 RE:writes
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One of the most challenging parts of telling a story is finding a story that's worth pitching. If you're not writing from firsthand experience, how do you find inspiration? It all comes down to my 20-minute rule. (Curious? You can learn more here.)
Plus, re:books executive editor, Maya, does a deep dive into book burnout. (Yes, it's a real thing!) Like many others, she wasn't reading as much as she wanted to before the pandemic. Her to-read list was growing at an exponential rate.
When the pandemic hit, Maya went all in on reading, taking advantage of every free minute and going through books like there was no tomorrow (which it kind of felt like at some points, tbh). In a way, not only was reading swallowing the boredom, but it was also providing an escape from reality.
But at some point, Maya wasn’t feeling it anymore. And thus, she discovered "book burnout." Find out what it is and how she came to diagnose herself.
Until next time, flip your hair and flip the page,
P.S. I have a tREat from Hamsa Alek valued at $140. Check it out below!
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 pREp talk
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My Secret to Finding Pitch-Worthy Stories
Most publishers — not all, and it truly depends on what genre you’re in — want to see that aspiring authors have somewhat of a following. Getting bylines is a great way to get your name out there. And one way to find stories to write about is by eavesdropping. In this week's pREp talk, I share how eavesdropping and observing my surroundings have led to some of my best pitches. (Just don't get creepy!)
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 what i’m RE:ading
A balancing act with one fiction and one non-fiction.
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In Nest: Letting Go from Italy, France, and Ireland (Iguana Books), single mom of four boys, Jennifer McGuire, is just scraping by. Her lifelong dream has been to visit Europe, and finally, after raising her boys, she jets off to Italy, France, and Ireland, where she finds out things about herself and loses some others. This book is a must-read for every woman who has had her own Eat, Pray, Love fantasies.
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Jennifer Barnes has just been told she has a brain tumour and has only six weeks to live. Turns out, cancer may not be her only probable cause of death. Someone in her life may want her dead, and she’s going to find out who and why before she passes on. Six Weeks to Live (Simon & Schuster) is a pulse-inducing thriller filled with surprising twists and turns and complex characters.
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 RE:wind
So nice, I've read it twice.
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Chronic pain (especially back pain for people like me who sit at their computers all day) is rapidly on the rise, which is why Pain (Vintage Canada 2003) is a timely book to re-visit. After author Marni Jackson was stung by a bee, she started pondering pain — the history of pain, what it means in our everyday lives, how we deal with it, and why chronic pain is so misunderstood. It's a very well put-together and concise research piece into what you may think is a mundane subject, but is actually very far from it.
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 book RE:port
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“It feels natural to me to lean into the stuff that feels uncomfortable, because that’s what feels the most messily human.”
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— Bestselling author Kristin Arnett believes that writing about the awkward stuff makes for the most compulsively readable books. This is certainly the case in her new novel With Teeth, about an imperfect queer mom who grows increasingly suspicious of her son's behaviour. (Something many moms wouldn't even think of admitting.)
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 peer pRE:ssuRE
Young Adult pick of the week from Rebecca's daughter.
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Fifteen-year-old Carla suffers from an extremely rare disease, which has prevented her from leaving her house for most of her life. But when a moving truck pulls up next door, her life changes forever. Carla swoons for her new neighbour, Olly, and wants to know everything about him, wants out of her “bubble," wants everything the world has to offer. But will everything end in disaster? I loved Everything Everything (Penguin Teen) and the simplicity of Nicola Yoon's writing. It made me appreciate everything in life we often take for granted.
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 RE:caRE:s
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Murder On My Mind: A Memoir of Menopause by Dana Goldstein (Digital Shoebox Inc) is a superbly written depiction of a truth every woman will face in her lifetime. Extremely comical in parts, intensely raw in others, Goldstein takes readers on a journey through every fact, emotion, and symptom. From menopause ear hair, to scattered brain, to mood swings not suitable for all audiences, Goldstein shines a light on a (sometimes gory) reality we have been way too delinquent in normalizing.
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 guilty pleasuRE: tRE:asuRE
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Drinking & Tweeting: And Other Brandy Blunders (Gallery Books) is the bestselling book from the Housewife you love to hate: Brandi Glanville. Born out of her impulsive, drunken, out-of-control tweeting, this book is brutally honest and absolutely hilarious and may change your opinion about the author after you read about her crazy life. It's a quick and effortless read, and the perfect complement to a glass of wine.
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 tRE:at
No books here. Here's a giveaway to pamper one lucky winner.
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Sponsored by
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P.S. The winner of the Sparkle Girl giveaway is (drum roll please...): Karen Sproule!
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 RE:sourceful RE:ads
For the more serious reader.
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In Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Siblings Estrangements and the Road to Reconciliation (Penguin Publishing Group), Fern Schumer Chapman tackles a common yet rarely discussed quandary of sibling estrangement. Written from personal experience, Schumer Chapman takes an emotional and comprehensive look at facing the problem head on and advice on how to decide whether to proceed toward reconciliation or be at peace without one. "Whenever I tell people that I am working on a book about sibling estrangement, they sit up a little straighter and lean in, as if I've tapped into a dark secret," says the author.
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♡ RE appRE:ciates
Thank you, readers, for your support.
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*tREat contest rules here.
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