About The Sleeper: In this gripping alternate reality thriller by international bestselling author Holly Seddon, one woman must navigate a life that was never meant to be hers in order to uncover unsettling truths about her past and the man she loves—from the author of the “unreal and unforgettable” (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author) of 59 Minutes. Releases November 17th 2026.

I don’t normally write about superheroes, swashbucklers or spies. My protagonists are ordinary people who find themselves facing extraordinary situations. A teacher who finds her name on a hit list. London commuters and lovers on a romantic break who are caught in the cross-hairs of a nuclear strike…

In my reality slip novel, The Sleeper, protagonist Maya is an ordinary woman who wakes up to find she has slipped from one track of reality to another. She arrives on the other side of a ‘Sliding Doors’ moment where the Berlin Wall never fell, geopolitics veered onto a different course and by 2026, Britain is a Soviet satellite state.

Maya is a librarian, and in our world her biggest battle is against constant job insecurity due to funding cuts. In the new world, she seeks sanctuary in the safest place can imagine – the library. There, she finds the librarians of the new world waging a very different battle – resistance against authoritarianism.

But is that so different? Really?

During World War II, a group of American librarians – alongside archivists and scholars – travelled abroad to gather intelligence from Nazi technical manuals, land surveys and other publication, following just behind the advancing armies and seizing works from bookstores and schools. According to cultural historian Kathy Peiss, and her non-fiction work Information Hunters, these brave people moved through neutral cities combing for enemy texts and shipping the intelligence they found back to the US on microfilm.

When the war stopped, they didn’t. They unearthed looted collections of books hidden in cellars and caves enabling them to document and preserve the works. In a salt mine in central Germany, for example, they found over two million books including some of the contents of the former Prussian State Library.

Caves and mines have a place in The Sleeper too, with resistance groups using an old network of chalk mines in Kent, England to hide themselves and their operations. These are real chalk mines, which I was lucky enough to visit during the writing, and that sheltered thousands of people during air raid bombing in World War II.

In Dunhuang on the edge of the Gobi Desert in China, a network of much older caves was sealed for almost 1,000 years. In 1900, the unofficial guardian of the ‘Thousand Buddha Grottoes’, a Taoist monk, discovered a hidden door leading to a chamber of manuscripts dating back from the 4^th to 11^th century. It’s impossible to know for sure what led to them being sealed in and guarded…

That’s not the case for ‘The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu’ and their cache of hidden works. In the 2016 book of the same name, journalist Joshua Hammer tells the story of a brazen heist pulled off by a band of librarians desperate to save 350,000 precious, ancient Arabic texts from Al Qaeda.

There are so many more examples from history of librarians taking great risks to save books and protect the freedom of expression contained within them. But what about the present day?

The American Library Association has tracked censorship across the USA since 1990, compiling data from library professionals and news stories. They used to receive 3-400 reports aka attempts to have a book banned each year. Last year alone, 4,235 unique titles were challenged, the second highest ever documented by ALA.

Of the books challenged, 39% “represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color”. This is not happening organically, or in a vacuum. In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials and decision makers. Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents. But this targeted pressure is gaining ground, 66% of the book titles challenged last year were then banned from libraries. Another 920 books were censored via restricted access such as relocation or requiring parental permission. [Data from ALA.org: https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data]

And librarians are increasingly under personal attack.

“We’re seeing librarians and library workers coming under attack for providing for the information needs of their communities in a way that serves the information needs of marginalized communities, being attacked for having books on the shelves that reflect the lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ persons, people of color, Black Americans, Indigenous persons,” Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom told Ed. Magazine. “We’ve even had a number of communities where organizations have demanded that librarians be charged with obscenity or other crimes for having books on the shelves on themes of sex education or sexuality or that address LGBTQ+ themes.”

Seventy years ago, the Freedom to Read Statement was authored by the American Library Association and Association of American Publishers and begins with this statement, as true today as it was then: The freedom to read is essential to our democracy. It is continuously under attack. 

The librarians in The Sleeper have to fight back from the underground, in secret, and anyone who agrees with them cannot say so openly. This is not the case for us. We can openly support the librarians of our world. We can join the Unite Against Book Bans Campaign, we can encourage our children to read widely and critically. We can resist organised attempts to control what our children have access to, and how and if they see themselves reflected in the books within their school libraries. And we can use and support our public libraries. The I Love Libraries campaign offers suggestions for getting involved and showing support, including nominating individuals for an I Love My Librarian Award.

My own little efforts? Maya arrives in the alarming new world with a suitcase and a tote bag. The tote bag reads: “I love libraries”.

The post Librarians: Heroes of Resistance in Fiction and Real Life appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

Hi! I’m a thriller writer currently based in York, England. My debut, Peter Miles Has to Die, came out last year and my second novel just released! I was born in the USA but grew up in Mexico and, except for a brief stint in the States while attending the University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘em horns!), have spent the majority of my life outside my birth country. When I’m not writing, I love to travel, learn new languages, embark on long-distance cycle rides, and hang out with my husband and three literary cats, Poe, Hugo, and Hemingway.

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

I can’t remember a time where I wasn’t reading or writing. One of my earliest memories is standing by the bookshelf while reading a book—my logic was that as soon as I finished, I’d have another within arm’s reach, ha. I also started a zine with my siblings at one point (subscriber list two: our parents) and wrote little ‘books’ that I’d gift to people. But I never really saw myself as a writer until much later. Writers were a super exclusive and special group who created amazing worlds I could get immersed in, not regular people like me!

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
• The one that made you want to become an author: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Most recently, East of Eden by John Steinbeck

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

Remember, always trust your gut!

What can readers expect?

Chaotic and unreliable characters, a true crime angle, unhealthy obsessions, and twists that will surprise you. I created a fictional true-crime podcast, Cuppa Crime, for the book and readers can expect some fun interjections from its hosts, Gail and Gary. And, of course, there are a few cats in there too!

