May Newsletter
All things SHADOW REAPER!
Hi hi hi, everyone!
I’m elbows-deep in drafting Shadow Reaper 2 at the moment so I need to keep this intro brief so I can return to my characters who are currently in the middle of a VERY unfortunate situation (*cue me sweating nervously as I wonder how I’m supposed to get them out of it and/or if there will be any casualties*).
So! This newsletter is exactly what the name implies this month: a letter full of news. It’s def on the boring side (sorry!) BUT this is all important information in the lead up to Shadow Reaper’s release in just a few short weeks (eeek!). Most of this I’ve shared over social media, but as we all know, the algorithm is a dumpster fire, so in case you missed allllllll the things, here’s what you’ll find in this newsletter:
Australian launch tour (reminder!) — AND a fun stamp I’ll be using for the pre-signed books
A midnight release party (with prizes!!)
FREE gifts with pre-orders — including a reminder of the USA goodies (with a reveal of the final artwork) + the 5x Australian stores and their different(!) gifts and/or competitions
Signed/personalised books (with global shipping + a gift)
And for two fun things:
What inspired the creation of Shadow Reaper (apologies in advance for anyone who sees me on tour since you’ll likely hear this story again)
An industry trade review that Shadow Reaper received versus one that The Prison Healer received (spoiler: TPH was absolutely ripped to shreds, ooof)
Let’s dive in!
AUSTRALIAN TOUR:
Reminder to grab your tickets if you want to see me and/or get your copies of Shadow Reaper signed (Brisbane exclusive for the in-person signing, but all cities will have pre-signed copies available to purchase at these events).
Dates/cities listed below, and you can find all the details and grab your tickets here.
NOTE: Tickets are selling FAST and some cities are nearly sold out (omg!), so if you’re on the fence about booking, keep that in mind! You snooze, you lose!
SECOND NOTE: Guys, GUYS, I bought a stamp for the pre-signed books!! A STAMP! I’ve never used a stamp before but this one has the words “Never bargain with a reaper” written inside the three-interlocking-circles of the hunter’s mark (ie. a magical tattoo all hunters have on their palms that heats up when they’re near reapers) and IT’S SO COOL! My aim/hope is to use this for all the pre-signed books at the launch events, assuming the booksellers are okay with it!
Here’s what it looks like:
I got it in both black and red ink and I thiiiiink the red is my fave, but I’ll be using both depending on how much ink I need and/or run out of. But here’s how it’ll look in red:
It begs repeating: HOW COOL!
The stamps will ONLY be used for the pre-signed books, not the ones you get signed in-person at the Brisbane event (those won’t have any quotes added, sorry, just a name and signature — unless you buy a pre-signed book at the venue and have me personalise that copy, in which case, yes, it’ll be stamped in advance), so if you want the quote-stamped book, make sure you grab one from the booksellers at these events (or if you can’t make it to the events, contact them afterwards to see if they have any leftover stock).
I’ve totally tangented from, like, everything I was saying, but here’s the event details, and you can find the ticket link (again) here.
MIDNIGHT RELEASE PARTY
Aside from the above events, there’s also going to be a midnight release party in Brisbane hosted by Where The Wild Things Are bookshop. NOTE: I won’t be there in person since I’ll be en route to Sydney (alas!), but I can’t WAIT to see all the pics from the night. Please tag me if you post anything! (Tag, not comment — for some reason my Instagram doesn’t let me see posts where I’m only commented rather than tagged!)
WHEN: Mon 1 June @ 10:00 PM - Tues 2 June @ 12:15 AM
WHERE: Avid Reader (back deck) - 193 Boundary Street, West End
DETAILS (copied from their website): There will be themed mocktails, giveaways, lucky door prizes, trivia, and prizes for the best dressed. (Prizes include books, special ultra limited edition holographic Shadow Reaper stickers, and more!)
PLUS signed bookplates AND limited edition metal bookmarks included with each book purchased on the night.
Tickets (and more details) available here.
PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGNS - aka FREE STUFF!!!
I’m a sucker for a gift-with-purchase freebie, and my publishers have gone above and beyond to come up with a whole heap of amazing gifts through different retailers depending on what piques your interest.
Last month I shared the US pre-order gift, but one of the items was hidden. That artwork has now been unveiled, so here’s a full look at what US readers/residents can receive if you pre-order a copy of Shadow Reaper before June 2 and submit your receipts to the website. (NOTE: THIS GIFT IS FREE!!! YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY EXTRA FOR IT! But you DO have to submit your receipt here.)
As for AUSTRALIA, there are FIVE different pre-order campaigns happening through FIVE different retailers (my mind is blown by the amount of support this book is receiving! *Insert allllll the feels here* ) Two of these campaigns are competitions rather than gifts for everyone, and the other three are free GWPs (“gifts with purchase"). Then there’s one that’s also offering signed/personalised books as well as a gift and a competition. I’ll list all five below!
KINOKUNIYA will be gifting this stunnnnnnnning cloak to one lucky reader:
How gorgeous is that cloak?!? It’s the middle one in the window display, btw, not the promo one used on the far right — it actually has amazing quality velvety softness and proper metallic embroidery on the edges! AND it has my signature embroidered into it at the bottom (if you enlarge the image, you can zoom in to see it). IT’S SO FANCY!!!
