Hello from the slow-zone (WiFi-wise) on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington State!
I’m out here finishing a massive novel revision, and I see that a whole *bunch* of things are going online today, so let me share them with you… if the creek doesn’t rise (there really is a creek) and the wifi holds out (very doubtful)!
First — and most importantly — we have a launch party date and preorder finery for Riverland. I’m equal parts terrified, excited, and nervous for my Middle Grade debut book. I put my whole heart into it, so it feels kind of like I’m sending a very important part of myself out into the world without any armor or protection. I’m working on how to talk about the book, and looking forward to those discussions, but first I need to live through the launch!
Which will be at Doylestown Bookshop in Doylestown PA on April 9 at 7pm!
I hope you can make it. It would mean a lot to me to see your faces.
(If you can’t make it to Doylestown, keep an eye out for events in Salt Lake City, Denver, New York, Radnor, Washington DC, and more! They’ll be announced soon.)
Even better, you can pre-order RIVERLAND (please do! Or request it from your library!) and join in the swagfest — getting a signed, personalized copy of the book from Doylestown Bookshop is wonderful, and even better when you might also get a lighthouse pendant designed by me, a hand-drawn watercolor (only one of those), a witchball, stickers, bookmarks, and more. Head over here to do that now (and let me know if you’ve preordered there or elsewhere and I’ll put you on the raffle list!)
We’ve been getting some amazing reviews too! A STAR from Booklist!: “The latest from award-winning Wilde is a must-read for upper-middle-graders looking not just for a magical quest but also for lyrical writing and a beautiful story, too.”
And Publishers Weekly had wonderful things to say also! “Wilde (Updraft) skillfully blurs the lines of fantasy and reality in a haunting middle grade story of sisters connected through trauma and a shared mythology…. [a] chilling and profound portrayal of domestic abuse and the lengths to which people can go to deny the most painful of truths.”
Next! The Edgar Allen Poe inspired YA Anthology His Hideous Heart comes out on September 24 and the cover was just revealed today! It’s a thing of glory, and utterly perfect for the tales inside — 13 of them from authors including Kendare Blake, Rin Chupeco, Lamar Giles, Tessa Gratton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Stephanie Kuehn, Emily Lloyd-Jones, Amanda Lovelace, Hillary Monahan, Marieke Nijkamp, Caleb Roehrig, and me!
My story, “The Fall of the Bank of Usher,” is a retelling of (you guessed it) The Fall of the House of Usher, complete with rogue AIs, teen hackers, and lots and lots of atmosphere. Working with editor Dahlia Adler on this project was a complete joy, and I can’t wait for you all to read it.
Completely not last! The Fire Opal Mechanism, the next book in the Gemworld series (The Jewel and Her Lapidary, “The Topaz Marquise” and “Ruby, Singing“) comes out in June, is up for preorder, and ARCs arrived last week! They’re so gorgeous you all. Tor.com and cover artist Tommy Arnold did a beautiful job. Time traveling librarians and thieves! A printing press with a dark secret! The importance of words in the world. More to come with this soon!
AH! And I see my post about journaling through China is up at Tor.com today also! Eeee / nerves continue! I hope you enjoy it! (I’ll post a little more about that soon but the wifi is starting to tremble…)
FRAN WILDE 
With you. Always.
❤️❤️❤️❤️ love you
Congratulations!
Thank you!