 RE:writes
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As teen music sensation Billie Eilish once said, “Basically, people just do a lot of the same sh*t that I do. And I’m just like, ‘Can you not?’”
Yes, I agree. I’m also like, “Can you not?” 🤨
I've had to deal with copycats for most of my career. From copying column ideas to the exact hour and minute I send out my newsletter. (NEWS FLASH: it has nothing to do with analytics — it's a personal Jewish superstition. 🤷)
And no, I don't think "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." So many forget don’t know the second half of this Oscar Wild quote: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”
Which is why re:books publishing isn't imitating traditional publishing houses, not in the slightest. Rather, we're setting out to reinvent the rule book on Canadian publishing. 📚 Read the 7 ways we dare to re:invent the wheel and how authors can benefit here. (Also, I have a bet I'm making with traditional publishers, and it's no joke: if you win, I'll wire you $100.)
Speaking of being a new author! Recently, I had a long, much-needed catch-up with Marci Warhaft, the author of The Good Stripper: A Soccer Mom's Memoir of Lies, Loss, and Lapdances. (You read that right.) Read the five surprising things she discovered as a first-time author (including her sexual orientation) here.
Also, re:books publishing house is currently accepting manuscripts as part of our second annual #WriteAwaySummer Contest. Send yours to me now!
Until next time, flip your hair and flip the page!
xoxo,
P.S. I have a book lover's dream tRE:at from us at re:books. Check it out below! 💳
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 What I'm RE:ading
My fiction pick of the week.
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When Paris married Jimmy, she couldn’t imagine she’d be charged with his murder, but as she sits in the back of a police car covered in his blood, she has much more to worry about — like her past being published on front pages across the country. The smooth-flowing storyline in Things We Do in The Dark by Jennifer Hillier (St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 2022) has dual perspectives and alternates between the past and present. The characters are complex and dynamic, and the gripping and surprising twists and turns will make you gasp. A fantastic thriller!
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 RE:caRE:s
Spotlight on Jewish authors and characters
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After attending college and being given a laptop (something nonexistent in the Hassidic world she was born into), Raizl discovers porn and gets hooked immediately. However, unlike the "enlightened woman is liberated from the terrors of Orthodoxy" trope made popular in the last few years, Raizl is not looking to leave her community. Instead, she tries to reconcile her unconventional self with her traditions and religious beliefs. At times funny and at times heartbreaking, Shmutz (Atria Books, 2022) by Felicia Berliner is an insightful look into the Hassidic community from an original and unique point of view.
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 guilty pleasuRE: tRE:asuRE
For the romantics.
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I’m not ashamed to say I love reality TV, especially The Real Housewives. But others seem to hide the fact they enjoy it. Maybe it’s because reality TV, like sex, gives voyeuristic pleasure. I think I read that somewhere. But perhaps we give reality TV too much credit. In True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us (Farrar, Straus And Giroux), Danielle J. Lindemann suggests that reality TV is a reflection of all of society, not just part of it. Even if you don’t watch TV, this is a very intriguing read about society, how we view ourselves, and the reality of it all.
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 peer pRE:ssuRE
Young Adult pick of the week from Rebecca's daughter.
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Lou graduated high school and is left to run her family’s ice cream shop, where she has to work with a very recent ex-boyfriend, her best friend, and an old friend who just returned to town. Aside from that, she must deal with threatening letters about her mother’s past, struggles with her Métis identity, exploring her sexual orientation, and instances of racism and misogyny. Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson (HarperCollins, 2022) is as raw as it is real. It has highs and lows, making me sad and happy, mad and calm. It is bitter and sweet, with everything in between.
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 book RE:port
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“It lets us be a little bit nosy. In a very anonymous way, it's like reading people's secret diaries... but without knowing who they are.”
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— Oakland librarian Sharon McKellar on her collection "Found in a Library Book." She secretly started a project where she gathers and shares anonymous items left in library books, like drawings, post-it notes, and love letters. Makes me think about what I've left in library books over the years...
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 tRE:at
No books here, just a giveaway to pamper one lucky winner.
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Fine, fine...I give you permission to copy the books I've read! Enter to win an Amazon gift card below so you can get your hands on this week's awesome book picks.
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P.S. The winner of last week's Amazon giveaway is (drum roll please...): Kate Myers!
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We’re currently on the hunt for more commercial fiction, memoirs, non-fiction, romcoms and full-on romance, thrillers, YA, and beach reads. So, if you or any of your friends have a manuscript, enter it into our second annual Write Away Summer Contest by sending it to info@rebooks.ca. The winning book will be published, guaranteed.
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 Enco:RE
Missed the last few newsletters? Read them here.
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*tREat contest rules here.
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