One hundred days to Christmas
First of all, a happy welcome to all my new subscribers! Thanks for coming out to meet me, for buying my book, and most of all for supporting local venues and events. I look forward to staying connected through this newsletter, future events, or maybe as your book club guest!
If you’ve been with me a while, you’ll notice that I’m taking a departure from my usual short essay + book rec + wine pairing format so as to deliver some actual news including…drumroll, please… the title for my upcoming release.
This month’s musings:
- The Ber months are back again. How is that possible?
- Little Pink Houses named a Summer Best Book
- And the winning title is…
- Events, book club appearances, and more events
- Two books you’ll want to read and, yes, WINE!
The Ber months are back
Conversing with my cousin the other day, discussing our ages and the slippery slope of time, she said “I can’t believe we’re already back in the Ber months.” I laughed, because that’s the term I use too, one that often draws a huh? from people whose brains are less word-centric. (SeptemBER, OctoBER, etc.)
Now, if you read last month’s essay, you might remember it was about achieving work/life balance and the fallacy most of us have around finding more time. Though I’m happy to report I did have a restful, wonderful week in the Midwest with my friends and family, I must admit that seeing Christmas trees in Costco puts me in a bit of a blue funk. How can we be wrapping up yet another year? Didn’t we just ring in 2026? There are still so many things on my To Do list!
And so it goes. What I’ve come to accept is that as a creative, feeling balanced is always going to be a challenge. There are always going to be days where the ideas are flowing, and getting up from my laptop feels harder than walking out of a chocolate shop empty-handed. So as I begin to think about plotting my third book, I’m also thinking about how not to binge-write—or at least how to do it less often. And, hey, I’m open to ideas. For any authors reading this, if you’ve got some tips for how to balance the writing, the publishing, the promotion, and the rest of your life, drop them in the comments, please!
Third time’s a charm, right? Well we’ll see.
Little Pink Houses named a Summer Best Book
I’m beyond thrilled to announce that PenCraft Awards named Little Pink Houses a Best Book of Summer 2026 in the category of Women’s Fiction! “The PenCraft Book Award honors outstanding works across a variety of genres, recognizing authors who demonstrate exceptional talent and creativity.” (This, taken from their website.) Awards don’t sell books, but damn does it feel good to win. And the novel is now entered into the annual Book Awards for Literary Excellence contest, with a prize of $1,000. Wish me luck!
If you read across genres, check out their other winners HERE to build out your TBR list.
And the winning title is…
Sometimes a title is so obvious, and fits a book so perfectly, that it gives the author a little warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Such was the case with Little Pink Houses. Though my original working title was Prodigy, the moment I landed on Little Pink Houses, I knew without a doubt it was right. Why? Well, for those of you who don’t know me well, I went to college in the late eighties at Indiana University Bloomington, a few short miles from John Mellencamp’s hometown of Seymour. His music played a big part in my college years. Then, after one of my college roommates, Jenny, passed away tragically and unexpectedly, and I decided to dedicate the book to her, I knew without a doubt I’d found my title.
Not so for book #2. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say I’ve used and discarded two titles in the four-plus years I’ve been living with this story. At this point, I’ve made so many revisions (namely, giving it a solid plot, haha) that neither title fit anymore. So, to the drawing board I went. I brainstormed. Asked family and friends. Even plugged the book description into AI (which gave me some very humorous results, a few jumping off points, but nothing I considered usable). After solidifying the pitch—and getting some very helpful feedback from my daughter—I knew it would have something to do with stars.
I winnowed down to two options. At my recent book events, I put them to a vote. But even before the tally was in, I just started feeling it. And the votes proved my feeling right. The book, on target for release in February 2027, will be titled…
Cover design is underway. A whole other stresser because the cover for Little Pink Houses is just so freakin’ awesome. Finally, I had to acknowledge that this one probably won’t measure up, and that’s okay. I have faith that the talented designers at Damonza will come up with something fabulous that fits the book perfectly. Depending how quickly design revisions go, I might be revealing next month!
Events, book club appearances, and more events
Trending right now in author feeds: How social media does not sell books. And I’m here to tell you, there is nothing like connecting with readers in person. I recently had the privilege of participating in three fabulous events up north, along with my good friend, Debbie Abbott. A huge thank you to The Eureka Room (the best wine tasting spot in Cottonwood!), Stardust Bookshop (super-cute, super-cool indie bookstore in Clarkdale) and the Munds Park Craft Fair at Pinewood Country Club. I bumped into a few old friends and had some great conversations with new readers. So much more rewarding than seeing a few likes on an instagram post.
Advance thanks to Pam Mosca and Erica Boehle, for suggesting Little Pink Houses to your book clubs and for hosting me later in September. I’m so grateful for these opportunities to hang out with fellow book nerds!
FYI, I’m happy to come to your book club, in-person if you’re in the Phoenix area or virtually. Fill out this form to get in touch.
WHERE TO CONNECT WITH LISA
Sat, Nov 7, 11am to 2pm: Local Author Fair, Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004 . I’m excited and incredibly honored to have been chosen to participate in this year’s fair. See the full author list HERE.
Sat Nov 14, 10am – 1pm: Local Author Fair, The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, 4014 N Goldwater Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ. For all my Arcadia-area friends, come by and say hello and support your local bookshop!
CALLING ALL BOOKCLUB MEMBERS! I’d love to speak with your group! Get in touch by leaving a comment, or through my website.
WHAT I’VE BEEN READING
Long Dance Home by Julie Mayerson Brown. The trope of returning home to battle past demons never seems to get old. Indeed, it’s central to my upcoming novel, Tripping Through Stars. In this heartwarming story, a former ballerina in her late twenties returns to her picturesque hometown in California wine country after her life in LA implodes. Oozing with charm, endearing characters, and centered around the Nutcracker, Mayerson Brown delivers a story that is as familiar as an age-old sweatshirt, but never feels cliche. And the best part? There are four more books in the series, so when you fall in love with Clearwater and its cast, you can keep on reading!
Pair with: A comforting red (I don’t suggest Napa, unless you can buy from small-batch producer who lets the grapes do their own thing). I’m currently obsessing over the 2022 Cousin Idd by Chateau Tumbleweed. This Bordeaux blend is always yummy, but this vintage, leaning heavily into Cab Franc, is better than I ever recall. I will definitely be buying a few bottles on my next Verde Valley wine trip.
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes. Moyes is a master at weaving characters, plot, and setting into a magic tapestry that captivates you from page one and never lets go. This is the story of two very different women whose lives become entangled after their bags get swapped at the gym. Funny, poignant, and insightful. As well as a tender reminder that, regardless of our status, when it comes down to what really matters in life, we all have a lot in common.
Pair with: Your favorite bubbly! Personally, I’m not big on sparkling wines. But my mother loves her some bubbles, as do my daughter and my niece, so I like to keep a couple of bottles around. Total Wine’s Borrasca line (multiple styles, including prosecco and cava) is surprisingly good and, at around ten bucks a bottle, cheap enough that you don’t feel bad if you end up dumping flat wine the morning after your party.
Cheers!
Lisa
lisabinsfeld.com 