My debut book, Beyond the Aching Door, releases on March 26, 2024.
I’ve been waiting all my life to type that sentence, so I hope you’ll excuse me if I do it again, just to savor the moment.
My debut book, Beyond the Aching Door, releases on March 26, 2024.
It’s a story about grief and magic and love. If you enjoyed A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, Tithe by Holly Black, Dark Night, Golden Dawn by Allison Carr Waechter, or Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, my book is probably right up your alley.
A mortal journalist. A mysterious series of drownings. An exiled Fey king. A forgotten Fatesong. A single, desperate chance to save magic from extinction.
A journalist’s investigation of the mysterious drownings gripping Philadelphia leads her to shadowy places where kelpies appear in puddles, the Fair Folk offer bargains, and magic is very, very real. When she uncovers a startling connection to her own father’s unsolved disappearance nearly two decades ago, she knows she can’t just return to her normal life without answers. To get those answers, though, she’ll need to make a deal with the dark, deadly and alluring Unseelie King—and do her best to ignore their dangerous attraction to each other.
{READ THE FULL BLURB AND PRE-ORDER HERE!}
PS - If you’d prefer a paperback or an ebook, fear not! Beyond the Aching Door will be available in additional formats on its release day—but hand-signed hardcover copies will only be available at the link above :)
STUFF THAT HAS MADE ME FEEL SOMETHING (ANYTHING) LATELY
“THE HOLLOW PLANE” by ALLISON CARR WAECHTER - if you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE Allison’s books. Her latest, a gaslamp romance fantasy, is my favorite thing she’s ever written. Beautifully written and deeply felt, this story features all the goodies we love—romance, magic and imagination—but it somehow makes everything feel fresh and new. My favorite bits? The depiction of chronic pain with no magical fix at the end, and the portrayal of deep, intense queer friendships. You will cry, you will kick your feet like a schoolchild, you will rage, you will celebrate. Get this goddamn book.
MULTIVERSE - Okay, this one’s for my fellow Philadelphians, but a brand new speculative fiction bookshop just opened in the gorgeous Chestnut Hill neighborhood! Sara, the co-owner, is a lovely person, and I adore their selection. Selfishly, as someone closing a speculative fiction-focused brick & mortar, seeing someone like Sara and her partner continue the tradition makes me unspeakably happy. But beyond my own feelings—this is a damn good bookshop, and I look forward to making it my regular spot.
JENNY SHLEMON - One of my dearest friends got me a keychain from this artist that reads “horse girl from hell.” It’s iridescent and features etched flames. Did I mention it’s shaped like a heart? If you’re looking for a little bit of joy or a gift for your weird-ass friend, Jenny’s shop is the answer. There’s so many incredible designs and boy, do they make me feel SEEN, lol.
MOON CULT on PATREON - If you haven’t read Melissa Jayne Madara’s work—The Witch’s Feast and The Witch’s Yearly Planner—I highly recommend it. They’re not only a fantastic, engaging writer, but also a whip-smart scholar. Personally, I need those qualities in any writer I engage with in the witchcraft sphere, and Melissa never disappoints. Their Patreon is an incredible space with so much information on folklore, history and more. Melissa’s work has become really important to my creativity, and I look forward to being able to join a higher Patreon tier one day to support them even more.
That’s all for now. See you beneath the next dark moon. - V