A new moon in eclipse chaos...

I'm not going to lie, reader. I have really been getting by butt kicked by the mid-eclipse energy this time around. I had a great time at Villains and Vixens, got home.........and promptly got Covid for the first time (5.5 years was a pretty good run). It was all very four of swords, "rest or the universe will make you rest" vibes.

This year has been full of shakeups in my personal life and changes at my day job, and I would love for everything to just CHILL for a second and let me catch my breath.

All of this to say that if you have been feeling some intense emotions or just generally "GOING THROUGH IT" over the past week or two, you're not alone in feeling this very Tower card energy.

When these shakeups disrupt our lives, I think we all have a tendency to try to grasp at all the things slipping away from us. Humans are neurologically programmed for the familiar, so it's normal for anxiety to rise as our world shifts.

That said, this is a good time to sit wiht the uncomfortable. We are processing the big emotions. We are confronted with the things we've been avoiding. We can take the leap, or we can be dragged kicking and screaming. The suffering is optional, and I 0/5 stars recommend it.

I pulled the Hierophant Rx for this new moon reading. When this card shows up in reverse, it's often a sign that we are avoiding forging our own path.

In many ways, I view the Hierophant Rx as a sort of "losing my religion" card. This is not literal, although given the current political climate, it very well could be. It's more a matter of challenging our own beliefs about what is possible, of looking at what stories and ideas we have bought in to that aren't holding up under our personal growth and continued scrutiny.

The Hierophant Rx is about confronting hard truths about how we numb out our hard-earned wisdom with vices to avoid discomfort.

This card asks you to be brave enough to turn inward and listen deeply to whatever message has been trying to come through to you. Staying present in the frenzy is hard, but the more you do it, the stronger that skill becomes.

I hope your eclipse season is smoother sailing from here.

A quick note about Villains and Vixens: An immense thank you to all the readers who stopped to see me, gave me hugs, and brought me presents. I really was not expecting that, and I am now the proud owner of a lot of Moo Deng swag.

I cried a lot of happy tears, and I'm so grateful I got to meet so many members of my ARC team and author friends. So much of being an author is sitting at a desk alone, and your kind words meant the world to me.

Happy new moon!

What you'll find in the rest of this email:

• Pick a Card reading
• A DIY Tarot Reading
• THE POISON DAUGHTER Hardcover Reveal
• A Writing Update - TPD
• TBR Stack
• ALOS Audiobook Release Surprises

New Moon in Virgo -To conserve energy, we must let go of perfection and anything that doesn't lead us peacefully toward the life we want. Releasing what we think we need can be challenging. We're confronted with fear and doubt, but the wisdom we've cultivated over the years won't lead us wrong.
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Take a breath and choose the card you feel most drawn to. The card you selected represents what needs to be released for you to most peacefully pursue your goals.

Scroll down for the reveal.

Knight of Wands Rx - Release the need to "keep up." There is no clock that you're racing against, and the manufactured urgency is stifling your ability to listen deeply to your inner wisdom. Slowing down might seem counterintuitive, but it's in creating quiet moments to think that the way forward will reveal itself.

The Hermit - Release the need to do it all alone. While you might be the only one to see your truest path forward, it can help to share your goals and ambitions with supportive friends who can lift you up on bad days. No one is entirely self-motivated, and you'll need encouragement along the way. Sometimes a simple conversation with a friend might be enough to help you work through a problem that felt impossible alone. Allow yourself to receive support in whatever way feels most resonant to you.

King of Swords- Now is a time to cut ties to anything that drains you of vital energy. Your path forward requires releasing anything that's anchoring you too close ot your comfort zone. You need space to wander, and that requires better boundaries with anyone who refuses to support your ambitions or who doesn't recognize the change in you over time.

I hope your card was resonant.

THE POISON DAUGHTER Preorder Update:

This standalone dark fantasy romance is out October 3, 2025.

The ebook preorder is live, and I shared some preorder incentives over on Instagram this week. Most notably, you can get instant access to the first FOUR chapters now with your preorder.

I'm delighted that we are creeping ever closer to the second preorder incentive, and I'm REALLY hoping I get to send out two of these beautiful limited edition physical ARCs very soon.

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I'm having some technical difficulties with the Ingram Spark website at the moment, so while I received my proof copy of the hardcover, it's not yet available on retail sites. I'm hoping it will be up later this week, so keep an eye on your favorite retailers.

As for the paperback, that will be out on release day.

But in the meantime, here are some pics of the full spread:

The dust jacket illustration and design are by Charlotte Slegers. The case cover illustration of Harlow is by Alice Blake, the title font is by Charlotte Slegers, and the case cover layout is by me. I hope you love them as much as I do.

I shared this Henry art on Instagram already, but here's a sneak peek of Harlow as well:

Harlow by Agata Fiszer

Henry by Loran Desore

Finally, I got some fun news (cue heavy breathing) on this book right as I was walking into the Hozier concert on Friday night. I'm sure, like everything else in publishing, I will have to wait quite a while before I can share it, but I promise the wait will be worth it.

What I'm Writing:

THE POISON DAUGHTER - ARCs & Promo

I am a little at a loss for words. I've been blown away by the ARC reactions to THE POISON DAUGHTER. We still have almost two weeks until release, but the number of DMs and posts I've received about this one, and the content of those messages and reviews, is mind-blowing.

Thank you to everyone who has read the book so far and continued to talk about it everywhere they can. Every review, every post, every reader group suggestion, and book store recommendation makes a difference.

This book is very dear to my heart, but this part of the publishing process is always a bit harrowing because this book and its success are heavily in the reader's hands now. (Don't worry. I'm not going to stop making ridiculous content. A girl has to have her fun.)

This is about the time I write a letter to myself about why I wrote this book and what it means to me. It's kind of like a little spell I make for myself before the book stops belonging just to me and starts belonging to readers. I come back to these letters often on the hard days, and they are one of my favorite publishing rituals.

With everything in the outside world drafting for Ballad is still slow, but I'm trying to accept that my pace this year is just going to be different. That's to be expected with so much going on in the outside world and so many changes in my life. This is easier said than done, but maybe in the next month or so, I can find some momentum.

For the TBR Stack:

Daughter of the Dead by K. Jamila - I have been so pumped for this book. Katie is a good friend, so I have been hearing about the first book in her dark adult fantasy series. You know I love a multi-pov story. This one follows Nova, the first Blood Witch in centuries, who is used by the living and the dead to uncover the truths of the world. Elaia, a Princess of Shadow and the Heir to the Obsidian Throne, as she navigates a world of loss and a world in which she’ll do anything to keep those she loves safe. And Syrena, the newly crowned Reyna of Iyvia, who listens to the seas as they talk and the ocean floors as they threaten to fall.

Also, I had to share this full spread because I am OBSESSED with both the jacket and the hardcover case art. Click the image to get it today.​​

A LEGACY OF STARS IS NEW & TRENDING:

ALOS is still hanging out on Spotify's new and trending Romance Audiobook list since its release. Thank you to everyone who has been listening to Legacy and all of my other books on there. I'm very grateful.

A reminder that my entire backlist is now on audio, and if you don't like to give more of your money to Amazon and Audible, especially with their recent changes to author compensation, you can find my books on Libro.fm, and anywhere else you get audiobooks, and you can find them on Spotify as well.