December News!

And a Christmas giveaway!

(Due to some tech issues, I couldn’t record the audio narration this month, sorry!)

Hi, friends!

Somehow we’ve reached the last month of 2024 (yikes, that went fast), which means things are wrapping up for the year!

I’ve had a pretty chaotic last few months — I’ve been on back-to-back (and sometimes overlapping) deadlines for nearly 4 months straight, and, I’ll admit, it’s been a real challenge at times, especially while navigating some heavy life-stuff as well. I’ve slipped back into burnout territory, which is maybe a good thing (??) since it means I know from experience that I can’t risk it getting any worse, and that in turn means being very, very careful with myself over the next couple of weeks. For the first time in the last ten years of my author career, I’m making myself take an entire fortnight off anything work-related over the Christmas/NY/summer break — no emails, no deadlines, no writing, no editing, not even social media (the latter of which I’ve never done before in my life). It’s going to be difficult for me to stop everything for those two weeks and try to find a place of stillness, but I also know I’m at a danger point where I desperately need to rest and heal a little, and I’m honestly so looking forward to it (which probably shows how much it’s needed, really!).

Truly, my excitement levels are so high that I’ve already started making lists of the things I want to do and the books I want to read (my deadlines have been so tight that I haven’t read a book that wasn’t mine for nearly 4 months, and that breaks my little reader heart!). It’s going to be amazing, and I can’t wait to just clock-off from the world for a couple of weeks, then come back fully recharged and ready to dive into the next round of edits on my upcoming fantasy book (still to be announced, but sooooon!!). Then it’ll be full-speed ahead to the release of Wandering Wild in April/May! Woo!

Alright, that’s enough of an update about me. Let’s move on to the news part of this newsletter! This month you’ll find:

• Christmas gift ideas (aka me awkwardly plugging my own books BUT ALSO offering some book recs by other authors)

• 6 of your questions answered (including what my writing plans are for 2025, and some of my fave Christmas recipes and movies)

• Christmas giveaway (I know that’s what you’re all here for, lol)

• A reminder about my next book releasing (with a fun fact about how some international publishing things work — heads up, UK readers!)

• A note from me to you using Kiva’s code from The Prison Healer that also maaaaybe includes a little info about the spin-off book I’m writing in that universe, along with a sneak peek at the first line.

That’s it for this month — mostly because I’m pretty sure you’re all here for the giveaway anyway, but also because my brain is so fried from the last few months that I risk rambling forever if I attempt much more than this.

Here we go!

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CHRISTMAS GIFTS IDEAS

With Christmas right around the corner (YAY!!!), if you’re looking for last-minute gift ideas, then books make the BEST presents. Some of my favourite memories across my life have been the books I’ve received and/or read at Christmas time, and I always find it really special to be able to gift my loved ones new books. (Otherwise known as “YOU ABSOLUTELY *MUST* READ THIS SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT!!!)

Shameless plug here: if you or someone you love has maybe read some of by books, but not all of them, now might be a great time to get started on another one of my series! (I have three, all completed!) I’ll add in some fun images below offering a quick pitch for each of them (and show the special editions available for both The Prison Healer and Akarnae), along with the countries and translations that they’re currently available in (note that many of the countries have the full series already available!):

Also! It looks like there might still be some of the gorgeous special hardcover editions of The Prison Healer still available exclusively through Booktopia, and these make the most beautiful gifts! (It has a shimmery dust jacket! And artwork on the endpapers! And a ribbon bookmark! And coloured maps! And, and, annnnnnd other exclusive bonus content that I can’t remember right now!) You can find some pretty pics below, and the link to buy is here.

Jumping across to my next series now, here’s some info on The Medoran Chronicles:

And also just a reminder that the suuuuuper shiny special edition has just re-released and would make a PERFECT Christmas gift for fans and new readers alike! It has a whole heap of special features (foil on the cover, metallic gold edges, a coloured map and character artwork, a bonus scene, a Q&A with me, etc.) and is honestly just so pretty! You can grab it in-store now, or online through all the usual places like QBD Books , Dymocks, Booktopia, Harry Hartog, and many more! (For a list of stores that ship this book internationally, check out my last newsletter here.)

Lucky last is my Whisper duology:

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BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GIFTS:

I haven’t had a chance to read a lot of books this year given how intense my deadlines have been, but if you’re looking for books by other authors to gift your reader friends/family, these ones jump straight to mind as good for gifting in the YA space:

(Note that some of the above contain mature content, though they’re still classified as YA)

For more YA recs or recs in other genres, like romantasy, high/adult fantasy, contemporary romance, or middle grade, check out my website here.

