Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Kitty and Mary by Julia Gray and Imogen Russell Williams, which releases on 10 September 2026.

Six months after Pride and Prejudice, Mary is stuck at home with her parents. So, when an opportunity arises that will take her to far away India, Mary jumps at the chance for independence and adventure.

Meanwhile, Kitty has been flitting between the estates of her sisters, searching for a suitable husband at every ball and dinner. When Mary sets off to India, Kitty’s disappointment at returning home is tempered by the revelation that a new tenant has come to Netherfield Park – handsome poet Mr Whittaker. He seems like the perfect husband for Kitty, but will he end up being everything she hoped?

Through letters and journals we learn to understand and love the forgotten Bennet sisters.

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Hi, Anabelle! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi! I’m Anabelle, and I live in Hamburg, Germany. I love traveling, writing, reading, video games, and dancing. I also have a habit of picking up far too many new hobbies, love anything green, and I’m a huge musical theatre nerd.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

Probably as soon as I could talk. I used to make up elaborate stories in our neighborhood, like telling everyone we had seven cats—even though we actually had two guinea pigs. I guess it took me a while to learn the difference between lying and storytelling, haha.

I’ve always loved creating stories, whether in books, during pen-and-paper role-playing sessions, or through online role-playing games. My mom read to me a lot, so I guess that sparked my interest in stories very early on.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and Mats and the Magic Pebbles by Marcus Pfister.
• The one that made you want to become an author: A German children’s book. I was absolutely determined to become an author by the age of six. I was a weird kid.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. (drop book 3, Pat!)

Your latest novel, Levels of Love, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Empowering. Nerdy. Feminist. Girlhood. Green flags.

What can readers expect?

A wholesome, empowering romance as well as a story about women in the gaming industry. And don’t worry—you definitely don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy it! If you do love video games however, you will find a lot of easter eggs.

Where did the inspiration for Levels of Love come from?

I’d always wanted to write a romance set in the world of video games. After becoming completely obsessed with Stardew Valley—my favorite cozy game—I finally found the perfect setting: an indie game studio developing a cozy game inspired by Stardew Valley. But instead of building a farm, players get to build a bookstore. We even released a mini game called “Novel Haven” on steam (I recommend reading the books before playing J)

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Definitely Nataly! She’s Lara’s best friend and the protagonist of the second book in the series. She was such a joy to write because she’s incredibly quick-witted and constantly gets herself into trouble thanks to her big mouth.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Funny enough, the Novel Haven series just kind of fell into place. I usually love writing the beginning of a book, but I tend to hit a wall around the midpoint. With these three books, though? Nothing. The stories flowed naturally, and I genuinely enjoyed every minute of writing and editing them.

What’s next for you?

I’m staying in the gaming world for a little while longer. I’m currently working on a new trilogy set in the world of esports. It’s basically a sports romance—but with competitive gaming instead. I’m having SO much fun writing it!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I really enjoyed Slewfoot by Brom (dark witchy folklore), Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (a classic that I gotta admit I only picked up because it inspired Taylor Swift’s tolerate it) and pretty much everything by Emily Henry!

I should probably focus on reading my TBR pile first, but I’m really looking forward to new books by Anna McPartlin, Ali Hazelwood, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and lots of German authors such as Miriam Georg.

Will you be picking up Levels of Love? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Anabelle Stehl, Author of ‘Levels of Love’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Big & Lily by Lisa Roe, which releases on August 11th 2026.

For her entire life, Bridget “Big” Ackerman Petty has struggled to hold everything together—her kids, her husband, her demanding mother, all in dizzying orbit around her. While the kids are grown and her husband is retired, every day still feels like a to-do list she can never quite finish. Why is everything so effortless and easy for her sister Lily—a woman blessed with a magnetic personality, a thriving business, and a husband who adores her.

But when Lily discovers her husband’s been cheating, her “perfect” life implodes. Devastated and overwhelmed, she decides to run as far away as possible: to Alaska to lose herself on a hardcore survival trek—and she’s dragged her reluctant sister Big along.

No cell service, no easy exits—just grizzlies, outdoor plumbing, and a group of strangers who know how to read a compass. As the sisters navigate freezing rivers, unmarked trails, and more than one near-death experience, the defenses they’ve used to protect themselves begin to crumble, and they’re forced to face everything they’ve spent decades avoiding: resentment, regret, envy, and the terrifying possibility that the other one’s life might not be as easy as it looks.

Big & Lily is a laugh-out-loud, emotionally rich novel about second acts, sisterhood, and the unexpected ways we find ourselves when we’re truly lost.

PROLOGUE

I move the muddy toe of my boot an inch closer to the edge of the trail, testing the ground for stability, fearing the earth may break away beneath me.

Dark dirt, twisted roots, sharp rocks, and muscular scrub come in and out of focus, layering vertigo and a roiling nausea on top of my abject fear and panic. The sound of raging water fills my ears. Or is that the blood threatening to burst my eardrums? I remember hearing the creek down there, before all the shouting had drowned it out.

