About

GIRL ONE is available from MCD x FSG (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux) and from Raven/Bloomsbury in the U.K.! Look for paperbacks in June of 2022!

 

Thank you all so, so much for entering my giveaway! I’m so touched by your interest. After drawing names … @just.jeannine and @brainyheroine are the winners! I’m so grateful to everyone and hope to host another giveaway soon, so keep your 👀 peeled as we get ever closer to July and pub day. 🏚️🗝️🌲 It’s my birthday today! I was going to write a cheery post, but if I’m honest, birthdays tend to be hard on me. I always feel a little melancholy … especially for 39, which isn’t a big milestone but is the precursor to a milestone, meaning I’m evaluating and taking stock and feeling a little nervous about leaving behind this decade and moving more firmly into a new one. Sadness notwithstanding, I’m so grateful to all of you who’ve made this decade brighter for me! I spent the day in Concord and fiiiinally saw Orchard House, a lifelong dream for me. LMA inspired me to write in the first place (as I’ve probably mentioned a thousand times!) and it was surreal to be surrounded by so much literary history. Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne … this trip has been in the works since 2020 and I’m still a bit shocked it actually happened! Coming July 25th! This twisty, unique thriller really kept me guessing … such a distinctive premise and a wonderful portrayal of life in Arkansas (with nods to Oklahoma!). The annual egg hunt in Presley offers dedicated Eggheads a chance to win big (life-changingly big), but the hunt also serves as cover for a mysterious serial killer. I loved the tough but haunted Nell, whose brother was the first victim, and Ada, a coworker of Nell’s who brings warmth and wit to the narration (while secretly drawn to the egg hunt, despite knowing how controversial it is). @kellyjfordauthor also weaves in commentary from FB groups, Google docs, newspapers … creating a vivid portrayal of small town life. I truly could not predict these turns and twists and was left feeling completely surprised yet satisifed by the ending. Add to your summer TBR at once! Giveaway alert! I’m giving away two signed ARCs of The Wonder State. Two winners will get a book PLUS one of these beautiful goodies from @rosierosedesigner … an incredible artist and designer based in the Arkansas Ozarks. You can choose from a tote bag, a T-shirt (unisex, sizes S through 2XL, they are not knotted the way I have them in the photos, I just did that myself!), orrr these beautiful TWS-themed earrings (a house and a key!). To enter, please just comment below! Winners will be chosen randomly and announced June 1st. For shipping reasons, I’m sticking to U.S. and Canadian readers for now. 🏚️🗝️🌲 ⭐️ I can never relax until I know @mattyandthebooks approves of a new book! 🏚️✨🌲🗝️ Thank you x 1000000 for this lovely, nuanced review and for spending time exploring strange houses with Jay and Brandi and friends. Book matching! 👯‍♀️📖 It would take a few days to drive to the Ozarks, but I wanted to pose with abandoned houses … so I realized that I live close to an actual ghost town. Please click through for many photos of me in abandoned houses with a dress that (hopefully) matches my gorgeous book cover! Dropped by Omega Mart to grab a few things, got lost for an unspecified amount of time. Please be kind to me and my unboxing phobia, I’m an old millennial! (And thank you to my wonderful sister-in-law @taylormurphyphotoco for skillfully helping me edit, she is a dream!) #thewonderstate