Oh
hiiiiii! My new book came out on Monday—and my friend Melissa flew into town to hang out with me—so this
week has been a big flurry of excitement, celebrations, and so much happy-crying.
And hey, I know I've been popping into your inbox waa-aaay more than usual lately. It's pretty unusual for me to send multiple emails in one week! Please forgive me! With the book launch happening, I've had lots of extra things to share and announce. But things will mellow out and return back to normal
very soon. <3
OK, with that said... let's catch up!
Here's a whole bunch of stuff you might have missed...
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New book is out!
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#MyFinal24 Contest
To celebrate the book release... I'm doing a
contest!
Here's how the contest works...
* Think about this question: “If you had just 24 hours to live, what would you do with your time?” * Make a list of what you would do. * Post your list online—or post it at your office, your school, somewhere in your community. * You might win a prize: books, chocolate, candles, or even a trip to Hawaii! * That's basically it! Pretty simple. But please take a moment to read the full contest instructions so you can be eligible to win stuff.
I wrote my list. Here it is...
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Virtual Book Launch Party
A few days ago, I had a virtual book launch party.
The recording is about 67 minutes long. If you want to speed along and just watch certain parts, not the whole thing, here are some
links...
5:34 - I read an excerpt from the book. 18:26 - I discover how technology works and realize that Zoom has a chatroom feature! Haha! Breakthrough moment! 20:05 - I explain where I got the idea for this novel. 22:10 - I start sobbing as I describe the bizarre, intense dream that inspired this novel. 22:47 - My friend Melissa swoops in to give me
a hug while I cry. (Thanks, Melissa!) 26:32 - Mikey asks an interesting question. 33:03 - I share what I would do if I had just 24 hours to live. 35:18 - "If you had 24 hours to live, what would you do with your time?" Everyone at the party gets paper and a pen and writes down their list. 42:09 - Folks take turns sharing what they'd want to do during their final hours. 56:09 - I
share one of my favorite words—"daymaker"—and a quick story about David Wagner, the man who came up with that word. 57:10 - A few more lovely people share what they'd do during their final day. 67:10 - Everyone waves goodbye and it's totally beautiful and sweet.
Thank you Sherry, Susan, Ellen, and Theresa for organizing this virtual party! You are truly the most wonderful humans!
And congratulations to Ana Filipovic
Windsor. Thanks so much for attending the party, Ana! You won a signed copy of the book... so check your email, okay? :)
Podcasts, interviews, and other media stuff
I've been a guest on several shows lately to discuss the new book—and lots of other topics, too.
Here's a quick round-up...
We discuss lots of things including why I decided to
delete all my social media accounts, how my family influenced me as a writer, our favorite podcasts, and more.
We discuss how
to promote your work without feeling icky, how my novel went from being a self-published PDF (that I initially shared online for free) to getting a book deal and then being re-released in hardcover—the whole story of how it happened.
We discuss how to release the grip of perfectionism, how to figure out when a project is "done," and more.
We discuss how to listen to your heart + gut (your "hut"), how to take good care of yourself
(mentally and physically) when you're going through a tough time, and more.
Ooh, also, I was thrilled to be a guest on my dear friend Susan Hyatt’s new show! We discuss how terrible my very first website looked (haha!) and how to become a more confident writer and communicator. Good times.
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Phew! That's a
wrap!
Have a beautiful weekend!
-Alex
PS. Recently, it was the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day! Hooray! Love is love is love is love! Also—unrelated, or maybe not?—a mysterious stranger mailed me a shirt with a picture of Jonathan Van Ness from Queer Eye on it. There was no name or card inside. Whoever
mailed that to me: I AM OBSESSED WITH IT. Thank you!
PPS. I can't stop listening to this song. It's so incredibly dramatic and I looooove it.
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