A lunation for finding comfort in the little things...

It’s very appropriate that my newsletter is coming later in the day on the full moon in Taurus. Also referred to as the beaver moon, this full moon brings in slow, steady, grounding Taurus energy leading up to our next mercury retrograde.

As daylight dwindles in the northern hemisphere, I’ve sensed that familiar feeling of wanting to hibernate. I’m craving heated blankets and tea and slower mornings and evenings.

Unfortunately, that does not suit my publishing schedule at the moment as I’m working toward a drafting deadline for BALLAD OF THE HEARTLESS. I’ve needed to find stolen moments to curl up and enjoy the quiet between chaotic home renovations.

For this full moon, I drew the Knight of Wands Rx for our collective reading. I find this interesting since our last newsletter for the new moon in Libra was the Page of Wands, which comes right before this one.

I find direct chronology in tarot, quite interesting and pretty rare in my readings. Usually, it’s a sign of repetition. I wouldn’t be surprised if the themes that came up for us earlier this month, with the new moon rise again now to challenge us and see how much we’ve learned.

The Knight of Wands Rx reminds us that tending to our inner fire and reclaiming the things that we are passionate about is critical to our happiness now. If there are tasks we’ve been putting ahead of the things that light us up, now is the time when we’ll be confronted with the consequences of letting our housefire dwindle to embers.

This might require some of us to dig really deep, but I promise you it will be worth the effort. If you can do that, I expect you’ll feel more like yourself by the next new moon.

Keep reading for some exciting news.

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

• THE POISON DAUGHTER Milestone
• TPD Merch Drop
• A Writing Update
• TBR Stack
• Pick a Card reading
• A DIY Tarot Reading

THE POISON DAUGHTER Milestone:

THANK YOU! I feel like a broken record at this point, but I have NEVER reached 1 million Kindle Unlimited page reads this quickly. It's so encouraging to see progress after two and a half years in publishing, and I'm so grateful for all of your support.

And in the same vein, I did a group royalty donation to the Malala Fund with nine other authors a few weeks ago, and it inspired me to bump up my personal donation plans. I was planning to do a Giving Tuesday donation like I did last year, but given how many people were losing their SNAP benefits on November 1, I decided to bump up my donation to all royalties earned this past weekend.

I'm so happy that reading for a cause worked. I was able to donate more than $500 in royalties to Philabundance, which will cover more than 1,050 meals for those in need in the greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area. Even a year ago, making a donation of this size from royalties would have been unimaginable. I'm grateful to everyone who shared and read the book this weekend for putting me in the position to do this.

I'm working on so many exciting things that I can't share yet, but it would be very helpful if THE POISON DAUGHTER could keep performing this well 👀 I know it's cruel to tease, but I'll share more as soon as I can.

Hardcover update:

Once again, the hardcover is showing as temporarily out of stock on Amazon. Ingram Spark has informed me that as long as Amazon is having trouble keeping hardcovers stocked in their warehouse, the listing on their site will look like this, but that any orders placed will be fulfilled as usual. If you have any issues, please just let me know.

​You can get TPD here.​

Reminder that if you've finished THE POISON DAUGHTER already, you can find the bonus epilogue linked at the bottom of this email. It contains MAJOR spoilers for the book, so please be sure to wait until you've finished the book to read it. Enjoy!

THE POISON DAUGHTER MERCH:

Harlee at Polich Co. has created some awesome TPD merch, and you can be among the first to get it. Click any of the images below to be taken to the form:

What I'm Writing:

BALLAD OF THE HEARTLESS- Drafting Take Two Three FOUR

I'm back to Ballad once again and in it now until it's finished. Admittedly, things have been very busy with The Poison Daughter (in a good way), but it's made drafting progress a little slower than I would like.

However, I'm heading out tomorrow for a long weekend writing retreat, and I'm hoping to make some good progress. I've been able to get a better feel for both of my POV characters, and I'm starting to get really excited about how this story is weaving together.

