Glimmers and Giveaways
Come for the Doll Parts giveaway, stay for the cute dog pic
"What if you conjured a woman out of death and couldn’t put her back?" -Penny Zang, Doll Parts
Hello from Doll Parts Summer, also known as my busy summer of travel, drafting Book 2, my son’s swim season, and too many potato chips—all while promoting my debut novel (Doll Parts: August 26, 2025 or July 31, 2025 in the U.K. from Sourcebooks Landmark). It’s a novel of suspense and friendship, full of 90s grunge music, black dresses, and maybe a ghost or two.
If you’re new here, welcome. I am Penny Zang, an author, daydreamer, mom, cat lover, book nerd, and English professor. Start here to learn more about Mourning Pages, where I write about books, writing, and grief (with plenty of fun and weirdness mixed in).
This message contains some updates and recent glimmers—the magical parts from the last month that brought joy. I know it’s hard to think about joy when the world is a mess, just like it is really awkward to promote a book when there are so many much more important things to worry about. Here I am, though, because I think we need delight and literature more than ever.
Read through to the end of this message for a giveaway of Doll Parts for subscribers of Mourning Pages. It’s my way of thanking you for being here.
Glimmers from June 2025
New York City in the summer
I attended ThrillerFest last month (more about that below), but the real glimmers were the sights and sounds of New York City: a dog wearing a hat (he was scared of the thunderstorm, hiding out in the subway like me), a giant rat that I’m told is named Scabby, and so many book stores, including Books Are Magic in Brooklyn.
Books I should have read before now
My reading has slowed down this summer while I drafted Book 2. Since I officially have sent it to my editor as of yesterday, I hope to find the focus to read again starting immediately. And while I have a towering stack of new releases that I can’t wait to read, my favorite recent reading experiences are backlist books that I should have read before.
For example, I have finally gotten around to starting Shiner by Amy Jo Burns and I am blown away. A friend told me about this novel years ago and I can’t believe I waited so long. It is SO GOOD. The writing is perfection, the raw-edged, lyrical kind.
Carrie’s Dead: my new favorite Substack
It isn’t just that I will read anything Emily Van Duyne writes or that I will devour any Sex and the City-related content, but both of those things are true. In this case, one of my favorite writers is tackling a new project that I didn’t realize I needed.
Carrie’s Dead, as Van Duyne describes it, “will do an episode by episode rewatch of And Just Like That… . But instead of critiquing each one, in each installment, I will find in the existing show a new, creative way to kill off Carrie Bradshaw, in the hope that, if she dies, we can live.”
Read more about it here. I can’t wait to discuss:
ThrillerFest/signing my first book/receiving copies of my book in the mail
I may write a longer piece about my first ThrillerFest as a debut author, but for now, I can say that it was a whirlwind of firsts. I signed my first book. I appeared on my first panel. I met writer friends, my agent, and walked a lot of NYC blocks.
Shortly after coming home, copies of my book arrived in the mail! The unboxing is on Instagram. I didn’t cry on camera, but I have been misty-eyed and stunned ever since. This dream I’ve had since I was seven years old finally feels real.
In the midst of all this excitement, there have been a few other Doll Parts updates:
A lovely review of Doll Parts in Library Journal
Doll Parts in The Seattle Times!! 7 Thrillers to Look Out for All Summer Long
For my U.K. friends, Doll Parts is on the list of 12 of the Best Books Being Published This July
Giveaway Time
For me, the 90s were about flannel shirts tied around my waist and black boots, MTV and mix tapes that I stayed up late to make for my best friends, the food court at the mall, zines and lots of big emotions.
In Doll Parts, the echo of this time period lingers. What about you? What part of the 90s sticks to you even now (no matter how old you are—think about the movies, the music, the fashion—all of it).
As a way to thank subscribers and also celebrate the countdown to publication, I will give away one signed copy of Doll Parts here on Mourning Pages.
How to enter:
Subscribe to Mourning Pages (if you don’t already)
Comment below with your favorite song/albums/movie/TV show/book/anything from the 90s. You can also just type, “I’m excited for Doll Parts” on this post and your name will be entered.
This giveaway will end on July 7. I’ll contact you via email if you’ve won. Note that I can only ship to U.S addresses.
There’s the also chance to win a copy on Instagram! Two book giveaways at the same time!
I’m so excited for you to read Doll Parts. Please help me share this giveaway any way you can.
Thank you, always,
Penny
Pre-order Doll Parts at Bookshop (or other online retailers)
Subscribe to Mourning Pages
Everything about the 90s was my favorite! I miss the TV shows, cassette tapes, no internet, biking with my friend around the neighborhood with zero adult supervision. What a time to be alive!!
I love the 90's so much, but when I think about music from the 90's my brain always flashes back to my obsession with the Cranberries. I listened to Linger constantly!