Where did the inspiration for The Terrarium come from?

I actually worked as a cat sitter for a while in London! It was an amazing job and I loved spending my time with cats. The first spark of inspiration for The Terrarium came from one of my clients. Even though I worked for her for a few years, this client allowed me access to her flat (and cat) without ever showing any desire to meet me. As you can imagine, my writer brain went into overdrive with theories about who my mysterious client could be and what she did for a living. That became the core idea for The Terrarium, though obviously the crazier things in my book didn’t happen in real life (and I was always completely professional in my cat sitting gigs, unlike my main character, Annie!).

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

I really enjoyed exploring how far I could take Annie’s obsessions. As someone who is very much a rule follower, stepping into the mindset of a character with no boundaries and very ambiguous morals was so interesting to me. And I’ll always have a soft spot for Annie’s coffee shop bestie, Dom. He was so fun to write and a great palate cleanser when Annie’s antics get just a little too much.

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

Each book comes with its own unique set of challenges. For The Terrarium, my biggest challenge was dialing it back and figuring out where I wanted the focus to be. In early drafts, I had so much going on and it was quite chaotic (not in a good way). Luckily, I had the best editor and he helped me dig through the unnecessary stuff to find the real heart of the story.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on my third book and hopefully there’ll be more news about that in 2027! I’d love to be able to write novels for as long as possible.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

Like every other bookworm out there, I have a TBR that is truly out of control. A few I’m looking forward to are Saratoga Schaefer’s latest, A Thousand Monstrous Forms, Max Porter’s Burn and Rave, and Remy Fink’s debut Thespians (among so many others!).

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

The post Q&A: Katie Collom, Author of ‘The Terrarium’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

You will quickly discover that I am the biggest nerd. I’m into sci-fi, how-to books, and 3D printing. Chemistry fascinated me so much that I held a research lab assistant job between organic chemistry classes in college. My biggest badge of honor is the fact that I’ve played Dungeons & Dragons for the past decade. Obviously, I’m bookish (my husband is too), and we’ve gotten to pass on our love for reading, storytelling, and nerdiness to our three kids. On any random weekend, you can find my family building LEGO castles, playing board games, stumbling through escape rooms, or re-watching Marvel movies. But I will admit, my favorite place to be is home, in bed, with a candle and a cup of tea.

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

I cannot remember a time I did not love it. My mom read to me every day. I remember being five, sitting on my bed, and my mom re-reading my favorite book to me for the 100^th time (it was Green Eggs and Ham). As soon as I was able to string a sentence together, I kept a journal and dedicated myself to writing in it every day, a practice I’ve more or less kept up my whole life. I wrote poems, journaled to process the latest drama in third grade or why I didn’t want to go to prom, and poured my grief over life’s curveballs onto the page because it was the only way I knew how to deal with it.

I am grateful that my parents were readers and brought me to Borders and the library on a weekly basis, and my aunt was also a librarian. She sent me a book every year on my birthday and at Christmas from the day I was born. I have always been into fantasy, but growing up, I was also enraptured by books like Jurassic Park, Ender’s Game, and Never Let Me Go. Can my answer be that my love for writing and stories was in my blood?

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: This wasn’t the first book I ever read, but one of my strongest memories is reading Holes in fourth grade.
• The one that made you want to become an author: Ooh, that’s a hard one, because there wasn’t just one book. But I’ll go with the Legend series by Marie Lu.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I recently finished Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang and LOVED it.

Your debut novel, This Wretched Alchemy, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

She’s sent to kill him.

What can readers expect?

I used Gladiator and Fullmetal Alchemist as comp titles, but I need to be clear. This Wretched Alchemy is NOT a Gladiator retelling. There are no arena competitions. Think of the Gladiator comp as a vibe. We have a brutal world inspired by Ancient Rome and some Japanese mythology. There is a lot of blood.  Many early readers have said things like “you cannot read this book with your brain turned off,” which I think? Is a compliment? I do want readers to know the magic system is inspired by centuries of alchemy and transmutation lore, and involves a degree of science (but it’s all fictional, so chemists, don’t come at me). You can also expect high stakes and a nail-biting journey where you truly don’t know who to trust and who might betray you. Lastly, there is plenty of yearning and angst.

Where did the inspiration for This Wretched Alchemy come from?

I’ve always been drawn to alchemy, an old tradition spanning history and cultures, blending science and mysticism. Fun fact: the first recorded mentions of alchemy date to the fourth century (thank you, Zosimos of Panopolis). Alchemy is widely regarded as a precursor to chemistry. Because the theories and schools of thought are so widespread, I took every creative liberty with my iteration. Though the magic system and story were not inspired by Fullmetal Alchemist, it is my all-time favorite anime, and fans will definitely see little nods to it within the story.

A major inspiration came from my years playing Dungeons & Dragons. For those of you not in the nerd scene, D&D is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) where you create your own characters and embark on quests. The very first character I created was named Artemis Battlehammer. She was a labrys-wielding cleric, and often got her party into hot water because of her quick temper and overconfidence. Sound familiar? To be fair, Artemis was actually quite OP.

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

Aside from the main characters, I’d have to say the Heart Ender, also known as Dex. He initially wasn’t supposed to be a major side character, but as soon as I wrote him into his first scene, he was magnetic. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring him, building out his backstory, and figuring out why he’s so charming and what he might be hiding. He has since become a reader favorite and stole the show. Tied with Dex was Orphy, Revel’s sentient serpent tattoo. Orphy demanded the spotlight, and it was fun wondering what she might be thinking and doing in every scene.

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

Many of them. I started the book completely pantsing it, so it took a bit to get it off the ground. It was more of an experiment with no outline and no “big shiny idea.” After struggling through a few scenes, I realized I needed to flesh out the plot, world, and characters more. It might sound strange, but the way I overcame every moment of writer’s block was to put words down anyway. I challenged myself to write every day no matter what, even if it was 300 words at 11 p.m., even when I was tired, or in the middle of a crisis (which describes much of the year I wrote this book). I honestly believe I finished my debut because of how competitive I am with myself.

