7 Good Takeaways

Reflections on how it feels to launch a debut novel

Digging in with Joan Fernandez” is a weekly newsletter with ideas for you on shattering limits to reaching your true potential, told through bits from the life of Jo van Gogh (the woman that would not allow Van Gogh to die twice). Please sign up here.What difference can one person make?

Book launch celebration on April 15, 2025—woot!

Hello!

“Hey, girlfriend.” That’s how I greeted my book today, nerd that I am. That girl had a little coming out party last week (My Pub Day was April 15*).

She's still wearing her Van Gogh-inspired jacket and, if I do say so myself, is killing it! (Check out her cover at the end of this newsletter.)

She is way cooler than me. And, frankly, is handling her fame better.

I’m still trying to find the right words to express the impressions and feelings and takeaways of seeing Jo’s story out in the world. I’m. . .not sure what to write, so I’m turning to (who else?) Other Author’s words to put shape around my thoughts.

And to give you a window on Launch Week.

What It Felt Like to Launch My Debut Book

The number “seven” stands for completeness, so here goes Seven Quotes.

"Time moves slowly, but passes quickly." The Color Purple, Alice Walker (1982).

It took seven years for me to write and publish my debut novel Saving Vincent. Along the way, I researched/read over a thousand letters, wrote two entire manuscripts, chased Van Gogh trails in Europe, queried agents, then submitted successfully to the hybrid publisher, She Writes Press. After an eighteen-month home stretch with miles of production steps and marketing, I blinked: Wha. . .? It’s not 2018, but 2025. Lightening fast.

“Love is or it ain’t. Thin love ain’t love at all.” Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987).

My mom died in 2021. Looking back, I was midway thru my rewrite. Not long before, I’d put the first manuscript in a drawer and started over and she knew about that heartrending decision. Fast forward to the weekend before my launch, my husband threw me an early release party with family and friends. It was in a brick, urban-vibe space. About sixty people. Noisy and fun. My BFF took up a post near the door to hand out programs and there, looking out over the crowd, she saw my mom. In the midst of the party. Even now, the image brings tears to my eyes. Real or not, my mother’s unconditional legacy of love enfolds me. I see her face. She sees it’s done; she is happy for me.

"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." Little Women, Louisa May Alcott (1869).

Last week’s public book launch took place at a great little event space where artistic items were for sale. Jewelry, scarves, stationery, crockery, prints. For right there, behind a glass wall artists sat in workstations creating their art: wood sculpting, costume design, watercolors. What an awesome backdrop to do a Q&A! Editor extraordinaire Kim Lozano guided (goaded?) me into sharing creating/writing process to about forty people. I think I sounded competent, but to be honest, when I started out with this author gig I had no idea. No clue of the gigantic, exhausting, never-ending mountain climb of learning that this book would gift me. At a time in my life when I’d done what-I’d-wanted-to-get-done at my corporate job, I received the reward of being a goof-up rookie again. Oh, life is rich!

"I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart: I am, I am, I am." The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath (1963).

Marketing, marketing, marketing. In a world awash with wonderful books, authors must be marketers- ack! We must beat, beat, beat a drum to even be noticed. I am a Be Prepared Girl so before any publicity I always review fact sheets, timelines, etc. to try not to screw up before whip-smart Van Gogh Fan listeners. So last Friday, I’m all prepped for an interview, hair combed, lipstick applied and when I called in five minutes before the Amazon live interview my Mac camera goes out! Being a pro, of course, the host/media personality Cyrus Webb wasn’t phased a bit and deftly switched to static photos instead. Check it out: Cyrus Webb live interview.

"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?" The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas (2017).

Writing the book prodded me into writing this newsletter. Book or no, being able to write in response to the times we’re living through—in a way that I hope fosters acceptance for each other—is a weekly soul-search and I’m grateful.

Add to that: "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou (1969).

I have felt that agony and regret of not listening to my inner voice. In whatever way you’re called to say or do or be, that’s why you’re here. I am absolutely certain that had I not written this book it is a regret I would have carried.

"It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting." The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho (1988).

“A dream come true” — such a fascinating phrase I could apply to writing and publishing a labor of love. Fascinating, too, because now I’m wondering: What’s next?

What This Could Mean to You

People like us notice the faces of intention: Kindness, creativity, love, expansion, beauty, abundance and receptivity.

They’re magnets.

We want the people around us to thrive; we want our society to evolve intelligently in response to ever-present change. We want to feel like we’re not giving in to fear or inadequacy, but stay persistent and vigilant and humble.

We search for the right way forward and try not to be distracted and reactive. Some days are better than others.

This is the example Jo van Gogh and her determination to save Vincent’s artwork has been to me.

I think that’s the best takeaway of all.

Warmly,

*My book, Saving Vincent, A Novel of Jo van Gogh, is about the woman that would not let Van Gogh die twice. This biographical historical novel is based on a true story.

In the early twentieth century, a timid widow—and sister-in-law of the famed painter—Jo van Gogh takes on the male-dominated art elite to prove that the hundreds of worthless paintings she inherited are world-class in order to ensure her young son will have an inheritance.

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