She’s here. My debut novel is finally out in the world.
I didn’t expect my first book to be a novel, but Charlotte and Reece’s story came to me in a flash on the last day of my college reunion in 2019. Reunions are emotionally heightened settings, fuzzy with nostalgia but fraught with small talk and insecurity. For me, my five-year reunion was an opportunity to temporarily escape my stressful job and a controlling boyfriend. I sat on Wesleyan’s Foss Hill with old dormmates and exes, trading updates on our lives and careers and struggles. No one had become who they expected to be, but everyone had a wild story to tell.
On the final morning of the reunion I had this image of two former lovers who knew each other as kids, staring each other down many years later as older, not quite wiser adults. Charlotte and Reece have had a rough go of it since graduating from college. Charlotte is depressed, estranged from her parents, and working as the assistant to a narcissistic Thought Leader. Reece, newly sober, lives with his mom as he pays off student loans and tries to get his act together. At their five-year reunion, they’re embarrassed that they can’t compete with their hyper-successful classmates, but they find understanding in each other. They’re both working on themselves, determined to break free of generational traumas and redefine what love and success look like.
As a queer millennial and a survivor of relationship abuse, I tried to write a happily-ever-after that felt honest and true to my generation’s complicated relationship with the future. But How Are You, Really feels like my happy ending. It gave me the strength to leave a bad relationship, reconnect with the outspoken girl I was in college, and find my voice again. I hope Charlotte’s story will help other broke millennials and isolated abuse survivors feel seen and loved.
I would be so grateful for your support bringing this novel to more readers. Please spread the word with social media posts, Goodreads and Amazon reviews, newsletter plugs, and any other word-of-mouth love you’re willing to share!
You can purchase the book here, and the audiobook is available here. You can also request it at your local library.
You can also join me on my book tour! I’m having events in NYC, Philadelphia, DC, Kansas City MO, and Portland OR. More information here.
Thank you for your support, your kindness, and your generosity. Charlotte’s story belongs to you now.
All my love,
Ella
Ella Dawson 