d kept me going through some dark nights of the writerly soul. And once I finally broke through, I wanted to meet them. Get out there and say thanks to those who had helped me believe I had something to say, and stories that would captivate readers, when my flood of rejections told me I didn’t.

So as the pub date for my “first” novel finally drew near, my husband and I did the next logical thing. We rented out our house, traded in two cars for an SUV that could handle Denver in February, and took our kids out of 1st and 3rd grades to “car-school” them on the road as we crisscrossed the country, meeting every bookseller and librarian and book club leader and even book bloggers who wanted to host an event. I worked with a terrific independent publicity firm that assisted in arranging many of the things I did out there.

And it was magical and wonderful and still the touchstone my family returns to now that those car-schooled kids are most of the way to grown and in college. Gulp. If you’d like to see what life on the bookish road was like, there are two fun music videos on my website.

And I do mean “like” as in warts-and-all-really-like. Watch each frame.

Another note about all the joy and some craziness in those videos.

I do not think, and am not recommending, that those watching at home should do the same thing. You don’t have to. The takeaway from my months of touring is that the face-to-face adds a unique and special component. A way to celebrate the huge accomplishment of your writing in a way that online simply doesn’t duplicate. A hundred Likes are not equal to one reader holding your book and pointing to the twist on p. 311 that blew her away. After which you sign her copy and she takes it back like she’s been handed a jewel.

So get out there in a smaller way. A more reasonable way. Ask your local independent bookstore or your library about holding an event. Reach out to a book club. Or get out of the bookish box entirely and think of alternative venues. Did you write a pet mystery? Maybe a local animal shelter would like to stage a gathering—the proceeds could go to support the shelter. A women’s fiction novel? Same approach for a women’s club in the area.

Or maybe you’re a little more all-in. You’ve read about what I did, wandered over to my website to see for yourself, and it looks kinda amazing. (IT WAS).

You still don’t have be multiple months all-in. Draw a radius around your house sufficient for a weekend or week-long getaway, then identify venues within it. A few bookstores, a library, one or two alternative sites too. Reach out to the people in charge, offer to appear or help put an event together—invite people you know in the region—and hit the road.

If you feel like you don’t want to turn back after your last event, I understand.

And conversely, if you feel wiped out and have no idea how—or why—I would’ve stayed out there, well, I understand that too.

Anyhoo again. Because after five books, and close to twenty months of touring, something cataclysmic happened.

First came the pandemic, which called a screeching halt to our bookish reindeer games. But since that’s a droplet compared to the tsunami of calamities the pandemic caused for so many, it should scarcely be counted.

With the world (partially, and only for some) on track again, my career was not.

I did not have a publisher for my sixth book. In fact, I didn’t even have a sixth book.

My career was at a crossroads, and both I and my agent sensed it. With much love and devotion, we decided the time had come for a change and parted ways.

I signed with a dream agent. That was the (mostly) easy part.

Now to find a publisher just as dreamy and excited about getting my career where it needed to go after a gap. After the world had changed, and me along with it in many ways.

Kids growing. The world reckoning with different forces. Other things too.

At about this point, a publisher approached my new agent. They were a fan of my work and wondered if I would have breakfast, a bookish talk.

Y’all know by now how I feel about bookish talks.

OF COURSE I WOULD.

I couldn’t eat a bite even though the publisher kept graciously plying me with pastries.

And I love pastries.

The restaurant we met in was all art deco and gorgeous. It was one of those moments that make a writer really feel like a writer, or more accurately, like an author.

Who now had her first series to launch, because that’s what the publisher wanted to discuss. Whether I had ever considered writing a series character, perhaps one who made use of my first career as a psychotherapist. There are lots of incredible police and PI and legal procedurals, we mused at that breakfast. What about a psychological procedural?

And Arles Shepherd, rogue psychologist, was born.

Now the first in her series is out, THE USUAL SILENCE, which means things are going to change again. Change is the only constant in this writing life.

What will book touring, the events and face-to-face that I have such a love for, look like with my new publisher?

