A Letter from Caitlyn Paxson

Dear Reader,

We have just entered March, which means it’s officially the month that my first novel, A Widow’s Charm, is going forth into the world! As you can imagine, I am beside myself with excitement and nerves and all of the other possible feelings about something so personally monumental.

What this means for you is that it’s about to be all A Widow’s Charm all the time in this newsletter, and probably the next couple of newsletters that follow. I hope you won’t mind indulging me—I have some very fun things to share!

I’ll begin by shamelessly reminding you that you can pre-order A Widow’s Charm from wherever you like to purchase—links to do so are here. The colour of your book's cover will depend on the region where you order it - though I promise the text is the same in all three!

If you live here on Prince Edward Island, you can come out and get your book in-person at the launch event I’m hosting with our local indie, The Bookmark. The event is at the Haviland Club on March 31 at 7pm, and I'll be chatting about the book with my friend Katharine MacDonald, signing books, and doing a short reading. There will also be character-themed teas from Tyne Valley Teas, and I think the venue is especially appropriate, given that it is notoriously haunted by the ghost of a widow! I hope to see you there.

And if you can’t make it all the way to PEI, I am also planning several events in Ontario and the Midwest, where I will be in conversation with the brilliant C.S.E. Cooney, so stay turned for tour details soon!

When the book sold, I immediately began plotting to commission a few of my fabulous artist friends to make art inspired by A Widow’s Charm, and I now have some very fun things to show you.

No fantasy land can be fully realized without a map, so I enlisted my friend Grant Jeffery at Taiga Interactive to make me one.

I gave him some descriptive passages from the book and the roughest stick figure sketch and he turned it into the Far Reach of the King’s Gaze, just as I imagined it! Truly, he is a wizard.

I also needed some character art, and for that, I turned to actual faerie queen Betsie Withey, who created these stunning cameo-style portraits of the protagonists of A Widow’s Charm, Lady Hildegarde Croft and Lord Erol Elmwood.

It is so incredibly magical seeing people you made up in your head turned into something real. Betsie captured their essence perfectly, and she also gave me a portrait of the naughtiest dog to ever instigate a meet-cute, Lord Rollo Badgerhound.

Isn’t he the dearest?

Taiga Interactive also came through with a craft activity, courtesy of my incredibly talented husband, Magill Foote. He designed cards that let you cut out and create mini versions of the two houses featured in A Widow’s Charm, Croftholde and Merewyth. This was such a cool idea, and I had so much fun building the prototypes! I can’t wait to give away some of these at my launch events.

Last but not least, my US publisher, Del Rey, asked me to come up with a playlist of music that would help people get into the vibe of the book. Being a musician myself, I took this very seriously and spent the next six months attempting to formulate the perfect mix. I’m very pleased with the final playlist, and I thought I might share it with you, along with the reason each song is included!

Detectorists (Full Studio Version) - Johnny Flynn

I knew the playlist needed to include some Johnny Flynn because a movie poster of him being pressed against a wall by a lady in a rather titillating fashion was one of the catalysts for Elmwood’s character. Also, this song really captures the pastoral feeling of the book.

Bonny Light Horseman - Nic Jones

Elmwood is a cavalry officer prior to the events of the book, and although he doesn’t meet the same unfortunate fate as the Bonny Light Horseman, I had this ballad in mind when writing about his time as a soldier. 

Now I Go (Wingspan Original Video Game Soundtrack) - Pawel Gorniak

This song will forever make me think of A Widow’s Charm, because when I sold the book, my husband celebrated by making me movie end credits for a fake film adaptation, and this song is the music that plays over that video. I’m going to share the video with you a little closer to the publication date.

The Diggers' Song – Windborne

Lady Hildegarde Croft has some radical ideas about land ownership, and those ideas are directly inspired by the very real 17^th century political dissidents called the Diggers. I was aware of them because of this ballad that chronicles their struggles, and this version is sung by Windborne, a fantastic choral group, some members of which I sang folk music with back when we were in college together!

Old Blue - Joan Baez

This one is for Rollo, who gets a happier ending than poor Old Blue.

You Can't Have My Magic - Lady Moon

I’m pretty sure the magic in this song is a metaphor, but seeing as Elmwood spends most of the book telling Hilde he can’t use his Charm on her behalf, it seemed appropriate.

Husband - Amigo the Devil

My husband and I were discussing this playlist when we walked into a coffee shop and heard this song playing. Since the entire inciting incident of A Widow’s Charm revolves around Hilde’s dead husband, I felt like I had to include it.  

All I Want Is You - The Decemberists

One of Hilde’s big lessons is learning that it’s okay for her to want things for herself, and I think this song captures that sentiment.

From Fields, From Forests, From Far - Ethan Hibbs

I stumbled on Ethan Hibbs while scrolling Instagram and he has become one of my favourite musicians for fantasy-vibes instrumental writing music. This piece really evokes Rollo running over the rolling hills surrounding Croftholde.

Swinton May Song - Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills, and Cindy Mangsen

In the book there is a spring festival called the Wylderuckus, so I wanted to include a wassailing-type song to evoke that English folk ritual feeling. Anne Hills is my official fairy godmother, so I’ve been listening to Anne, Cindy, and Priscilla since I was a very small child and immediately thought of this one.

From Eden – Hozier

Like all good millennial bog witches, I am obsessed with Hozier. This song really feels Elmwood-looking-at-Hilde coded to me: There’s something so lonesome about you, something so wholesome about you, get closer to me.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Offa Rex

A romance called for a classic love ballad, and I think this one really captures that moment of rapture when you connect with the person who you realize will be your person forever after. 

By Way Of Sorrow - The Wailin' Jennys

A Widow’s Charm is the story of two damaged, struggling people who find solace and hope in one another, and this song perfectly reflects that.

I hope you will enjoy listening to the playlist on whatever platform you find your music!

There will be more announcements and news coming this month, but for now, I wish you the best books and the most berry-full brambles.

Caitlyn

I write this from the traditional unceded territory known as Mi’kma’ki, and I am grateful to call Epekwitk my home.