Cupido Cupido

We interrupt our regular programming for a very special book announcement!

As Opa unlatched the gate to the fence encircling the chicken coop, Egg thought he heard a sort of distant “toot” like the call of a tugboat in a fog. Like timpani, a single drummer somewhere beyond view.

—Cupido Cupido, by Emily Grandy

This week, I’m taking a break from my usual essays to make a very special announcement.

Today I’m releasing my second book into the world! After years of patient writing, editing, submitting, more editing, reworking, and polishing, Cupido Cupido is finally ready to step out into the world and be introduced to readers.

Cupido Cupido was awarded the Sowell Emerging Writers Prize by Texas Tech University Press and Terrain.org for books that explore the relationship between human communities and nature and are informed by scientific inquiry and/or personal experience. This novel was also a finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize, established by Barbara Kingsolver, for fiction that addresses issues of social justice and the impact of culture and politics on human relationships.

Anyone familiar with my essays here on Substack will find similar themes in this book: the threads binding spirituality to environmentalism; appreciation for the more-than-human world; encouragement to look more closely at our non-human neighbors living in our own backyards. This novel also takes a compassionate view toward the choices that compel immigrants to leave their place of birth, the weight of cultural inheritance, and the complex act of growing up biracial in North America.

Whether you cheered an early version of this manuscript across the finish line, devoured an ARC early, or pre-ordered a copy before launch day—thank you for being part of this special moment.

Looking for ways to support the book?

Leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads (even a single line helps so much!)

Tell a bookish friend who loves calming rural reads, unlikely discoveries, family legacies, and hopeful, heartwarming stories.

Request the book from your local library or indie bookstore.

P.S. If you’ve already left a review, THANK YOU. Word of mouth is the #1 best way for independently published novels to find readers. Knowing you’ve taken time to read my work and leave thoughtful comments is truly the light at the end of the tunnel for any writer.

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