Announcing a new book is always so exciting. Unfortunately, to announce this one I do need to piss you all off a little. You see, I have committed the cardinal sin of writing a cliffhanger: the next book to be released in the Hunter of Seals series will not be book 3. Book 3 is coming! Never fear! In fact, I’ll tell you right now, I’m planning to release it in late 2027, likely December! But in the mean time, I’ve got something else brewing, and once you process the fact that you aren’t going to find out more about Maeve’s increasingly messy situation just yet, I actually think you’re going to love it.
In summer 2027, we’ll be diving into the prequels! I’m not announcing any titles yet, but there’s plenty I can tell you about it in the meantime. First and most importantly, the prequels are a duology that will be somewhat–although not entirely–independent from the main series. What I mean by that is that while the stories of the prequels and the main series are connected, you do not need to have read one to understand the other. Meaning that if contemporary fantasy isn’t your jam and you’ve been hoping I’d write something a little more historical with slightly more classic high fantasy vibes, this one is for you, and you can jump right in without messing around with the main series at all (although I very much hope to get you addicted enough to seal people that you give the main series a chance next!). The series as a whole is intended to have a somewhat flexible reading order in terms of when you read the prequels, to accommodate people who find their way into the story through one route or the other. I’m actually so, so excited to see how people’s chosen reading order influences their perception of certain characters and plot points.
Here’s my planned release order for the remainder of the series:
- Prequel #1 — Summer 2027
- Main series book 3 — late 2027
- Prequel #2 — 2028
- Main series book 4 — 2028-ish probably
- Main series book 5 — 2029-ish probably
And that, friends, is the furthest out I have ever planned anything in my entire life. Check out your windows for flying pigs.
I don’t have much of a blurb for this project yet, but here’s my very rough elevator pitch:
In Viking-era Scotland, a young selkie finds herself betrothed to a prince as a result of a prophecy that predicts their union will save their people from destruction. But when her arrival at court sets off a string of gruesome murders, she begins to wonder if fate might have been misheard.
Basically, prequel #1 is an underwater murder mystery rooted in Scottish folklore, featuring political drama, doomed romance, and a lot of Macbeth references. Macbeth was a heavy inspiration for this book, and although the story as a whole isn’t really an adaptation, there are definitely a few scenes that are strong enough parallels to the play that Shakespeare aficionados will probably (hopefully!) recognize them. It’s a tragedy in many ways (although not entirely!), with themes having to do with corruption, power, and the things people are willing to do when they believe fate is on their side, whether it truly is or not.
In terms of how the prequels tie in with the main series, if you’ve read book 1, you might already have an inkling. Without spoiling it for the uninitiated, you’re about to find out why a certain someone awkwardly cried about in that one scene at the end. The spoiler free version: the prequels follow the ancestors of a couple of the main characters in the main series. There’s an enormous amount of drama involved. It’s juicy as hell, just trust me.
Prequel #1 is currently in developmental edits, and my goal is to hand it over to my alpha readers in a month or so. Book 3 is partially drafted, and I’ll be picking it up again to put some serious words on the page as soon as prequel #1 is off with the alpha readers. While you’re about to hear a LOT from me about this prequel, know that book 3 is in the works and I am just as excited about it! Some incredibly fun new characters are going to be introduced along with some big reveals and several scenes I’ve been looking forward to writing literally since I started working on book 1.
I have a couple of other little updates to share. First of all, thank you all so much for making the Lady of Pelts launch such a success. So many new readers have found this series in the last couple of months, and both books 1 and 2 sold pretty damn well during release month. Hunter of Seals even hit 20 ratings on Goodreads! Which isn’t a huge amount, but it’s a lot to me, and I’m grateful for every single one.
My other update is that I’ve applied for a couple of book events in 2027! This was actually a 2026 goal of mine, but I totally underestimated how early you have to apply for things and ended up completely missing the boat. I don’t have confirmation that I’ll be attending either of these yet, but I’ve applied for both the Monroe Read & Roam and the Pacific Northwest Bookfest, both of which look like they’re going to be so much fun, so I’ll likely be going to both whether I end up tabling there or not. If there are any other book events in the Pacific Northwest in 2027 you’d like to see me at, please let me know! (Before you ask: I tragically missed the deadline to apply for Lore & Luster by like, a day. I will mourn forevermore.)
As always, make sure you’re following me on social media so you don’t miss any announcements, snippets, or other fun updates along the way!