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

Four years ago, I quit my job of 11 years that had really burned me out. I was convinced I had no other marketable skills and would have to endure a job for a paycheck. From a young age, I’d dreamed of one day writing a book, as many do, I imagine. When I quit that job, with no plan B and a family that relied on my paycheck, I knew I had to make something happen. I launched a book marketing business, ran it for four years, and its success enabled me to start writing this book. I didn’t know if I’d ever share it with others. When I was nearing the finish line of my first draft, I thought about indie publishing it. I never imagined I would get an agent (my dream agent at that). I was in over my head preparing to go on submission, facing rejections, and feeling anxious over whether my story would find a home in trad publishing. I couldn’t believe it when the UK pre-empt from Harper Voyager came, followed shortly by the US auction, where we landed with Saturday Books. It is still difficult to wrap my mind around it all.

What’s next for you?

I recently turned in the sequel to This Wretched Alchemy last night, which will conclude the duology. I know the first book has just released, but I am already giddy for readers to find out how the story ends. I have also finished another book I can’t share about yet, so stay tuned.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

Ooh, there are many 2027 books I’m looking forward to. Chromeblood by Emily Varga, Bodice Ripper by Danica Nava, When Rage Broke Heart by Nisha Tuli, and Python by H.M. Wolfe.

Will you be picking up This Wretched Alchemy? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Tina Mars, Author of ‘This Wretched Alchemy’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Stephanie! Welcome back! What have you been up to since we last spoke for the release of The Hitchcock Hotel?

Thanks for having me back! I’ve been hard at work on a few novels and screenplays, particularly my fourth book, Revenge Plot. Oh, and I moved cross country from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.

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

Unhinged writer seeks literary agent

What can readers expect?

A peek inside the publishing industry, a good old-fashioned kidnapping, and a cat-and-mouse game set over a sumptuous Christmas dinner.

Where did the inspiration for Revenge Plot come from?

It was a mashup of two things, really. I was first thinking about dinner guests who don’t read the signs that the party is over and it’s time to go. Naturally, my brain then went somewhere darker. What about someone who refuses to leave someone else’s home?

I had also been wanting to write about the publishing industry, and I thought maybe I could blend these two elements. By now, we’ve read plenty of stories about writers stealing other writers’ ideas. We’re more familiar with the relationship between writers and their editors. But I had never read a thriller about writers and literary agents. Once those two roles slotted into the story, the novel took off. Revenge Plot is like Stephen King’s Misery, but instead of a writer and a crazy fan, it’s a literary agent and a crazy writer.

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

Neve, the full-time novelist, was my favorite character to explore. There’s more of me in Neve than any character I’ve written. Normally I favor my unhinged characters because they’re so much fun to write, but I have a real soft spot for Neve. She gave me the opportunity to write about the vulnerabilities of being published and working in this industry. I enjoyed trying to explain the process of how I write a book, from that first light bulb moment to the finished story.

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

I wanted to tighten the timeframe on this story. With my previous book, The Hitchcock Hotel, the entire book takes place over one weekend. With Revenge Plot, I wanted to go even tighter: one Christmas dinner. I was worried about having enough action to sustain the novel and pacing. In the end, I cheated by making the middle third a book within a book that takes the reader to an entirely different cast of characters and much longer timeline—but that’s just what the story called for!

How did you balance the psychological suspense throughout the novel?

One of my other chief concerns was how the reader would react to the middle of the book. The first part of the book is a classic suspense pressure cooker, where we have two characters facing off. Then we leave those characters behind for 150 pages to go through this “book within a book” story, which is aspiring writer Arnie’s manuscript. Of course this manuscript ties into the larger story in a big way, but I worried readers would be irritated by the change of pace. My hope is that Arnie’s manuscript provides enough answers to the mysteries laid out in the first part of the book that you don’t mind letting go of some of the more traditional suspense elements for a while.

This is your fourth published novel! What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned since your debut?

Hoo boy, I could write a whole book trying to answer that question. From a craft perspective, I’ve learned: the importance of causation, that readers don’t like ambiguous endings, how to juggle seven POVs in one book, that my antecedents are often unclear (thanks, copyeditors!), and on and on.

From a career perspective, I’ve gotten better at managing my expectations, asking questions, controlling only what I can control (which is to say: the quality of the book), building my writing community, and accepting that vulnerability and, sometimes, embarrassment, are part of the job.

What’s next for you?

For the past year I’ve been working on my first non-thriller! I can’t say too much yet, but it’s a dystopian novel set in post-apocalyptic California.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

I was lucky to beta read THE CHAPERONES by Amy Meyerson, which is an enthralling thriller, kind of like if Big Little Lies went camping on an island off the coast of California. That one comes out December 1. I’m also excited for THE THINGS YOU’LL NEVER KNOW by Ashley Audrain, out 1/12/27.

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

The post Q&A: Stephanie Wrobel, Author of ‘Revenge Plot’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

PLUS you can read an excerpt at the end of the interview!

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

Hi there! I’m Catherine. I live in St. Louis right now, but I’m always dreaming of living in France again! I love fairytales, pastries, and gardens, and I’m also the cat-mom of a very chatty former stray named Sir Bruno.

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

My older cousin was working on a novel when I was in middle school, and I naturally wanted to do the same. Conveniently, Twilight had come out around the same time, so I started out by writing vampire fanfiction… as do many authors, I suspect!

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Magic Treehouse books!
• The one that made you want to become an author: The Selection by Kiera Cass.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar.

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

Tender, sweet, earnest, magical, warm.

What can readers expect?

A magical world wrapped in an enchanted winter, a kind-hearted prince twisted by a cruel curse, and a frightened firewitch on a quest to find her family. And of course… yearning.