“No, no, no, no,” I whisper, chant, pray, plead as if the words were an eraser that would, if rubbed briskly across the scene below, make all of this disappear.

After this week of trying to protect my sister, I may have just killed her. Shit.

I manage one more small step. If I’m not careful, if I don’t stop to breathe, to watch my feet, to step around the gnarled root reaching up through the ground like a claw from a grave, I will suffer Lily’s fate.

My hands are shaking. Sweat rolls down my chest, between my breasts. The pain from my earlier fall bites at my back. I’d said I was fine, but I am not fine. None of this is fine.

I always imagined I’d be prepared for these situations, when disasters happen in a flash, without warning. Twenty-two years of motherhood taught me to be vigilant. Prepared to leap in, a Band-Aid, a Tylenol, a needle and thread, all in my Mother’s Survival Kit. But now I am frozen. This is no skinned knee.

If Lily were okay, she’d be shouting at me. Yelling obscenities up the mountain, blaming this on me, and demanding that I get her the hell out of here right now! I don’t hear anything from my sister. Again, it could be the swarm of bees in my brain that won’t shut the hell up long enough for me to suss out the situation. Or it could be the worst. My mother would be so disappointed in me if she could see us now. Lily’s my baby sister.

One more tiny step toward the edge. It feels like hours that Lily has been down there, but I know it’s only seconds. I just need to peer over and see what’s what, even if it’s as bad as my worst fear. Do it, you coward.

The early morning sun does nothing to warm me; my teeth chatter in my jaw. “What’s the point of twenty hours of sunlight if it can’t do its job?” I grumble.

This wasn’t my idea. I came out here to keep an eye on her. But Lily is like Jell-O.

Goo in my hands, oozing out of my grip no matter how I tighten it.

Now the toes of both boots are on the ledge. One dizzy spell, one slip of the foot, a little weight too far in one direction or the other, and down I’ll go. With excruciating effort, I slow my breathing, keeping my eyes on a focal point, a tree with a twisted trunk, growing out of the slanted earth on the other side of the gully. I’ve been working on my fear of heights all week, but this is going to do me in. Finally, I will myself to peer down into the ravine that swallowed Lily. I scan the muddy, leaf-strewn forest floor, and I ask myself the question I’ve been muttering since we arrived in Alaska. Why the hell did I agree to any of this?

Excerpted from BIG & LILY by Lisa Roe. Copyright © 2026 by Lisa Roe. Reprinted here with permission from Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Scallop Plot by Judy Foreman, which releases on August 11th 2026.

In Provincetown, MA, feisty scallop fisherwoman Isabella Ferreira goes up against a sleazy wind farm developer, Olaf Svensson, who wants to install wind turbines in the ocean right off the coast of Cape Cod.

At a nearby scallop hatchery, marine biologists Leif and Astrid Borgen are already using the new gene editing technique CRISPR to insert a growth hormone gene into scallop embryos to make them bigger and thus more profitable—all of which is legal. But unbeknownst to the hatchery owner, Svensson is also paying the pair to insert another gene—one that causes PSP, paralytic shellfish poisoning. If this works, no one will ever eat scallops from this site again, thus freeing it up for Svensson’s turbines.

Enter Pulitzer Prize–winning Boston Times reporter Samantha Fuller. Together with Isabella, she slowly uncovers Svensson’s deadly plot—but not before hundreds of people die. Along the way, love blossoms, tragedies occur, and the subtleties of the pro- and anti-wind power groups are exposed.

Prologue

It was magic hour in Provincetown Harbor. The wind had died down to a soft breeze. The scattered clouds were turning a gorgeous lavender. The whale watch boats bobbed gently at the pier, disgorging their last contented sightseers. The bars were getting noisy, happy hour in full swing.

But the tense, middle-aged man slouched in the stern of theVacker—which meant “beautiful” in his native Swedish—was distinctly not happy. He popped open a beer—his third—and stuffed the last, now-cold, bit of calamari into his mouth.

Olaf Svensson had spent the day alone, as always. But fuck it, he was not exactly a people person, and sour as his own company was, even to him, it was better than trying to talk to people who knew less about the world than he did.

He had taken the day to sail around the waters off Provincetown.

The area, teeming with bluefish and sea bass, was the perfect site for an offshore wind farm.

Now in his sixties, graying though still with the body of the swimmer he once was, Svensson was mostly unknown in America but had become famous in Europe for trying to develop Sweden’s offshore wind farms.

That work had once been part of Sweden’s famous green plan.

But then the anti-wind protests had come, at first with critics crying that Sweden’s beautiful coast would be marred by the huge turbines and all the helicopters flying overhead to de-ice them.

Others called his projects “fashion,” mere virtue signaling for wind energy fans. And then had come the big fear: that all those turbines in the water off Sweden’s Baltic coast, the coast facing Russia, might make it harder to detect any incoming Russian cruise missiles.

Agonized, he watched his dream collapse, his investors back out.

After years of fighting, he reluctantly terminated the leases he had so painstakingly won.

