It's Almost 2025...?
Big emotions, upcoming releases, and some of my favorite reads of 2024.
It’s hard to believe that it’s almost the end of the year! I feel like 2024 both flew by and also aged us approximately 100 years at the same time. While we are technically not at the end of the year, I am writing this on my birthday, so it does feel a bit like a week-early reset, as I am another year older and hopefully somewhat wiser.
While I am back on deadline, I’ve been giving myself a bit of a break. I get some (much needed) time off my day job for the holidays, and considering a lot of my vacation time goes into book related travel and events, it’s nice to have some time off to binge read webcomics play an unhealthy amount of Pokémon GO relax. I’m excited to hopefully catch up on some reading and watching before I get into revisions!
Since it has been a little while and a new hosting site since my last newsletter, I wanted to do a quick In Case You Missed It mention for the cover reveal of my next MG horror, A LITTLE TOO HAUNTED, which releases next September but is currently available for preorder!
Isn’t it so creepy fun? Designer Jeanette Levy and illustrator Alla Khatkevich truly did the best job with creating the cover for this book and I’m so excited for everyone to read it!
A Note on the End of the Year
This time of year is a bit hard on me. I had a really terrible time last Nov-Dec, and while it’s better now, that doesn’t help with the already present anxiety which has already been amplified by the sun setting before 5pm (sorry, I hate it). It’s also a time where everyone just seems to share all their accomplishments, which is great, but difficult when you have feelings of insecurities and uncertainties. Sometimes it feels like the only news you get before the holidays is the bad news, while everyone else seems to be sharing all their highlights.
So for those who might be feeling that kind of way, you aren’t alone. I’m still facing some devastating rejections, feelings of book twos not having been able to measure up to book ones, and like I’m both doing not nearly enough and too much at the same time. If you’re with me, I hope we can both feel all the feelings we need to, but also take care, get a little treat (I’m a big believer in a daily little treat, honestly) and then focus on all the things we have accomplished during the year—all the accomplishments we can so easily look past just because they didn’t hit the goal post we expected.
Maybe my books this year didn’t get the same acclaim as my debuts, but I still released them. And I bet there are some queer, angry kids who really needed them (maybe some adults too). Maybe I didn’t sell all the projects I really hoped and wished I would, but I was able to sell one. Maybe I didn’t hit any lists, but I still put stories out there that might even be someone’s favorite—of all time, of the month, of the moment. That’s where I’m trying to focus.
And regardless of where I’m at with my writing, knowing that is not all I amount to. This year was more than my books. It was my family, my friends, my jiu-jitsu, my laughs and my tears and the memories made through all the ups and downs. Not that I don’t want to be hopeful for the future, I’m just working on not letting the things that didn’t happen take away from what had—even if I think it’s important to know that, for many of us, they’re still there.
And that’s okay.
Speaking of someone out there reading books and finding new favorites, I did want to share a bit of my own 2024 reading journey.
I’ve read 121 books (SO FAR—it’s not over until it’s over!)
My top genre was (to no one’s surprise) horror.
35% of my reading was done through reading audiobooks! I’m new to audiobooks, but have been really loving them and will be interested to see how this number shifts in 2025.
Here are my Top 20 Favorites!
(In no particular order, an * denotes it is available for preorder at the time of this post)
NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS by Meredith Adamo
THE IN-BETWEEN BOOKSTORE by Edward Underhill*
CANTO CONTIGO by Jonny Garza Villa
COMPOUND FRACTURE by Andrew Joseph White
MODEL HOME by Rivers Solomon
BURY YOUR GAYS by Chuck Tingle
THIRSTY by Jas Hammonds
TENDER BEASTS by Liselle Sambury
WHALEFALL by Daniel Kraus
THEY BLOOM AT NIGHT by Trang Thanh Tran*
OUR SHOUTS ECHO by Jade Adia
THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART by Monika Kim
MAEVE FLY by CJ Leede
NATURAL BEAUTY by Ling Ling Huang
TENDER IS THE FLESH by Agustina Bazterrica
RUIN ROAD by Lamar Giles
BUNNY by Mona Awad
MURDER LAND by Carlyn Greenwald*
THE UNMOTHERS by Leslie J. Anderson
REST IN PEACHES by Alex Brown
Looking forward to 2025…
Next year I will have TWO books out: HOW TO SURVIVE A SLASHER on March 11th and A LITTLE TOO HAUNTED on Sep 30th. I’m excited to share them both.
For SLASHER events, I have some Save-the-Dates with more info to come:
Los Angeles - March 9th
New York - March 20th
Hope I will get to see some familiar and new faces at these launch events!
Just a reminder—both books are available for preorder now, which is a great way to celebrate my birthday and Capricorn season officially starting :)
Finally, the cat photos. If you aren’t following me on social media, you might not know my newest assistant/member of the family, Rebecca. (AKA Becky Bun Bun, as she jumps a bit like a bunny.)
She is ready to slap away your worries and wish you a happy holiday season.
See you next year!