Happy Full Moon!

This full moon (along with the rest of the current astrology) was exact just after midnight EST last night. It's likely to stir up some big feelings about self-worth and how comfortable receiving love, support, and opportunities.

I drew the 7 of Cups Rx for out collective reading. This is a good reminder not to get distracted chasing shiny objects. We often thing we want lots of opportunities, but often, the more choices we have, the easier it is to get distracted by pursuing things you didn't even want in the first place.

The 7 of Cups Rx is a reminder to tune out the external noise, get grounded, and notice what clarity comes when we feel more present in our bodies. This lunation is likely bringing up some conflict between outward expectations that others project on you, and what you know truly need to feel fulfilled.

In the rest of this email you'll find some important updates about upcoming projects, new artwork and events, so please read all the way to the end.

Wishing you a pleasant full moon.

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

• The Poison Daughter - international & special edition update
• Update TPD Inventory
• Writing Update - mystery project
• Spooky Backlist Spotlight - The Lost God
• 3 New Lost God Art Pieces
• TBR Updates
• Fall Events Schedule
• TPD Charity Calendar - Last Call
• TPD Q&A - popular requests
• TPD Merch

TPD Updates:

A lot has happened since our last newsletter. Fairyloot just announced their edition of The Poison Daughter. We've been working on this one for months and I'm so excited to reveal it to everyone. Early access for subscribers will be November 19th, with public access to follow on November 20th.

I also got to announce that Probably Smut selected The Poison Daughter as their November book club pick, and this stunning edition will be going out to subscribers next month.

I'm delighted to share that the Spanish edition of The Poison Daughter is now available. See the edition below and click here to listen to a clip of the audiobook. You can also view the alternate lilmited edition dust jacket here.

The book also came out in Turkey this week. See the beautiful edition below:

The Poison Daughter will be coming to Portugal November 2nd. Check out the limited deluxe edition below.

North American Deluxe Hardcover Inventory:

Thanks to some very hard work from the team at Slowburn, The Poison Daughter is back on bookshelves and online retailers. They've worked tirelessly to help lighten the load on retailers and get books to readers as quickly as possible.

The good news is that we are almost completely caught up on the backlog of orders and we should be well-stocked into the new year. Thank you for your patience in the meantime, 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:

Exciting news for everyone who missed out on the first two print runs of the Waterstones exclusive edition! The Waterstones edition is back in stock for a very limited time, so grab it while you can. It sold out very quickly the last two times it went up, and I expect this will be the last reprint they do.

German Edition:

You can get the German language edition from Penguin Random House Germany.

Writing Update: Developmental Editing - ???

After a few weeks drafting Ballad of the Heartless, I've switched over to a mystery project for REASONS. And I'll stop you before you start guessing that's it's another book in the TPD world.

This one is in a brand new world. If you have been subscribed to this newsletter for a while then you might have an educated guess of what I'm working on. It's a project i've talked about quite a bit in the past. In fact, I drafted this book back in November 2022 (hint: this project is how I met critique partner and bestie Liz Leiby). IYKYK.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll just have to wait and see. You won't need to be patient for too long.

For now, what I can tell you is that I received an edit letter a little over a week ago. An edit letter is basically an outline of suggestions to improve the book. Usually it comes with a breakdown of how to strengthen different aspects of the story, including everything from the overall plot Arc and pacing, to the world-building, romance, and characters development.

This type of edit is the heaviest lift, though I'm fortunate that pretty much all of the suggestions are in line with the edit notes I already had for myself.

In a first draft, I'm telling myself the story. In the developmental edit, I'm refining that story to bring it as close as possible to my initial vision. The first few chapters are coming together with a lot more detail and the deeper i dig into this world, the more real it starts to feel.

Developmental edits are a pretty challenging phase of a project for me, but they're also where the most progress is made. I'm fortunate that there are no huge structural changes to the story, but sometimes it's the smallest refinements that take the most meticulous attention.

I'll be working through this edit for the next month or so, and I'm excited to see how it all comes together. Stay tuned!

Backlist Spotlight:

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).

Blurb:

Two kingdoms vying for an ancient power. One witch on the verge of releasing it. But all magic requires an exchange.

Memory Witch, Cecilia, is used to sacrificing for power. She's exchanged her blood for memories, her pride for respect at court, and her forbidden and unrequited love for her guardian, Rainer, for the sake of her duty. It will all be worth it if she can complete the Gauntlet and release the power of the Lost God.

But when the god of war attacks, sending the two kingdoms from simmering tension to open war, Cecilia and Rainer set out on one final perilous journey. They venture deeper into enemy territory than ever before, aided by a charming hunter who offers Cecilia a glimpse of the adventure and romance she's always wanted.

As the trio encounters vicious memory-stealing hunters, enchanted illusion forests, and meddling gods who speak in riddles, they draw ever closer to the pinnacle of the Gauntlet, and the sacrifice that Cecilia has been dreading. When faced with the most important magical exchange of her life, Cecilia must choose between her kingdom, and her heart, knowing one will be left irreparably broken.

​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​

TBR Stack:

A Betrothal so Bloody by Mary Dublin Anne Kendsley - The pitch for this one sent my millennial nostalgia into overdrive. A KNIGHTS TALE meets BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER in this seductive, funny, and heart-pounding dark fantasy romance. It follows a vampire slayer, a vampire lord, and an uneasy marriage of convenience.

Starlight and Storms (The Fatebreaker Trilogy Book 2) by Arcadia Rayne - She left as an assassin. Now, she's returning as something far more dangerous. I feel like this series is a good fit for Poison Daughter readers because everyone is morally grey, it has an enemies to lovers romance, and a lot of themes around grief and healing. Click the cover to read it now.

Fall/Winter Events:

Next week you can catch me and Gretchen at Fairfax Barnes & Noble on October 29th to celebrate the release of Shadow & Son and help me cheers this queen on completing her series. Click the image above for tickets.

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. 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.

Last call for the TPD Charity Calendar:

I'm very grateful to all the talented artists on my street team for sharing their gift and to the Team at Laurel House for seeing past the unhinged art. (You can see the full spread here)​

The Mission of Laurel House is to:

Advocate for and empower those impacted by domestic violence by providing crisis intervention, safe haven, supportive programs, and resources. They want to advance social change through preventative education, community training, and collaboration to foster a coordinated response to domestic abuse.

Laurel House is a comprehensive domestic violence agency serving individuals, families, and communities throughout Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The agency's name was selected because of the beauty of the laurel, Pennsylvania's state flower. It represents a victory for people who have taken the courageous first step of reaching out to Laurel House in their efforts to build a violence-free life for themselves and their children.

If you've read The Poison Daughter, then you already know that domestic violence is a central theme in the story. I'm grateful that Laurel House has agreed to be the beneficiary of the profits from our unhinged calendar. Being able to get back to the causes central to my stories is incredibly meaningful to me. For that reason, I will be matching our calendar profit donations up to $5000.

​Thank you so much for your contribution to a cause that is near and dear to our hearts.

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. No. 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.