Hey awesome,

There's been some email list shenanigans, so you might have gotten two emails back to back, or no emails for a long time...Super fun, and I'm sorry to have over- or under-filled your inbox lately!

Did you get all the free short stories from the welcome emails? If not, reply here to let me know and I'll get it fixed!

I'm in the middle of a rare multi-week stretch without travel, so trying to get a bunch of stuff done. Do you ever find the more chores/errands you do...the more there seem to be? Always more things to do, I guess, whew.

As for this email, some super exciting, non-chore-like things, some from me and a ton from my absurdly talented friends!

You might have heard that Beyond Enemies is out in the world?

It's all over the place! Posing with Highland Cow/Struggle Bison, displayed at Barnes and Nobles across the country, at the Mall of America, at conventions! Also in the hands of some amaaaazing folks - you can see some of the cool authors who posed with it in the very first reels I ever made (here and also here). If you want to go pose with Beyond Enemies, either in a local bookstore or with your very own copy, and then send it to me, I'll enter you into a drawing to win a signed copy (orrrr another one of my books, OR even a Depik favor token, depending on where your passion is).

Have you had a chance to read Talinn and Bee's adventures? I'd really like to hear what you think - and if you loved it, would looove for you to rate/review wherever that makes sense.

In non-me news, the awesomeness is piling up!

One of my all-time favorite folks, Katie Cross, has launched a deluxe, illustrated edition of her award-winning, best selling YA Fantasy book, and I thought you would enjoy the heck out of it! 🙂 The Kickstarter is live March 1 - March 20, so you can check it out here and get notified when it goes live. Here’s a little bit about the story:

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has prepared for this moment her entire life. 

She's joining the quietly famous magical school Miss Mabel’s School for Girls. The only place where she can save her own life. Winning a spot to work directly with Miss Mabel is downright dangerous—particularly with Bianca's secrets to keep close.

Bianca comes face to face with enchanting spells, simmering potions, and the brutal pangs of homesickness.

Unfortunately, Miss Mabel has her own evil plans. If Bianca loses, she’s at the very center of them. Bianca’s only hope lies within the power of her grit, intelligence, and sheer determination.

You can't go wrong with a Katie Cross story, and this one is going to be as gorgeous in appearance as the words deserve. Heart-eye emojis all day.

Speaking of heart-eye emojis: My fellow Feral Ladies and I (with bonus William Alan Webb) are taking over March, with all the books!

• Melissa Olthoff: Fallout on Darsaana - March 1 (book 3 of the Salvage Bunny tales, and so freaking good - some of my comments on her story were about how she made me make goose-honk noises right out loud)
• Melissa Olthoff (AGAIN, she is such a rockstar): Companions in Chains - March 8 (a 4HU book, a Depik Companion novel, an amaaaaazing story that you don't want to miss)
• William Alan Webb and I: The Spider - March 15 (Hitworld/Valkyries crossover, and the kickoff of the Valkyries Initiative for full urban fantasy shenanigans
• Kacey Ezell: The Queen's FixerI - March 22 (book 1 of Ashes of Entecea, space opera chock full of brilliance - think Dune meets Hardcore History)

And if that's not enough (is it ever? TBR piles are meant to be towering), more awesomeness awaits:

H.Y. Gregor has an excellent novella with this gorgeous cover: The Beast of Bracken Hall - it's Hocus Pocus meets the Crucible in a low-fantasy, New England-esque setting. Relevant to my interests, available right now, and a boon to any library.

Trisha Wooldridge has a collection of her short stories and poetry in this darkly gorgeous anthology: Where Monsters Pray. "From irreverent mothers to genetically modified cats, explore the realms of sacred and profane, the divine and mortal, of those called monsters in this collection of fiction and poetry."

I mean...right?!?! Incredible, and coming July of 2024.

For other immediate gratification, there are some excellent free stories waiting for you here:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/sci-fi-free-books-mid-feb/8ohghaou8t

https://books.bookfunnel.com/sci-fi-fantasy-free-mid-feb/f7gp2xy60x

Let me know what you get for your own and how you like them!

And with that, I have...two novels to get done over the next few months, so back to work with me.

Til next time,

Marisa