I’ve been working on a very cool project with Solaris, and since we announced it yesterday, now I can tell you about it! It’s called The Swordmaster, and it’s a vampire novel set in the world of Alexandre Dumas. Solaris began this series with Emma Newman’s novel The Vengeance—which I have read and loved, and which is getting a sequel of its own.
Although it’s a series, my book doesn’t follow from Emma’s. In fact, The Swordmaster is set earlier than The Vengeance. I set my novel during the time of Dumas’s Valois novels — during the time of Catherine de’ Medici and the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre in Paris in 1572. For the Dumas fans out there, my novel is set roughly in the same period (and with many of the same characters) as La Reine Margot. I’ve also drawn from his other books and stories; for example, his vampire story The Pale Lady. My main character, Françoise de Montesquiou d’Artagnan, is a member of the same family as the famous musketeer. (I deeply love Françoise and I hope everyone else does too.) There will be Easter eggs for the Dumas readers, but I wrote it to be accessible to people who have not yet read anything by Dumas, as well.
It was a real privilege to write a vampire novel, to tap into (ha) that long tradition, which has so often been used to make social commentary and push boundaries. We have a first draft of The Swordmaster already, and I’m so pleased to be working with my wonderful editor Amanda Raybould on it.
This means I’ll have two books out in 2026 — Mercutio in April, then The Swordmaster in the fall. 2025 is a fallow year for publications for me (the US/paperback release of The Tapestry of Time is pretty much it, and probably a short story or two), but 2026 will be busy.
In other news… this weekend is the conference for the Nebula Awards, which I’m attending remotely online. I’m on an online panel tonight about collaborating and building community, and then I’ll participate online in the finalists certificate ceremony. I’m enormously pleased to be nominated as one of the 10 writers of A Death in Hyperspace, and to share this experience with them. This is my fourth Nebula nomination; I’ve only been able to go in person once, but I appreciate the online component so I can celebrate with my colleagues.
Today’s the last day to bid in the Genre for Trans Rights auction, which includes an unnumbered author copy of the Goldsboro edition of The Embroidered Book, plus a personal note from me. I wish everyone joy and safety during this Pride month, accompanied though it must be by grief and anger.
And a reminder of the half-day online workshop I have coming up at the Loft on June 28, The Power of Retelling in Fiction. Now I’ve got some experience with reinterpreting Dumas to add into the mix! Still time to sign up.
Finally, a note on this anniversary of D-Day that the US release of The Tapestry of Time is coming up in July, and the UK paperback release follows shortly after. (The US is going straight to the paperback.) That novel opens on June 7, 1944, with a woman named Kit walking through the streets of occupied Paris. If you’re able to pre-order a copy (any bookstore should be able to order it), and/or to request it from your local library, or just to spread the word to someone who might like it, that’s always a huge help I appreciate.