The Art of Anticipation
+ my favorite restaurants of 2024
It’s common knowledge that traditional publishing is not a quick path to…well, anything. The process of writing a book, getting agented, going on submission, and selling a book can take years—and that’s before the “real work,” by which I mean the work an author is paid money to do, even starts.
I wrote the first draft of Feast & Famine: The Last Great Heir, on a rock climbing trip gone awry in 2021. In 22 days, it will *finally* be in bookstores.
I often say that patience is a virtue I simply don’t have. I love instant gratification and endorphin rushes, which is why I gravitate towards activities like rollercoasters and posting videos on social media. But my desire to share this story with as many people as possible has forced me to exercise restraint.
When I sold the book, all I wanted to do was spread the news. In reality, it took six months before all the necessary pieces were in place to announce the deal. If I had been able to tell the world the moment I sold my debut novel, I would have shouted it in a blaze of glory and probably burned out.
Instead I had to let it simmer, dropping hints and giving bits and pieces of information over the course of the past three years. I’ve gotten so cozy with the idea of waiting for launch day that it feels entirely fake. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that this thing I’ve been waiting FOREVER for might actually be happening.
But last weekend I woke up, opened my phone (I know, I know), and saw this:
It’s one thing to anticipate a big personal moment, but to find out that other people are excited, too? That threw my brain for a loop.
As I spent the rest of that day in the daze of disbelief, I realized something strange: the closer I get to launch day, the more reluctant I’ve become to talk about Feast & Famine: The Last Great Heir. I’ve even taken to calling it “the book” instead of calling it by its name (you might have noticed that in this very essay!).
When I took a moment to examine this, I realized it was all tied to this idea of anticipation, and how bad I am with patience. I was dealing with the wait by pretending it wasn’t real. But the boxes of hardcovers in my basement and the Barnes & Noble website beg to differ. If you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy, you can get it from B&N (there’s a very pretty exclusive edition!), Amazon, and of course, your local indie. And as I come to terms with the fact that, yes, this is really happening, I hope you’ll stick around while I learn how to talk about it.
My Favorite Restaurants of 2024
I ate at a lot of restaurants in 2024—though I also had the pleasure of cooking more often at home! This meant that when I did eat out, I focused on the places I was most excited to try. When I took stock of where I ate and tried to sort out my favorites, a clear theme emerged: this was a very good year for Korean food in NYC. Not all of these restaurants are new, but I’m of the opinion that chasing newness for its own sake is decidedly out for 2025. Check out the video roundup here, and see below for the highly requested list (in no particular order)
Stuff I love:
Like seemingly everyone else in NYC, I started my year with a trip to Othership. Stay tuned for more on my experience there, but know that I will be going back…this week.
I got an acupressure mat and a set of body balance magnets from WTHN to help manage holiday stress (and related aches and pains), and I now can’t imagine how I lived without these things. Yes, the mat is uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it extremely quickly.
Sensing a trend here? When I did my 2025 goal setting, I decided to make a radical shift from previous years and put “wellness” above any career or creative goals. Because you can’t pursue a creative career if you aren’t taking care of your bod, soul, and mind, or whatever, it turns out! To that end, I have been spending time on my Oceanfoam yoga mat every single day. I own an embarrassing number of yoga mats, but this one is my favorite.
Next week: What I thought of the re-opened Gjelina, my favorite restaurants of December, and more fun from the world of Feast & Famine.
A B&N recommendation!!! What a writer's dreams are made of...
So happy to hear you're loving the Oceanfoam yoga mat! I'm so excited to read your book :)