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Worth Your Weight In Pie

Needed Doin’ Is All

Field notes from the world of  Silas Lopez.  

Vol. 1  |  Dispatch 5

Why Did I Get This Email? Because you know me. This is a once-a-month newsletter where I share news about my books and writing. Announcements will always be right at the top for those who need to skim. And if it ever feels like more than you want to deal with, the unsubscribe link is at the bottom.

Announcements

Publicity:
The headline news for the month is that the editorial team at Kirkus Reviews recently informed me that their review of The Washashore has been selected for the June 1 issue of Kirkus Reviews Magazine.  For an independent debut author, this is a highly unexpected stroke of good fortune and will put the review on the desks of virtually all bookstore and library acquisitions teams across the country this summer.

Reader Feedback:
The most rewarding part of having a book out in the world has been the conversations it sparks—at events, in bookstores, over email. Those exchanges mean more to me than any star rating ever could. But online reviews do something different and equally important: they help a book find its next reader. I'm grateful for every one, and pleased to report that The Washashore is currently averaging 4.8/5 stars across 50 reviews on Amazon, with similar numbers on Goodreads.  My goal is to reach 100 Amazon reviews by June 1—so if you've finished the book and haven't yet left one (even a short note helps), this will take you directly to the review form. Thank you!

Events of Note:

I’ve been doing more events and they’ve been going very well. A few notable items:

—We had a standing room only crowd at Wellesley Books and not only ran out of chairs, but the store sold out of books!

—I enjoyed a wonderful author event at the JFK Museum in Hyannis talking about The Washashore in the context of Cape Cod’s literary history. When we were done, everyone in the room understood that the Silas Lopez Mysteries would never have happened if JFK had not spearheaded and signed the bill to create the Cape Cod National Seashore.

—On a more sentimental note, the library my late mother ran growing up selected me as one of the authors at their annual author festival fundraising event. To think the little kid hanging around that library saying “Mom, can we go home now?” has grown up to become a fundraising author for the library is just so special.

Upcoming Events:

I’ve been busy lining up live and virtual events around the region. (For the full list, see my events page.) I hope you’ll be able to join me along the way:

May 14 — Needham  (THIS WEEK!)
If you missed the Wellesley event, it’s not too late to get your signed copy and hear the story behind the book: I'll be doing a reading, Q&A, and book signing at 7PM on Thursday of this week, May 14, at The Book Shop of Needham. Join if you are around! Reserve your free seat here.

May 22 — Provincetown
I'll be doing a reading, Q&A, and book signing at 4PM on Friday May 22 at the Provincetown Bookshop. Join if you are around! Give the Bookshop your RSVP Here.

June 13 — New Canaan, CT
I'll be doing a Q&A and signing copies from 12-2PM on Saturday June 13 at the Elm Street Books in New Canaan, CT. Join if you are in the area!  

From the Blog:

Why Independent Bookstore Day Matters Independent Bookstore Day provided a chance to really reflect on the vital role bookstores still play in our communities and reading culture.

Repository of Full Text Reviews Tired of sending out the full text of individual reviews to various gatekeepers, I put all of them in one place and will keep it updated.

Great Interview on “Why Authors Write” My friend Mary J. Cronin (who kindly also provided a blurb for the book) invited me to speak with her for her podcast “Why Authors Write.” It was a really fun conversation and this post gives an overview and includes links to YouTube and other places where you can find it.

Want to see blog posts sooner? The blog has an RSS feed, so if you still use RSS (as all civilized people should), you can subscribe to the feed and see posts as they go up. (Related note: I strongly recommend the excellent and free RSS reader app NetNewsWire by the very talented Brent Simmons.)

Back Issues: Earlier editions of this newsletter are archived on the blog.

On The Workbench

What I’m working on right now

Book One—The Washashore

With The Washashore my focus is on supporting it through events, outreach, and social media. I am also working on the audiobook edition. That’s been super frustrating due to negotiation-related delays, but it will be underway soon and when it gets going I’ll share details of its production in the blog.

Book Two—The Holdfast

Line edits for The Holdfast went very well and the book is basically done from a drafting standpoint. I am very pleased with how it came out and should receive copy edits back in the next couple weeks. From there it goes into final proof-reading and layout with an ebook pre-order target for July and an official launch on September 15th!

Book Three—The ???

The outline for book three is underway and coming along nicely. I hope to have the outlining done in early June, and start writing the manuscript in earnest this summer. To keep things interesting, let’s put a stake in the ground and manifest this thing: it would be great to get the first draft done by the end of the calendar year.  (continues below.)

In Silas We Trust

What Silas Has Been Gettin’ Up To

A few Silas Lopez lines that have come to mind as I've been starting to interact with readers:

On getting good feedback:

“You feed him, you’ll only encourage him.” -Silas Lopez
“Wipe that grin off, ’fore I do it for you.” -Silas Lopez

On being an author who’s juggling way too many things at once:

“Burnin’ daylight, people! Let’s get after it!” -Silas Lopez

“Sufferin’ like that hurts to watch.” -Silas Lopez

On trying to figure out how to do the many new things I am required to do:

“This here is a learnin’ organization.” -Silas Lopez

On dealing with BookTok and Bookstagram drama flare ups:

“I go by how folks ride, not by the dust they kick up.” -Silas Lopez

On planning for book three:

“World keeps churnin’ out new criminals and fresh trouble.” -Silas Lopez

On trying to get rolling with the audiobook production:

“Wantin’ faster ain’t gonna speed it up.” -Silas Lopez

On starting the next manuscript:

“‘Nuff jawbonin—we got some fence line to ride.” -Silas Lopez

Postcard From The Dunes

Notes on Life in Provincetown

I recently finished The Tree of Light and Flowers by Thomas Perry and recommend it highly.  It marks the very final installment of the fabulous Jane Whitefield series because Perry died before it was published.  The story was a fitting end to the series as it showed Jane maturing into a different phase of life, which makes me wonder whether Perry knew it would be his last.  What is so special about the series is that it derives its tension not from a person trying to solve a mystery or find something, but rather from Jane helping someone disappear.  Tremendously good series filled with a terrific female hero, loads of thrilling tension and wonderful tradecraft. Perry was of an older generation, so some of the early books feature slightly stereotyped gender roles, but you shouldn’t let that dissuade you. I highly recommend the whole series if you enjoy well-written and fast-paced thrillers.

I dip into the occasional upmarket rom-com because I find them a refreshing change of pace from darker fiction and heavier nonfiction—but also because I genuinely think they help me write better relationships and stronger interactions between Silas and Wren. A recent example was called Life’s Too Short, by Abby Jimenez, whose work I admire quite a bit. The novel follows a woman trying to do the right thing after taking custody of an infant from a sibling in crisis, while also grappling with serious health concerns of her own. Into the chaos steps the building owner she had initially completely misjudged. It wasn’t my favorite Jimenez novel, but it was still a warm, emotionally intelligent example of the kind of character-driven fiction she does so well.

Before I Go

Thanks for being part of this community.

If you know someone who might get a kick out of the Silas Lopez Mysteries—or  these newsletters—please feel free to pass this along. Word of mouth really does matter.

If something here caught your eye, I always enjoy hearing back. And if you prefer longer-form pieces, I post those on the blog.

Finally, if you know of a book club that enjoys author conversations, or if you'd ever like to be on the early-reader side of things, just reply to this message, or drop me a note in the contact form.

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