Finding Sunshine

A new tattoo, a book update, and my recent reads

Welcome to Days Like This, a newsletter by Heather Sweeney. Who am I? An author (Camouflage: October 28, 2025) and freelance writer appearing in The New York Times, Washington Post, HuffPost, Business Insider, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping and many more. Learn more about Days Like This in my intro post. Subscribe for free!

May is my favorite month. Winter chills are morphing into spring’s rising temperatures. Daylight appears earlier, making my early wake-ups for work more bearable, and the longer days end in beautiful Virginia Beach sunsets that lower my blood pressure. And of course I’ll never complain about Mother’s Day celebrations followed quickly by my birthday.

Yes, just flipping the calendar page to May brings me happiness, hope and lightness.

And I’m not quite sure why, but May has also become the month of new tattoos for me. Last May I inked a pen on my left forearm, and the May before I got a turtle on my right forearm, combining to form what I call my Peace and Passion tattoos.

My peace and my passion

This May I had sunshine on my mind. I’m not sure if it’s because I think of the sun representing warmth, enlightenment, inner fire and positive energy, or if the image of a sun just reminds me of the happiness, hope and lightness I associate with the month of May. Whatever drew me to the sun, it’s now a permanent reminder of all of those things.

Apparently I’m really into circles right now…tattoo, necklace, earrings, and a ring not pictured. Don’t know what it all means but I can’t wait to figure it out.

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Memoir Updates and My Launch Team

With my memoir Camouflage coming out in October, milestones are happening on a regular basis. Earlier this month I shared my cover reveal, a super exciting milestone that made this whole book publication thing really real.

My latest milestone? My final edits are officially handed in. That makes it my eleventh – and final – draft of this manuscript. Hard to believe that after all these years of drafting and revising, adding and deleting, my manuscript is done.

I’m also thrilled to have an awesome launch team to help with book promotion. Curious as to what a launch team is and if it’s something you’d like to join? I explain it all in my post here. It’s never too late to join the team!

Even if you’re not officially on the launch team, you can still help me with book promotion in some small way:

• Have a Goodreads account? Please add Camouflage to your Want to Read shelf!

• Know someone who loves reading memoirs? I’d love for you to recommend Camouflage!

• Like pre-ordering books? I’d be forever grateful if you pre-ordered Camouflage at one of the bookstores below!

Thank you for whatever you’re willing to do to help get the word out!

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From the Archives

• One year ago: My first ever published poem called This is How the Marriage Ends was published at Maudlin House.

• Three years ago: My New York Times Tiny Love Story called Clarity in a Six-Week Recovery was published.

• Eight years ago: My essay When I got divorced I didn’t want to be in transition forever. Here’s how I moved on was published at The Washington Post.

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Recent Reads

I read some awesome books this month. Have any book recommendations for me?

• The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins

• Alive Day by Karie Fugett

• The Wedding People by Alison Espach

• Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Essays by Nicole Graev Lipson

Thanks for reading Days Like This. Find out more about me at https://www.heatherlsweeney.com.

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