Coming to YouTube & Bindery next week...

My week in NYC for BookCon was jammed packed with events leading up to the event and I was keeping a little secret. I was invited by Simon Maverick and Scarlett Press to come to their offices and sit down with H.M. Wolfe to discuss all things Daggermouth and what we can expect next. The interview will be live next week, with early access to Bindery subscribers.

Morning besties!

I'm going to be quick this week since we are about to head out the door to go see the Dodgers and Cubs face off. But I wanted to give you a little reading update as per usual.

I'm deep into the audiobook of This Book Made Me Think of You, which you all voted for last week. I get why so many people love it, but I'm finding the writing a little simple for my tastes. It seems like the type of book that begs for beautiful prose in addition to heartfelt moments of grief, but the prose is lacking a bit. We will see how it all ends and where my ranking falls, but right now I'm not wow'd.

The Fourth Wife on the other hand is knocking my socks off! I am so drawn to this book that I have lost interest in several of my other reads, including my April BBFL book, Go as a River, which I NEED to finish stat. The Fourth Wife is about a young Mormon bride in a polygamous marriage who's realizing she married into something more than she bargained for. It's set in 1880s Utah and is the perfect accompaniment to Trust Me, the brand new FLDS documentary on Netflix (which is a must watch by the way).

This week I finished Royal Spin, a contemporary romcom my IRL bookclub chose for May. Shockingly, I really enjoyed it! I mean, one of the co-authors is a real Royal journalist, so it's got to be good, right? It's perfect for anyone who wants a fun workplace romance and loves all things The Crown.

I have SO much new content coming soon, so watch for updates in your inbox if you're a newsletter subscriber!

ICYMI:

• March reading fully wrapped

• The Mountains We Call Home unboxing

• Sapphic novel perfect for summer reading

• Last Monday's bookmail haul

Hear it Here First:

Discord server coming soon!!!! I can't wait to show y'all what I've created. I hope you love it!

xoxo

C

This week’s reading mood? Strong women carrying entire plots on their backs… and men making choices that had me yelling out loud.

Let’s start with Burn the Sea because I am fully in my historical fantasy era right now.

I went into this knowing absolutely nothing about Abbakka Chowta, and now I’m sitting here like… how did I not already know about this woman?? A queen fighting the Portuguese in the 1500s?? Immediately obsessed.

Tewari blends real history with fantasy elements like half-man, half-snake tyrants (yes, really), and somehow it all works. The political tension, the stakes, the way Abbakka has to constantly prove herself in a world that underestimates her… it just hit.

Also: the men in this book?? Some of them need to take a deep breath and reevaluate. Respectfully.

I cannot wait to talk to Mona Tewari on May 1 because there is so much to unpack.

Blind Date Agreement was such a fun shift in tone.

If you’ve read Cunsolo before, you already know the vibe: high school drama on the surface, but with real issues layered underneath. And the blind date premise? It just kept getting better the more chaotic (in a fun way) the dates became.

But what surprised me most were the side characters. They absolutely carried some of the emotional weight of the story for me. And the ending? Way more grounded and realistic than I expected, which I appreciated.

Okay but let’s talk about Victim or Villain.

I picked this up for the audiobook because anything Teddy Hamilton narrates, I’m listening. No questions asked.

But Gwen Kane?? She’s the reason you stay.

A woman who escaped an abusive marriage, rebuilding her life on a ranch, trying to figure out who she is now… and then everything gets complicated. Fast. Add in a hot vet and a situation that keeps escalating, and you’ve got a romantic suspense that is tense, fast-paced, and very easy to binge.

Morally gray women will always win for me.

Now Blood Bound.

This is the one that made me go, okay… romantasy is back.

You’ve got dragons, witches, talking animal familiars (with actual personalities), layered history, and twists that kept me fully engaged. But the real highlight? The dual POV between two women who are not romantically involved and don’t exist to compete with each other.

It gave me that Aelin and Manon energy where they’re powerful, complex, on different sides, but there’s still this underlying respect. I loved that dynamic so much.

