It's my debut year!

News

My book comes out this year!

I’ve been waiting to say that forever. I started my first novel at 9 years old (and finished it, at 153k words, about a decade later). Behooved is the seventh manuscript I completed, the sixth I queried, and my second on submission—so it’s been a long wait, and I’m both nervous and thrilled!

Less than four months to go until it’s out in the world!

The past month or so has been busy—here are a few pieces of news:

• I have a short story in the Artifice & Access anthology, which just came out on January 25! It’s a collection of fantasy stories by disabled authors, and my piece, To Make Her Eat, is a sapphic reimagining of Goblin Market with celiac disease. You can buy it from Amazon and Barnes & Noble now, and I’m only slightly biased when I say the anthology is really good!

• The UK cover of Behooved was revealed this past week! If you’ve been waiting to see which cover you prefer to preorder, now is your moment of truth! (Same lovely art, slightly different fonts, and hardcover rather than paperback!)

• I’ve donated a query critique and a signed ARC (advance reading copy) of Behooved to the Kidlit4Ceasefire auction (please note, Behooved is intended for an adult audience, so bid for yourself instead of your kids). The auction is live now and runs through January 31, and there are a ton of amazing items to bid on!

• I’m still offering paid editing services for query packages, and my rates have gone up slightly. The form to book services can be found on my website, or right here. I’ve added a $10 discount for BIPOC writers. I’m not taking on very many editing clients, so book early if you know you’ll want feedback on your materials!

• Very important kitten news: Cricket is now huge. He’s bigger than Chicory (our adult cat) and he’s only six months old. Cuddling him is an arm workout.

And now, something you’ll hopefully find exciting: I’m giving away a signed ARC of Behooved to one newsletter subscriber! To enter, all you have to do is a) be subscribed to my newsletter and b) fill out a short form. I’ll draw one winner at the end of the month.

Enter the giveaway here!

It’s open internationally (yes, really! As long as you’re somewhere that can accept packages from the US) and I will personalize the ARC for you upon request!

Writing updates

In December, I turned in my second contracted book—another standalone adult fantasy rom com—so I am now off deadline until my editors send me their notes in March! (I’m sure there will be many. I’m trying to remind myself that surely my editors have seen drafts in worse shape and will not throw up their hands and scream with horror, “Why did we want this book?”)

In the past month, I also wrote some bonus content for Behooved for reasons that are currently very secret and very exciting—stay tuned if you like things that rhyme with schmecial schmeditions!

I spent most of January revising my YA fantasy heist, with the goal of putting it on submission this spring. It’s now back with my agent, so in the meantime I’m flailing between projects and thinking about what I want to write next, and when (I don’t do well when I don’t have an active project).

Crafty Corner

It still being January, when many (most?) of us are setting goals and resolutions for 2025, I thought I would talk about how I set writing goals.

My biggest piece of advice when it comes to setting publishing or writing-related goals: Set goals that you can control.

I used to set big goals along the lines of “get an agent” and “get a book deal…” and then feel bad when they didn’t happen. The thing is, you can write an amazing book and query it widely, but whether an agent offers isn’t up to you. So why set yourself up to feel bad for something that’s out of your control?

Now I break the things I’d like to achieve into two categories: goals (things I can control barring unforeseen circumstances, such as writing a new draft or revising a novel), and intentions (things I can’t fully control but would like to happen, such as selling a book).

Maybe this year, instead of “I’m going to get an agent,” try: I’m going to send 50 queries. Or instead of “I’m going to get a book deal,” try: I’m going to revise my book with my agent and get it ready for submission.

Switching my goals to actions that support my intentions has helped my mental health a lot—let me know if it works for you!

For a completely different approach to setting goals, I also recommend this episode of The Author Burnout Cure podcast (I’ve been listening to this podcast frequently—definitely check it out if you’re a writer)!

Book recommendations

I’ve decided that to make picking a book recommendation easier on myself, I’m going to choose from the titles I read in the previous month (and aim to suggest books that are out now, so you can immediately go and buy them if they catch your eye). This month I’m recommending one YA and one adult book that I read in December!

S.F. Williamson’s YA fantasy A Language of Dragons is a fantastic, fast-paced debut set in a version of 1923 England with (you guessed it) dragons. It has a linguist main character tasked with breaking a “dragon code” in exchange for her family’s safety. I was absolutely riveted! If you like fantasy that feels dystopian, this will be right up your alley.

I also finished reading Melissa Caruso’s Rooks and Ruin trilogy, about a young woman with a deadly magical touch fighting to protect her home from demons, with a lot of political maneuvering. The Witch Lords are one of my favorite fantasy concepts I’ve come across, and I’ll read anything Melissa Caruso writes! Be forewarned—her books grab you by the throat and demand you keep reading until you finish! I recommend her first series (the Swords & Fire trilogy) frequently as a case study in pacing, tension, and stakes.

If you entered the ARC giveaway, I’ll be announcing the winner at the end of the month—make sure to fill out the form before midnight EST on Jan. 31st.

Next time, I hope to share news on a preorder campaign, so definitely make sure you’re subscribed if you want to get your hands on signed copies of Behooved and some swag!

~Marina