Not 1 But 3 Books 35% Off On B&N 💸

(did someone order a teenage David snarkfest with that sale?)

Welcome back, dear reader! Slip off your shoes, race across the wildflower-spotted grass, and stand with your arms open wide in the rainstorm. I’ve got a cornucopia of sales, summary reveals, bonus chapters, and video essay recs lined up for you this week, so make sure you read all the way to the end to get all your goodies <3

Barnes and Noble, You Saucy Minx

B&N surprised us yesterday by rolling out one of their three-day-only preorder super sales! Today and tomorrow, all preorders (including e-books and audiobooks!) are 25% off on the B&N website with the code PREORDER25! And if you’re a premium member, you get an additional 10% off!

I did the math: if you snag a foiled, sprayed edge exclusive EVOCATION paperback and a hardcover copy of ASCENSION during this sale as a premium member, you can get BOTH for thirty dollars! Not to mention double points you can cash in for more books 📚

New to the Summoner’s Circle? There’s never been a better time to start this soapy, sexy occult fantasy series set in modern Boston, all about a messy web of occultists with a swoony, snarky psychic/sorcerer/witch mmf triad at the heart of it all.

It’s Teenage Psychic Terror Hours

I have heard your requests for a look into David’s past as Boston’s premiere teen psychic medium, and baby, the lore runs deep. If you want to read a bonus chapter in David’s POV about hosting seances after school, dealing with his dad (derogatory), hanging out in Lorena’s botanica, and thirsting after older man, just submit proof of your paperback preorder to the form below! The bonus chapter will be emailed out regardless of where you live in the world, and regardless of whether you preorder the standard paperback or the paperback exclusive, from B&N or anywhere else.

There have been some marvelous physical goodies to go along with this series as purchase incentives, arc gifts, or tour stop surprises, but I really wanted this one to be available worldwide!

She’s Here, She’s Queer, and She’s Gonna Bring You To Your Knees

No, I am not done spoiling you with sales, because SAVAGE BLOOMS surprise-dropped onto the Barnes and Noble website yesterday! If EVOCATION is a delightfully light Boston cannoli dipped in just enough bitter chocolate chips to keep things interesting, SAVAGE BLOOMS is a deep, dark chocolate cake that’s been soaked in brandy and set on fire for that so-bad-it’s-good something extra. And yes, SAVAGE BLOOMS is also included in the B&N preorder sale!

This first book in a gothic erotic fantasy romance trilogy is for the real freaks and lovers, the forbidden romance girls and the doomed by the narrative boys, and anyone who stayed up too late reading “inappropriate” books under their covers with a flashlight. You want morally grey? You want a five chili pepper fire? I got you.

Take a look at Isabel Burke’s stunning illustration of Adam, Nicola, Finley, and Eileen, and then feast your eyes on the official back cover summary!

S. T. Gibson, the queen of erotic fantasy romance, returns with this ravishingly dark trilogy of gothic manors, faery magic, and forbidden desires set in the foreboding Highlands of Scotland.

For as long as Adam can remember, the legends passed down from his world-traveling grandfather have called him to a crumbling manor in the Highlands. His closest friend Nicola longs for the same adventure, as well as for Adam himself. She'll follow him just about anywhere - even to the remote wilds of Scotland - if it pushes the pair to surrender to their shared attraction.

But when a storm strikes and strands them unexpectedly, Adam and Nicola find themselves at the mercy of the eccentric owner of the infamous house, Eileen, as well as her brooding groundskeeper, Finley.

Trapped by the weather, and bound by ancient faery magic, Nicola and Adam get more than they bargained for as they become entangled in Eileen and Finley's world of mind games, deceit and forbidden desire. As ancestral sins are unearthed, Adam and Nicola will have to reckon with the spell Eileen and Finley have cast over them - and whether or not they even want to be free.

The Part Where I Do A Little Tap Dance and Say Pretty Please

I’m going to share some publishing tea: there’s a reason authors push these preorder sales so hard. Preorders are crucially instrumental in a book’s success, because the number of preorders tells publishers how much money and publicity to invest in an author, helps bookstores choose how many copies to stock in brick and mortar locations and which books to feature in displays, and is the determining factor in whether a book hits bestseller lists or not. So if you were thinking of picking up any of my upcoming books, preordering them is best for me as the author, and if you’re a USA-based reader who likes to be thrifty, picking them up today or tomorrow during the sale is going to be the best deal for you.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for all the support you’ve shown me through your dollars, social media posts, word of mouth hype, and amazing psychic energy blasted through the ether!

Events

Have you grabbed your tickets for RomanceCon yet? I’m so excited to be in the beautiful city of Milwaukee meeting all the amazing Midwestern readers who have been hoping for a local event! The lineup this year is craaaazy: Christina Lauren, Amber Roberts, Julian Winters, Kimberly Lemming, Mallory Marlowe, TJ Alexander? I’ve got stars in my eyes!

If you’re in the New England area and want to celebrate the release of the EVOCATION paperback in style; join me and queer thriller author Kit Mayquist at the the Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, MA on February 25th at 7 pm! The event is free but you do need a ticket and space will fill quickly, so be sure to grab it in advance! We’re going to be chatting everything occult Boston, queer entanglements, and all the yummy gothic bits of our work that we love.

Have you read Kit’s debut TRIPPING ARCADIA yet? It’s a darkly decadent post-academia revenge novel about a sapphic med school dropout infiltrating a filthy rich Boston family and fighting her feelings for the family’s diamond-hard daughter. If you like your opulence corroded, your female protagonists furious, your lavish parties Gatsby-esque, and your murders medieval, I can’t recommend it enough.

Let’s Get Gothic

This month’s Apocrypha newsletter (available to those in the paid tier of this newsletter) is all about writing the gothic, with a required reading and watch list from Professor Saint, and behind the scenes glimpses at the development of Savage Blooms! It’s going to be a big beautiful blend of educational and entertaining writing, so be sure you upgrade to the paid tier so you don’t miss it! As a full time writer, I am funded entirely by book sales, speaking engagements, and substack subscriptions, and your contribution really does make a huge difference on my ability to stay working!

Parting Gifts and Goodies

If you read this far you are one of my new favorite people, and you get not only a sizzling cheek kiss through the electrical currents of your internet connection, but a bundle of my best recommendations from this month!

As far as Youtube video essays you can’t miss Alex Ahr’s ASMR ramble about coffee culture and gothic philosophy, The State of the Artist with Liv’s Why Making Weird Art Is A Flex, and Nicole Rudolph’s How The Boredom Epidemic Ruined Hobbies. For a straight shot of beauty and gentle creative vibes, don’t miss Anais Laure’s I Tried Toni Morrison’s Writing Routine, and if you want to hear the groovy jazz and lofi mix I’ve had on the background while doing admin, check out home alone’s drive it like you stole it.

Finally, if you’re feeling existential despair about the rising tides of authoritarianism and ecological destruction, and wondering how art can possible fit into this world without feeling twee or didactic or even delusional, I highly suggest giving the newest Print Run Podcast' episode a listen. Once again, Laura and Erik know what’s up.

That’s all I have for you this week, dear reader! Take good care of each other, and be safe and well until we two meet again.

-S