Nicole Barrell's Blog

Something cropped up recently where I hadn’t updated someone on something since January. And I realized it’s May. And I’m wondering what happened to the months in between because that’s wild.

I’m looking forward to the summer. For obvious reasons: a break from teaching (which did get better as the year wore on but at one point I was really, really doubting whether I was on the right path). I think the real problem was I was a little depressed/bummed about The Sham coming out RIGHT at the peak of...

The Sham was released last week, on the 5th. So far I’ve had a signing at Below the Brine bookshop in Harwichport and last weekend we celebrated the launch at Cape Cod Lavender Farm, which was so beautiful. Amid all of this came the start of school, and a new school for Nolan, so things have been HECTIC. I’m with a small press, so a lot of the marketing falls to me, and this, too, is time-consuming and not quite my favorite thing to spend my time doing. I’d rather just sit and write. However, th...

Updates! 

Let me see, what have I been up to?? Well, early to mid summer, The Sham commanded most of my attention - some last-minute rounds of proofing, audiobook consultation, (one of my favorite parts of this process), and other extraneous stuff. The audiobook sample is here. I love the voice of Margo, the main character. Gritty, a little bitchy, and closed-off. I can’t wait to hear the other main character, a different voice actor—cuz that one gets realllly unhinged.

For anyone interested in receiving an early digital copy from the publisher (it’s a PDF) in exchange for leaving an honest review on Goodreads and Amazon, please enter your information here! I can give you more information afterward. As always, so appreciative of the support.

I’m nearing 6 months until the official launch of The Sham. I signed the contract in June 2022 (!) so it’s seems like it’s been forever. And when I say forever, I think t...