My Birthday Gift to You (Limited Edition Art Prints!)

Also, my Romeo & Juliet Nutella birthday cake

Hello, lovelies,

Tomorrow is my 45th birthday!

In our family, we always get to choose what kind of cake we want for our birthdays, and either me or my daughter will bake it. Last year, though, I made a grave error and strayed from tradition—gasp!—I requested a store-bought cake from an internet-famous place.

Let me just say, the internet lied. That cake was not good.

This year, I’m not making the same mistake! My daughter is a masterful baker, so I’ve requested this Nutella birthday cake.

The Nutella birthday cake recipe we’re making today (Image source: richanddelish.com)

If you’ve read my book The Hundred Loves of Juliet, you know how much I love Nutella—it’s elevated to a near-legendary status… but I can’t say more, because I don’t want to give away any spoilers for those who haven’t read it yet!

Anyway, I’ll be thinking of all of you tomorrow as I slice into my Nutella birthday cake. Thank you for ushering in 45 with me. I think it’s going to be a great year!

The Hundred Loves of Juliet Art Print - Exclusive Newsletter Gift

As a gift only to WORDPLAY subscribers, I’m commissioning a limited edition run of 5x7 art prints of Juliet, reincarnated, and Romeo from The Hundred Loves of Juliet. This gorgeous character art was drawn by the artist Sally Pham.

To get an art print, you must be a subscriber to this newsletter:

Then fill out your mailing address on this request form. (I will never sell your addresses or use them for anything except mailing the art print.)

Offer open until May 11, 2024. I will ship internationally!

WORDPLAY is a merry band of readers and writers who love stories that are deeply human—that make us laugh and cry, pause and think a little harder, and connect with one another in an otherwise too-fast, anonymous world.

Reader Spotlight

Every week, I feature a few books or essays that WORDPLAY readers have loved or written. Check out this week’s recommendations from your fellow subscribers:

Speaking of birthdays,

Caroline Cala Donofrio

wrote this thoughtful essay about turning 40, called “It’s Not a Midlife Crisis.” I loved these lines in particular: “I’d rather make a difference than a splash. When I release something into the world, I hope it finds its way to whoever needs to read it, whether that’s one person or one million. I don’t want to go viral. I’d rather be resonant.”

Reader

Kristin Fellows

is celebrating her birthday in Paris—Joyeux anniversaire! She shares “The Magical Hamburger,” an essay she wrote about “the moment I suddenly realized the person who has most influenced my writing was an unpublished writer who died a few years before I was born – my grandmother.”

Kaitlyn Elizabeth

shares her piece “When You Don't Feel Belonging Where You Belong” and says, “It's about how I try to make sense of failing to feel belonging in the place I find myself and how entitlement, privilege, and my role as a therapist interact with the expectation of belonging.”

Linda Meris shares that she’s written a book called Hypocrisy vs Mysticism Wisdom & Morality about a medium who has contacted the spirit of a controversial entertainer.

Have something to share that you’ve recently read or written?

Just reply to this email or write me at evelynskyebooks@gmail.com with a 1-2 sentence description. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Want to get me a birthday gift?

Buy a copy of one of my novels for yourself or a reader in your life!

It’s the best way to support me and my writing. THANK YOU!

“Cleverly imagines the epilogue Romeo and Juliet didn’t get to have, and how curses can be blessings in disguise.”—JODI PICOULT

A POPSUGAR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

After a bad breakup, Helene Janssen runs away to Alaska to find some peace and quiet. She’s been dreaming up bits and pieces of a novel for years and hopes to finally have time to write it.

On her first night there, Helene meets Sebastien Montague, a crab fisherman who looks exactly like the hero in the book she’s working on. But how is that even possible?

Sebastien seems to recognize Helene, too, but he lies about it and brushes her off, even though their chemistry is immediate and undeniable.

This is because their love story defies the ages: She is Juliet, reincarnated, and he is Romeo, lost in time. And if Helene can convince Sebastien to give her a chance, maybe this time they can rewrite their ending and find a true happily-ever-after.