In which we get ready to launch my *checks notes* sixteenth book
I literally typed the title, said “that can’t be right”, and counted on my shelf. It is, in fact, 16.
ANYWAY
Welcome to May 2025, and the launch of Titan of the Stars. The book comes out May 27 as a hard cover, ebook, and audiobook. You can order it at your local bookstore, or request it at your local library.
Titan of the Stars began all the way back in August of 2022, when I rewrote an outline and sample of a book that David Purse at Inked Entertainment wanted to hire me to write. I’d done IP before (the Star Wars and the D&D), but I hadn’t ever successfully published a “packaged” book. I was nervous, but I was also excited.
Titan of the Stars looked a little different back then, but I really liked the heart of it, and I was hoping David would be okay with my changes. Our phone call was amazing. Every time I said what I wanted to change, he said something like “Oh, that means you could do this!” and then I’d be all “That’s actually my next point!”. It wasn’t just creative support, it was creative understanding.
David took the book proposal out on submission, and before long we had some interest from Peter Phillips at Tundra. Peter and I spoke on the phone, and he was particularly interested in the idea of horror/sci-fi. I’d never done horror before, but I was ready to try.
By the time we sold Titan of the Stars, I had already written two books in 2022 (Sky on Fire in June and the D&D book in July). I had to write two others before I would get to Titan of the Stars (Crimson Climb and Pretty Furious). By February of 2023, I had drafted four books in nine months, and I was exhausted.
(Oh, and I bought a house. That was a large and terrifying thing that also happened.)
I wrote the first half of Titan of the Stars in April, after the D&D book came out, but it wasn’t working and I couldn’t figure out why. Spring was kind of rough, like running into a wall over and over again. In the summer, I kept poking at it, and it kept not working. Eventually, after Crimson Climb was released in the fall, I deleted the entire thing and started over in a different POV and a different tense. I was very much behind by this point, which I always hate, but Peter was understanding and encouraging.
In November, I got on a plane to Lisbon. I was going to be there for two weeks, and I was going to finish the book. I had rented a pretty flat on a breezy hill. There was a little café next door, where I bought an espresso every morning. And sometimes in the afternoon, depending on how it was going.
I listened to Murderbot audiobooks and stared out the window and finished the draft. Then I went and looked at Lisbon for several days, because Lisbon is very pretty. (Lisbon is also very hilly, but they have a lot of little parks you can rest at.)
After that, Titan of the Stars was pretty normal. The editing went well and I loved the cover design. This is the first time I have ever worked with a Canadian publisher, and I have really enjoyed having everything so close to home, if only because I can remember which bank holidays not to send emails on.
And now we’re here, less than four weeks out from publication. Every book is a journey, and even though it’s only been in my brain for three years, I’ve carried Titan of the Stars to four continents and through quite a few life events. I’m so excited to share it with you all.
It wouldn’t be a book without music, and both of my main characters have a song that I used to think about them.
Celeste Sparrow is angry and determined. She’s worked hard and she has no illusions that she’ll get a reward for it, but she’s not going to let that stop her without a fight. Earth hasn’t done much for her and she’s not very sad about leaving it. But she’s not cynical. Not entirely. Not yet.
Dominic Reubens is uncertain and afraid. He’s never been able to truly be himself and he has no illusions that he’ll ever escape his parents’ shadows, but he is ready to learn how to fight. Mars has nothing for him and he’s going to try anyway. But he’s not sure of himself. Not brave. Not yet.
There are other passengers and crew on Titan. A friend. An ex. An archaeologist. A monster. And that’s before we get to the aliens.
Titan of the Stars is available wherever books are sold. You can get it from any bookstore, but I always favour your local indie. If you order it from Fanfare, tell them I told you I’d sign it and they should email me. In the US, you can use Bookshop[dot]org to find an indie near you, or to order online. In Canada, you can use the Indie Bookstores website to do the same thing. And if libraries are more your deal, you can request a copy or put a copy on hold.
