Both of my Emerson Page novels, Where the Light Enters and Where the Light Leads, were named Indie Author Project (IAP) Select books, making the eBooks available and recommended to libraries across the U.S. and Canada. Curated by Library Journal and library editorial boards across North America, the books are chosen by editors and librarians from thousands of submissions.
IAP Select features NY Times and USA Today best-selling authors and numerous award winners, as well as emerging authors. This also means my books are now being considered for the Indie Author Project Annual Contest. Winners will be announced in November.
Thank you to the IAP Select committee for this honor. I’m looking forward to connecting with more readers and libraries!
The Ripped Bodice bookstore. Photo by Christa Avampato.
Yesterday, I went to the Brooklyn romance indie bookstore, The Ripped Bodice. I went to brunch to celebrate my dear friend, Ashley, and we decided to stop in as we passed by since I’d never been before. From the moment we arrived, it felt like we left the world behind and entered into a world built, nurtured, and protected by love in all its forms. From the boho color scheme to the books curated with humor and spice to the friendly happy staff, the store feels like a joyful, knowing hug. Started by sisters Bea and Leah in LA, the Brooklyn store celebrates its 1 year birthday this month. (Of course, it’s a Leo!)
I think of romance as a macro genre of literature that spans many other genres as a theme to drive characters and plots. Whatever genre a reader loves, romance can be part of it. At The Ripped Bodice, readers can find romance books within history, historical fiction, comedy, mythology, young adult, fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, literary fiction, suspense, mystery, and the list goes on. The Ripped Bodice also has a fantastic card and gift selection that induces smiles and giggles with tea, candles, chocolate, coffee, stickers, bookmarks, canvas bags, and more.
I’m so glad The Ripped Bodice bookstore exists. It’s putting love front and center in a world that needs more of it. Yesterday was my first visit, and it will definitely be a place I visit again and again.
The Ripped Bodice Brooklyn is located at 218 5th Avenue in the Park Slope neighborhood.
I’m truly horrible at asking for help so please bear with me on this post. The support and love that poured out of people on Friday night for the book launch party has me smiling so much that my cheeks hurt! All night people kept asking me how they can help. So here goes! The most helpful thing for any book is a star rating or review on Amazon. The more rating it gets, the more likely Amazon is to recommend the book to people. If that’s something you’d be willing to do, I’d be beyond grateful. Here’s a direct link: https://www.amazon.com/review/create-review/edit?asin=B0CTG9P6GM
My heart and spirit are so full after an incredible book launch event and weekend. Friends and readers from far and near arrived by trains, planes, and automobiles to be there and I’ll never be able to thank you enough for all your love and support. You are all a gift and I’m beyond grateful for every one of you. To have people from every chapter of my life altogether packed into the space overwhelmed me in the best way.
A big thank you to Matt Misetich for being my conversation partner.
Thank you Jane Bakes Baczynski for this photo. I was so focused on making sure everyone at the event had fun that I didn’t take a single picture!
Can I tell you a secret? Hosting events makes me so nervous. I’m forever worried no one will be there, or that people won’t enjoy the event or show, or that something, anything, everything will go terribly wrong. As a writer, I’m used to rejection and harsh critiques. It stings (of course!), though I can bear that privately. The second I do something in-person, in public — producing or hosting a live show or having a public event like my NYC book launch party tonight — the butterflies in my stomach arrive in full force!
I’ve had so much fun spending hours looking for items to include in the raffles and giveaways for my book launch party on Friday, May 31st. Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions of what to include! I won’t be selling books at my book launch party, though if people have my book(s) I’ll happily sign them. Easiest place to get them is probably Amazon. I’ll also have signed book plates (stylized stickers) to paste into your book(s)
Now look what I found for the raffles and giveaways!
1.) I decided to do two raffle prizes – two bag of goodies that Emerson would love – Wonderful New York City-themed books with heart – The Truth About Goodbye by Russell Ricard or Dearest New York: A Love Letter to the Big Apple by Deirdre Gartner (a.k.a. @GirlintheyellowtaxiNYC on Instagram!) – Harney & Sons Fine Teas in Hot Cinnamon Sunset and Black Cask Bourbon – Hand-made organic candles – Tony’s Chocoloney ethical chocolate bars (I’m more of a dark chocolate girl but Emerson is definitely a milk chocolate fan!) – Leather coasters that feature NYC icons at sunset: the State of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge – I’m still in search of cute tote bags to put all the goodies in!
2.) I have giveaways for everyone who’s there – Metal bookmarks with charms that have significance to Emerson’s story. Each one is unique and I made them for you. – Art prints with a dark academia and fairycore theme that have the feel of Emerson’s life in New York City and her adventure in Ireland. Each one has a hand-written quote from the book on the back – Cake in a flavor Emerson would love (the book starts on her birthday so cake is required for the party!) – Giant cookies – Paper bookmarks with Emerson art (and the QR code for the book’s website) – To honor my rescue soul dog, Phineas, and Emerson’s rescue soul dog, Friday, I’ll be making a donation to 15/10 Foundation for every person who attends the party. 15/10 is a nonprofit started by @weratedogs founder, Matt Nelson, with a mission of making shelter dogs with medical needs more adoptable. Since 2015, Matt and his team have raised over $2 million to help dogs in need.
I can’t believe it’s almost here! On Friday, May 31st, at 7pm I’m hosting my first ever book launch party for my novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads.