Where did the inspiration for Embers of Magic come from?

I was thinking back on my favorite childhood fairytales, and The Snow Queen had always been my favorite. I also was reflecting on my favorite tropes–hurt/comfort and “cuddling for warmth” being among them. And there was a dynamic in my YA debut, Flowerheart, that was cut, and I wanted to recycle it. In a very early draft, the love interest, Xavier, was cursed to never feel emotion. I wanted to explore a love story where the hero’s very heart was “punished” the deeper they fell in love.

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

I really loved Fiamma’s character. In each draft of the novel, I learned more and more about her. She is someone who has endured a great deal of pain, and I loved exploring how her vulnerability grew into a desire for justice and belonging.

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

I think writing Prince Joseph was the hardest part for me. He transforms a lot over the course of the book, and I needed to make Fiamma — and the audience! — fall for him and come to get a sense of what his true heart was like, despite his curse. And I had to do so in a fairly small time frame, within the novel!

What’s next for you?

My adult romantasy debut, The Scarlet King, releases from Podium Publishing in the summer of 2027! I’ve been a vampire nerd since middle school… so getting to publish a vampire story is a dream come true! Be advised, this story is dark and gothic–very different from my YA offerings!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

I’m so excited for Til Quest Do Us Part by Ivelisse Housman comes out in December 2026 (an adult romantasy-romcom that sounds so fun and swoony all at once), and I just adored When Death Came to Honeybloom by Madeleine Gunhart (an adult cozy fantasy that is magical, sweet, and so romantic). In YA, I cannot WAIT to read Bottle Blonde by Elle Grenier (I cannot resist any book that features Legally Blonde the Musical)!

EXCERPT

CHAPTER ONE

The flames in my dreams were always the first sign that it was time to leave.

Sometimes I tried to ignore them. I told myself that my mind was weak and tired and that my imagination was simply bringing up bad memories. For a few more days, I would live as though nothing was wrong.

Then I started to smell ash.

By then it was nearly too late. My fire was overdue, ready to burst out of me any day now when I was feeling my most fragile.

It was a beautiful early morning as I shoved all of my belongings into my pack. The soft pink of the sky and the warm air felt almost mocking in their happiness as I unpicked the stitches of my life once again.

I set a weathered map upon my table. I’d travel following the Specchio River. Once I was alone, I could let my fire fall flame by flame into the rushing waters, like my father had once taught me. After that . . . I would walk south until I found a new town.

Around my neck was the compass Papà had given me shortly after my fire had first begun to bloom from my hands. I swept my thumb over its metal backing and the strange words carved so delicately into the piece—

When summer turns to early frost,

Go to the Westerlies to find what is lost.

“The Airs made this just for you,” Papà had said. “It will keep you safe.”

Such a thing had made sense, back when fairy tales were true and no story ended in tragedy.

He had slipped the gold chain over my head, the evening sun shining in his warm brown eyes. “We are going on a long journey, Fiamma,” he told me as Mamma helped pack our things. He brushed tears from my cheeks and didn’t mind as I stomped my feet and whined about having to move away.

“You are going to lead us, all right?” Papà had asked, scooping me in a hug. “You and your compass shall guide us to the Westerly Mountains.”

But so much had changed since that day.

In the dim toolshed—my temporary home—I hauled my pack onto my back and set the key for the shed upon my small table. All of the mending and the darning and the embroidering I’d done for the farmer’s wife, I folded and left neatly on the bed.

There was a small creak as the window was knocked open by a gust of wind. The breeze pulled on my curls and then tossed aside one of the handkerchiefs I’d stitched, as if to get a rise out of me. With a huff, I turned to the window and snapped it shut.

“The Airs will always take care of you,” my mother had promised me.

I left my little shed behind and walked on through the rising dawn. The dirt road bent south, eventually following alongside the Specchio. Apple trees lined the path and offered me shade from the heat of midsummer.

A few people passed me by throughout the day: travelers on horseback, messengers, merchants. I kept my fists balled at my sides, my head down without greeting. I did not mind being alone. It was better this way. Safer this way.

The winds were rowdy that day, making the tall grasses alongside my path bend and roll like tides.

My father used to stand in grand gusts of wind and gladly welcome the spirits. Our windows were always kept open out of deference to the Airs, and he would simply laugh when they blew out our candles or knocked books off our shelves.

In folklore and rumors, they were spoken of as if they were tricksters or naughty children. And while that was true of their mischievousness, the Airs were far too powerful to be either. Their attention was rarely a blessing. Gossipers would see me drift into town, a wandering orphan girl with the wind constantly tugging at my hair, and they’d whisper in grave tones, “The Airs must have plans for her.”

I left the dirt road and marched through the tall grass in the direction of the river. Far away, it gleamed like a long, straight mirror, just like its namesake.

There, I knelt upon the damp grass along the riverbank. Scooping handfuls of its clear water, I drank my fill and then patted down my neck and cheeks after a day beneath the glaring sun. I glanced behind me to make certain my bag was a safe distance away and that no one was watching. The world was quiet but for the murmuring of the river and the rush of wind through the trees.

I uncurled my fingers. Sparks fizzled beneath my palms, making my hands shake. I could almost hear my father’s voice saying, “Let’s go to your river, Fiammetta.” My throat felt thick; the smell of smoke grew stronger, and my eyes stung, though there was nothing, no fire but the blaze in my mind.

One by one, small flames fell from my fingers like raindrops and fizzled as they were swallowed by the water.

I glared at the fire falling from my hands. The fire grew, crackling, and I shook it off of me as if it were mud. More flames came, more and more. I scrubbed at the fire, sweeping it roughly off my hands. It never burned me or my clothes, as if the fire and I were part of each other. I hated that thought the most.

When the worst of it was over, I swept away the embers and fell back onto the grass, feeling so very hollow.

