In this interview, Carissa discusses upping the stakes in her series with her new romantasy novel, Children of Fallen Gods, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Carissa Broadbent
Literary agent: Bibi Lewis 
Book title: Children of Fallen Gods
Publisher: Bramble
Release date: December 9, 2025
Genre/category: Romantasy 
Previous titles: War of Lost Hearts series and Crowns of Nyaxia series
Elevator pitch: Tisaanah bargained away her own freedom to save those she left behind in slavery. Now, bound by her blood pact, she must fight the Orders’ war—and Max is determined to protect her at all costs.But when a betrayal tears apart Ara, Max and Tisaanah are pushed into an even bloodier conflict. All the while, darker forces loom. As Tisaanah and Max are ensnared in a web of ancient magic and twisted secrets, one question remains: what are they willing to sacrifice for victory? For power? For love?

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What prompted you to write this book?

This is the second book in the War of Lost Hearts trilogy, and I jumped into it right after I finished book one, Daughter of No Worlds, which followed a young magic wielding woman as she escapes enslavement and joins a powerful organization of magic wielders with the help of a reclusive former soldier. This is an epic fantasy trilogy, and it’s really in this book that the scale of the story increases dramatically and the stakes get much higher. So, while Daughter of No Worlds was a very easy book to write comparatively, and very low pressure because I was writing it solely for myself, this one was a lot more complicated because there was a lot that I was trying to execute with this story.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

This book was originally independently published in March of 2021, and it was one of the most challenging writing processes I’ve ever gone through—even now, eight books later! Daughter of No Worlds, the first book in the series, came out in January 2020, which meant that I was working on this sequel through the beginning of the pandemic, when I was also going through some stressful changes in my day job at the time. I began working on the book in early 2020 and was working on it right up until its release day (a luxury available to indie published authors!), so the whole process took a bit over a year. It was by far the most epic and complicated book I’d ever written, with three intersecting POVs, and I didn’t do enough pre-writing, which meant that there was a big hole in the first half of the book that I ended up completely rewriting multiple times.

It was painful! But it was also the most effective learning experience out of any of the books I’ve written. I learned so much about my craft and how I work!

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Of all my independently published titles, this one was the greatest learning experience. In self-publishing, authors have simultaneously more and less flexibility than in traditional publishing—more in the sense that there are fewer people and scheduling considerations to take into account, and less in the sense that indie authors are limited by Amazon, etc. in rescheduling their books. Children of Fallen Gods was a perfect storm of internal and external factors that required me to shift the publishing schedule multiple times, in small increments because of the requirements for indie authors at the time to move a release without losing all preorders. It was a huge amount of pressure! Looking back, I wish I had given myself much more time to begin with to avoid getting into this situation from the start, but I feel almost every author has some sort of story like this—seems like a learning experience most of us need to go through!

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

As I referenced above, this was an extremely challenging book to write. It’s the second book in an epic fantasy trilogy, and it’s a bit of a cliche among authors at this point that book twos are uniquely painful! Of all the book I’ve written, this one went through the most extensive rewrites and had the most non-linear drafting process, because I ended up totally reworking the first half of the book. However, I have no regrets about this, as painful as it was at the time, because it taught me so much about how I work now. I now know that I need to take the time to work through gaps in the story in the pre-writing/outlining phase, and if I don’t, I can definitely get myself into some deep trouble later. This book ultimately pushed me into a radically different pre-writing process that I adopted from the third book onwards, and though of course this process evolves a bit with every book, I have largely stuck with it since. I’m grateful to this book for that reason! I learned so much about how I work.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

It meant so much to me to write this trilogy partly because writing it was my way of working out my own frustration and confusion with the world—grappling with a lot of open questions I still don’t know how to answer through these characters. Children of Fallen Gods expands the world dramatically and also gets much darker than the first book. But the relationships at its heart—the romances and beyond—are also much deeper. Even though this is a fantastical world and story, I hope that readers see themselves in the characters and that it helps them make sense of the darkness in the world as it did for me.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to learn as you execute instead of waiting to reach some intangible level of “ready” before you start. This is by far the biggest challenge I see new writers face—they never finish because they won’t let themselves really start because they feel they “aren’t ready.” Every book I’ve ever written—especially this one—has taught me that there is no level at which you “feel ready!” Every author out there, even the most successful and prolific, are constantly learning and redefining their own processes, and by far the most valuable teacher is actually being hands-on with your book.

The post Carissa Broadbent: On the Second-Book Challenges appeared first on Writer's Digest.

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 Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita 

Convent Wisdom: How Sixteenth-Century Nuns Could Save Your Twenty-First-Century Life

(Nonfiction, November, Avid Reader Press)

“ An infectiously edifying, not-so-saintly self-help book that dives into the wild, wise, and unconventional lives of 16th- and 17th-century nuns, offering advice for our modern age and proving one thing: no matter the century, nuns know best.”

Writes from: Halfway between Madrid (Spain) and New York.