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Q&A — YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Q. Is it odd / strange to write in a different genre with Wandering Wild than your usual fantasy?

Surprisingly, no? I say that as a question, since I’m trying to think back on the early days of drafting Wandering Wild (aka WW from here) and whether I had any trouble with the shift, but really, I didn’t, because WW has so much of what my fantasy books have, and it’s just set in the real world. I always have a heavy emphasis on character development in all my books, and I try to keep the action and adventure vibes high, and the friendships and found family, and the slow-burn romance, and and and…. well, all my books feature these things heavily. So jumping to contemporary, at least with it being an action/adventure/survival contemporary, means things were pretty samesies.

Of course, there were things I had to do differently (surprising no one, you have to be a lot more careful about not killing off characters in the real world since the repercussions can be, um, more complicated (*awkward shuffle laugh*))… and things like language and colloquialisms are different, too. So, like, I don’t use the word “okay” in my Prison Healer series, or the word “cool,” or any pop culture references, for example. (There’s some crossover of these things with my Medoran Chronicles, though, given that the main character is from our world before she finds herself stranded in a fantasy world.)

And then there’s the challenges that come from not being able to use magic to help with things. There’s no quick-healing for injuries, no windfunnelling or bubbledoors or Valispath to move swiftly to a new place, no dragons or shadow wolves or blood-bound friends with mindspeaking abilities to come help out when needed, etc., all of which feature in my fantasy books. So there are more limitations in the real world, and rules that I had to navigate. (Which, I’ll admit, was tricky at times, given how many dangerous situations the Wandering Wild characters find themselves in!)

But that said, I’ve definitely stretched things to the point that I’ve added an “author’s note” at the end of the book that explains that I took a few, ahem, liberties with some things. It’s actually a super fun note, and I had a blast writing it, lol. (I may have mentioned dragons… Yes, in my contemporary book. Once a fantasy lover, always a fantasy lover.)

Q. What led to the shift away from fantasy?

I wouldn’t call it a shift! I have another new fantasy series coming out next (announcing soon!), so Wandering Wild was/is more a palate cleanser in between. I’ll speak more about this closer to the release, I’m sure!

Q. How many books are in your next fantasy series?

Ha! Nice try. You’ll find out soon enough! *Grins shamelessly*

Q. 2025 writing/book plans?

Coming into January, I’ll be diving straight into the second round of edits on my next fantasy book, and moving through the rest of the editing process with that until it’s nice and shiny and ready for printing. (So that means: those second edits, followed by line edits, copy edits, proofreading edits, first pass pages, second pass pages, sometimes third pass pages… there are a LOT of editorial rounds that go into making a book!)… and in amongst that, I’ll be drafting the second book in that series as well. I’ll also be releasing Wandering Wild in April/May and doing all the launch events related to that (news coming soon about those). And if I have time on the side, I’m chipping away at a passion project in The Prison Healer universe as well (more on that later…).

Q. Favourite Christmas traditions?

CHRISTMAS DAY: Not traditions, as such, but my family always gets together for a big lunch, and usually some games, followed by the obligatory food comas afterwards.

I promised recipes earlier, so three things my family asks me to make every. single. year. are the following:

Orange liqueur chocolate fudge: NOTE that this has alcohol in it! And I use Cointreau, not Triple Sec, just FYI, but I’m assuming any orange liqueur would be relatively same-same!

Air fryer bagels: these are delicious and always a crowd pleaser! So easy and quick to make, too! And absolutely divine when they’re hot and slathered with melted butter! (Calories don’t count on Christmas Day, folks — I don’t make the rules, but I do obey them!)

Chocolate ripple cake: the easiest desert to make in the world, and yet, for some reason, it’s always a total showstopper. I’ve never once served this without someone begging me for the recipe (and me in turn being vaguely embarrassed to admit it’s basically just biscuits and cream, hahaha).

CHRISTMAS AFTERNOON/NIGHT: After the family time has ended, I like to always have a Christmas movie I’m looking forward to watching (this year I’m going with Red One and crossing my fingers that it’s as good as I hope), and I also like to have a book that I’m looking forward to reading (this year I’m thinking it’s going to be either Ali Hazelwood’s newish novella Cruel Winter With You if I want the cozy Christmas vibes, or M. L. Wang’s Bridge Over Bright Haven if I’m feeling more of a dark fantasy vibe).

And that’s it! My Christmas “traditions”!

