This month, my little family spent a week in Montana visiting friends and taking in buckets of sun and sky. We even glimpsed the last dusting of snow from a gondola up in Big Sky. Back in New York, I also got to record my author’s note for the Play It Again audiobook. A very fun experience at Penguin Random House HQ.
But that’s not what’s on my mind right now. Here’s what I’m chewing on:
My business is thriving. My Novel Year is working — my writers are crushing it, all developing quality books. Enough editorial work is coming to me that I can’t take it all on. Generation Women is selling out Joe’s Pub. My new hire is fantastic. I live in my dream city. My marriage is solid, my kids are happy. I am not, as I have always dreamed, swimming in a pool of gold coins like Scrooge McDuck, but there’s no debt, no catastrophe, nothing a stiff Negroni can’t put in perspective.
And yet. I almost always feel behind.
Why? Because the goalpost is always moving. Success, for people like me — hustlers, overachievers, type-A eldest daughters raised to equate productivity with worth — is located perpetually just past wherever we currently are. The moment I arrive somewhere, I’ve already spotted the next destination so I’m already behind. It’s a pervasive feeling that has a real impact on me.
So this month, I’m actively working on something that doesn’t come naturally to me: measuring success by the distance already traveled, not the distance still to go. If you can relate — if you’re someone who can’t quite let yourself arrive — consider this your gentle nudge. You’re not behind, you’re in motion, and babe, you’re doing great.
Can you relate? Get chatty in the comments. 💬
Staring down a blank page or a messy first draft? Girl, I got you!
I wrote two completely FREE guides to writing and revising a killer novel.
✅What a scene actually is, and the elements it must contain
✅When + why to deploy backstory and exposition (hint: less is more)
✅Pacing and ideal chapter length
✅Common problems - focus drift, overwritten action – and how to fix
✅The mindset shift that unlocks revision (it's not what you think)
✅ The order of operations most writers get wrong
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✅ How to use beta readers and who NOT to pick
Both informed by publishing 8 books with Big 5 publishers, plus my years as a book coach and editor. Both accessible and actionable, and not the same old craft advice you’ve already seen a million times. Both painstakingly written, edited, and designed to be the best free thing you’ve gotten in a minute. Click below to download.
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P.S. This summer, I’m opening two new My Novel Year cohorts — The Draft (finish your novel) and The Revision (polish it into something query-ready). Small cohorts, real editorial feedback, and pitch sessions with an actual agent and editor. Join the waitlists now.
WAITLIST FOR THE DRAFT WAITLIST FOR THE REVISION
If you adored Schitt's Creek for its small-town gay warmth, Feel Good for its too-real queer ache, or Glee for its unhinged theatrical energy — my new ensemble rom-com Play It Again is essentially all three, but make it a novel.
The launch party is at Joe’s Pub on Tuesday June 16th — the same day the book comes out — and it’s going to be a Gen-Women-show-meets-book-celebration, which feels exactly right. Save the date. More details coming soon, but start wrangling your pals now.
In the meantime: pre-orders make a huge difference to a book’s success. If you’re inclined, Bookshop.org will route your order to your local indie, making it the best possible way to support authors and independent booksellers at the same time.
Generation Women is back at Joe’s Pub on Tuesday May 19th, with another stellar multigenerational line-up telling stories on the theme BLOOM because SPRING!
If you’re craving a perfectly produced night of exceptional storytelling that’ll leave you feeling hopeful about aging and the world in general, come thru!
GET LIVE SHOW TICKETS GET LIVESTREAM TICKETS
This month’s curated list of faves, finds, and future buys…
Scooped up two great purchases from Quince this month: the first, this linen maxi in Classic Mini Gingham, which boasts an elastic waist (be still my heart) and a cheeky lil slit up the side. Style it with a tight, bright graphic tee & white sneakers, and hello Brooklyn summer. The second, this workhorse linen tiered maxi in Blue Pinstripe. I’m in my Protect-My-Décolletage-at-all-costs era, so I’ll be wearing this during summer fun with my kiddos when shade isn’t an option.
I recently bought myself and two of my closest friends this funky pearl-and-heart necklace from my local boutique, Leif, as a friendship gift because how cute is that?! It’s got a real funk-up-a-tee-and-jeans vibe, and feels very New York cool to me. The heart is a little more maroon than the brighter red that’s pictured — not a dealbreaker.
While we were in Montana, our friend brought us to the most adorable stationery store, Paper and Grace. In my never-ending search for comfortable, lightweight statement-or-otherwise earrings, I treated myself to these fabulous Kate Hoops in Tortoise Checker, made from Italian acetate, and this screamable Gold Fawn brooch (sold out at the store, so I’ll link to the original maker, from the UK brand Fable.) I also couldn’t resist this delightful Midori Seasonal Letter Pad in Strawberry, plus the matching envelopes. Is there anything more beautiful than Japanese stationary?! This store is both heaven and well-priced — you have been warned.
I have tried a LOT of lipsticks and friends, I have a fave. Again and again, I’m reaching for Bisou Jelly in Pomme d’Amour by Violette_Fr. It’s a shiny, sheer balm-meets-lipstick that slides on super easy, with a denser pigmented core wrapped around a see-through “jelly” outer layer. It is the most buildable lippie* I own, and can be worn as a barely-there touch of color, or ten swipes for a I’m-wearing-make-UP-I’m-going-OUT lewk. It’s a bright candy-apple red. J’adore!
My wife and I could NOT stop listening to Famesick, Lena Dunham’s incredible new memoir, performed by the author herself on audio. It’s a 2010s nostalgia bomb, juicy celebrity tell-all, astute feminist critique, and harrowing medical tale, all told with Lena’s signature wit and insight. On the line level, it’s a masterclass in specifics (that’s what makes it feel so rich and precise). As a whole, it’s eye-opening and occasionally shocking, and definitely cured me of any lingering jealousy I had about Lena creating Girls so young — far too high a price to pay IMO!
*Lippie = Aussie slang for lipstick, and yes, we have a nickname for everything!
**Some links are affiliate, meaning I get a wee kickback if you buy. I only recommend things I use and love!
Also! I'm co-hosting 831 Stories' Romance Book Club at McNally Jackson's Downtown Brooklyn location (445 Albee Square, upstairs in the history room) on Wednesday May 6th at 7pm — we're discussing Rooting Interest (which I edited!) and You Should Be So Lucky.
Can’t wait to hear from you in the comments — keep writing, keep reading, and stay in touch!
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