Y’all.
I have been sitting on this news for so long.
This isn’t a super-official-monthly-newsletter, so apologies for taking up extra space in your inbox, but I couldn’t *not* email you to let you know about my new book.
I have so much to share about The Funeral Ladies of Ellery County in the upcoming year. I want to tell you all about how a draft of this book exists as a middle grade, and how I started writing it in almost a fever dream while sitting on my parents’ boat as it bumped against their dock, and how I’ve been trying to write a story about a fictionalized version of Anthony Bourdain for, like, ten years. I want to tell you about green bean casserole and scotcharoos and the absolute delight of researching midwestern food and community cookbooks. I want to tell you about the fact that the editor working on this project has edited some of my *genuinely* favorite books of all time, and I want to tell you about the joy of the Northwoods and small town churches.
And I will. But right now, I will tell you this: My agent frequently uses the phrase book of your heart and, um—this is where I confess sometimes I roll my eyes at that phrase in my head. I don’t have a book of my heart, I usually want to insist. I have piles of stories, mountains of scribbled notes. I could give you sixteen plot ideas off the top of my head this very minute. And also, this is my j-o-b. I understand how publishing works, and I get that some ideas are more sell-able than others.
But this book—this grown-up novel, about grief and grace and grandmas on a mission—might actually be the book of my heart. I’ve never been able to see characters so crystal-clear. I’ve never felt so emotionally attached to a fictional place + fictional people, and it’s all make believe but feels so ridiculously real.
Thanks for being here + cheering me on. I announced the book on Instagram and was positively flooded with kind words and hat tips. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
The book doesn’t have an official release date yet, but if you want to get a grasp on some of the vibes, check the Pinterest board here.
And secondly, just a teensy-tiny reminder that if you got a bunch of Barnes and Noble gift cards for Christmas, you can use them on preorders. ;)
"In a quietly suspenseful book, Swinarski shows how frequently written-off behavior can constitute sexual harassment, and how individuals can create change by having the courage to question the narrative." — Publishers Weekly
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and falalalalalaaaaaaaa! To 2023!
xo,
Claire