The romance was cute, maybe a little fast for me, but honestly? The female relationships were the heart of this story.

I do wish we got a bit more depth in certain parts of the worldbuilding, and the ending felt a little rushed with everything it tried to wrap up… but overall this was just a really fun, engaging read that pulled me right back into the genre.

Break Room is one of those books I almost wish was longer… which is wild because it’s just over 100 pages.

It’s a translated novel that quietly gets under your skin. The author’s note alone had me sitting there like… oh. Oh no.

It really digs into workplace dynamics, assumptions, and how we perceive the people around us. Like, do we actually know our coworkers? Or are we just filling in the gaps with our own biases?

Uncomfortable in a way that feels very intentional.

South of Somewhere was my in-person book club pick, and this one felt very close to home. Literally.

It’s set in my area, and I kept recognizing locations which made the reading experience so fun. But beyond that, it’s a clean romance with a faith element that takes its time exploring recovery and healing in a way that felt honest.

It’s quieter than some of the other books I read this week, but it stuck with me.

And then there’s Dark Is When the Devil Comes.

I don’t even know how to explain this reading experience other than: I was yelling. The entire time.

The atmosphere is so creepy, the twists just keep coming, and at no point did I feel grounded in what was real and what wasn’t. Which I think is exactly the point.

But also? This book reinforced a very important life rule for me:
Do not get in the car.

Ever.

If you’ve read any of these, I need your thoughts immediately. And if not… what was the best book you've read recently?

It's almost time! ⏰ Join me for a LIVE Q&A on Sunday at 2pm ct/3pm et with Gryffin to celebrate where we're at in the publishing process, offer a few updates, and chat all things Twigs!

This discussion will be spoiler-free, including the Q&A portion of the interview. I just ask that we save those specific questions for our next live after the book has released.

I'm hosting it on Zoom this round so that we can record it for those who can't make this one. I'll post it early next week right here on Bindery for anyone who missed out.

Ready to join us?
CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE ZOOM

See you soon, Quillers! 😘

Meg

It's Independent Bookstore Day and I know I'm late on getting this post out, but that's because I did a crawl to ten bookstores today with my friends!

If you don't have a local store, please consider making us your home store on Bookshop.org and Libro.fm!

Here are some books we recommend for today!

Ryn:

• Lethal Kiss by Taylor Grothe (Out October 20, 2026)

• Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth (Out May 12, 2026)

• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (yes, we adore Star Wars in this house)

• The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Tori:

• The Sluts by Dennis Cooper

• Boy Parts by Eliza Clark

• The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (this is Tori's favorite book of all time)

Friends,

our first book hasn’t even hit the shelves yet, and now our second book has back copy! I don’t know if I’m supposed to share this (lolz, always choose asking for forgiveness/ permission) and it’s not final but check her out!

I’m so excited to share because I feel I haven’t been able to share much!

Cracks in an Ocean of Glass by Kristy Park Kulski

Wherever she goes, the dead walk with her.

Some histories have the power to possess us.

 Dark strands of hair crack the corners of my sight, suspended as always in the air, spidering and floating as if in liquid. Mul-gwishin. Water ghost.

Korean-American teen Gracie Russell feels she belongs nowhere. In suburban 1990s Washington, she is constantly at sea, struggling with her biracial identity, her father’s violent alcoholism, and her mother’s looming mortality. When Ji-eun dies, Gracie will lose the chance to mend their uneasy relationship. But Gracie can feel Ji-eun slipping away, pulled by the tides of memory back to authoritarian 1970s South Korea and a past so drowned in sorrow it conjures a mul-gwishin—a Korean water ghost.

As Ji-eun’s body weakens and the autumn rains fall in torrential sheets, the sound of dripping water haunts Gracie, bringing with it unsettling visions. Cracks form in the basement wall, exposing a crumbling passageway to a sea of liquid darkness, and Gracie is running out of time. And the mul-gwishin is coming for her.

