“Meade artfully explores the cumbersome weight of personal secrets and the emotional consequences of concealing a source of profound shame… A moving, emotional, and unpredictable drama.”

— Kirkus Reviews​​

“Mysterious, vivid, and deftly drawn, The Way You Burn explores the perils of intimacy and the psychic burdens of the past. You’ll stay up late turning pages as if they were hot to the touch.”

— Molly Prentiss, author of Tuesday Nights in 1980

Give us the elevator pitch for your book.

The Way You Burn explores one young man’s attempts to understand the complicated pasts of his loved ones by unraveling the vast webs of secrets they’ve kept hidden. Yet as he uncovers their stories, he learns about the inescapable injustices faced by the women he’s known and the true depth of the human heart.

What were your plans for book launch pre-Covid?

I was planning to have a book launch at a local bookstore outside of Boston, MA, located just down the street from where both sides of my (large, Irish) family grew up and where I have lived for the past eight years. I was looking forward to an evening of finally sharing my work with readers, family, and friends!

Where were you when you heard your book tour/ launch was cancelled?

As I was sitting in front of my pop culture writing class that I teach at a local university, the rumors that our school may close and classes would go online for the rest of the semester began to spread, I knew then the in-person book events I had been fantasizing about for some time would have to remain just that for the time being–a fantasy.

What went into writing and selling your book?

I began writing The Way You Burn about a decade ago and only returned to it a few years ago with a fresh set of–hopefully wizened–eyes to dig into revisions. I then heard of the award-winning She Writes Press–an all-female publishing company–at Boston’s Muse and the Marketplace conference and I really liked their commitment to promoting women authors, so I sent in my manuscript and it was accepted!

What is the weirdest job you held on your path to publication?

I freelance write for a few luxury publications geared toward the very wealthy, and writing about the best superyachts at the annual Monaco Yacht Show from my small apartment while wearing my ratty pajamas always feels like a weird juxtaposition.

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

I want readers to finish my book considering how the times in our lives when we are really tested (say, like, right now!) hold within them the opportunity for true growth once we come out the other side, sure, maybe a little shell-shocked and scarred, but all the better for having lived through it.

What’s your favorite Indie Book store?

Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA

Can you recommend one other debut?

Can I cheat and recommend the rest of my She Writes Publishing cohort (four books) debuting on April 14th?

Love, Life, and Lucille, by Judy Gaman

Salvation Station, by Kathryn Schleich

Mountain of Full Moons, by Irene Kessler

Quest for Eternal Sunshine, by Myra Goodman