KIRKUS LIKES MY BOOK!

My book is at the printer, and the first review came in yesterday from Kirkus. It's not live till the 19th, but I can share part of it: “A gifted writer with deep reserves of feeling and talent for describing it... Ultimately, the forms blend seamlessly. A story with jaw-dropping twists told by a writer to watch.”

Kirkus, a book review magazine founded in 1933, has a reputation for being choosy. I am floored.

Also, hello, this is #1 of the newsletter I've been promising for ages. I'm aiming for once a month. Might be a little more or a little less.

2025 was one of the fastest years of my life. The highs were high and the lows were low. Last February brought a layoff (I'm job hunting!); fall held the death of a loved one. The through line of joy and satisfaction: my work on What Ever Happened to Eddy Crane? A Memoir and a Murder Investigation.

I turned in the second draft of the book (18 months of work) on 11/1/24 and got feedback from my editor, John Glynn, soon after. I revised nonstop from Christmas 2024 into August 2025. The book went through my fact checker (thank you, Andrew), multiple copy editors (thank you, Stephanie, Laura and Amelia), and the publisher’s legal team. I did a lot of late reporting. I went to bed at 5am — or 6am, 7am, or 8am. At times, I woke up having written complete paragraphs or pages while I slept. Some of those dream texts appear almost unchanged in the book.

Early feedback + 🔥 reading recommendation

When you flip over a book at the library or bookstore, the notes on the back cover from other writers are called blurbs. They spark debate! Blurbs matter. Blurbs mean nothing. Blurbs should burn in the fires of hell. (I linked to a couple deeper dives.)

My blurbs (they’re all here) tell me other writers think I did a good job. I spent 17+ years working mostly alone on this book. So, regardless of whether or not blurbs matter in terms of book sales – that is gratifying.

One of the writers who blurbed me, Margot Douaihy, has a new book out today, January 13. It’s the third in her Sister Holiday trilogy. Nuns taught me how to read, and in recent years I've spent many hours procrastinating on my own work by reading about a New Orleans nun who loves cigarettes, tattoos, and other ladies. She's a brash, curious hot-head who goes her own way — often right into trouble. And while Sister Holiday is committed to God, she’s also no saint. Divine Ruin (Scorched Grace was #1, and Blessed Water was #2) is at the top of my own reading list. Let me know how you get on with Sister Holiday.

🎈 How to help my book take off 🎈 

What does it even mean for a book to succeed? I want the chance to write a second book (which I’ve started).

Hundreds of debut books come out in 2026. And the year also brings new releases from some of my favorite established writers – Lauren Groff, Ann Patchett, Jeanette Winterson, Emily St. John Mandel, Jess Row. It's more challenging by the day to help a book take flight, especially by a debut author like me. ⚡️ But you can help! ⚡️ 

Request from your library There's usually a place on the library website, but you can also call or email them.

Preorder Thank you to everyone who has done so. I've got a stash of vintage Baltimore postcards that I've been mailing as preorder thank you’s. (I owe a couple of you mail. I’m good for it!) If you pre-ordered and you want mail, write to me.

Post about it on your socials My books Instagram is katecrane.books. Feel free to share those posts…

Add WEHTEC on Goodreads and the Story Graph 

I'm leaving you with two more reading recommendations… Till next time!

Sheep + other good animals; sea farers, space travelers

Some readers are hesitant to try a first-time author. I get it. You don't have a lot of time to read, and if you make the investment to borrow or buy a book, you want it to be good. I can recommend two amazing 2026 first books (and I’m in the middle of about six others, so stay tuned).

Homebound, by Portia Elan, spans different centuries, characters, storylines: the ocean, outer space, a changing climate, death… There's a young punk rock girl who just lost her uncle in the 80s; an astronaut alone in space; a lady sea captain, a climate scientist, a lovable robot. Tender-hearted souls confront big questions. Who do we show up for, and what do we do when the people we love don't show up for us? Or when we fail the ones we love?

Sara Maurer's lovely sentences carry the tale of Everett and Mary like a well-oiled machine in A Good Animal. I was enchanted with the setting, a farm in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and the gorgeous specificity around all things sheep. Sara is a master of pacing. The weaving in and out between setting, character, forward motion brought me pure reading pleasure. I also enjoyed the family dynamics and the ideas around what makes a good life. There is a scene involving Everett's mother, midway or later through the book, that I'll never forget.