This violent power inside of me was gone for now. I wished I knew how long the reprieve would last.

The oak tree above me cast dappled shadows upon me. Soft breezes made the branches whisper together.

It had been ten years since that last, worst day. Since I had begged the Airs for help.

They had not answered.

So for ten years, I had not spoken to them, either.

The branches swayed peacefully above me, seeming perfectly, teasingly normal.

I shut my eyes. My sleepless nights and the weight of my pack and the heat of the day made me sink into the grass. Just a moment, and then I would continue on.

A fleck of something cold fell upon my brow. I blinked and sat up, touching my forehead—just a drop of water—before I looked heavenward.

From the leafy green boughs of the oak tree, three small white petals drifted down. But no—when they landed on the brown linen of my skirts, I could see them for what they were. Three perfect, crystalline snowflakes.

I gaped. They melted slowly, but they were there, and very real, days before the kingdom would celebrate midsummer.

I leapt to my feet. Leaving my bag beneath the tree, I walked a few paces back toward the road and scanned my surroundings. Perhaps some ice-cursed creature lingered close by, or a Frostwitch. Such a thing would be strange indeed; most witches had left for the Westerlies a decade ago. But there was nothing around but the occasional tree and waves of tall, unkempt grass.

The sky above was slowly filling with clouds, its color fading from vivid blue to pale gray. The burning of sunlight on the back of my neck was replaced by a chill.

Another snowflake landed upon my cheek. A cold breeze slithered through the grass, sounding almost like . . . soft, hissing laughter. The Airs. They didn’t manipulate ice and fire and the earth the way that witches did. They couldn’t have been responsible for these bits of snow in the middle of the summer. But—

I hastily flipped over the compass lying against my heart. Even after all this time, and after all the years tracing the inscription with my thumb over and over, the words were still legible:

When summer turns to early frost . . .

For just a blink, I was back in my family’s cottage, with Mamma baking the apple crisp I loved, and Papà showing me how to follow the needle of the compass.

What if it was true, what my parents had said? That this compass was not purchased from some merchant by a father trying to calm his daughter . . . but some divinely made gift. Like in my father’s stories, where the Airs gifted rings and talismans and even crowns to those they favored.

How else could this be? A message, written ten years ago, finally coming true. Perhaps it wasn’t meant for my family, but for myself, here and now.

“Go to the Westerlies to find what is lost,” I whispered.

I held tight to the thought, as beautiful and impossibly distant as a star:

They could be alive. They could be waiting for me in the Westerlies.

As a child, I was certain that someday my parents would come find me again. When they never did, I first believed that they had abandoned me. I was a wicked child—why would they have wanted me, anyhow?

The alternative was worse. That my actions on that day had taken them from me completely.

But perhaps . . .

Perhaps it was neither. Perhaps they looked for me for years, as I had looked for them. We had planned to go to the Westerlies, to make a new home for ourselves there. The perfect meeting place.

My mind was racing. The Westerlies were far south. The journey would be costly and dangerous. First, one had to pass through the woods that stood like a barricade in front of the Westerlies. The Hexenwald Forest was difficult to traverse—filled with monsters created by the witches who inhabited the Westerly Mountains. And then the mountains themselves . . . crossing deadly peaks of ice and snow would be no easy task.

But I was far from the first person to have made the journey. Many witches—most witches, by this point—had journeyed to the mountains years ago. Back then, to thank them for their service in his revolution against the Corevero family, King Vier had decreed that the Westerlies now belonged to witchkind. He was a good king, said to answer the wishes of any citizen who knelt at his throne. Any witch who asked would receive aid and transportation to the Westerlies at the king’s behest. I had only to go to the castle.

I could see my family again.

It could be a foolish hope. A chance as small as a grain of sand. As fantastical as one of my father’s fairy tales, I thought with a fond smile.

I gathered my things and cradled my compass in my palm.

As if my parents could hear my words, I whispered to it, “Guide me home.”

Will you be picking up Embers of Magic? Tell us in the comments below!

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

Hello! I’m a writer based on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand. I’ve got two kids with hectic schedules and a fondness for dogs. My little bestie is a Jack Russell x Miniature Schnauzer x Foxy called Sprocket, and we have a gorgeous rehomed guide dog caller Tyler who we adopted after puppy raising him. We often have guide dog pups in our house but are taking a break right now so Ty gets a bit of time to settle in.

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

I honestly don’t remember a timed when I didn’t love stories. I’ve always lost myself in books and had read everything in the childrens section by the time I was ten. I wrote my first book at the age of 5, got a typewriter for my 9^th birthday, and have written on and off all my life. I started taking it seriously in 2019 when I was home with the kids and finally finished a full length manuscript the same year.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Matilda by Roald Dahl
• The one that made you want to become an author: Sabriel by Garth Nix
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Tonight, I Blaze is the third and final installment in your Witches of Halstett trilogy and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Queer. Dark. Twisty. Epic. Fiery!

For those who haven’t picked up the series yet, what can they expect?

Deathwalking witches, bisexual pining, a queer normative world, non-conventional romance, a hot male love interest, and a deliciously ethereal female love interest. Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven who walk in death each night to protect the veil between life and Death. To cross into Death the witches burn at the stake, and their bodies reform in Life the next morning. There are two rules to Death: never look back and always walk alone. But on the eve of Penny’s first burning, her sister goes missing and fails to return, and when Penny breaks the rules to go after her, the consequences are far greater than she could ever imagine.

And for readers who have, what’s to come in Tonight, I Blaze?

Penny is forced to decide what truly matters most to her as she fights to protect the people she loves. There’s more Dante banter, more Tobias and his cinnamon roll vibes, more impossible choices, more of the Albright sisters, the truth behind the history of the world and the character’s backstories, and a whole pile of deceit.

