I've Got Sunshine ....
Newsletter Issue #62
Today is the first day of spring, and I am here for it.
I am here for all of it: daylight savings time, temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s, beach walks, farmers’ markets.
There are definitely things I love about winter—for a month or so, and then I’m over it. I’m a homebody at heart, so what’s not to love about staying indoors, curling up with a cozy blanket, a book, and a cup of hot tea? Maybe some homemade minestrone soup topped with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Yum! But honestly, I can only take so much of winter. The gloomy weather wears on me quickly. After a bit, winter becomes something to be endured.
This week, I sat down and made a list of the things I want to do now that spring has sprung, and then I started making plans to actually do the things. I got tickets to see Waitress the musical with some of my family—it’s based on one of my very favorite movies. I booked my annual trip to Monterey—this year, I’m timing it with Iris Jamahl Dunkle’s visit to the National Steinbeck Center. I started looking up things to do during this summer’s mother/daughter trip—we’re going to Santa Cruz this year. I briefly attended college at UC Santa Cruz in the ’80s, and I’m looking forward to being in close proximity to the redwoods again.
Having things to look forward to always lifts my mood. I’m thinking we should always have something to look forward to. Maybe when winter 2025/2026 rolls around, I’ll starting planning next year’s spring/summer things early, to sprinkle a little sunshine into those cloudy days.
I hope you’re enjoying this first day of spring, and I wish you a warm and lovely weekend.
XOXO
Leanne
P.S. I’m excited to announce I’ll be presenting on a panel at the Central Coast Writers Conference this fall. This year, the conference is going back to a two-day format, Friday September 26th and Saturday September 27th, and will include workshops, breakout sessions, a bookstore and vendor tables, lots of food, and add-ons like Master Classes. The Super Early Bird Rate expires April 30th, so register soon. I hope to see you there!
“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve
got it, you want—oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do
want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
—Mark Twain
“The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes
her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.”
—Harriet Ann Jacobs
SOME THINGS FOR READERS
7 Novels About Women Over 40
(Colleen Oakley for Electric Literature)
Made-up rock: Fictional musicians, real music.
(Nick Hornby for Nick Hornby)
Friday Reads for Spring Break
(Courtney Maum for Before and After the Book Deal)
“Always it’s spring and everyone’s in love and flowers pick themselves.”
—e.e. cummings
SOME THINGS FOR WRITERS
The Big Picture: Plan Your Book by Zooming Out
(Allison K. Williams for The Brevity Blog)
10 Insights I Learned from Analyzing the 2024 Women’s Fiction Debut Deals
(Heather Garbo for Write Your Next Chapter)
MFA vs. LLM: Is OpenAI’s Metafiction Short Story Actually “Good”? And is asking if AI text is “good” even the right question?
(Lincoln Michel for Counter Craft)
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
—Margaret Atwood
SOME THINGS TO MAKE YOU SMILE
Rejection Letters from an Editor Who Is Going Through Some Stuff
(Katie Burgess for Electric Literature)
Leanne Phillips
Writer | Book Coach | Editor
leannephillips.com
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I love the idea of planning trips and yours sound so cool! And I also now crave minestrone soup with parmezan cheese haha😅 (And bless you for the rec!❤️)