This Gemini new moon is here to help us evaluate our social circles. Perhaps this is a time of embracing new connections and friendships. It's a great time to plant seeds for the connections you would like to make in the coming months.
I drew The Magician for our collective reading and the message seems very centered on holding a specific visions for the kinds of people you're hoping to call into your life. Be intentional. Think quality, not quantity. Think about the people in your life who make things better, who inspire you.
The Magician is about being able to transform our ideas into reality, so think about the people in your life who encourage your big ideas, and help give shape to them. Sometimes we have to borrow confidence from the people around us. Make sure that the people you surround yourself with, are the kind who believe in you.
Wishing you a pleasant lunation. Buckle up, this email is a long one.
The Bookish Shop sold out in the first two hours (WHAT!!?) but they added signing only tickets that you can buy here. Several of the other venues were more than 50% sold out in the first few hours (Burning Pages only has 25 tickets left), so please snag your tickets ASAP. I'm so excited to see you all.
I don't know if you guys know this, but the traditionally published edition of The Poison Daughter is currently up for preorder. I know, I know! I've barely even mentioned it. But in all seriousness, please do preorder if you are looking to buy the new fancy edition. Only the first print run will include all of these features. (Future editions will not have the edges etc).
If you need additional motivation to preorder, my publisher Zando/Slowburn is offering a vellum page overlay of this amazing art by Bryan Camargo for hardcover preorders while supplies last.
You might be a last minute, deadline-driven ADHD friend like me, so let me tell you what I told me when I recently missed out on a fancy first edition, order early. There's no guarantee that this print run won't sell out quickly and if too many preorders come at the last minute, you might not even be able to find the book in store on release day (and you'll miss out on this art).
This has been a struggle for publishers recently as readers have consistently waited until the very last minute to order. Right now, there's still time to adjust the print run numbers if needed. Closer to release, we won't have that luxury.
UK/Australia/New Zealand Editions are coming. I know I keep saying it but we are REALLY close to the reveal. I promise I will show you as soon as I can. You can preorder those editions here.
Deal Update:
I'm very excited to announce that The Poison Daughter is headed to four more territories: Finland, Lithuania, Thailand, and Turkey. Those deals bring us to 20 translations and 21 territories.
New HenLow Art:
I shared this over on Instagram this week but Amira Navaldid this amazing artwork of Harlow and Henry at the wedding feast just before the veil is placed over them so they can share secrets. I just love how this one came out. His teasing smirk. Her claws digging into his neck. Young love!
The Lost God Art Drop:
Speaking of The Lost God Series, I had some new art commissioned of Rainer in modern clothing from @Rainbowartpandaespecially for my street team to commemorate one of their favorite moments from the series. It is PERFECT!
If you haven't met Rainer McKay, allow me to introduce this anxious, protective bodyguard, who loves to cook almost as much as he loves to eat. The Lost God series is a complete epic romantasy series about a memory witch and her guardian who set out on a quest unleash an ancient magic from a series of caves that form a grimoire in the language of memory. You can read it on KU, paperback, hardcover (with secret case design), or on audio in multi POV.
Rainer Mckay from The Lost God series (and his abs)
What I'm Writing:
Intermission - Imaginarium Book Festival
I pried myself from the keyboard and snapped out of my usual shrimp posture to attend Imaginarium Book Festival last weekend. I smashed as many things into my car as humanly possible because I had no idea what to expect post TPD.
ready to go.
What a whirlwind it was. First I must give credit to my lovely assistant, and local legend, Gretchen Powell Fox. I put her through her paces with the heavy lifting and the heat, but she persisted.
The day started a little crazier than expected, as I needed to have a meeting 👀 Friday morning before heading to lunch, and that was pretty exciting and nerve-racking.
Then, Gretchen and I popped out for a quick lunch before the afternoon session. We got a lovely surprise when of all the little sandwich shops in all of DC we walked into the one where the fabulous Claire Legrand was having lunch with our bookish friends from @charlieandfoxco
Then, we ubered to the event and proceeded to get stopped by no less than twenty people who needed to chat with Gretchen, who seems to be the unofficial mayor of romantasy. I got to see so many of my favorite people. Some pics below.
Gretchen, Me, & Dana Evyn
Me and Mikayla Hornedo
me and LR friedman
Analeigh Sbrana, Gretchen, and me
I had a feeling it might be a bit crazy since it's the first event I've attended since The Poison Daughter released. I only cried one time, you guys. Progress!
What I retained in tears, I lost in blood, quite literally, I when accidentally cut TF out of my finger five minutes before doors opened, and ended up with a palm full of blood and nurse Jeanette Rosecleaning me up.
Thank you to everyone who was so patient when I was trying to get set up. It really was not supposed to be that chaotic of a start. I had a line right away and the fabulous volunteers stepped in to set up a digitial queue. It worked great, because it freed readers up to shop around, and I only ever had three people waiting in line at a time.
The flow of readers didn't let up. I went straight through from 2-6 PM on Friday, before we closed up shop for the day. I hopped in the uber back to the hotel and immediately started frantically refreshing my email, as one does when they are waiting for SOMETHING 👀 but haven't been able to check for four hours.
There were no exciting emails waiting for me.
So we dropped our things in the hotel and headed out for dinner with some lovely author friends, where I got a text to check my email. And there it was, the email I had been waiting for 👀. I sent a quick reply and then tried not to explode with secrets 👀 or start crying since that would not be very conspicuous.
