My new audiobook and live tour :)

Plus, some realllllly good cult faves.

Writing prompt of the day:

As fall gives way to winter, our daily lives can start to look a bit drearier and less inspiring. So let’s look a bit more closely. As you go about your day today, take notice of a particular color—whatever sticks out to you in the palette of your life—and write a journal entry describing your physical observations of that color, as well as what it might represent for you more abstractly.

I’m officially recording my own audiobook for The Age of Magical Overthinking.

Many readers already know how devastated I was that the pandemic and some boring publisher bullshit prevented me from recording my own Cultish audiobook. I got to record Wordslut myself and it was such a thrill!! Well, hallelujah, because my publisher just confirmed that I’ll be recording TAOMO myself at a studio somewhere in LA in January.

I will not take one second of this experience for granted. I read my work aloud quite a bit when I write, so it’ll feel so momentous to be able to do that for readers. Any pure audiobook lovers here?? What are some of your faves??

I’m planning book tour events and would love your input!

My publisher, podcast team, and I are putting together some very special live events for next year when I go on book tour, and I’m currently brainstorming moderators/special guests to join me. Can y’all think of any charismatic authors, podcasters, or otherwise bookish public figures you think I’d be good in conversation with? Tell me in a comment below!!

Speaking of audiobooks, Cultish is on sale right now for $5!

LibroFM is having a Black Friday sale! This retailer slaps because every purchase goes through an indie bookstore :)

Did you catch my nerdy linguistics story in The New York Times?

I wrote this over the summer before I started this newsletter, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share it here. It’s the byline I’m probably most proud of—my first in The New York Times! It’s a really fun piece for their special projects desk that was pegged to the annual Scripps Spelling Bee. I basically chose 10 delectable words from the Spelling Bee’s history, wrote an etymological/sociolinguistics ode to each one, and we turned the piece into a guessing game where clues about each word are slowly revealed, allowing readers to guess what the word is before it appears on screen. Play along here!

A weekly roundup of books, podcasts, TV shows, tchotchkes, and anything else I’m currently “cult following.” This week, if I may, some ~lifestyle~ faves.

DRESS: ASTR The Label Floral Dresses

I wear these to every wedding and speaking engagement, I swear. They are reasonably priced ($70-$180), the fit really works on me, and I loooooove the floral patterns! 

DEODORANT: Nala Care Extra Strength Sandalwood & Bergamot

I’m not even a natural deodorant guy, and yet this is the ONLY stick I’ll allow anywhere near my pits anymore. Get the sandalwood flavor, it smells like a fucking 5-star spa. And it actually WORKS! I mean, probably not if you’re planning on running a marathon or anything, but if you’re a fairly sedentary girly like moi, this is going to become your new obsession, I am quite confident.

PERFUME: Jardin D'écrivains Orlando Eau de Parfum

I can’t tell if this sentence is iconic or obnoxious, both or neither, but… I picked up this Virginia Woolf-inspired perfume last year in the South of France while traveling there to give a TEDTalk. Okay I said it, so sue me!! It’s an androgynous, timeless scent that makes me feel like my most romantic self. And it’s not horrendously expensive!

MOISTURIZER: Noto Botanics Moisture Riser Cream

My skin somehow gets both dry AND greasy at the same time, and this is my favorite solution. It also smells like a high-end spa!! The moisturizer is lightweight, silky, vegan, made with hyaluronic acid, and a little goes a long way. 

BLAZER: Sézane Christie Jacket in Multicolour Check Print

I bought this blazer AND the matching trousers for a recent literary event in NYC and was truly living out my Gloria Steinam fantasy in it. It’s simply the perfect autumnal wool blazer. They seem to be mostly sold out in the brown plaid, but the Rosewood color also looks heavenly.