We lost my father-in-law.

While we all knew it was coming for months (years, even), it hit us hard. In waves. We are still in the thick of it.

Thank you for your beautiful messages of love and support - I’ve been slow to answer, but we are okay and just taking time to be together as a family and close friends.

My second novel is actually focused on processing grief, ironically, and I’ve been working on it for about six years. I usually work on multiple projects simultaneously, because I am led by inspiration and moods… which change. Stay tuned!

I just came back from a wonderful conference in Austin, Texas called SXSW. I was lucky to be part of a delegation sent by Dubai’s Museum of the Future - my panel was all about the future of storytelling:

On site, there was a stunning, circular digital art installation, a series of talks ranging from calligraphy to space exploration (to storytelling :), and an hour-long queue for a taste of Dubai’s famous FIX chocolate. Can you believe nearly 8,000 people visited per day?!

So proud of Dubai for actively building a brighter, more hopeful future for us all. I love this city and everything it stands for - safety, ambition and true peace.

READ: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami

This ‘Read with Jenna’ book club pick delivers - sinister and dystopian from the first few pages, it is about a woman named Sara who gets apprehended at LAX airport because AI has identified that she may soon commit a crime… based on her dream patterns.

I had the chance to meet Laila and get a signed copy at SXSW!

WRITE: Where do you start?

One of the most frequent questions I get from audiences is - how do you write a full book?

Most writers say - there’s no secret. Just write.

But there’s no roadmap for what that granular process actually looks like.

I believe creatives each have their own path to complete a novel. One of my dearest writer friends likes to lock herself in a hotel room and write for two days straight, no distractions, ordering meals in.

I go for the tortoise approach - I have a discipline where I write for just 20-30 min increments around the same time each day (usually morning, post workout, with a coffee cup to keep me company).

What vibes with you?

INSPIRE: Meditation

Sadghuru created a free meditation app called Miracle of Mind that crossed the 1 million download mark faster than ChatGPT.

I dug up his beginner’s guide to meditation here for you - it is so peaceful and powerful. Meditation has helped me so much in navigating life’s unexpected ups and downs and I hope this brings you some equal measure of peace:

BROWSE: These Links

Random stuff from the WWW for your procrastinating pleasure:

• Harry Styles has a seriously intense workout regime

• Columbia University is a hot mess right now

• The psychology of resilience

• Conde Nast Traveler’s Ramadan 2025 guide

• Testing out the recipes in With Love, Meghan

Countdown to My Novel’s Publication Day:

Thanks for reading! See you soon!

With kindness,

Sara