Pre-Convent: We like to think that the seed of Convent Wisdom was planted the night we first met in August 2016. We weren’t the only prospective graduate students visiting Brown University that summer, but we were the only two ones matching our very specific freak: a passion for the lives and texts of 16^th– and 17^th-century nuns. That night, we knew that we would spend years of sleepless nights trying to reduce our fascination for nuns to the rigid formulas of academic writing.

What we didn’t know was that, four years later, in 2020, we’d decide to take our nuns out of dusty archives and aseptic academic journals and bring them to more playful realms. “Las hijas de Felipe,” our podcast devoted to unearthing hidden stories from the 16^th– and 17^th-century stories, confirmed what we already suspected: 16^th– and 17^th-century nuns were refreshingly relatable today. By the time we embarked on Convent Wisdom, we were used to spending most of our days writing—whether our PhD dissertations, academic papers, or podcast scripts—but this book demanded something new. It required us to craft a new voice—the two of us merged in one—and a new genre—rigorous academic research turned into a playful self-help guide.

Time frame: Once we started writing, we finished Convent Wisdom in about a year. But we had been researching, first separately and then together, for more than a decade.

Enter the agent: Our agent found us! She had been listening to our podcast for a while, and she had the feeling that we might have an idea for a book. In fact, when she approached us, we were already conceiving the general idea for the book with our Spanish editor.

Biggest surprise: When we received all the offers at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2023—nine countries plus an auction between seven U.S. publishing houses—we were shocked. It was both a huge surprise and a well-deserved confirmation that our intuition was right: in the crumbling 21^st century we live in, we all need a portable convent to find solace. It was comforting to see that, after all the years spent in libraries and archives, we had found a way to share the stories of those nuns who had captivated us and helped us survive throughout the most challenging moments of our lives.

What I did right: We were not in a hurry to publish, and that helped. Well before the 2023 Frankfurt Book Fair, we were approached by a couple of publishers, but we decided not to go ahead with them. We felt it was hasty at that point, and that their aim was to make a hurried and shallow translation of our podcast into a book. Instead, we decided to wait until we had reached a more elaborate and nuanced idea of the book.

What I would have done differently: We had no idea how to navigate those situations, but somehow our intuition was right. However, we would happily erase all the anxiety and the self-doubt that we went through.

Platform: Our podcast and our social media are great platforms, but only for Spanish-speaking audiences. We’ll have to work on English content to try and gain new international readership

Advice for writers: You don’t have to write on your own. Sometimes, it can be so much better with friends. It worked for us, and it worked for many of our nuns.

Next up: We’re working on a historical audio fiction. We’d also love to launch some episodes of our podcast in English.

Website: LasHijasDeFelipe.com

Mia Jay Boulton and Laurel Boulton 

Of Swamp & Sea 

(Romantasy graphic novel, November, 23^rd Street)

“A woman possessed by a monster must embark on a dangerous and magical journey, accompanied by a monster hunter who could be friend, foe, or lover.”

Writes from: Gulf Shores, Ala.

Pre-Swamp: We’ve really been building the bones of this story since 2014 (the year we got married), and back then, it was almost unrecognizable aside from the characters’ names. It really evolved and transmuted throughout the decade as we worked on the story back and forth alongside our other projects. Of Swamp & Sea began in prose form, as all our work does, before making the leap to an illustrated comic in 2019. We finally wrapped up the art for it earlier this year, meaning it took us around six years to write, illustrate, and color close to 5,000 individual panels. But it only took us less than a year to format them into a five-novel series, the first of which is coming out this November.

Time frame: When we first went searching for an agent, there were still very few Webtoon properties that had made the leap to print—we think the industry was still really figuring out how that could work. We searched high and low through online databases like Manuscript Wish List, looking for someone with a mind for art, romance, and the supernatural. We were so happy when our agent, Lane Clarke, decided to hear us out.

Enter the agent: We were surprised by just how difficult it could be to take a vertical-scrolling comic and reimagine it for print format. Every new page felt like a puzzle to solve and an exercise in problem-solving. The goal was always to have the art look as natural as possible, like it was born for the printed page. We really do think we accomplished that goal, and we’re looking forward to current and new readers discovering the story of Mercy and Jonah in a whole new format.

Biggest surprise: Measured persistence has really been one of the keys to getting this far. Every step of the way from creating to publishing has felt like a new obstacle course to learn to navigate and overcome, but we never let a failure steep for too long before trying again. However, we also didn’t let an output goal control our lives, and we still made time for the things we love, for our hobbies, and for each other. It’s important to never give up, while never letting it burn your candle down entirely.

What I did right: I joined a writers’ group. I’ve been in my writers’ group now for over seven years, and I’ve learned so much and grown so much from being in that group. When we started, none of us had books published, and most of us didn’t have agents yet. Now, everyone has at least one book published. Seeing my friends in the group go through that process taught me a lot about what publishing is like and what to expect. So actually, not a lot of things were a surprise to me about the publishing process because I’d already seen how everything plays out through my writers’ group.

