Love Story Newsletter

In the end it all comes down to this: you have a choice (or more accurately a rolling tangle of choices) between giving your work your best shot and risking that it will not make you happy, or not giving it your best shot — and thereby guaranteeing that it will not make you happy. It becomes a choice between certainty and uncertainty. And curiously, uncertainty is the comforting choice. —David Bayles Thank you to all who joined Second Sunday yesterday! Below is the replay and notes.

Hi, friends. Reminder that our monthly Second Sunday gathering is tomorrow, July 12, at 11 am ET. This month’s topic: Writing through resistance, fear, and doubt. Last month’s topic of writing was so juicy, I’m continuing. I’ll go deep on the ways these forces have impacted me and what I’ve learned (so far) about how to work through them. Open to writers and non-writers alike. These are informal gatherings where I lead with a meditation/breathing, introduce the topic, and then we chat.

Hello, hot summer babes. Or at least it was hot as hell here last week—so hot I’m still bitching about it like the New Englander I am. I do not thrive in the summer. I enjoy the early morning and late evening vibe of summer light, but the heat, the expectation to TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DAYS, the guilt if you don’t, the chaos of unscheduled time for my daughter—it’s just not for me.

I was talking to my agent a few months ago, telling her (again) how I was restructuring my current book, a memoir about relationships. It’s a conversation we’ve had at least six times since I began writing it in mid-2024. “Is this normal?” I asked her. (The answer, about writing, like sobriety, is always yes—but I have to ask it anyway.) “Laura, yes,” she said. “Usually it’s the second book that does this to authors.

Thank you to all who joined yesterday’s call; that was my favorite Second Sunday yet. Below is a summary complete with links to all resources, articles, songs, and books mentioned. This was so rewarding for me, and hopefully all of you. As mentioned on the call, I’m continuing to feel my way into a more regular, accessible, community-based offering in the realm of writing and reading. Any desires or thoughts you have, please share in the comments; I would love to hear.

Hi, friends. Reminder that our monthly Second Sunday gathering is tomorrow, June 14, at 8 am PT / 11 am ET. This session will be recorded for later viewing if you can’t make it live. This month’s topic: Writing. I’ll share some of my favorite thoughts & inspirations on writing (why do it, what it does for us, what’s possible) and some of the specific things I’m doing while writing this book.

I’ve been up since 4:30 am when my daughter and her friends left my house for Senior Sunrise, a tradition here where rising seniors drive around town in decorated cars blaring music, beeping horns, and woo-hooing. Given I didn’t go to bed until almost 11, I should be junk right now, but the sun is out and I’m grateful and caffeinated.

One person gets sober, the other doesn't. Will the relationship last? Also: three sobriety programs start today. First: If you need sobriety support, we’ve got three programs starting today over at The Luckiest Club: The Sober 90 if you’re just starting out or are already sober but need support, structure, and community; The Sober Steady if you have some time, but motivation has waned and you need real tools & support; The Sober Life if you’re ready to focus on the long-game of emotional sobriety.

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On the life that grows in the gaps. The Book Proposal lab is open. Siena, Tuscany, Italy Ciao, friends. Writing to you from Siena, Italy, on our last day here. This is not my first time in Italy, but it’s my first time with girlfriends, and let me tell you: go to Italy with your girlfriends. Become a paid subscriber and get access to all my writing, monthly gatherings, and discounts. We started talking about this trip several years ago.