The Normie Author in December

Every year I have this fanciful dream of taking December off.

I have a vision, okay? And in that vision, I am baking gingerbread and wrapping gifts while Michael Buble sings in the background. I have peppermint in my coffee and the twinkle lights on my tree wink at me. My to-do list says “leisure”. All is well.

This has literally never happened.

Such is the nature of my job: I’m currently drafting a book, editing another, and promoting two. It doesn't leave a ton of time for afternoons spent cutting out paper snowflakes. I do love the holidays but in 2025 I’ve found myself going slower—putting out a nutcracker here; a wreath there. I’m not sure if it’s because I don’t have the energy or if it’s because all of the weighty commercialism is just kind of smacking me in the face this year. I hate to yuck anyone’s yum and have been called polemic a time or two in my life, but I do get a wee bit Grinchy at the insistence that “Christmas season” begins right after Halloween. I won’t take you on my liturgical rant but I do have secular reasoning as well: I just get sick of it all by late December!1

Then, there’s the parenting of it all. Momming in December is basically an Olympic event and although it can be delightfully fun, it also does not know the meaning of the word leisure. This year I started listening to a publishing podcast by two New York Times bestselling childless superstars and while I do very much enjoy listening, it’s kind of like the way I enjoy watching those Instagram reels about people flying on six-figure flights with showers. Or the way I watched Cribs in middle school. This is so far from my life it’s laughable—what to pack for your European book tour; which hotel to check into for a weekend of nothing but writing; how to care for your wrists when they’re exhausted from your long signing lines. I told my editor in New York last month that I want to start a podcast called The Normie Author, where we talk about things like how to use Canva and how to keep your kids occupied when you’re on deadline.

Luckily, I’m currently knee-deep in edits for my 2027 middle grade novel, which takes place in the sunshiney spring. I’m having a great time, even though it’s quite a bit of heavy lifting as the current plot has some holes the size of Saturn. Sometimes editing feels like the actual writing, it’s where the bones are there and I can get in and play—sharpen words, define pacing, tighten timelines. I think my editor dreams of getting a book from me where the timeline is just straightforward, from point A to point B, the way I dream about my Decembers off, or going on my European book tour. None of these are likely.

But I’ll take my magic where I can find it. I’ll add ginger to my winter spices sourdough and water the Christmas tree in the early mornings before the snow’s stopped falling. Instead of wishing life was a never-ending sprint of holiday joy, I’ll embrace that I’m busy with the very best things. I’m thankful that in 2025, although I didn’t release a book, I still achieved some major milestones in my career. That wouldn’t have been possible without you, the reader—and I know it. ❤️

I really, truly can’t wait for you to get your hands on Cass’ story in May. Port Holcomb is a special town, and I think you’ll enjoy spending time there. To get more of the vibe of the story, make sure to check out ~le Pinterest board~.

In the meantime, here’s a little playlist to get you in the spirit. These are songs that really influenced the development of both the characters and setting. My book playlists are eclectic—it’s not that they represent specific moments in the story, or that the lyrics are right on point. It could be something as small as a line in the second verse, or how the bridge makes me feel.

When prodigal daughter Cass Simon returns home after years away, the Simon family’s fragile peace is disrupted. Cass, a young mom previously living in a cult-like “Mommune” and working for a popular mom-fluencer, has come back under questionable circumstances, but is intent on starting fresh. As Cass gets work writing advice for a parenting website, her mother and sisters chip in their own wisdom from personal experience—of troubled pasts, heartache, and issues with infertility.

As the story unfolds through past and present, the Simon family women come to understand their own relationships to mothering and forgiveness—and what it truly means to be a good mother.

Coming 5/5/26.

Preorder The Supper Club Saints

Preorder TSCS (signed/personalized)

2/17: We’ll be celebrating the launch of my newest middle grade, Each and Every Spark, at Books and Company in Oconomowoc, WI at 6:00 PM with special guest Laura Anne Bird. The event is free and kids are more than welcome—see you there!

2/18: I’ll be in conversation with Lorelai Savaryn about Each and Every Spark at Blue House Books in Kenosha, WI at 6:30 PM. The event is free but registration is appreciated!

7/16 - 7/18: I’ll be a guest writer and help with manuscript critiques at the Winona Christian Writers Conference in Winona, IN. I attended this last year and found it such a respite in the chaotic world of publishing! Registration is open now.

Psst—Each and Every Spark was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard! If you’ve got a middle grader in your life who loves history, art, or great friendship stories, preorder today to receive in February.

Preorder Each and Every Spark

Preorder EAES (signed/personalized)

And lastly, a book (or two, or three) I’ve loved lately for…

Picture book fans: We have so many favorite reads in December, but I’ll give a special shout out this year to Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker. We love pouring over all of her illustrations. We’ve also found The Christmas Tree Ship by Carol Crane (with darling illustrations by Chris Ellison) to be a new family favorite! Midwesterners will love it the most—what can we say? Tales about Lake Michigan ship wrecks just hit.

Middle graders: The late, great Andrew Clements wrote The Last Holiday Concert and we’ve been enjoying it as our current nightly read-aloud. But most of my middle grade reading this past month has been books that I’m blurbing2—I can’t wait to share more about them!

My kids recommend: Benjamin (9) is working his way through the Amulet series, which are fantasy graphic novels about siblings that find a magical amulet. He’s also slowly plodding through The Two Towers. Tess (7) is rereading Ella Enchanted and while I’d like to push her towards something new instead of a round three reread, she does have excellent taste. I can’t blame her for wanting to live in Frell for as long as possible. She received Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy from Saint Nicholas so hopefully she finds it just as enticing. Bridget (4) is our Jan Brett queen; girlfriend has fallen hard for the gingerbread baby and has also been loving Christmas Trolls.

Adults: Shortly before she died my grandmother gifted me Skipping Christmas by John Grisham and while it isn’t exactly hard-hitting literature, it’s a sweet story that’s short enough to revisit every year. I’m also working through my yearly reread of A Christmas Carol (we’re watching the superior film version this weekend) and have been *obsessed* with The Revolution of Marina M. by Janet Fitch. A fantastic historical fiction novel centered on the Russian Revolution, but you’ve been warned: it’s not for the faint of heart (neither were the Bolsheviks).

Thanks for reading along! See you in 2026, friends!