Q. Favourite Christmas movies?

This is tough, since I love a good Christmas movie. The ones that come immediately to mind are the classics like The Santa Clause (always a fave) and Home Alone (I actually prefer the second movie to the first, by a smidge, since I love the NYC vibes and the toy shop). Then there’s Arthur Christmas for an adorable animated movie, The Holiday as probs my favourite romantic Christmas movie (though Last Christmas and EXmas are also great), and The Christmas Chronicles as a family adventure movie that I love. Lastly, there’s Spirited, which I can’t recommend highly enough (and this is coming from someone who doesn’t like A Christmas Carol, like, at all. Sorry, Dickens!).

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

If you’re new to this newsletter or to my social media and you missed the announcements over the last month or so, my next book is called Wandering Wild and it’s releasing on April 29 (AUS/NZ) and May 20 (US/CAN). (I shared all about it in one of my last newsletters, including all the fun tropes, etc., which you can find here.) It’s also being translated and released in a number of other countries, though I’m not allowed to share about those jusssssst yet. (I will when I’m allowed, promise!)

For my UK readers, I don’t have news for you yet, either, but here’s hoping we’ll find a UK home for it soon!

Actually… random publishing fact for anyone reading this: it’s always little harder to sell book rights to the UK if the AUS/NZ rights have already sold, since a lot of UK publishers want what’s called “Commonwealth rights” — which, as the name suggests, means a broader range of territories (specifically, the British Commonwealth territories, which include a heap of places and also the Oceania countries like AUS/NZ).

I got lucky with my Prison Healer series and was able to find an amazing UK publisher willing to accept Commonwealth rights excluding AUS/NZ, and the same is fortunately true for my next fantasy series (though with a different publisher — more on that as soon as I can announce that series!)… but it’s been really difficult for my other books, and I know many authors find the same.

Funnily (?) enough, I just had a quick Google and found this article all about this “Commonwealth rights” challenge — and it’s from 16 years ago! So, wowza, this has been a talking point for a very long time.

BUT! All that’s to say, it’s not impossible, and I’m crossing my fingers and toes that I’ll have some positive news about Wandering Wild for my UK readers soon!

Until then, feast your eyes on the gorgeous covers, and get excited, because the countdown is on!

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CODED NOTE:

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’ve been dabbling with a passion project in the world of The Prison Healer, so as a Christmas gift to fans of that series, I’ve written a note using Kiva’s code that includes a tiny teaser at what I currently have in place as the first line. You’ll have to work for it, though! This note is long, and I gush a lot about how much I love you all and how thankful I am (sorry not sorry). BUT! I also share a few other sneaky things about the potential spin-off book (including a hint about who the main character might be), so I hope you enjoy learning those little tidbits!

(Important mention: I have five books currently on contract, and this isn’t one of them, so it won’t be hitting shelves any time soon! I don’t even know if it’ll be written within the next 12 months, given the timing of all my upcoming deadlines. But as Caldon would say, “Small steps are still steps!”)

You can find the cipher for Kiva’s code (along with some other fun TPH things, like a quiz, and bonus scenes) by clicking here.

And here’s the note! (Unless you have spidey-vision, you’ll probs have to click on it and zoom in!) Have funnnnn!

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CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY:

If you’ve made it this far without skipping straight down to this point, well done, and thank you! (These newsletters take me hours to write (sometimes days!), so I appreciate you making it worth it!! *Hugs*) To anyone who jumped straight here, that’s okay! No judgements! BUT! Just saying, you missed out on some fun things above (including my writing plans going into next year, and some book recs, and a heap of other things), so if you feel the urge, come back later and maybe give it a skim so you’re informed of what’s going on moving forward!

But for now… here’s the part you’re all looking forward to: the Christmas giveaway! There are 15 books in total, all of which will be signed and personalised to the winner/s:

5 x AKARNAE special edition (see image earlier)

1 x PRISON HEALER special edition (see images earlier)

3 x WHISPER hardcover edition (no longer in print!)

5 x KALDORAS paperback

1 x WANDERING WILD proof/ARC/early copy

This giveaway is open globally and for 48 hours only — ending Sunday 15th December at 7pm AEST — and ONLY the 15 winners will be emailed with a notification.

Please be wary of scammers — every time I run a giveaway, fake accounts pop up claiming to be me and asking for credit card details and/or for you to sign up to things. I will never run a giveaway or competition that requires you to use your credit card. The only thing you need to do is fill in the form, and wait to see if you’ve received an email on Monday congratulating you and providing the tracking details of your parcel. That’s it!

Once you’ve read all the above information, you can enter the giveaway by clicking here.

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Righto, that’s it for this month — and for this year!! I hope you all have a happy holiday season, and to all those who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas!

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