Letter from Joy
May 19, 2025
Hi, everyone,
Well, it’s spring, although sometimes it doesn’t feel that way. Here in Toronto, it’s hot one day, cold the next. And lots of rain. I’m ready for some consistently warm and dry weather. We’ve only managed one game of golf since we got back from Florida, and I was really hoping to keep improving my swing - not to mention, my score - by playing more often, but so far, no such luck. The course we play on in Toronto is very different from the ones we play in Palm Beach Gardens, very hilly and shorter in length, and quite tricky, lots of water and hazards to get used to again. No alligators, thankfully!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers’ Day. I went to a lovely brunch with my husband and my older daughter and her husband. My younger daughter, of course, lives in Miami now with her family, so I didn’t get to see them, but we’ve had some lovely long talks on the phone. It doesn’t make up for not seeing them in person, of course, but hopefully we’ll get to spend some time together this summer.
Which, I suspect, is going to be a very busy one. I’ve started work on my next book, and it seems to be progressing quite well. Of course, it’s very early days and way too early to talk about, but my agent and editor loved the first chapter I sent them, and I’ve now finished ten chapters and hope to have the book completed by Christmas. I’m also going to be teaching my creative writing course at the University of Toronto for a week in July, and I’m looking forward to that. Last year, my class of twelve was an exceptionally talented group, and I’m hoping for the same this time out. And of course, my latest novel, JENNY COOPER HAS A SECRET, already a bestseller in Germany and Switzerland, will be out in North America in August, and is available for pre-order on Amazon now (U.S. and Canada). It’s already garnering a lot of attention and interest and just received a rave advance review in Publisher’s Weekly. The complete review is available on this site and on Facebook, but in brief, PW said: “Punchy, surprising and sweet in equal measure, this tale of twisted sisterhood is a home run.” Can’t get much better than that. And I’m already being approached to write essays and do interviews with a host of popular media outlets. So, I’m crossing my fingers and toes and hoping JENNY COOPER, to continue the analogy, hits it out of the park.
We just finished watching “The Four Seasons” on Netflix, and I mostly really liked it. While I found a couple of the characters quite irritating, especially the abandoned wife, and while I definitely didn't like the out-of-left-field death of one of the characters, I still found the eight episodes to be compelling, smart, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny.
And that’s really about all I have to report this month. I’m off for a long walk with my sister and then pizza dinner with friends. Enjoy the rest of the month, stay safe and healthy - getting my new COVID shot this week - and I’ll be back next month.
Warmly,
Joy