Hey there, future favorite reader! 🌟

I can't believe I'm finally hitting "send" on this first newsletter. After years of scribbling in notebooks and hoarding half-finished manuscripts on my laptop, I'm taking the terrifying leap of sharing my work with the world. And you're here for it!

The Big Announcement

Deep breath Here goes nothing: My debut novel, "The Memory Keepers," will be published next spring!

It's a story I've been carrying around for five years – about a daughter who discovers her mother has been stealing memories from their small town to protect a devastating secret. Think magical realism meets family drama, with just a hint of mystery thriller thrown in.

Behind the Scenes

This week I got my first round of editorial notes back, and let me tell you – my editor does NOT mess around. Apparently my protagonist can't just "feel sad" 47 times throughout the manuscript. Who knew?

Current revision stats: - Coffee consumed: 73 cups - Times I've questioned my life choices: 24 - Chapters completely rewritten: 3 - Happy dances after nailing a difficult scene: 7

What I'm Reading

Since you're trusting me with your inbox, I figure I should recommend some actually good books! This month I devoured:

• "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by V.E. Schwab – If you haven't read this yet, clear your weekend
• "Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguro – Made me ugly cry on public transit
• "Mexican Gothic" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Perfect spooky season read

Join the Journey

I'll be sharing monthly updates as we countdown to publication: sneak peeks, deleted scenes, and probably way too many anxious thoughts about whether anyone will actually read this thing.

If you're on Instagram, find me @sarahchenwrites where I post daily writing updates and an embarrassing number of pictures of my writing companion (a very judgmental cat named Fitzgerald).

Until next month,

Sarah Chen
Future author of The Memory Keepers

P.S. – Reply and tell me what you're reading! I'm always looking for my next book obsession.

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