Author Tip by Eva Leigh + News ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­ ͏ ‌     ­
twitter

instagram

img

NEWS

David Mack’s “Family History” (Star Trek: The Next Generation) was a joint Scribe Award winner for Best Short Story and Keith R.A. DeCandido’s INFINITE DARKNESS: THE BEGINNING (Resident Evil) was a finalist for Best Graphic Novel.

THE GUEST IN ROOM 120 by Sara Ackerman was named to Zibby Owens’s Most Anticipated Fall List.

FRIENDS TO LOVERS by Sally Blakely was reviewed by The Gloss Book Club and received a rave review from BookTrib.

ONE OF US KNOWS by Alyssa Cole and CHARLOTTE ILLES IS NOT A TEACHER by Katie Siegal are finalists in LGBTQ+ Mystery at the 37th annual Lambda Literary Awards.

DEATH AT A HIGHLAND WEDDING by Kelley Armstrong was featured in The Globe and Mail’s “12 Thrillers You Need to Read Before the Summer Ends.”

KINGDOM OF TOMORROW author Gena Showalter did an Authorlink interview about the launch of The Book of Arden series (Montlake, Sept 1, 2025), touching on forbidden books and a secret library.

FOR THE RECORD by Emma Lord was featured in a Swooon interview discussing the novel’s celebrity inspirations (including a Taylor Swift nod) and the author’s musical past.

Creatures of Fate announced the 2026 release of Fools Reborn, an official tabletop roleplaying game based on Carol Berg’s COLLEGIA MAGICA trilogy: THE SPIRIT LENS, THE SOUL MIRROR, and THE DAEMON PRISM.

AUTHOR TIP OF THE MONTH

EVA LEIGH is a USA Today bestselling author. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, her books have been featured by the New York Times, NPR, Oprah Daily, the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and many more. She lives on the Central California coast with her husband and cats. THE SEA WITCH is her latest novel.

THE SEA WITCH Eva Leigh

It’s hard for me to believe, but next year will mark my 20th year as a published author. Through those two decades, I’ve learned many lessons. Some were happy lessons, others were acquired through more challenging means. One piece of knowledge that I’ve returned to again and again, and a crucial aspect of how to create a sustained career, is this: don’t be afraid to pivot.

I am definitely not writing the same books now that I was in the early Aughts. I’m not with the same publisher I was then, either. Yet I was able to continue to find different genres and subgenres, as well as new publishers, by my willingness to pivot. If the subgenre you’re currently working in suddenly dries up, or if it no longer ignites your imaginative fire, it pays to keep an open mind to think about what other subgenres (or even entire genres) might hold your interest. Embrace following new directions. Consider all of your options. Changing subgenres and genres isn’t a failure. It’s adaptability.

A caveat, though. When contemplating your pivot, be sure that the direction in which you move is one that you naturally enjoy. Writing in a subgenre or genre that you don’t care for, strictly to chase the market, can result in books that might lack your creative spark, and could come out flat. You’ll find greater inspiration and enjoy the process more if your new route is one that interests you. When you do this, not only will you embrace this fresh path, but your readers will, too.

RECENT DEALS

Annabel Paulsen and Lydia Wang's ENCORE, in which two ex-bandmates are forced to reconcile when their indie trio embarks on a reunion tour five years after their breakout album and tour and the one night that ruined everything, to Nina Haines at Bindery Books, by Kristy Hunter

Sean David Robinson's debut, THE DOOR IN PENROSE FOREST, in which a man returns to his hometown to care for his dying father—only to uncover a buried journal, a century-old mystery, and a staircase in the woods that may lead to a parallel world and the truth behind his mother's long-ago disappearance, to Rebecca Nelson at Crooked Lane in a nice deal, by Travis Pennington

Remigiusz Mroz's NEVER FOUND, in which a man finds a recently posted picture of his missing and presumed dead fiancée 10 years after her disappearance, and goes on a hunt for answers that lead to dangerous and unexpected places, to Gemma Creffield at Datura, by Lucienne Diver

NEW CLIENTS ON THE BLOCK

img-8045-version-2 copy 2

JP Rindfleisch IX

JP Rindfleisch IX writes cozy, queer fantasy and strange fiction. They are the author of Mandrake Manor and Mosswood Apothecary, and co-author of NRDS: National Recently Deceased Services, a paranormal comedy series, and the Leah Ackerman Dark Paranormal Academy novels.

