Inside Sunshine with a Side of Chocolate-Chocolate Cake
First of all, thank you to everyone who wrote me after the launch of my newsletter. When I sent it out last month, a voice in my ear whispered maybe I’d do this once and never again—the old supposedly fun thing. But I hadn’t counted on the bonus of notes from friends filing my inbox, along with hellos from new signups. It was an unexpected, welcome thrill!
This month’s February cold motivated me to bundle up and focus on my new manuscript draft. I’m on my third idea as I’ve paused (read: grumblingly filed away) the other two. I’m optimistic that it’s three times the charm because I’ve enjoyed writing about old love, and a pair of characters who were high school sweethearts. For me, this also means digging into my YA author brain to explore how first-love chemistry works in a second-chance story. Plotting and outlining is a uniquely creative time as the whole process feels a little wild, conjuring something from nothing. Since it’s too cold to be out, I’ve enjoyed the routine of burrowing down into the warm blanket of this love story, with my lemon-ginger tea and fuzzy slippers. We’ll see.
More February Highlights:
Cake
To celebrate Valentine's Day, a unanimous decision: chocolate-chocolate cake all around. There simply wasn't any other choice.
Vintage
This month, I joined TikTok, so now I’m one of those. While mostly in 2 a.m. lurk mode, I’m also creating a few mood boards and posting about vintage, like my recent trip to Decades. Follow me: @adelegriffinbooks.
Books
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. This one ticked the box for something unusual. It was fun and entertaining, but scary! For me, anyway. Those puppets!
Horse by Geraldine Brooks. This was the great big sprawling historical, beautifully-written multi-storyline saga I wanted. Many people recommended it, and it completely delivered.
Stay With Me by Ayobámi Adébáyo. Set in the 80s-90s Nigeria, this story about a couple dealing with infertility is unputdownable. I’d read it a year ago and just listened to the author on The Maris Review podcast and remembered how I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. I reread this one for book club, and it felt like coming home. It came out in 1970, but Margaret’s voice is so fresh and funny and feminist. It joyfully reminds me why Judy Blume is a national treasure.
