I sold some books!

I thought about burying the lede but I can’t be coy about this: my debut novel, Magestruck, will be published in Fall 2027 by Harlequin!

Magestruck, as the Publishers Marketplace screenshot up there says (my very own Publishers Marketplace screenshot!), is a queer fantasy rom com about a prince and a mage and a lot of forced proximity. I wrote this book two summers ago and it absolutely poured out of me in exactly two months to the day. I wrote it half-expecting it to only ever be for me because it was so exactly and purely what I wanted to write, because I was recovering from surgery and didn’t have the capacity for anything but play. It turns out that when you pour joy onto the page, other people like reading it!

I’m so thrilled that my boys have found a home. I can’t wait for you all to meet Luc and Gawain, and I am especially excited that it’s a two-book deal, because while this is a romance and there is an HEA, we still need to resolve the questions of [SPOILERS REDACTED] and [OH MAN BIG TIME SPOILERS REDACTED HERE].

…BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

Writing a joyous queer fantasy rom com in two months was so nice, I did it twice (not in the same summer, though, summer is tragically not that long). The Conman’s Guide to Dragon-Slaying is a standalone novel unrelated to Magestruck, coming from Grand Central in Spring 2028. It’s a bit A Knight’s Tale, a bit comedy of manners, and a lot of fun. I am so excited for you to meet Val and Toby but first readers have already informed me that the actual star of the book is a little dragon named Hogweed, and who am I to argue?

So. Next fall: Magestruck. Spring 2028: The Conman’s Guide to Dragon-Slaying. Fall 2028: Magestruck 2, of which I have not yet written a single word…but it is summer now.

Looks like I’ve got some work to do. 😎

What’s New?

Oh, you know, nothing much. I sold three books. Not sure if I mentioned that?

In other news, I chatted with my buddy Matthew of Superhero Ethics about whether ACAB applies to superheroes, and if so, which superheroes. If you didn’t know that I am fiercely protective of Cyclops (yes, he’s a disaster, but he can’t help it), now you do.

What I’m Reading

Books: I’d been meaning to read Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green basically since I first heard about it, and it was so worth it. Most of us in the western world know so little about tuberculosis as a modern disease, and this book goes deep into why that is as well as the medical, social, and artistic history of tuberculosis. What I’ve always appreciated about how Green talks about history, from way back in the Crash Course days, is his deeply humanist and compassionate approach to it, and that’s on full display here. It’s rare that nonfiction makes me cry, but this book had me weeping at several points. Everyone should read it.

Comics: My deep dive into X-Men history continues, albeit somewhat out of order, with the 2005 X-Factor series. Peter David has always been one of my favorite comic book writers, and this series is such a good reminder of why. It’s the kind of comic we rarely if ever see these days: true long-form serialized storytelling that is continuity heavy and deeply character driven, with genuine growth (and regression) and status quo changes, multiple subplots continually rotating the entire ensemble cast in and out of prominence, throwaway moments that pay off issues and issues down the line. I understand the market conditions that have forced publishers to move away from lengthy creator-driven opuses to constant turnover and a more static, shallow approach to characters, but I miss long runs you could really sink your teeth into.

Happy Pride Month, friends! I hope wherever you are, it’s sunny and bursting with rainbows.

<3

Jessica