What I would have done differently: We do plan on doing it all again, because we want to keep creating forever. Next time, we’ll put more of a focus on future-proofing our projects, mainly through the way we’ll keep our files organized and prepared for both digital and print outcomes.

Platform: Our platform of readers on WEBTOON has followed us through the whole Of Swamp & Sea saga, and we’re endlessly grateful for their loyalty. We hope that many of them will pick up its first print installment for their shelves when it hits storefronts, as a print edition has been much requested since the very earliest days. Of course, we also want to bring the story to the eyes of a new audience, which we’re working on building via social media with the help of our publisher, 23^rd Street.

Advice for writers: Never stop loving what you do: people change, and it’s okay for their stories to change with them. You can’t let the fear of losing what you already have in a project stop you from exploring what it could be. In the end, your finished work is always going to look different than how it started, and that’s a good thing. You just have to see it through to find out what your story becomes.

Next up: After book one, we’ve got four more Of Swamp & Sea volumes on the way. After that? We want to write more adventures about love and magic, and continue telling stories through art. 

Website: Linktr.ee/ofswampandsea

Marco Anderson

This Book Is About Nothing

(Children’s picture book, November, Moon + Bird)

“A hilarious and colourful picture book about a child’s unique journey to making new friends.”

Writes from: London.

Pre-Book: I wrote this book coming out of COVID lockdown. I had not written a book before, so when I had the idea, I definitely did not think that it would get published. But, as the idea kept growing, I became more and more confident in this idea and the reality of it actually being published. 

Time frame: I originally wrote this in a PowerPoint, and we developed the story into what it is now over the next couple of years. I had this idea back in spring of 2021, and we just got the ideas out into a basic PowerPoint presentation. About a month or two later, I first met with the publishing team and showed them my concept. We continued working together over the next four years and turned the idea into a real book.

Enter the agent: I do not have an agent. After coming up with the concept, I was introduced to Etan and the team at Moon + Bird. They helped me do this, and I worked with my dad on this book as well.

Biggest surprise: One of the things that surprised me most was simply how long it takes to get a book published. I originally had the idea in 2021, and now four years later, it’s about to get published.

What I did right: I was really lucky because I didn’t know what I was doing and the team at Moon + Bird was really amazing at guiding me through the process.

What I would have done differently: I really don’t think that there’s anything that I would have done differently with this book, but there are a lot of skills that I learned over the process of creating this book, which I would apply to future books.

Platform: No, I don’t currently have a platform because I’m too busy with my middle school studies.

Advice for writers: The best piece of advice that I can give you is to just keep on going and trying to make what you want a reality.

Next up: Honestly, I have too much homework right now to think that far into the future.

The post Breaking In: November/December 2025 appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Magical Realism With Roots.)

It’s a multi-layered question, especially if you’re known by your readers for doing one genre or only one or two genres. Writing in multiple genes brings about questions of marketing, branding, pen names, and so much more, but for the easier answer, I’m going to share with you what I did and what worked for me.

Have a Clear Message

First things first, I made sure that the message to my readers was very clear. You may know me for mafia, but my voice is the same. The very same suspense and sense of humor or dialogue driven stories are going to be present no matter what genre I write. Readers ask this because every new book is still them taking a chance on you and sometimes we just want to default to what we know and what we like.

When our favorite authors pivot, we want reassurance that we can still find them in there. You can do this a myriad of ways from your newsletter, to friendly reminders on social media, and through early readers, so you really aren’t changing much with what you would normally do, you’re just altering the narrative a bit.

Know What You’re Doing

Second, I make sure that I know what I’m doing. If you don’t read fantasy, do you really have any business writing it? I have one rule. I don’t read current books within the genre while I’m writing, but I do grab the fantasy classics and study them. I do the same when I’m writing mafia, I grab as many research books as I can, I watch documentaries, I take a massive deep dive to make sure I know what works and what doesn’t work. I take notes on my phone and I constantly play around with my first few chapters.

This is where it’s really great to be a writer who actually loves reading. This is the fun part. Find out what you do well in the genre you’re used to writing in, and transfer that to the fantasy genre. For example, my books across all genres are very dialogue heavy, that was something that was easy to translate into my fantasy books. I also rely a lot on strong secondary characters to drive the story, which is another way to add what I normally do into my fantasy book. Make a list of what you do well and then decide how you can make that work for your new WIP.

Have Fun With It

Finally, have fun with it. Breaking into the fantasy genre means having fun with something you’ve never done before. Guess what? You get to make the rules. Writing is already an adventure, now you get to create a world that maybe never existed, create a language, a culture, or write a fun twist on a mythology that already exists like I did in Fallen Gods with Norse Mythology.

Stick with these steps and I can promise you that you’ll have a smooth transition into this fascinating and dominating genre.

Check out Rachel Van Dyken’s Fallen Gods here:

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Phew. End of rant. Thanks for sticking with me!

