Love, Death, and In Between
Don’t ask me how, but apparently, I’m about to publish another book. Love, Death, and In Between feels like pain in pleasure. If you thought that Green Card Marriage was an emotional roller coaster then let’s just say… I outdid myself. I took all the love, all the pain, and the grief within me, and I put it on paper.
When I say I go to open mics people ask if I do stand-up. My usual answer is “I’m too tragic for that. I make people cry instead”. So get your tissues ready because LDB drops on Wednesday, February 14th and we will celebrate at the bookstore with a crazy Anti-Valentine’s Day Party!
We will have cake, we will have cupcakes, and most importantly - live music by the Jamie Rose Band. And maybe… I’m working on a surprise vendor….
What makes me so proud of LDB is how it came to life. In the beginning, it was an impromptu chapbook of poems that I made (copy-pasted from my iPhone notes and Google Docs) in less than 48 hours. I wrote some extra pieces and submitted it for a chapbook contest. I waited five months just to find out that the judges wanted more variation. I tried not to be heartbroken but of course I was. Rejection sucks. There’s no way not to take it personally. I knew I was going to self-publish this book anyway, but to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.
Meanwhile, I focused on Green Card Marriage and had to postpone publishing LDB. I kept writing poems here and there, slowly adding them to the book. When the store opened, GCM got published, and I finally had the time to sit down and focus on LDB - suddenly it clicked. Before the “in between” part was just to fill the space but then I realized that it wasn’t just a filler anymore. After five months of coming up with that title, the “in between” has gained a completely different meaning to me. It just clicked. And I’m so grateful that I didn’t win that contest with the first version because I needed those five months and then some to make this book as meaningful as it could ever be.
If that wasn’t enough, the cover was designed by one of my favorite artists I’ve been following for years now. Her art speaks to me. Her art moves me. It makes me feel. And I am so honored she agreed to bring my idea to life.
Love, Death, and In Between is like my heart spilled onto paper. I didn’t hold back. I might get in a lot of trouble with some people… Others will probably judge me. Believe me, there are some pieces I’m already judging myself for. But that’s the way I felt when I wrote them and my rule is - I never discredit the feelings I had, no matter how insane they seem now.
So here’s the schedule!
February 1st - cover reveal
February 14th - book launch party at Drew’s Bookstore
February 18th - book signing for GCM and LDB at the Twig Bookshop in San Antonio, Texas
and hopefully, more events to come!