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

Definitely the scenes where Penny is back in her villiage. She’s spent so long pining after her former home, that writing the reality of it and her realisations while she’s there was super satisfying. I’ve always adored writing Alice. She’s just so floaty on the surface and so strong underneath it, she’s a delight to spend time with on the page. Malin’s sarcasm is fun to play around with as well, and I love the way he bounces off Penny. I really enjoyed cracking his façade a bit and going deeper with him as he accepts some of his failings in book three.

And I always love writing the book sprites! (And Dante’s fun too!)

Did you face any challenges whilst writing with the final installment? How did you overcome them?

Trying to give each character appropriate page time to tie up their stories was tricky. There’s a big cast of supporting characters, and I fell in love with every single one of them as I wrote, even the Warden. I think most of them got the endings they deserved, not everyone though or that would have been no fun, and the epilogue paints a little picture of life after the events of TIB, too.

The biggest challenge was probably Penny being alone for stretches of Tonight, I Blaze. She’s depended on a lot of people throughout the trilogy, and I wanted her to have to lean on herself and what she’s learned for a while. Writing those scenes involved a lot of internal monologue, especially as she faced the truth of who she is, and it was tricky to balance that with the action to keep the story moving. It took a lot of editing to get it to a place where I was happy the words were doing their job on the page.

Looking back to the initial concept, did the direction of the trilogy change much over time as you worked on each book?

I tend to play join-the-dot with my plotting with each point set down on paper, but I don’t always know how the characters will get between the points until I start writing. None of the bigger picture stuff changed, a lot of that was laid down in book one and would have been really difficult and unsatisfying if I’d decided to mix it up, but the characters and their motivations definitely revealed themselves along the way. Some of them surprised me!

What’s next for you?

I’ve got a short story coming in a Stars and Sabers anthology, and I just finished up a draft of something twisty and bloody which I’m almost ready to send to my agent…so watch this space!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

So many! Someone Else’s Daughter is near the top of my list. I love Andrea Stewart’s other series, especially The Drowning Empire, and can’t wait to see what she does in the Psychological Suspense space. Julie Leong’s The Isle of Lonely Monsters is releasing in January. I’ve been hanging out for her next book since I read The Keeper of Magical Things. Rosalie M. Lin has Dark Lotus Blooming coming in August. If you’re a scifi fan, Yume Kitasei’s scifi, Envoy, is hitting stores in 2027 and Megan Chee’s debut science fantasy The Archaeology of Falling Worlds is coming early in the year too.

And I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an ARC of Teri Dederer’s debut, Feast of Hearts, which releases in April 2027, and it’s the most gorgeous book I’ve read in a while!

Will you be picking up Tonight, I Blaze? Tell us in the comments below!

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Hi, Laura! Welcome back! What have you been up to since we last spoke in 2022 for the release of Midnight Dunes?

I’ve been busy writing! Since we last talked, I’ve written six more thrillers, including four stand-alone books and two in the Texas Murder Files series. It’s been a lot of fun.

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

Family reunion ends in murder.

What can readers expect?

It’s part thriller, part family drama, part locked-room mystery. I pitched the story to my editor as Knives Out set on a Texas ranch.

Where did the inspiration for Thunderbird Ranch come from?

It all started with Faye McCann, a fifth-generation rancher who is trying to keep her business alive. I had her personality in my head when I sat down to write and I could picture her so vividly. Faye has big opinions – people call her a boss mare –and she’s at the center of this messy, volatile family. She brings everyone together for a family reunion that goes sideways when someone turns up murdered.

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

I loved writing Ridley, who is impulsive and unpredictable and never does what people want her to do. Also, I enjoyed writing Kate Graham, the detective who shows up to the ranch to investigate and quickly figures out that everyone is lying to her. She has to untangle all the stories and motives and figure out what really happened.

Can you share some insight into your plotting process for Thunderbird Ranch?

I started with the characters and built the story around them. It was fun to open the story through the eyes of Lilian, who comes to the ranch to meet her boyfriend’s family for the first time. You feel her nerves as she meets everyone, and you see this family from an outsider’s perspective. And just when she is easing in, everything goes to hell.

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

One challenge was using a dual timeline, going back and forth between what happens right before the murder and what happens after. I chose to use a non-linear narrative because I wanted to keep some secrets until the very end of the story.

What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned when it comes to writing and publishing since the release of your debut?

Writing is a marathon, not a sprint! You have to hang in there and keep digging deep for the next story that you want to tell and figure out how to tell it in the most compelling way. Even after 30 books, it doesn’t get easier, but that’s what I love about it!

What’s next for you?

I’m writing a wilderness thriller set in Colorado. It’s been such an adventure!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

I’m loving Karin Slaughter’s new North Falls series, and I look forward to reading book #3.

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

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

Hi! I’m Monica Arya, a bestselling author of dark psychological thrillers. I’m married with two kids, ages six and nine, and we call Charlotte, North Carolina, home.

When I’m not writing, you can usually find me spending time with my family, enjoying the outdoors, exploring to new places, or finding any excuse to wear a pretty dress. I absolutely love fashion, traveling and dancing. I will never say no to spicy food, dark chocolate or a sparkling flavored water.

One of my favorite ironies about being a thriller author is the contrast between what I write and who I am in everyday life. I have an entirely pink home office, where I sit in sundresses surrounded by pretty things while dreaming up some of the darkest, most disturbing stories imaginable.

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

I was just five years old when I first discovered my love for writing and storytelling. Even at that age, I had such a vivid imagination and loved creating characters, dreaming up different worlds, and bringing stories to life. There was something so magical about being able to escape into a world entirely of my own making.

Funny enough, I even have a few of my former teachers in my Facebook reader group, Monica Arya’s Misfits, who still remember my love for writing and, of course, my dresses. Apparently, some things never change. I think that’s one of the sweetest parts of this journey, having people who knew me as a little girl now cheering me on as an author.

