Dispatch #39: The Paperback

...and I almost forgot about it

Today the paperback of Time’s Mouth is released. Same book, (almost the) same cover, only now it’s lighter and more portable, and at a lower price point. I love a good, chunky paperback and I bet you do too!

[Don’t feel like reading the rest of this email? Scroll down to the end of this email for a delightful/strange…reward offer?]

Now with new blurbs

All summer I’ve been so removed from novel writing that I didn’t realize until this past weekend that my shipment of paperbacks hadn’t yet arrived from the publisher. Oops! At the same time, I love a paperback release precisely for its lack of anticipation and angst. I don’t feel the need to do an event, or worry about sales or reviews, or, I don’t know, wonder at 2 am if I am truly loved and worthy. All the paperback means is that my baby’s been out in the world for about a year. Happy birthday, Time’s Mouth! Here’s a new, less cumbersome outfit!

I sincerely hope the book finds new readers as a paperback. I remain very proud of it, and I think it’s my best novel (SO FAR *cue evil laugh*). People tell me they’ve never read anything like it, that they stayed up late reading it, that the characters feel real, that it evokes such a strong sense of place. Many readers report crying—CRYING—at the end of it! Holy shit!

I can guarantee that every copy of Time’s Mouth contains (sorta) time travel, an all-female cult, family secrets, and California from the 1950s to the year 2000, mommy issues. What if you could go back to moments of your own past—would you?

I hate when people say Time’s Mouth is about intergenerational trauma, even though they’re not wrong, because, well, that sounds like such a cliche of our era, and like such a downer. I myself wouldn’t want to read about intergenerational trauma! To me, this book is about these specific people, this specific family, in these specific landscapes, with their longing and pain and desire to connect. It’s got jokes, too—I swear!—and some edge-of-your-seat suspense. It’s about parenting and being parented. And, my god, I hope it’s fun to read.

If you can’t trust my opinion, here’s what a few critics have to say:

"An intensely imagined work that takes a number of risks with genre, character, and emotional tone." --Anita Felicelli, Alta

"A time-travel story that feels shatteringly real . . . It's both gripping and moving, and promises at least one burst of cathartic tears." --Lily Meyer, NPR

Wildly imaginative . . . An emotionally visceral, page-turning saga exploring motherhood, abandonment, self-invention, intergenerational trauma, cult worship, somatic therapy, and, most of all, the poignancy that even reconjured memories are forever lost once the present vanishes." --Jessica Zack, San Francisco Chronicle

Wow, thank you, critics!

The book was long-listed for the Joyce Carol Oates prize. It was an Indie Next pick. It got a weird review from the New York Times Book Review that was very sphinx-like, but we got a few pull-quotes from it, so thanks for that. Kirkus gave the book a star. Publishers Weekly’s review was *mostly* positive; I curse them for calling my tight-as-all-hell story “convoluted”—then again, whoever wrote that review got paid like $25 so they were probably busy selling their plasma as they read. Oh, and it was the motherfucking Book of the Week in People Magazine!

To everyone who has bought the book already, thank you. To everyone who has taken the next step and read the book already, thank you. To everyone who has read the book and liked it enough to recommend it to someone else, or even, to take the time to reach out to me with kind words: that means everything. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If you already have a copy of the book, perhaps you want to get the paperback for a dear friend, a crush, a mentor, a sibling, a colleague, a neighbor, a spouse, a parent, a lover, or, (if you hated it), a sworn enemy?

If you haven’t purchased the book yet, perhaps this lower priced sexy paperback option will appeal to you? Do it! Get it!

Here’s a fun reward if you buy the paperback. Email me your receipt to edan.lepucki@gmail.com and I will do one of the following:

1. Email you a pep talk highlighting how great you’re doing, how hot you look, how special you are. I used to give these talks to my friend Tali in high school and they remain legendary.

   or

2. Email you an update on my sex life. Seriously. (LOL—I appreciate all voyeurs who want this information!)

   or

3. Email you to tell you how much I sold Time’s Mouth for, and how much I’ve made in royalties. (LOL again—I love everyone who loves money talk)

   or

4. Email you my SAT scores (Not laughing now, just nodding because I love finding out this stat from everyone I’ve ever met.)

Are you tempted?

Here’s some links to buy the paperback:

Bookshop
Vroman’s/Book Soup
Skylight
Mrs. Dalloway’s
Avid
Barnes and Noble
Amazon

Or you can walk into your local bookstore in a chic little outfit (or an ugly one) and ask for the latest paperback by Edan Lepucki!

Thank you so much,

Okay, that’s it. I have a summer cold and thus am still foggy-headed from last night’s NyQuil, so I’m going to lie down. No, actually, I’m not. I wish. In fact, I am going to help Mickey build a LEGO trash truck he got for his birthday. The Mommy Experiment is still ongoing, after all…

Thanks for your support,

Edan