cheerio from londontown 💂
plus, a Q&A with Avery Carpenter Forrey
after a marathon week of preparation (there’s nothing quite like the appointment Olympics before a trip!), I’m writing to you absolutely knackered from my hotel bed in london. if you subscribed to the sunday series because you’re a travel industry friend, you know all about why I’m here, and I’ll save that fun for Instagram! our event planning team landed early this morning ahead of welcoming our colleagues from around the world later this week. since touching down, we’ve been buzzing around the city running errands, all the while beating jetlag into submission; the trick really is to just hit the ground running!
the best part about repeatedly returning to a place is that there’s no pressure to see sights or squeeze endless activities into jam-packed days. I’m fortunate to have visited london for the past two summers, so in addition to feeling like I don’t need to jet off to see or do anything touristy, winding through the streets of Mayfair and Kensington feels familiar — what a gift to be thousands of miles from home and recognize restaurants, shops, and street signs. though returning in the thick of the january chill brings a distinctly different perspective, the city still has an undeniable hum flowing through its undercurrent. we went to Harrod’s (see my pic embedded below for reference to their top-selling books and the fun UK covers) this afternoon and it was absolutely packed! all of this to say, if you’ve been considering a first-time trip or return to london, I couldn’t recommend an off-season visit enough. there really is something around every corner here to be discovered.
while I’m sure I’ll have so many more musings to share on my flight home next sunday, I’m going to keep this intro short for the sake of my eyes, which are quite literally falling shut as I write. tomorrow, it’s off to the races! before I hop in my author Q&A, I want to say that I hope you’re being kind to yourself as we hit the mid-point in january (surely less bright-eyed than when we made those new years resolutions a couple weeks back). just remember: simply showing up is half the battle, and you don’t need to change your entire life at the top of the year to have a fruitful 2024. maybe I’m writing this because I need to hear it myself. but isn’t that kind of the point? much love, xKD
meet Avery Carpenter Forrey
this week, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the author of Social Engagement, which was a GMA Buzz Pick and featured by Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Buzzfeed, and other publications. as Managing Editor at theSkimm, Avery cowrote the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Skimm Your Life. her writing has also appeared in The Cut, GQ, and Lit Hub. she holds an MFA in fiction from NYU and lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughter.
Kayla Douglas: Avery, tell us a bit about your background and the path that led you to becoming a writer.
Avery Carpenter Forrey: It goes way back—like many women who end up becoming writers, I had a Harriet the Spy notebook as a kid in which I’d exaggerate scraps of information overheard from my parents and neighbors, spinning elaborate conspiracies out of everyday suburban interactions. The stuff of great drama! I majored in English and Communications in college and then went into journalism, which is kind of like storytelling bootcamp. After jobs reporting for a newspaper in Cape Town, South Africa, and producing for Katie Couric’s talk show back in NYC, I became the fourth employee at theSkimm.
KD: As Managing Editor at theSkimm, you cowrote the #1 New York Times bestseller, HOW TO SKIMM YOUR LIFE. How did working on a nonfiction project help prepare you for writing fiction?
ACF: It gave me the confidence and stamina to finish a book-length project. While the pitching and selling process is wildly different for nonfiction (platform matters more, and you can sell it on a proposal), both projects required similar focus and relentless faith.
KD: What were the seeds of inspiration behind SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT?
ACF: My social calendar. I was attending a lot of weddings at the time, and while each of these events is supposed to be a distillation of a couple's uniqueness, many of them blended together. It's not meant as a judgment, as my own wedding was a very millennial affair (complete with the signature cocktails, outfit changes, and bridesmaid dresses in the same color with different cuts). I wanted to explore the contradiction that such a special day is externally reduced to a series of clichés, with social media flattening and filtering the whole experience for public consumption. A few months into writing, COVID lockdown hit, and weddings ground to a halt. Then, the inspiration shifted toward escapism. I couldn’t go to real parties, so might as well have fun at fictional ones!
KD: Your book explores millennial wedding culture, class, and relationships, all filtered through the ever-present lens of social media. What do you hope readers take away from SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT?
ACF: Well, I hope they have a blast. I hope it reminds readers that social media and aspirational relationships are often a personal PR campaign covering up messier truths. Above all, I hope the book's lighter aspects take readers away to fabulous places while the darker elements ground them more firmly in their bodies.
KD: Your debut has been out in the world for a little over six months now. What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you embarked on your author journey?
ACF: That no one is thinking about you more than you. I knew this, logically, but I was so in my head at times during launch: second guessing my posts, getting the ick over my own self-promotion, anxious that people would read it, and even more anxious that they wouldn't read it. In reality, people were so supportive! They were also dealing with their own lives and were not dwelling on my book the way I imagined (which would’ve been nice and freeing to internalize).
KD: Tell us about the most recent work of fiction that left you with a book hangover.
ACF: “Alice Sadie Celine” by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright. It’s about a 44-year-old woman who has an affair…with her daughter’s 23-year-old best friend. My full review is on my bookstagram here. I could not stop reading, and I still hear these three women in my head. The premise is as jaw-dropping as the character development.
KD: What book is on your TBR that you're most excited to pick up?
ACF: Good Material by Dolly Alderton and Pet by Catherine Chidgey (that’s two, I couldn’t choose!)
KD: The Sunday Series was conceptualized as a love letter to my favorite day of the week. If we were with you in Connecticut on Sunday, where would you take us to spend the afternoon?
ACF: We’d start at the bookstore, of course. My local indie, Athena Books, is so dreamy—their excellent taste and comfy couches make it the perfect place to pick up a new title and ease into the day. Then we’d grab coffee and pão de queijo (delicious Brazilian cheese buns) from Sweet Pea’s Baking Company next door and head to the beach. I love Tod’s Point in winter, especially with my dog, Betty, in tow. We’d walk along the shore, from which you can see the NYC skyline, and let Betty do polar plunges. To top it off, we’d grab a bite at Siren, a new Mediterranean spot with the best tapas and cocktails.
KD: What's next in your journey as a writer?
ACF: Remember how everyday suburban interactions are the stuff of great drama? That’s essentially my second book. I'm working on my first draft and honing my overhearing skills.
Where can readers order SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT?
ACF: Anywhere books are sold! Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or better yet, stop by your local indie.
Do you have any London recs? Would love to check them out if so!