Gretchen, me, Shanora Williams, Frankie Diane Mallis, Stephanie Kay, Lara Buckheit, Helen Domico, Anna Applegate, Sav, Dana Evyn, and Nicole Platania
It was so nice to chat with so many authors (and their partners) and narrators. After dinner, fellow Philly native, Frankie Diane Mallis made me walk a mile to get ice cream, which was rude, but ultimately, delicious.
Then, we finally headed back to the hotel for a sleepover (to conk out immediately because we were exhausted.)
We were back up bright and early Saturday, and started all over again with a nonstop queue from 9-12 when we broke for lunch, and then again from 1-3:30. The line finally ended a half hour before the end of the event and i had a quick chance to walk around and chat with everyone again.
Credit to all the readers who were so kind and funny. It still blows my mind that people will come to and event and bring ME presents. I take none of it for granted. I'm so lucky that this is my job. I have never signed so many books in a day. I was so happy to be so busy and I'm so grateful for all the heartfelt stories and messages from readers.
I also got to meet Miss Harlow Carrenwell herself.
She looks amazing.
Thank you to everyone who braved the heat to come see me. I had the most amazing time!
I'll have another adventure to tell you about next newsletter.
three cards from the threads of fate tarot face down on a wood surface
New Moon in Gemini - This new moon in Gemini wants us to plant seeds for social expansion. How can we call in more supportive partnerships for the back half of the year?
Take a few grounding breaths and choose the card you feel most drawn to.
Then, scroll down for the reading reveal.
In the Media:
Book Club After Dark - I had a great time talking to these ladies and we went into some of the heavier themes in The Poison Daughter.
Goblin's Gonna Yap - This was such a fun chat about The Poison Daughter, indie to trad transitions, and quite a few other side quests. In short, I understood the assignment and yapped my heart out.
The Other Side of the Page Podcast - We chatted about the breakout success of The Poison Daughter, all things going indie to trad, chronic illness representation, and more! My favorite part was picking songs for the characters since I am wholeheartedly a song vibes writer.
Chapter One Podcast - These ladies did a read along discussion over the past few weeks, which culminated in a chat where I answered all of their burning questions about this world, Harlow, and Henry, and the twists that had them reeling.
Book Bits & Chill Podcast - I had the best time chatting with Cassie and Emily (who record live from their beds in pjs) about all things Poison Daughter. There are some light spoilers in here but we give a warning before we get into the most spoilery content. This is a great episode for anyone who isn't related to me (hi mom.)
Storybeast Podcast - 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.
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.
9 of Swords- Focus on the friendships that reduce the stress in your life. Consider this permission to pull back from connections that leave you feeling drained. It's time to reserve that energy for yourself, without feeling guilt. This cards asks you to focus on the friendships make you feel energized.
7 of Coins - Slow and steady is the way to find the right relationships in your life. Things may not always progress at the speed you would like, but rest assured that what you're building is meant to last. Don't be thrown off if it takes people a little longer to open up. Stay steady and keep showing up and things will unfold naturally.
Page of Swords - It's a great time to form new bonds based on mutual interests or hobbies. Find the person who can speak at length and with great specificity about the things you love. Focus on the friendships that make you feel excited and not like you're being annoying when you fixate on a specific interest.
I hope your card was resonant.
THE POISON DAUGHTER Q&A:
Q. When will the TPD audiobook be out?
A. It's coming out along with the new hardcover on August 18, 2026 in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The German translation audiobook will release September 21, 2026.
In the meantime, you can find my entire backlist on audio with some truly phenomenal narrators.
Q. Are you going on tour an/or to any events this year?
A. You can also find me at Miss Willa's Ever After in WV in September and in Arizona in December at Snowed In. As for a tour, you'll have to stay tuned.
Q. Will there be any special editions of TPD?
A. Yes. The cat is out of the bag on this STUNNING edition from Coveted Cover for their June Box. There will also be two additional preorders SEs that I'm sworn to secrecy about. I loathe keeping my own secrets, but I'm afraid I must for now. I promise I will share loudly and repeatedly as soon as I'm permitted.
Q. Do you offer signed copies?
A. I don't at the present moment. Unfortunately, I don't have time to manage fulfillment. If I'm ever able to offer signed copies in the future, and this newsletter will be the first place to hear about it. I'm always happy to sign yours copies from home if you're coming to an event I'm attending.
Q. I loved TPD. What should I read next from your 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.
Book Bonus Chapters:
The Poison Daughter bonus epilogue is now available here and should be read after finishing the book, as it contains major spoilers.
A Legacy of Stars bonus epilogue is available here and should be read after finishing the book, as it contains some major spoilers.
Song of the Dark Wood bonus chapter from Cade's POV is available here. It does contain spoilers and should not be read until after you've finished the book.
The Lost God bonus chapter of Rainer's POV is available here. (This is a spoiler so don't read it until you're finished reading the book.)
The Memory Curse bonus chapter of Evan and Sylvie's meet cute is available here.
The Storm King bonus chapter of a villain POV is available here. (This is a spoiler so don't read it until you're finished reading the book.)
The Godless Kingdom bonus extended epilogue is available here. (This has MAJOR series spoilers. Don't read it until you finish The Godless Kingdom)
Sheila Bookish Merch:
I am delighted that there are currently two shops offering some amazing and creative bookish merch.
Sheila Reads and writes Happy Full Moon! I hope this blue moon is treating you well. This full moon in adventurous Sagittarius authorize the opportunity to be bold. I drew the 2 of Wands for our collective reading. This card tends to pop up when we need to hold both a delusional vision for our future and the discernment to know what we can do to work toward it. When we lead with that inspired energy, things tend to move much more quickly. The 2 of Wands is the foundation for building our...
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