Good news! My book has been printed, copies have shipped, and the wonderful people who preordered early are receiving their copies in the mail.

To be honest, this all happened earlier than I expected! As a result, I’m not going to write another post about my experiences writing the book, at least not now. Instead, I’ll sit back and let people read it! Before I go though, I do want to tell you about some promotional events to look out for, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

First, I’ve been doing some interviews about the book. My interview for the Advanced TV Herstory Podcast is already up on YouTube. You can watch it here, listen here, or find it wherever you get your podcasts. I’m also recording interviews for the QT Nonfiction Podcast and for So What? and those will go live in the next few months.

Second, I’ve made arrangements for the fantastic indie publication Fansplaining to publish a book excerpt on September 2, to correspond (almost) with my official publication day! If you’re not familiar with Fansplaining, I highly recommend checking them out. They publish really smart, accessible writing about fans and fan culture, including fan-focused reviews of current TV shows. They also just got into a dispute with the New York Times, after a reporter stole Fansplaining’s work for a NYT article on AI in Heated Rivalry fanfiction! I’m very, very happy that Fansplaining will publish my excerpt, which includes some captivating quotes from Phoebe Waller-Bridge. (They also offer deeply discounted subscriptions if money is tight, no questions asked).

Later this fall, I’ll also be speaking about the book at the Fan Studies Network of North America Conference, focusing on the strangeness of navigating fan/academic divides. The conference takes place from Thursday October 22 to Sunday October 25. I don’t yet know when I’ll speak, but it’s a virtual conference, with free and discounted registration options, so please come join me, if you can.

Lastly, I’ve been waiting patiently - and ever-so-nervously - for reviewers to comment on the book. This happens in several rounds. First, my publisher solicited reviews to use in promotional materials. Two academics I greatly admire - Eve Ng and Karen Tongson - wrote very generous and insightful blurbs that now appear on the book jacket. “Middle-aged sapphic vibes,” indeed! If you’re interested in queer women’s fandoms and/or pop culture, you should definitely check out Eve’s and Karen’s work!

Perhaps the most dazzling recommendation, however, came from Jade Vincent, the singer and songwriter from Unloved. I reached out to her on a whim, asking if she’d like to read the book, since it explores her music and vocals in-depth. This led to a wonderful conversation and ultimately to her beautiful endorsement of my work, which now appears on the book’s website (and is forever etched in my heart).

The next round of book reviews will (hopefully) come out soon. For these, we’ve sent the book to various media and academic outlets and now we’re waiting to see who bites. Nothing beats a word-of-mouth recommendation, however, so if you do read the book and think it’s of value, please pass the information along, in whatever ways work for you.

As I’ve mentioned before, I primarily wrote the book for Killing Eve fans. The writing process only deepened my love for the show, even as it sharpened my criticism of the various mistakes that occurred along the way. I hope that fans who read the book will enjoy returning to the cultural world of Killing Eve, remembering why they loved the series in the first place, and reveling in those memories again.

Finally - I’d love to do a virtual book event specifically for Killing Eve fans. If you have any ideas how I could do this, feel free to leave a comment here, message me on social media (see links below), or send an email to [email protected]. I’m also open to general conversation about the book.

Till soon

Clare