Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20* @LeahKonen Twitter profile

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

1 year

Are y’all ready for toxic friendships, playground antics, con artists, jewelry heists, and a takedown of how the mental load ALWAYS falls to women? Well get ready to meet Mary and Willa, your new favorite frenemies. Preorder here: .

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Raise your hand if pregnancy made you even more radically pro choice.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I'm getting a lot of reviews about how there is too much breastfeeding and it's not realistic in a book about a woman left alone with a 6-week-old baby, and it's just WILD to me how we as a society still don't realize how time-consuming nursing actually is.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

And it's this kind of attitude that fuels the "it's fine there's a formula shortage JUST breastfeed" and "breastfeeding is free!" kind of logic. Like BFing is a full-time fucking job, y'all.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Anyway, my first six weeks of parenthood were a hell of nursing, cracked nipples, pain, tears and low-key losing my mind. I based YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME on my experience. Hope it speaks to some of you. <3

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

And I'm getting some comments too about PPD. How it's distracting for a mystery/thriller. But, like, it just feels like there's this sense of "keep these annoying womanly issues out of my fiction!" kind of vibes.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

And it's totally fair for people to not want to read about it in their spare time and for entertainment. I'm just surprised I guess by how many people find it strange for it to be frequently included in a book about caring for a 6-week-old.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Wow y’all. Thank you so much for validating the experience I had. And if anyone wants to preorder my boobtastic, honest-about-PPD thriller, here’s the preorder link. ♥️♥️♥️

You Should Have Told Me a book by Leah Konen

A new mother chases the secrets her partner left behind after his sudden disappearance in this pulse-pounding domestic thriller from the author of The Perfect Escape. Janie needs a break: her baby...

bookshop.org

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@AllisonWyss Feeding and cleaning up shit and then watching them breathe and praying they don't suffocate in their sleep! That's really it!

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I rarely share sales numbers but I can't help it. THE PERFECT ESCAPE has sold 20,000 copies! I have never hit a number like this before, and I am so thankful to every single reader who gave this book a chance. We had little press/trade reviews, no lists, but we did it! THANK YOU

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I want to normalize something: I am a mother who writes a book a year. I do not write at nap-time or after bed. I write when I have childcare. Period. I see so many women beating themselves up for not being able to do two or three jobs at once.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

5 years

@tomryanauthor No one ever shuts the front door behind them when they walk into a home. EVER.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I had a tweet go viral about motherhood, and I'm not gonna RT the response that's bugging me because I hate pile-ons, but can I just say: knowing something will be hard does not invalidate how hard it is when it happens.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@annapook Probably because when you write it into books people get mad about it hahahahaha

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

5 years

@KamalaNair @tomryanauthor Oh yeah women on TV have impeccable moisturization.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

And since this is making the rounds, please read this incredible and heartbreaking piece about black maternal mortality.

Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies Are in a Life-or-Death Crisis (Published 2018)

The answer to the disparity in death rates has everything to do with the lived experience of being a black woman in America.

www.nytimes.com

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

9 months

🧵 I want to talk about Christmas as a mom of young kids and how the holiday cocktail of capitalism, women’s mental labor, Instagram culture, millennial parenting, experience economy and the absolute chaos of this timeline has reached a fever pitch that’s completely unsustainable

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

My novel-in-progress is a feminist take on Strangers on a Train, only the people meet on a playground, but what it's REALLY about is the cost of unpaid women's labor. I'm curious what you think are the parenting tasks that default to women, even among progressive partnerships.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@SBLitAgent I mean totally but writers do this too? And many of us do get contracted ahead of time. Insisting it’s an art for writers and a business for everyone else excuses writers being paid poorly. It is a passion for me. It’s also what feeds and houses my family.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@HEWilliamsBooks Oh for sure, but there was something very horror-movie body-snatcher about the whole thing that I didn't really realize until I was in it.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

