The Weekly Catch Up
A love letter to myself.
First, I’m so excited to announce that my publisher has launched a preorder campaign for signed copies—yes, signed (!) copies—of Our Last Vineyard Summer with my local indie bookshop Bronx River Books. If you want a copy, and I really want to share a personalized version of this book with you, please order it here. Don’t forget to write who you want me to address the book to in the comments section at checkout!
So remember when I wrote about how I went to Nantucket for a writer’s retreat a couple of months back? Well, at the end of the retreat, the organizers had us write a note to ourselves about the sentiments we wanted to take home with us. In other words, after all of the writing, reflecting and sharing, what did we learn about ourselves as writers? What did we hope would stay with us?
I received my letter in the mail over the weekend, and the outside of the envelope said in script, “A loving reminder from the grey lady.” While I remembered working on the short letter, I could not remember a single word I’d written. The envelope sat unopened on my kitchen counter for a couple of days. It felt like good juju and I just wanted to glance at it every so often and remember that there was something special waiting for me inside.
This morning, in my bright sunny kitchen, with my kids already at school, I tore it open. It was probably the loveliest note I’d ever written myself, and the words were like pulling a warm blanket over me on a winter’s morning. Here’s what it said:
Dear Brooke Lea,
You are a lovely creative person who works hard to tell inspiring stories that empower women. Your best book is still inside of you. Your best book is the one you just wrote. You are good and loving and all of your heart goes into everything you do. I love you. xo
Brooke
Ahem.
Wow. That was from me to me?? As someone who can be overly critical of myself—my writing should be better, I should be a better mom, I should do more, more, more—it was almost shocking to hear myself say something so utterly kind to myself.
When I mentioned this to a friend, she said we all need to be nicer to ourselves. We need to try and talk to ourselves as if we’re talking to a close friend. That makes so much sense, doesn’t it? Let’s try to be nicer and more empathetic and caring to ourselves. I also think everyone should write a letter like this and drop it in the mail a month from now and see what you say to yourself. It’s a very powerful exercise. :)
A little book news…
Thank you to Zibby Owens for naming Our Last Vineyard Summer one of her top Summer Reads. These lists are so helpful to writers who are trying to build buzz for their books, and Zibby has been so generous to me over the years, always giving my books a lift! Thank you, Zibby! You have to see this cool wave thing we did for my post about it on Instagram.
Wait for it!
Just in time for Memorial Day, I’m going to release Dear Fiction’s first annual list of the Top Beach Reads of Summer 2025 this week. Putting together this list was such a labor of love, and you can count on the fact that the books were all hand selected by someone who adores sitting on the sand with a good book. Me!
Stay tuned! Coming in a special post this Thursday!!!! Woot!!
Media Diary
What I’ve Been Watching: “Tucci in Italy” a new show that follows Stanley Tucci’s travels through Italy. We’re headed to the country next month, and it’s been so great getting ideas from watching him wander into Italian restaurants and slurping down pasta.
What I’ve Been Reading: Bees in June by Elizabeth Bass Parman. It’s coming out in September, and I was asked to blurb the story. It’s a wonderful southern novel about a woman finding herself in 1968. Very tender and sweet.
An Article Worth Sharing: “When Did Fitness Classes Get So Hot?” in The Cut in New York magazine. I originally clicked on this because I find I get so overheated in my workout classes these days—perimenopause is fun!—but it’s actually a fascinating take on the latest trend: strength and cardio classes set in rooms that are over 98 degrees. I honestly would pass out, but I enjoyed reading the psychological play at work in people who don’t think they’re working out enough if they’re not drenched in sweat.
Podcast I’m enjoying: “Song Exploder” episode featuring the story behind “Tears for Fears: Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Song Exploder is the *best* podcast about creatives. It interviews singers/songwriters about the story behind their hit song. At the end, they replay the song and you listen with all of this insight. Other favorites include the episode featuring Sabrina Carpenter, Noah Kahn and the tearjerker from 2021 when Imagine Dragons tells the story behind “Follow You.” Just trust me. Soooo good.
Love the idea of writing yourself a letter and YES we all need to be kinder to ourselves!
Love what you wrote to yourself!! I got my letter yesterday - so fun :)