Putting all the moral and ethical concerns of AI aside, I think another part of why I’m personally so averse to it is because over the past decade, I’ve read so many fantastic, disturbing, imaginative books written about or featuring AI and Big Tech in which they’re misused, abused, or have otherwise gotten out of control. Here are 14 of those books written by actual humans using the gift of creativity combined with the skills they’ve learned, practice, and made their own using their very own brains.

[Descriptions from publisher book cover copy. They are listed in no particular order. WD uses affiliate links, which we entirely see the irony of in a post like this.]

Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan

Set in an uncanny alternative 1982 London—where Britain has lost the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher battles Tony Benn for power, and Alan Turing achieves a breakthrough in artificial intelligence—Machines Like Me powerfully portrays two lovers who will be tested beyond their understanding. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first generation of synthetic humans. With Miranda’s assistance, he codesigns Adam’s personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and smart—and a love triangle soon forms. Ian McEwan’s subversive, gripping novel poses fundamental questions: What makes us human—our outward deeds or our inner lives? Could a machine understand the human heart? This provocative and thrilling tale warns against the power to invent things beyond our control.

Bookshop.org | Amazon

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

Bookshop.org | Amazon

The Deluge by Stephen Markley

In the first decades of the 21st century, the world is convulsing, its governments mired in gridlock while a patient but unrelenting ecological crisis looms. America is in upheaval, battered by violent weather and extreme politics. In California in 2013, Tony Pietrus, a scientist studying deposits of undersea methane, receives a death threat. His fate will become bound to a stunning cast of characters—a broken drug addict, a star advertising strategist, a neurodivergent mathematician, a cunning eco-terrorist, an actor turned religious zealot, and a brazen young activist named Kate Morris, who, in the mountains of Wyoming, begins a project that will alter the course of the decades to come.

From the Gulf Coast to Los Angeles, the Midwest to Washington, DC, their intertwined odysseys unfold against a stark backdrop of accelerating chaos as they summon courage, galvanize a nation, fall to their own fear, and find wild hope in the face of staggering odds. As their stories hurtle toward a spectacular climax, each faces a reckoning: what will they sacrifice to salvage humanity’s last chance at a future? A singular achievement, The Deluge is a once-in-a-generation novel that meets the moment as few works of art ever have.

Bookshop.org | Amazon

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

Set at a summer rental on the Chesapeake Bay, a riveting family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence, from the bestselling author of the “wise and addictive” (New York Times) The Gifted School.

When the Cassidy-Shaws’ autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret that implicates them in the accident.

During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash. Noah tries to hold the family together as a seemingly routine police investigation jeopardizes Charlie’s future. Alice and Izzy turn strangely furtive. And Lorelei’s odd behavior tugs at Noah’s suspicions that there is a darker truth behind the incident—suspicions heightened by the sudden intrusion of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenaged daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.

Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.

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Playground by Richard Powers

Four lives are drawn together in a sweeping, panoramic novel from Richard Powers, showcasing the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Overstory at the height of his skills. Twelve-year-old Evie Beaulieu sinks to the bottom of a swimming pool in Montreal strapped to one of the world’s first aqualungs. Ina Aroita grows up on naval bases across the Pacific with art as her only home. Two polar opposites at an elite Chicago high school bond over a three-thousand-year-old board game; Rafi Young will get lost in literature, while Todd Keane’s work will lead to a startling AI breakthrough.

They meet on the history-scarred island of Makatea in French Polynesia, whose deposits of phosphorus once helped to feed the world. Now the tiny atoll has been chosen for humanity’s next adventure: a plan to send floating, autonomous cities out onto the open sea. But first, the island’s residents must vote to greenlight the project or turn the seasteaders away.

Set in the world’s largest ocean, this awe-filled book explores that last wild place we have yet to colonize in a still-unfolding oceanic game, and interweaves beautiful writing, rich characterization, profound themes of technology and the environment, and a deep exploration of our shared humanity in a way only Richard Powers can.

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Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Among the most celebrated and beloved novels of recent times, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope, and a book.

In the 15th century, an orphan named Anna lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople. She learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds what might be the last copy of a centuries-old book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the army that will lay siege to the city. His path and Anna’s will cross.

In the present day, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno rehearses children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege.

And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father.

Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno, and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders whose lives are gloriously intertwined. Doerr’s dazzling imagination transports us to worlds so dramatic and immersive that we forget, for a time, our own.

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Version Zero by David Yoon

Max, a data whiz at the social media company Wren, has gotten a firsthand glimpse of the dark side of big tech. When he questions what his company does with the data they collect, he’s fired…then black-balled across Silicon Valley.

With time on his hands and revenge on his mind, Max and his longtime friend (and secretly the love of his life) Akiko, decide to get even by rebooting the internet. After all, in order to fix things, sometimes you have to break them. But when Max and Akiko join forces with a reclusive tech baron, they learn that breaking things can have unintended–and catastrophic–consequences.

Bookshop.org | Amazon

The Circle by Dave Eggers

When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency.

As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO.

Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world—even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public.

What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.

