The Missing Link!🔗

See Dot Smile is officially on the market

Greeting friends, followers, fiction lovers, and Oolders (comma) Meg brand enthusiasts!

It’s been a month since my last publishing update. I would have dropped in sooner, but I was too busy treading water, on pins and nails, on the edge of my feet, waiting for the Excalibur of marketing tools to be handed down from the almighty Amazon gods.

I speak, of course, of THE PRE-ORDER LINK. The weapon which all authors must wield with gratuitous grace and tireless tenacity for the many moon cycles leading up to their book’s debut.

Before I lose you in a mélange of mixed metaphors … BEHOLD!

https://a.co/d/02cZik7u

Not the sexiest URL, I agree.

But one does not judge a book by its web address.

One judges a book, first, by its cover…

…then by its brilliantly crafted summary…

Dot Sloan has always had a plan: study hard, stay invisible, and definitely do not fall for her best friend, Joshua Jameson. Unfortunately, her heart never got the memo.

After one magical, not-supposed-to-happen night leaves their friendship cracked wide open, Dot spends senior year doing damage control―hiding her feelings, dodging drama, and pretending she’s totally fine. (She is… mostly. Sometimes. Okay, not at all.)

So when Joshua suddenly becomes single for the first time in forever, Dot has a choice: stay silent and safe… or take the risk that might finally rewrite everything between them.

As the school year spirals into a hilarious, tender chaos of friend fallouts, unexpected crushes, very public humiliations, and a crash course in confidence, Dot learns that growing up doesn’t mean having all the answers. It means showing up―messy, terrified, and completely yourself.

And sometimes?

You only get the love you want when you stop waiting for permission.

Perfect for fans of Jenny Han, Lynn Painter, and Sarah Dessen, See Dot Smile offers readers a swoony, funny, heart-squeezing YA romance about best friends, missed chances, and finally choosing yourself.

…then by the nice stuff people are saying about it …

“Warm, witty, and achingly honest―See Dot Smile is the YA romance readers will pass to their sisters, their best friends, and their younger selves.”— THE EMPRESS

“There’s a timeless Judy Blume–like honesty in the way Meg Oolders’ coming-of-age story unfolds―tender, raw, and startlingly true.”― Beth Lisogorsky

“Wickedly honest, dramatic and funny. An expertly written, vivid trip. Meg Oolders portrays the serious themes of teenagers today with entertainment and hope.”— Claudine Wolk

…and lastly, but not leastly, by the sticker price.

Friends,

This will not be the last time I express to you how hugely important pre-order sales are to a debut novel/author’s success trajectory. But this is certainly the first time I’ve told you. So, there you go. 😊

A big, squeezy-hug with a side of freshly baked muffins of a thank you to my publisher, Alisa Kennedy Jones, for putting up with me while I agonized about my missing pre-order link with the intensity of a thousand bride-zillas. 🙏🏻

The plus side—my author angst inspired some rather crafty social media content which garnered an “atta-girl” from my Instagram coach, Nicola Washington. #teacherspet😉

@megoolders

🥂Authentic Mid-life Sass & Heart Squeezing YA Fiction 💕 on In…

Speaking of waiting impatiently for things

October 6th is a long way off. What are we supposed to read in the meantime?

I’m so glad you asked.

We’ve reached Chapter Six in my weekly serialization experiment and are on the precipice of a plot thickener. If you haven’t already, you’re sure to find yourself right at home in this story, provided you were once a human teenager and remember what life was like before cell phones and social media. Those of us already embedded in high school drama and tech-free nostalgia would love to have you join us. Did I mention it’s FREE to read?

And in other news, or ICYMI

I recently invested some serious moolah¹ in a professional photo session with an amazing photographer in Boston. She did a superb job of capturing my authorial essence and second act sass sparkle, don’t you agree?

Image: Adrianne Mathiowetz Photography

That’s all the news for now.

I will see you back in this space in a month! Or a week. Or a day if something amazing happens.

In the meantime, my friend, you have a beautifully covered, compellingly described, generously hyped, and impeccably priced book to pre-order! 😘

Truly yours,

Meg O.

1. Taking a moment to acknowledge my small but mighty crew of paying subscribers. Your contributions make spending money to advance my career feel a little less fiscally irresponsible. 😊Thank you— John Hartranft, M. Louisa Locke, Sharron Bassano, Kim Druker Stockwell, Lynnette Sandbloom, Bridget, Judy, Carey, Bob, and Tocky—for your support. 💜