The Grief Committee Minutes is officially in the world, and landing in mailboxes this week! I’ve had several friends tell me they have received their pre-ordered copies; others let me know they’d been notified their copies were on their way. Hooray!

On that day, this past Saturday, I was approaching the end of a week’s vacation at St. Augustine Beach. I wish I could tell you it was fantastic, but it rained non-stop that week, putting a wrench in my typical routine of beach-walking and sitting outside on a patio chair, watching the dunes and listening to the sound of the ocean.

Recognizing that Sept. 14 was truly a milestone — my debut full-length collection was suddenly available for immediate purchase and shipping at bookstores all over the country! — I knew I had to commemorate the occasion in some way. So, during a rare break in the rain, when it was actually fleetingly sunny, I took the one copy of TGCM I’d taken over with me down to the shore, and asked my husband to take a picture.

Several of the poems in this book are from my lived experience in Florida, my home state, and the beach is certainly a part of that. It felt right to be there.

I’m now planning for my book launch party, which will be held next month at the Matheson History Museum here in Gainesville, and trying to stay on top of my communications, which is a wonderful problem to have; I’ve received so many nice messages from folks about the book news and a number of orders for signed copies, which I’ve been making regular trips to the Post Office to accommodate. It’s been exhausting, but I feel deeply gratified at this milestone.

I’ve learned so much already that I didn’t know about book publishing and marketing in just getting to this point. The literary community has given so much to me, and I’m grateful for the sharing and generosity that I see there, every day, and the support I’ve received.

Thank you on! Now, on to party planning!