4 things that happened 1 month before my debut pub date

Even though the title of this post says One Month, at the time of writing, we're actually LESS THAN 2 WEEKS AWAY FROM DAD CAMP.

I love how my intros to these updates are just me getting more and more hyped over how close we're getting.

But we're really, truly, seriously in crunch time now.

And boy, a lot has been happening. Let me catch you up as we get closer to my debut novel's June 11th launch date.

For any aspiring writers or new debuts out there, I hope this series has been a helpful look at the timeline of publishing a debut novel! I know I was desperate to read stuff like this when I was first starting out.

If you want to connect, go to my About page and you'll find how to get in touch.

One. Finished copies.

By far the coolest thing to happen this month was...

I got to open those mysterious boxes from the photo above.

Surprise! My author copies arrived!

Finally, after years of work, Dad Camp is a completely finished product.

The hardcover book is absolutely beautiful. The colors on the jacket just explode off the cover, and it feels amazing in your hands. I can't wait for you all to see it.

In a way, the finality of it is a little scary.

I haven't really been able to bring myself to read much of the finished book, not only because I've read it a million times, but because if I want to change anything, I can't. That kind of freaks me out. And I wrote most of this book 3 years ago, so chances are I'll find lots of little things I'd love to change.

Too late!

The book doesn't belong to only me any more — it's ready to go out in the world and do its thing.

Two. Audiobook is done!

I mentioned in a previous update that I got to help pick the narrator for our audiobook, which was awesome.

The producer from Penguin Random House sent me around 10 sample readings / auditions and I got to weigh in on my favorites.

Luckily, we were able to land my top choice, the amazing Sean Patrick Hopkins.

And I'm so pumped to say that the audiobook is done and will be available on June 11 just like the hardback!

I only knew it was finished because someone tagged me in a really kind review on Instagram and they were absolutely raving over Sean's performance.

I can't wait to hear the whole thing — you can actually listen to a sample on the PRH website right here to get a taste.

Three. Media blitz!

Everyone kept telling me to be patient, that pitching media was a long game that wouldn't bear fruit until really close to publication.

It was hard to wait, but that turned out to be totally true.

In the past couple of days/weeks, Dad Camp has been spotlighted in some really cool media including:

• The Atlanta Journal Constitution's summer reading list
• Atlanta Parent magazine
• Reader's Digest
• Zibby's Summer Reads
• And a few reader blogs as well!

There are a few more that are just getting ready to land any day now.

(It was an absolute THRILL rushing out Sunday morning with my family to pick up a copy of the AJC. My mother-in-law bought up every copy in the zip code.)

I'll be on a few podcasts soon that I'm really excited for — keep an eye on Instagram and I'll share when those interviews go live.

Four. A Second IRL Event.

We were able to pin down Dad Camp's official launch event here in Atlanta in the last couple of weeks, and we were lucky enough to bring on the amazing Alison Rose Greenberg as my launch partner.

(Thanks, Alison!)

I also knew I really wanted to do something in my hometown of Baltimore. I have a lot of friends and family that I figured would come out, and it'd be fun to celebrate the book launch with them.

The team at Dutton were kind enough to help me set up another event — this one at The Ivy, a bookstore right down the street from the house I grew up in. Even better, one of my favorite authors, Matt Norman, agreed to come on board to be my conversation partner.

It's gonna be a good one, I can't wait to chat with Matt and Alison and just be able to celebrate the book with friends from Atlanta and Baltimore.

(For more details on these, I added an Events page to my top menu on the website here.)

What's next?

What's next is... the book actually comes out!

It'll be in bookstores before we know it. I can't wait to ride around and see where I can find it, sign a few copies, just try to enjoy all of it.

I've got a big friends and family celebration party coming up on June 8, just a few days before launch. The book comes out on June 11, and then my first in-store event will be on the 15th.

Meanwhile, Dutton is planning some last minute promotion like targeted advertising and a giveaway package, and I'm sure we'll have more PR media stuff land in the coming days.

And somewhere in the middle of all of this, I've been writing as much as I can! It's been hard to come by the time and the brain space (especially since it's summer now), but a few hundreds words a day really does add up if you can stick with it.

I'll be back to talk all about launch week. In the meantime, make sure you get your copy pre-ordered! My personal suggestion is to order through FoxTale Book Shoppe so I can sign your copy before it goes out in the mail.

Talk soon!