"I Did That, Once" Rachel Said, Pointing Up At The Flying Trapeze...
I’ve been radio silent on here for a while I work on my next big project, and this is just a quick check-in—I’ll be sharing more on here in the new year. One cool thing that I’ve been doing outside of writing is helping with Pittsburgh’s bid to become an UNESCO City of Literature (we’d be the third designated City of Literature in the United States after Iowa City and Seattle)…
But this email isn’t about any of that!
Because today is Rachel’s birthday, and she’s got two books coming out really soon and they’re both available to pre-order from your favorite bookstores:
Nothing Bad Happens Here (which has a blurb from the one-and-only R.L. Stine!) and Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery…
Plus two new author pics to match!
We were kayaking in the Hudson River by Chelsea Piers, in Manhattan, when Rachel first told me the idea she had for the book that became Nothing Bad Happens Here.
“I did that, once,” I remember her saying, pointing up at the thirty-foot high flying trapeze on the boardwalk overlooking the river (my other favorite example in this genre: when Rachel told me that she’d snowboarded off an alp on a hang glider, which eagle-eyed readers might remember from the dedication for Snow Struck).
I don’t even want to say how long ago that would have been: we were probably living in our railroad apartment in Greenpoint then. I know that we were both working in-house at different publishers, and I was probably writing The Loudness.
So, a lifetime ago?
When it comes to books, it’s seems easier to measure time with drafts: it was a writing workshop that she took with a friend who was a YA author and editor, and then a draft and a critique and possibly another draft.
After that, the idea sat for a while . . .
We moved out of New York, and somewhere along the way her sweet children’s book became a darker story with a different title, which turned into a pitch which turned into a manuscript that was revised and rewritten and retitled and revised again (and again) during spare moments and nights and weekends over the past few years.
It was kind of awe-inspiring, to be honest, witnessing the process from the outside.
Just self-preservationally, I try not to think about how long the writing and publishing journey can be when I’m working on my own books. I’ll focus on one foot in front of the other, plodding slowly forward and living in the moment. Blissfully unaware of how far I’ve come and how far I still have to go.
Taking lots of tea and coffee breaks.
“The innocence of hobbits,” comes to mind.1
I think that’s how most writers get through to The End: sentence by sentence, so caught-up in the story and the minutia of writing that when they finally shake their heads clear and look back at how far they’ve come, it’s with a sense of wonder.
It’s different, watching someone else write a book.
If I’m sticking with the metaphor, I guess it’s a little like watching them make their way to Mordor, keystroke by keystroke, in the nooks and crannies of the day: slowly and sometimes perilously and mostly quietly except for the midnight clacking of their second bamboo keyboard (when the first one broke from over-use).
And now the books are real and ready to read, and I keep thinking about Rachel pointing up at that flying trapeze, which is definitely also a metaphor. I don’t think I’m mixing them, though: writing a book is still like The Lord of the Rings (and all authors are essentially hobbits, unlikely heroes on epic journeys, etc). But when it comes to publishing . . . that feels a lot more like jumping out over thin air in a harness that seems a little loose, actually, now that you’re up here.
How cool is it, though, to see your best friend fly?
I’m going to share some blurbs below—they’re so impressive all in one place!—but for all my friends and family reading this, and to all the readers and librarians and booksellers I’ve met along the way: I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Rachel’s birthday and help cheer her on by pre-ordering her debuts from your favorite bookstores.
“The perfect summer read! Rich teens beach-partying in glamorous Nantucket . . . and then a murder. Enough mystery, twists, secrets and surprises to keep you reading to the startling finish. Loved it!” —R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series
“Part mystery, part thriller, part deep dive into the heart of a grieving teen, Nothing Bad Happens Here is compelling and vivid and absolutely pitch-perfect! A summer in Nantucket you won’t forget!” —Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Lake House
“Perfect for fans of We Were Liars. You won’t want to miss this tense, twisty, gorgeously written read!” —Kass Morgan, New York Times bestselling author of the series The 100 and The Ravens
“One part fairy tale and one part old-fashioned New England whodunit, with a twist I never saw coming!” —Katie Cotugno, New York Times bestselling author of Liar’s Beach
“Expertly layered twists and the perfect kiss of the supernatural. Thriller fans, rejoice!” —Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child
“A serpentine sea-misted mystery as elegant and bold as a Nantucket sunset. I was fully seduced by Lucia’s dark and stormy summer and could hardly pull myself away. Rachel Ekstrom Courage’s debut is a riveting, graceful high wire act, a delectable and dynamic New England thriller that pulls no punches. It left me utterly breathless.” —Derek Milman, author of A Darker Mischief and Swipe Right for Murder
“An atmospheric thriller where darkness is just beneath the surface.” —Mindy McGinnis, Edgar Award–winning author of A Madness So Discreet and The Female of the Species
“A can’t-put-it-down mystery layered with authentic relationships, sharp class commentary, and touches of magical lore. I absolutely devoured it.” —Jacqueline West, New York Times bestselling author of Last Things and the Books of Elsewhere series
“[A] smashing suspense debut! A page-turning exploration of the way the truth gets concealed—and the all-too-human and all-too-necessary desire to find the truth at any cost. Sure to be one of the best YA thrillers of the year. Don’t miss it!” —David Bell, New York Times bestselling author of She’s Gone and Nobody Needs to Know
“Murder by Cheesecake is a nostalgic, fast-paced and hilarious escape. An absolute delight!” —Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Love and Other Words
“If you were a big fan of The Golden Girls, as I was, you’ll relish this chance to join them again for this lighthearted caper.” —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child
For more about Rachel—if you want to set up a signing or event, or just read her extended bio—her website is rachelekstromcourage.com!
And here’s her Substack/newsletter—Joyful Chaos with Rachel Ekstrom Courage!—which is where she’ll be “sharing thoughts about the creative side of life, book news, and a bit about the joys and chaos of publishing (as an author and as a literary agent)”
Probably because I’m re-reading this old box-set of The Lord of the Rings, gifted to me by Rachel (who picked it up on one of her New York trips this year). Found inside, this hand-drawn birthday card to Olivier from his grandparents in France. Decisions, decisions!