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The Every by Dave Eggers

From the award-winning, bestselling author of The Circle comes an exciting new follow-up. When the world’s largest search engine/social media company, the Circle, merges with the planet’s dominant ecommerce site, it creates the richest and most dangerous—and, oddly enough, most beloved—monopoly ever known: the Every.

Delaney Wells is an unlikely new hire at the Every. A former forest ranger and unwavering tech skeptic, she charms her way into an entry-level job with one goal in mind: to take down the company from within. With her compatriot, the not-at-all-ambitious Wes Makazian, they look for the Every’s weaknesses, hoping to free humanity from all-encompassing surveillance and the emoji-driven infantilization of the species. But does anyone want what Delaney is fighting to save? Does humanity truly want to be free?
 
Studded with unforgettable characters, outrageous outfits, and lacerating set-pieces, this companion to The Circle blends absurdity and terror, satire and suspense, while keeping the reader in apprehensive excitement about the fate of the company—and the human animal.

Bookshop.org | Amazon

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Shana wakes up one morning to discover her little sister in the grip of a strange malady. She appears to be sleepwalking. She cannot talk and cannot be woken up. And she is heading with inexorable determination to a destination that only she knows. But Shana and her sister are not alone. Soon they are joined by a flock of sleepwalkers from across America, on the same mysterious journey. And like Shana, there are other “shepherds” who follow the flock to protect their friends and family on the long dark road ahead.

For as the sleepwalking phenomenon awakens terror and violence in America, the real danger may not be the epidemic but the fear of it. With society collapsing all around them—and an ultraviolent militia threatening to exterminate them—the fate of the sleepwalkers depends on unraveling the mystery behind the epidemic. The terrifying secret will either tear the nation apart—or bring the survivors together to remake a shattered world.

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Wayward by Chuck Wendig

Five years ago, ordinary Americans fell under the grip of a strange new malady that caused them to sleepwalk across the country to a destination only they knew. They were followed on their quest by the shepherds: friends and family who gave up everything to protect them.

Their secret destination: Ouray, a small town in Colorado that would become one of the last outposts of civilization. Because the sleepwalking epidemic was only the first in a chain of events that led to the end of the world—and the birth of a new one.

The survivors, sleepwalkers and shepherds alike, have a dream of rebuilding human society. Among them are Benji, the scientist struggling through grief to lead the town; Marcy, the former police officer who wants only to look after the people she loves; and Shana, the teenage girl who became the first shepherd—and an unlikely hero whose courage will be needed again.

Because the people of Ouray are not the only survivors, and the world they are building is fragile. The forces of cruelty and brutality are amassing under the leadership of self-proclaimed president Ed Creel. And in the very heart of Ouray, the most powerful survivor of all is plotting its own vision for the new world: Black Swan, the A.I. who imagined the apocalypse.

Against these threats, Benji, Marcy, Shana, and the rest have only one hope: one another. Because the only way to survive the end of the world is together.

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The Warehouse by Rob Hart

Cloud isn’t just a company. It’s a solution. Our revolutionary live-work compound provides safe, clean lives—so employees never have to leave.

Paxton never expected to find himself inside these walls, working for the tech company that’s swallowed much of the American economy. But considering what’s left of the world outside . . . well, suddenly what Cloud’s offering doesn’t seem so bad.

Zinnia never thought she’d be here either. For a corporate spy, going undercover at Cloud—where each employee’s every move is tracked—is the ultimate risk. But it also promises the ultimate reward.

And if she has to sacrifice Paxton to claim her prize, that’s a small price to pay . . . isn’t it?

Equal parts page-turning and terrifying, The Warehouse is about what happens when Big Brother meets Big Business—and who will pay the ultimate price.

Bookshop.org | Amazon

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

Told entirely through clever and captivating Slack messages, this irresistible, relatable satire of both virtual work and contemporary life is The Office for a new world.

Gerald, a mid-level employee of a New York–based public relations firm has been uploaded into the company’s internal Slack channels—at least his consciousness has. His colleagues assume it’s an elaborate gag to exploit the new work-from home policy, but now that Gerald’s productivity is through the roof, his bosses are only too happy to let him work from … wherever he says he is.
 
Faced with the looming abyss of a disembodied life online, Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to help him escape, and to find out what happened to his body. But the longer Gerald stays in the void, the more alluring and absurd his reality becomes. Meanwhile, Gerald’s colleagues have PR catastrophes of their own to handle in the real world. Their biggest client, a high-end dog food company, is in the midst of recalling a bad batch of food that’s allegedly poisoning Pomeranians nationwide. And their CEO suspects someone is sabotaging his office furniture. And if Gerald gets to work from home all the time, why can’t everyone? Is true love possible between two people, when one is just a line of text in an app? And what in the hell does the :dusty-stick: emoji mean?
 
In a time when office paranoia and politics have followed us home, Calvin Kasulke is here to capture the surprising, absurd, and fully-relatable factors attacking our collective sanity … and give us hope that we can still find a human connection.