I often think about how proud that five-year-old girl would be to know that the stories she loved dreaming up would one day become actual books sitting on shelves around the world. It’s such a full-circle moment, and one I’ll never take for granted.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Henry and Mudge and Junie B. Jones books.
• The one that made you want to become an author: I knew I wanted to be an author when I was around five years old. But I’ve long admired authors like Karin Slaughter and Gillian Flynn, and it was through reading Slaughter’s Pretty Girls and Flynn’s Sharp Objects that I truly discovered my fascination with darker, more disturbing stories. In a way, I found it almost comforting to realize that there was room in the thriller genre to explore those darker, more unsettling corners of human nature without holding back. Their stories showed me that it was okay to push boundaries, embrace the uncomfortable, and write the kinds of dark, twisted stories I had always been drawn to.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Your latest novel, The Favorite Girl, is out November 10th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Dark. Disturbing. Twisted. Unsettling. Unforgettable.

What can readers expect?

Readers can expect a dark, disturbing, and deeply twisted psychological thriller. One of my biggest hopes as a woman of color writing in the thriller genre is that readers embrace a female main character of color and the entire troubling world, I’ve built around her. Representation has always been incredibly important to me, and I hope my stories contribute to bringing more diversity to the thriller genre. I want readers to escape into a uniquely twisted world, become completely immersed in it, and find themselves shocked by just how far the darkness goes. I want them to turn the final page and think, What on earth did I just read? In the best possible way, of course.

Where did the inspiration for The Favorite Girl come from?

Growing up in the South as a minority female wasn’t always easy, and I think a part of me felt deeply connected to Demi because we both shared this desire to fit in, to belong, and to be accepted. When you grow up feeling different from those around you, there’s often this unspoken longing to be chosen, to be seen, and to feel like you have a place in the world.

I wanted to take those very real, personal emotions and weave them into something much darker with a twisted house of horrors unlike anything I had encountered in the thriller genre. As a reader, I had always craved something unique, disturbing, and completely unpredictable, and I wanted to create that experience for others.

I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about just how pitch-black I was willing to take The Favorite Girl. I wasn’t sure how readers would respond to such a dark and unsettling world, especially one centered around a female protagonist of color. But the response was beyond anything I could have imagined. Readers embraced Demi and her story, and their enthusiasm is ultimately what transformed The Favorite Girl from a standalone novel into a three-book series. That will always mean so much to me.

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

I would have to say Demi and the entire world of The Favorite Girl, because of how much of a risk it felt like to write it. Creating Demi as a resilient, strong female main character of color in such a disturbing world was incredibly meaningful to me. I wanted her to be complex, flawed, vulnerable, and yet extraordinarily strong in ways she might not even recognize herself.

There was something incredibly rewarding about taking Demi through unimaginable darkness while allowing her strength and resilience to shine through.

Writing The Favorite Girl pushed me outside my comfort zone as an author, and I think that’s part of why it holds such a special place in my heart. Demi became so much more than a character to me. She represents the strength it takes to survive no matter what the situation is.

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

Absolutely! I think it’s often easier to conform to what we’re told will sell in the publishing industry rather than take a chance on the stories we know in our hearts we want to tell. For me, writing The Favorite Girl felt like a tremendous creative risk. I was nervous about creating a female main character of color whose experiences and struggles might not be immediately relatable to most readers. But I also believed that readers don’t necessarily need to share a character’s background or experiences to connect with their humanity, resilience, and desire to belong.

I wanted to write the kind of thriller I had always craved as a reader while creating a strong, complex female protagonist who didn’t necessarily fit the traditional mold. I didn’t want to compromise Demi’s identity or soften the darkness of her world simply to make the story more commercially appealing.

Ultimately, I decided to trust my instincts and write the book that was in my heart. Seeing readers embrace Demi and The Favorite Girl has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. It reminded me that sometimes the stories we’re most afraid to tell are the very ones that deserve to be told. With that being said, I went through an emotional roller coaster of doubt and fear but ultimately found the courage to overcome it by taking a chance not only on Demi’s voice, but on my own as well.

What’s next for you?

Following the release of The Favorite Girl, my standalone psychological thriller, Let Me Show You, will hit shelves in April 2027. Then, The Caged Girl, the second book in The Favorite Girl series, will get its paperback release in July, followed by The Favorite Daughter, the third and final book in the series, in October 2027.

After that, I’m hoping my next dark psychological thriller, gets a 2028 birthday. It’s probably the closest I’ve come to recreating the same pitch-black darkness and unsettling atmosphere of The Favorite Girl series, but with an entirely new story and cast of characters.

There’s so much ahead, and I truly cannot wait to share it all with my incredible readers. They’re the reason I get to keep creating these twisted little worlds, and I’m beyond excited to celebrate every book release with them!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

I have Harlan Coben’s memoir, Plot Twist, that I cannot wait to dive into! While thrillers will always have my heart, it’s been a long time since I’ve picked up a memoir, so I’m especially excited for this one. Now I just need to find a little free time between chasing my kids around, editing, and writing new books.

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

The post Q&A: Monica Arya, Author of ‘The Favorite Girl’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Fiona! Welcome back! What have you been up to since we last spoke for the release of When We Were Silent?

Thank you for having me back! When We Were Silent was a whirlwind and I was lucky enough to get to travel around Europe and the US to events and literary festivals. Since then I’ve been working on my second novel, The Party in the Woods.

Your latest novel, The Party in the Woods, is out November 10^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Murder, music, betrayal, illegal raves

What can readers expect?

Annie Fagan is a teacher and mother who finds herself drawn back into a past life of electronic music and illegal raves when the body of her missing friend is found in the Dublin mountains. Seán Salinger was only twenty-two when he disappeared from a party in the woods that Annie and her friends had organised. Now they are at the centre of a murder investigation and they are all suspects.

Annie left that life behind when Seán disappeared in 2001. But as she starts to investigate his murder in 2023, she finds herself drawn back to the scene, to her love of music and the potential it still holds to bring people together. The Party in the Woods is a love letter to that magic, to the people and the relationships that make it happen and it’s a wake-up call to anyone who thinks they are too old to follow their dreams. It’s also a fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing until the end!

