Friday Fricassee: Cover Reveal!

I'm beyond thrilled to share with you the cover of THE STOLEN KINGDOM, which releases on March 2, 2021.

I COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE HAPPIER WITH THIS COVER!

About THE STOLEN KINGDOM:

A secret bloodline. A stolen magic. A fight for the throne.

For a hundred years, the once-prosperous kingdom of Perin Faye has suffered under the rule of the greedy and power-hungry Thungrave kings. Maralyth Graylaern, a cacao farmer's daughter, has no idea her hidden magic power is proof of a secret bloodline and claim to the throne. Alac Thungrave, the king's second son, has always been uncomfortable with his position as the spare heir--and the dark, stolen magic that comes with ruling.

When Maralyth becomes embroiled in a plot to murder the royal family and seize the throne, a cat-and-mouse chase ensues in an adventure of dark magic, court intrigue, and forbidden love.

You guys! This book means more to me than I have time to express--we'll save that story for another day. THE STOLEN KINGDOM is available for preorder wherever books are sold.

Please be sure to add THE STOLEN KINGDOM to your Goodreads to-read list!

 

Thanks, as always, for all your support. I know the blog's been quiet since April, but things'll stir up again soon. We've got another Secret Agent Contest slated for August! More on that soon.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! (Also? Please know how much it means to me to hear from you. Leave a comment, drop me an email, give me a shout on Instagram or Twitter. Let me know what you're writing, what you're reading, how you're doing.)

Hugs!

April the Twenty-fourth

My 12-year-old bookworm

This Friday is my birthday. It's also the 7-month anniversary of the release of STORMRISE.

I suppose it's more usual to note a 6-month anniversary, but March passed by in a bit of a blur (as I'm sure it did for most of you). So here I am, a month late but no less grateful.

September 24 wasn't supposed to be my release date. Originally, STORMRISE was slated to drop on September 10, which was when I'd planned to have my big release party. To say that I was upset is an understatement; all I could think about was the party and all the people who said they'd be there and how many months in advance I'd booked the venue. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to have physical copies to sign for people.

Everything worked out just fine. Tor Teen made sure early copies were there, and they even crafted me a gorgeous poster, to make up for the fact that my release party was no longer my actual release day.

(The poster lives in my office, propped against the wall. I still haven't figured out a way to hang it up without damaging it.)

It's been an interesting seven months--I've swung from the heights of elation to the depths of disappointment and back again. I've watched STORMRISE wend its way into the storm of books-clamoring-for-attention, holding my breath and reminding myself not to read any review less than 3 stars. (Seriously, it's not worth it. Some people are going to hate your book no matter what, and there's no reason to go all imposter-syndrome every time someone rips into your writing.)

These are the sort of comments that have kept me afloat:

• Loved this book! It sucks you in and before you know it you've read the last page.

• It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. This is a fantastic story in a style reminiscent of Tamora Pierce, which is high praise!

• The best Mulan style story I have read.

• A fantasy retelling of Mulan WITH DRAGONS... need I say more? I loved this.

• Alanna meets Mulan. How can you lose?

• STORMRISE offers a lesson to young readers, especially in this age of hate crimes and violence, that you can make a difference, and you can make your voice heard, and even though you are not “the mainstream normal”, you are powerful, and valid. You matter. All you have to do is do the thing.

Thank you, reviewers. It might be that you don't realize how your words fuel confidence when it lags and creativity when it dwindles. You may not know how much it means to an author that her words moved you. It's a privilege to speak into people's hearts and imaginations, and it's a gift every time they let you know.

So, what have I learned in seven months?

I've learned that writing the next book after your debut is hard. And that writing the one after that is even harder.

I've learned that people may buy your book in October and not read it until March. And still love it.

I've learned that libraries are more wonderful than I'd even known.

I've learned that the fan art of eighth-graders feeds my soul.

I've learned that I absolutely love book signings.

I've learned that the release date of a debut novel comes and goes--a blip on the timeline of my life. And that I've got to continue looking ahead.

I've learned that it's really (really really) hard sometimes to feel like a tiny fish in a boundless sea.

I've learned that following my dream was absolutely the right thing to do.

