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Shannon Sanders

@shanders.bsky.social

2.9K followers 1.7K following 2.6K posts

THE GREAT WHEREVER (forthcoming from Holt, summer ‘26); COMPANY, 2024 winner of the L.A.Times Book Prizes Award for First Fiction: https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/company. Mom, twin mom, lawyer, Silver Springer. She/her

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 18d

Today’s newsletter post has a fun announcement in it. (But still more of the usual too!)

shanders-red-eye.beehiiv.com/p/i-love-wri...

I love writing!....Am I still allowed to do it?

An exploration of our rights

shanders-red-eye.beehiiv.com

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 17h

It’s so important to know yourself well enough to determine whether the comfort watch you need is Clue, The Sound of Music, or the entire Saw franchise

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 1d

Something tells me this is not what you’re looking for but I’m deep in the middle of my annual Saw series rewatch

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

Love re-remembering every morning that a bunch of my friends (who have mortgages and tuition to pay and groceries to buy and flickering hopes of leaving their children with more than they have now) are indefinitely out of a job

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

People in the DC area at 9 am every day this month: “Wow there’s like no traffic! I’m going to actually be on time! This is AMAZ—oh”

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

Oh lol misunderstood yes, but ornery is not part of the standard curriculum

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

But also I wonder if some of your middle child duties (keeping the peace? Brokering treaties between other siblings?) are just repackaged elder daughter stuff

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

Yeah but you know it’s unusual!

A lot of the time people are like “Eldest daughters need to shut up about being eldest daughters, I’m the middle daughter and I have xyz burdens” and the burdens are all things eldest daughters almost all do. Exceptions stand out because of the rule!

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

The one exception is Jana Duggar

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

A girl who has 1-10 older brothers just isn’t living like us even if she does also have younger siblings, do you know what I mean

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

It’s two different categories with some overlap. We mostly mean the firstborn, who is also a daughter

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

So excited about this! Come see Amber Sparks (and me) on Friday 10/24 at Politics & Prose at the Wharf!

Amber Sparks @ambersparks.bsky.social · 2d

Going on tour next week! Come say hi please don’t make me read to myself and that one guy who’s actually got earbuds in

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

I love the kids! Do not get me wrong! But I literally want some time to fold their clothes!!!!

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 2d

Tomorrow I get to telework and the kids will be in school for an overlapping period of 5.75 hours. In my world that is the equivalent of a luxury cruise

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

At least you had your MIL there!! I find that having at least one trusted ally in the group goes a really long way for protecting your experience

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

No spoilers!! I’ll let you know!! I should be done tomorrow

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

Source: I visited a bunch of book clubs for my first book and had only one notably bad experience! Also please invite me to your book club for my next book (summer 2026)!

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

3. Do not be weird or act like this visit is a chore (and if it is, don’t go). Feel free to eat and drink whatever they offer you, get comfortable, enjoy discovering your own book all over. Being a fly on the wall as readers discuss is easily the second best part (after the writing itself).

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

2. Make clear in advance that you’ll come for the first hour or the last hour, NOT THE WHOLE TIME, so that they will have plenty of time to discuss as a club without you. They need space to air grievances, and their grievances will come out one way or the other. You need not be there.

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

1. It’s ideal if you know some of the people there pretty well and trust they’ll be kind with you. But that mostly won’t happen. If not, you should ONLY go if you are sure the person who invited you actually likes your book!! This is important!!!!

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

I have 3 pieces of unsolicited advice for authors considering whether to visit book clubs. Personally I am very pro! With these guidelines (take or leave them):

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

Today is class picture day, not to be confused with individual picture day, when you dress your child cutely (that’s next week), but rather where you have to thread the needle so your kid looks neither too fussy nor like you forgot it was class picture day

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Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

Tell my kidssssss

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

It half counts! Apparently it is on everyone’s TBR list. I finally had to motivate myself by borrowing it from the section of the library that’s like “so hot you can only have it for three weeks”

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

I’ll check in when I’m done!!

Shannon Sanders @shanders.bsky.social · 3d

No spoilers I’m not quite there!!!!!!!!

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