Cover Reveal: THE POSSESSION OF ALBA DÍAZ, out Aug 19, 2025!
I am in the midst of one of the most grueling copyedits of my life (793 comments! on 390 pages! It’s a lot!), so I don’t have time to say much, but BEHOLD: a...
Upcoming cover reveal! New short stories! Book recs to escape this hellish timeline!
Dear readers, Since I last popped into your inbox, the world has turned on its head. I also turned 34—election week birthdays hit different, I tell you....
"Eva and the Devil" available to preorder! UK ebooks sale! Giveaways!!
Dear all, I have some quick updates to share about upcoming releases! Update the first: I am so, so happy to finally be able to announce that my short story...
Introducing THE POSSESSION OF ALBA DÍAZ
I am absolutely beside myself to announce that my next book, THE POSSESSION OF ALBA DÍAZ, is forthcoming from Berkley Summer 2025. This one took its tithe of...
FINAL CALL for The Dark Fantastic!
Dear all, If you were interested in signing up for my course The Dark Fantastic: Crafting Unputdownable Fiction, today is the last day to sign up! ENROLL NOW...
A few days left to sign up for THE DARK FANTASTIC: CRAFTING UNPUTDOWNABLE FICTION
Hi all!I hope you’re doing well. I finally got my revision-to-end-all-revisions in to my editor on Monday and have been indulging in some well-deserved down...
I’m teaching a course this fall! Join me!
Hi, beloved reader. Did you know that “write June newsletter” is still on my to-do list? …it’s true. I have been meaning to send out a newsletter for the...
A story from a dusty drawer: "The Ruby of Sindbâd"
Dear readers, Graduate school put me through the wringer, but when I look back on those days with an eye for fondness, I think of sunshine pouring through...
Vampires of El Norte is a Locus Award Finalist! 2024 publication news! (And a sad update...)
Hello! Phew, didn’t mean to scare you there. I know it must be a shock to see me in your inbox so shortly after my last email. I couldn’t resist barging in—I...
The Hacienda earned out!
Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance. - James...
"He asked for the heart carved from your breast": some secrets & some Snow White
On her wedding night, the banquet roared on below. Prince Felipe swept Blanca Nieve to his bedchamber; there, with a gasp, she beheld a mirror balanced...
Brief updates: The Hacienda on sale! An exclusive short story! What!
The dark has lifted here in Seattle. The sun is shining, tulips are beginning to push through the soil, and dear reader, I can't believe I'm saying this, but...
Happy… New Year? (Or: how is it already February?)
Hello all! I definitely planned to send out a newsletter in January, but you know that whole “best laid plans” proverb? Yeah, having a baby is definitely a...
VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE is a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist!
And: misc. updates; we mourn TinyLetter; we reread Tolkien.
Wednesday, Sept. 13: Isabel Cañas in conversation with Sadie Hartmann at the Seattle Central Library!
A special hello to those of you located in Seattle! I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I would be having my first ever event here in my new hometown...
VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE is a USA Today bestseller! (Plus a fixed link for the Books for Maui Fundraiser!)
Surprise! I'm back again! And it's with fantastic news... VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE is an instant USA Today bestseller! This is INCREDIBLE news! Thank you so, so...
VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE and the Books for Maui fundraiser!
PHEW, what a week it has been! In case you missed it, VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE is now available wherever books are sold. That includes the audiobook, which is a...
One week until Vampires of El Norte!
Hey all! I looked up today and realized oh crap, I had better send a newsletter because believe it or not, Vampires of El Norte releases next week. I have no...
ARC Giveaway for VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE!
Hey all! It’s been a minute since I last popped into your inboxes, but I have good reasons for my radio silence, I swear—it’s been a wild few months of...
THE HACIENDA is a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist! 🎉
Hello again, subscribers old and new! I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that THE HACIENDA is a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist in Horror! 🎉🎉🎉 For the...
Book announcement: VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE coming August 2023!
Mark your calendars, folks! I'm thrilled to announce that my next novel, VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE, is coming to shelves August 29, 2023! Here's a sneak peak of...
Boo!
Surprised to see me popping back into your inbox so soon? (Trust me, no one is as surprised as I.) Happy spooky season to you all! I've said it before and...
September Updates
Hello all! It's been ages since I touched base with my newsletter. What better time to do so than when I'm on deadline? I've had a whirlwind few months since...
The Hacienda is Out Now!
I'm thrilled to announce that The Haceinda was published on Tuesday, May 3, and is now available in hardcover, ebook, and audio in the U.S., Canada, and the...
A long overdue hello!
It’s been a long time since I popped into your inbox for many of you (since August, in fact... yikes!) and the first time I have done for many of you. Let me...
THE HACIENDA Cover Reveal and Exclusive Excerpts! New Short Story Publication! (And, as a treat: a brief essay on discomfort in writing)
Hello, dear newsletter! It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? I have so much to fill you in on—so let’s dive right in! News Cover reveal time! Earlier this month,...
New story out today! Read "A Land of Saints and Monsters" in Beneath Ceaseless Skies
Good morning! I come bearing good news and a small surprise: a short story publication! In my last newsletter, I shared a short list of forthcoming...
summer's here and we're all melting
Why hello there, stranger! It’s been a minute since I popped into your inbox, hasn’t it? (Sheepish grin.) I’ve been swamped with copyedits for The Hacienda,...
short and sweet, pt. 2: resources for writing flash fiction
Good morning! How is it May already?! Here I was hoping that 2021 would be less slippery than 2020, but alas—time has become a flat circle and we’re all here...
Introducing my debut novel THE HACIENDA
I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my debut novel THE HACIENDA will be published by Berkley in Spring 2022. I have been sitting on this news for six...
Let's talk writing sprints
...over on TinyLetter!
How to Write The Thing (Fast), Part 2: In Defense of Drafting with Arrogance
Hello, hello! Welcome, new subscribers, to my wee corner of the internet! Like last month, I have quite a lot to say, so I’m going to put some news and...
How To Write The Thing (Fast) Part 1: Preparation
or: how I gear up to write novels in six weeks
short and sweet, pt. 1
some belated 2021 goals and resources for structuring short stories
new year, new whiplash
still holding onto that breath we definitely know we're holding
we are burned out
like chestnuts left roasting on an open fire way too freakin' long
welcome 💌
Oh hey, a newsletter! 💌 What’s this thing for? monthly musings… on the craft of writing. On the 15th of every month, expect thoughts on story structure. On...