Being an agent is absolutely a business. So is being a writer. Very tired of people acting like we are just hobbyists. Writing is my family’s only source of income right now.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@giuliaevolvi The right should exist regardless. It’s bodily autonomy and I was pro choice long before pregnancy. But esp if you had a difficult pregnancy/traumatic birth you might feel the need for choice on a deeper level than ever before. I did and a lot of people responding are the same.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@LaSeletzky How anyone can see this and argue against cash reparations is beyond me.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@ShannonJCurtin Lolol. We went from I DON'T WANNA GO TO FOOOOOL (school) to "my new dress has pineapple on it I love pineapple let's go" in a span of 5 mins.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

In this same vein, I had a friend who once said, "I'm not sure if I want to be a mom, but I'd love to be a dad," and I've never forgotten it. How succinct and honest and true.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Thank you all for sharing your stories. Don’t have the energy to share mine right now but it was messy and full of trauma I’m still healing from almost three years later. Plz donate to abortion funds.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

Hot take incoming: constantly talking about how someone writes "so many books" or "wow you wrote ANOTHER book" or "you're just so fast!" is not necessarily the compliment you think it is. Why? Working writers are lucky, sure, because it's really hard to make work ...

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@AllisonWyss With occasional breaks to google all the ways you're failing lolololol

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I'm just going to be over here with my hot takes all day! I have published 8 traditional books and never earned out. I just signed a three-book deal at Putnam, a major respected imprint of PRH. You don't have to earn out to keep writing. Get that advance money if you can.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@MarishaOrion In the height of it I ate two English muffins (not two halves, two whole ones) with butter plus two fried eggs the second I woke up. Could not keep weight on. She was ravenous lol

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@briebriejoy @RobertKennedyJr @HillTVLive I worry about my mom every day because she refuses medicine/vaccines/etc., largely due to this guy. Never thought I'd see a "leftist" giving a platform to this.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I want to talk about the way society hates mothers and gestational parents who show anything other than pure unadulterated bliss. I mean really, just hates them and pulls the deepest most sexist stuff out of their back pockets anytime they see a mother who is honest about this.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

Gorgeously written memoirs that tackle family dysfunction in the vein of The Glass Castle and Educated? GO.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@talemmie Right? I totally respect the review process and know that my book is not for everyone. But this issue is getting under my skin I think mainly because I so rarely see motherhood accurately portrayed in media.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@Swilua I actually have my character answering the door mid-nursing to detectives talking to her for a police investigation. Writing a classic scene like that with a nursing baby was so fun.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@rgay When you don’t have to see his name to know exactly who you’re talking about!

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@jennelikejennay And if there's a toddler, they're standing in a pack-and-play just watching stuff go on around them LOLOLOL

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

My agent: well they said the answer is probably no but then I went to the head of the press and asked anyway. Y’all, when I say you need a great agent, I mean it. Someone who goes to bat for you every chance they get. There are fighters out there. Find one.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

Your semi-regular reminder that 1 book sold, 10 books sold, 100 books sold, 1000 books sold, 10,000 books sold, 100,000 books sold, and hell, a million books sold are all valid and huge accomplishments worth celebrating! You did it, writer! You really did.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@prntgdcolonized Would love to see the racial breakdown of people who get notes like that in the chart and people who don't ... abuse of HCW is one thing. Tone-policing those who are in pain/traumatized or have a history of being failed by the medical community is another.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@ereberhart Totally. And even doing it everyone in your life is like “wow are they eating AGAIN?”

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

You can visit every friend when their baby is a newborn, take classes, plan plan plan, talk with your PCP about your depression, prepare for mental health implications. Surround yourself with helpful people. Guess what, new motherhood can still destroy you. It can still be war.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

Since there’s no out of office on this app, I will be doing THIS for the rest of the summer and probably won’t be responding much. (Meet Mary Joyce, who’s already stolen our hearts.)

