Dear Reader

Mae's Version

Hello friends,

Last night I hit send and sent in my final pass pages to my editor. So that’s it. Bellamy and Oliver are no longer just mine. Don’t get me wrong, they will always be my darlings, but very soon they will also be readers which is just something wild to imagine for a debut author.

Something I’ve really been reflecting on as I’ve worked on cover-like things with my editor (who has been amazing about asking for my feedback I can’t even tell you) and just this entire process of being published - why did I write this book? Don’t mind me as I use this newsletter as a bit of a MySpace confessional.

[Content warning for discussions of fatphobia]

There are a lot of reasons, but I want to touch on one that I feel like I haven’t talked about much. While Barely Even Friends is not the first book I have ever written, it is the first book I’ve written with body diversity representation.

As someone who has been fat her entire life, it was always framed as a but for me. You’d be pretty but…. You can eat this but…

I recently had my author photos done by a good friend. This was something quite a few people encouraged me to go to a studio to get done. But it was also something that caused me a lot of anxiety, so I kept putting it off. A really good friend of mine is an incredibly talented photographer and offered to take my photo to also test out some of his new photography equipment.

While I won’t say I didn’t have anxiety going into the experience, my friend, Nicholas Resendes if anyone is in the DC area and needs a photographer, was kind and made it a wonderful experience. He took some incredible photos, and I found one I loved, but I haven’t shared it widely. Maybe I’ll get there one day, but it will be featured on the back of my book (scream) and it means so much more to have it taken by a friend as I have not gotten here alone and that photo is a perfect representation of that fact.

I’m not sure I even made the conscious decision exactly to make Bellamy (the FMC of Barely Even Friends) fat, that was just how she erupted from my mind, fully formed, fat, and happy with her body. Unapologetically herself. Bellamy is who I wish I could be. I wish I could say as I put this book into the world that I am someone who is perfectly comfortable in her body, or even perfectly comfortable showing her face rather than using a cartoon profile picture (that has better hair than I ever will).

And then there’s Oliver, the other main character in Barely Even Friends, a former football player (this book was written prior to current events I am just a Mastermind apparently), living life after an accident that ended his career before it could begin. Unlike Bellamy, he is not at all relaxed in his skin and has a journey throughout the book being comfortable with himself and his vulnerability with Bellamy. While I very much can relate to Bellamy, I also have put a lot of my insecurities in Oliver too.

That’s all to say, I wrote this book for me. I wrote this book for the girl I was when I was little, dressing up in all of her Disney princess dresses even though none of them looked like me. I wrote this book for teenage me who sat in her room reading books, disappearing into those worlds. I wrote this book for adult me who is still struggling but also, maybe that’s okay. And their happily ever after is very much for me too.

While I of course want this book to do well, I truly just hope this book touches someone the way that other books featuring fat/curvy/plus-size characters have made me feel incredibly seen in a world that can make us feel less than. To be someone’s comfort book, to see a photo of my book just falling apart because it’s been reread so many times.

So I truly hope you see yourself in some part of Bellamy and Oliver. In her competence and love for her job, her suspenders, her obsession with Taylor Swift, and her struggles to find love. Or maybe in Oliver, who has hidden himself away from the world to protect himself, but who fiercely loves, and his search to find his way. Because while they’ll always be mine, they’re also now yours too.

They will be hitting NetGalley in December and I’ll also finally be able to share my gorgeous cover then as well. My publisher has really been taking the extra time to make sure to get Bellamy in all of her plus-size glory right, and so many beautiful hints for the book. If you want to help share (and get an early glimpse of the cover), please sign up at this link:

And since you’ve stuck around this long, I can also share the gorgeous image used for scene breaks which also might be a small teaser:

Alright, enough of this vulnerability, in the coming weeks I can’t wait to share more about Barely Even Friends with all of you. Your support has meant everything.

It wouldn’t be my newsletter without some book recommendations:

Out Now

The Trial of the Sun Queen by Nisha J Tuli- the description that this is the Hunger Games x The Bachelor is so spot on. This is a fast-paced fantasy ride. While it is a series, so be prepared for a long game on that romance, I just escaped into this story, and dove immediately into the sequel.

Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M Lopez - The second book in this series, this was a gorgeous second-chance romance with just oof the right amount of angst, tenderness, and gosh that sexual chemistry. Let’s not even get started on that pining

Coming Soon

The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson (December 6) - This was cat nip pure and simple, just addicting. Fun, banter-filled, steamy and just a gorgeous evolving relationship. Whether you are new to omega verse or if you knot (IYKYK) what’s going on, this is a must-read.

Bride by Ali Hazelwood (February 6) - I could never pick a favorite Ali book but gosh was this spectacular. This took her brand of spectacular writing and added a paranormal flair and some fated mates. Beware when reading this one you will not be able to put it down.

Mae & King Louis