I’ll be honest: publishing a book is very hard. But celebrating a book? That part is pure magic.

On May 24, 2025, the official release day for Welcome to Seagull Street: That Summer in Ocean City, Maryland, I hosted a private book launch party at my house, and I’m still feeling all the warm, sunny, bookish feelings. It wasn’t fancy. No prepared speeches or velvet ropes. Just good people, good snacks (Fisher’s Popcorn, Dolle’s saltwater taffy, Berger Cookies, Otterbein Cookies, and crab dip!), and lots of laughter and support.

To everyone who stopped by: thank you! Whether you came from across the street or across the state, you helped make this indie author feel like maybe, just maybe, all those late nights and rewrites and moments of “what am I doing?” were worth it.

Seeing people I love holding my book, flipping through pages, reading the back cover, sharing their own OCMD memories, was surreal and emotional in the best way. And signing your books? That was the cherry on top. (Still working on making my signature consistent and coming up with clever phrases!)

To my family, friends, neighbors, and everyone who cheered me on from the sidelines (or from social media): thank you for showing up. For believing in me. For buying the book, bringing flowers, wine, Maryland goodies, sharing social posts, or just saying “Congrats!” when you saw me on my daily walk in the neighborhood. It all means more than you know.

Welcome to Seagull Street is officially out in the world now and thanks to you, its journey started with joy, hugs, and kicking off summer with a huge splash!

Here’s to more stories, more summers, and more reasons to gather. Cheers!

P.S. If you haven’t grabbed a copy yet:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IngramSpark POD

If you’re one of the more than 100 people out in the world with a copy of Welcome to Seagull Street in these first few days, please consider writing a review on Amazon or Goodreads because people who don’t know me rely on reader’s reviews to help their book-buying decision process!