An excerpt from my book!

And a tiny little Easter egg!!

As always, check out the audio version of this post to hear me read this essay, and to talk in more detail about SUCH A BAD INFLUENCE, Easter eggs, and more. And be sure to scroll to the end of this post for a reminder about how to get 25% off on SABI at Barnes & Noble. PS: A Goodreads giveaway to win an advanced copy of the book just kicked off, too!

The first time Jake read my first novel (you can pre-order SUCH A BAD INFLUENCE now, by the way!) was less than a month ago, just before the new year. We were on a cruise with my family, and I actually sat next to him on a lounge chair while he and my mom read advanced copies side-by-side. Surreal? Yes. Great publicity? (See photo below). Absolutely. But if we’re being honest, not my most relaxing vacation experience ever. Of course, the same could probably go for the two of them as I hovered over their shoulders, loudly slurping a Diet Coke, noting what page they were on and the exact twists and turns of their facial expressions. But, of course, I was grateful that they were excited to read. In the end, they both had wonderful things to say about the book, but I’m not here to relay their obviously completely fair and totally unbiased reviews (I hear my mom did leave a very sweet review on Goodreads, if you’re curious — again, totally unbiased, I’m sure). I’m mostly here today to talk about the uniquely wonderful experience of having someone read your writing and see you, in ways both big and small

Wow! What’s that book? Seems popular!

.Now, just in case you’re thinking, “Wow, why wouldn’t you want everyone in your life to read your book as soon as humanly possible?” Well, there are a few reasons. The first being that I frankly can’t imagine anything worse. And as someone who has only recently stopped asking myself, “Ok, but what if Jake’s been lying all this time and doesn’t actually love me?” I doubt I would be able to process the feedback constructively, either. I’ve always been this way, though. Unless it’s with an editor or my agent, I don’t love sharing anything I’m writing until it’s done, and that goes for essays, articles, newsletters, and now books. I find it helps me focus and stay honest about what is working and what isn’t. It allows me, someone who is very easily swayed by feedback, to trust my instincts.

Though I do have to admit the idea of being confident and cool enough to share your work in progress with others sounds cool, too. I went to a reading the other day where the novelist featured said she shares everything she writes, bit by bit, with her partner and they have a sort of creative harmony together. That is… not Jake and I. Our brand of creative harmony is that I write something, then tell Jake I think it’s either awesome or (more often) complete and total garbage, he reassures me that it’s great with absolutely zero context or evidence to back that up, I tell him he’s probably wrong, and then he goes back to like his 12th day in a row of sanding a door. And honestly? So far, it works.

I do have to share, though, that when he read SABI the first thing he told me was that he kept seeing things on each page that made him say, “Yup, my wife wrote that,” and I’ve got to tell you… I don’t think I’ve ever felt more loved. Forget gifts and acts of service, that is my love language. I won’t get into specifics, because probably some of it is only stuff he would see, but he kept naming little tidbits and being like, “Was this scene because of this?” or “Was that name based on that?” He wasn’t saying he recognized my writing style or voice, really, but that he could see bits of me in these anecdotes and stories and tiny details. I should emphasize that the book isn’t autobiographical in any way, shape, or form. The characters aren’t based on anyone specific, let alone me, and yet he saw the tiny shards of things that came from my own experiences and interests. The truth is that there are these kind of Olivia-specific Easter eggs throughout SABI. Some of which I didn’t even realize or remember until Jake started asking me about them. So today, I thought I’d share one of them.

In a truly unbelievable development, Cosmopolitan ran the exclusive cover reveal of SABI (isn’t it so fun???) and included an excerpt from the book. I had no idea which one they’d pick even though we sent over a few options, and this was the first time the wider world was going to read some of my fiction writing, so naturally, I was scared shitless. It’s a terrifying and exhilarating thing to put your writing into the world in any way, and this is a way I am not used to, so it feels scarier than usual. Still, I’ve been so heartened by the support and excitement of people on Instagram, podcast listeners, and beyond for the book. I’m so grateful. If you want to read the full excerpt, click below and read (and then please tell me what you think!!).

And now for the little tiny baby Olivia-specific Easter egg. Detective Buxton is actually named after my favorite bookstore in the entire world, Buxton Books in Buxton, North Carolina. If you are ever in the Outer Banks, you have to go. You definitely already know this about me if you’ve been following me forever, but I love this little place. I’ve visited most summers of my life, stocking up for books on vacation. My mom drove me there at midnight to get a copy of New Moon (thanks, mom!). So many summers, I walked through that front door and felt inspired. I can’t say that most years I imagined being an author — that felt way too big, way too scary, way too impossible to even consider — but there was always something about the space that felt special to me. I think even then I knew I wanted a cozy life and an old house and for all of it to be filled to the brim with words. When I got older, and kept writing, I started walking through the doors and thinking of my own book being on the shelves there one day, maybe. Maybe. So including the name Buxton was my little nod to a place I love, yes, but also a nod to all those versions of me who walked into Buxton Books on a rainy day and felt… well, at home. Like myself.

Now, I can’t say that Detective Buxton is my favorite character in the book (you’ll see), even though Buxton Books is my favorite book store, but I loved tucking that little detail into the story. Not because I felt like everyone would get it (I’m no Taylor Swift, ok?) or because it was deeply meaningful or an indication of some huge plot twist, but because it was fun. Writing is fun. Writing is personal. These kinds of little details remind me of both of those things. The book is fiction, but if you know me, you’ll probably see pieces of me throughout. I’m sure I’ll share much more about some of those pieces in the months to come.

In the meantime, I hope you love the cover and excerpt, and I appreciate your support in any form. Whether you ask your local library to carry the book, add to your shelf on Goodreads or Storygraph, share the book with a friend, or pre-order (this is one of the most important things you can do to support debut authors), I appreciate you more than you can ever know. And yes, I know I keep saying that (and will keep saying that, so prepare to be sick of me), but I just can’t emphasize enough how lucky I feel to be publishing a book. And I know in large part my ability to do so is because I have so much support behind me already. I hope you enjoy SABI (and all its little fun tidbits and Easter eggs) as much as I enjoyed writing it.

PS: Barnes & Noble as an amazing pre-order sale going on until 1/26!

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A portion of January’s subscriber proceeds will go toward Save the Children to support its work in providing essential services and support to children affected by violence in Israel and Gaza.