Happy Friday, Friends!!🥳
As you know, I try not to spam your inboxes unless I have interesting things or big announcements to share with you, and this newsletter is no different! I have tons of exciting stuff to tell you, so please stick with me until the end!
But first, I should probably explain that subject line. You see, Britt And I were at Fort Collins Comic Con this past weekend, where we had an absolute blast hanging out with readers, convention participants, and fellow authors! One such author, Hayley Rae Johnson, joined Britt and I for dinner at a sushi restaurant. I'm not going to lie to you; sake was involved. And, well, one thing led to another, and before I knew it I was telling Britt and Hayley about the time I lived in Japan for 6 months. I was a traveling English teacher in Machida, Tokyo, and had four elementary schools (and something like 2,000 students) under my wing. What that meant is that anytime I showed up to teach for the day, the students would get really excited and would request that I eat lunch with them in the cafeteria. (Super cute, I know.) I want to preface this story by saying that I love Japanese cuisine, which IMO boasts some of the tastiest, most innovative dishes on the planet.
That said, I don't love all Japanese food. For example, I would sometimes see things like this being plated on my tray:
Those are baby mackerel - a Japanese staple - and they are served exactly like that: bones, scales, eyeballs, and all.
Now, Japanese people are very particular about their food and show it a great deal of respect while eating: Not pouring soy sauce on rice or shoving their chopsticks in their food to prop them upright, for example. It's also very important in Japanese culture that you finish every bit of food on your plate, down to the last grain of rice.
Chopstick finagling aside, that's not exactly an easy feat when you have the pallet of a picky toddler and a strong gag reflex. But I also couldn't risk getting in trouble or dishonoring myself, or worse, offending their local cultural norms, by not eating all of the food on my tray.
So, anyway, long story short, on more than one occasion I would randomly jerk my attention to the ceiling, pull a funny face like I had just seen Godzilla walk by the second story window, wait for all of the students to turn and inspect aforementioned giant reptile... And then shove the dried mackerel in my pants to avoid the very real possibility of regurgitating fish eyeballs.
And no, I will not be answering further questions about any post-prandial activities regarding the trouser fish.
Now that we've taken a moment to revel in my past humiliation, I have some cool book stuff to share - specifically special edition book stuff!
First and foremost, The Lightning Conjurer Series Special Edition is getting a SEGGSY makeover in the form of silver foil and sprayed edges!
The Lightning Conjurer series was my very first book baby and I'm so excited to show it even more love as I venture into the super fun world of special edition books.
***NOTE: If you already bought the first version of the special edition and are also eyeing the newly-revamped version, please shoot me an email and I'll make you a special invoice with $40 off and free shipping (a $50 discount in total). I never want my readers - especially those who have supported me the longest - to feel put out when I release new products. You guys are my reason for writing, after all!
If you haven't read TLC yet, you can read the complete series for $9.99 (or FREE with a KU membership!) Or you are also welcome to preorder the special edition, which we expect to arrive in early November! Just select "Preorder - REVAMPED Collectible Hardcover Omnibus" from the drop-down menu and you'll be among the first to receive your copy this fall!
In case you missed my FB poll yesterday,I have some exciting news about the Gilded Blood Deluxe Edition Omnibus as well!
Demand has been so steadily high, we're looking to get a warehouse and dedicated fulfillment team for 2025! This means we'll be able to handle more orders faster, and I'll have WAY more time to write, which will be fantastic! The downside, and something we've been discussing in-depth, is that hand-signing books will be much harder. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, the same joint-affecting condition Rebecca Yarros has. Currently, I can handle signing 10-20 books a day as there are breaks in between. But I won't be able to sign 5,000+ tip-in sheets to be sewn into the books ahead of time without doing serious damage to my wrist. But here's the good news: after polling you guys and getting some BRILLIANT suggestions, I have decided to do an embossed gold foil stamp of my signature on the title page. It'll cost a bit extra (for me) but will be so worth it in the end! So thank you so much for helping me puzzle that out AND come up with a really fun and beautiful solution! Until then, my local team will be using transparent matte bookplates that are hand-signed by me and look REALLY nice :)
✨💖IMPORTANT NOTE💖✨
I have decided that I will NOT be doing another print run of the gold-foiled edition. It's my favorite of the two variants and has the most meaning, given Talia's gold blood. Therefore, I think it's only appropriate that it remains rare and elusive, kind of like Gilded Blood :) So if you've been eyeing the gold version, I recommend you order it as soon as possible because I don't expect to have any left in stock by 2025.
Lastly, don't forget we're doing our big SCRATCH 'N' DENT SALE on holographic rainbow omnibuses, which will only last as long as our limited stock allows. We're talking BIG discounts (up to $40 off) for some seriously minor damage! So get on that while you can!!
Well friends, that's about it for now :) This Wednesday I head down to Atlanta for Dragon Con, where my schedule is insanely chock-full 😱
Once Dragon Con is over, I'll be heading directly to Edinburgh, Scotland for RARE. And then after that comes FanX in Salt Lake City and Mile Hi Con in Denver. I hope to see you at one or more of those events! (BTW, Australia readers, I'll be heading to Sydney for BABE in May of 2025 and cannot wait to see you there!!)
Be well and have a wonderful weekend ahead!
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