Here’s the info they provided with the post:
NOTE: someone asked them over social media if they have to recreate the cover with a picture (like in the last photo) or if they can use any medium, and Kino replied: “We are happy to accept any medium, the more creative the better! Please note entries using AI will not be considered.”
You can submit your entries by clicking here.
If you have any questions, please contact Kinokuniya Sydney directly!
BOOKTOPIA is offering a competition that has TWO items as the combined prize. The first item is a signed hardcover edition of the book and the second item is a bespoke necklace inspired by Shadow Reaper. I hear it’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I’m lowkey (okay, highkey) jealous of whoever ends up winning!
To enter the Booktopia competition, all you need to do is pre-order either the paperback (here) or the hardcover (here) and you’ll automatically go in the draw to win. That’s it!
If you have any questions, please contact Booktopia directly!
DYMOCKS is offering a gift-with-purchase to everyone who, well, purchases the book, haha. The gift will be three stunning art prints (with artwork by Dominique Wesson) featured below:
Some extra details:
This gift applies to purchases of both the paperback and/or the hardcover
If you pre-order, the cards will be sent to you with the book
If you buy and/or collect in-store, the cards will be given to you in person
As the image above says, there’s a limit of one per person (while stocks last)
If you have any questions, please contact Dymocks directly!
QBD BOOKS is also offering a gift-with-purchase to everyone who pre-orders and/or buys a copy of the book, buuuut this gift won’t be revealed until closer to the release, so best keep an eye on their social media to find out what it is when the time comes! Hint: It’s made of material and IT’S SO AWESOME!!!! I’ll take a hundred, please and thank you.
HARRY HARTOG is offering three things:
Signed/Personalised copies — both paperback and hardcover (NOTE: the hardcover was “sold out” briefly but it’s available again now!)
GIFT: an A3-sized poster print of the coloured map (with gold foiling highlights, from what I’ve been told! STUNNING!) — this is something that everyone who orders will receive for FREE
COMPETITION: Everyone who pre-orders through Harry Hartog will automatically go in a draw to win a FRAMED copy of the map
CUTOFF DATE: since I need to sign/personalise these books in advance, the cutoff date for these pre-orders is MAY 20th so you only have until then to get your orders in.
GLOBAL SHIPPING: Yes, they offer global shipping to people outside of Australia! This is the only way for people overseas to get signed and/or personalised copies of this book at this time!
For all the details and to place your orders, click here.
If you have any questions, please contact Harry Hartog directly!
WHAT INSPIRED THE CREATION OF SHADOW REAPER?
I shared this over social media last week, but in case you missed it, I asked the amazing Dominique Wesson to create artwork of a scene from the book that pretty much inspired its creation. Here’s what she came up with:
To explain a little more:
The main inspiration came from one of those “shower thoughts” moments when, out of nowhere, an image popped into my mind of an attractive guy leaning against a wall looking like he was waiting for someone. The casualness of his pose intrigued me because, in the image, he was in what appeared to be a dungeon cell, yet he seemed completely unfazed by his situation. I immediately wanted to know more:
Who was he?
Why wasn’t he worried about being locked away?
Who was he waiting for (and why)?
Those questions marinated in my brain and joined with some other story ideas that were already swirling around, and I pretty much just worked my way backwards from there!
To be clear, though, this isn’t how I normally get inspiration for my books. For me, ideas usually come randomly, and rarely ever the same way twice. This was the first time that I built a story from a single mental image, which was a novelty for me. BUT it wasn’t the first time that I built a story from asking the who/where/why/what questions. That’s pretty standard for me as a launching off point for every new book I write!
TRADE REVIEWS: SHADOW REAPER vs THE PRISON HEALER
To finish this newsletter with something a little fun(?), I shared over socials a few days ago that Shadow Reaper has received its first industry review, and (amazingly) it’s a starred review from Kirkus.
Starred reviews are incredibly rare — the Kirkus website itself explains it as: “One of the most coveted designations in the book industry, the Kirkus Star marks books of exceptional merit.”
To say I was flabbergasted is an understatement. Even more so because Kirkus was absolutely not a fan of The Prison Healer.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison:
I think the words “trite plot twist” and “readable but not remarkable” haunt me to this day, hahaha.
HOWEVER! As mentioned in the graphic above, I can laugh about it now, especially since I know just how many of you love the Prison Healer books. Ironically, I’m a smidge concerned that Shadow Reaper receiving a star means it won’t be as loved by readers, if The Prison Healer not getting one means the opposite. (Hi, hello, welcome to my anxious brain.) But regardless, I’m choosing to stay hopeful, especially since Kirkus really did have some lovely things to say about Shadow Reaper, not just the pull-quote above, but also things like:
“Kidnappings, shocking twists, and romance unfold against the backdrop of imaginative worldbuilding, making for an utterly engrossing tale.”
Did you see that? Those last four words?
AN UTTERLY ENGROSSING TALE!
Yaaaaaay!
But.
Honestly?
As thrilled as I am to have received such a glowing trade review, to me, it really is more important that you guys — the readers, the fans, my people — enjoy the book rather than it receiving any industry accolades. I’d take all your passionate social media and IRL screams over a starred review any day. I genuinely mean that. (*BIG HUGS*)
Okie doke, I’ll leave this here this month. You’ll hear from me again in a few short weeks on June 2 because OMG SHADOW REAPER IS RELEASING THEN!!!
*Hyperventilates*
My most anticipated read this year - I can’t wait!!! ❤️
I’m so excited for this book. I’m 100 sure us readers are going to love it