Throw Like a Girl, written by Sarah Henning, is an incredibly cute young adult romance published by Little, Brown books. After her wonderful retelling of The Little Mermaid, Sea Witch and Sea Witch Rising, the author changes gear with this swoony sports romance. I read all three of her books and this new book is as wonderful as the other.
Before you rush to buy your own copy, Sarah Henning tells us how a writing day looks like for her. Thank you FFBC for having me in your book tour.
GUEST BLOG by SARAH HENNING, Author of Sea Witch and Throw Like a Girl
At nearly every event I do, I make sure to detail my typical writing day because I think it’s easy for even modern readers to imagine authors in the mold of Ernest Hemingway—sitting at a typewriter, six-toed cats snoring lightly in the same room, churning out book after book with the ocean waves in the distance. I mean, I wish that were my life, but, yeah…it’s not even close to that.
First things, first: I have a full-time job outside of writing. The finances of publishing are incredibly unusual and often make it impossible to plan for money you’re owed, or even to have a good idea of what you’ll be paid year in and year out. Therefore, I’d say the majority of writers with publishing houses large and small have a full- or part-time job outside of writing. Mortgages, utilities, daycare, etc., require a regular pay cycle that publishing just doesn’t accommodate, even at the highest levels.
Yes, even New York Times bestsellers and authors of multiple books (currently, I have five that are out or planned), typically do something other than write full-time.
I tell you this not for sympathy, but so that you’ll understand my typical writing day a little better. I’ve always been a morning person and that’s when I think best. So, my typical writing day during the week looks like this: I get up at 4:15 a.m., I’m out the door by 4:30 and I go for a seven-mile run.
During the run, I plan out what I want to write/edit/revise/plan when I get back to the house. I don’t listen to music when I work, but usually, on my run, I’ll listen to a playlist for whatever book I’m going to work on that day. Then I come home, turn on the coffee pot, stretch, and change, and then work until 7 a.m. or until my kids (who are also early risers) won’t let me work anymore.
On the weekend, I tend to get in three or four hours of writing work each day, cobbled together between setting up with my laptop outside my daughter’s Saturday morning dance class and working either at home or a local tea and green juice café with author friends. If I’m on a deadline, I might carve out more time—seven and eight-hour days—but, honestly, I rather enjoy hanging out with my kids and husband and hate to be gone for large stretches on the weekend.
So, as those of you with full-time jobs and writing careers might guess, I do use a lot of my PTO and comp time to write or do fun author things like travel to events or writers’ retreats. And by a lot, I mean pretty much all of it. My husband jokes I don’t know how to actually vacation without turning it into a work session and he’s not exactly wrong.
I share my schedule because if this is your dream, there are ways to make it happen, even if you have other major commitments in your life. Also, I want to point out that I think consistency is so key. Some mornings I can only manage 200 words rather than a much-preferred 1,000 in an active WIP, but those 200 words move me forward and keep my mind in an active place within the story.
Like Dory says, “Just keep swimming!” and you’ll make your dreams happen.
Synopsis
Friday Night Lights meets Morgan Matson’s The Unexpected Everything in this contemporary debut where swoonworthy romance meets underdog sports story.
When softball star Liv Rodinsky throws one ill-advised punch during the most important game of the year, she loses her scholarship to her fancy private school, her boyfriend, and her teammates all in one fell swoop. With no other options, Liv is forced to transfer to the nearest public school, Northland, where she’ll have to convince their coach she deserves a spot on the softball team, all while facing both her ex and the teammates of the girl she punched… Every. Single. Day.
Enter Grey, the injured star quarterback with amazing hair and a foolproof plan: if Liv joins the football team as his temporary replacement, he’ll make sure she gets a spot on the softball team in the Spring. But it will take more than the perfect spiral for Liv to find acceptance in Northland’s halls, and behind that charming smile, Grey may not be so perfect after all.
With well-drawn characters and a charming quarterback love interest who’s got brains as well as brawn, Throw Like a Girl will have readers swooning from the very first page.
- Author: Sarah Henning
- Publisher: Little, Brown Books
- Publication Date: January 7, 2020
- Genre: YA Romance, Sports romance
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Throw-like-A-GirlAbout The Author: Sarah Henning
Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. While in South Florida, Sarah lived and worked through five hurricanes, which gave her an extreme respect for the ocean. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which, despite being extremely far from the beach, happens to be pretty cool.
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GIVEAWAY
Prize: Win a finished copy of Throw Like A Girl by Sarah Henning (US Only)
Starts: January 7, 2020 – Ends: January 20, 2020
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