Starred Library Journal Review and Insecurity

And a review of some stuff on TikTok

Hey all,

I haven’t sent a newsletter in a while because I’ve given into my bi-annual existential crisis. Who am I and why does anyone care what I have to say, blah blah blah. The usual insecurities. My confidence has to reach escape velocity to launch a newsletter or post a TikTok.

The importance of newsletters and TikTok is already so tenuous. Like everyone besides my luddite brother, I’m addicted to SM, but I’m conflicted. It makes our lives easier, but worse. Why am I fighting for space on a trash platform like TikTok when we should all be touching grass and talking to real people? I’m in a bind, though. Hiding under a rock with imposter syndrome and confusing thoughts isn’t a good marketing strategy. So here I am!

My anti-SM brother, who incidentally designs airplanes for a living. He’s wearing a jersey for my romance writing university, Smut U. I bought the jersey for him so he could wear it for the rutabaga toss in Ithaca. The announcer won’t say “Smut U” out loud for propriety’s sake. Another fun fact, Carly Bloom, author of Hot Hex Boyfriend, linked below, has a crush on him. She has a weakness for men holding babies. We all have kinks.

Anyway, while I was being mildly depressed and insecure about posting, I spent a lot of time on TikTok. So here are some the things I enjoyed.

1. Has anyone else watched Miss Dugan? I have now written her into a mystery romcom idea. As soon as my publisher wants to talk about book ideas again, I’m going to throw Miss Dugan their way.

Miss Dugan

2. Here’s a delicious salad recipe I found while I was being depressed.

No pic, but here’s a partially devoured charcuterie board with the same vibe.

Recipe: Crisp up the prosciutto, chop the cantaloupe, cover in an obscene amount of burrata, add enough leaves to make you feel like it’s a salad. Finally, drizzle with balsamic squeeze bottle magic and olive oil. Voila!

3. I don’t necessarily recommend the two-for-one viral dress I bought alone in bed at midnight (Terrell out being heroic first responder etc). According to the models pictured walking through piazzas at sunset, the dresses are perfect for an Italian vacation. I don’t even have a passport, but whatever. I wore mine while cooking dinner the other night. It has pockets to hold the cell phone I’m addicted to. The top of the dress is sorta NSFW. Terrell said I looked nice. lol. There is no photographic evidence of me in this dress. Instead, here I am “walking” my dog. I believe I’m wearing viral overalls from Halara underneath my kid’s sweatshirt.

Enough with the insecurity and the dog walking, here’s a bunch of good stuff people are saying about Errands and Espionage:

First off, the book got a starred review from Library Journal. Wohoo! I probably should have started with that.

Publisher’s Weekly called it a disappointment. My lovely publicity team was worried I would be upset and told me I didn’t need to read it. I was too dead inside to care. Then, as time wore on, disappointing Publisher’s Weekly gave me a little dopamine hit. A starred review would have been objectively better, but somehow I just don’t care. I think it’s the word “disappointment.” Being a people pleaser there’s something kind of delicious about disappointing someone and not giving a damn. Plus, I know it’s a good book. If someone doesn’t like it, no big. You can’t please everyone.

Here are some great blurbs from authors who I didn’t disappoint:

• Equal parts wacky and heart-pounding, self-deprecating and self-affirming, Gabby Greene is the perfect heroine for anyone who’s tired of being underestimated and unappreciated, not only by everyone around them but also by themself. Finlay Donovan fans, welcome to your new insta-buy series!

  —Mia P. Manansala, multi-award-winning author of Arsenic and Adobo

  

  If you haven’t read Mia’s books, get on it!

• “Divorced mother of two Gabby Greene is to spying what Finlay Donovan is to contract killing and Stephanie Plum is to bounty hunting. You’ll be laughing on one page and your heart will be beating on the next. I can’t wait for Gabby’s next undercover assignment.”

  —Kellye Garrett, award winning author of Missing White Woman

  

  Loving this book! GO get it or her Detective by Day series.

• “Gabby Greene is like all working moms with too much to do—she has lunches to make, kids to pick up, and some codes she has to steal for the CIA. A delightful romp with an affirming message that women really can do anything. Fans of Finlay Donovan will devour this.”

  —Julia London, New York Times bestselling author

Julia’s latest. I love her historical! Looking forward to this one.

• “I loved Gabby! So fun and so relatable. I'm just waiting for a knock on my door with an offer to run off and become a secret agent.”
  —Sara Desai author of To Have and To Heist

  

  I had the pleasure of reading this one early. Go get it!

• “Perfect for fans of Elle Cosimano, this is fun and sexy with intrigue that will keep you guessing.”
  — Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers

Listening to this one on Audible right now and I LOVE it

• “I spy an outrageously good time for readers. Move over 007, Gabby Greene is on the scene!”

  —Carly Bloom, author of Hot Hex Boyfriend

I love Carly Bloom’s writing, always have. This book is especially cute. Please go buy it because if anyone is having a worse crisis than me, it’s Carly. Show this woman some love!

Substack has informed me that I’m at my email limit, so I am going to call it quits.

Terrell, also in a Smut U jersey. These jerseys were supposed to be $25 but by the time I added all the numbers and letters they were $80 a piece. I had spent so long on the website and it was almost xmas so I bought them anyway. Then I couldn’t ship them to my parents’ place so I sent them to a nearby car dealership where I know people and they sat there for a year. Last minute xmas shopping at its finest.

With that, I’m out.

xoxo
Sam

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