LIGHTERS, PSYCHOANALYSTS, AND MORE WRITING
Jul 08, 2026
LIFE OF A BOOKMAN
Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!
Another one!?: As if I needed another reason to love a local bookstore, I went in looking for one title, ended up in a conversation with staff member helping me, and of course all chats converged on I Who Have Never Known Men (because I won't shut up about it) and she informed me Transit Books just published Jacqueline Harpman's second book post-humulousely, We Were Forbidden. It's 3 novellas, which I've just started, and I'll let you KNOW. I don't think I could possibly love them as much as her first, but who's to say. Also, that same bookshop staff member told me she really loved my perm...so. Hearts break everywhere.
What I've been writing: I was a tinkering queen for my sample material for A Queen with No Court, my Olympics volleyball story about Jackie Silva. The pages were sent to my agent representing this project!! Woohoo. I'll let you know what she thinks. Last week, I told you I was nervous about my ability to sportswrite. Which is funny, because my entire career started in sports media. It was literally the emphasis of my Masters degree. So why am I overthinking this?! ha. Next week, hopefully I'll tell you the verdict on if I was able to pull the pages across the line in a way that satisfies.
WOMEN’S STUDIES
What gets passed down becomes our history.
I'm FINALLY watching Younger, starring Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff, two publishing editors at the prime of the 2010s NYC book scene. I had so many best friends tell me to watch this show over the years, I never did, and I'm so glad I am now. It's very watchable, and centers on the premise of what happens when a woman shaves off about 15 years of her age...and tries to keep it a secret.
The America That is Still Possible
This was a very hard podcast episode to listen to, and also so necessary to understanding our history, our country, and who and what we're built upon. It was also a really important interrogation in the role of storytelling in building our country. Damn, it was a good listen.
If you grew up on Oprah like I did, Dr. Phil is basically a household name. And in this episode of Bad Therapist, they breakdown how he came to be, and the problem with his “style” of show (to say the least). This North Texan man has quite a story I didn't know about, before he became famous, and did a lot with his show that he should have to speak for.
3 Questions I'd ask right now if I wanted to leap frog my life
This quickie video comes from a real life exercise I did in my own life, 12 years ago. It was so major, and so meaningful to me that I included it in You're Not Lost, and it's one of the exercises I still hear from readers the most on. I highly recommend anyone with really supportive galpals to ask these qs. I'm thinking I might do round 2 and ask my galpals too!! They're such great mirrors, that why not see what we're missing, so we can hopefully see what they do.
Other stray links: I've been getting a new apartment together and truly obsessed with a few things, this rug...reverse image-ing literally everything...and watching I will find you (what a twist and turn and twist some more!!)
PASS IT ON
Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine:
One of the very best (very best!!!) decisions I've made in the last year was hiring stylist, Emily Lacey. She came over, worked with me on my closet, organized my garments into outfits, showed me what was missing...and more than anything, gave me confidence in my own personal style. I tell anyone who will listen about Outfit Emily. Well, this amazingly talented woman is opening a store in Savannah, Cosimo, and if you're not in Savannah for the opening this month, you can support this artists, stylist, business owner in her online shop. I got a preview of the store when I was in Savannah a few weeks ago (opening date TBC!!), and felt like I'd been transported to Paris. The big windows, the crown molding, the floors. I walked out with this crisp button-up in Blue that I've been living in, a striped cardigan that I've layered over a cream raw-hem long sleeve that makes me feel like I actually am in Paris (please add baguette). Oh, and the channeling Maxie in Paris isn't complete without a tortoise-shell lighter to smoke them Vogues. Whoopsies ;) The one thing I didn't buy that you should <because I was overstuffed luggage as it is> is the disco-ball handbag. Need!!!
Go support!! Because it's so fun watching talented women live and materialize their dreams.
Woman on xoxo
