2021 Recap and Looking Into 2022
Hello, dear reader! I’ve been looking forward to this for a while.
First, let’s check back at some highlights from 2021: We published two books! The Whispering Dead (the first in the Gravekeeper series) released in May, and The Haunting of Leigh Harker came out in September. You showed an incredible amount of support for both of them, something I’m immeasurably grateful for.
Other fun news:
1) The Whispering Dead went on to become a Goodreads Choice Awards nominee. This was the best kind of surprise, especially considering some of the works up for nomination that year!
2) I wrote 300,000 words, equivalent to three novels (give or take).
3) My publisher, Sourcebooks, has offered a new contract. That means more books in 2023 and beyond!
Now, the really exciting stuff: looking forward to 2022. Spoiler: there will be books. Three of them.
The Ravenous Dead
The second in the Gravekeeper series follows Keira, Mason, and Zoe as they encounter a darkly twisted spectre. The remains of a serial killer dead for more than a hundred years has fixed its sights on Keira as its final victim. Fun fact: at the time of sending this email, I’m closing in on writing the ending of Book 3. The series is planned as five books total.
Early reviews say: “…a ghoulish local history full of surprising plot twists. It’s an intriguing episode in its own right, while also keeping up the series’ momentum.” – Publishers Weekly
Publication date: March 15. You can reserve your copy at: Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Amazon | Bookshop.org | Indigo
From Below
No light. No air. No escape. A documentary crew intent on exploring the recently-discovered wreck of a ship that vanished decades before find themselves trapped inside when their dive goes disastrously wrong. The ship, rumoured to be cursed, may not be entirely dormant.
I’ll leave you with one of the notes my wonderful editor left while working through the manuscript:
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Publication date: June 7th Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Amazon | Indiebound | Indigo
Gallows Hill
An old family estate. An old family curse. After the sudden and unexplained death of her parents, Margot inherits it all.
Only a couple of pre-order links are ready for this one, but more will be filtering through in the next few months.
Publication date: September 6th Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Ebook | Add on Goodreads
And then… two more books?
Yes, I’m not joking! We’re publishing a total of five titles this year. I didn’t include these two in the list above because they’re technically new editions of older titles: Quarter to Midnight and Small Horrors, both short story collections.
I’ve always loved short fiction. Some of the creepiest tales I’ve ever read have been in collections. But there’s also an unfortunate truth–short stories are much harder to sell than novels. That’s why this update is so exciting for me: bookstores have received so many requests for these collections that Sourcebooks is creating entirely new editions.
If you’ve had trouble getting a paperback of either of these titles, they’ll now be much more easily accessible, with new cover designs as well. The stories inside are unchanged but the formatting has been smartened up to match the rest of my titles.
There are still a few copies of the old versions floating around, but if you see these covers in bookstores you’ll know you’ve found one of the new editions. Small Horrors will appear in stores starting in April, with Quarter to Midnight following in August.
All together, the year looks something like this:
15 March: The Ravenous Dead (Gravekeeper Book 2)
5 April: Small Horrors
7 June: From Below
2 August: Quarter to Midnight
6 September: Gallows Hill
This is probably the busiest year we’ll have for some time. If you can believe it, I’m already working on books for 2023. (I can barely believe it!)
I hope you’re looking forward to more horror, because there’s plenty coming.
Much love,
Darcy