Hi friends! 

Lots of things are happening these days in my book/writing world, so I thought I’d give a little update.

The Hideaway

This continues to be the little book that could! Bookpage called it a “word-of-mouth surprise hit,” which means so much to me because it shows people are continuing to read it and tell their friends about it! It’s nice to know its success isn’t just because of a publisher’s money or connections (though those are nice too!) but it’s in large part due to people like you spreading the word. So thank you!! 

It recently reached #27 on the USA Today Bestseller list, its highest position yet! It was also sitting at #13 on the Amazon Charts Most Sold list, and #10 on the Wall Street Journal eBook bestseller list. Whew!

I’m continuing to meet with book clubs and library groups to discuss The Hideaway. My head is two books past this (working on book 3) so it’s really fun to go back to these original characters and relationships.

Hurricane Season

Friends keep asking me how this one is going, and it’s wonderful to say it’s totally out of my hands at this point! All edits are complete, the final cover is complete, endorsements are in. Release date is April 3! 

My experiences with The Hideaway and Hurricane Season have been so different. From the very beginning, I was in love with the world of The Hideaway and the characters. I knew it was a special story and I really had a deep feeling that people would like it. Hurricane Season felt different as I was writing it. It felt like an important story, but I had a lot of fear that it wouldn’t live up to the first book and that I wouldn’t feel as proud and confident as I did with The Hideaway. Well, I can honestly say those fears were unfounded, as I am so proud of this book. I’ve already told myself I’m going to avoid reviews like the plague because I don’t want negative words to taint my own feelings about this book, but I have a feeling many people will empathize with the characters and situations in this story.

[Note: Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about a book, whether they think it’s amazing or completely terrible. I just wish they’d remember that an actual human wrote the words and could potentially read the review. The anonymity of the internet doesn’t excuse cruelty!]

Bottom line, I love it and I can’t wait to share the world of Betsy and Ty, Jenna and her girls, Franklin Dairy Farm and Rosie, and all the other characters with all of you! 

Others are getting excited about it too. It was recently listed on Bookpage’s list of 2018 Most Anticipated Fiction! It was also listed in the Spring/Summer 2018 BuzzBooks from Publisher’s Marketplace!

The book is available for preorder from anywhere you buy books. You can even ask your local bookstore to order you a copy. If you prefer to do it online, here are a few places: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Thomas Nelson, Indiebound. 

Book 3
This one will release in February 2019! The titling process is underway, so hopefully it won’t be too much longer before I can reveal the official title. I have my working title, which I hope they’ll settle on, but we’ll see. A few weeks ago, I finished reading through my draft of the story. Here’s an idea of what the manuscript looks like after a couple rounds of reading and Post-It-ing:

 

 

My process in revisions is to read the entire manuscript on paper, make my corrections there in pencil, then transfer all those changes to the Word doc. Then I read through it again on the computer. Then I tinker. Then I usually I send it to beta readers then–a few trusted friends who will read it and give me feedback before I sent it to the editor. However, this time around my timeline is tighter so my only beta readers are my mom, my husband, and my agent. Pretty great crew though. I’m a little nervous BUT I’m loving this story and I feel really good about it. 

Reading

I’ve read some good books lately: 

I’m on a major Sarah Addison Allen kick right now. Garden Spells was my first introduction into the genre of magical realism. Magical realism is different from fantasy in that it’s set in a totally normal world–not something like the world of Harry Potter or Game of Thrones where it’s obvious it’s not the world we live in–but touches and hints of magic are thrown in. In Garden Spells, the main character Claire Waverly can change the course of someone’s life (or at least their day) by baking particular ingredients into her food. There’s also an apple tree in the backyard that throws apples at people it doesn’t like, and if you eat one of the apples, you’ll see the most important event of your life. The sequel, First Frost, is equally as dreamy and lush, and it continues the story of Claire, her sister Sydney, and Sydney’s daughter Bay. I reread both these books in the last couple of months and I wish I were still in the Waverly world.

I read Jenny Colgan’s The Bookshop on the Corner over Christmas when I wanted something light and fun and easy, something that wouldn’t tax my brain too much while I took a break from my manuscript, and this book totally fit what I wanted! It follows a young woman who loses her job and instead of taking another job she doesn’t love, she moves to Scotland (from England) and opens a library-on-wheels. The book is laugh-out-loud funny and has charming Scottish people, a gorgeous landscape, and lots of books. 

I read Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren over about six months because I wanted to savor it. I read it almost as a sort of morning devotion. It’s about slowing down enough to see the holiness in even the most mundane moments. Chapters are broken down into things like “Making the Bed,” “Brushing Teeth,” “Losing Car Keys.” (And they’re not just about those specific things–she doesn’t spend 20 pages talking about actually brushing teeth, trust me.) Good for anyone who feels caught up in the rush of life. But more than just a caution to slow down (because life doesn’t really slow down, does it?), she helps us see the theology of every day by looking at the small moments and habits that form us. Really, really good. 

Book Clubs

I’ve had such fun with book clubs lately! Sometimes I forget to take photos, but here are a few recent ones. 

                                                                               BUTS (Birmingham Ultra Trail Society) book club

                                                                                           Basketweave and Books!

                                                                    Bossypants Book Club (through Homewood Public Library)

 

Odds and Ends

Next Wednesday, I turn in my Book 3 manuscript to my editor and then Thursday head to Nashville to meet that editor for the first time, along with everyone else on my publishing team AND my agent, who I’ve never met in person. I’m really looking forward to it! It should be a great day of introductions, questions, and learning more about each other. 

Friday, I head to a huge cabin in north Alabama with fifty awesome and interesting women from my church for a long weekend of rest, eating, drinking, chatting, laughter, and more rest. I really can’t wait for it. 

THEN I’ll be on an official break from writing. For the first time since I started writing The Hideaway (FIVE YEARS AGO–WOW!!) I won’t be jumping from one story right into another one. I think it’ll be good for my brain and my creativity to take some time off before beginning my next one. (Although the idea for Hurricane Season and book 3 both came to me out of left field when I wasn’t expecting them, so who knows when the idea for the next one will begin to materialize? When it does, I’ll just take notes for a while!)

I hope you’re all doing well and hanging in there while this chilly weather continues to cling. I’m so very ready for warmer weather. I can feel the heat and my toes in the sand!

Take care, 

Lauren