Getting emo and reflective about 2022

Hello my lil sweet pea!

Goodness gracious, what a fucking year!

I went into 2022 full of hope and anxiety with giant dreams and even bigger fears. The year was everything I could have wanted and nothing like I expected. It was full of ups and downs and heartbreak and happiness. But what made this year defy anything I could have imagined is the kindness of you all. Releasing a book is a wonderful, horrible thing; putting a piece of your heart into the world and hoping people find it and love it, or, if they hate it, praying they won't tell you how much. I kind of picture it as taking a really artsy, intricate nude (twisting your body into a position it really shouldn't be in then pulling an essential muscle) and releasing it into the world for critique. 

I cannot speak to your personal experience with 2022 (although I sincerely hope it was wonderful) but I want you to know that your small and large acts of kindness made this year indescribably special. Your excitement for books (mine, and others... I live for your book recs), your humor and memes and shitposts and earnest talks. Your advocacy for stories and the fervor you support us writers. Your willingness to take risks on your own work, the perseverance with which you keep going. If no one has told you yet today, I'm so damn proud of you. Surviving a year is a radical act of courage, and you've done it. And you'll do it again. 

If you're able, I encourage you to take a moment or two today to recognize all that you've done this year, how much light and joy you've spread. You've probably made some mistakes—I know I have—and look at those too, see how much you've learned from them, the amazing person you are because of them. 2022 was a year of change, may 2023 be a year of peace. I'm sending all of my love and support. 

Yours in courage,
Mazey ❤️🧠🦷

Can't close out the year without this thing though, can we?

(AND IF YOU PRE-ORDER SAVE YOUR RECEIPT)