HELLO SUBSTACKERS (Here's an Update)

An update to rule them all (not really, but what else can I say after disappearing for nearly a year?)

Hi, beautiful friends! I haven’t shared a Substack newsletter in nine months (whaaat?!) and I figured it was time to jump back into your inboxes with a life update.

Recently I was attending a group and we were asked to go around and give a small bio on ourselves (basically what elementary school nightmares are made of), and when I finished mine—which consisted of teaching 10th grade English at a small hybrid school, being an author, having six kids, and working part-time as a clinical massage therapist—the group’s leader responded, “Are you also running for president next week?”

I’m FRICKING considering it. Like many of you, my nervous system has felt somewhat frozen by the repeat traumas of *gestures at our country* and talking about normal everyday life feels . . . Callous?? Pointless??

At the same time, I’m querying again, which requires me to jot down my social media accounts. Including this dead fish of a newsletter, which I haven’t been active with. I guess I don’t have anything to say besides *$#!$@##%$#^^$^$^$^@##@#!!!!!!!!!

I’m certainly not in my most eloquent era. Or functioning era.

But I’m trying, damn it. Because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that writing *is* a revolution, and community is a life raft, and aside from the grossly saccharine culture of social media, for a lot of us, it’s where we connect. And connection is healing. I believe that!

So, here’s my update, brittle as it may be:

After eighteen months on submission, my beautiful friends-to-lovers/second-chance/ felon-falls-for-the-virgin book is effectively dead.

Being on submission has felt like a roller coaster of feelz, and as far as ratios go, there have been a lot of drops. Many. All of the drops!!

Probably the *most* common was the feedback that this book was not right for the current market. After a few months, my agent and I figured it out. I hadn’t written an adult book. It was new adult, and the responses usually reflected that nuance.

The rejections continued to roll in, but it wasn’t all bad. Not at all.

“Thank you so much for thinking of me for THE WORST GOOD GIRL! I love a big-hearted and FUN romance and I was so excited to dive into this one. There is so much to admire about this project, but I didn’t have the 100% obsession for the story as I’d hoped. And Eden deserves obsessed from an editor. I’ll unfortunately step aside but I’ll be curious where this one lands. I’ll be rooting from the sidelines when it does! Much appreciated on the consideration, and please do try me again for projects like this one. It’s right up my alley!” - Putnam

“I was sucked right into this story and found the voice so fun and dynamic! I think Eden has a great sense of humor and her characters were springing to life from the page. That being said, I paused on some of the story elements themselves . . .as Amelia felt too young to me. In the end, while I enjoyed a lot about this, especially Eden’s voice, I’m not entirely falling in love with this the way I’d want to pursue.” – Hachette

“I loved so much about this book– this feels really fresh and full of heart! The forbidden romance element combined with the second-chance feel works so well to build compelling tension. The neurodivergent rep, the pushing back against social expectations, and the tender love Jack and Amelia feel for each other made this such a wonderful read. Ultimately, however, I struggled to connect with some elements of the writing style. I wish I felt differently, but I’m grateful for the chance to read.” – Dial

“I truly appreciate the chance to consider THE WORST GOOD GIRL. First of all, the title is awesome, and Eden’s writing is so relatable, funny, and clever. I liked how Eden highlighted various complex family dynamics and ethical questions within this sweet romance. As much as I enjoyed the read, however, I’m going to step aside. While the premise was adorable, I’m not sure it’ll stand out in a crowded contemporary romance market.” – Kensington

“Thank you so much for your patience while I read THE WORST GOOD GIRL. This is a layered romance with true depth, and I felt equally invested in Amelia’s journey as a character as I did in her blossoming feelings for Jackson. It isn’t every day that a novel takes such a stance in its representation of mental health and incarceration and I so thoroughly appreciate that here. But I did find that the personal challenges of Amelia and Jackson overshadowed, rather than drove forward, the love story at the novel’s core a bit more than I liked at times. While I’m sad to have to pass for this reason, which is almost certainly subjective, I’m still so grateful for a chance to consider.” – Gallery

“Thank you so much for sending me THE WORST GOOD GIRL. I loved the pitch and found the opposites attract narrative so charming and humorous. Unfortunately, I didn’t fall in love with the novel like I hoped I would. I’m afraid Amelia’s voice felt too young to me. Thank you for considering me, and I wish Eden all the best. I’m eager to see where this novel lands.” – Atria

There, you’ve now endured at least a portion of the roller coaster with me. Wasn’t it so twisty, and tummy-floaty, and difficult to know what would come next?! I think so.

But it was also massively rewarding to know my book—my BEAUTIFUL FIRST BOOK—made its way to these brilliant editors, who represent some of my FAVORITE authors, and they genuinely loved my book enough to send gushy rejections, which softened the blow of the emotional whiplash we shall call being on submission. I’m grateful for that.

I’m grateful for industry professionals who put books into the world, because it’s so important. It’s the reason why, despite feeling like an absolute potato of a writer after my book died, I wrote another book.

Although my agent and I went on this arduous journey of submission together, ultimately we were no longer a fit for one another. Ending our professional relationship wasn’t easy, but in life, and certainly as creatives, we must do brave/scary things sometimes. I truly wish her all of the six-figure book deals and I wouldn’t be the writer I am today without her.

So, where am I now??

Well, friends.

I will tell you.

I’m querying my Bigfoot book (it’s a contemporary romance with GROWN-UPS, and no, Bigfoot is not an actual character). Querying makes me feel so squeamishly vulnerable, I want to hide under my bed when I wake up each morning.

Emotionally/Mentally, I am this chicken:

Wish me luck, maybe? Please.

Say HELLO on Instagram?

I don’t always keep up with social media, but I’m pretty serious about connection. Thank you for always believing in me, writing community <3

(If you see typos in this newsletter, no you do not.)

P.S.: If you’re an agent reading this and vetting my newsletter, I promise to be a less neurotic chicken if you work with me.