Literary Letter #3

With a pencil...

Hello friend!

I know I just wrote, and your letter might be passing mine in the mail, but I’ve had so much going on that I wanted to share with you.

I wrapped up reading a Great Gatsby retelling with vampires. Don’t laugh! I can hear you practically chuckling from here. Genetically created vampires, sirens, warring creatures surrounded by over the top opulence. It was a fun and enjoyable read! Next up is The Dead Romantics. I sound like I’m entering my goth era.

Some friends and I are going to be reading The Secret History together. You are more than welcome to join us! For some of us, it’s our first time reading it, and for others, it’s a reread. Just pop on over and chat with us.

I’m making my way through Pride and Prejudice for a secret project. I’m actually annotating in a book for the first time, and I feel like I might be struck by lightning every time I put pencil to paper. Also… when was the last time you used a pencil?! I had to hunt all over the house for one.

My husband and I snuck in a little time for a movie at home this week. It was called Tetris, and I think you would really like it! It reminded me of the story of Nike. I would recommend the audiobook of Shoe Dog. Tetris is similar to Air (the movie about Nike), but much more fun cinematically.

Have you ever played Tetris? Blocks just raining down from the sky seems like such a simplistic concept. But the journey to get the game into the hands of eager players… that’s a battle.

The stories of Nike and Tetris both remind me that nothing worth having ever comes easy. Do you remember my friend I was telling you about whose book just debuted? Well, it has over 17,000 reviews in the first two months of release. That might seem discouraging to other authors who are releasing their books and struggling for each review, but I have a bit of a secret to let you in on.

My friend has been trying to get her book published for 14 long years. She was almost at the point of giving up when she finally was given her moment by a publisher.

Are you feeling like that right now? Like you’ve been working for so long that it feels like your moment is never going to come? I’ve been there.

I know how hard it is to chase your dreams, and the progress is so slow. I think it’s in these moments that we have to clearly define what we are chasing. Is it for one reader at a time to be touched by your story? Is it to be a bestseller? No matter what your dream is, all any of us can do is keep chasing and give it our best shot. I guess I’m writing this to you so you feel seen.

I’m rooting for you!

The rest of the week is going to be busy with author assistant work and making some videos of my Jane Austen book collection for YouTube. I hope to be able to write to you again soon.

Well, I had better get running. What have you been reading this week? Any fall favorites you think I need to read? Let me know! As always…

Happy reading,
Melissa

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

– Eleanor Roosevelt.

If you’d like to join the reading of The Secret History starting September 25th, 2024, meet us over in The Literary Assistant chat.