Writers, I may have celebrated independent bookstore day too hard because I am a touch under the weather. How did I celebrate? I walked to my local store, just two miles away, so either I've doubled down on my mild allergies or picked up a little bug from the very crowded shop. If it's the latter, it's OK. Seeing so many people out to support one of the local bookshops did my heart good. People were buying stacks of books! As a writer and as someone who works with writers, this is wonderful to see. There are so many distractions in this age, but people are still reading.

All this to say: today's newsletter is briefer than usual. I hope you won't mind. I know your inboxes are full.

I read two pieces this week that I've been looking forward to sharing with you.

1. As you know, reading is the cornerstone of writing, and I have been enjoying Petya K. Grady's insightful essays on reading. This week, she wrote about understanding herself as a reader and how, for her, feeling is the beginning of thoughtful critique. Reading her words always inspires me to read more deeply. Even better, she makes me feel that I can.
2. Author Karin Gillespie outlines how she created a pitch deck for her cozy fantasy novel. You may be writing in an entirely different genre, but her process and reasons for creating the deck in the first place are compelling no matter what you're writing. Could it be useful for you, too?

🌟 Next week, I'm pulling back the curtain on what a book coach does, how to get the most out of working with one, and whether you even need to...!

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Here's encouragement to write one thing this week: one story, one chapter, one paragraph, even just one sentence.

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