Hi Friend!

I know it's been a little bit since my last email. I've been working on a new novel and deciding how best to be present online. This email list is important to me, so I'm working on focusing energy on this. My goal is to send these about every other week (on 2nd & 4th Fridays of each month). They are brief and will always include something fun about a book.

Newest Thing you can be part of:

If you don't already follow me on social media (and you are not opposed to doing that) would you be willing to do so? The numbers of people who are seeing what I post (and the number of people who receive my newsletter) are important to publishers who are considering my work.

I'm on Facebook at : www.facebook.com/sammybeukerwriter​

I'm on Instagram at : www.instagram.com/sammyanne_b​

I'm semi-active over there, so if you'd like to hear more of my thoughts, that's where they are.

A Book Worth Reading

Last week I was in Utah visiting family. What started as a simple weekend trip to have my daughter's boyfriend meet my parents turned into an extended stay while my Dad was in the hospital. It became a pretty heavy and emotional week.

That's why, when I happened upon The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen in a Little Free Library, I grabbed it. Sarah Addison Allen wrote another book I just loved (Garden Spells) and I knew I'd love this one too.

In The Sugar Queen, we meet Josey, a young woman who is trapped in her life and never deviates from the expectations. Until one night, Della Lee climbs into her bedroom through a window and hides out in the closet. Della Lee acts as a kind of "fairy godmother" encouraging Josey to do things that are outside her comfort zone. And that opens up Josey's whole life.

It's a sweet (and slightly magical) story--and one of my favorite tropes: a closed off woman follows a strange instruction and finds her entire life opening up. I love the joy of discovering new friends, strength to say no, and always, a bit of magic. (Another book I love that follows this trope is The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl.)

What kinds of books do you tend toward when life feels hard and heavy? What are your favorite escapist reads? (I read widely--except for horror--and love recommendations from lots of categories.)

My Journey to Publication

Well, I've started it--During the first week of April, I submitted my first (small) round of queries for my new novel, Rules of Survival. I'll post the real stats in my end of the month newsletter.
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But, let me just give you a hint: it's not going well. This week, I received a kind email from a publisher and agent that I trust and was gently told that I need to make a major revision--essentially cutting 15k words. Which in a 60K novel, is a lot. I've taken my time to think it through and tried not to panic and have the outlines of a plan...but it was discouraging.

I'm really glad that you're here. If you'd like to chat, just hit reply. I'd love to hear from you.