Happy New Moon!

The new moon in Scorpio happens overnight for me here on the US east coast, so I decided to send a late night newsletter to stave off the Sunday Scaries.

I picked a good time to be working through revisions. Mercury is still retrograde, and I actually like reviewing my work during this kind of astro weather. That said, don't be surprised if you are feeling especially agitated this week. Try to grit it out until it goes direct after November 13th. I think we will all feel a little more grounded and steady then.

I pulled the Page of Pentacles Rx for our collective new moon reading. I have a love/hate relationship with the pages of the tarot. The pages ask us to be curious and experimental. Humans like to have all the answers. We don't like to try things where we might look silly or like we don't know what we're doing. So many of us define ourselves by our competence.

The Page of Pentacles Rx is a reminder to be curious about the ways we've changed and matured, and whether we are holding ourselves back from evolving. Sometimes we are the last ones gripping tight to old versions of ourselves. We feel stuck and afraid what changing will mean for our self-perception even more than our relationships.

This card is a reminder that we can let go without having all the answers. Give yourself some time to retreat and figure out what has shifted for you over the last few months. Sometimes we're so busy running, we don't even notice the changes. It's that small pause that allows us to see clearly what we need most.

Wishing you a calm new moon.

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

• The Poison Daughter - cover & international update
• The Lost God Sale - $10 for the series
• Writing Update - mystery project
• TBR Updates
• Fall Events Schedule
• TPD Q&A - popular requests
• TPD Merch

TPD Updates:

Check it out. The latest print run of The Poison Daughter landed in my publisher's warehouse this week, and a box of copies landed on my doorstep. Check out that small but important update:

Obviously I was very calm about the change from "USA Today Bestseller" to "#1 New York Times Bestseller". I've known for a while that this print run would be the first to feature the update, and it's already been updated online, but seeing it in print hit me in the feels.

The new version probably won't be in stores until stores until early next year, but I'm thrilled to have an early shelf trophy to celebrate.

International Releases:

This week brought the release of the Portuguese and Romanian editions of The Poison Daughter. The Polish Edition comes out on November 12th.

North American Deluxe Hardcover Inventory:

It looks like larger retailers and indie booksellers should be pretty well stocked after the backlog of orders while the book was out of stock. There may be a few chains store still waiting for stock from their company warehouses, but otherwise we should be in good shape until after the holidays.

Thank you for your patience with these unprecedented printing delays, and for continuing to share The Poison Daughter with your friends, booksellers, and book clubs.

Order the US/Canada Deluxe hardcover.

UK Hardcover Inventory Update:

The Waterstones is still in stock for a very limited time. Last week's sale numbers suggest that it won't be for long. I expect this will be the last reprint they do, so if you have been dragging your feet, now is the time to get it.

Backlist Spotlight SALE:

I hope you enjoyed the backlist recaps over the last two months. Now is a great time to grab the entire The Lost God Series for just $10.

THE LOST GOD Series is my award-winning completed epic romantasy quartet. Book one follows Memory Witch Cecilia & her guardian Rainer as they set out on a perilous journey to complete the Gauntlet, a series of caves that form a grimoire in the language of memory, in the hopes of releasing an ancient magic that will save their kingdom from the god of war. Along the way, they encounter memory-stealing warriors, a charming hunter desperate to win Cecilia‘s affection, meddling gods, & a magical exchange that requires Cecilia to choose between her kingdom and her heart, knowing one will be left irreparably broken.

You can hear me talk about the book here, peep some funny TLG memes here, listen to a bit of the audiobook here, and learn a little more about the world and magic system here. If you're not sure if this is your cup of tea, you can get a free choose-your-own-quest style prequel story called The Memory Witch (cover designed by the lovely Whit Stanfield).

​You might like THE LOST GOD Series if you like:​

🔺 love triangle

💔 forbidden romance

🎭 masquerade ball

✨ memory magic

🪢 bonded witch and warrior

👑 court intrigue

💁🏻‍♂️ he falls first and harder

🐎 only one horse

🗺️ quest for ancient magic

I also shared some new TLG art this week.

