Happiness Sprinkles + Book Club Zoom Link
Octopuses, origami porcelain, a song about pastry, and more!
Hello, Protagonists!
Welcome to this month’s edition of Happiness Sprinkles—a soft, joyful roundup of small things worth smiling about, what’s been filling my creative well, and a few wonderful things you in this community have been reading and writing.
In this post, you’ll find:
🧹 A Little Housekeeping (in a good way!)
🌸 Happiness Sprinkles
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight - You’re the Hero of the Story
📖 Book Club Details + Zoom Link
Reminder! Our “Read Like a Writer” Book Club meeting is this Sunday, June 22 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT
🧹 A Little Housekeeping
Wow, thank you for your overwhelming, wonderful reaction to my essay, The Soft Ambition of a Quiet Life. I almost didn’t post it, because I don’t usually write essays and I wasn’t sure if it was any good. But you really, really loved it! 💛
In response to your many comments and emails asking me to write more like that, I am excited to continue the Letters from the Creative Life series.
However, I learned from Tom (who is the master of work-life balance) that if I put something new on my plate, I have to take something off. So I’ll be tinkering with my newsletter format (e.g., what I send out on Fridays) to make space for the occasional essays. Thanks for your patience while I figure out what to keep, what to drop, and what to continue but perhaps on a less frequent basis.
🌸 Happiness Sprinkles
A few quiet delights I’ve loved this month — and hope you will, too.
Do you love bread and pastries? Turn up the volume and prepare to grin, because this is just good, creative, silly fun:
Origami Porcelain - Maybe it’s because my next book, The Incredible Kindness of Paper, has paper art as a main part of the story, but I am obsessed right now with all things origami. This artist, Mark Goudy, makes delicate paper-like folds… but in porcelain.
Octopus! documentary - Keeping in theme with our book club topic of octopuses, this nature series is like a cheekier version of a David Attenborough documentary. Tom and I thought it was amusing.
Aussie cockatoos are very smart - They’ve learned how to operate water fountains! This piece details how the birds do it, and there’s a video, too. Very impressive.
In case you missed it, you can RSVP now (it’s free!) for my virtual launch party + origami workshop, where I’ll teach you to make 2 paper roses inspired by my book.
🔦 Protagonist Spotlight
Every month, I love highlighting what you are creating. Here are a few wonderful projects from our community:
👏🏼David Jace has launched Wave Writers, a writing retreat at sea! David is a very active and supportive member of our community (last year, he donated $500 to fund an extra writing scholarship for us!). Join me in congratulating him on this fun creative venture that puts his love of writing and his love of the ocean together. There’s an early bird offer for the inaugural cruise. CONGRATS, David!
👏🏼 Cynthia Morris published Her Lisbon Colors, “a sensual, life-affirming novel about the courage to begin again. This unforgettable story reminds us that it's never too late to live the life you've always dreamed of.” She is offering a limited autographed edition to celebrate the book’s launch. CONGRATS, Cynthia!
Want to be featured in a future post?
Just reply to this email or leave a comment with a 1–2 sentence description of what you’ve been working on. It can be as polished or messy as you like—we celebrate it all here.
📖 “Read Like a Writer” Book Club — This Sunday!
You’re invited to our next Read Like a Writer meeting (even if you haven’t read the book):
🗓️ Sunday, June 22nd at 8pm ET / 5pm PT - ZOOM link below
📚 Book: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
“Read Like a Writer” Book Club is for our community members who want to dive even deeper into how great books work. Come nerd out with us! 🤓
During the book discussion, we’ll chat about:
Narrative Structure & POV
The novel alternates perspectives, including that of Marcellus the octopus.
What effect does this shifting POV have on the pacing and emotional weight of the story?
How does the inclusion of an animal narrator challenge or expand the traditional structure of a novel?
Would the book still work without Marcellus’s sections?
Theme Integration
What are the core themes (e.g., grief, connection, memory)? How are these explored subtly through setting and character choices rather than overt exposition?
How does Marcellus the octopus metaphorically support the novel’s deeper messages?
Genre-Bending
This novel straddles literary fiction, upmarket fiction, and feel-good fiction with a quirky edge. How do the genre elements intersect?
Why do you think this book resonated so broadly with readers to become a breakout debut?
During the “behind the scenes of writing” portion, we will talk about:
Book marketing and publicity
Why I decided not to quit Instagram
What do you as the author do vs. what does the in-house marketing and publicity team do?
How does a freelance publicist fit into the picture?
What are the most important parts of marketing and publicity?
What actually moves the needle?
I think this is going to be a wonderful conversation!
Zoom link is posted below the paywall to keep our gathering cozy and private.
(This also prevents any non-book-loving Zoom crashers!)
If you’d like to join us in the Book Club, you can upgrade to a paid membership here:
or:
Or refer friends to receive complimentary months:
1 referral = 1 month free
2 referrals = 3 months free
3 referrals = 1 year free
✨ Note for fellow introverts:
You are welcome to come as you are—cameras on or off, display names changed or unchanged. No pressure, just presence.
📹 This session will be recorded for those who can’t attend live.