His projects doomed, Svensson had slid into a deep depression, drinking heavily, buying sex, living on ice cream and pizza. If he had had any friends, they might have gently noted that this depression was actually not new, that he should seek help. But there were no friends, and his despair festered.

He had grown up poor, or as poor as anybody could be in Sweden’s egalitarian society. His parents had run a small chain of mom-and-pop grocery stores, and he had learned as a teenager how to order goods, stock shelves, and sweet-talk customers into buying more than they’d come in for.

The mere thought of his father made him shudder. He still had the scars on his back from the endless, terrible beatings. He had only one eye, not a great thing for a sailor, or anyone else, for that matter.

The so-called accident had happened when he was three. His father had given him a pocketknife. Why on earth his father had done that, no one knew. Olaf, of course, played with it right away and within minutes had flailed around and jammed the sharp blade into his left eye. He’d lost the eye and had had a glass eye, and an attitude, ever since.

Once out of the house, no longer having to look at his mother’s sad and perpetually bruised face, he had been a quick study, cruising with a vengeance through college, taking easy courses, then going on to business school. Along the way, he’d tried marriage. But the bitch had abandoned him for another guy, leaving him lonely, childless, and angrier than ever.

But so what, he figured. He was smart. And determined. And before long he was among the first to catch on to the world’s burgeoning energy crisis.

He’d paid close attention in the 1970s as the oil embargo, long gas lines, and the world’s insatiable appetite for oil crippled countries around the world. But where others saw crisis, he saw opportunity.

He prided himself on being that rare breed: an environmentalist-businessman, driven—or so he liked to think—in equal parts by a genuine desire to save the planet and make money in the process.

Lots and lots of money. Doing well by doing good.

Now, as evening fell, the bitter man in the stern of the Vacker shook his head to emerge from his reverie. He put on his sweatshirt and opened his fourth beer.

For several years, his memories of the torpedoed Swedish projects had made him sad. But now they only made him mad. And more stubborn than ever. Now, as his depression morphed into fierce determination, he contemplated his new project, Provincetown Wind.

The waters off Provincetown offered perfect conditions for wind power: consistent strong winds and a shallow ocean floor. This time, he swore silently, he really would impress the young woman he had secretly fallen for—the one who haunted his dreams, the one he admired more than anyone else on earth, the one young enough to be his granddaughter yet worshipped enough to be his wife: Greta Thunberg.

He would make his millions. Nothing would stop him this time.

Not the law. Not ethics. Nothing. He had a secret plan to make sure his idea would become reality.

It had to.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘The Scallop Plot’ by Judy Foreman appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Chelsea! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Chelsea has been making up stories since she was wiggling baby teeth to try to get them loose. She is a mom of two amazing kids and a high-energy dog, and has a husband that somehow helps her make it all work. She lives in Colorado, which is where The Whisper, her most recent atmospheric thriller, is set.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I have distinct memories of creating a secret reading nook between my bed and the wall, and then spending hours there—well past my bedtime—reading. My parents bought me a tiny booklight I could clip on my books, and that was the beginning of it all. Also my dad read stories with all the voices. I particularly remember a terrifying Mrs. Trunchbull.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: I can’t recall the very first book I read on my own, but I do remember being read Charlotte’s Web in nightly episodes. Then there was Matilda, The Chronicles of Narnia, even Shell Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends. I must have asked for one more chapter a thousand times in those days.
• The one that made you want to become an author: Every book I’ve ever read, but specifically, I’d say Jane Austen was the most influential. When I read her work for the first time, I discovered that she could make a reader feel so many things. I was hooked and wanted to create that myself on the page.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Persuasion. It’s not Pride and Prejudice, but it’s like the little sister, which is probably why I love it so much. Wallflower Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth…how can you not love this defiant little love story? I picked apart Austen’s prose so hard my book fell completely apart.

Your latest novel, The Whisper, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Friendship, creepy, woods, magic, secrets

What can readers expect?

Three estranged friends return to their hometown in the mountains of Colorado to investigate an old mystery that has haunted them. Expect an atmospheric unearthing of secrets long buried, a creepy mountain town, a sweet old dog, a grove full of whispering trees, and a heart-racing conclusion.

Where did the inspiration for The Whisper come from?

Originally, I wanted to write about a girl gang out for vengeance, and then it evolved a million times over once I established where it had to be set. Once I knew it was going to take place in a secluded mountain town in Colorado, the story really took shape.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

All of them! I truly do feel like I’m part of their friend group! Joey—you just want to give her a hug and tell her it will be ok. Elena is so full of attitude and tries to hide her heart, Sophie is adorable and I’d probably most love to hang out with her in real life!

