(and it) Sounds Like Love (tonight)

my fourth romance is out now from Berkley!

Truly, what a strange sort of life authors lead.

One day I’m sitting on the couch eating Doritos in my pajamas, a cat on my chest, and the next I’m standing in front of over 300 people in a church, musing about ghost boners and what if Hozier had daddy issues and—well—you know.

It’s truly a strange life, and I’m so incredibly thankful to be able to do this.

Sounds Like Love was one of those books I’ve been waiting my whole life to write, and then when I finally got the chance to write it… I couldn’t. Like, not literally. I could sit down and type some words out, but every time I tried to dig into the story and make a nest there, it never felt comfortable. It never felt good.

It had no idea why.

Sounds Like Love was supposed to be my homecoming to the kind of book that started my career—a celebrity romance with a twist. (Pour one out for Geekerella.) But it felt wrong. I didn’t know why.

It was like I kept slamming my face against a brick wall, over and over again.

One draft, two drafts—

They were never good enough.

So, I gave up.

I quit writing (for, like, two weeks) and I fled into the one safe haven that felt good:

Fanfiction.

I’ve been a lifelong connoisseur of fanfic, ever since I was eleven and found a message board linking me to a fix-it fic for my favorite anime. After that, I was hooked. Fanfic is my home away from home—my cave, my nest, my island of misfit toys. It’s where I go to unzip from my Ashley Poston persona and exist in the space of anonymous for a little while.

Anonymous has no deadlines.

No contracts.

No inbox full of emails related to writing but are never actually about writing.

Anonymous might have readers, sure, but those readers also don’t have names or faces. They unzip themselves out of their daily lives and meet in this nebulous water cooler called AO3.

So, that’s where I went.

And there, in a 50,000-word fanfic, I remembered something that I’d forgotten in all of the deadlines and the emails and the contracts and the career of it all—

I’d forgotten that this was supposed to be fun.

Obviously not all the time, and obviously not the same kind of fun that it had been when I first started out—but still fun. Still… joyful. Because let me tell you, that 50,000-word fic was fun as hell. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d kicked my feet and cackled over a line of dialogue (even though it had just been the year before), the last time I’d swooned over a scene (again, the year before)—but there I was, remembering how to.

What a wild thing, to forget something so suddenly, only to remember it in the strangest rarepair you’ve ever written.

So, I went back to Sounds Like Love, and I gathered all of my favorite things together, and I wrote it again.

Third time’s the charm, it seemed.

(Each book is a different challenge. The Seven Year Slip took seven drafts, A Novel Love Story took two. The Dead Romantics was the only book I’ve ever gotten on the first try.)

The third draft of Sounds Like Love became an ode to the exact thing I’d been fighting—creative burnout. It’s about what happens when your well runs dry, and you aren’t quite sure how to refill it again when the things that you usually use stop working. It’s also about my love for music, and how live shows feel often like a spiritual experience, strangers singing their favorite songs together.

Sounds Like Love is my love song to all the concerts I’ve been to, and all the sheet music I’ve cried over, and all of the cover bands who proved to me that you don’t have to be better than the original—you just have to be you.

And in the end? That’s enough.

It’s always enough.

I hope, if you are burnt out and searching for something to fill your creative well, you find some solace in Sounds Like Love. Because I see you, and it’s rough, and you’re thirsty—don’t give up.

You’ll find your spark again.

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Authors and Events!

To celebrate Sounds Like Love, I want to showcase all of the lovely authors who will be at the events with me!

They are truly the MVPs of this tour!!

First up, there’s Kerry Winfrey who I spoke with last night at Wild Geese Bookshop, whose tension-soaked, sweet-as-apple-pie romances remind me of the best of Nora Ephron. Waiting for Tom Hanks was my introduction to her work, a masterclass in tongue-in-cheek wit and starstruck flirting, and I’ve devoured almost every book since. The companion book, Not Like the Movies, was a perfect follow-up. Speaking of Nora Ephron, Very Sincerely Yours is the quintessential contemporary version of You’ve Got Mail. But if you want to stay on the music theme, Just Another Love Song is the perfect country-flavored chaser to Sounds Like Love. Seriously, Kerry has a book for all of your witty rom-com needs, including a Christmas book for all you weird Christmas-in-July people. (Me, I’m weird.)

Next up is the immaculate Jenna Levine at A Novel Romance, and I am convinced that with our combined love for the Muppets we might just convince Disney to make Muppet Pride and Prejudice. Or could you imagine a Muppet Dracula? Amazing. Speaking of vampires—and trust, I am always speaking of vampires, I lust for vampires—I fell in love with Jenna’s My Roommate is a Vampire because, hello, who doesn’t want to room with a hot vampire who respects your autonomy and doesn’t steal the engine out of your truck and watch you while you sleep?? And somehow, her next novel, My Vampire Plus-One, made me fall even harder for her cinnamon-rolls-who-can-suck-you-dry vampires. So obviously, when I got an ARC of her next book, Road Trip with a Vampire, I immediately dropped all of my responsibilities like a Normal Person and devoured it. (Much like I want Peter to devour me.)

