see you on samhain?
also, there's a new audiobook out!
hello, dearest ones.
You may have already seen on my Instagram, but Allison and I will be taking Welcome to Blackbird Hollow for a spin later this month. If you’re local to Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, we’d love to see you on Halloweekend!
I’m going to take a moment and harp on how important it is to support IRL community spaces, particularly in times like these when the fascism gets … well, really extra fascist. Whether it’s bookstores or coffeeshops, libraries or the hardware store, third places that offer connection, community and care are incredibly important. Give ‘em the fuel they need to keep going whenever you can.
Here’s the wonderful indie bookstores we’ll be visiting on our mini book tour! All of these events are free to attend except for the Romance is Revolutionary panel at A Novel Idea; this one will be ticketed 1) to ensure everyone has a chair to be comfortably seated and 2) to raise some funds for our local community fridges. I hope to see you out there this Halloweekend <3
and if the Hollow’s not opening near you …
Don’t forget there’s other ways to immerse yourself fully in the darkly charming world of Blackbird Hollow. Our favorite tea-maker Old Growth Alchemy has whipped up a very special concoction that’ll transport you right to the Pine Cone Diner with notes of pumpkin, cinnamon and apple.
Not a tea person? I don’t understand you, but you’re still in luck—my beloved candlewitch Emilee at Woodland Magic has absolutely nailed the whole “hey, there’s a bonfire in the fae-haunted woods, bring cider and donuts” vibe of Welcome to Blackbird Hollow. You can snag a candle here. They are limited, so don’t miss out!
the Fatebound Duology is officially complete!
“Victoria, you published Beneath the Buried Sea last September,” you might say, and you would be correct. But for our audiophile friends, Raegan and the King’s journey only completed yesterday, when the audiobook released with Tantor Media. I’m so grateful to my amazing narrator (and dear friend!) Sara Brodt for all the incredible work she put into the duology, and to my pal Leila Norako for connecting me with a Welsh speaker to make sure we had all the pronunciations correct.
You can grab the audiobook at most major online retailers, including Libro.FM (my personal favorite as it profit-shares with indie bookstores!)
it’s mulling season.
And not just for ciders and wines! Though I do love a good mulled cider. We’re also moving into the darker, colder days here in Philadelphia—the days I like to spend staring out the window, going on long hikes, and generally being very lost in my head. Of course, I’ll be thinking a lot about Between the Rival Courts, the Fatebound Duology prequel that’ll be publishing in the spring … but there’s other things on my mind.
Like how to divest from these damn’ Meta platforms, at least a little, but still remain visible and in community with my readers. No official news yet, but—stay tuned. Your girl is plotting.
things I’ve enjoyed lately:
This video of a horse frolicking in the water. As a lifelong horse girl, I can confirm that this horse is having a blast, and that you can teach horses recall, just like dogs. This is a baby horse (no older than six months, I’d bet), so mom is also probably nearby, and baby will never stray far from mom!
Stephen Graham Jones’s The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, an absolute masterpiece that I’m still thinking about despite finishing it a few weeks ago now. The prose absolutely lifts on the page, and the way he used the frame narrative?! Fucking phenomenal.
My friend Tiffany’s gorgeous OOAK necklaces she recently dropped in her shop. My favorite, the gray moonstone, has already sold (my wallet is happy to hear it, tbh) but you bet ur bottom dollar I’m eyeing this little number, too.
Julia Elliott’s short story collection Hellions, which Tin House kindly sent me an ARC for, and which I’m (shamefully) just getting to now. I’m about halfway through and trying to savor this strange, lush and beautiful thing. “Arcadia Lakes” ruined me earlier today (are we not all sixteen-year-old Fern, desperately trying to nurture our tiny glimmering shred of wonder in an old bucket???) and the opening story “Bride” knocked my damn socks off. My fellow Angela Carter, Carmen Maria Machado, and Karen Russell readers will love this one.
that’s all for now <3
I hope I get to see you next week at a stop on our tour! But if not, I’m wishing you a lovely Samhain. Keep holding the line. Remember that tyranny takes a lot of effort to sustain, and every time you care for your neighbor or make weird art or defy these assholes by being your full self, you’re part of the revolution.
Let’s keep going, together. I won’t die until things get better, and that is a goddamn threat.