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

So many! My biggest challenge was getting the friendship just right while still maintaining a quick pace. It can be hard to do something like develop relationships while also trying to keep things moving at a pace thriller readers expect. I hope I was able to achieve it, and I loved the process of trying. The only thing I did was continue to revise and revise again. I think distance from the manuscript helped me see the pacing lags especially.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on another thriller with a creepy Maine lighthouse, two sisters, and time travel magic.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I’ve been obsessed with Tana French this year. Like, how did I not discover her sooner? She truly is an amazing author. Chelsea Conradt’s The Farmhouse and The Secret Attic are fantastic, and I really loved Gillian McAllister’s latest, Caller Unknown. I share a pub day with one of my favorite thriller authors, Catherine Ryan Howard, so I’m excited to pick up her latest, Buyer Beware.

Will you be picking up The Whisper? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Chelsea Iversen, Author of ‘The Whisper’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from The Introvert’s Guide to Kissing in Europe by Brenda Janowitz, which releases on August 18th 2026.

Everything in Emily Tannenbaum’s life is going according to plan. Graduate high school as valedictorian? Check. Gain admission to Dartmouth? Check. Decide to pause everything to embark on a gap year adventure abroad? Wait, what?

Ever since her sister died, Emily has done everything in her power to be the good girl, the safe girl, the one her parents don’t have to worry about. She’s worked hard, she’s studied, she’s attended school-approved functions.

But when her grandmother, a former member of the famous Flower Sisters music duo, proposes that Emily take time off to follow the European tour the Flower Sisters took in 1966, Emily impulsively jumps at the chance as a way to embrace the messy and unexpected parts of life.

As she travels from Spain to Sweden with stops in Paris and Rome along the way, Emily begins to experience all that life has to offer. She deals with pickpockets, dances the night away, has her heart broken, and learns more about herself and where she came from than she ever could have imagined.

PREFACE

MADRID, TWO WEEKS LATER

I FELT HIM before I saw him. As I ran down the Metro steps, something in the air shifted. I looked up and I saw him from across the train platform. He and his friends were on the other side, waiting for a train in the opposite direction, but our eyes locked.

He looked familiar, like I’d seen him before. I had an overwhelming feeling of familiarity come over me, like we’d met before. But of course we hadn’t. Because I was not where I was supposed to be at that very moment. I was not even on the same continent where I belonged. I was not at home, and I was not starting my freshman year of college, like all my friends were. Instead, I was in Spain, having impulsively taken a gap year before starting school, and I didn’t know anyone. I barely knew the crew of friends I’d recently met and was traveling with.

He looked like that guy from Emily in Paris, the cute Brit from season two. Even with a straight face, he looked like he was smiling. His face was open and welcoming. Sweet, almost. He had a deep dimple on one of his cheeks, and not on the other. I knew I shouldn’t stare, but he seemed to be staring at me, too.

Behind me, I could hear Mina checking the Metro app on her phone, making sure we were going in the right direction.

“Are you sure this is the right line?” Lina asked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Mina replied, the slightest bit of annoyance creeping

into her voice.

The guy across the platform raised his eyebrows at me, as if to say hello. Or at least to ask why I was staring. I gave a shy almost smile in return. Not quite a full-on smile, but an acknowledgment. It was my way of saying that I saw him, too. I felt it, too.

Just then, our train rushed into the station with a whoosh. I stood, frozen in place, while my friends all jumped onto it.

“Emily!” Penny called out. “Let’s go!”

I stood frozen, as if in a trance. Was I really going to leave now? Miss my chance to meet this guy? I mean, how often in life do you actually lock eyes with a handsome stranger across a crowded room? Surely the odds of locking eyes from across a crowded Metro station were even lower?

“Emily!” Penny cried out again, her arm against the Metro door to keep it from closing.

I snapped back to reality and ran toward the train. As I tried to jump in, I stumbled, my foot nearly catching on the space between the platform and the train. I struggled to right myself, and Johnny grabbed me and pulled me into the car.

“Mind the gap, sweetheart.”

“What?” I asked. My heart was still racing from my near miss.

“It’s what they say on the London Underground,” he replied in his charming English accent. “Mind the gap. Watch out for the space between the train car and the platform.”

“Oh, in New York, they say ‘Stand clear of the closing doors.’”

“I would never let the doors close on you,” Penny said just as the doors shut.

I looked out the other side of the subway car. Through the window, I saw the cute guy, still waiting on the opposite platform for his train. As he caught my eye again, he raised his hand and gave me a subtle wave. I smiled, but before I could wave back, our train rushed out of the station.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘The Introvert’s Guide to Kissing in Europe’ by Brenda Janowitz appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Victoria! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Absolutely! I’m Victoria S. Walsh, author of THE IRON HEX and a great many books to come in the future if I have my way! I’ve been OBSESSED with stories and genre fiction for my entire life. I was the kid with her nose stuck in a book, always, and my love of writing has persisted for decades.

Outside of books, I’m an avid gamer, MTG and D&D player and I have a penchant for collecting dresses. You may have seen me on social media as the girl who helps people love themselves with a pink closet full of beautiful gowns, too! I have a west highland terrier named Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I have an addiction to travel (lately, it’s been specifically to Scotland and Japan).

