Well, opening time is getting closer: The Optimist comes out Tuesday. If you’re in New York, I’ll be signing books at the great Todd Snyder store on Madison Square Park from 4-6pm. Actually, I’ll be outside the store, it will be low-key and easygoing. So please come by and say hello! If you can’t make it, Todd Snyder will be selling signed copies at their store, and on their site further down the line. 

I’m navigating that strange time when a book goes from something private to something very public. The work goes out into the world and the author essentially loses complete control. This is part of the process, though that doesn’t make it easy.

Yes, The Optimist is about fishing, but it’s also about travel, love of the natural world and letting an obsession become part of your life. This is a personal book and I hope that people connect to that side of it, whether they fish or not. If you try to find some meaning in your live from a passion—even if you know it’s irrational—then I hope you can relate to The Optimist. 

There are other projects coming soon, so watch this space for Maine boat shoes, English sunglasses, canvas Swordfish hats and dream fishing jackets, which I’ve developed with some of my favorite companies. I’m thrilled to share these with you later this month. There will also be a few book signings but those will be unfold at less predictable times. That makes sense since we’re all navigating an unsteady return to more regular rituals, and we have to take our pleasure where, and when, we can find it.

So here we are. It’s all happening. I’m excited and a little nervous. But I have to say, it feels like it’s going to be a very good summer. 

Salut!
D