... my next book cover!

Of course it popped up online literally ONE day after my last newsletter

I told y’all it would happen soon and, well, it did. Less than 24 hours after my last newsletter hit your inboxes, the cover of my next book went live online. I have no excuse for waiting until now to send out an update, other than it’s the end of the year and I am tired.

But better late than never! Here it is, in all its glory:

ISN’T IT GORGEOUS???

I cannot fully express how much I love it. The designer is Caroline Teagle Johnson and I think she just knocked it out of the park. Not only does this cover fit beautifully alongside I’ll Stop the World (designed by Jarrod Taylor), but it also really captures the vibe of You Shouldn’t Be Here. I love the kaleidoscopic feel of the image, hinting at the slightly speculative nature of the story. The nighttime impression and the slashy, handwritten look of the text nod to the mystery/thriller vibe, but the bright colors playing around the edges let the reader know that there’s also a lot of fun and playfulness happening within these pages. This book has a lot of darkness in it, but there is also romance, friendship, lots of banter, and an adorable dog. I feel like the cover strikes that tonal balance perfectly, and I’m so glad it’s out in the world now.

That’s really all I’ve got for now. I’ve hit all my deadlines for the year, so I’m using the last few weeks of 2023 to relax, refill the creative well, and play around with a couple projects that are not under contract yet, and thus still allow me the freedom to mess with them at my own pace. One is the horror book I’ve mentioned a few times before, which still just delights me to my bones. Maybe it shouldn’t, what with it being a horror novel and all, but I’m throwing in everything I love about the horror genre and everything I love about storytelling in general, and it’s just so much fun. It’s still got a ways to go before it’s ready to show anyone, but I’m hoping to finish the drafting over the next couple months.

The other is a book I’m planning to co-write with a friend, which we conceived randomly one day during a 15-minute drive to track down our local lobster food truck (so, so good, y’all), and have been obsessed with ever since. It is neither speculative mystery nor horror (if my agent is reading this and having a stroke right now at all my genre shifting, I’m so sorry, and also promise this one will be worth it). We’re still in the plotting stage, but the plan is to start drafting come January, and I am so excited.

(Of course, I’m going to send out a newsletter detailing my grand plans for relaxation and creative playfulness, and then copyedits will probably land in my inbox tomorrow. But *theoretically* those shouldn’t be too bad, now that the bulk of the editing for You Shouldn’t Be Here is done. Just dotting some i’s and crossing some t’s. I think. Cross your fingers.

Upcoming Events

I don’t have a ton on the calendar still for I’ll Stop the World, as we’re now nine months out from publication, but I do have a few things coming up in 2024.

On January 26, I’ll be at Bound Booksellers in Franklin, TN with Nashville authors Meredith R. Lyons (Ghost Tamer) and R.J. Jacobs (This Is How We End Things). We’re teaming up with Karissa of Tropes & Tasting Notes for a combo book talk + wine tasting, which promises to be a grand time. Registration isn’t up yet, but I’ll let you know when it is.

On February 23, I’ll be at Parnassus Books in Nashville for the Paths to Publishing Panel sponsored by The Porch, discussing the various approaches to publishing with author Aaron Rogge, literary agent Margaret Riley King (WME), and literary editor Jenny Baumgartner (Hachette). This is a ticketed event.

On March 2, I’ll be presenting at Cavalcade of Authors West in Tacoma, WA.

On March 23, I’ll be presenting at Teen Author Boot Camp in Provo, UT.

On March 30, I’ll be teaching a two-hour class on Mystery Writing for The Porch in Nashville. Advance registration is required.

April 25-28 I will be at ApollyCon in Washington, D.C. alongside a huge number of other authors and vendors. In addition to signed copies of I’ll Stop the World (and a giveaway for an advanced copy of You Shouldn’t Be Here, along with some other fun stuff), I’ll have some exclusive merch for sale that will only be available at this event. I have no idea what I’m in for, so if you’ve attended this event before, please give me all your words of wisdom!

And on May 18, I’ll be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival in Maryland, which will be my first time attending this festival. I’m excited!

A few more events may pop up once we get into 2024; I’ll be sure to let you know when they do!

I’m guessing this will be my last newsletter for the year, so until 2024, here is to finish lines, fresh starts, and much-needed rest.