Little Reminders

You are not alone.

Welcome to Joy Ride, a monthly dose of joy, good things, creativity prompts, and gratitude by writer Jennifer Chen. If you like it, please share this newsletter with someone who might like it too.

Your Pep Talk 🔔

Oh my goodness, friends, it’s been a time! I took a short break from this newsletter to go through 20 days of radiation treatment. It was hard. Every day I showed up and put my body through hell. At the end, I rang the bell in the cancer center to signify the completion of treatment and promptly burst into tears. This bell symbolized the moment that I didn’t have to grit my teeth and lay under the machine. I was done.

I showed up to the treatment room with this small pink cat my twins gave me. It served as my reminder that I wasn’t alone. I had people waiting for me. My friends sent cards with lovely notes. My friend Meghan, a fellow breast cancer survivor, sent me a bracelet that said “Badass Bitch” in Morse code.

This is your reminder that you are not alone. You have community around you to lift you up. Ask for help. Apply for that job. Send that email. Write that crazy idea down. Do that thing that seems impossible. You can do this.

My Latest News 📚

My next YA book, CHECKING YOU OUT, is coming out June 23. I launched a preorder campaign to support local indie bookstores in Minnesota and Los Angeles. I donated a set of signed books to Lit for Queer Liberation, which launches on March 1 and runs until March 7. The silent auction has tons of amazing authors and agents donating items (like signed copies of Jenny Han’s books!).

Check Out This... 🏥

TV SHOW: The Pitt (HBO Max). Brendan and I just started watching this show and it’s so good. It’s a master class in TV writing and character development. We’re only on season one so far.

MOVIE: A League of Their Own. This is one of my favorite movies that I can quote any time. We showed it to our kids for the first time and they loved it. No matter how many times I’ve seen this movie, that Betty Spaghetti scene always makes me cry.

BOOK: Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America: Essays by R. Eric Thomas. I love to read essay collections, especially when they are humorous and heartbreaking. I don’t want to spoil this for you, but this book of essays is fantastic.

NONPROFIT: Brave Trails is an amazing summer camp for LGBTQ+ youth that allows them to have a safe space for community. The organization also offers family camps, virtual meetups, and backpacking adventures.

I'm Grateful For... 🏫

Librarians. I was invited to do an authors panel at the California School Library Association and a book signing. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to meet school librarians and staff from all over California. They radiate book joy, care deeply about young readers, and work hard to keep school libraries a welcome place. We are so lucky to have them!