Where am I going now? Where will the next road, literal or figurative, take me?

The great E.L. Doctorow says writing is like “driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” It’s a great metaphor not only for completing a book, but for whatever comes after it is released.

I hope you will follow along to find out where the road goes for me.

And that your own headlights point you in all good directions.

HANK: Tolja.  Amazing. I’m sure you have LOTS of questions for Jenny–I’ll start. Jenny, what do your kids say about your family adventure? And how about–are you tired of driving?

THE USUAL SILENCE 

A psychologist haunted by childhood trauma must unearth all that is buried in her past in this twisting, lyrical novel of suspense by Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author Jenny Milchman.

Psychologist Arles Shepherd treats troubled children, struggling with each case to recover from her own traumatic past, much of which she’s lost to the shadows of memory. Having just set up a new kind of treatment center in the remote Adirondack wilderness, Arles longs to heal one patient in particular: a ten-year-old boy who has never spoken a word—or so his mother, Louise, believes.

Hundreds of miles away, Cass Monroe is living a parent’s worst nightmare. His twelve-year-old daughter has vanished on her way home from school. With no clues, no witnesses, and no trail, the police are at a dead end. Fighting a heart that was already ailing, and struggling to keep both his marriage and himself alive, Cass turns to a pair of true-crime podcasters for help.

Arles, Louise, and Cass will soon find their lives entangled in ways none of them could have anticipated. And when the collision occurs, a quarter-century-old secret will be forced out of hiding. Because nothing screams louder than silence.

Jenny Milchman is the Mary Higgins Clark award winning and USA Today bestselling author of five novels. Her work has been praised by the New York Times, New York Journal of Books, San Francisco Journal of Books and more; earned spots on Best Of lists including PureWow, POPSUGAR, the Strand, Suspense, and Big Thrill magazines; and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist and Shelf Awareness. Four of her novels have been Indie Next Picks. Jenny's short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies as well as Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and a recent piece on touring appeared in the Agatha award winning collection Promophobia. Jenny's new series with Thomas & Mercer features psychologist Arles Shepherd, who has the power to save the most troubled and vulnerable children, but must battle demons of her own to do it. Jenny is a member of the Rogue Women Writers and lives in the Hudson Valley with her family.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennymilchman
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jennymilchman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jennymilchman
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4810211.Jenny_Milchman

WHAT WE'RE WRITING: Hank is on the road again!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I'm singing The Beatles Paperback Writer over and over, followed by The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour! And here’s why.

(Keep reading, because there is a quiz!)

 

I'm so thrilled that the trade paperback of ONE WRONG WORD is out, it is perfect timing for summer, so….. I have been on the road the past week on a tiny mini tour to let help spread the word!

 

And Reds and Readers, it has been hilarious. First, our refrigerator broke the day before we left, so that was a semi-emergency. How does the house always know when you are leaving?


Then something happened with our car, so we got a rental car. It is a massive massive SUV type thing, so big that even the license plate says XLG. But so new and so fun and so full of gizmos. So we packed up “the extra-large,” which is what we call it, and headed off on tour. Night one, overnight at home, but in Wellesley at Wellesley books, Night number two, at the adorable Beacon Hill Books. Such a pretty place! And such a great time.

Then we drove two and a half hours to Cape Cod, stashed our stuff at a gorgeous hotel in Harwichport, then went to Sandwich to the legendary Titcomb's Bookshop. What a fabulous event, and it is always so fun to see their mascot on route 6, (is it 6A? no idea…) With my name on the billboard. Such a rite of passage.

Then back to Harwichport, and the next day a gorgeous marvelous event-- a luncheon for almost 150 people sponsored by the fabulous Where The Sidewalk Ends bookstore. I appeared with J.Courtney Sullivan and Nell Freudenberger, and it was epic! These are the daughters of one of the attendees, one of whose birthday was the day of the event. So a happy day all around.

Then off to the Barnes and Noble in Hyannis for a signing... Let me tell you it is a completely gorgeous store, and so well run! We had fun.