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I genuinely do not have a living memory where I didn’t want to be an author and write stories, if I’m being honest.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: My mum and dad read me so many books before I could even read myself, and I can’t remember the first I EVER read…but I do remember reading the Magic Tree House series very early on! Then, the ones that REALLY stuck in my mind came a little later… fantasy books by Gail Carson Levine
• The one that made you want to become an author: The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine changed something in my brain chemistry. I distinctly remember devouring the book about a girl dedicated to saving her sister and learning that she’s strong through that journey. To this day, I remember the feeling that it inspired in me. It was also the first time I read a book and realized that romance could be a part of something!! (it was very tame, but my little heart swooned when she ended up marrying the man she loved at the end)
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I think I will never forget reading Nina from Six of Crows for the first time. I was in the midst of my self-love journey at that time and her being curvy and confident had a real tangible effect on me. It was one of the first times I’d EVER seen a character who wasn’t trying to shrink themselves on paper.

Your debut novel, The Iron Hex, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Whimsical. Secretive. Yearning. Magical. Loyal.

What can readers expect?

THE IRON HEX is about a potions witch with no memory of her past being torn from her comfortable life into danger by a man who has wanted her for a decade, to find a missing princess. The adventure, the quest they take, forces Eira to confront what she has lost alongside her missing memories and unlocks a power that she cannot even begin to understand. Then, on the other side of the continent, a lady knight must uncover the dark secrets around the evil empire that she swore an oath to.

That’s the pitch! But, at it’s core, THE IRON HEX is about making mistakes and learning from them. It’s about realizing that you did something bad, and knowing that you need to work to try and fix it. Readers will also experience powerful women who are powerful in different ways, which is so so important for me to show!

AND! The main character is plus sized!

Where did the inspiration for The Iron Hex come from?

I had the idea to write a cozy story about a potions witch with no memory which was my initial inspiration! Then, as I began to plan and write I realized that the plot just….wasn’t working? So I went on a long, long walk with my dog (I use walks to turn on a different part of my creative brain and I almost always work through it). By the end of the walk, I had figured out that I was trying to shove a non-cozy story into a cozy frame. It wasn’t cozy! It was epic! And then the rest of the story fell into place quite quickly!

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

There’s a scene early on in the book where Eira’s memory loss truly hits her, and she realizes all that she has lost as a result of it. It’s a very tender scene between the FMC and the love interest, and I think it gives the reader insight into who Eira is, and who she had to become after her memories were lost. I was interested in exploring the weight of societal pressures from family and other parties, and giving a character memory loss felt like an interesting way to do that. Who would you be without the social pressures around you, or the family history you have? For many, it’s whoever they always wanted to be, but couldn’t.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

My worst, WORST writing trait is that I am full of ideas and I love to get distracted. At any given time I have a half dozen fully plotted books in my brain, and for a long time I zipped around writing 10k here and 10k there, struggling to lock in on one story. One day, I realized that I was the hurdle to my own success and I knew I needed to lock in, so I locked in on THE IRON HEX.

Truly, my biggest hurdle was myself, so I just had to be extremely real internally and force myself to focus.

What a stunning cover! Do you have any insight you can share about it?

Goodness, I look at the cover and still sometimes can’t believe it’s my book. Like, how lucky am I??? There’s an easter egg on the cover (or two!) that I can’t really talk about, but my insight is that we have been very intentional with planning not just this cover, but how the rest of the covers are going to progress as the trilogy does.

And! I’ve been very particular about the spine! If I get my way, want it to transform as well through the series!

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

Very slowly, and then all at once. Like I mentioned, my biggest struggle was having too many ideas. My OTHER struggle was deleting my work instead of editing. Most of my works from university are gone, never to be recovered, because I would delete pieces that I thought were bad (and I thought everything was bad).

But once I lock in I become determined. I finished TIH, decided I wanted to try for traditional publishing, and then started reaching out to agents. I had a small list I wanted to query first, and somehow landed my top pick! I was shocked, amazed, and so excited.

At this point, it was February of 2025 and I was leaving for Japan (for my honeymoon!) in about a month, so we worked together to edit my submission really quickly before I left. I went on submission in April 2025, took editor calls at 11:00pm Japan time and HONESTLY I kind of loved it? Not waiting at my phone and refreshing my emails for responses to the submission was so freeing. I’d wake up in Japan and see what happened and then went off and adventured!

At the end of April, we went to auction and I sold the trilogy! Dreams do come true!!

What’s next for you?

THE IRON OATH (Book 2 in THE IRON HEX trilogy) releases in May of 2027, so I’m currently in the editing process for that!

Outside of that, I have the first book in a new duology completely written! It’s in the hands of my agent right now, and I can’t say much but I’m very excited about it! It’s gothic, it’s got a love triangle, and I love the story!

Otherwise? I’m just going to keep writing and keep getting books out. I can see the pathway for my future, and it’s going to require a better wrist rest for all the typing I’ll be doing.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

Dreams of Ruin by Josie Bullard is one I’m very excited for! She’s a friend, and I cannot WAIT to read her debut. There are honestly so many books coming out that I could write an entire essay with the ones I’ll be grabbing, though!

