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!
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.
Emerson and I send you love. Photo by Christa Avampato
Hello all – I’m popping in here to say a big thank you. Last week 1,202 people downloaded and bought my first novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters! World Book Night was the first special promotion I’ve ever done, and I had no expectation of how it would go. I’m so grateful to every one of you who downloaded and purchased the book.
It means so much to me, and I hope Emerson’s story brings you joy. If you feel inclined to write a review, you can do so here. Reviews help new readers discover the book.
Thank you again for all your wonderful support. I can’t wait to share the launch of my second book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, in just two weeks on May 14th!
It’s World Book Night and the eBook for my first novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is FREE on Amazon all over the world TODAY ONLY! Click this link to go right to the Amazon page for the eBook and download it.
I’m so happy to be able to offer the first book of Emerson’s story to everyone to support this wonderful cause. Happy reading!
Closing out the week on a high! I just found out that my upcoming novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads, is an official selection for the 2024 New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles in June. One of my big goals for Emerson is to have her story made into a film or series so bumps like this within the film industry mean a lot. I’m grateful for this honor and I’m hoping I can get to LA for the festival in June.
On Coverfly, a platform that curates film, book, and media awards, my book is ranked in the top 34% of over 135,000 projects in all genres and formats, and top 19% of books and manuscripts.
Thank you to everyone who continues to champion Emerson and support me in my creative work. Your encouragement means everything to us.
On May 14th, the book will be available everywhere books and eBooks are sold. Pre-orders can be placed now on Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble. The first book in the series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, is available now in paperback and as an eBook everywhere books are sold.
On Friday, May 31, 2024, I’ll be hosting a party in New York City (and online!) to celebrate the launch of my book, Emerson Page and Where the Light Leads / welcome summer / being alive. I’d absolutely LOVE to celebrate with wonderful YOU! We’ve all been through a lot in the last few years, the world is heavy, and I’d like to host a party filled with joy, love, laughter, light, food, drinks, music, dancing, gift bags, and general merriment. I’ll be doing a short reading from the book and brief conversation with a very special guest moderator that will also be available online for anyone who can’t make it to New York City for the party.
I’m still securing a venue and exact time. Save the dates will go out soon so if you’d like to know about the in-person or online details, please fill out this Google form below that takes about 10 seconds: https://forms.gle/53ACYqByeG7RQnbY9
Christa Avampato 