Hello readers far and wide, and welcome to another cover reveal!
You ready?
HERE SHE IS ❤
Just look at her. She’s my phone background right now, so I gaze upon her CONSTANTLY!
Art is, again, by the incredibly talented Anna Moshak and the design was once again done by the wonderful Ella Garrett at Hachette!
And if you want to see the kids together:
It was such a fun experience coming up with this cover—I think the whole team was on the same page from the beginning, and it came together beautifully. Anna perfectly captured the atmosphere of the story and Nore’s mission!
TRAITOR BRIDE is currently up for preorder (links here!). In case you missed it, here’s a bit about the book:
A ruthless spy. A deadly mission. A thief who could ruin it all.
The Thief and the Traitor Bride is a standalone romantic fantasy set in the world of the internationally bestselling novel The Second Death of Locke.
Nore Gordon is a woman of many talents: she can speak a variety of languages, disguise herself in plain sight, and has made a name for herself as a successful wine merchant. But unbeknownst to those closest to her, it is all a front for Nore's true role as the favoured spy of the Lindle crown.
Tasked with infiltrating enemy lands in search of a powerful relic, Nore is forced to engage the services of a great thief. Unfortunately, the only person for the job is her estranged husband Caspian. Both Nore and Caspian bear the scars of the disastrous end of their marriage, but if they are to survive their deadly new assignment, they must pose as a happily married couple to avoid detection.
As danger closes in, Nore finds herself tangled in a web of lies and deceit-and though Caspian is at the centre of it all, she may not hate him as much as she once did. But Caspian has betrayed her before, and trust can be far more deadly than deception.
Back to business as usual:
News & Updates
Events
I’ll be hanging out in Washington DC on March 23rd at East City Bookshop! It’s a hybrid event, so it’s both in-person and online. If you want to join, you can RSVP here.
I’ll be at FictionFest in Manchester (UK) on April 11! Book tickets and check out the lineup here.
I have one more sneaky US event for the spring that I should be able to announce soon.
The Hand and the Heart news
The Thief and the Traitor Bride is coming out on September 29, 2026! You can preorder it here.
French readers: De Saxus has acquired French rights to the whole series! The Second Death of Locke is coming out in French on April 16th.
I do have a few more secret translations up my sleeve so keep your eyes peeled!
We’re still a little ways out from advance copies for Traitor Bride. I’ll post on Instagram when there’s more info 🙂 As a reminder, I have very little control over ARCs so if you want one, those requests have to go through my publishers
UK readers: if you were waiting on the paperback, it’s coming out on July 21st.
Random bits and pieces
I’m teaching a one-day course on romantasy for City Lit on May 23rd. It’s in person, in London, and you can find out more here!
Writing Corner
I am literally on my last 10% of Traitor Bride copyedits before I swing back to editing the necromantasy. In honor of that, have one last snippet of Traitor Bride, which answers a question I’ve gotten a lot about the book:
‘Does the High Lady attend?’ Caspian asked. Nore squeezed his hand again, harder.
‘Locke?’ Garna asked.
Caspian smiled uncertainly. ‘Is there another?’
General Chatter
Reader, I have done it: I finally deactivated my TikTok and Threads accounts. I think I’ve been pretty open about the pressures of industry and my mental health, but to clear some things up, algorithms are not the tastiest for creativity. When you are specifically interested in something, the algorithm usually sees that and feeds you info about it. When that thing you’re talking about is the book you wrote yourself, it’s actually not that great to get a post from someone who hated it!
That’s not to say those posts aren’t valid: I am fully aware that, when publishing a book, I am handing it over to public criticism. I would probably even agree with some points of criticism, but such is life, and no book is perfect. But if I’m going to keep creating, I can’t look at the criticism after the book is out of my hands, and for me, that means staying off certain bits of social media that were constantly feeding me negativity about the stuff I made, even when I muted as much as I could.
So! I’m off those places and will probably never return. But if you want updates from me, you can find them here or on my Instagram, which is where I do most of my posting these days 🙂
Recommendations
The Trees by Percival Everett - This one was recommended to me and it was absolutely phenomenal. It was my first time reading Everett’s work and I need to read more ASAP. It’s a heavy book but it’s brutally sharp in tone and so extraordinarily well-crafted.
The Sea Hides Its Dead by Megan Bontrager - Culty oceanic horror with eldritch horrors. Very fun! If you loved As Above, So Below, this one’s for you. I think, between this and Hannah Whitten’s upcoming Reliquary (also a banger), the sea cult horror folks are going to be eating well ❤
Rottenheart by Kat Dunn - If you’ve not read any of Kat’s work yet, what are you doing. I’m only 4 chapters in and I think this is in the running for one of my favorite new books of the year.
And what I’m making now: Insh sweater by Rebecca Clow!
And that’s all for now! See y’all next month x