sharing surprises!

Hello! I know it’s been quiet around here, but surprise! I’m back. Hoping to get back in the saddle, updating this blog regularly. For one thing, the second book in the Five Queendoms series is now available for preorder, and it has a GORGEOUS cover, and I’ll be talking plenty about that in the months to come!

But for now, just a quick update! My latest Writer Unboxed post is about the power of surprise (hence the title of this post) — surprise for your characters, surprise for your readers, and surprise for the writer, too.

Read about the power of surprise.

(And stay tuned for more soon!)

rave review for SCORPICA from Publishers Weekly!

Well hey! That headline pretty much says it all! You can read the whole fabulous review here, and my publisher has pulled out one of the best snippets for the graphic below, which I will just be staring at contentedly for the next, say, five weeks. Yay!

best feminist fantasy books of 2021 at CHIRB!

A narrowing-down, in list form:

• I read so many great books this year

• So many of them were published in 2021

• So many of those published in 2021 were in the fantasy genre

• So many of those shone a light on women’s rights in a way I’d categorize as feminist

So lo and behold! My round-up of best feminist fantasy books of 2021 was born. I pulled together a short list for Chicago Review of Books, ranging from retellings of myth (The Witch’s Heart, Ariadne) to YA stories of war (The Gilded Ones) to a completely re-imagined version of The Great Gatsby (The Chosen and the Beautiful).

Check out hthe full list here.

support indies, win books!

Independent bookstores really need help during this crisis, and well, lots of us really need books. Most bookstores are closed to the public but still taking online orders and shipping — and a certain online retailer has stated that they’re “deprioritizing” sending books since they’re busy shipping cleaning supplies, food, and other personal needs — so it’s an especially good time to order from those independent bookstores, either your local store or another.

I’m supporting some of my favorite stores (OMG there are so many) by hosting giveaways, and this week, I’m giving away two books on Facebook. You just pick one of my books and one other of your choice, comment on this Facebook post, and on Sunday I’m drawing a winner. Then those books get shipped from A Likely Story in Sykesville, Maryland, and magic happens!

Good luck and happy reading!