​READ THE LOST GOD NOW​

or

​READ THE CHOOSE YOUR OWN QUEST PREQUEL STORY, THE MEMORY WITCH NOW​

OTHER BACKLIST TITLES:

Song of the Dark Wood

A Legacy of Stars

Writing Update: Developmental Editing - ???

I'm still working away on this draft and it's starting to come together. It was slow going at first, but now that I've adjusted some of the foundational world building, the edits go a little bit faster. That is part of the reason I do several passes for a developmental edit instead of trying to make all the changes at once.

Every time I've tried to change things chapter by chapter, I get about a third of the way into the book and want to throw it out the window.

I can't give too many updates without giving things away, so I will cut it off there for now. I've set the ambitious goal of having the bulk of the big edits complete by the time I leave for Texas Bookfest this week. That will leave me some additional time to polish it up with some medium-sized changes when I get back next week and have it wrapped up well ahead of my deadline.

Wish me luck.

TBR Stack:

Shadow & Son (Shattered Crown #3) by Gretchen Powell Fox- The third and final book in the Shattered Crown Trilogy is out now. I had the pleasure of celebrating with Gretchen at the last stop of her book tour and all I can say about this series is that it is so much fun (and pain lol). I love Elyria and Cedric and their found family. The series starts with a deadly tournament and ends with....YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO FIND OUT. Click the stunning cover below to read it now.

Daughters of Ash by Dakota Monroe - This is a dystopian fantasy that is a bit like Handmaid's Tale meets Mulan, with Queer Rep, multiple POVs, a slowburn enemies to allies romance, feminine rage, and forbidden magic. Click the stunning cover to read it now.

Fall/Winter Events:

Join me (and my imprint sister Jaclyn Rodriguez) at Texas Bookfest November 14-15th where I'll be in conversation with HM Wolfe, and my lovely agent, Alyssa Morris. I'll also be signing from 11-11:50 AM on Saturday at the Steamy Lit Booth. Click the image above to find out more about the festival lineup.

For any writer friends interested in learning from me, I'm teaching a workshop in interpersonal relationships and romance pacing for Standalones vs Series at the Storybeast Romantasy Summit in December. Character development and relationships are some of my favorite things to talk about and I'm so excited to teach this class.

The Romantasy Summit is full of amazing courses from fabulous authors. Click the picture above to see the full list and get your tickets and you can use code SHEILAMASTERSONRS26 for a discount on registration.

THE POISON DAUGHTER Q&A:

Q. Are you doing any events this year?

A. You can find me at Texas Book Fest in Austin this November. Unfortunately I had to cancel my attendance for Snowed In this December in Mesa. I'm very sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to it. Virtually, you can see me at The Romantasy Summit this December.

Q. I had an issue with my order of The Poison Daughter. Can you help me resolve it?

A. Unfortunately, I can't help troubleshoot issues with retailers. Any issues with damage, the type of copy, or shipping issues are not things I can help with. You will have to reach out directly to the retailer you ordered from.

Q. Will there be any special editions of TPD?

A. There will be a couple more coming.

Q. Do you offer signed copies or sell book plates?

A. Unfortunately, I don't have time to manage fulfillment on signed copies. I've had to limit the amount of signing I'm doing this year to accommodate special editions and touring while still protecting my wrist.

Q. I loved TPD. What should I read next from your backlist?

A. If you are mourning the end of TPD and wondering what to do next, I made an Instagram post for exactly this purpose and it will help you decide where to go in my backlist.

Q. What's the best way to get more people to read TPD?

A. There are a few things you can do to help the book grow.

First of all, I am forever shamelessly asking for reviews because they are the metric most of the publishing industry uses to gauge readership. I would be very grateful if you would leave a quick one or two-line review for my books on Amazon and Goodreads if you haven't already done so. You can copy the review from one platform to another.

Second, you can request a physical copy of TPD at your local library. Not only does this help me, it also helps local readers find a new romantasy read, and provides evidence that your librarians can use to prove that local readers are using their services. Most libraries have a digital or physical form you can fill out. Your local librarian would probably be thrilled to point you in the direction of it.

Finally, you can recommend the book to your reader friends, share it in Facebook reader groups, tell your local bookstore to stock it, or post about it on social media.

Every little bit counts, and I'm so grateful for your support.