cover reveal: the second death of locke
get the first look at TSDOL in all her glory
Listen, I know why we’re here, so let’s cut to the chase.
Art: Anna Moshak
Design: Ella Garrett
The final cover came together through collaboration between the teams at Orbit (UK) and Forever (US) and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Anna perfectly captured my feral knight in all of her not-quite-saintly glory, and Ella smashed it out of the park on the design. I hope you love her just as much as I do!
Official copy:
Love. Loyalty. Sacrifice.
Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier.
She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier's to use. Grey would do anything for Kier - be anything for him - if he would only ask.
When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into the dangerous heart of their nation's war, Grey and Kier will need to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to protect their secret.
For Grey is no ordinary magical well, but heir to the lost island of Locke - the root of all power. If she dies, all magic dies with her.
The Second Death of Locke is a devastatingly romantic epic fantasy and about the undying bond between a knight and their mage, perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and The Six Deaths of the Saint.
Now, onto regular newsletter things [though, I do not blame you if you keep scrolling up to stare at her (she is fully my phone background right now) or dip out to otherwise bask in her beauty].
News and Updates
THE SECOND DEATH OF LOCKE
I, IN THE SHADOWS
My Cyrano de Bergerac YA is officially coming to the UK with Titan Books! As announced last year, it’s with Page Street in the US.
I have seen the cover sketches and she is BEAUTIFUL! Will probably be able to share the US cover at some point over the summer.
We also changed the title a few months back (it was originally announced as THESE STOLEN WORDS). Still the same book, just different name :)
Events
Instagram remains the best place to keep up with news and events. I’ll be doing events in a few different places this fall, which will be announced on my IG page. I do have a few more secrets up my sleeve, so if you want to hear more about ongoing projects, IG sees it first.
General Chatter
I think the hardest part of the publishing process comes when my responsibilities have mostly wrapped up, and it’s in the readers’ hands, but we’re still in that middle ground period. I’m kind of terrible at promo in general, so we’re in the part of the process during which I naturally second-guess everything I say or post.
My goal has always been to have all three contracted books drafted before TSDOL came out. Locke 2 is officially out of my hands and with my editors and I’ve had a few weeks to rest, so I’m attempting to get a workable draft together for book 3 by September. They’re interconnected standalones, so I feel okay working on book 3 before I’ve edited 2, but I keep running into tiny details I wish I could’ve put into TSDOL! I think that’s also the funny thing about TSDOL just reaching readers now—it’s been quite a while since I spent time with Grey and Kier, in that form.
I also read the ARC last week, which was such a weird experience. I don’t usually read my books in their physical formats, but I was cross-checking a few things for 2 and 3. The strangest thing about reading a book you wrote is remembering all of the layers that were there before, the ghosts of scenes that didn’t make it to the final version, the lines that were cut away. I’ve been thinking about the origins of this book a lot lately, for obvious reasons. It’s been a long time since these characters first appeared in a Word document: the first note on my phone for this book is from 2013. I named the characters and started the earliest draft around 2012-2013, if my ancient backed-up documents are to be believed. When I was younger and chipping away at drafts, I used to hear authors talk about the books they didn’t feel they were ready to write, and it made me sad. But now, standing on the other side of that… I’m proud of that 16-year-old who didn’t give up on Grey and Kier, and the version of me a few years ago who finally decided I was ready to make theirs a story worth telling. It’s okay to let things sit on ice and develop for a few years, which is a hard realization to face in a publishing landscape that feels like it’s always racing towards the next thing.
What a wonder it is, to watch ourselves grow better. To take the time it takes.
Recommendations
I’ve had some great reads in the first half of the year! Favorites include The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson and The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri :)
Partner and I watched all of the released Murderbot episodes in one sitting—they’ve somehow captured that snarky, stubborn voice from the book and it’s 10/10.
And that’s all for me! Until next time xx