Debutante Ball

A Tale of Two Launches

Tuesday, August 14, 2018
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I had two launch parties for Girlish—one in my hometown of Rochester, NY, and one in my current town, Cleveland. Old Hometown Launch Venue: Writers and Books (a writing center) Food: Beautiful appetizer and dessert trays, which remained largely uneaten. Two kinds of wine + bottled water, most of which remained largely undrank. Agenda: chatting, signing, and general milling about. I did a 10-minute reading from Girlish. Takeways: People don’t care…

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The Manuscripts In Lara Lillibridge’s Drawer

Tuesday, August 7, 2018
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  I write a lot. I devote the majority of every day to writing, reading, and editing. (It really helps to have a work-and-home SigO who is always working.) I know I’m both incredibly lucky to be able to do so and also incredibly boring by most people’s standards.  I get antsy when I’m away from my work for too long. Even when I travel—and I travel a lot—I write…

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Interview With Emily Giffin, Author of All We Ever Wanted + Giveaway

Saturday, August 4, 2018
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Emily Giffin is the gold standard when it comes to women’s fiction. Her success surges past a writer’s wildest dreams into the realm of the fantastical, encompassing everything from multiple New York Times bestsellers to movie deals to dozens of translations around the world. I think it’s fair to say she’s struck a chord with her readers; in fact, during a recent event in my city, the woman sitting next…

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Interview with Rebecca Fish Ewan and GIVEAWAY

Saturday, July 28, 2018
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I’m so excited to introduce everyone to Rebecca Fish Ewan, author of By the Forces of Gravity. I met Rebecca last year at Hippocamp, Hippocampus Magazine’s annual Creative Nonfiction conference. She approached me after my breakout session on Experimental Writing and talked about her work, which combined drawings and free verse. It was exactly the type of thing I wanted to add to my presentation, so I was extremely grateful! She even…

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Research in Memoir

Tuesday, July 24, 2018
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  On the one hand, it’s easy to discount the need for research in memoir. I mean, who knows your life better than you do? There was actually a good bit of research that went into crafting Girlish.  I spoke at length with my siblings, various family members and had many conversations with both my childhood friends and some of my parents’ friends. I read a lot of memoir and poetry…

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Interview with Terese Mailhot and GIVEAWAY for Heart Berries

Saturday, July 21, 2018
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I am so excited to welcome Terese Marie Mailhot to the blog today, and introduce her and her searingly beautiful memoir to the Deb community! About Heart Berries: Heart Berries is a powerful, poetic memoir of a woman’s coming of age on the Seabird Island Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest. Having survived a profoundly dysfunctional upbringing only to find herself hospitalized and facing a dual diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder…

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Interview with Sarah Kuhn, Author of HEROINE’S JOURNEY + Giveaway!

Saturday, July 7, 2018
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The last time someone asked me for a recommendation of a really fun book, Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex is what leapt to mind. Asian-American superhero ladies kicking ass to protect San Francisco from demons as quirky as they are deadly — What’s not to love? But the books also have real heart: the heroines are wrestling not just with their superpowers, but with the chaos of modern existence: life, love, money, status, social…

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Being Female is my Super Power

    When I decided to leap over the abyss of common sense and devote myself to writing, I came across the infamous “Write Like a Motherfucker” essay by Cheryl Strayed. So write, Elissa Bassist. Not like a girl. Not like a boy. Write like a motherfucker. —Cheryl Strayed I held onto Cheryl Strayed’s words all through college. When I needed help, I turned to my Facebook Binders group. I met…

Tuesday, July 3, 2018
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Interview with Ashley Poston, author of Geekarella and Heart of Iron

Today I’m thrilled to bring you one of my dearest friends and favorite authors, the absolutely fabulous Ashley Poston. I fell deeply in love with Ashley’s writing while reading GEEKERELLA, and when we ended up sharing a hotel room with some mutual friends at a conference last fall, we fell into insta-BFF status. I love this interview with her, and I know you’ll love her books. Buy her two most…

Saturday, June 30, 2018
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Interview with Bookseller Nicole Brinkley

Friday, June 29, 2018
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Today we are so excited to bring you all an interview with bookseller and extraordinary human, Nicole Brinkley.     Nicole Brinkley has short hair and loves dragons. The rest changes without notice. She is an independent bookseller and the founder of YA Interrobang. Follow her on Twitter: @nebrinkley. Learn from her on Patreon.           1. What trends/tropes/genres are you and your colleagues most excited to see right…

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