I finished up A Kiss of Crimson Ash a few weeks ago by Anuja Varghese and LOVED it!!

Will you be picking up The Iron Hex? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Victoria S. Walsh, Author of ‘The Iron Hex’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Taylor! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hello! Thanks so much for having me on Nerd Daily. I am a writer who is currently based in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two young kids, but we have lived all over, even on a 38-ft sailboat named Story Time. Thankfully, I’m able to take my love of books and writing everywhere! Heartbreak and Other Organ Failures is my first YA novel.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t obsessed with stories. I was one of those kids who brought a book everywhere and lived to marathon huge fantasy novels. Laying down and staring at ink on a page while hallucinating vividly has always been my favorite form of escapism. The writing part came later in life, once I was an adult who had more confidence and the space to figure out my own voice.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: One of the first ‘big kid’ chapter books I remember reading was Matilda by Roald Dahl, being convinced I had telekinetic powers, and trying to float stuff around my room.
• The one that made you want to become an author: The Princess Diaries because Meg Cabot’s style made her characters feel like a best friend. I loved her voice and her humor, but most of all the way she could connect with readers. After finishing the book, it was the first time I thought, I wonder if I could do that one day.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I’ve often wished that I could scrub my brain and read incredible books for the first time again. The first on that list would be Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca (I will never be over that plot twist).

Your YA debut novel, Heartbreak and Other Organ Failures, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Madcap, Heartfelt, Messy, Humorous, Authentic

What can readers expect?

There is no one in the world that Kaley loves more than her older sister Zoey, who has developmental disabilities and is medically fragile. When the sisters learn that Zoey needs a new kidney but is at the bottom of the transplant list, they set off on a madcap family road trip to find their estranged father, who might agree to donate. Nothing will stand in Kaley’s way—with Zoey’s health stable, Kaley can follow her boyfriend to an out-of-state college next fall.

Then Kaley learns that her mom has her own plans for the sisters’ futures. Kaley must reconcile the caretaker role she was born into with the desire to discover her own identity, and decide what she’s willing to do for the person she loves most.

Where did the inspiration for Heartbreak and Other Organ Failures come from?

I actually have an older sister with developmental disabilities and medical issues, so a lot of the experiences of the characters were pulled from the same ‘emotional well’ as my own upbringing.

The novel itself started with a 531-word short story that I submitted for a fellowship. I decided to expand it into a novel on the off-chance I won, because I wanted to be able to include the resume boost in my query letter to agents. The day after I finished the rough draft, I got the call that I won the fellowship. Everything aligned with this project, and I thought, okay, this is obviously a story that people want to read.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I really loved writing the dynamic between Kaley and Zoey. These two are absolutely hysterical together. Sibling relationships are so fun to explore and add such depth to a story when they are written authentically. Growing up, there weren’t a lot of books that represented my own sibling dynamic, and getting to put an accurate portrayal on the page was a high-five to my younger self.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

I’ve found that it’s really hard to write a novel that’s close to a lived experience. At the end of the day, Heartbreak and Other Organ Failures is a story, not an autobiography. The biggest challenge was not letting myself get preoccupied with how everything would be perceived and accidentally stunting the novel. The characters needed to arc in a way that best served the narrative, regardless of the fact that some people in my life would have trouble coming to terms with it.

This is your YA debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

I didn’t go to school for writing. I’ve always been a reader, and I didn’t start writing until my mid-20s when I jumped right into writing novels. They were bad. But it was also freeing, because there wasn’t any pressure on me while I muddled through the learning process on my own. Was this the most efficient way? No, but I think it allowed me to keep a spark that would have been smothered out had I approached it the same way I did my undergrad education.

I wrote seven novels, two of which were published by a small romance press, before finally getting a literary agent. By that point, I had amassed around 500 rejections over ten years. I was close to deciding to take a break for a while, but I knew I would never forgive myself if I chickened out on the story concept that would mean the most to me. I’m so thankful that I didn’t give up!

What’s next for you?

I don’t have my elevator pitch down yet as I am currently neck-deep in intensive developmental edits, but my next project is another YA contemporary book. It’s about competitive gymnastics and will touch on mental health, anxiety, and OCD. The book is about a gymnast with gradually worsening eyesight and the bond with her Deaf twin brother while she navigates this identity crisis.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

This past month, I read my NYR cohorts’ books before we went on tour together. I HIGHLY recommend Peyton June’s The Monsters We Made, Alex Rittany’s Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know, and H.D. Carver’s We Became Wild. Amazing stories by some amazing people!

I’ve also been reading a lot of books by Deaf and Hard of Hearing authors to see how they’ve chosen to represent ASL and Deaf culture on the page. I’m currently reading a cute YA called Someone to Daydream About by Sydney Langford.

Will you be picking up Heartbreak and Other Organ Failures? Tell us in the comments below!

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Hi, Sarah! Welcome back! How have you been since we last spoke for the release of Voidwalker?