Bookshop.org | Amazon

Plus, for a little hope: Beat the Bots by Jane K. Cleland

Beat the Bots offers science-based creativity techniques that guide you through the writing process to unlock your imagination and create compelling stories that resonate with emotional truth in ways AI can’t match.

Even though artificial intelligence is based on a technology called “machine learning,” computers can’t learn to be creative—but you can. This book will show you the way. AI is, by definition, derivative, not creative. It can’t bring rational judgment to determine the quality or value of its work. When you bring those capabilities to your writing, your stories will touch readers’ hearts and minds.

Just as real food is better for us than processed food, and actual social interactions are more meaningful than social media, when it comes to writing your story, artificial intelligence can’t replicate your individual human intelligence, imagination, and sensibility. Technical wizardry can’t tell your story. Only you can do that. Your uniqueness is what separates you from a chatbot, and explains why you can’t be replaced by an algorithm. You’ll succeed because you’re human, not in spite of it.

Through engaging FAQs, invaluable “Pro Tips,” and “AI Weighs In” revelations, you’ll be able to apply the writing lessons and creativity tactics to all aspects of storytelling, bringing your distinctive vision and voice to your projects in ways AI simply can’t. Thought-provoking, science-based guided exercises challenge you to apply each chapter’s lessons to your own writing. Whether you’re writing a novel, literary nonfiction, or a memoir, you’ll be able to write stories that are fresh and compelling—your stories—and those are the books that publishers want and readers crave. That’s how you’ll beat the bots.

         Bookshop.org | Amazon

The post Cautionary Tales: Books About AI and Big Tech appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Natasha discusses foraying into a new genre with her new historical romantic fantasy, As Many Souls As Stars, her advice for other writers, and more.

Name: Natasha Siegel
Literary agent: Catherine Cho, Paper Literary
Book title: As Many Souls As Stars
Publisher: William Morrow
Release date: November 25, 2025
Genre/category: Historical Fantasy, Romance
Previous titles: Solomon’s Crown; The Phoenix Bride
Elevator pitch: A gothic and romantic speculative novel about two women—a witch and an immortal demon—who make a Faustian bargain and are drawn into a cat-and-mouse-chase across multiple lifetimes.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

I was inspired initially by Marlowe’s Faust—what would a sapphic take on this iconic legend look like? But as I played around with this idea, I realized that the idea of selling your soul had incredible resonance with my experiences as a queer woman, and the novel became a way for me to explore that and make my first foray into fantasy.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I wrote the initial draft of the book during the early pandemic, and it’s coming out in 2025, so about five years! The book changed massively in the process—it started off much more plot driven, harsher, and less romantic. But as I wrote I truly fell in love with the characters, and I realized I wanted to invest much more time and energy into their development and their relationship, to the point where I actually ended up doing a blank-page rewrite. It was a ton of work, but absolutely worth it; I went from considering shelving the manuscript entirely to absolutely adoring it.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

This was a foray into a new genre for me, and so I learnt a lot both during the writing process and during publishing. There’s of course crossover with the audience for my previous historical romances, but one of the most delightful things about it has been getting to chat with and encounter the incredible readers and other writers in the fantasy space! There’s so much incredible innovation happening in this genre and it’s so wonderful to experience it first-hand. It’s also been interesting to see how things like publicity and marketing differ between genres and publishers, too—there’s so much effort and creativity involved for all these teams and seeing their ideas come to life is wonderful.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Apart from deciding to rewrite it from scratch? Since this novel takes place across several different time periods, my research was a complicated but fascinating process. I encountered lots of things that really surprised me and that have surprised readers, too—I’ve had some people tell me they assumed something was inaccurate until they looked it up! Details from the use of glitter in Elizabethan makeup to the excessive smoking at Regency Balls. I learnt so much while writing, and it reminded me why I’ve always been so in love with historical settings.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

On a fundamental level, although this book is very gothic—all about female rage and struggling against patriarchy—I do hope that readers also see the moments of light, too. How love can illuminate something beautiful even in darkness. And I hope it raises some questions, too. What do we owe those who came before us, and those who come after?

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Be stubborn, and maybe even a little conceited. You need to believe in your own work, be confident that it’s worthwhile, because you are the only fundamental consistency in the process—and your love of the craft is what will make it always worth it, regardless of all the noise from outside.

The post Natasha Siegel: You Need To Believe in Your Own Work appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Ayana discusses reimagining Greek mythology with her new novel, I, Medusa, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Ayana Gray
Literary agent: Peter Knapp — Park, Fine & Brower Literary Management
Book title: I, Medusa
Publisher: Random House
Release date: November 18, 2025
Genre/category: Fiction / Historical / Fantasy
Previous titles: Beasts of Prey (2021), Beasts of Ruin (2022), Beasts of War (2024)
Elevator pitch: I, Medusa is a tragic villain origin story that reimagines the iconic Medusa as a precocious young woman caught amidst the ruthless games of rivaling gods.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