As a discovery writer, I always have these moments early in drafting where I get locked in to trying to figure out every single step along the way. This is the duality of being a #1 strategic (clifton strengths). I am a naturally intuitive writer, but I hate not knowing if I'm choosing the most efficient path of telling the story.

Ever since taking Becca Syme's Write Better Faster this past spring, I have seen that this is a common complaint among my high strategic peers.

The key is to keep reminding myself that I have done this many, MANY times before. I know this reaching is part of the process, just like I know that the story will always show itself a little bit at a time.

For the TBR Stack:

The Stand-In by Liz Leiby - If this name sounds familiar, it should. Liz is one of my critique partners and my writing wife. I am so pumped for the third and final book in her Middle Penn College series (and not just because I don't have to listen to her complain about editing anymore). This series of interconnected standalones is very near and dear to my heart because of its college nostalgia. You don't have to read the other two books first, but I highly recommend all of them, particularly for any former theater kids out there. THE STAND-IN follows Seth, who has been holding a candle for his best friend Alexis for YEARS. This man has a third-degree case of the years. And don't scoff if you're not a friends-to-lovers LOVER. This book is friends-to-lovers done right, plus a little home for the holidays fake dating.​​

The Shadows That Whisper by Renna Ashley - When I read the blurb of this romantasy, I was so pumped. Klara is cleaning out her grandmother's house when she falls into a shadow world, and learns there's truth to the tales she was told as a child. Her only way to escape the sinister creatures that lurk in this colorless world is to trust Ghost, the mysterious, amnesiac violinist. SIGN ME UP! This book is not out yet, but it is up for preorder and you can check it out here.

Full Moon in Taurus - This full moon illuminates our internal world as we move through this change of seasons. In the northern hemisphere, this is a time of shedding. While change is difficult for many of us, this moon confronts us with just how necessary it is to release unnecessary burdens. Scorpio season tends to confront us with our shadow selves. This sense of descending into our own personal underworld leaves many of us clinging to the frayed edges of a life we don't even want. This full moon helps us let go.

Take a breath and choose the card you feel most drawn to. The card you selected represents how you can find what needs to be shed to move forward unburdened.

Scroll down for the reveal.

Knight of Wands Rx - Idk who needed this card in their life, but the deck is really beating you over the head with this message. Maybe you're focused on the wrong passion projects, or maybe you're not tending to your inner fire at all. This card is a clear message that you need to turn inward, make yourself the priority, and find small ways to chase joy. Pay attention to the art and media that make you feel energized and feed that creative hunger.

The Hermit- In the next stage of your journey, you must be your own guide. You've gathered the courage to face yourself, but there's no playbook for how to move forward. You might find yourself craving quiet time. Allow yourself at least small moments of nothingness. See what comes to you in the silence.

King of Swords- Your mind is your greatest asset and your most persistent impediment. Moving forward requires boldness and the vision to make your own path. Don't be tripped up by anxiety or second-guessing decisions you have already made. Assess the information you have at the present moment and make the best decision you can. You have the wisdom and experience to steady yourself if you stumble.

I hope your card was resonant.

A LEGACY OF STARS IS STILL NEW & TRENDING:

ALOS continues to hang on to its new and trending Romance Audiobook spot on Spotify more than two months after release. Thank you for recommending my books to friends and for continuing to support these audiobooks out in the world.

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.

In the Media:

Storybeast Podcast - A reminder that I was a guest on Story Beast, which is one of my favorite bookish pods. What I love about this show is that they talk so much about the creative journey of writing a book. I love hearing other authors talk about craft, but as we all know, I also just love to yap about it myself

I had a really good time chatting about my backlist and THE POISON DAUGHTER with Ghabi and Courtney, so go show the episode some love.

​Apple Podcasts - Spotify​

The Broke Book Girls Podcast - I had a lovely chat about The Lost God Series and The Poison Daughter with Anne and Bree of the Broke Book Girls Podcast last week. It will air tomorrow/today, depending on where you are in the world.

​Apple Podcasts - Spotify​​​