Planting seeds and starting fires

Feb freebie, Imbolc, and a grim recommendation

Hey, babes!

We’re starting February off strong with a freebie from

Miri Stone

. I cannot stress to you enough what a talented storyteller she is and how much I loved editing Biker Bear. It’s a spicy, gritty M/M enemies-to-lovers and the fact that she’s making her latest release available for FREE to my NL subscribers this month is mind-blowing. Grab your copy, and be sure to review on Bookbub!

Blessed Imbolc. For those of you who may not know, Imbolc is a traditional fire festival that commemorates the halfway point between winter and spring. We honor the coming of the sun, the gentle promise of springtime in midst of harsh winter. It begins on the evening of the 1st of February and ends on the 2nd.

You can celebrate Imbolc simply with bonfires and candles, conducting a rigorous cleaning of the home, and eating meals consisting of milk, cream, breads, root vegetables, and cured meats.

If you happen to take even just a moment today and tomorrow, reflect on what seeds you’d like to plant for harvest this year. I’ll be doing some literal planting to start seeds in my room upstairs, pruning and tending to some plants, baking bread, and lighting candles.

Book Recommendation

January is a month that likes to make itself felt. Each and every day of it. I am grateful, for my part, to be on the other side. I’ve spent most of this month doing hardcore cleaning up and rearranging in my home, trying to make best use of the space and finding ways to make it more inviting.

I’ve also been listening to hella audiobooks, and I recently revisited Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo—which led, of course, to my staying up last night until 1am reading Hell Bent for the first time. All in all, clearly, I loved it. Would gladly read again. It lacked the level of dark, unpredictable tension I felt in Ninth House, but the way it built on the lore of Yale and its societies, magic, and Alex Stern’s unique gifts was compelling.

Hell Bent wasn’t as gritty as Ninth House, I felt, but it did keep the same grim atmosphere, the same naïve fascination with the supernatural blended with the almost absurdly mundane. I liked her unique take on the source of magic, theories she left dangling, and the depth she created for characters that leave morality in a gray area and make you ask questions of those who otherwise might seem easy to read.

It is not a YA book, but adult fantasy, so it contains adult content, but no steam.

Upcoming Release

K.O. Newman

has finished Whisper and the manuscript has made its way to my desk for editing. Grab your preorder and be ready to sink your teeth into this chonker of a book.

Thanks for coming on this ride with me, babes, as always. I’m grateful for every single one of you. If you checked out Ninth House or Hell Bent, or if you picked up Biker Bear and loved it, let me know! I’d love to hear what you thought!

XOXO,

Mariah