“Side by Side” Blog Tour Recap & Update

Hi bookworms!

Where did July go?? Was it busy for you too? After May and June’s frantic copyediting and proofreading of “Caught in a Lie,” somehow I thought July would be more chill. Wrong!  Here are some of things that happened:

📗Lit Competition Judging: I was approached by a Canadian press to judge my first literary competition and, of course, I accepted. Forty-six full-length manuscripts! Our longlists were due on August 1st. The cream definitely rose to the top and it’s very exciting to think that another writer will get their start by the end of it all. (The prize is publication!)

#MeetThe2020s: I found a lovely group on Twitter called #MeetThe2020s and we had a get-to-know-you event that ran all month with a new post every day. (I’ll post a separate blog with that Twitter thread.) One of my personal goals this year was to put myself out there a little more and this event was perfect. The other writers I met were friendly and generous and, by the end of the month, we had formed genuine connects. Win-win!

📝🙃Finishing my WIP: Oh brother. I set out to wrap up the sisterhood WIP I’ve been pecking away at for the past few years before we leave for vacation. I had two partials — a 500 page beast and another that was around 40K — but I had never actually completed the manuscript. As with early drafts, I found myself over-writing and getting stuck in a never-ending saggy middle. Well, the third time — or in this case, the third draft, haha — was the charm. Last week, I wrote my way to the end. I aimed for roughly 2000-2500 words per day. To keep myself motivated, I updated my Twitter status with my mounting word count daily, partly to track my progress, but mostly to show myself that it was indeed possible. As long as I kept writing, eventually I would get there. Some writer friends liked the idea so much they started tracking their word counts too, to keep themselves accountable. Now that the draft is done, I’m exhausted, but hugely relieved. Having written two substantial partials before, part of me worried I might not ever finish the draft. It still needs work — that’s what drafts are for, after all — but I’m excited to get back to it next month, after a nice long break.

😍ARCs ARCs ARCs!!! The Tweet below says it all. Out of the blue, my wonderful agent sent me a pic of the printed advance review copies for my WF debut “Caught in a Lie”…and they are gorgeous! Although I’ve published literary fiction with small Canadian presses, I’ve never had ARCs before. Unfortunately, I can’t share what they look like because we haven’t done a cover reveal yet. But stay tuned!

 

📖 “Side by Side” Book Blog Tour:  The book blog tour ran throughout the month of July. I can admit now how nervous I was. To be a writer you have to accept being in a near-constant state of vulnerability. This book took me seven years to write and was hugely personal. My purpose for writing it was to touch hearts and minds, challenge perceptions about mental health, and give voice to those who have experienced loss by suicide. Well, the tour exceeded my expectations. While I wouldn’t hire the same tour company again, the bloggers themselves were incredible. As promised, here’s the complete tour, in case you missed a stop or two.

Day 1: Lit and Life http://litandlife.blogspot.com/2019/07/side-by-side-by-anita-kushwaha.html

Day 2: Literary Quicksand http://www.literaryquicksand.com/

Day 3: Simply Kelina ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ http://simplykelina.blogspot.com/2019/07/side-by-side-by-anita-kushwaha.html

Day 4: Helen’s Book Blog http://www.helensbookblog.com/2019/07/tlc-review-side-by-side-by-anita.html

Day 5: Meg’s Book Club https://www.instagram.com/megsbookclub/

Day 6: From the TBR File  http://fromthetbrpile.blogspot.com/2019/07/blog-tour-review-of-side-by-side-by.html

Day 7: Pie Lady Books https://www.instagram.com/p/BzuEKNcA7f3/

Day 8: Library in Progress https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz0bWhsgiUT/

Day 9: What is That Book About  https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/reviews/2019/7/14/review-side-by-side-by-anita-kushwaha?rq=side%20by%20side

Day 10: Tina Says  http://booksaremything.blogspot.com/

Day 11: Reading with Mere https://www.instagram.com/p/B0mXOGnAs0e/

📚 Summer Reading Sale: FYI, my pub is having an awesome summer sale at the moment, in case you’re interested. All books are a whopping 40% off with the promo code. Details below.

And that was my July! My husband and I are off to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary this week out in B.C. and I’m looking forward unplugging for a while. I have a couple of beach reads packed and a notebook at the ready. Other than a pint of kelp beer from Tofino Brewery, there’s not much else I need right now.

I hope you have a wonderful August and I’ll see you on the other side!

Thanks for dropping by,

A :-) xo ✌❤