I’d always loved Greco-Roman mythology, and always been partial to its villains. One day, a kid on TikTok responded to one of my videos and said (with delight) that my long black locs looked like snakes. Of course, I thought of Medusa. I started thinking about how her story might have looked if she was reimagined as a young Black woman, and learned the classical poets wrote surprisingly little about her backstory. From there, the wheels began to turn very quickly.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I started thinking about this book in 2022, but had ongoing commitments, so I put it to the side for a while. I drafted part of it in 2023 and fully finished it in January 2025. In total, I’ve worked on this project for about three years.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I was unsure how readers would react to such a drastic reimagining of a well-known figure from Greco-Roman mythology, but have been pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of support and excitement. For some, this book has been their introduction to Greek mythology stories, which is an honor.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Though several Greek and Roman poets reference Medusa in ancient text, I was surprised by how little is said about her background and who she was before her demise. I was also surprised by how much of the lore around her is contradictory.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope this story allows new readers to find connection with one of Greco-Roman mythology’s most memorable and perhaps most understood figures. Antiquity may be in some ways distant, but I believe there are still lessons to be learned from the figures and stories that come from it.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Take advantage of your local library, and read as much you can. Read books in the genre you want to write in, and also in genres you don’t. I believe every book can teach you a lesson if you’re willing to learn.

The post Ayana Gray: Take Advantage of Your Local Library appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Anne discusses the process of building a new world and characters in her new fantasy novel, Turns of Fate, her advice for other writers, and more.

Name: Anne Bishop
Literary agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary Agency
Book title: Turns of Fate, an Isle of Wyrd novel
Publisher: Berkley
Release date: November 11, 2025
Genre/category: Urban fantasy
Previous titles: The Lady in Glass and Other Stories; The Novels of the Others/World of the Others:Written in Red; Murder of Crows; Vision in Silver; Marked in Flesh; Etched in Bone; Lake Silence; Wild Country; Crowbones; Ephemera: Sebastian; Belladonna; Bridge of Dreams; Tir Alainn: The Pillars of the World; Shadows and Light;The House of Gaian; Black Jewels: Daughter of the Blood; Heir to the Shadows; Queen of the Darkness; The Invisible Ring; Dreams Made Flesh 
Tangled Webs;The Shadow Queen; Shalador’s Lady;Twilight’s Dawn; The Queen’s Bargain; The Queen’s Weapons;The Queen’s Price 
Elevator pitch: Urban fantasy meets The Twilight Zone—with detectives.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

I was ready to write some stories about new characters in a new world that was a little bit different from the previous worlds I had built. I wanted to create a place that had the feel of the Twilight Zone, where the strange could be just around the corner—or in this case, on an island that was just across the river.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

I started the first draft for Turns of Fate in January 2024. I’m an organic writer, so I develop the bones of a place and the main characters first. The layers and textures of place and characters take shape as I write the story.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Not really surprises. I work with people who are meticulous when it comes to details, which I appreciate because I’m trying to see the whole vision of place, people, and story, and that means I can trip on a detail and something that I said on page 270 doesn’t quite match what I said on page 50. Fixing details makes the writing invisible so that the story can shine.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

There are always surprises because there are the “oh!” and “ah-ha!” moments as something about the story or characters is revealed. When the story is running, I feel a lot of glee.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

Chills and thrills and a lot of fun as they tag along with this group of characters.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

We all want to be published and have other people read what we’ve created, but first you should write for yourself. Write for the fun of creating a story that comes from your own imagination. Write because you want to take an idea and shape it in a way that is uniquely your own. Write in order to explore emotional truths that will make someone laugh or break their heart. And know that you will never write your very best story because if you try to improve just a little with every story you write, you will never write your best one. That’s the one that is still waiting for you.

The post Anne Bishop: On Writing for Yourself First appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Alexandra discusses combining science fiction and history with her new novel, The White Octopus Hotel, her hope for readers, and more.

Name: Alexandra Bell
Literary agent: Therese Coen at Susanna Lea Literary Associates
Book title: The White Octopus Hotel
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: October 28, 2025
Genre/category: Sci-fi/fantasy
Previous titles: The Winter Garden
Elevator pitch: A time travel romance set in a magical art deco hotel.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

I’ve always wanted to write a book set in a hotel because I think they’re such evocative places with all this history ,and there’s a sense of time warp about them.  I’ve also wanted to write a time travel romance for years. It felt like a good fit to combine the two and to set much of it in the 1930s.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

It didn’t take very long to write the first draft, but I finished the book two years ago now, so I have had to wait a while for publication.

The main thing that changed was that I wasn’t originally intending to have a World War I setting, but it felt as if the story needed another layer.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Not really. But this is my 20th book to be published, and I’ve been working in the industry for 20 years, so I think it would take quite a lot to surprise me!

It’s always a joy when the book finds editors and publishers who get the book and support it and help make it the best it can be. I’ve been very lucky.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I wasn’t expecting the WWI timeline so there was lots of extra research I had to do for that, and I learned a lot about life in the trenches. For example, I’d never heard of a fumsup before—a good luck charm/doll that soldiers used to take away with them. I also didn’t know that loved ones back home would bake “trench cakes” and send these to the men at the front.

