A breath between books
And how I immediately filled it with more books.
hi, hello 👋🏻
Revelle updates 🎡
The mysteries of publishing✨
other project updates 👀
what i’m liking these days ♥︎
Hi, hello!👋🏻
Hello, readers. My name is Lyssa and I’m a newsletter avoider. It has been three months since my last (ok, first) newsletter.
I don’t avoid all newsletters; in fact, I love crafting writing advice over at
. But having an entire newsletter dedicated to *my* books makes me want to hide in a corner. Still, the results of my inaugural newsletter’s survey are in, and the overwhelming majority of y’all like to hear from authors monthly. So… three months later, here I am.Revelle updates 🎡
Last month, I attended Apollycon in Washington D.C. with these gorgeous ombré sprayed edge editions of Revelle. Meeting readers in person is my absolute (second) favorite thing about writing (my first is the serotonin rush that is drafting something no one else has read yet and basking in the fantasy of it being the best book to ever book). Readers familiar to Revelle brought their OwlCrate editions or their well-loved hardcovers from home, while new readers picked up one of these beauties. I cannot tell you how hard I smile when I see someone approaching with a copy already in hand.
It was also the first time I’ve ever hand-sold books, and it was quite the learning experience! Given that Apollycon leans adult romantasy, and Revelle is upper YA romantasy, it was interesting to witness readers’ live reactions to the cover. At least a dozen people asked if it was “Rh” (the reverse harem trope, in which one girl is involved with several boys). Sadly, it is not. Fans of Moulin Rouge were far more likely to grab a copy. Regardless, there was something so moving about watching thousands of people hunger for gorgeous, romantic, fantastical stories. I found my people, and I’ll be back.
Side note: Using the term “romantasy” still makes me feel like a bit of a fraud. The term was coined after Revelle was already finished, and there are about a dozen definitions floating around, so if I’m mis-using it, tell me!
I kept three copies of the ombré edge edition for giveaways, one of which went live this week over on Instagram with Allison Saft, NYT bestselling author of A Fragile Enchantment and several other gorgeous fantasies with historical inspiration. I plan to do a subscriber-only giveaway with my last copy, so stay tuned!
The mysteries of publishing ✨
In publishing, we often discover information about our books in roundabout ways. Editors tend to be the source of information from publishers at large, and editors are very, very busy (and often times, editors aren’t necessarily in the loop about book things, either). Basically, publishers like to keep us on our toes so that we authors never get bored.
All of this to say: a fellow author recently noticed that Revelle’s paperback edition is listed for release this summer on bookseller websites. Welcome to Schrödinger’s paperback! It’s possible that it’s true! It’s also possible that it’s not! Both realities exist until I receive confirmation from my editor. Ah, the mysteries of publishing.
If it is indeed true, I’ll be in touch about a preorder campaign in coming weeks in case you’d like to pick up a soft beauty.
Other project updates 👀
Secret Book 2 is finished! (Okay, fine, the 3rd rewrite is finished and I’m still in revisions). I still can’t say much more about this book other than what I’ve shared in the last newsletter. But it now has a publication season! Fall 2025. That may sound like a long while away, but that means I have about 4 months to do a few more rounds of edits with my editor before it’s considered done. Then I’ll be able to talk about it. So… four more months!
Oh! And since Revelle’s imprint, Balzer+Bray, is no longer at HarperCollins, Book 2 has been moved to HarperTeen. Fortunately, I still have the same team that I had for Revelle, including my brilliant editor and her assistant. Other than a new imprint name on the book’s spine, I’m not sure what else will be different, but we shall see!
In the mean time, here’s the playlist I’ve been listening to while working on it. This doesn’t count as talking about it, right? ♥︎
With the help of my agent, I am cooking up a new story while Book 2 is with my editor. This is the first time in two years I’m drafting something brand new, and it’s SO FUN, y’all. I’ve pitched it to about a dozen people to make sure the concept is as hooky as possible, and they have each chuckled darkly when I gave them my one-sentence summary. I outlined for 6 weeks and begin drafting this week. I can’t wait until it’s book shaped.
What I’m liking these days 👀
I haven’t been on a strict deadline in the past five weeks, so I’ve had more free time than usual. Here’s what I’ve been enjoying:
What I’m reading: While at Apollycon, I absolutely devoured Clare Osongco’s Midnights With You. It’s a contemporary YA about an introverted Filipino girl with a strict and cruel mother. In an unusual act of rebellion, she learns to drive after midnight with her hot neighbor, and slowly begins to discover her self worth as they fall in love. It’s SUCH an immersive, soulful read, and I can’t recommend it highly enough (I have 5-starred it all over the internet). Currently available for request on Netgalley and for preorder.
What I’m watching: Literally everything Timothée Chalamet. Confession: for years, I have not understood his appeal. He seemed cute but far too young and delicate? DON’T CANCEL ME; I have learned the error of my ways. After watching Dune, Dune 2, and Little Women within a few weeks of each other, I GET IT NOW. He’s amazing! He’s beautiful! There are two powerful scenes—one in Dune 2 and the other in Little Women (this scene, but be warned of spoilers if you don’t know Little Women), that are so emotional and perfectly delivered, I have been replaying them for days in my head. I stand corrected, Timothée stans.
What I’m listening to: Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POET’S DEPARTMENT, of course! Also, I caught Fall Out Boy at Madison Square Garden at the end of March, which sent me down an early 2000s pop punk spiral, and I have no regrets. In fact, I was listening to this classic banger when I came up with the idea for my adult project.
What I’m buying: So this is a large purchase in every sense of the word, but I am obsessed with my new mattress. Whenever I stay in hotels, I miss my bed at home because of my Layla Sleep Mattress. It’s part spring mattress and part memory foam, and it is the best decision I ever made (sorry, husband. sorry, children). Imagine sleeping on a cloud. Now imagine that cloud IN YOUR BEDROOM.
Adios!
Thanks for making it all the way to the bottom. I appreciate you!
