Friends, we did it!! I have been working so hard to get this book written, edited, formatted, illustrated, ISBN’ed, barcoded, registered, priced, and set up. I set myself an ambitious goal of having it ready to purchase by November 1st, which was ridiculous, really, practically foolhardy to be honest, because I have NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE and had to learn to do everything that a whole team of people at a publishing house do. I can’t believe I am actually writing this on November 1st, with a book ready for you to purchase, in paperback or Kindle.

From the back cover: “By the end of the day we’re often exhausted, worn down by meeting other’s needs and our own, frustrated by things that happened today, and anxious about what’s going to happen tomorrow. In 365 Days of Peace, writer and theologian Jessica Kantrowitz offers a moment of peace for that transition into the evening. In each of these short benedictions, first posted on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, she identifies struggles common to us all yet specific enough that some readers have wondered if she was reading their journals. She then speaks peace over them and over us, offering blessings that are pastoral but also inclusive, accessible for people of any faith, or of none. Light a candle, make a cup of tea, and settle into the evening with this book, in gentleness, hope, and peace.”

I really wanted this to be beautiful for you, and I think it is. I hired an amazing illustrator for the cover, Kozakura from Fiverr, and put hours of work myself into the interior formatting. The benedictions are organized by date, beginning November 1st, but I placed the dates at the bottom of the page, so they are there if you want them, but easier to ignore if you want to read at your own pace. I also created a topical index, at the end of the book, so you can look up a benediction for how you are feeling that day. The topics include anxiety, stress, art, creativity, body image, caregivers, change, depression, fatigue, faith, spirit, hope, joy, illness, loneliness, perseverance, prayer, meditation, protest, and justice, just to name a few.

I really wanted to make it available from bookstores other than Amazon, too, and I am still working on that. If you really don’t want to buy from Amazon, I hear you, and please stay tuned. I do want to mention, though, that Amazon does give me really good royalty rates, so even though you are not supporting independent bookstores, you ARE supporting an independent author if you chose to buy my book there.

This has really been such a collaborative effort over the past year, as so many of you have liked and shared these benedictions online, and commented and sent messages of encouragement. Your support and energy made it possible for me to keep going, even on evenings when I felt I didn’t have it in me. I really feel like this is our book, not just mine. I’m so grateful to all of you. And the dedication is to you, too:

Dedication

This book is for everyone on Twitter, Instagram, & Facebook

who liked, retweeted, or shared one these benedictions

& especially those

who sent me messages that said,

“How did you know?”

or

“Me, too. Me, too.”

I’m not doing anything fancy like a launch team or publicity tour with this one, but I will gratefully accept any shares, retweets, reviews, readings, etc. This is a grassroots project, so I’m going to trust the grass to root and spread, like grass does.

Thank you so much, for everything. I’m so excited to get this book into your hands.

Love,

Jessica