February Newsletter

*NOTE for audio listeners: I found out about the Kindle deal for The Prison Healer AFTER I did the voiceover for this, so that part is missing from my narration.

Hi hi hi, everyone!

Welcome to my first newsletter of 2026! (Admittedly, I was meant to get this out last month, but if you’ve been following my social media, you’ll know I had some unexpected, uh, shall we say, “hiccups,” and time got away from me while I was dealing with those.)

I’m going to start with some good news:

I SURVIVED MY EUROPEAN TOUR! Pretty dang proud of myself, to be honest, especially given my travel-PTSD and how many things went pear-shaped while I was away (including one of the scariest hotel experiences of my life, ooof). It was so lovely meeting so many readers in the Czech Republic and France, and then continuing on for my first holiday in nearly 7 years to see a tiny (but memorable) part of the Netherlands, Germany, France (again, but in holiday mode rather than work mode), and finishing up in Switzerland.

This probably isn’t surprising, but Switzerland turned out to be my favourite country when it came to scenery (nothing can beat the snowy Swiss Alps, though I’ll admit, Prague was the fairytale city of my dreams). I mean, just look at this:

And the trip up into the mountains? The 30+ minute cable car ride? If you watched the Instagram Stories I shared of the (entire, lol) journey, you’ll know it was pure magic! (Especially for this little Aussie who had never done anything like that before, let alone all on my own! I was definitely channelling Brave Main Character energy the whole time!)

I also kept my Brave Main Character boots on while I was on top of the world (or so it felt) and I walked across Europe’s highest suspension bridge:

And then I enjoyed the ice cave while I was up there, too:

Surprising no one, the ice cave was SO slippery, and yet, yours truly had no trouble in the actual cave. However… once I was back outside? Yep, I totally nearly face-planted after stepping on an unexpected patch of ice. (For real, my life flashed before my eyes.) Not gonna lie, I amazed myself with my reflexes, and definitely did the furtive look around to see who had seen me awkwardly windmilling my arms and legs like a cartoon character to stay upright, hahaha. Dignity? What dignity?

And yes, you betcha I took a photo of the ice patch that nearly sent me off the side of the mountain. I think we can all agree that the mat is in the wrong place and is clearly the villain in this scenario:

ANYWAY! That trip up into the Alps was honestly was one of the best days of my life, and definitely the best day of the entire European adventure — probably because it was an actual adventure for me, and also completely unplanned. I literally said to the hotel concierge upon arriving, “There’s no snow. It’s the end of December, and there’s no snow. I’m heading back to the dead of the Australian summer in a few days and I need to be IN the snow. Where’s the best place for me to go that’s within about 2 hours and won’t be crowded by tourists?” And the concierge delivered with the PERFECT recommendation!

So yes, Switzerland was my fave — but not just that amazing trip up into the mountains, also the cities themselves. If I had to pick, then (other than Prague, which I’ve already mentioned) Lucerne would be the one that honestly felt like it was straight out of a fantasy book. Like, seriously:

Ridiculous.

I’ll stop spamming you with travel pics because — oh, wait, no, a few more first:

This was at the Humbook Festival in Prague: a life-size Jaren and Kiva!! HOW COOL!!

And my amazing Czech publisher also set up this INCREDIBLE apothecary-style healer stand for The Prison Healer:

And while I was in Prague, I saw my first ever European Christmas market, and — ignoring the oh-my-gosh-there-are-people-EVERYWHERE crowds — it was everything I imagined and more!

Right, I promised to stop with the travel pics, but just quickly to finish this post-trip wrap-up, I mentioned before that scenery-wise, Switzerland took the top spot. But food? That one is tricky. Czech food was so hearty and comforting. (Plus the chimney cake? YUM!) I honestly had some of the best food of my life when I was in Europe, across every country I visited, but if I HAD to pick a top spot, then that award probably has to go to France. I’m still dreaming of the pastries! (The flan?!? STOP IT! *drools*)

Here are some of the food highlights from the trip (hi, hello, welcome to my food blog. Please feel free to skip this part if you want to get to the actual book related stuff in this newsletter, lollll).:

France food highlights:

Czech Republic food highlights:

Random other notable European food mentions:

Righto, I think I’ve bored you to tears enough by now. (Hey, in my defence, a lot of you contact me and say you love getting a peek into my boring everyday life, so this is on you!)

