Photo by Daniel Frank on Unsplash
Welcome, friend.
This is the fourth edition of The Secret Library, though the first on Substack, in which I trust you with the secret stories that are not yet on the shelf. Each of these letters coincides with the changing of the seasons, arriving in your inbox on the solstices and equinoxes. Thank you for being here.
Writing Update
Still querying, still writing. Two agents are reading my manuscript, so cross your fingers for me and this book! For now, I’m referring to this project as SISTER SWORN on social media. You can read an exclusive bonus chapter by subscribing to this substack, The Secret Library.
SISTER SWORN’s pitch:
In a magic-ruled world, magicless Imogen must reluctantly join a rebel band to free her sister from the Kingdom’s eternal imprisonment, but a generations-old secret requires a sacrifice Imogen may not be ready to make.
SISTER SWORN is perfect for fans of the atmospheric world-building in Rebecca Ross’ A RIVER ENCHANTED and the lyrical prose in Hannah Whitten’s THE FOXGLOVE KING.
What to expect in SISTER SWORN:
Sisterly bonds
Underdog FMC
Women with weapons
Magic-wielding warrior rebels
Slowburn romance
Grumpy x grumpier
Found Family
Generational Secrets
Dark forests
A dark-haired, rebel-leader book boyfriend
Women saving themselves
If you’d like to read an exclusive bonus chapter, hit that subscribe button and it’ll be delivered straight to your inbox (for free).
Story Study
Here are a few books I’ve read this season, as well as the elements I learned from them. Hint: Click on the cover to go to each book’s GoodReads page.
If you have a book you loved (and possibly learned from) please let me know. I’d love to add it to my TBR.
The Jasad Heir by Sara Hashem: A reluctant, flawed hero. An enemies-to-lovers romance. Secrets and betrayals. Tension. PACING. This is one you need to read.
Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher. Surprising characters. Not your usual heroes. Characters in their thirties with whole lives already lived. A romance between two awkward adults as they bumble into trusting each other. It’s the first book in a trilogy, but each book in the series stands alone.
Dark Water Daughter by H.M. Long. A stormsinger. A disgraced naval officer. Dark forests and ethereal spirits that live within their trees. The plot, the original magic system, and the generational secrets… not to mention the high-stakes adventures full of betrayal! Read this one (and tell me when you do so we can DISCUSS!)
Anticipated New Fantasy Releases
Two Twisted Crowns by R.M. Gillig (October 17, 2023)
Lady of Roses and Ruin by Courtney Shack (October 19, 2023)
What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez (October 31, 2023)
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross (December 26, 2023)
For Writers
Deciding to take the worlds living in your head and putting them on a page is magic. It’s intimate. It’s cathartic. It’s alchemy in that you make something from nothing. It’s private and it’s yours and it’s full of potential. It can also be lonely.
But it doesn’t have to be.
I wrote a guest post for E. A. Whyte’s blog on Finding Community, Connection, and Critique in the Writing Space. I outline how to find your community; frameworks to use when asking for and providing feedback; the power of writing groups; and critique partner relationships. You can read the full post here.
If you’ve been here a while, you know I co-host a podcast, STORYBEAST with my critique partners, Ghabiba Weston and Courtney Shack. Though I recommend all the episodes—and new ones drop each Thursday—I recommend giving episode 44 a listen. Gabi and I discussed how to read as a writer, using specific examples and how we learned from them. You can find episode 44: Reading as a Writer here.
A gift for you…
A first-draft snippet to tide you over until next time.
Olesia
Sitting in a garden, no shovel, no pail.
I breathe and I breathe, yet the air is so stale.
Gone are the roses, the thorned and red.
Left are the mottled, the weary, the dead.
“I do,” says the bride, resplendent in white.
“I do,” says the groom, without a fight.
But do they not know, the vow they have said,
Steals the heart behind my ribs,
No longer beating, but shred.
My graphite crumbles at the last words, and my vision swims. I press my back into the church’s stone wall, the cold edge hard against my spine. My skirts pool in the dirt around me, covered in grime, no longer the layers of pristine pressed lace. I curl my fingers around the pencil. The stained-glass windows above my head do nothing to muffle the sound inside. The hymns. The songs of praise.
The promise of forever that was supposed to be mine.
Wishing you rainy nights, cozy blankets, tasty snacks and good books.
Until next time,
Nadine
Sending all the good vibes that one of those agents falls in love and picks your story for representation!!
A great update, thanks Nadine! Crossing my fingers as always for your book in its querying journey. And so thrilled to hear how you connected with The Jasad Heir, it is high up on the TBR list.