Cover Reveal

...and the story behind the title

Before I share this with the rest of the world, I wanted you to be the first to see the cover of my upcoming memoir, Forces of Nature. And, I wanted to let you in on a little secret: That title is not the first (or second, or third) title I chose.

Most books go through title changes as they move through the pipeline from author to agent to editor and publisher. I started with a long list of ideas that I sent to my agent. Then, she and I narrowed it down to our favorite two or three, and she got feedback from her colleagues (is it memorable? is it marketable?). We selected one working title for the book proposal in 2020… and when the world turned upside down, we paused and tried again with a different title a year later. After the memoir sold, we found out that another author was using the same title and releasing their book around the same time, so we changed mine again.

But here’s the thing. Forces of Nature: A Memoir of Family, Loss, and Finding Home feels right, like it was the correct title all along.

There are so many forces of nature acting upon our lives: The pull of our families of origin and our chosen family, the forces of love, fear, loss, estrangement, joy. Generational legacies. Genetic influences. Geologic and geographic forces. The metaphysical. And, of course, my brother Alan was a FORCE, literally and figuratively. Our unique sibling relationship is a driving force throughout my life.

Plus, my time in nature was a force for healing, for perspective. It continues to be. Always will be. There are scenes in the book about that.

Now, on to the cover:

I’m eternally grateful to Nora and the other authors (Claire, Matt, Jessi, Rebecca, Annette, Kat) who provided endorsements. And to Emir, the cover designer, who captured both the strength and gentleness of my story.

And I’m ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL for all of you. Thanks for following along and offering support.