We have liftoff!
My debut fiction collection launched yesterday
Hello avid readers and those who skim for content that pleases them,
It happened! My book was released yesterday! I have a fiction collection out in the world!!
Nothing much has changed because of this seismic shift in reality. I think the only real difference may be that the “preorder now” button should say “buy now” instead.
(Thank you for working weekends, Angela.)
In any event, my humble thanks to all of you that preordered the book!
My humble plea to the rest of you, please order the book now!
This is your “order the book” opportunity link.
(that shot is from my acting days, I did some really fun stock-photography shoots)
Me, I am in Toronto right now—there was a family wedding yesterday! It was a gorgeous, intimate ceremony filled with genuine delight in the happiness of others. (For photos you have to follow my author page at facebook.com/mmdevoe) The bride is the daughter of my mother’s cousin. In Lithuanian, there is a word for this sort of distant relative and it implies familial closeness. (This whole week we were surrounded by crowds of people whose introductions sounded like this “this is XY who is the daughter of Y who was your father’s uncle’s piano teacher, and she is here with ZG who is the daughter of G who is your grandmother’s cousin’s daughter’s husband’s son. You should know them both; let me introduce you!”)
We had long conversations about the difference between second cousins, third cousins, and cousins one-or-twice removed.
The Lithuanian word giminė when used in an introduction implies that our familial relationships remain close (or should). Maybe similar to the English word kinfolk or kinsman. (Maybe “fam” is a better word, though that implies that the person who is thusly emotionally bonded is not necessarily related by blood.)
Why are so many of the English words surrounding family so fraught with distance or obligation? Also - is there an English word for emotionally bonded that isn’t related to a single positive or negative feeling (love/loathe) but rather the closeness of the emotional ties - in other words, the intensity of the feeling. How much you care.
So that even if the individual feelings are a rollercoaster the emotional tie deserves to be preserved?
Writing News:
Really?
BUY MY BOOK you guys!! It is hot off the press!! Here’s that link again.
(thank you SO MUCH to all the friends who have posted about the book yesterday and every one of you that clicked “like” or reposted one of my millions of Social Media posts leading up to yesterday!!)
Also I just got interviewed by Lithuanian writer Laima Vince. I’ll let you know when the interview is live. It was a lot of fun to do because she has known me since my West-German-Lithuanian-Boarding-School days. Coming soon!
Meanwhile, here’s last week’s interview you could read if you haven’t yet. (Thank you for the awesome emails from those of you who read it last week!)
Also - I have not yet finished planning the launch party. I’m so sorry — I was busy planning my attendance at the family wedding which we are excited about!!
That said - LMK if you want me to zoom with your book club - I’d be delighted to schedule a drop in to talk about the book when you’ve read it!
LOOK HERE:
Random Final Thoughts:
(Thanks to a reader for this one!!)
After last week’s discussion of parenthood a very cool person emailed me this note about the Turkish language:
“In Turkish, parents (particularly mothers) often call their children "my mother": Günaydın, annem, n'aber for instance (Good morning my mother, what's new?).”
I am enthralled by this linguistic twist!!
Buy A FLASH OF DARKNESS!
(thank you)
Done and done! I’ve ordered your collection. Thank you for your work on behalf of writers too. I fondly remember my reading in NY.
So great to learn Lithuanian words - thank you!
And your book is winging my way -