We Made It Through March!
It's been a busy month — and there's more to come.
Hi friends,
I don’t know about you, but March was a month. I blame it on the heat. Arizona experienced record breaking heat and suffered through numerous days of 100+ degree days, and it was such a gut punch, especially when March is historically one of the best months of the year here in the Grand Canyon State. A combination of college basketball, my husband’s birthday, and mild, sunny days should have made March idyllic...and this heat wave ruined it all. Can you tell I’m a little salty about it? One thing that made it better? My beloved Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball team made it to the Final Four for the first time in 25 years! I was an undergrad the last time the team made a Final Four (I’m really dating myself!), and the guarded excitement is infectious!
Despite the heat, March was a busy month for me. I turned in pass pages for MUTUAL DISCORD and then celebrated two amazing books events. The first was the Tucson Festival of Books, held every March on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson.
It was wonderful to spend the weekend at my alma mater with readers and fellow authors like Neely Tubati Alexander, Kara McDowell, Ali Rosen, Emma R. Alban, Cat Sebastian, Regina Black, Venessa Vida Kelley and so many more! I had the pleasure of appearing on a panel about writing romance in Arizona with fellow local authors Jen DeLuca, Sarah T. Dubb, and Jaclyn Rodriguez, and it was a blast! If you have an opportunity to attend TFOB or any book festival, I highly recommend you go!
I also attended BookStock just days ago! Hosted by the Not Your Average Book Club in downtown Phoenix, a slew of Valley-area authors and bookish vendors welcomed 1,800 readers, and whew, it was so fun! I had the chance to chat about the Luna Sisters and hype up readers who are excited for MUTUAL DISCORD, and it was a superior way to spend an evening.
I also had the chance to meet new authors, such as Kait Waterhouse and Whitney Amazeen, and you should definitely make sure they’re on your TBR!
Speaking of MUTUAL DISCORD, exciting things are in the works. My team and I are working on tour details, and preorder campaign details will be going live soon! The preorder artwork hit my inbox yesterday, and it is STUNNING! I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you. Stay tuned!
Matilda of the Month
Continuing my ongoing series of highlighting the phenomenal women that Sofia, from MUTUAL DISCORD, covers in her Matildas series is Marie Tharp, an American geologist and oceanic cartographer who is responsible for our understanding of the Atlantic Ocean floor, including the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Tharp wasn’t allowed to go aboard the ships that collected the sea floor data because she was a woman, so instead she compiled the data and painstakingly charted it.
Her carefully rendered maps soon brought the bottom of the ocean floor to life, revealing the presence of a massive ridge lines under the water, that also helped prove the theory of plate tectonics. Our understanding of not just the ocean floor, but of how our planet works, comes in large part from Tharp’s careful work.
Reminder
There is a giveaway for 15 print ARCs of MUTUAL DISCORD currently happening on Goodreads. The giveaway ends tomorrow, March 31st, but there’s still time for you to enter! And don’t worry if you’re not selected; I plan on giving away a print ARC to one lucky Love, Liana subscriber in the next few months, so stay tuned!
Upcoming Events
Reminder that I will be joining author Kara McDowell to celebrate the release of her adult debut, THE WRITE OFF, Friday, April 10th at 6:30 PM at the Bookish Shop in downtown Gilbert. I included some thoughts about THE WRITE OFF below, but tl;dr: I LOVED IT! If you’re local to the Phoenix/East Valley area, I hope you come celebrate Kara and her beautiful book with me! The event is ticketed, so snag yours NOW!
What I’m Reading and Watching
PROJECT HAIL MARY by Andy Weir - My brother recommended this book to me ages ago, but I hadn’t had a chance to read it until recently. And boy, was it a fun ride! The way the narrative unfolds was so cleverly done, and Grace’s character arc was immensely satisfying. This sci-fi novel is heavy on the science, but even me, a decidedly not sciencey person, was able to follow along.
And because I loved the book so much, I went to see the movie just yesterday! Now, not all book to movie adaptations deliver on the charm of the original source material, but wow, I think the Project Hail Mary movie beautifully highlighted the emotional stakes of the book. And the visuals were nothing short of STUNNING! Grace and Rocky are the definition of friendship, and I keep thinking about a line from the movie that made me cry: “Anyone can be brave. You just need someone to be brave for.” Isn’t that beautiful?! Go see the movie and read the book, if you haven’t already because I highly recommend both!
THE WRITE OFF by Kara McDowell - I’m convinced Kara wrote this novel specifically for me! This dual timeline novel is set on the campus of the University of Arizona and in one timeline follows Mars (Margot) and West as undergrads in creative writing and in the other, is set ten years later when they return to campus for a book festival as authors who haven’t spoken in nearly as long. Not only is Mars and West’s story witty and charming, the peeks at life on campus were particularly nostalgic for me.
Bluey- Okay, so bear with me. I know this seems like an odd inclusion, but my children were recently on spring break, which meant they were home and I was surrounded by the things that entertained them. And Bluey is my daughter’s favorite, and I can understand why. Playful, irreverent, and emotional in ways I was not prepared for. I lost track of the amount of times Future Heroine patted my hand and said, “It’s okay to cry, mama.” The Baby Race episode? Tears!
The Pitt - The season is winding down, and I’m still afraid for Robby. His behavior over the last few episodes has been concerning, and I wonder what the writers have in store. Also, there will be no Santos slander in this house! Langdon has done nothing to earn her forgiveness, and even if she is acting unprofessionally, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t have reason to be angry with him! And have I mentioned that Dr. Al-Hashimi has grown on me and I’m hoping we get her backstory soon?
Until next time, friends!
Love, Liana
Ahhh! I was an undergrad here the last time the men’s team went to the final four too, and my 20yo daughter is obsessed with Bluey. I wish it had been around when my kids were small. Next time you’re down here I’ll make it to your events and we can officially meet. 💖