Burnout and Book Cover Reveal!
Hey friends,
I’m sitting on a plane, typing with my giant ergonomic keyboard as I watch the sunset. It’s a moment where I could be reflecting profoundly on the beauty of life, but instead, I’m stressed about work. Boring! I’ve been really burnt out these last few weeks since I started a new but exciting side gig in SEO and editorial analytics (i.e., crunching data).
But I’m learning a lot, I like my team and I can pay my rent, which is cool.
Still, you deserve an update! Here are 3 things I’ve been working on:
Peach Tulips (my novel) manuscript: I faced my fear of implementing the latest changes from my wonderful copy editor, Tricia Callahan. I’m now going to use Grammarly, an AI proofreader (I’ve already paid plenty of human editors thousands of dollars to help me get this far) to finish up the changes, and the manuscript will be done 🤯.
Peach Tulips book cover: Okay, I haven’t decided on the exact book cover yet! But I’m working with Pepe Molina, an awesome designer in Mexico and here are a couple of the options he made using Midjourney (lol, more AI) that I’m going to send out to beta readers. Reply to this email and tell me which one you like best! And let me know if you want to be a part of the book-cover-designing process! Obviously the book will have the title on it 😁.
TikTok: I’ve been working on growing my audience. So far, I’ve been going viral for things that aren’t book related, but I’m hoping to figure all that out by the launch date in September.
Anyway, I’m making a concerted effort this weekend as I visit friends in San Francisco to take time away from screens. I’m hoping that will help my splitting headaches. So, I’m wondering: What do you do to relax and rejuvenate? What do you do when you feel burnt out? Or how do you avoid over-extending yourself so you don’t reach burnout in the first place?
I would appreciate any and all of your tips!
Lots of love, and I’m wishing you a happy and relaxing weekend,
Tash
P.S. I am still waiting to hear back from the New York Times Modern Love column after I submitted my article about my fling with a Hasidic man. I’m taking this as a good sign, as they supposedly take 2-3 months to respond 🧐.
I def judge a book by its cover. All 3 of these are appealing so to me it depends on the content and audience. The middle one looks more like a series of essays. Sort of Rebecca Solnit meets Dear Sugar. The top one is to a more generic female audience - implying the author and the reader are going to get down to business on what you are writing about. The third is reaching out to a more urban or want to be urban audience. This is going to be an adventure in a place that might look familiar but will be exciting because you will be reading about things that are new to you.
And to shake out the cobwebs and relax? Always a woods walk. Wide paths. Overhang. Bird noises. With a dog if possible. They make everything all about them. And if near the sea? Early - on the beach - in a chair - with a blanket. Hope you are having a great time! ❤️
I vote for the 3rd picture. Hoping you're really taking time away from screens and that when I tell you IN PERSON, tonight, between ping pong sets, that it will still be news to you!