I had to change the main character after the first draft. My first female protagonist wasn’t working for me because she was too sweet and nice. I wanted a main character who was messier and more complicated and had some sharp edges.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope readers will enjoy staying at the White Octopus Hotel and having an escape from reality for a little while. I also wanted to encourage the thought that there can be healing and happiness even after experiencing a long period of darkness. It’s possible to find your way out and move forward with your life.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

To read and write as much as possible to learn what type of story you want to tell. And also, to develop a sense of resilience so that you can press on when the inevitable rejections and setbacks occur.

Phyliss A. Whiteney said: “Work and wait and learn, and that train will come by. If you give up, you’ll never have the chance to climb aboard.”

The post Alexandra Bell: Develop a Sense of Resilience appeared first on Writer's Digest.

In this interview, Lyndsay discusses going darker in her new fantasy novel, The Lost Reliquary, her advice for other writers, and more.

Name: Lyndsay Ely
Literary agent: Laura Zats (Headwater Literary Management)
Book title: The Lost Reliquary
Publisher: Saga Press
Release date: October 21, 2025
Genre/category: Fantasy
Previous titles: Gunslinger Girl (Jimmy Patterson, 2018), Deadlock Rebels: An Overwatch Story (AFK/Scholastic, 2021), Overwatch 2: Heroes Ascendant: An Overwatch Story Collection (contributor, Blizzard Entertainment, 2024), Five Nights at Freddy’s: Escape the Pizzaplex (AFK/Scholastic, 2025),
Elevator pitch: A divinely blessed warrior bound to the last living goddess plots deicide to win her freedom.

Bookshop | Amazon
[WD uses affiliate links.]

What prompted you to write this book?

Strangely, this was mostly a reason to switch up perspectives; I’d never written a full book before in first person. I’d also been toeing the line between YA and adult books for a while; this story was a chance to write a little denser and a little darker. I also have to admit there were (and still are) many happenings in the world that had me thinking a lot about why people believe what they believe and how far they’ll go to push those beliefs. That certainly played a part.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

A few years, at least, as most books do. If I did enough digging, I’d probably be able to come up with a more detailed timeline, but I try to have enough projects going on that I’m not overly focused on what’s happening with, say, the one on submission with editors, whose future is mostly out of your hands. There really wasn’t much of a change in the core idea of this story as I wrote it, though. A few significant rewrites (especially of certain sections) but overall Point A and Point Z were what I had in mind when I began.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

I don’t know if this would be a surprise, but it’s always a little shocking how you can wait and wait and wait and then suddenly, everything starts happening, unexpectedly, and all at once. And then you’re back to waiting. But that’s publishing!

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

This is my first multi-book story, and though I’d written and revised it a bunch, I hadn’t given a ton of thought to the sequel, outside of a few key beats. Then, when there was some interest in it, I had to scramble a little to connect those dots into the actual second half of the story. While that timeline was a bit of a surprise, what wasn’t was never really knowing how much thought and energy to put into a project before it’s sold.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

Hopefully, an enjoyable adventure story that will allow readers take a little break from real life. The world has been really heavy lately—getting heavier every day—and sometimes it’s nice to dive into worlds that are different from our own. We all deserve a little escapism now and then. 

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Finish the thing. Nothing happens unless you finish the thing.

The post Lyndsay Ely: We All Deserve a Little Escapism appeared first on Writer's Digest.

From the time we’re children, the whimsical and weird draws us in and makes us imagine worlds beyond our own, creatures that exist only in our imaginations, and endless possibilities. In this issue, we celebrate whimsical and weird writing by exploring fantasy writing, magic, talking animals, monsters, unusual writing formats, and much more.

Features Include:

+ Building Your Own Magic System: Award-winning author Whitney Hill shares considerations for developing a magic system for your stories and how to avoid boxing yourself in for future works. By Whitney Hill

+ Leveraging “What If?” in Speculative Fiction: Five techniques for convincing readers your fiction just might be real after all. By Jeff Somers

+ The Weirder, the Better: How to write nonfiction that sells by embracing the odd sides of life. By Zachary Petit

+ Creatures of the Night: Enriching your fiction with dreams, nightmares, and half-awake visions. By Elizabeth Sims

+ Writing in the Southern Gothic Style: Understand the origins and nuances of this gothic subgenre to write atmospheric tales. By Sonya Alexander

+ The Winner of the 94^th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition: Announcing the grand-prize winner and the category winners of WD’s longest running writing competition. By Amy Jones

+ The WD Interview: Travis Baldree: Fantasy author and audiobook narrator Travis Baldree talks with WD about his newest cozy fantasy, Brigands and Breadknives. By Moriah Richard

Plus, embracing the power of play in your creative practice, quirky habits of writers, and the best tool in your marketing toolbox. And, as always, all your favorite columns like Publishing Insights, Breaking In, Meet the Agent, For All Ages, and more!

Subscribe to Writer’s Digest today for this to be your first issue!

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