GHOSTED is out today!
Buy it wherever books are sold!
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So, you know, a perfectly normal range of emotions over here as my second book releases into the world.
GHOSTED is my second book. It’s my first written fully under contract (AKA, I sold this book on an outline and the first 75 pages, and then had to write the rest on a deadline.) I wrote it during COVID, during mental health struggles, during a whole lot of… well, a whole lot.
And I’m so, so proud of it.
I don’t believe you need to struggle and tear yourself open to make great art. That sort of thinking is frankly, dangerous, because it stops people from seeking help when they need it. But this art didn’t come from my struggle. It came from making my way out of the struggle. As Hattie and her whole family in GHOSTED learn to find hope and light again, I did too.
(Look at me, being all vulnerable! My therapist will be so proud.)
GHOSTED is a book about grief. But more importantly, it’s a book about hope. About continuing to search for the good in the world when the world doesn’t seem so good, about believing in things even when belief is hard. And the thing is, when you write for teens, well, you think about what they need. What I needed, when I was that age. And I think this book will help them. (While, you know, still being full of kissing and banter and generalized chaos. That’s extremely important to me, too.)
Anyway, this is a long rambly way to see GHOSTED is in the world, and I hope you love it. I hope you buy it and request it from the library and recommend it to people in your life. I hope we can spread the word that hope is important and that belief matters. Belief in others, belief in the world, belief in yourself.
If you want to celebrate GHOSTED with me, you’ve got some great opportunities this week! I’m at One More Page tonight at 7pm, which you can watch virtually if you’re not near Arlington. I’ll be at Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia on Thursday at 6pm, chatting with the amazing Lizzy Mason - you can register here for that one! And Friday night at 7pm, I’ll be back in Pittsburgh, hanging out with the amazing staff at White Whale Books, which also has a virtual option. (Masks required for that one.)
And if you want to order GHOSTED, I’d love it if you ordered from One More Page - if you do that by midday tomorrow, you can still get your book personalized and get a bunch of preorder goodies to go with it! For all other copies, you can order from here.
I love you. You’re the best! And thanks for being on this journey with me.
~Amanda