February 2026

Dear ,

Consider the goddess Brigid.

I do not typically vibe with springtime and fertility goddesses. I always envision them rosy-cheeked and soft, and I prefer my goddesses vengeful, warlike, mysterious — Nemesis, Skadi, the Furies. Springtime goddesses feel deeply traditional, all about hearth and home and children, and as a childfree person, I don’t identify with much of that. But Brigid is not so easy to categorize. Perhaps none of them are, and I’ve simply been too dismissive.

Besides childbirth, Brigid is the goddess of poets, inspiration, fire, and smithing. She’s celebrated at Imbolc, which is typically marked on February 1st, and as I went around lighting candles in every room in the house, I was mulling over this latter four combination. On the one hand, the connecting thread of creation feels obvious. On the other, I doubt many people find true similarities between poets — or writers of any kind — and smiths. They are, in fact, different enough as to be metaphors for one another.

But I find myself drawn to the acknowledgment that writing is work as much as smithing is art. I revel in this connection with fire, with sweat, with toil. In a time when every single text box offers the option to “write it for me,” when AI slop pushers and prompters declaim how easy it is, how quick, how painless their process has become, I cling to the sacredness of pain, of slowness, of difficulty. I love the hard-turning gears of my mind, how my own knowledge must be worked through my fingers. I live for the moment when character background and story beats and instinct find their shape, individual elements becoming a cohesive whole, and that moment cannot exist without heat and hammer. The work makes it holy. The writing makes it worth reading.

And so, I must reconsider Brigid. Maybe I imagine her cheeks flushed with work rather than girlish laughter. Maybe I hear the roar of the forge behind her rather than a baby’s squall. Maybe I see her arms and shoulders thick with muscle instead of soft. In this form, perhaps I recognize her, and realize I’ve worshipped at her altar all along.

News and Events

My US cover was revealed in Reactor!

I think it’s fair to say that a book’s cover is one of the biggest stressors for an author, particularly a debut author. Like most parts of the traditional publishing process, there’s some back and forth, some aligning of the visions, some compromise, but this was a case where I could see the Berkley team simply knew better than me. This cover looks nothing like the cover ideas I sent them, but I fell in love with it instantly. That’s saying something, because they sent me five to choose from, three of which were excellent covers, but this one took my breath away. The smoky purples, the ominous silhouettes, the wicked, elongated V in Devil — couldn’t be more in love.

If you happen to be a NetGalley user, TDKHN is available to request now, and you can vote on the cover!

I’d also love to know — what are some of your favorite covers? And yes, I actually want to know, so you can reply to this email and I will read it! With my eyeballs! The book itself doesn’t have to be your favorite, but it’s always nice when the story lives up to the packaging, right?

Your February Story: Anniversary

A quick note — a few people let me know that last month’s story was long enough that it was cut off in their email. From here on out, I’ll be linking the stories instead, just to make sure nothing gets chopped.

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Until next time,

-C