Welcome to my newsletter!
Debut year thoughts and what's up next
Hello! Thanks for indicating interest in updates from me, either from the Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things preorder campaign or from the Sejal Sinha ARC request form.
First: an action item for you! If you read and enjoyed Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things, I’m BEGGING you - please leave me a review on Amazon. The Algorithm Gods will only be sated by the sacrifice of a few seconds of your time. It doesn’t have to be long, but every review helps visibility.
Thanks! Now for some bookish and publishing thoughts:
Debut year was fun, stressful, and full of surprises. I learned so much about publishing because it’s not an industry where anything happens as you expect. I also wrote 4 books between summer 2021 and summer 2022, all on deadline. Those are the three books in the Sejal Sinha chapter book series as well as the follow up to Drizzle, Dreams, and Lovestruck Things. It wasn’t easy to produce so much and stay on top of everything, but I think I was partially carried through by the excitement of finally getting published after more than a decade of effort and rejection.
Overall, I think I kept my promise to myself to focus on the joy, and be proud of my accomplishments. I wrote and published a book about 4 Indian American sisters as they come-of-age and falling in love, a book of brown joy and queer joy. It was such a thrill to see it in bookstores and even at the airport, and to hear from readers who thought it was funny and delightful and moving. All the things I was hoping for.
Also, in case you missed my cover reveal for the follow up, here’s the gorgeous face of Wild Wishes and Windswept Kisses! Preorder links are here: https://www.mayaprasad.com/wild-wishes-and-windswept-kisses
Keep your receipts because I’ll be sharing more about my preorder campaign goodies soon!
As for the Sejal Sinha books, I had so much fun writing these science adventures. Each one sprang from a cool science fact. Then it was a little puzzle for me to make the science personal to my protagonist, a young Indian American girl who has a big imagination. For example, in book 1, I was inspired by PROJECT STORMFURY, a real government project in the 1960s to try to weaken hurricanes using cloud-seeding technology. I thought—what if a hurricane is threatening Sejal’s family’s Diwali celebration? What if they might have to evacuate? What if she really just wants to spend some time with a cousin who she’s felt some distance from recently?
And thus, Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms was born! The books are available for preorder now: Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms and Sejal Sinha Swims With Sea Dragons. There’s a third book coming too, but I’m still waiting to reveal the cover. In the meantime, happy reading and thanks for following along with me on this journey!
Warmly,
Maya Prasad