Reader,

In my last newsletter I said I didn't find Adam Driver attractive. Two seconds after sending it, my writer friend, Alex, sent me this:

I told her that yes, I *personally* am not attracted to Adam Driver and kindly pointed out that the unsubscribe button is at the bottom. She said (and I quote):

"I will stay, but I will not stand for slander of my personal lord and savior."

I might have then, erm, poked the bear.

I sent her this:

She took to Instagram to gather allies. Naturally, this meant that I had to gather allies of my own.

I pointed out that Regé-Jean Page is actually the most handsome man according to science. She instigated a poll. I replied to her poll.

It escalated to the point that my own husband was weighing in on the debate.

So Reader, whatever you do DO NOT FOLLOW ALEX KENNINGTON ON INSTAGRAM. I know she writes enemies-to-lovers with swoony sexual tension and has pretty character art for her books and reviews ARCs of like all the upcoming releases. But. you see that button?

Don't click it. Don't follow her.

I need you to be my ally.

Speaking of allies, THANK YOU to everyone who responded to my last email about the cover. Here's a peek at some of the responses:

As you can see, typography won by a landslide and you made some really good points about putting people on covers (mainly that it can be a turnoff, which totally makes sense). Truthfully, I was a little shocked by the number of responses. You. Guys. Are. Awesome.

I've been in touch with a cover designer and have sent her some ideas.

In the meantime, I have another question for you guys.

How do you feel about maps in books? Do you care? Do you use them?

I'll be honest, I have no geographical awareness and used a GPS to get to the grocery store for approximately 2 years. So I don't care about maps. But I suspect a lot of you might like them. So reply to this email and let me know. Yes, you are helping me design my book. As a reward, I will let you in on the design process. Sound like a fair trade? :)

Best,

Sarah

P.S. - Each time I ask a "please help me design my book" question, I'll shout out one of the responses and send that person a $5 Starbucks or Amazon gift card. This week's winner is Lexi D. who said she liked typography (surprise, surprise). Lexi, respond to this email, let me know if you want Starbucks or Amazon and I'll get that sent over!

P.P.S. - This week's book fair is all about royalty :) If you like reading books about princes and princesses check it out!

Alsooooooooo I was a guest on The Handmade Mentor Podcast where we talked all about the power of words. If you want to listen, you can do that here.

Now tell me how you feel about maps.