Most Eligible is out today!
Welcome to the Love Shack.
Happy January 13th!
This seemingly random date has been etched into my brain for over a year now, because today is the day that my debut novel, Most Eligible, is out in the world! You can buy a copy now at the links below, and request at your local library (available in print, e-book, and audio!)
Most Eligible is about a journalist, Georgia, who goes undercover on a reality show called Love Shack. She’s a true love skeptic (and she hates reality TV), but just when she thinks she’s ready to (pretend to) fall head over heels for America’s Most Eligible Bachelor, BOOM! In walks the dreamy country singer she had a one-night stand with last year. He’s this season’s host, and boy is Georgia still not over him. But he’s definitely over her… or is he? I guess you’ll have to read to find out!
Publishing a book has been process I could never have prepared for. It’s full of highs and lows, ebbs and flows, and a whole lot of waiting. Back when I first signed my publication deal, my mom thought the book would be out in a matter of months. Wouldn’t that be fun! But here we are, a year and a half later, and it’s finally happening.
One of the most fundamental perspective shifts I’ve experienced over the past year was when random people on the internet began reading and reviewing Most Eligible. That was the moment when, in some ways, it stopped being MY book, and became A book. The people who were reading no longer knew me or were reading because of a connection we had. They were reading because they were readers, and it was a book. To me, Most Eligible will always be MY book. The writing process was full of so much joy and discovery, and this book will always have a core, special place in my heart. But now, this book belongs to you just as much as it does to me. (Well, actually it belongs to me at least a little more, but you get what I mean.)
People have been telling me that “the hard part is over” - and by that, they mean writing the book. But a little (introverted) part of me keeps thinking, “but that was the fun part too!” But I didn’t know how rewarding it would be to hear people tell me they loved the book, to say they laughed out loud while reading, that they’re in love with Rhett (you know who you are!), or that they were surprised and delighted by the ending! I’m so grateful to everyone who has already read Most Eligible for helping me make this part (the publishing part), the fun part too. <3
I wish I could go back in time and tell the 17 year old me who sat in the stacks of the high school library (because she was too anxious to venture into the cafeteria) and wrote her historical romance novel that this is how it would turn out. That she would get to walk into a bookstore and see her book there on the shelves, ready for someone to take it home. The dedication in Most Eligible is for her, and anyone else who writes for the writing, and who loves it too much to ever stop.
Most Eligible is a romance at its core, but it’s also a love letter to reality TV and strong female friendships. Reality TV, and especially reality TV that revolves around romance, is often referred to as a “guilty pleasure,” or something that’s not high-brow enough to admit to enjoying. It’s also something that is stereotypically thought of as being enjoyed by women, which I don’t think is a coincidence. (More on this in a future newsletter, maybe!) When I wrote Most Eligible, I had a lot of fun toying with the idea of what’s real and what’s fake on reality TV shows like The Bachelor. I made choices about which contestants were there “for the right reasons,” which lines were scripted or natural, but the one aspect that I was sure I wanted to be genuine was how badass the female contestants were and how real the friendships they formed are. These (fictional) women are ready to take on the world and I can’t wait for you to meet them.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me and this book get to this point. The SmoochPit mentorship program (shoutout to Julie!), my writing friends and critique partners, my amazing agent Kendall, Kelly and the rest of the team at SMP, the booksellers who are hyping up Most Eligible’s release, Amanda Leigh Cobb (the audiobook’s amazing narrator!), my wonderful family who have descended upon DC to come to the release event, my friends, and my amazing boyfriend who has told me so many times that “the book doesn’t suck.” ❤️ It’s much less scary to do this publishing thing with you guys in my corner.
And thank you! Whoever you are! I hope you love Georgia and Rhett’s love story and adventures on Love Shack as much as I do. Happy reading!
Isabelle <3
I love looking at my copy on my shelf every day! (◠‿◠✿)
Happy release day!!!