Friday! Up at the absolute crack of dawn, terrified about Hurricane Debbie interrupting our plans—so many ferries were canceled!-- but we got a ferry to Nantucket to have a signing at the iconic and amazing Mitchell's Books, where the legendary Tim Ehrenberg (of Tim Talks Books fame) greeted me and we sold piles of books! Then we took an early evening ferry back to Harwichport, went out to dinner and collapsed.

 

Saturday! Packed up the car, drove to Hyannis, and hopped on the ferry for Martha's Vineyard! And had a glorious event with Edgartown books and the Carnegie Heritage Center in Edgartown. Then not-quite-the-last ferry back to Hyannis,

then we drove to Wareham, stayed overnight, and the next day drove to Hingham to appear at the wonderful Barnes & Noble in Hingham.

I am zonked! But I am floating with happiness and it was absolutely a joy to see everyone. And LOVE the bookfaces!  Here are just a few.

(Knowing, all the while, the second edits for my new book were waiting for me on my computer at home. I took my laptop, but I knew it was futile.)

But breaking breaking news, tonight I will be with our own darling Lucy Burdette and the wonderful Sarah Stewart Taylor at the magical An Unlikely Story bookstore. And rumor has it that Hallie will be there too! Woohoo. Come join us! Starting at 6:30.


And here is the promised quiz. Let me ask you, Reds and Readers, a couple of things. And you can copy and paste the questions and add your answers.

 

QUIZ!

 

How often do you go to a bookstore or library or other venue to see an author in person?

 

Have you ever gone to an event for an author whose books you have never read?

 

When you go to an author event, how often do you buy a book?

 

Do you like it when authors read from their books?  (People often ask me to do this, but I just don't think it's a good idea. And I wonder what you think.)

 

How do you hear about most of the events you attend?

 

When an author gives you a bookmark, do you care? Do you keep it?

 

Are you attending events online? More fewer or the same than during the height of covid?

 

Cannot wait to hear your answers! 

 

 

PS: And Wednesday I will be at the gorgeous Ocean House in Watch Hill Rhode Island to appear in the Author Series with Bank Hill Books—with Deborah Goodrich Royce and Carola Lovering! It is going to be amazing. Join us!

BOOKING AND COOKING!

Hank Phillippi Ryan:

 

First, fanfare fanfare, BOOKING first. The trade paperback of THE HOUSE GUEST is available today! I always wonder how much difference that makes in anyone's lives, but I hope it does!

 

 And I am going on a tiny little whirlwind book tour to make sure everybody knows: tonight I will be at Brookline Booksmith with the superb Shari Lapena!  Whoa. If you have not read her book EVERYONE HERE IS LYING, it is an absolute page turner. Honestly, if I hadn't had to make dinner yesterday, I would not have budged from my chair. (SO fun to have my paperback launch day be with such a superstar--and we get to talk about HER book! Perfect.)

 

Wednesday I go to Jacksonville, Florida to appear at the Jacksonville Public Library.

Thursday off to Atlanta, for the Atlanta Authors series at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center.

Thursday, still in Atlanta, at the Sandy Springs Library.

Saturday, racing back to Massachusetts to appear at the Barnes & Noble Hingham. (With some names you will recognize!)

 And then Sunday, in Plainville, at An Unlikely Story Bookstore, with Patty Callahan Henry to talk about her brilliant THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA.

And then zooming back home to zoom for The Back Room, with Kathy Reichs, Polly Stewart, Tosca Lee and Don Bentley!

 

Whoa. And you can get all the deets here.

 

But on to COOKING!  Last week we went to get our farm shares, and we got zucchini and eggplant and golden yellow squash, which meant... make something up.

Something Parmesan? Something Ratatouille?

 

 So here's what I did.

 

I sliced the zucchini and eggplant and squash and salted them liberally, and left them for two hours so the water would come out. So much water comes out, and that makes a huge difference.  (I cut the eggplant  and golden like coins,  and the zucchini in strips. Whatever.)