Let’s move on to the bookish stuff and the actual news part of this newsletter!

---

SHADOW REAPER:

First and foremost, if you’ve been following me for more than a minute, you’ll know my next YA fantasy book, Shadow Reaper, comes out this year! Actually, it comes out in LESS THAN 3.5 MONTHS, so the clock really is ticking down SO fast to its release on June 2nd (US/CAN + AUS/NZ) and June 4th (UK). (Nobody ask me why there’s a two-day difference between these places because I genuinely do not know!)

There are some super fun pre-order incentives that I’m going to be allowed to share the details of soon for peeps in the US (keep your receipts!!!), and some fun gift-with-purchase incentives for peeps in ANZ that I’ll also be sharing soon, along with a whole heap of other news (including whether I’ll be touring, etc.), so keep an eye on my social media for any and all announcements in the coming days.

And as a reminder, you can pre-order a copy here — both the US and AUS will have this gorgeous sprayed-edge hardcover edition available upon release (first print run in the US only with these fancy features, and very limited numbers in AUS). AUS will also simultaneously be releasing the trade paperback as well as this stunning hardcover (with, again, the hardcover being limited). The UK is bringing it out as a paperback first, so no hardcover for you guys. (There’s a reason for this, buuuuut I can’t share yet!)

I’ve already begun sharing teasers on my social media in the form of quotes and also character art, so make sure you’re following me either on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok to keep from missing out!

So far, here are the characters I’ve revealed:

And there are 10 more (!!) of these character portraits coming plus some scenes and other art reveals too, so, again, make sure you’re following my social media to see them all! (I also release teaser quotes with each of the characters, plus character information, so go check out my previous posts for all of those extra bits and pieces!)

I seriously can’t WAIT for you to read this book once it comes out, but until then, I apologise in advance for how often I’ll be posting about it. I’m just SO EXCITEDDDD!!!

More news coming as soon as I can share, promise!

And speaking of bookish news…

---

Watch this space for some Medoran Chronicles news coming soon!

(I’M SORRY!!! I’m not allowed to say anything yet, though for the sake of my own sanity, I’ll share that this Medoran news has nothing to do with film/TV stuff. Stay tuned for more once I’ve been given the green light to share!)

---

THE PRISON HEALER - E-BOOK SALE

Good news for UK readers: the e-book of The Prison Healer is going to be on sale for the entire month of March(!!) as a Kindle Monthly Deal through Amazon! It’ll be just 99p, so set yourself a calendar reminder to grab it while it’s hot! (And tell your friends!)

---

FAN ART COMPETITION:

A few newsletters back I mentioned that I’m going to be holding a fan art competition, and since then, people have been asking when, exactly, that will be happening.

Honestly? That’s a great question.

I was really hoping to get my ducks in a row in time to do the comp before Shadow Reaper releases, but somehow I have to try and write two books before then (ooof), or at least one-and-a-bit books, and I’m super behind meeting that rough deadline, so it’s looking like you might have to wait a bit longer for this comp. I'm going to do my best to make sure it happens this year, though, and have some REALLY awesome prizes, so the wait will be worth it.

And hey, assuming it’ll now be happening after the release of Shadow Reaper, that means you can then submit art for that book as well as my others, so technically, the delay is maybe a good thing! Bright side, and all that!

---

VOTING REQUEST (and a chance to win a $101 bookstore gift card!)

It’s the beginning of a new year, which means it’s voting time in the bookish world! I’ve just learned that all of my series/books are on the 2026 Dymocks Top 101 shortlist, and I would be so, SO grateful if you could take a moment to vote! This list is suuuuuuper important for authors since the chosen books are promoted front and centre in stores for the whole year! That means a heap of opportunities for new readers to find them!!