Then in New York City, I have the esteemed pleasure of chatting with Casey McQuiston, who needs no introduction. (Though if you haven’t read The Pairing, what are you waiting for?? Food, messy queers, more food, European mistakes, more food—did I mention loves of my life and messes beyond measure, Theo and Kit??)

In Rhinebeck, New York, I am going to fangirl so hard over Patti Murin who is the voice of Joni in the audiobook, and also the voice of countless other heart-rending romances. (Also, there may just be a song-shaped surprise for everyone in attendance!)

[Dance break]

Next up at Changing Hands is the swoony and satisfying Jen DeLuca, whose Renn Faire romances reeled me in with their charm. And now she’s writing haunted romances? Be still my ghost boner heart! I might’ve blurbed Haunted Ever After, and the upcoming Ghost Business is sure to cement itself in my rival-haunted-tour-guide-romance at the top of the list.

In Seattle, at Third Place Books, Jo Segura and I are going to venture our way into hidden temples and the ancient arts of flirtation — and trust, she’s a pro. With such artifacts as Raiders of the Lost Heart, Temple of Swoon, and the upcoming The Lust Crusade, it’s sure to be a thrilling time. But elevator pitch aside—I really love these books. They’re the perfect blend of Indiana Jones and the Uncharted video games with badass heroines who could go toe-to-toe with Lara Croft. And the chemistry!! Oh, *chef’s kiss*.

Then down in LA at The Ripped Bodice—and again in Minneapolis at Tropes and Trifles—I’ll be teaming up with my buddy, my pal, my fanfiction mistress and vampire queen Julie Soto. Obviously if you like sweet tension and sexy romances, Forget-Me-Not and Not Another Long Song are your perfect summer escapes. But if you’re looking to read about people escaping from certain death? The Thrashers is your book. Nevermind her romantasy coming out in July, Rose in Chains!! Have read and can confirm, you will be chained to that book until the very last page.

For the last leg of my trip, I’ll be chatting with D.L. Soria at M. Judson, and y’all. Let me tell you about the gospel of The Cottage Around the Corner. Do you like Nora Ephron? Emily Henry? This one glorious life? Have you spent hours upon hours playing Stardew Valley and wondering what a romance with the heir of the evil Jojamart would look like? This is it, and it’s just as magical and just as lovely as you’d imagine. D.L. Soria has been in this game a while (we both have—queue the “It’s been 84 years” gif) and so she has a whole backlist of titles including Thief, Liar, Lady, which is a Cinderella retelling with a bite, as well as three amazing YA novels— Iron Cast, a historical fantasy where two magical partners-in-crime must go on the run or face the consequences, Fire With Fire, a fantasy about two sisters who find themselves on the opposite side of a war when one forms a magical bond with a dragon, and Beneath the Citadel, another fantasy where the daughter of rebels must topple a terrible prophecy to save her city.

At Eagle Eye Bookshop in Decatur, GA, Julian Winters and I will be plotting a (currently ridiculous) cross-country road trip in an RV. Julian’s got dibs in the AUX cable, I’m at the wheel—who’s with us? For those who are unfamiliar with my love for Julian and his work, I never miss a chance to shout about I Think They Love You, which is basically Succession if Succession was a rom-com and had a baby with Schitt’s Creek. The way Julian writes about queerness and community truly shines. Last First Kiss hasn’t come out yet, but I have A GREAT NEED because, again, I’m a Christmas-in-July kind of gal. Julian’s also known for his award-winning YA as well—Prince of the Palisades, As You Walk On By, Right Where I Left You If you’re looking for a book to rekindle your faith in the kindness of being, pick up a book by Julian Winters.

And last but not least is an extra-special guest in Orlando at The New Romantics—Alicia Thompson!! Which, I will have you know, just ALSO came out with a new book, Never Been Shipped, about a band reunion on a cruise ship and let me tell you, they might’ve never been shipped but I ship Micah and John so hard. But if you’re more of a theme park girlie, With Love, From Cold World, is such a fun romp through amusement park shenanigans. Love in the Time of Serial Killers is for all you true crime fans out there convinced that your neighbor might just be a murderer. And, don’t worry, if you’re into that whole sports thing, The Art of Catching Feelings is the baseball rom-com of your dreams. Heck, it even made me look up the rules of baseball! I don’t even like baseball! But when Alicia Thompson writes it? I’m in love.

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I hope you’ve at least come away from this post with one new book on your TBR! And I hope to see you soon at one of the events!

There are still tickets left to some tour stops, so get them before they sell out!

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A Surprise—

I have two more newsletters coming this week! One to profess my love for a certain song from Sounds Like Love, and the other is an exclusive short story with everyone’s favorite chef and his lemon.

So stay tuned for those newsletters! One is, actually, coming later today!

Until then, never forget to chase your joy.

xoxo,
Ash