Tomorrow

My book launches tomorrow. A surreal feeling after 7 years (!), and also a feeling like this: “Mother Mother is out in the world. I needed to tell this story and I told it.” Some early readers have posted reviews on Goodreads, for which I am tremendously grateful. Here’s an excerpt from one I read today: “This was a spellbinding story. I loved and hated the characters at different intervals. Written with so many complex emotions, this is not an easy read, and it’s not one of those fluffy ‘feel good’ reads either… Honestly, I finished this book weeks ago and have been trying to come to terms with how I feel about it. It’s gorgeous and I highly recommend it, but it can hardly be considered a light or fast read.” Thank you to everyone who has posted/will post a review on Goodreads, Amazon, and anywhere else. Reviews are very helpful to writers.

Book launch Thursday, October 1

Hi Friends: Please celebrate my book launch with me! Thursday, October 1 at 6 pm Pacific time. In other circumstances, we’d be throwing a huge party at our house and if you lived close enough, you’d be invited. But as we know, life is different these days. We plan to celebrate anyway! Please share the joy by Zooming in to my livestream virtual book launch on Thursday, October 1 from 6 to 7 pm Pacific time. The event will be hosted by the wonderful Portland indie bookstore, Annie Bloom’s, and feature a conversation between me and another Apprentice House author, Katey Schultz. Signed copies of our books will be available for purchase. Admission is free, but you must register via the Zoom link here. Hope to see you on Thursday!Jessica Annie Bloom’s event.

On Instagram

I’m not on Instagram (although I know I should be), and a friend forwarded me this review of my novel, Mother Mother. As a writer and as a person, it feels great to be “understood,” when someone else grasps our intention. Get Lit Book Club does. From the review: In “Mother Mother,” Jessica O’Dwyer explores international adoption, looking at how racism, privilege, and judgement are structurally inherent. With O’Dwyer’s personal journey of adopting from Guatemala, I expected something a little sappy, something a little white savior-y, but was pleasantly surprised… What I liked the most was that I learned a ton about the Guatemalan civil war, which I had never heard of before. It’s being released on October 1st, check it out! —Get Lit Book Club, @getlitbookclub Mother Mother is available now on Amazon, Indie Bound, Book Shop, and Barnes and Noble. xoxo