The other day, reader Janet Anderson was telling me a one-book-leads-to-another story of how she came upon something I'd written. Her explanation of why she reads fantasy hit me in the feels, and I thought it might resonate with you, too:
As a teenager, I read tons of fantasy and science fiction, then drifted away towards literary fiction as an adult. It was during the covid lockdown that I started to feel an intense longing to escape to a magical place. I think I was also missing getting to read aloud to my daughter, who was now feeling too old for story time.
So now, Janet realized, "I needed some fantasy for myself again."
Having a this is for me thing — books or otherwise — is a powerful balm in stressful and upsetting times.
I too feel an intense longing to escape to a magical place, and I'm so grateful for the books that have helped me do it.
Thank you to all of you who told me, either in email replies or by clicking on the poll last time, how you first stumbled upon one of my books. It turns out you've found me in a variety of ways, but most often because Amazon sidled up to you like this guy. (May the algorithms be ever in your favor.)
I'm glad you're here, whichever path brought you.
And if you're in the mood to hit reply, I'd love to hear your tips: What, in addition to books, helps you escape to a happy place?
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More cool & bookish things
You guys, I was so excited to hear that A.J. Lancaster was writing a new Stariel book — and even more excited because it's about botanist Marius and arrogant fae prince Rake. That's a lot of anticipation to live up to, and A Rake of His Own totally does.
Marius is the funny, self-deprecating narrator you need in your life. You can read the book as a standalone if (by some terrible twist of fate) you haven't picked up the Stariel series yet. Here's the blurb:
Marius Valstar doesn’t know which is worse: the dead body in his greenhouse or the naked fae prince on his desk.
The only rakes of interest to Marius are garden tools. Not fae princes. Certainly not the arrogant, selfish fae prince he has the misfortune to have a history with.
But when Prince Rakken turns up naked and bleeding in Marius’s college the same day a body appears in his greenhouse, scruples must take second place to solving a murder that could unravel the delicate balance between humans and fae.
Marius’s own developing magical powers are more hindrance than help – as is Rakken’s bloodied past. Forced to work together, they must forge an uneasy alliance if they are to track down the killer. But how can Marius trust the man who represents everything he’s trying to avoid?
A woman haunted by an elusive memory gets a life-changing visit from a Gaelic king out of time. A witch trying to save the captain of the king's guard inextricably links her lifeforce to him. Find those books and many more here.
A princess and prince who don't want to marry each other must team up to rescue her kidnapped guards. A woman born with dark magic must pretend to be someone else to fulfill her destiny beside a dangerous fae man. Find those free books and two dozen more here.
You made it to the end! You're awesome. (Of course.) And oh hey, here are my latest books.
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