Where did the inspiration for The Party in the Woods come from?

In 2001, writing a novel was still a distant and unfocused dream for me. But writing about music was my day job, and I spent the rest of my time DJing and making music. I was also part of Creation, a legendary free party collective that put on illegal raves in the woods and on the beaches around Dublin. It was a way of life that we took for granted to a certain extent, certainly the fact that young people could live and work and make art in the city centre. Never in our worst nightmares did we envision a future where venture capitalists would take over our cities, drive us all out and close down our communal arts centres, one by one.

In The Party in the Woods, I wanted to look at Dublin’s electronic music history through this lens, from the scene that offered so much potential in the 1990s and early 2000s to the artists still trying to adapt and reclaim the city’s spaces to promote gigs and parties in 2023. And I wanted to look at the rave scene, which has always been a great leveller, bringing together people from all walks of life, and ask, what happens when the music stops and the lights come on? Where do loyalties lie when betrayals come to light?

A more continuous source of inspiration is the fact that for the last twelve years I have been part of Groovefest, an annual (legal this time!) music festival that takes place at Slane Castle in County Meath. It has the same ethos as Creation – a DIY, non-profit, collective approach to celebrating music and friendship. I know how much work goes into these things but also how powerful they can be.

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

I have a soft spot for Moe, the intellectual force behind the parties. Moe has faced every obstacle life could throw at him and still he pushes forward with hope and optimism. He is symbolic of the whole scene and probably embodies all my own hopes for it!

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

Second novels are infamous for the challenges they pose. I thought, I’ve done this once, surely it will be easier this time? Turns out it doesn’t work that way. The same but different. First time around I had the support and feedback of my writing group and I had no time limits, only the ones I imposed on myself. This time I had fairly tight deadlines I was also promoting When We Were Silent so there was a lot going on. I definitely needed to be more focused and more deliberate with my time. Having said that, I had two wonderful editors to keep me on the straight and narrow so in the end everything was a lot more streamlined.

What are some of the key lessons you learned from your debut that helped with the process of this new release?

The number one lesson that most debut authors learn is that the only thing you can control is the writing. That is your job. So don’t spend too much time fixating on reviews or sales figures, just get on with writing the next thing.

What’s next for you?

Book 3 is in progress, that’s all I can say for now!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

I’m really looking forward to Stations by Louise Kennedy and I have All Them Dogs by Djamel White and London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe lined up to read this month.

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

The post Q&A: Fiona McPhillips, Author of ‘The Party in the Woods’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Tao! Welcome back! We spoke earlier in the year, so how has 2026 been for you?

Overall, amazing! It’s such a treat to see the A Thousand Li books in bookstores everywhere as well as get so much support from readers everywhere. I can’t wait for readers to get a chance to go through the first full arc of the A Thousand Li series.

The First War is the third installment in your Thousand Li series and it’s out November 10th ! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Chinese warfare with magical cultivators

For those who haven’t picked up the series, what can readers expect?

The A Thousand Li series is about a farmer’s journey to immortality. Long Wu Ying is drawn into the prestigious Verdant Green Waters cultivation in an effort to improve mind, body and soul in an attempt to reach immortality. However, competition for resources and training is cutthroat and Wu Ying’s a farmer amongst nobles and scholars, leaving him at a severe disadvantage.

And for those who have, what’s to come in The First War?

Long Wu Ying, our titular protagonist has been drawn – reluctantly – into the war between the kingdoms of Shen and Wei. To protect his parents and his friends in his hometown, Wu Ying must undertake a dangerous retrieval mission of a storied cultivation technique behind enemy lines.

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

There’s a siege section in the the First War that I really enjoyed writing, mostly because of the amount of research I had to do into dynastic wars. While the majority of the information I read did not make it in, it did influence a number of the scenes and how it played out.

Of course, the fun part of writing fantasy with powerful cultivators is that you can then extend the logic of ‘magic’ to your work, revising how battles would be fought because of that.

How do you keep earlier characters and relationships relevant as the world expands and the stakes increase?

I like bringing earlier characters and relationships along, reintroducing them in the next book or two. The challenge, especially with a progression fantasy work where characters are growing stronger, is balancing growth of all the characters, or making those that aren’t able to keep up relevant. In that case, basing relationships on more than just usefulness to the characters but through emotional ties s important.

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

For the A Thousand Li series, one of the hardest aspects is balancing the philosophical side of Daoist beliefs alongside the needs of a stronger story structure where characters have to be proactive. It helps that Wu Ying is early in his journey here, so The First War is written around one of the lessons that I wanted him to learn.

Threading that lesson through the story, once I knew what it was, was trickier since I didn’t want it to be too obvious till the end.

Which part of the worldbuilding do you most enjoy exploring?

I’m a big history buff, so I love reading about different points of history, different aspects of it. Anything from food to clothing to jewelry and, yes, martial strategy and warfare. This is a bit of a challenge when you’re looking at China, of course, because of the vast dynastic history available; and so I have to be careful not to delve too deply. At the same time, it’s taking this history, assessing how it might change based off the ‘magic’ – cultivation and the presence of immortals and spirit beasts – and then applying it is a ton of fun.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on the final edits for The Blade that Remains that comes out with Ace Books in April next year. That’s my first pure traditional publishing work, and I’m really excited to see how people react to it.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up soon? Any you’ve got your eye on that are releasing in 2027?

For reading soon, All the Skills by Honour Rae is a fun card-slotting LitRPG series that I’m looking forward to reading very soon.

For 2027, the French Ambassador by Christian Cameron comes out in May next year, and that’s the sequel to the Ventian Heretic. Historical fiction, but with such a voicy, well research fencer and problem solver of a protagonist that it’s a breeze to read.

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

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