It’s been a busy year for me! I made the big leap to writing full time, and an equally big move from Los Angeles to Seattle. I’m absolutely in love with all the amazing bookstores in the PNW, as well as the supportive author and reader community here. Plus, finally having a chilly rain-filled winter is the perfect vibe to nestle up and write a book!

Sunsplitter is the second installment in your Beasts of the Void duology and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

More tail, bigger daddy issues

For readers who haven’t picked up Voidwalker yet, what can they expect?

Voidwalker is a spicy monster romantasy – except she’s the scary one, and the immortal creature with claws and fangs is actually more of a pathetic wet cat. The worldbuilding sprawls across multiple parallel realities and the infinite Void between, with energy swords and magitech reminiscent of Arcane. And if you’re intimidated by monster romance, this is a great Monster Light introduction to the genre. Trust me, he can be very useful with that tail…

And for those who have, what’s to come in Sunsplitter?

Voidwalker was very much Fi’s book. We spent most of our time on the Winter Plane, fighting for Fi’s home and tackling the personal grief she’d been trying to bury. Sunsplitter is Antal’s book. We’ll finally journey to his home on the Twilit Plane, meet old friends and family – including his father, who is a lethal piece of work, but Antal still longs for that acceptance. Sunsplitter hits harder in every way: deeper worldbuilding, more family angst, fiercer love and fiercer fights between Fi and Antal. Plus, Fi casually rewriting the laws of reality out of spite, as usual.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?

Finally visiting the Twilit Plane means learning so much more about daeyari culture – and meeting so many new daeyari characters! These are immortals who have ruled the Planes for centuries, obligate carnivores who feast on humans, yet they dress in starry capes and flick their tails like aggravated cats. It was an absolute delight to delve more into daeyari lore (which I know many readers were clamoring for at the end of Voidwalker), and to build out an amazing new cast of characters from Antal’s past, from vicious antagonists to old friends. It was also a treat to finally add Antal’s POV to the story in all its angsty glory.

Can you share some insight into your plotting process for the duology?

When it comes to writing, I’m a hard-core plotter. I usually plan out all the key details across a book or series before I get started. Voidwalker was a little unusual for me, in that I originally planned it to be a standalone. I was still unagented and unpublished at the time, and it’s easier to pitch a standalone book than a series! But even before I finished that first draft of Voidwalker, I knew there was more story that needed to be told. I started work on Sunsplitter almost immediately, and fortunately, I was early enough in my publishing timeline that I ended up editing Voidwalker and Sunsplitter side-by-side, allowing me to ensure the lore and characters were cohesive across the duology.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing the sequel? How did you overcome them?

For many romantasy duologies, book 1 ends with some kind of betrayal or separation, which sets up relationship tension for book 2. In Sunsplitter, I wanted to try something different: an established couple, still together and still very much in love. But here, the tension in their relationship comes from figuring out how to make this work long term, how to support each other despite the baggage and unhealthy coping mechanisms they each bring from their past. Sunsplitter is still full of romantic drama. Fi and Antal get into some fierce arguments, but working through these hurdles (both verbally, and in the bedroom) deepens their love and their commitment to each other in a way that was so rewarding to write.

What’s next for you?

Sunsplitter really expands the lore of this universe – but I hope that readers will finish the duology, realizing there is still so much more to explore, questions still unanswered. My next series hasn’t officially been announced yet, but it takes place in the same expanded universe as Voidwalker and Sunsplitter, with a brand new world and cast of characters. It’s the most ambitious book I’ve ever written, and I can’t wait to be able to say more!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I’m positively feral for the upcoming US release of Mirrorwoven by Bori Cser (messy bard MC, sapphic love triangle with two princesses). I also can’t wait for Alexandra Kennington’s next book, Drown the Bones (a sassy ghost love interest, hello??)

One of my favorite releases this year has been The Library of Amorlin by Kalyn Josephson (magical beasts, con artist FMC, grumpy immortal librarian MC). Strange Familiars by Keshe Chow was also phenomenal (magical veterinarian school with rivals-to-lovers romance!).

Will you be picking up Sunsplitter? Tell us in the comments below!

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Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Witchward Bound by Erin Bow, which releases on September 1st 2026.

Illustration by Kelly Murphy. Courtesy of Disney Hyperion

SYNOPSIS
Once upon a time there was a pair of witch’s helpers: a cat named Butter and a raven named Owl. The cat knows he is destined to be a great hero—just ask him. The raven wouldn’t recognize destiny if she flew into it beak-first. They do not get along.

But then their witch vanishes, and Butter and Owl must quest to find her. To reunite their family, they’ll have to outwit sirens and cyclops, gods and ghosts—and hardest of all, they’ll have to learn to work together. 

Humorous and heartfelt, the story of Butter and Owl’s first adventure shows what it means to be a great hero—and what it takes to be a good friend. With enchanting illustrations by New York Times best-seller Kelly Murphy and sparkling words written by beloved, Newbery Honor–winning author Erin Bow, this tale is a classic in the making—a whimsical, witty, and warm story worthy of reading again and again.

