Finally, a new blog post!

Hello hello hello! It’s been three months since my last post. I don’t really have a good excuse for you except that there’s a lot of stuff going on in life that is more interesting than sitting in front of a computer. I spend a lot of time in front of a computer, being a writer and also working in publishing. I stare at a screen all day long. Lately, I’ve become quite fond of handwriting my work-in-progress. Like using an actual PEN and PAPER! I know, it’s crazy. Somehow, it allows my brain to be a little less rigid; it turns off the obsessive editor in my head long enough to get something down that I don’t automatically want to tear apart.

You know what’s really crazy? I have written three novels. In four years. This seems preposterous to me. Whenever I meet new people and they ask me what I “do,” I still don’t know how to answer. When co-workers corner me in the elevator and ask how the writing’s going, I am in much disbelief as they are when I tell them my third book just went to the copyeditor, my second book comes out in July, I have three more loosely outlined, and I’m a pretty good way into writing my fourth. Who is this person?! Certainly not that sad and confused girl who dropped out of college. Definitely not the wandering barista who moved every year. Somehow I became a person doing what I love. Somehow I found the thing that makes me want to structure my time and be productive, the vocation that inspires me to focus and find joy in working my ass off. I am so incredibly grateful.

My second novel CLEAN comes out July 19. It has become excruciating waiting for it. Like BEAUTIFUL, I poured my heart into this one and I can’t wait to share it with you. Did I already tell you what the amazing Lisa McMann (author of the bestselling WAKE trilogy) said about it? “With deep, sympathetic characters and beautiful prose, CLEAN cuts to the heart. It’s poignant and real. I can’t stop thinking about it.” What an incredible honor!

Also coming out soon is the anthology DEAR BULLY: 70 AUTHORS TELL THEIR STORY. I know I’ve already gushed about this book enough (did I mention that all the proceeds will go to anti-bullying charities?), but I wanted to share the beautiful new cover with you:

For my Bay Areas pals, I’m the the process of finalizing plans for my book release party in early August, which will probably be at one of my favorite indie bookstores in Berkeley–stay tuned for details!

As we get closer to the release of CLEAN, also stay tuned for an excerpt from the book, as well as links to reviews and interviews. I have a little blog tour planned around the release date, which will include a lot of fun posts on some wonderful bloggers’ sites.

Thanks everyone for your support, and I can’t wait to hear what you think about CLEAN!

Love,

Amy

(P.S. And if for some reason you want to hear from me more often, friend me on Facebook. I’m there way too often.)

(P.P.S. And if you want to pre-order a copy of CLEAN so it’ll arrive at your doorstep, you can do it HERE)

(P.P.P.S. And if you’re a blogger or reviewer and would like to request an eGalley of CLEAN, go HERE)