Lough Neagh, Book Recs, and Book Events
This newsletter’s eel report is all about Lough Neagh, a large freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. Lough Neagh almost sounds like lock knee, lock neigh? People have fished for eels at Lough Neagh since the Bronze Age. If you are like me and don’t know or remember when the Bronze Age was, it was about 5,000 to 2,000 years ago. It’s when humans produced and used metal for the first time. I can’t keep those kinds of facts in my head because there won’t be enough room for new information about eels and internet memes.
Anyway. Lough Neagh is the largest wild eel fishery in Europe. The waters are publicly owned, but the bed and soil of Lough Neagh are owned by Lord Ashley, aka the Earl of Shaftesbury. Nicholas Ashley-Cooper is the 12th and current Earl of Shaftesbury (he used to be a DJ in New York, this is like incongruent for my brain) his brother Anthony Ashley-Cooper was the 11th Earl, and their father, also Anthony Ashley-Cooper was the 10th Earl, but he was brutally murdered by his wife and her brother. A dwindling number of Earls, like a dwindling number of eels in the waters of Lough Neagh. Sorry to the Earls and also the eels. Lough Neagh really does have low eel numbers and algae blooms and plenty of sand extraction. Perhaps it’s all related, but at least the eels won’t be thrown into a ravine in the French Alps like the 10th Earl of Shaftesbury. But maybe it’s worse to have your habitat slowly ruined over decades until it’s uninhabitable? I’m not a scientist, nor an eel expert, nor do I have any authoritative knowledge about the complicated ecosystems of water ways in a warming world. I didn’t even know when the Bronze Age was until ten minutes ago. I do have library cards for four different libraries, and I am very good at using them.
I don’t know how you segue away from that, but late January is when I go wild with library holds because it’s when the American Library Association presents its youth media awards. Sometimes I have read and loved books that get honored— this year my friends Claire Forrest and Ari Tison had books recognized; I cried, texted, and then I went to work and tried to act normal. I love library youth media awards mornings, they are a big celebration for children’s literature.
Usually, I find books that I haven’t read and some I’ve never heard of when the awards are announced, and some I want to read again, and then I put all of the books on hold. My library holds list is so long, and I’m still working my way through those books. The reading has been fantastic.
I stopped by Green Been Books while I was visiting Portland earlier this month and got some excellent book recommendations, like bookseller favorite, Dim Sum Palace by X. Fang and A Daydreamy Child Takes a Walk by Gianna Rodari and Beatrice Alemagna. So I’ve mostly just been reading. January and February were also excellent for rom-com movie watching marathons and Nora Ephron reading. Which I always recommend.
New Picture Book & Book Events
This newsletter is really supposed to exist so I can tell you about my own books and writing, not eels or Earls or what I’ve been reading— but I like sharing all those things. We are officially two weeks away from book publication day on March 5th for The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime.
I have fun events lined up all throughout March. I’m kicking events off with a reading and signing on March 10th at Wishing Tree Books in Spokane, a kid-centric bookstore in the South Perry District.
I’m doing two special events with Lisa Frenkel Riddiough at Red Balloon Bookshop (virtual) and Hyperbole Bookstore in College Station, Texas.
My hometown independent bookstore, Book People of Moscow, is hosting me at the Kenworthy on March 23rd, and I can’t wait to celebrate this newest book with friends and neighbors.
Still ironing out details on another Spokane event towards the end of March, so make sure you’re subscribed to stay on top of all the book news and event updates.
My author copies of TGLMGTB arrived last week, I can’t wait to share more details and Nici Gregory’s incredible illustrations.
As we get closer to publication date, more book reviews for The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime have rolled in and I’m so happy with the response!
“This book is utterly original, delightfully dark, and as twisted as a branch of undersea coral.”
- Booklist
Pre-orders are a great way to help authors and their books, The Good Little Mermaid’s Guide to Bedtime is available to pre-order everywhere that books are sold. I’ll have door hangers and stickers for my local indie and at events.
Thanks for reading this little newsletter— I appreciate all the support. Hope to see you at an event this Spring!