Dear Friends,
Today I have two very exciting things to share with you: the trailer for my new book, along with the introduction and chapter one of You are a Tree! I’ll share the trailer below, and include access to the intro+chapter one at the end of this post.
I shared l last week that I’d been working on the book trailer, and here it is!
It was filmed on Lade Braes, an ancient path existing since at least the eleventh century on the east coast of Scotland.
I thought it was a fitting place to film the trailer given that it encapsulates the first and last metaphors of the book: people are trees and life is a journey. One of the things I speak about in the book is the way in which these metaphors class with each other: a good tree stays put, but a journey takes you to many beautiful places. How, then, can a flourishing human life be like both a tree and a journey? Both of these metaphors can evoke a truth about the human condition because we have these tensions within us: the need for roots in this life, and yet the sense that this life is temporary, and a desire for home.
Here’s a little outtake that captures the beautiful path…
Filming also brought to mind one of the metaphors: wisdom as light. I found it humorous when my publisher complimented the “perfect low lighting and delightful footage” we captured because this was the brightest day (in fact hour!) we’d had in Scotland for a long time. The footage from this trailer was our second attempt at filming, foiled once before by a sudden and violent storm. There’s nothing like the darkness of Scottish winter to make appreciate the qualities of light, and the necessity of illumination for all of life (organic and spiritual)!
We even managed to capture safety as a castle! Scotland, handily, has the occasional castle (or, at least, castle looking buildings) hanging around…
Speaking of Scottish storms… the wind did this to my umbrella…
I’m also excited to share the introduction and first chapter of You are a Tree! My publisher has made this available for everyone who has preordered the book. You can access it at the bottom of this post. If you haven’t preordered the book yet, you can do that now. Once you’ve preordered the book, just forward your receipt to my email thejoynessthebrave@gmail.com . I will then activate a month long subscription for you which will give you access to the intro+chapter one.
I’m getting very excited for the book release, which is just over two weeks away: February 20th! My publisher and publicity team has been absolutely amazing. I’ve been doing about two interviews about the book a day, which is exhilarating and exhausting. These interviews will release slowly over the next few months, and I’ll try to share a few of them here. I particularly enjoyed this interview with Jonathan Rogers on the Habit, which is a Rabbit Room podcast.
Launching a book is a strange thing, because on the one hand you want everyone to read it, but then I start to feel shy and a bit bashful about mercilessly hawking my wares on social media. But I am so excited about this book, that it has been pretty easy to promote. And I am thankful for all the support you all have given!
If you’d like to help spread the word about You are a Tree, here are three things you can do:
1. Add the book to your “Want to Read” shelf on Goodreads.
2. Request that your local library purchase a copy.
3. Share the book trailer on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
All of these plant the seed for a fruitful launch harvest.
(See what I did there 😉).
Here’s the direct link to the trailer on Instagram:
Okay, signing off! It is (finally!) a day of blue sky and peaceable wind. Today is the once a month farmer’s market in my local town, and there are croissants to eat, goods to peruse, and, later, a novel to be read. Though I must confess some sadness that my favourite (French!) farmer is not bringing his vegetables until April because it is too cold at his farm! How glad I will be when Spring comes.
I hope you all have a lovely Saturday,
Joy
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