For readers of Catriona Ward and Han Kang, Cracks in an Ocean of Glass is a new vision of heritage, violence, and the histories that possess us from Korean-American author Kristy Park Kulski.

 Ahhhhhhh! Thoughts? Hopefully early cover art coming soon!

Thank you so much for supporting this imprint!

Finally (knock on wood) I am diving back into the world of Eahbridge. For those of you that have joined me on this lengthy journey, thank you so much for sticking with me, even when I have been stuck. As this book is intertwined with loads of firsts, first artwork commissions, first sharing of snippets and such, as well as the first time truly connection with a narrative as a nonbinary writer. I think all of that has contributed to my writer's block, because my imposter syndrome kicks in, giving me doubts in my creative abilities.

But, then I will either chat with one of my friends who has an understanding of the narrative, or re-read small passages for myself, and I fall in love all over again. With the characters, their motivations, the world, and the desire to share that with the world hits me all over again, superseding my imposter syndrome and desires for perfection.

The first draft does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be written.

And so, as I bring you along in this journey, I am going to continue to be patient with myself and my writing, knowing that there is an audience out there that wants to hear my words and how creative I can be.

If you continue joining me, I thank you, and promise to not only do better with delivering the content, analysis, and content, but do better with embracing the block not as a dead end, but an opportunity to explore a new path.

Thank you so much and I cannot wait to bring you more!

If you haven’t had a chance to see the arcs yet, prepare yourselves!

One of my favorite parts of the book are the epigraphs! Each chapter adds so much to the Void lore!

I want to share one of my favorites!

Let me know if you’re ready to dive into the Void!

Friends,

I'm back from New York and slowly adjusting! I've got Bookcon updates and more for you! I admit I am behind on EVERYTHING and might be that way for the next month! I'm behind on bookclub- our readalong- our calendar- and content LOL (though I do have TWO BIG surprises for paid subscribers later today)

Each month, I select one day for us to support an indie bookshop as a community and what more perfect day that INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY!

This month, we are supporting Quiet Quail Books, an Indigenous owned bookstore located in San Bernardino! All purchases through bookshop support both Quiet Quail Books (an Indigenous bookshop) and this imprint!

One of the things I love about being a book content creator is sharing curated lists! I've attached some books to this post for easy clicking, but I've also created some lists. And if you don't like any of those, once you click on my bookshop link, you can buy anything and it will support Quiet Quaill!

Must Read Women in Horror

Must Read Indigenous Horror

Must Read Indigenous Romance

Must Read Indigenous Fantasy/Sci Fi

Must Read Indigenous Thriller and Mystery

From The Mixed Up Desk Indigenous Faves

Also, what a perfect day to pre-order What Feeds Below! <3 (Speaking of What Feeds Below, paid subscribers- give me an hour and a very cool sneak peek is coming!)

Welcome back to another author interview! Today I'm joined by author A.M Shilling to talk about her debut novel The Devouring.

1. I always use this first question as an introduction. Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm an indie author from Maryland writing horror, fantasy, and romance—usually a mix of all three. I've been writing stories since I was a kid, mostly fanfiction, but didn't start writing professionally until 2024. I love books with morally gray characters, themes of monstrosity and humanity, and romances featuring couples who are already committed to each other.

2. I see you just recently released your debut book, The Devouring. Care to tell us a little bit about it?

The Devouring is a cosmic horror thriller about the monsters we choose. It follows Jason, a professional assassin, and his wife Ayana, a doctor who conducts autopsies, as they investigate his brother's murder and an impossible illness she found in her cadavers. Along the way, they uncover an occult conspiracy at the heart of their city—and the malevolent god lurking beyond its veil. It is told from the perspective of the story's villains, unreliable narrators with questionable morals.

