Sunk in Love is now available for request on Netgalley!

if anyone needs me I'll be ejecting myself into outer space

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the day has come. Sunk in Love is available to request on NetGalley. If you’re a Netgalley user, you can request an advanced reader copy (ARC) here

It’s funny because I don’t remember being this anxious about Wedding Dashers going on Netgalley, but I think that’s probably for two reasons: one is that I was a naive little baby who hadn’t yet experienced the thrills and agonies of strangers reading (and critiquing) your work for the first time, and the second is that this is simply a more personal book. While there are pieces of myself in everything I write, I feel like I truly excavated myself for Sunk in Love. And not just the pretty, social media worthy, curated pieces of myself, but the ugly, messy ones. Pieces that feel a bit raw and sore and vulnerable.

I never intended to write about myself, Roslyn was never meant as a self insert, despite our shared career. And yet the more time I’ve spent with her the more I see myself in her. Her fears, her insecurities, her pettiness, her hopes and dreams all feel very recognizable to me. She’s not a mirror exactly, but her and I bear many of the same scars, our behavior is born from the same fears, and the thought of her being perceived and judged feels a bit like offering up a chunk of my own bleeding, battered flesh for public consumption. Which is terrifying. And kind of gross (sorry for that image!) But I guess that’s what art is, right? It’s not safe. It’s not always easy to digest or comfortable. It’s vulnerable. Its risky. It’s scary. It’s offering up pieces of ourselves in everything we create with the knowledge that some people just won’t like it. That not everything will be palatable to everyone.

TLDR: I’m scared. Hope you like the book.

A few updates:

Events:

Romance bookstore day is August 9th and I’m so excited because I’ll be hanging out at two of my favorite local Seattle Indies! I’ll be at Third Place Books Seward Park from 1-2 and Page 2 Books from 3-4. If you’re out shopping that day, come swing by! I’ll have merch with me.

What I’ve been reading:

This was such a great month with so many fantastic reads including How Freaking Romantic by Emily Harding (omg obsessed), Overruled by Lana Ferguson (my fave of her’s yet!), Problematic Summer Romance (I know, I know, late to the game, sorry for being financially responsible while I waited for my library hold to come through!), Not Safe for Work by Nisha J. Tuli (hottttttt) and Courtroom Drama by Neely Tubati Alexander (so salacious)

I’m currently reading by An Introverts Guide to Life and Love by Lauren Applebaum and listening to the audiobook of Where You’re Planted by Melanie Sweeney (narrated by the fabulous Brittany Pressley!!) I’m enjoying both so much!

P.S. If you want to yap with me and Lauren, I’ll be her conversation partner for her release event Sep 19th at Third Place Books in Seattle, Wa! Click here for more info

What I’m watching:

My husband wanted to watch The Boys so we started that, but I imagine he is quickly regretting it because every time Chase Crawford is on screen I say “shhhh my show is on.” If you didn’t know, Chase has always been my fancast for Jack (👀).

I’m also slowly making my way through season three of The Bear so I can get to the fourth season (which I hear is the best???). While this season is a bit slower and less engaging than the previous two (imo!) what I absolutely love about this show is how it perfectly captures what it’s like to suffer and run yourself ragged because you love something. Not to be dramatic but that’s how writing feels to me. It’s hard and painful and I deff need a better moisturizer to combat all the wrinkles this biz has given me, but I love it. There’s nothing that feels more magical to me than a story demanding to be told. I also like to remind myself (perhaps as a cope) what a unique and special privilege it is to love something and feel so passionately about something that you want to work hard at it.

Writing:

While I dissociate from Sunk in Love being up on Netgalley (let the vomiting commence) I’ve been throwing myself into other projects, bouncing between two in particular.

I’m not sure if either project will end up going anywhere, but I’m trying to make space for the vulnerability of the unknown. That it’s okay to write and have fun with a project even if it doesn’t go anywhere. I’m also trying to remind myself that I wrote both Wedding Dashers and Sunk in Love with zero guarantee that they would ever be in a bookstore. I was just having fun!

And that’s what I’m doing now. Having fun!

That giddy, excited feeling of falling in love with a story and its characters for the first time is pretty close to magic and I want to try to hold onto for as long as possible. Sometimes I forget that’s truly what this is all about. I write stories because it’s fun!

What I’m listening to:

If you’re into playlists, my sweet friend Jill (@jilljustreads) made this Sunk in Love playlist that’s PERFECT for Sad Girl Summer or to get you in the mood before we set sail! I’ve been listening to it on repeat!!

Okay that’s all from me!

Talk more soon!

Heather xx