Happy 3/3 Full Moon Lunar Eclipse!

**Just a quick PSA that someone has been impersonating me, sending emails to other authors and readers asking to connect. I'll never email you to ask for money or personal info. The email address on this newsletter is the only one I use for business. If you receive a message from sheilamasterson.author@gmail.com please report it as spam and don't respond.**

Well, that did not go as planned. Sorry for being a day late on this newsletter but mercury retrograde came for me.

I've had so many exciting updates in every newsletter for the past three months, and it doesn't look like that will be slowing down anytime soon. I know I keep saying it, but I'm still waiting for the all clear to share big news. I promise it will be worth the wait.

In the meantime, feel free to continue speculating and putting context clues together. So here is a new one. Last week was my first week as a full-time author. More on that in the "what I'm writing" section below.

I drew the 7 of Cups for our collective full moon reading. This card tends to pop up when we're overwhelmed by options. Sometimes we fixate on finding the “right” choice. We're too easily swayed by others’ opinions. We don't know how to cast off the responsibilities that others place on us. We haven't been taught to value our own authority.

The 7 of Cups reminds us that we don't need to choose the perfect path. Ultimately, we are the ones who determine the outcome. To believe in your own vision for your future is to know that no misstep will take you off track. The only delay to reaching your goals is to remain frozen in overwhelm.

I've noticed that this card comes up a lot for people who are multi-talented and multi-passionate. If you identify that way, please remember it’s normal to embrace seasons of interests. Embracing variety does not make you unreliable. It makes you dynamic. Allow yourself to pick things up and put them down without judgment.

Wishing you a pleasant full moon.

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

• THE POISON DAUGHTER - Bestseller news
• Writing Update - TPD Bonus Chapters
• TBR Stack
• A more in-depth Pick a Card Tarot reading
• TPD Q&A - popular requests
• TPD Merch

THE POISON DAUGHTER is a USA Today Bestseller

Once again, I spoke too soon.

TPD hit 15 in the US Amazon store and dipped into the top 50 in all English-speaking Amazon markets. But the biggest shock for me came in seeing it at 116 on the USA Today Bestseller list. This was so unexpected that I quite literally didn't realize until halfway through the day when someone emailed to congratulate me. I pulled up the list and burst into tears as soon as I saw the cover.

It is VERY hard for indies to make bestseller lists like this. These rankings almost always favor traditional publishers and print sales, and since Amazon and Ingram seem determined to foil me at every turn with printing and shipping, this is pretty unbelievable. This is a bucket list item for me. I know I keep saying it, but I could not do it without all of you.

In other exciting stats news....Goodreads reviews doubled in February to 20,903 and Amazon reviews grew to 11,743. The book is hitting milestones faster than I can celebrate them, and I couldn't be more excited to see it.

I'm so grateful to everyone who has continued to share the book with friends and fellow readers. I'm truly living the dream.

What I'm Writing:

THE POISON DAUGHTER - Bonus Content

I've been dreaming up some fun TPD bonus content this week. I'm enjoying dipping back into Lunameade for a bit, but it's hard to outdo the original bonus chapter (IYKYK, and if you don't know, check the link at the bottom of this newsletter). If there's something you'd love to see for a bonus, whether it's a new chapter or an alternate POV of a current chapter, reply to this email and let me know. I'm always curious what parts of the world and the characters' lives you'd like to explore next.

This brings me to the big news. I'm officially a full-time author. Now let's talk about how we got here.

April will mark three years since I published The Lost God. A lot of people have asked me if my goal is to be full-time, and I usually play it off. I thought I was too risk-averse to consider it a possibility. The industry changes quickly, and I worried about putting too much pressure on writing when it's always been an outlet.

But over time, I've found myself having to force my precious creative time into a smaller and smaller box. (insert joke here about how millennials have to make their hobbies into something that can pay them in this economy.) The demands at my day job grew, and with stress comes migraines. That's how I found myself on week two of a truly sanity-testing migraine this past fall, finally confronting a truth that I had tried to work my way around for the last twenty years of my career: The corporate world is set up for able-bodied neurotypical people to work themselves as hard as possible.

I spent so much energy just trying to mask my ADHD. Just like the pace of social life has changed, corporate life has too. There's more focus on work-life balance, but often that looks like tech that makes your job an app-click away. It's not just long hours anymore. Now it's constant availability and endless overstimulation.

I finally had to admit to myself that I wanted to write full-time. There are so many ideas bouncing around my head. The struggle has been trying to keep up with them.

I'm sitting on Fable Song #3 and 2.5 more books in the Tarot Series, the Horromance that needs a complete rewrite, and the first inklings of my next epic romantasy series.

What October Sheila was not anticipating was The Poison Daughter absolutely taking off. The launch was my strongest yet, and November was even better. Then December took things to a whole new level, and each subsequent month has brought a new peak. When the year turned over, I went right into the agenting process.

