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I had every intention of sending out a newsletter in December with some 2024 reflections and goals for the seasons ahead. But if I’m being honest, New Year’s resolutions have never really been my thing. I am definitely the kind of person who buys pretty planners every January and stops writing in them by March, so it felt more appropriate to pop into your inbox at the turn of the calendar and yell…
IT’S DEBUT YEAR! 🎉🎉🎉
Meaning, my first book comes out this year. In less than 8 months, my upper YA dark fantasy, This Raging Sea will be on shelves, which feels absolutely wild to say after almost three years of working on this book in some capacity. More on this in a moment.
But first, speaking of This Raging Sea, I have some news to share with you. Do you think it’s about time for a cover reveal? Because I sure do!
✨ Cover Reveal Info ✨
Everyone will finally get to see the absolutely stunning cover of This Raging Sea on January 30—and the big reveal itself will be hosted by Teen Vogue!! On Thursday next week, head on over to Teen Vogue dot com at 11 a.m. ET for all the gorgeous details!
I truly cannot wait to share this cover with you all. I’ve been staring at it literally every day since I first saw it, and it perfectly captures the angsty mood and epic romance you’ll find in this book. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.
Onto some thoughts!
Unsurprisingly, 2025 has arrived with a lot of emotions. It’s fitting that I began this year by turning in This Raging Sea for the final time after going through the pass pages (which is the very cool milestone when the book looks like a book). I’ve read this story more times than I can count, but this last readthrough felt different, as I was preparing to let it go.
So much of writing exists in solitude. I wrote This Raging Sea in chunks of early morning hours, compiling silent moments until paragraphs became scenes, scenes became chapters, and chapters, eventually, became a book. Along the way, there’s been points of connection—my CPs who received my messy first draft, my agent who helped get this book ready for submission, my editor who ultimately gave it a home—but for a lot of this journey, This Raging Sea just existed with me. In my head. In scraps of notes app dialogue. On my computer screen, keeping me company in the quiet.
And now, this book is officially out of my hands. It’s flown the coop (or more accurately, swam away from the shore). Eventually, it will belong to readers, where it will get new life through their eyes.
That’s the endgame of writing a book, of course. To share a story with others, to keep them company in the quiet, too. But it doesn’t make it any less scary, to pour a very big chunk of your soul onto a blank page and then set it free into the world. There has to be a letting go of sorts, I think. There has to be a moment where you say a careful goodbye.
But if writing this particular story has taught me anything, it’s that goodbye isn’t always goodbye, and endings can also be beginnings. I hope this is the beginning of something special for this book, and for all of you who choose to pick it up. I had the time of my life writing Briar and Finn’s story, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here. 🌊
As per tradition, here’s a quick status update on other writing-related things!
A Shared Haunting (my adult debut, coming summer 2026): I’m currently in the middle of my second round of edits on ASH, which has been a mix of developmental and line edits, and has greatly consisted of me cutting excess descriptions of the MMC’s jaw knotting. (Just kidding, although..am I?) Jokes aside, I’m having a lot of fun being back in this creepy, romantic world, and I’m excited to have more updates to share about this book in the coming months!
👀 Secret Things: In addition to editing ASH, I’m also drafting a book that I truly cannot wait to yell about. To be honest, drafting is not my favorite part of the writing process, as I tend to prefer revising, but this is a story that has festered inside my brain for a long time, so it’s been a blast getting to know these new characters. And in addition to THAT, I might be working on something short and not-so-sweet that I’ll get to talk about…at some point.
As for This Raging Sea, while edits are done, there’s much, much more in store! Stay tuned for lots of updates to come, including some announcements that I’m very excited to get out into the world.
Lastly, before I sign off, I thought I’d share a snippet, straight from the pass pages of This Raging Sea! A little bit of Finn and Briar as a parting gift:
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