Moby Bytes: It's my birthday...
Letter #6: Interrupting already irregular programming to bring you a special announcement, which is not an advertisement, except maybe it kind of is?
(Where Are You? I’m Christina Rivera, debut author of MY OCEANS: Essays of Water, Whales, and Women and Moby Bytes is my series of newlettery notes deep-diving the oceanic kinship of bodies of water and beings. Thanks for signing up for this irregular email in your inbox!)
So, it’s my birthday.
But no one knows it because I hide the date from everyone and then take extra precautions to avoid celebrations because I hate the spotlight. Which is why I write! To hide all my biggest feelings and deepest thoughts in cascading piles of words on pages. ;)
But you might know that about me because I have always loved to write and (according to unofficial sources) often proclaimed I would publish a book before the age of 52. Well, that moment has finally come—some years even ahead of schedule...
Which is why I’m all up in your inbox telling you it’s my birthday! Because I hate to beg and yet needed a culturally legitimate excuse to ask you to pre-order my forthcoming book. ;)
Bill McKibben might have called my book “unflinching,” but he hasn’t seen me in the shower scrunching my eyes closed as I question who exactly I think I am to be publishing a memoir-ish book, let alone pushing my community to actually buy it!
Alas, it seems these pre-orders mean a lot to my (lovely) press and to bookstores who stock books based on pre-order numbers. So, here’s the part where I try to entice you with extra, personalized, reasons to pre-order a copy (or two?) of the book:
It has all my darkest secrets. Okay, the secrets aren’t THAT dark (well, there are a few), unless you think eco-grief is dark (which it is). But I feel very vulnerable publishing this book into the world, and if you pre-order it and then NEVER read it, that would be quite fine by me. :)
It has orcas, humpbacks, leatherback turtles, sperm whales, whale sharks, manta rays, porpoises, (stuffed) narwhals and even mythical selkies in it. In short, it's a great book for anyone obsessed with whales or sea life (which is everyone, right?)
It has my husband and adorable kids in it. They are very charming and handsome (especially my husband Slade). It also has an essay on my visit to the White House to meet with Michelle Obama, if that’s intriguing?
It’s also about parenting amidst a global extinction crisis, and what it means to live in the shape of a woman drowning in patriarchy. On that note, if you LOVE patriarchy, DON’T believe in climate science, or HATE women's rights—this book might not be your jam. But it might make a nice gift for your coolest aunt, cousin, or niece?
You just like the neat cover, which my husband (of course) helped design. Yes. I married him for both his apocalypse AND book marketing skills! (And to answer the popular question: Why, yes, I AM the woman floating on her back, but only metaphorically.) But this book looks GREAT on a bedside table. Seriously. ;)
If you want to read a sample chapter/essay from the book, here are some published excerpts, including my latest publication at The Cut about Corky the captive killer whale, one about wild killer whales, one about the almost-extinct vaquita porpoise, and one about manta rays (which won the fancy Pushcart prize). Links to all my published essays are also on my NEW website @ https://christinarivera.com/essays/
Alternate (and really kind) ways to support me & the book’s journey?
You could text the book link to your favorite feminist, environmentalist, writer, or literary friend?
You could suggest it to a book club or writing group? (I’m happy to join the group by video chat—just email me!)
You could ask your local library or bookstore to get it on their shelves. Those requests really help a book find its flukes.
If you want to follow my book publishing adventure, I’m most active on Instagram these days: @christinarivera.writer.
If you know someone kinda famous (or with a following) who might like this book, let me know, and I’ll mail them a book. Of course.
Forward this email/newsletter to someone who might be more interested than you? ;)
MY OCEANS also makes a nice personalized gift, and I’m offering signed & stamped copies through my local bookshop. So just include who you would like the book inscribed to (or yourself!) when you order, and I will include a little handwritten note. I’m even sending whale-pun pencils out with the books mailed from The Bookworm of Edwards. Yes. Whale-pun pencils! Have I convinced you yet?
My husband always tells me my letters are too long and here we are. But feel free to leave a comment! (Especially if you pre-order the book so I can offer my gratitude in a string of emojis!) But also maybe share something that made you cry in the last year (so I feel less vulnerable publishing a book of all the things that made me cry in the last two decades?).
The book pre-order links are all below. People ask which is my preference, but my publisher says I “need them all” (haha-cry), so it doesn’t matter much, but if you’re good at leaving reviews, then Amazon would be great, and Bookshop.org gives local bookstores 10% of profits which is really the coolest.
That seems like quite enough. In conclusion, thanks for supporting this journey and for enduring my pre-order begging, and especially for helping me celebrate my book birthday via my real birthday. See what I did there?
The pre-order links:
The Bookworm of Edwards (signed & stamped copies with a whale-pun pencil or two)
Hugs all around,
Christina
Where Are You?
If you’re new to Moby Bytes, I’m Christina Rivera and MY OCEANS: Essays of Water, Whales, and Women is my debut book of sea-linked essays deep-diving the oceanic kinship of bodies of water and beings. MY OCEANS is forthcoming from Northwestern University Press/Curbstone Books in March of 2025 and is now available for pre-order at all your favorite booksellers. Please share Moby Bytes with a friend who might want more pod in their life?
Get your own copy of MY OCEANS!
Sample some published essays & excerpts from MY OCEANS
Find me on your social platform of choice: Instagram, Threads, Facebook, TikTok, BlueSky, & LinkedIn
My *sparkly* new author website: www.christinarivera.com
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