3. What was your inspiration when writing it? Any specific novels or movies that helped inspire this book?

I wrote The Devouring as a homage to the cosmic horror genre and was specifically inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft, one of the genre's original authors. In particular, his short story "The Colour Out of Space" is a huge influence on The Devouring. Additionally, I'm a big fan of action thrillers like the John Wick movies. I wanted to blend the existential dread of cosmic horror with the fast pace, high stakes, and criminal underworld of that franchise. Finally, I took a small amount of inspiration from the Delta Green tabletop RPG, which depicts a secret government agency that fights eldritch horrors.

4. If your novel ever became a movie, who would your dream cast be?

I struggle a lot with dream casts and took a long time coming up with the answer for this question, but I settled on Lewis Tan for Jason and Tahirah Sharif for Ayana. As a bonus, my dream director is Denis Villeneuve, and I would love for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to make the soundtrack.

5. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?

I am! My main WIP is a romantic space fantasy called Crucible of the Broken Moon, the first book of a duology. It's about a princess who runs away from her home planet and arranges her own marriage to a warlord's son so that they can overthrow her tyrannical father. I also have a couple of WIPs simmering on the back burner: a vampire novella that I'm not sure I'll publish, a werewolf horrormance inspired by the Midsommar movie and an urban fantasy about a secret society of mages.

6. What are some of your favorite books?

My favorites change as my tastes do, so right now they are Spread Me by Sarah Gailey, The Course of Honour by Lindsey Davis, and My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Honorable mentions go to Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer and There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm.

7. Any upcoming releases you are excited about?

Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle, At Your Pace by Hope Engel, and A Plagued Sea by Kim Bo-young are my top three right now.

8. What are some of your favorite horror movies?

Alien is my favorite horror movie of all time. I also recently enjoyed Nosferatu and Sinners. I don't watch nearly as many horror movies as I read horror books, though; I'm a big baby when it comes to film and TV.

9. Do you have a writing process? Any routines or rituals you do to help you focus?

I try to write 500 words every day, with a 1-2 day break every week. I especially like to do writing sprints using the Pomodoro Technique—25 minutes focused writing, 5 minutes short break, repeat. Most important, though, is making sure I balance writing with other activities, like reading or playing video games, to avoid burnout.

10. Who are some of your favorite authors?

Chuck Tingle, Kevin Kwan, Hailey Piper, Paisley Rose, Mimi Matthews, Emily Klotz, and Junji Ito, to name a few.

Hi everyone it is that time to vote for which books we will be reading in May! As always we have 3 fantasy and 3 thriller books to choose from! Voting will end on 4/30

Everyone will have two votes so that you can vote for both genres if you would like

Make sure to join the discord so that we can discuss all our reads!

Happy Friday to you, my dears and Froomies!

What a hectic week for me, and I am certainly happy for the end of the work week. Not that it was too taxing, we just wrapped up book faire at my job. I totally miss the book faire days when I was a kid, but it is nice to return to a sense of normalcy!
But now it is Friday and time for the author shout out!

So, today's author spotlight goes to......

(Drum roll please)

AZALEA CROWLEY!

If you have never had the chance to read a book by Azalea, you are missing out on a beautiful and unexpected blend of genres that fit together so seamlessly. "Cozy" Horror romance isn't something that I would have ever had on my radar, but they have a way with words that encapsulates my attention. Monster romance is a marketable genre in this day and age, the parallels between man and monster is not a new concept, but hardly do I ever see the monster paired with someone who is often known as the "weird girl". The person who is often ostracized by societal norms for either being labeled as the creep, or has a disability that causes them to be othered by society. But the romance is never portrayed as the "thing that saves the FMC", however in the context of Wicked Flavors for example, the love of the monster makes the FMC "worse" but in all the best ways. She becomes weirder, grows more into herself, and embraces the newness her encounters with her monster paramour, becoming a sort of pink cozy horror being that transforms into the "monster" herself.

Neon pastel cozy horror romance is a jumble of words, but it works so well!

As a creative and a reader, Azalea wears many hats. One is also as a sensitivity reader, of which they go into detail on their page.

To learn more about the books Azalea writes, including fantasy with TTRPG aspects, check them out at:

https://www.azaleacrowley.com/