Power Nap #105
How I found out about being a NYT Bestseller! / Nate's "Weird but Great" is back! / Outfit links / Molly's dish drying mat
WHAT. A. WEEK!!!
First off, making the NYT Bestseller List. That moment was just…incredible. My book agent texted me and asked if we could have a quick zoom call, and when I clicked the link to join the call my entire book team was on it. I just cried. I knew it was a possibility, but we had zero control over this, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I want to say thank you. You don’t just get a book deal. There needs to be some sort of proof that people will buy your book. And interestingly, what the publishing houses take very seriously is newsletter audience. In their eyes, this is the group that cares about what you write. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I genuinely don’t think this book would exist without you.
BOOK TOUR KICK-OFF AND DM WOES…
Thank you to everyone who came to my opening book tour event in Charleston. It was absolutely perfect, and I loved meeting so many of you. Which leads me to my next point — DM woes. Sometimes I go into my messages on Instagram and open a message from one of you and see that I have missed your last 3+ messages and I absolutely hate it. For all the ways Instagram has improved, DMs is not one of them. I actually think they might be getting worse. Whenever I try to filter by unread, I get the spinning wheel of death. Whenever I post something that warrants a lot of responses, those messages come in and push any older messages down, creating a “black hole” I never really reach the bottom of. All this to say, if you DM me and I don’t respond, please know this is never intentional; I likely didn’t see it. If you have ever messaged me something important and I didn’t respond, I am sincerely sorry.
In Case You Missed It
One pan. 12 minutes. The back to school lifesaver 4/4 my kids love. Recipe here.
I am attempting to get better about linking my outfits because I get a lot of questions. TBH, I have a love-hate relationship with sharing outfit links. On the one hand, I totally get it! I too see people wearing a cute top or fun earrings and want to know where they are from. But on the other hand, I don’t want you to feel like you need a whole new wardrobe every time you hop on IG. My hope is to post outfits in ShopMy often even if I never share them in stories, so those who do want to shop can check there.
An easy idea for any child (or adult!) needing a little extra love or confidence.
Nate’s “Weird but Great”
Keeping with past Power Naps, here is a running segment of “weird but great” people. Please send Nate submissions.
A profile of Kevin Kelly, who has been featured in Power Nap 61 and Power Nap 45 for various other reasons. He’s written a dozen books and published hundreds of essays on topics from art to optimism, travel, religion, creativity, and AI (even before it was a thing). Kelly rode a bicycle across the United States in his 20s. He was Steven Spielberg’s ‘futurist advisor’ on Minority Report. He organizes tightly curated group walks across Asia and Europe, regularly covering ~100km in a week. He sculpts, draws, paints, and photographs. Quote from the profile: “I thought I was here to go deep on working Hollywood style, but as I sat there with Kelly in a room of what are best described as his toys, I realized that the most interesting thing about him is that he seems happy.” via Samuel Abresman
Dolly Parton’s Disappearing Husband. Weird isn’t the right word for him, but great feels pretty accurate. “Carl Dean was an asphalt paver from Tennessee who met [Dolly] Parton outside the Wishy Washy laundromat in Nashville in 1964 when she was 18 and he was 21. He died [this year], at 82. If you hadn’t heard of Dean, neither has anyone else. Famous only for his rejection of the spotlight, Dean continued to run his asphalt-paving business as his wife became the most well-known country music star in the world. He refused interviews, avoided awards shows, and was so reclusive that people began to speculate that Parton had made him up.” via NTK Supporter Lisa Bender.
She’s One of Florida’s Most Lethal Python Hunters. “Donna Kalil has plunged into canals in the dead of night, straddled two-hundred-pound serpents, and been bitten more times than she can count—all in the name of killing a thing she loves and playing a game she can’t win.” And: “She had martial arts experience, she had participated in python challenges, she was a military brat, and she’d been catching snakes all her life. Even on paper, she was interesting.” via The Browser
Molly’s Must-Haves
I purchased these silicone dish drying mats over two years ago and haven't looked back since (and yes, I checked my Amazon order history to confirm when exactly I bought them)! In the past, I used fabric mats that sat by the sink to hold my freshly washed dishes but found they were perpetually wet and would quickly get a weird mildewy smell. These silicone mats have been such a great swap at an affordable price point. They are soft enough to support fragile glassware and strong enough to hold a heavy saucepan. If you don't want the mat on your counter at all times, there is a hole where you can hang it on a hook or it can be rolled up and stored under the sink. In two years they have never once pooled excess water or started to mold and you can easily wash them off if you accidentally spill something on them (they are even dishwasher safe).
Congrats again! I feel like you represent so many of us SAHMs. When you win we all win! Cheering you and thr NTK team on!
Congratulations! Not as huge as the NYT Bestsellers but I looked up your book in our library and 22 people are on the waitlist (now 23🤭). That’s a pretty big measure of success as well!