Sad Sacked Is Out Today!

After nearly a decade, I may finally stop talking about job loss...right after this...

Jun 11, 2024

Hi! Happy June! Welcome to new subscribers and thanks to longtime readers for sticking around!

It’s officially launch day for the print edition of my memoir, Sad Sacked. Over the weekend, a dear friend, who happens to be a marketing guru, asked, “How will you spend launch day?”

My first thought was, “Probably eating a lot of cheese and berating myself for all the things I could’ve/should’ve done.”

So I’ll keep this brief as those activities will likely take up a lot of time. But I do want to say a huge thank you to everyone who requested an advance reader copy, pre-ordered the book, or plans to ask their library to acquire it. I’m truly so grateful for your support! And if you have read it and wouldn’t mind leaving a review, I’d appreciate that too!

Pick up a copy of Sad Sacked

If you’re on the fence about purchasing a copy (and I get it - $17.95 - you can almost buy a large pizza for that money in NJ) check out these excerpts to see if Sad Sacked is right for you: Business Insider, Open Secrets and Women Writers, Women(’s) Books. I have a few more excerpts and interviews in the works. (Thank you The Museum of Americana, Twenty Regular,

Memoir Land

and

Judy Magazine

for your support! )

You can also enter my giveaway to win a copy—complete with cookies (as seen in the book!).

How? Visit my Instagram for details.

Where I’ll be…

Presenting: Ready to Write Your Memoir? Here's How to Begin

Library of the Chathams: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 7 to 8 p.m. (Zoom link available)

I gave this presentation last week at the NJ Association of Library Assistants Conference and I’m proud to say all attendees stayed awake for the entirety—no easy feat after the delicious lunch we enjoyed.

Calling all Vermont-based friends!

I’m chatting about Suspense in the Suburbs with Lisa Kusel & celebrating the release of Lisa's wonderfully twisty The Widow on Dwyer Court at the Venetian Soda Lounge (What’s a soda lounge? Join us there and find out!) in Burlington, VT Thursday, July 18, 2024 6 to 8 p.m.

The House on Cold Creek Lane Book Launch Party

Join me as I ramble about writing and possibly read from the novel at The Book House Millburn, NJ Thursday, August 8, 2024 6 p.m. There’ll be food (as seen in the book!) and wine. If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you!

In Conversation with Lisa Kusel, Author of The Widow on Dwyer Court

Lisa and I are taking our show on the road. Join us at the Jersey Shore!

The Book House Long Branch, NJ Saturday, August 10, 2024 5 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public.

What I’ve listened to:

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra

Nightwatching Audiobook By Tracy Sierra cover art

I’d read that this novel, about a mother who must protect her children from a menacing intruder, was chilling, but I had no idea it would keep me awake half the night, bolting up in bed to make sure a madman wasn’t hiding in the corner.

I dare you to listen to this sample and not get goosebumps. This had been on my list for a while but I bumped it straight to the top after Emily Ellet auditioned to voice one of my characters in The House on Cold Creek Lane. (Are you thinking, “Liz, okay, enough with the self-promotion!?!” I’m sorry, I know, but have you heard about the cost of pizza in NJ?) I was blown away by Emily’s talent and can’t wait to hear her bring Cold Creek’s Corey to life.

I’m also ecstatic that Gail Shalan, who portrayed Cassidy, the babysitter, in my last novel, The Perfect Neighborhood, will voice Cold Creek’s Laurel.

If you haven’t listened to The Perfect Neighborhood, Audible has it on sale for $4.99 for the next few days. (Last promotion, I promise!)

Wellness by Nathan Hill

This came highly recommended by a friend and initially I was a bit wary as it’s 19 hours long. But I was hooked almost immediately. There’s a lot to think about here and I think it would make a great book club pick. Here’s a bit about it:

When Jack and Elizabeth meet as college students in the gritty '90s Chicago art scene, the two quickly join forces and hold on tight, each eager to claim a place in the thriving underground scene with an appreciative kindred spirit. Fast-forward twenty years to suburban married life, and alongside the challenges of parenting, they encounter the often-baffling pursuits of health and happiness from polyamorous would-be suitors to home-renovation hysteria.

This one has really stayed with me and made me long to visit Chicago again.

How to Get on Podcasts: Cultivate Your Following, Strengthen Your Message, and Grow as a Thought Leader Through Podcast Guesting by Michelle Glogovac

I just started this audiobook after listening to Michelle’s terrific and informative interview with David Gwyn on his Thriller 101 podcast (one of my favorites, as I noted here though at the time it was called Writerly Lifestyle).

Michelle a.k.a.

THE Podcast Matchmaker™

offers easy-to-follow advice in such a clear, conversational way. I laughed when she urged experts to get a professional headshot for their media kits and resist the temptation to use the glamour shot they had taken at the mall in the mid-1990s. We’ve all seen those on LinkedIn, haven’t we? I love a book that provides great, actionable tips in ways that make something seem manageable instead of daunting.

Time for my obligatory cat photo.