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Too early to share specifics but learned today I’ll be putting out novels for the next several years. If you told me finding a publisher who steadfastly supports me was in my future five years ago, I would not have believed you. Keep at it, y’all.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I think the only reason we even think doing two full time jobs (childcare and professional writing) at once is possible is because they’re largely women’s fields and they’re completely devalued.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@alex_abads @annevclark I don't think that it's that she's the hot girl and the other three are dorks (Jerry is really successful even in the show) but that they're all miserable self-involved people in diff ways. But yeah, Elaine is totally hot.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Attending my own book launch this afternoon and I’m gonna mask. Really nervous people gonna judge cause I’m the speaker, after all. But one, I’m still pro mask in crowded spaces and two I have *reasons* to be extra careful with my health right now. Anywho send me vibes.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

So excited to share that I’ll be writing three more books with @PutnamBooks and the fab @DSDieterich !

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

6 years

@hwhittenwrites Agree! My personal, non-scientific opinion is that a good twist will be missed by 80-90% of readers and caught by 10-20%. If no one guesses it at all, it's probably coming completely out of left field and not very fun.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

5 years

@gab_brab @MichelleBitabit @_Qasello @KamalaNair @tomryanauthor I think if any man was going to seriously moisturize, it would be Patrick Wilson.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

A dream realized! SO honored to share my breastfeeding experience + how it relates to my novel, YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME, with @voguemagazine readers. Please check out and share if you believe BFing needs more societal support and understanding ♥️🍼📖

Breastfeeding Is Basically Impossible—Why Don’t We Say That More?

Why was no one really talking about it except in a whisper network that seemed to exist to spare everyone else from the weight of our sacrifice and our pain?

www.vogue.com

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

3 years

Thrilled to share I'm writing another book with @PutnamBooks + @MichaelJBooks ! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME poured out of me when my own baby was a few months old. It's near and dear to my heart, a mystery set against the backdrop of one mother’s PPD. Look for it next year!

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

No words. No class. Nothing you can put on a baby registry. And I just can't help but feel that when men do hard things, we let them tell us how hard it is, but when women or trans/non-binary parents do, we say "fuck off, YOU signed up for this."

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Every new mother who found the joy we're promised so easily. Good for you! Seriously. I adore that you were spared pain. Everyone who found themselves on my side of the coin, I want to hug you and love on you forever because there just is no way to prepare for it ...

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

And props to the women who do do it. You are superheroes and somehow find a way but you are making up for the ways our society has devalued women’s labor. If you miss a deadline it is not on you! You are doing what most people would find impossible.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@ashleyn1cole You are totally right that they will. I just got excited. I'm a novelist (my TV option renewal check is on hold due to strike) and my husband is IATSE and out of work and we're about to lose our health insurance. Thank you for doing what you do and sharing on here <3

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@AllisonWyss Oh that was when I did my prime googling! Don’t tell me the Boppy wasn’t invented so you could text your friends at 3am to ask them what the fuck you’ve done.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

I hate the X, hate it!

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Would we ever expect someone to be a plumber and a data scientist at once? Is that a question that would ever occur to us? Of course not. One is hands on and one is on a computer, just like childcare and writing, but we would never ever think it was normal to do this.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

If you're an author freaking out about not being on any end-of lists, I am many trad-pubbed books in and I have never been on one to date. My books are in Target, I make a living and support my family based on my writing alone. The lists really don't matter for long-term success.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@BursonGrace @HazelDomain For a toddler? You better have a backpack full of snacks or what are you even doing?