EXCERPT

“Oh, Owl,” moaned Butter.

“Yes, Butter?” said Owl.

“Oh, Owl. Owl.”

“That’s me,” said Owl.

The cat and the raven with the confusing name were back aboard the good ship Bright Idea. The sea was smooth but it wasn’t smooth sailing. This was the first time that the two familiars had tried to sail without the help of the heron-god’s perfectly pointed wind. They were not very good at it.

With zigs and zags and tacks and turns they floundered along. Sometimes the sail fell limp. Sometimes the boom swung around when they didn’t mean it to. But still, they were more or less following the bright ring of the magic bell that pointed the way to their missing witch. Sometimes they saw an island far off, like a purple smudge in the clear sky.

Owl was happy.

Butter was not.  Being nearly turned into a pig by a sorceress with magic fruit will do that to a cat. 

“Oh, Owl,” he said. “Owl, I am such a fool.”

“Only about some things,” said Owl. This maybe doesn’t sound like a kind thing to say, but Owl meant it kindly. Anyway, it was and is true, not just about Butter, but about everyone in the world.

Butter groaned. “Just think,” he said. “Just THINK, I was led astray by fruit!”

“You didn’t go astray,” said Owl. “You mostly stayed put.”

“But to think that I could be tempted, Owl . . . just think . . .”

“Or,” said Owl. “Just don’t think? For a bit?”

The wind shifted and the sail swung.

“Coming about!” Owl shouted, riding upside down from the boom. This was her favorite part of sailing and she was getting a lot of chances to do it. The wind was bending, and the currents were pushing them about.

“Owl,” said Butter. “What are we going to do?”

“We’ll follow the bell, Butter. We’ll find our witch.”

“They were pigs, Owl. PIGS.”

“But I saved you, Butter,” said Owl. “I am a canny bird!”

Butter said nothing.

“Eat a sea slug,” said Owl. “You’ll feel better.”

“I’m not hungry,” muttered Butter.

“That’s probably because of all the fruit,” said Owl, flapping up to perch on the top of the mast.

Butter groaned and covered his head with his paws. “This is dire, Owl,” he said. “DIRE.” “Dire” was another word Butter liked. It just means “bad,” but it has a lot more gravitas.

“Cheer up, Butter,” Owl called. “Look, we’re almost there.”

Butter uncovered his face and looked where Owl’s thrusting black beak pointed.

Ahead of them was another of the purple smudges: an island. Or perhaps two islands: they were one lumpy humpy shape but there was a finger of light right down the middle. It looked as if someone had cut into the land like a loaf of bread, and had stolen the middle slice.

“That’s not the witch’s island,” said Butter. “We haven’t come nearly far enough.”

“Okay,” said Owl. “So maybe we are not almost there. But we are almost somewhere. And that’s good!”

“But what if those are bad islands, Owl?” asked Butter. “What if they are like the Isle of Ease?”

“See, that’s the problem right there,” said a new voice.

Butter’s back arched and his ears flattened, and he struck the pose generally known as Noble Cat, Fooled Once, Now Wiser and On His Guard. He saw nothing. It was Owl who spotted the big silver-shiny otter, swimming alongside the boat. She swooped down to the gunnel. The otter rolled onto its back and grinned up at her as it swished along.

“The clue’s in the isle part,” said the otter. “ ‘Island’ is a perfectly good word, and ‘isle’ means the exact same thing. So it’s of no use, except when some storyteller gets ahold of it and twists it sideways and turns it upside down. If you ever land at a spot called the Isle of Nice Things, you should get back in that boat and go.”

“We did,” said Owl.

Cautiously, Butter stretched his neck out and he peered over the edge of the boat. “Who are you?” he growled.  His ears were pinned back.

“Quicksilver,” said the otter. “God of storytelling.”

“Hi,” said Owl. “This is Butter and I am Owl and we’re on a heroic quest.”

“I heard. I’m also an all-purpose messenger for wandering heroes.” With a leap and a twist, Quicksilver poured himself aboard. He was a big otter, fat and sleek. His grin was like a flash on a wave.

“So these islands,” said the otter, flicking his broad tail at the pair of islands with the slice of light between them.

“Are they isles?” Butter gulped.

“No, no, no,” said Quicksilver. “Not exactly.”

“Not exactly?” said Butter. He looked up to where the twin islands were starting to loom in front of the Bright Idea.

“The trouble’s not with the islands,” said Quicksilver. “The trouble’s with the strait.”

“What strait—the straight what?” asked Butter.

“The strait straight ahead,” said Quicksilver.

Butter had been a land cat up until this adventure, and privately he was looking forward to being a land cat again. He was confused.

“Where the water goes between two islands, it’s called a strait. Straits can be dangerous. This one is. Something lives there.”

“A dire strait,” moaned Butter.

“What?” asked Owl. “What lives there?”

“Sirens,” said Quicksilver. “They are a kind of bird. Or a kind of fish. A birdy kind of fish. A fishy kind of bird. Something like that. They have a sweet song.”

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