March brings breezes
loud and shrill, stirs the dancing daffodil. ― Sara Coleridge
Hello Friend,
I’m once again writing to you from my comfy living room couch while curled up under a heated blanket. I expect that’ll change in the next month as spring finally breaks through winter’s wall. Until then, grab a blanket and hot drink and let’s chat catch up.
Reminder
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I have SO MUCH to show you in the next few months. Plus a pre-order campaign with an amazing incentive, giveaways, and more behind the scenes things that I don’t want you to miss.
Facts of Life
February was a nice light month! I mostly stayed home, mostly because of the two snow storms we had back-to-back which brought record breaking lows to my state. Which meant I stayed under my electric blanket and filled the creative well through books, k-dramas, and anime. I also had the pleasure of taking a course through The Writer’s Conservatory which helped me brainstorm more on my next project.
I did venture out once to my favorite bookstore, Best of Books, to celebrate the launch of a friend’s third novel!
She even made these adorable key chains! I met Heather Levy back in our MFA days when we were just dreaming about our books finding publishers and readers and being on bookshelves across the country. It’s been so fun watching her career take off and she’s been an amazing supporter of mine. Check out her romantic thriller, This Violent Heart, here!
Progress Report
Did you see the cover for Her Soul for a Crown? The reveal was a whirlwind two-day event, with the first beginning with Entertainment Weekly’s exclusive reveal and first chapter excerpt. Then my publisher created a stunning reveal reel (click below if you missed it)! And the next day, a ton of readers took to socials and shared about their excitement for the book.
It was better than any cover reveal for my debut novel I could have dreamt of.
It was so good in fact, that it took me a few days to be able to jump back into thinking on my next project. Then my publisher announced the audiobook! That’s right, HSFAC is going to audio and with one of my favorite narrators, Shiromi Arserio. If you missed my fun little story about how I prepared a presentation to send to my publisher, convincing/begging them for an audiobook only for them to send me a surprise email that they’d already started working on it check out my Instagram post here. Also be sure to check out the comments! Shiromi might have had her eyes on HSFAC for a while as well, which is totally wild and didn’t leave me utterly in happy tears.
Aside from all the exciting announcements, I did get some work done this past month. As I mentioned above, I took a course through The Writer’s Conservatory. I’m of the opinion that an author is continuously developing their craft, which makes every new book better than the last. It’s a miracle made through intentional effort. So, at the start of each book, I set my focus on a craft element or skill I want to build upon. And it just so happened that Roshani Chokshi, author of a few of my favorite books (including the Aru Shah series and The Last Tale of the Flower Bride), was teaching a course called “On Muses, Myths, and Legends.” I have so many notes after taking the class, friends, and am so jazzed about this next idea.
And as a nice surprise at the end of the month, I got my pass pages for HSFAC (the final time I’ll get to review the book before it goes to the printer)! More on this in next month’s newsletter, as it’s my first time to ever do it.
Book Recommendation
This month I’ve really enjoyed:
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen. This was such a lovely cozy romantic fantasy. Perfect for reading while cuddled up in a heated blanket.
The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers. I am obsessed with this woman. I loved the recent HBO series and when I heard about this book I snapped it up immediately. It’s everything you ever wanted to know about her time as a spy, plus how she and Paul met and fell in love, plus SHE WAS STATIONED IN SRI LANKA. Which I hadn’t known before, so this was a fun surprise. You bet your coq au vin I’m staying at the same hotel she did in Kandy!
Pre-order Her Soul for a Crown!
Snag a signed copy from my local indie bookstore, Best of Books, here.
Snag a copy from all other retailers, here.
Save your receipts for ~reasons~
Why does pre-ordering matter?
Similar to Goodreads shelf adds, but way more important, book pre-orders are an indication of reader interest. They prove to publishers and booksellers that working with the author and stocking their books is a good decision. Meaning that the book/author will more likely:
get marketing pushes
have goodies to give away
go on tours to meet readers across the country
and make more book deals
Book pre-orders also help an author hit bestseller lists! These sales are included in the first week’s sales numbers, which is the time of a book’s life when it’s potential to hit a bestseller list is highest.
So, if you love an author's work, consider pre-ordering and/or asking your local library to shelve the book. My heartfelt thanks to everyone <3
Again, thank you for coming alongside this journey with me. It’s an absolute dream to have you here.
Love, Alysha
P.S. I post daily updates on my Instagram