Huge thanks to each of you who has purchase a copy of STORMRISE. For those of you who are audibook fans, I'd like to gush once more about the amazing Renee Chambliss's incredible narration and encourage you to borrow the audio edition of STORMRISE from your library or purchase a copy for your own collection.

LISTEN TO THIS EXCERPT!

What's next? THE STOLEN KINGDOM (which has shown up on Goodreads and Amazon over the past couple of days -- super early, but whatever!) has an official release date and a stunning cover, and I'll be sharing both of those when the time is right. (Or, yanno, when my publisher says, "You may share the cover now.")

Keep dreaming, writers! And more importantly, keep writing. Talent is nothing without practice, and a dream is nothing without work. 

Hugs and chocolate to all!

Secret Agent Winners!

And here are the winners:

#8 INTO THE MAZEWOOD
#34 SEAMUS OROURKE AND THE SUMMER OF SWAMP FOOT
#37 A VERY STRANGE ENCHANTED
#38 THE EVER AFTER AND OTHER BROKEN THINGS

THE PRIZE:

Ms. Hunter would like to see the first 50 pages of your manuscript! Winners, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT FACELESSWORDS@GMAIL.COM FOR SPECIFIC SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS.

Congratulations, winners! And a huge thank you to EVERYONE who participated.

Secret Agent Unveiled: Kristy Hunter

Heaps of thanks to our lovely and helpful Secret Agent, Kristy Hunter of The Knight Agency!

Kristy's bio:

As a graduate of Vanderbilt University and The Columbia Publishing Course, Kristy Hunter began her publishing career in New York City—first as an editorial intern at Bloomsbury Children’s Books and then as a book publicist at Grove/Atlantic and Random House Children’s Books. When she moved to the agenting side of the industry, she was closely mentored by Deidre Knight, president and founder of The Knight Agency, and her first co-agented project sold at auction soon after. As an associate agent, Kristy enjoys being able to bring a unique perspective to her clients thanks to her diverse publishing background. When she’s not curled up with a fantastic book or manuscript, she can be found kickboxing or hiking with her dog.

What Kristy is looking for:

Right now, I’m looking for that perfect escape read—something that pulls me in and doesn’t let go. This can be a fun-filled mystery, a deeply atmospheric story with hints of magic, an upbeat rom-com, a family saga with deep-rooted secrets—anything. Just transport me to that world (and make sure it’s middle grade, young adult or adult!).


Winners forthcoming!

Friday Fricassee

There's been enough banter about the current situation and how challenging/frustrating it is to be stuck at home trying to sort out fact from fiction and to adjust to our new (temporary) normal. So I won't engage.

I will say this, though: Terrible situations always end up producing good things--even if they are small things, or things that are only important to you. (You matter, so it counts.)

Examples from my own life:

1. TERRIBLE THING: Life shut down and everyone is stuck at home.
2. GOOD THING: We are having sit-down family dinners like we haven't had in years.

1. TERRIBLE THING: My editor at Tor Teen was laid off.
2. GOOD THING: My new editor and I have "clicked" -- and she loves my book!

1. TERRIBLE THING: The School of Nashville Ballet closed its doors weeks ago, directly affecting my ballerina daughter, who normally has class 4 days a week.
2. GOOD THING: They've just added adult ballet to their online offerings, and I took a class on Wednesday morning.

And on it goes. I would encourage you to take note of the good things that have come your way amid the fear and frustration and utter strangeness of our collectives worlds.

As for the Secret Agent Contest:

I'm happy to see thoughtful critiques showing up! KEEP IT COMING! The Secret Agent (who has already shown up--have you seen?) will continue to leave feedback over the weekend, and you may do so also. The Secret Agent will be unveiled--and winners announced--on Monday.

Thank you to all who have participated!

And finally, some book news, since I haven't talked much here about it of late:

1. Parnassus Books in Nashville, while closed to the public, is taking and shipping orders. They still have a few signed copies of STORMRISE (though I will not be able to personalize, due to the current situation), so if you'd like one, PLEASE GO HERE NOW TO ORDER.

2. THE STOLEN KINGDOM now has a gorgeous cover and an official release date! Please be sure to SUBCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER and follow me on social media so you don't miss all the reveals as they happen. (INSTAGRAM , TWITTER)

Thank you all for continuing to hang out here at Miss Snark's First Victim. I'll see you on Monday!