The easiest way to vote for my books is to tap on the “categories” tab and select “young adult” and then scroll down the page (and “load more” if needed) until you find mine. Alternatively, you can type my name or a specific book name into the search bar beside the “categories” tab and it should bring up some options!

You can vote for up to 10 of your faves, so check out the other books and spread the love to your other favourite authors, too!

AND! Anyone who votes goes in the draw to WIN 1 of 5 $101 gift cards!! Woo!

Lastly, you don’t need to be a Dymocks member to vote (the “submit” prompt asks for a “Booklover ID” but if you’re not a member, you can leave that blank and the form still works, no problem!).

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! You can vote by clicking here!

---

RECENT READS:

These are some of the books I’ve read recently, and I enjoyed all of them for different reasons. My fave would probably have to be A Stage Set For Villains if only because (to me) it was a fresh concept and unique magic system and had some delicious twists throughout, making it a gripping read. The last 70% or so was a wild ride. Bonus: it’s a standalone, so no nasty cliffhanger.

I also really enjoyed Conform which was like an adult mashup of Divergent meets the District 1 glamour of The Hunger Games and maybe something like a darker Handmaid’s Tale-esque version of The Selection. I actually loved most of the book, but there was something I was waiting to have happen at the end that just… didn’t, and it left me oddly unsatisfied. The twist didn’t twist! BUT I think it’s going to be a 9-book-series (yep! 9!) so I’m looking forward to continuing on once the next is out.

As for Red Star Rebels, Amie Kaufman never disappoints, and her newest release is loads of fun, as expected. Def recommend!

Ditto for Ali Hazelwood who never disappoints when it comes to the adult romance side of things (emphasis on adult here, not YA).

---

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED:

Each month I try to answer a few of the questions you guys send through, so here are three new fun ones for you (sorry if I’ve answered any of these before — I’m usually pretty good at keeping track but I’m just not entirely confident this time):

Q. Which main character of yours would you like to swap lives with the most?

A. Um, have you read my books? The stuff I put my main characters through… no, thank you. I’d die within the first five minutes. I CHOOSE LIFE.

Q. Which of the worlds in your books would you most like to live in?

A. This is a little similar to the above “which main character would I want to swap lives with” question and it feels a bit like a Catch-22. If I pick Kiva from The Prison Healer, then I’m stuck in a death prison for a big chunk of time (automatic no to that one, cheers). I wouldn’t pick Charlie or “Jane Doe” (not her real name) because both Wandering Wild and Whisper are set in the real world, and while that might be technically the safest option in terms of survival (debatable, given what happens in both books), I’m hardly going to pick living in the real world over a fantasy world. (Dragons? Magic? Immortal princes? It’s not a want, it’s a need.) So that leaves Medora from The Medoran Chronicles or Elverdine Isle from Shadow Reaper, and out of those two, well… For reasons I won’t share because Shadow Reaper isn’t out yet and I want to avoid spoilers, I’m definitely going to say Medora. (See previous re: I CHOOSE LIFE comment.)

Q. Favourite book couple you’ve written?

A. I love all my character pairings (main and secondary), but at the moment, my fave would have to be Viri and Reeve from Shadow Reaper. The banter! The tension! The history from being childhood friends who haven’t seen each other for 7 years and are reunited as sworn enemies! It was just SO MUCH FUN to write them. Reeve is a mashup of Caldon (from The Prison Healer) and Niyx (from The Medoran Chronicles) crossed with Damon Salvatore (from The Vampire Diaries) so when I say I had fun, I really, genuinely mean that. It begs repeating: the banter.

Needless to say, I can’t wait for you to meet these two in June! (Artwork below by Silvia Gómez.)

---

Okie doke, I think that’ll do us for this month.

Just a warning that given the chaos of the year ahead, I might not be able to get newsletters out every month going forward, and might sometimes have to just stick to news and announcements only (boring, ugh), rather than the fun stuff I usually try to include. But I’ll do my best to keep them as entertaining as possible when I can. And otherwise, you’ll find that entertainment on my socials, as always!

Until next time!

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | FACEBOOK

---