Based in Rockford, Illinois, JP is the founder of Rockford Area Writers, a supportive collective of more than 80 local authors and creatives.

img-8045-version-2 copy 2

Kassandra Tyst

Kassandra is an Austrian and Swedish writer of the fantastical and magical with a healthy dose of romance. She currently lives in Austria with her bunnies and snakes.

NEW RELEASES

JOY MOODY IS OUT OF TIME by Kerryn Mayne

JOY MOODY IS OUT OF TIME by Kerryn Mayne

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

Strange things are happening behind the bright pink facade of Bayside’s premier laundromat, Joyful Suds, home to Joy Moody and her twin daughters.

For much of their lives, Joy has been lying to Cassie and Andie. What started as a colorful tale to explain how the twins came to live with her grew over the years and was always something she meant to set straight. Joy really did think she had more time. Worse still, Joy is struggling to define the truth from the lies.

The girls have long believed they are vital to the future and must stay hidden to stay safe. Joy has told them that their impending twenty-first birthday is significant; they will step into their roles as leaders of a revolution and life as they know it will change. Joy was right - everything will change, just not in the way they expected. On Andie and Cassie’s birthday, Joy Moody is found dead and her girls face a world they are not prepared for without their mother. Joy Moody is out of time… in more ways than one.


FOR THE RECORD by Emma Lord

FOR THE RECORD by Emma Lord

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

Once the most notorious rivals in the music scene, pop princess Mackenzie Waters and punk rockstar Sam Blaze electrified audiences as their bands clashed on stage. But behind the scenes, their simmering tension grew into something more ― until suddenly both bands fell apart, and the idea of Mackenzie and Sam did, too.

Two years later, Sam has traded the rockstar lifestyle for a quiet life raising the son he didn’t know about. Meanwhile, Mackenzie is dealing with a postoperative change in her voice by only singing under a pseudonym. The only way to revive their public careers? A joint comeback album.

With fans over the moon and their futures on the line, Sam and Mackenzie face their biggest challenge yet: giving up their old rivalry and learning to work together. But as old sparks fly and new secrets emerge, they set off a chain reaction neither of them could have anticipated ― one that proves that sometimes, the greatest hits are the ones yet to be written.


THE SEA WITCH Eva Leigh

THE SEA WITCH Eva Leigh

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

Condemned as a witch, sentenced to die, Alys Tanner uses her innate magical power to flee Puritanical New England. Stealing a ship, Alys becomes captain of The Sea Witch, leading its all-female, sorcery-wielding pirate crew. But the colonial British navy is in hot pursuit. The navy fights for a choke hold on the Caribbean and will destroy anything they cannot control, especially witches.

When Ben Priestley, a headstrong naval navigator, is inadvertently captured by the lady pirates, dangerous truths are revealed. A quest that could turn the tides against the navy’s might ignites a reluctant partnership between the by-the-books prisoner and the fierce witch pirate captain. While they brave backstabbing pirates, perilous tropical islands and monster-filled seas, Alys and Ben’s mistrust grows into unexpected desire as they battle an enemy that will stop at nothing to rule the waves.


A SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES by Laurel Greer

A SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES by Laurel Greer

AMAZON - B&N - BOOKSHOP

This summer, second chances start with a single knock at the door.

Oyster Island has been buzzing with the return of Lawson Thorne! The gifted brewmaster is trying to rebuild his life and prove to friends and family that he’s changed. But when Lawson becomes the guardian to four-year-old twins, it’s almost more than he can handle. Until his pretty neighbor Clara Martinez knocks on his door.

With her son heading to college and her recent celiac diagnosis, the widowed single mom is looking for a fresh start. Clara’s parenting senses start tingling when she sees Lawson struggling with the twins. When she offers a helping hand, Lawson seems to think she’s a lifesaver…and a lovely distraction from a past he just can’t escape. Clara has her own emotional baggage, too. Maybe she’s meant to help Lawson heal, so that they can build a new family…together.


UNSUBSCRIBE