Details: To start the party, I’ll be in conversation with Matt Misetich, Senior Executive and Partner at Pipeline Media Group. We’ll talk about the creative process of being a writer, the publishing industry, and transforming books to film. There will be delicious food-to-order, 2-for-1 drink specials until 8pm, cake with a bit of magic, raffle prizes, and free giveaways for all guests. Then enjoy the cozy and relaxed bar with a hidden outdoor patio, pool table, and Caribbean vibe.
The launch of this book has been wonderful, and I’m so excited to celebrate with everyone. I hope you’ll join us!
6 years ago I was in Dublin, Ireland doing research for my second novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, that came out this week. There are a few key settings in the book in Dublin – the Brazen Head (Ireland’s oldest pub dating founded in 1198), Trinity Library (both the Long Room and the stunning Book of Kells), Temple Bar (a cobblestone street in Dublin filled with interesting characters), and St. Stephen’s Green (a park filled with nature and art where I spent a lot of time people watching and writing). Beyond Dublin, Newgrange, the Dark Hedges, and Giant’s Causeway also inspired scenes in the book that let me showcase the retellings of some of my favorite Celtics myths, legends, and folklore.
By a wonderful stroke of synchronicity, I was also in Dublin during the 2018 International Literature Festival Dublin. Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors who’s influenced my writing more than anyone, was the headliner. I grabbed a ticket. He talked about how Ireland inspired his comic, Sandman, and how he reimagined his favorite stories from Celtic mythology in his 2017 book, Norse Mythology. Now he felt even more like a kindred spirit to me!
Of all the beautiful advice he offered that evening, this quote is the one that affected me the most because it helped me give myself some grace as a writer:
“I’m not an outliner or someone who free writes. I’m more of a gardener. I plant seeds and I see what grows. I plant pumpkins and I expect a pumpkin. But if I get a tomato, I’ll figure out what to do with a tomato. That’s how I write. I love that magic moment when something happens on the page I’m writing that I didn’t know was going to happen. I get to be the first reader of my work, and it’s very exciting. And quite frankly that magic doesn’t happen often enough. A lot of writing is just laying brick.”
I’m a planner (probably because I grew up with a lot of instability). I like order and organization. I like to know what I’m doing and where I’m going, and I absolutely hate wasting time because I know what a precious and finite resource time is. I can’t imagine a world in which I completely let that go. However, Neil made me realize I could be a little less afraid and loosen the reins a bit.
As I walked back to my hotel in Dublin that night, I let myself entertain the idea that I don’t need the next bit figured out before I sit down to write every single time. I could be okay with planting seeds, seeing what grows, and figuring it out as I go. It was at least worth trying, and giving something a try is where everything begins.
In the 6 years since I heard Neil speak in Dublin, I’ve learned how to let more air into my writing and life. I’m still a planner, and I also plan to be delighted by surprise. There’s a time for hard and serious work, for laying bricks, and there’s also a time for fun and play. There’s room for the unexpected, for magic. My second Emerson Page novel that came out this week embodies that. I’m so grateful to Neil for helping me grow as a writer, and also as a person.
My Emerson Page books surrounded by good vibes from my favorite flowers, Kin Euphorics, and Homesick
This post is about the fear of criticism we all face whenever we do something new, and why it’s worth taking that risk.
Thanks to kind and generous readers, my second Emerson Page novel made her way into the world this week and became an Amazon # 1 new release. To say I’m grateful, honored, and filled with joy is a massive understatement. I toasted my courageous and creative girl and sent a wish out into the universe: “I want to keep telling stories that help people feel less alone”.
On Monday when I was doing all the final prep for Tuesday’s book launch, I had the TV on. Drew Barrymore was interviewing Bella Hadid on The Drew Barrymore Show. They talked about the bravery it takes to create something and put it into the world.
This conversation is exactly the one I needed at that moment. It’s scary to build something with your whole heart for years and then brace yourself for the response. The only thing scarier is not creating at all.
Their conversation reminded me of the beautiful quote in the movie Ratatouille. The character Anton Ego has a monologue about the creative process and criticism, and it’s one of the truest things I’ve ever heard:
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and themselves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the *new*. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends…Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist *can* come from *anywhere*.”
If in the pit of your stomach there’s both a fire to create and a fear of what people will think of what you’ve made, please know everyone who’s ever made anything has been right where you are. Take the risk. Someone somewhere needs exactly what you have to offer. As the great Maya Angelou said, “Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: ‘I’m with you kid. Let’s go.’” It’s time to get going. Make the thing that’s in your heart, send it out, and see what happens.
A special treat for eBook fans! To celebrate the launch of my second novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, and as a big thank you for helping the book hit #1 on Amazon on its first day, my publisher is running a special price promotion for the eBook on Amazon. It’s $0.99 now through May 20th — an 80% discount.
Synopsis: It’s New Year’s Eve in Times Square. Just as Emerson Page is about to celebrate the start of her 15th birthday, she comes face-to-face with a family friend-turned-traitor. They begin a dangerous race against time, both willing to give their lives for the lost treasure her mother died trying to protect: an ancient book authored by the Greek muses, Emerson’s ancestors, that contains the secrets to unlimited creativity. Its wisdom is both a powerful tool and a dangerous weapon.
To find the book, Emerson, her friends Skylar and Truman, and her service dog Friday, have to entrust their lives to a series of mythological creatures to usher them deep below the streets of Dublin, Ireland into the land of the faeries. There, they’ll have to convince the faeries to give them the book by exchanging it for a priceless gift of their own.
Can Emerson and her best friends finish the work her mother began and protect the power of human imagination forever, or will her enemy capture the book to boost his own power?
Two notes: Local bookstores and libraries can order the book with ISBN: 978-1-958901-80-9. The book is distributed by Ingram.
Christa Avampato 