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@amandawritestoo Yes that was my experience too. Clustering for like 6 weeks even tho there actually wasn’t anything wrong. She was just a seriously hungry baby. It was intense.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@DelilahSDawson There are so many wonderful YA writers, but having been in the community for 5 books, there was a lot of high-school who's-the-most-popular attitudes and I never really felt like I fit in. I have found the adult thriller community to be the polar opposite.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

P.S. this was me nearly 3 years ago in the thick of it. My dad said I looked "tired." Thanks dad lol

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

9 months

And this goes without saying, but you know moms are doing 95% of ALLLLLLL this work. I mean, they just are. And it is WORK. And even if you enjoy it genuinely (some of these thing I do and also enjoy!), it still is things that need to be done and you need to find time for.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

11 months

@mariskreizman Isn’t telling Jewish people they just feel a certain way it’s own kind of antisemitism? What other group is being asked to be aligned fully with a government?

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

9 months

And I really just think that maybe all moms need to collectively let out the breath they didn't even know they were holding (sorry, I used to write YA lol) and just accept that we're doing pretty damn great and our kids are all right?

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Before and after. Due to pressure from all you incredible people, @PublishersWkly agreed that the language in their review was problematic and edited accordingly. They still didn’t love the book—and that’s OK—but I’m calling this update a win for breastfeeding and PPD mothers.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@katie_gutz Love this. My husband always said “yoink!” When he grabs a piece of food and now I do it and Eleanor does too and the other night I heard my FIL say it for the first time and I was all 🤯 “that came from you?”

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Which of course doesn't even take into account that so many people did NOT sign up for this but were forced into it by their governments. Anyway. Mothers, parents, I love you. I think of you. My DMs are open if it's 3am and you're losing your mind. Always.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I can't believe it. The book of my heart, You Should Have Told Me, is out today. It's a twisty thriller set against the backdrop of one woman's post-partum depression, and it's already inspired so many wonderful conversations--and I'm excited to have more.

You Should Have Told Me by Leah Konen: 9780593539941 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

A new mother chases the secrets her partner left behind after his sudden disappearance in this pulse-pounding domestic thriller from the author of The Perfect Escape. Janie needs a break: her...

www.penguinrandomhouse.com

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@NishitaParekh22 lol right? If you watch a baby on TV they happily and quietly play/lie in their crib/pack-and-play for THE WHOLE SCENE so maybe that's what they were expecting?

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

9 months

Damn we thought we had it bad when we were looking at Kate Moss in Seventeen mag but nothing tanks your body image like a million targeted ads towards all the ways you can and should improve every area of your appearance based on any insecurity you’ve ever googled.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Popping in again to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for sharing their stories. So much collective pain and trauma and love and joy in this thread. ♥️♥️♥️

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@finejuli That shit is SO WEIRD. Like I try to be the best parent I can on flights and keep her respectful but to apologize ahead of time for her existence with goodies is strange af

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

My mom is complimenting me on how little weight I’ve gained in my pregnancy and it honestly just makes me sad for past generations. She is telling me to the pound what she gained with me 38 years ago even tho she watched herself “like a hawk.”

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

4 years

It's #pubday for #AlltheBrokenPeople and a new review has just come in! ELEANOR says, "You'll devour this twisty Hitchcockian thriller in one sitting—I did!" Get your copy and support indie bookstores here:

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

9 months

And then there's this idea of "making memories." Like if we put enough effort and coordination and candy-cane color into things then our kids will have a holiday memory. But in reality we do not have any control of what memories are going to last for our kids and which aren't.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Off the top of my head, I think clothes-buying/organizing and booking summer camps is almost always in a woman's domain.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

Re the agent/author power debate: I remember talking to a pal in law school, saying: you’ll go through all this work and most likely get a job in the end. I’ll do years of work with no guarantee I’ll get anything. She goes: yeah, but you’re making art.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I actually almost took the image down from where I'd posted it after my dad said that. My husband encouraged me to leave it up because it was honest.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

My fave thing to do with my daughter is go to the library regularly. Just to pop in, take books back, get some new ones (for me and for her), and to see all kinds of people simply EXISTING without the expectation of spending money, posting on social media—anything.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

