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The Frog Pond Bonus #33B: I'm a B&N Our Monthly Pick!

The big news this month: A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING has been named the Speculative "Our Monthly Pick" by Barnes & Noble!

Sarah L. Hawthorn

Sarah L. Hawthorn

— 3 min read
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Hello! Since we last spoke, my book has been seeping into bookcases like ocean water might lap across driftwood. Thank you so much to everyone, both people I got to see in person and chat with online, who made my launch day/week/month such a fantastic time!

The landing page of Barnes & Noble showing my book as an "Our August Picks" selection, with the words "Thank you so much!!!"

The big news this month: A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING has been named the Speculative "Our Monthly Pick" by Barnes & Noble! One speculative fiction book is chosen every month and I'm so grateful to be August's pick. (If you see my book in store, I'd love to be sent a photo! We don't have any B&N stores where I live.) I also got to write a guest post on the B&N blog, I'll share once it's live.

I've also got an interview with The Nerd Daily, and I'm a guest on an episode about Devils Island by the local spooky podcast It Came From the Maritimes. Both were lovely to be part of!!

A selection of B&N locations and my book!

Other news:

A word from a passing frog

It's been so cool seeing local B&N stores sharing the big news today! What a wild twist in this book's journey. So grateful to the many people who made it happen!!

Sorry for no cool science facts today! I considered rushing one in this morning but I'd rather just leave the next topic to my next newsletter and considering this an appendix to my last newsletter. Also, most of my drafting research lately has been histories of saints, which is very interesting but not particularly scientific or well sourced.

Writing

I'm drafting. I cannot believe how slow I am at drafting. I know that there's a natural rhythm you can develop, but I want mine to speed it up a bit! Still, I'm happy with what I am writing in terms of quality, just not quantity. Just keep swimming, as they say!

By the next Frog Pond, I will have turned in my first draft of Séance book. Here's hoping, at least!

Reading

I finished Dungeon Crawler Carl #2. The violent whimsy of a great D&D game mixed with a surprisingly vast political backdrop and characters that feel like they're growing with each book. Princess Donut is still best girl.

I also have so. many. books. that I can't wait to read once my deadline is over!!! Some are hot off the presses as the books by fellow debut authors, others are from the past few years that I need to get around to.

Does listening to my own audiobook count? I think it should, especially when it's been done impeccably well by my narrator duo of Zura Johnson and Sarah Beth Pfeifer. I'm a bit of an audiobook snob, with a Lot Of Opinions about narration. These two truly hit it out of the park. Elle and Liney sound so distinct and every single character is given such care. The emotion both voice actors are able to draw out is cinema-level, seriously. I lucked out!

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