When I first met my agent, Alyssa, she asked what I was hoping to get out of my career and the opportunities a bestselling book presents. I said I wanted to buy back my time so that I could be a full-time author.

After all of that, I just needed one more piece to fall in place, and WOW DID IT EVER. I wasn't expecting it to happen so quickly, but I'm very happy it did.

I don't think being a full-time author will solve for my ADHD or my pain, but it will grant me more flexibility in my daily schedules. It will also reduce the sheer volume of task management.

In many ways, this transition felt both improbable and inevitable. So many things needed to fall into place to make it possible. And still, there's this persistent sense that this is where I was always headed—ever since I was ahead of my time, at eight years old, writing Goosebumps fanfic before fanfic was even a thing.

Great things are ahead, and I'm looking forward to moving into this next stage of my career as a full-time author.

Full Moon in Virgo - This full moon comes with a lunar eclipse. We're navigating some intense energy once again this week. Hopefully, this reading will give you a bit of guidance to navigate through the turmoil. Take a few grounding breaths and choose the card you feel most drawn to.

Then, scroll down for the reading reveal.

For the TBR Stack:

Raven of the Scorned (Remnants of Rage #2) by Katie Jamila - I wrote about this series back when book one, Daughter of the Dead, came out. To avoid spoilers, I'll only talk about book one. This series 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 the link to the case cover designs because I am OBSESSED with both the jacket and the hardcover for both books. Raven of the Scorned comes out March 19, 2026. Click the image to catch up on book one today.

The Shadown of Breninsol by Charlotte Brown - This one is for those of us who love a witchy FMC. The Shadow of Breninsol is the first book in a new fantasy series. It will sweep you away to a world of golden palaces and dark back streets, of politics and courtesans and gang lords, where Eleanor navigates them all with her blades at her side. Click the cover to get it now.

Ace of Wands Rx- It's important to listen to the urge you're feeling to retreat. Quiet creative time to sit and reconnect with the things that bring you joy is how you sustain yourself. What you resist persists. The longer you try to ignore the things you're passionate about for more practical matters, the more agitated you'll feel. If you want to keep moving forward you have to feed that inner fire.

8 of Cups - Clarity can be hard, even when it's a relief to have the answer. It's imperative that you give yourself the space to process the intense emotions rise to the surface as a result. Being loyal to yourself means knowing when to walk away, but that doesn't mean you have to ignore the disappointment that comes with that decision.

Queen of Cups Rx - This full moon stirs up from deep emotional turmoil for you. Remember that you don't need to let those feelings run the show. You have sovereignty to use them as inspiration to motivate you toward your next goal, or to finally end a chapter of your life that has dragged on too long.

I hope your card was resonant.

THE POISON DAUGHTER Q&A:

Q. Will there be an audiobook of TPD?

A. Yes. The good news is that it's looking like it will happen this year. The bad news is that I still don't know when. I'll update you as soon as I know firm timing.

In the meantime, you can find my entire backlist on audio with some truly phenomenal narrators. The Lost God series has four fabulous voice actors (one for each POV), including Caitlin Kelly (who you might know from The Cruel Prince audiobooks), Will Damron (from Ali Hazelwood's Bride), and Tim Campbell (from FBAA and The Witch Collector Series). Song of the Dark Wood features Irish narrators, including Aoife McMahon (from Sally Rooney's Normal People) and Dermot Magennis. Last but not least, A Legacy of Stars, Emily Woo Zeller (From The Poppy War and The Bone Witch) and James Fouhey (from the Shatter Me Series).

Q. Will there be any special editions of TPD?

A. Yes. I know how much a special edition is coveted, so I've covered all my bases, trying to get TPD as many special edition opportunities as possible. Right now, there is one upcoming subscription box that I've hinted at, as well as a preorder 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. I would like to be able to offer signed copies in the future, and this newsletter will be the first place to hear about it.

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 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.

Q. I tried to order your hardcover on Amazon, but I'm getting an error. Is there still a way to get it?

A. Amazon decided not to deliver my book (and other indie books) at all to certain parts of the US. If you encounter an error stating that the book is not available in your region, it's likely due to their new "efficient" AI features. That's right. They drove most book stores out of business, established a monopoly, and now refuse to deliver to certain areas, even inside the US. I am working to get this remedied, but I don't have high hopes. If you are a reader who is experiencing this error, I HIGHLY recommend you voice your displeasure to Amazon customer service.

My advice in the meantime is to buy the hardcover elsewhere. In the US Booksamillion, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org are options. In Canada, I reach out to the Indigo Chapters team with every release, so it should remain listed there without issue. Same for Waterstones in the UK and Booktopia and Fishpond in Australia.

THE POISON DAUGHTER MERCH:

Polich Co. now has TPD merch available in their Etsy store. Click the image below to check out the collection of stickers, bookmarks, t-shirts, and sweatshirts.

In the Media:

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.

​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​​​