It's the weekend, my friends. Maybe time to get rid of some stuff that's holding you down or cluttering you up? That's what I'm gonna do, anyhow!
CLEAR IT OUT!
XO
Liz
AMAZING WOMEN WRITERS…
Dear friends –
Check out this photo of true authorial sisterhood! Here I am with the tremendous writers Lee Smith, Sandra Brown and Amy Tan — in a giddy moment last night at the Southern Independent Bookseller's Association conference in New Orleans.
The four of us, who could not be more different in background, personal history or writing style (but who are united in love of our work) bonded immediately when we met last night. We all spoke, one after the other, on the same stage. Let me tell you — they are all beautiful powerhouses.
My favorite moment was when the presenter introduced Sandra Brown (whom I've met before and LOVE) as "the author of 50 New York Times Bestselling novels." A quite impressive number, to be sure, but then Sandra got up on stage and said in her gentle but firm Southern accent, "I hate to correct you, Jake…but it's actually 65." I almost came out of my seat cheering. I love it — I absolutely love it — when women fearlessly own their achievements!
All three of these women inhabit every inch of space they can reach for in this world, and it was a honor to hang out with them. And all four of us have books coming out in the next month. I can't wait to see Sandra hit her 66th bestseller (with the rest of us trying to catch up!)
Rock on,
Liz
THE EVENING COUNTDOWN CONTINUES…
Only 11 more days until "The Signature of All Things" is published!
Eleven is a good number. A prime number. Rhymes with "heaven". Is the number of players on the field in cricket, field hockey, soccer and American football. Is the age at which I decided I was going to marry Prince Charles's younger brother Andrew. Is probably about the number of letters I wrote to said Prince, asking him to marry me. Is probably the number of times I wept in my pillow over never receiving a response summoning me to Buckingham Palace to be a child bride.
I don't know how we've drifted into talking about Prince Andrew! He wasn't even good enough for me anyhow! A real player, that guy! I wouldn't marry him now if he asked me ELEVEN TIMES! You would think that, even as a Sixth Grader, I should've been able to see that he wasn't husband material! What was I thinking???
Anyhow, the book's out in 11 days. Do feel free to pre-order it here, if you haven't done so yet:
https://www.elizabethgilbert.com/books/the-signature-of-all-things/
Love,
LIZ
A nice new interview about "The Signature of All Things"!
Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat, Pray, "Burn Everything Down and Run"
www.motherjones.com
The best-selling author on "polite botanists," the travel bug, and her first new novel in 13 years.
Prayer of the day…
Dear Ones — I wanted to share this with you. A beautiful sort of prayer, by the philosopher Rudolph Steiner. I have always loved this one because of the second to last line: "My life will become more burdensome to me." It seems so contrary, doesn't it? It feels like, when you come into truth with your fate, your star and your aims that your life should feel LESS burdensome. But I think what he means (and I have found this to be true) that it is sometimes more difficult to FEEL than to not feel. Easier in a way to be closed off and in denial, than to seek your truth and maybe open yourself to oain. But that's a burden I welcome…to be alive instead of numb, and to genuinely allow myself to feel the beautiful and sad and complete weight of living. That is the fullest richness you can imagine — to feel everything. Bring it, I say.
Anyway, here it is…and let me know if you interpret it differently:
"I feel my fate
My fate finds me
I feel my star
My star finds me
I feel my aims
My aims find me
My soul and the world are one.
Life will be clearer around me
Life will be more burdensome for me
Life will be richer for me."
Rudolph Steiner
