Welcome and So. Much. News.
The Heartless Musical, Upcoming book news, TLC updates and more...
Welcome to my new Substack newsletter! I’ve migrated over from MailChimp so if you’re wondering why the newsletter looks different, this is why. If you no longer want to receive these emails, you can easily unsubscribe down in the footer, but I hope you’ll stick around as I have a lot of exciting news to share with you today and more to come in the coming weeks and months!
First, a recap from Heartless The Musical that I attended a couple of weekends ago.
What an emotional rollercoaster that weekend was! Watching the show four times back-to-back was so incredible and heart-wrenching and bittersweet and I felt honored beyond belief to be a part of it.
It's hard for me to put into words just how special this production is to me. Not only because the quality of the lyrics and music and choreography and acting and acrobatics and singing and set design and costumes and all of it was just so spectacular and professional and polished and breathtaking. And not only because it's so amazing for me to see this story unfold on the stage, with such romance and madness and comedy and UTTER DEVASTATION every single time. And not only because I've become so fond of these teens who consistently blow me away with their talent and ambition. It is all of these things and more, and I'm truly so thrilled that they were able to perform it again and so sad that it's over - AGAIN - and so hopeful that this won't be the true end of @heartlessthemusical. A part of me feels like this show was an impossibility that was dreamed into existence. It has stolen my heart.
SIGH. ANYWAY. A lot of the cast and crew members are heading off to college now, and I am wishing them so much joy and success on their next adventure!! Thanks to you all again, for everything, and thank you to everyone who came out to support the show!
Find the soundtrack album here. And you should definitely buy it because it's SO GOOD and the songs will be stuck in your head for days. (Or is that just me?)
The recording of the new production will eventually be available on YouTube but while you wait, you can check out their merch shop on Redbubble.
If you follow me on social media, you’ve seen this news but I wanted to make sure everyone saw this adorably swoony cover for WITH A LITTLE LUCK, my next book, which just happens to come out in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s already available for preorder, so you can reserve your copy now.
Add to Goodreads.
Art by: Jeff Ostberg – @jeffelicious
Cover design by: Rich Deas – @richdeas
About WITH A LITTLE LUCK:
Jude is determined to fly under the radar. He just wants to draw his comics, host regular D&D night with his friends, work at his parents’ vinyl record store, and escape high school as unscathed as possible. That is, until the night he comes across a mysterious twenty-sided dice and finds himself inexplicably gifted with a bout of supernatural good luck.
Suddenly, everything Jude has ever wanted is within reach. His first art submission is accepted to his favorite fanzine. He helps his friend’s song become a finalist in a songwriting competition. And he’s the 100th caller to a local radio contest, winning him a pair of coveted concert tickets, which he uses to ask out the popular girl he’s been crushing on since elementary school. For a few blissful weeks, he feels invincible.
But when he loses the magic dice at a local music festival, his luck takes a turn for the worse. He struggles to reclaim his good fortune while fighting off long-buried feelings for his best friend–who is definitely not the girl he’s supposed to be in love with. Can Jude risk stepping into the spotlight long enough to win the true girl of his dreams? Or is he doomed to be unlucky in love forever?
Available February 13, 2024. Preorder your copy from your favorite independent bookstore, my Bookshop.org store (that supports indie bookstores), or wherever you get your books.
For those of you who have been asking about TLC movie news, the latest is here. No finalized dates or casting info yet, but I’ll share as soon as I can.
Speaking of TLC, if you love collector’s editions, you’re going to swoon over this one created by Juniper Books. The first 50 orders will automatically receive an exclusive 8" x 10" Juniper Books | The Lunar Chronicles poster. – see the site for more pictures, ordering, and full details.
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For more merch, check out my shops: Etsy, Spring, and Teepublic
And finally, don’t forget about my weekly podcast, The Happy Writer! If you haven’t checked it out recently, there are now over 160 episodes that span the past three + years where I have spoken to so many authors – from debuts to multi-published NYT bestsellers - about their books and writer journeys. Plus, there are some fun bonus episodes that I know you’ll enjoy.
Listen at marissameyer.com/podcast/ or wherever you normally get your podcasts. Don’t forget to subscribe to never miss when a new episode drops.
Until next time,
Marissa