9 months

... not accumulating bigger houses and cars (not like we can afford them anyway), but what's happened is we just capitalism'd every experience. B/c now even the sweetest family moments that used to be intimate and organic require planned outfits, professional photography, etc.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@SBLitAgent Ok but you never specified that. You said writers and writing a book and made umbrella statements about both multiple times. Also querying writer-vs-professional writer is a false dichotomy. Many of us find ourselves querying more than once in a career. And going on sub.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@yrfriendamelia @SaraMooreWagne1 @finejuli @nancy_reddy Exactly. Even if they are on a schedule between latching, feeding on each side, burping or holding upright to prevent spit up, pumping so partner can give a bottle, it’s all consuming.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I really don’t understand why guessing twists is such a bad thing. I guessed every twist in the last mystery I read and I still … loved it? You don’t know for sure so there’s still suspense. Of course I try and write to keep readers on their toes but as a reader I’m ok with it!

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

So all these mothers are reaching out to me to tell me they've NEVER felt allowed to be honest about how difficult motherhood is. Why do societal systems, incl. publishing (see my previous rage threads), work so hard to silence women who feel this way? I have some theories ...

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

5 years

@JessicaValenti If a woman bumbled in this way ...

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

3 years

I have one of the most exciting calls of my entire career today and while I can’t share anything about it, wish me luck!!!

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

I just got my third royalty check ever. It's literally for $108 after wire transfer fees and agent commissions, but it's ROYALTIES. It's from a YA book that published in 2015 but apparently is doing well in Argentina! Sometimes, I love this business and all its wildness.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

It's good to recognize that the amount of output an author has (be it original works, audio projects, IP, etc.) doesn't just have to do with their creativity or writing ability. It is often calculated decisions based on financial needs. Respect it like you would for any other job

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

@SBLitAgent One could also argue that you're not a "professional agent" until you sell enough books to make a decent income, when that's not true either. Many agents don't make reliable money when first starting out.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@TBDrDrew2 @svyantek A YouTube series that’s just someone animating our most bonkers BFing stories

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

1 year

My point is, we need to get out of the habit of undermining working writers by implying it's not a job. If I were an accountant, no one would tell me to take a year off because I felt burnt out. No one would say "wow I can't believe you're an accountant and have young children!"

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

And most importantly, please know that if you are struggling, you are not "histrionic." You are not going to neglect or hurt your baby. You are feeling feelings that most of us feel. Big hugs to everyone in it right now. <3

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

5 years

@randyribay The other thing I hate is, now that I write FT, people say, “well you must have a supportive spouse.” Like, yes, he’s great, but I didn’t start writing FT until I could make as much income as I did with a trad day job bc that was our personal financial situation.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

@giuliaevolvi I would also push back on the idea that any pregnancy is “relatively easy.” Even a routine pregnancy with no complications is not easy in any way, shape or form. Women have just been socialized to expect and smile through physical and mental suffering.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

9 months

And the thing is, even if you try not to let it all take you over, there's this mom guilt that maybe you're not giving your kid the best Christmas, and there are only so many Christmases that they'll be this little, and this is the most magical time, and, it's just too much.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Wanted to add: NYC (where we live) funds FREE full-time preschool (9 to 3pm, 5 days/wk) beginning at 3. Our daughter will start in September. The only reason we can afford our preK now is because we knew we were only paying it less than a year. We NEED universal childcare NOW.

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

So pre-order my book, please, if you think this bullshit should stop. Read other honest books ab motherhood and caretaking, like ones from @katie_gutz , @finejuli , @audrain , @kileyreid .

You Should Have Told Me

www.amazon.com

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Leah Konen *KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE out 2/20*

@LeahKonen

2 years

Welp, another trade review. This says the book is suspenseful + twisty but Janie’s “histrionics,” incl. sharing the difficulties of nursing, distract from the plot. Could this be any more blatantly sexist? Histrionics … REALLY? I’m starting to wonder why I ever wrote this book.

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