 

Then I roasted the zucchini and eggplant and squash in olive oil till they were brownish around the edges, then I topped that with parmesan cheese and popped it under the broiler until the cheese browned.

 

Then I took the whole thing out of the oven.

 

Then I lightly olive-oiled a LeCreuset enamel oval pan, put the cheesy veggies carefully along the bottom. Then I sprinkled that with halves of cherry tomatoes from our own garden, then tiny bits of mozzarella cheese, then sprinkled with parmesan cheese, then bacon bits, then snipped basil and fresh parsley from our garden. Popped that back into the oven until the cheese burbled--you can tell it's done.

 

 And wow wow wow it was delicious. Here's a picture.

 

And then –although it was completely unnecessary, I served it with sautéed shrimp.

 

BOOKING AND COOKING! Reds and Readers, either of those things on your schedule this week?

(And oh, because it's August 1, "rabbit rabbit." SO much to remember!)

What Hank's Writing: Deadlines and Book Tour

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I wish you could see me. Or maybe not. I’m kinda…frazzled.

No matter how organized I try to be, I know that how matter how much I plan, I will be typing typing typing right up till the final manuscript deadline.

Why is it that somehow my writer brains calculates the amount of time remaining to do a certain task, and makes the task last right up to that exact second?

What I am writing/editing is my 15th novel, and… Well, before we get to that:

I have just come back from three fantastic, hilarious, exhilarating, exhausting weeks on book tour, almost in a different city every day.

 When I left Boston in February, the world was slushy and snowy, and the skies were gray. As I arrived back home, weary, but thrilled, our crocuses had arrived, and the soft spring wind was making ripples in our backyard swimming pool. (No ducks yet, though.) And I saw this this squirrel on our back fence, brazenly eating a tulip bulb! 

I unpacked immediately, because that is civilized. And..laundry. You should know that book tour is not the same as a tourist tour. I saw the Liberty Bell through the window of an Uber. And the Washington DC monuments, well, I flew over them.

But so many people came to hear about THE HOUSE GUEST! Here are a few photos...

 

And there were snags, oh yes, indeed. Like when my books were shipped not to Alexandria, Virginia, where the big signing was, but to Arlington, Texas. It’s still a mystery! But it all worked out fine. Eventually.

And look look look, is this not the most hilarious thing you’ve ever seen?

Book clubs and readers are dressing up like the cover of THE HOUSE GUEST! I laugh and laugh when I see these, and some of these cover faces, you might even recognize. But I am endlessly delighted by them.

This entire book club, look! Dressed up like the cover. Got to adore that. SO many darling friends here!

You know THE HOUSE GUEST went into a second printing after six days, and that is absolutely thrilling. ( If you care about having a first edition, just saying, this might be the time to snag it. Oh, and also parenthetically, if you are Kindle Unlimited, HER PERFECT LIFE is now free! I’m not sure for how long, but if you have not read that, and you are KU, now is definitely the time. )

So onward, onward, and the reason I am frazzled is that the edits of the first draft of my new novel were due yesterday at… Well, yesterday.

I was tempted to pretend I am on California time, thereby giving me three more hours until close of business. (I mean, I might live in California, right?)

But no time zone finessing was necessary, and at 6:09 PM Monday, I hit “ send” on the new book. I cut– drum roll-- 8924 words.  And it was so much fun.

Part of the joy of writing  for me is after I get that first draft done, then being able to tweak and polish and edit and streamline and see the book I meant to write. And, crossing fingers, I think that has happened. Here is a sample page. You can kinda see how much was deleted.

Too hard to read? Rats. I am too tired to figure out how to make this work. Any ideas? 

But soon, if all goes as planned, there'll be the real thing. And now I sit at my desk, frazzled and frumpled with hair askew, proud of myself for making my deadline, hooray! But knowing, now, I need another idea. Oh dear. I need another idea.

Do you always work right up to your deadline, Reds and Readers? Or are you so organized that you send things in early?