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Is Netherford Hall a Cozy Romantasy?
We are now deep in the throes of ARC reviews for Netherford Hall, and while I try not to throw myself on the mercy of reviews, one observation from some readers has made me rethink this book a little. (The people who love this book really love this book and this post is not for them.) The end of the book is certainly fast-paced, but the majority of the book is not. Like the world of Jane Austen, from which it was inspired, the focus isn’t on high action, complex plotting, or angst and danger. It’s about relationships between characters, establishing their connections, demonstrating their problems, and seeing what happens…
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Netherford Hall Series Picked up by Solaris Books Imprint Solaris Nova!
Publishing moves slow, until it doesn’t! I’m so happy to announce that Solaris Books, via their new imprint Solaris Nova, has acquired Netherford Hall and its two sequels (currently titled The Viscount St. Albans and The Game of Hearts). The pitch is fast and furious: a sapphic Bridgerton with witches. And werewolves, vampires, Fae, and a motley crew of characters. It’s light, romantic, silly, sexy, and joyous, with magic, politics, and of course, lots of fashion. So much fashion, in fact, that it’s the book that inspired ThreadTalk in the first place! Yes, indeed. It was Viola’s chintz dress that got me going on my first research project, and look where we are now.…
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On Feminism, Fate, and Family in the Queens of Fate Series
As I’m writing the third book in my feminist Arthurian retelling series (this one is Queen of Mercy, while the others are Queen of None and Queen of Fury), I’ve been having quite a lot of thoughts about the overall themes and symbols of them. For context: I started the first book in 2009, and now here we are in 2023. Which is about the same difference in time from the end of the first book to the beginning of the third book. In that time, characters who start out as babies become adults (well, in medievalish terms). People die. Alliances are forged, relationships broken. It’s very much a whole…
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Fumbling Towards Camelot – My Arthurian Stories Find a New Home With Solaris Books
Who can say when a story really starts? Out of the mire of post-Roman Britain, the Arthurian Tales rose to prominence across much of Europe: a motley patchwork of stories, characters, and adventures that remain with us today. It is, I suppose, a great, collaborative tapestry, with new authors adding to the scenes for almost 1500 years. Like many young writers, and especially those of the medieval inclination, I fell head over heels for Arthuriana when I was in college. Though I was acquainted with the stories thanks to Disney and Mary Stewart, discovering the age and breadth of these tales absolutely blew my mind. I felt a kinship, especially,…
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ThreadTalk is Moving… and Changing – Thoughts on Twitter, Boundaries, and Platform Ownership
You say that things change, my dear For the last 14 years, Twitter has been the center of my writing life. And no single contribution has been as big or far-reaching as ThreadTalk, my fashion history mini-lectures on the beautiful and terrible world fabric culture. Twitter has never been safe; it’s always been a double-edged sword. Even before this most recent crap, countless users (myself included) have been the target of hate groups, threats, and more, just for stating opinions or, you know, existing. And it’s about to get worse. It’s already gotten worse. We’ve seen the writing on the wall. As someone who built my other career on social…
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Pilgrim of the Sky is up for Pre-Order!
That’s right, folks! Pilgrim of the Sky, my debut novel, is back at it again. Which totally makes sense if you’re familiar with the godlings. They get reborn again and again. The official release is on Thursday, September 22, but if you order the ebook now, you get $2 off. It’s particularly exciting to see the new cover because it’s a perfect companion to Gods of Londinium, which will be out this December. And let me tell you, I cannot wait to share Joss’s whole story with you. Gods of Londinium may take place on a single world, but it uses just about every inch. It’s high adventure on the…
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Ten Things About QUEEN OF FURY Plus Cover Reveal
Queen of Fury is set for publication this December, and here's a sneak peek at some of the themes.
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Live Reading Stream from Queen of None
As I continue the one year celebration of the Queen of None release, I finally set up my audio arrangement in my office (read: space in the open loft area of my house where, if late enough at night, is relatively quiet enough). So last night I did a little live reading of two scenes from Queen of None: one, Hwyfar’s first introduction, and two, Anna’s total tear down of Gawain when she first arrives to Carelon. During the reading I was reminded, as I gave a voice to Anna… just how wily she is. She really is so calculating. It’s covered in a lot of beautiful language, good intentions,…
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Queen of Fury is Drafted!
What a long, strange trip it’s been. I started out Queen of Fury with a fairly straightforward idea. It was going to be 100% Hwyfar’s story. She was the standout character from Queen of None, and seemed like the ideal character to continue the whole invisible women of Arthur tale. But I wanted a foil for her, and very early on, I liked the idea of playing Gawain of Orkney against her. They have a very similar backstory: they’re both the same age, both royals from pretty messed up dynasties, both from toxic families, and they’re both gingers. Not to mention super tall. What I did not expect was Gawain…
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Spoiler-free Genealogies for QUEEN OF NONE and QUEEN OF FURY
It's all in the family when it comes to Arthuriana.
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So You Have a Book to Promote During a Pandemic
How do you spread the word about your upcoming release when the world is on fire?
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These Marvelous Beasts is Here!
Well, more or less. By January 30, you'll have it all...
