BONESMITH ARCs & Writing Retreat

Plus a publication date change!

BOOKMAIL!

One of the most exciting events in the lead up to publishing a book is the arrival of ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies)! It’s the first time we get to see our manuscript, which up until this point has primarily lived in Word or PDF format, in book-shaped form, and things like the spine, title pages, maps, and chapter headings.

Suddenly everything feels very REAL and the fact that people outside of my publishing team will soon be reading it really hits home. So it’s an exciting but also slightly nerve-racking experience. ARCs are printed to be sent to reviewers, book box owners, media people, and to other authors for blurbs (eek!).

I got my box on Halloween, which felt apt considering this stunning and very Halloween-appropriate cover, and to my surprise I got 15 copies rather than the 5 I got for Crown of Feathers, which means…GIVEAWAYS!! I already ran one giveaway during the cover reveal for Bonesmith (thank you all so much for your help in boosting it), and I’ll be sure to run more in the lead up to publication. Regardless of where I hold the giveaway, I will always announce it on the newsletter first, so stay tuned.

PUB DATE CHANGE

Okay, don’t get mad, but the Bonesmith pub date has been pushed…

…by one month.

Instead of June 27, 2023, which is printed on the ARCs (lol) and which I mentioned in one of my previous newsletters, Bonesmith will now come out on July 25, 2023.

I know, I know.

BUT…there is a VERY good reason for it. A reason I think you will be happy about. I know I am, which is why I fought hard to get the book bumped…but more on that when I can actually share it. For now, rest assured that it was not done to vex you, and if you pre-order the book, I bet it’ll arrive early anyway, so it might only wind up being delayed by a few weeks. Just a suggestion! 😏

ANNUAL WRITING RETREAT

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen me share some photos and videos of a recent writing retreat. I go every year, and I’m actually going again in January.

If you’re a writer, I can’t explain the absolute MAGIC that happens when you vacate your regular life and hole up with fellow writers to just EXIST in focused creativity for an extended period of time. We made tea, wrote books, talked through plot snags, snacked, drank (🥂) and celebrated exciting news I cannot yet share, and spent time building fires and walking outdoors, hearing the leaves rustle and the lake lap against the shore. We were even there for a full moon, and of course, we watched Lord of the Rings every night. MAGIC I TELL YOU.

I was busy plotting Bonesmith #2 in the same place I wrote the very first words of Bonesmith two years ago in the fall of 2020. I had just finished my line edits for Wings of Shadow (final book in the Crown of Feathers trilogy) and I was finally free to work on something new. I also, for the record, worked on ALL the COF books at this cottage, even before the first book ever sold, so it’s amazing the journey I’ve been on since I first stayed there. Each time I arrive, I’m in a different place in my career, and while some stages are more stressful than others (finishing WOS, for example 😅), I am always incredibly grateful that this is my JOB, and it’s thanks to readers like you!

Outlining a new book is one of my absolute favorite stages of the writing process. It’s a bit different when it’s a sequel, but brainstorming exciting moments and heartbreaking twists is always SUCH FUN 😈, especially before I have to do the messy work of actually writing it. Needless to say, Bonesmith #2 will be a wild ride.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Now that I’m back home, I’m actually switching gears back to Bonesmith, working on pass pages. This is the LAST time I will see the book before it’s printed and published, so it’s my final chance to catch any spelling errors or logic flaws, and clean up the prose wherever I can. This is post-ARC printing, so sometimes it’s cringey to see errors that people are already reading, but alas, that’s the way it goes. Even the finished hardcover will have errors, despite being read through by me and my editor half a dozen times, not to mention the proofreader and copyeditor.

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📚 CURRENTLY READING

• The Red Palace by June Hur - LOVING the murder mystery and historical setting, and crushing hard on Police Inspector Eojin

• Husband Material by Alexis Hall - I absolutely ADORED the first book (Boyfriend Material), so I am reading the sequel with some trepidation because my expectations are high

📺 CURRENTLY WATCHING

• I just rewatched the first season of Stranger Things, as I do every year around Halloween. I still haven’t watched the fourth season because the third was WILDLY disappointing to me, but I’m sure I’ll watch it eventually. For now, I’m just savoring the perfection that was season one.

• I’ve been watching The Crown which I am really loving. I tried it years ago and the first few episodes didn’t really grab me, but now I am fully locked in and halfway through season 3. Can’t wait to get to the Princess Diana stuff…

📱 FIRST RIDERS

I wanted to take a moment to shout out the First Riders Instagram account run by several members of my old street team! They would be a great account to follow for any news and updates, as well as fun reader-led stuff like readalongs, plus they share fan art and will feature your bookstagram photos if you tag them so check it out!

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Okay, I think that’s finally it! Please drop any questions or comments you have below!

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