I’m sitting in my office listening to rain pelting down on the roof. The sidewalk will be plastered with cherry blossoms when I finally brave the rain and walk the dog. It’s spring at last, and I’m slowly gearing up for a season of productivity after a full month of crashing and burning.

In my defense, the year got off to a rip-roaring start! In January, I wrote 76,000 words in three weeks and finished the first draft of my yet-to-be-announced 2027 novel! In February, I wrote another 40,000 words of my fantasy magnum opus that I swear I’m finishing this year! I was getting up at 5 and crushing through thousands of words a day! And then what happened?

Our house was bombarded—nay, steamrolled—by illnesses. Flu A, HFMD, stomach bugs, shingles, febrile seizures, colds, you name it. I spent the first week of March in bed with full-blown pneumonia, for crying out loud. I am still trying to return to form. It turns out that having two kids under three in daycare means literally double the pathogens. RIP us, and RIP my work for the month of March, because when a toddler is down with a bug and we can’t find childcare coverage, my job’s flexibility means that I am the parent on deck. I read one (1) book in March, but I watched a lot of Bluey and Mulan. We’re calling that a win. I also got back into drawing for the first time in twenty-odd years, which has been extremely therapeutic. 

But! Today! The kids are in daycare! I am only moderately snotty! That means we’re WORKING, folks! And today, working means hawking my wares. 

It is the season of the 25% Barnes & Noble preorder sale, and I have books up for preorder! Books, yes, plural! 

First up: my YA debut, THE HOUSE OF GARDENIAS, will roar onto shelves in all of her ghostly glory September 29, 2026. Preorders are vitally important for debuts, and yes, I am technically a debut in Young Adult! If you want to see more books from me, preordering is the #1 way to ensure that my publishers know it, so use the code PREORDER25 at checkout to get 25% off THE HOUSE OF GARDENIAS.

(I’ll be sending a shiny new book idea to my YA publisher soon, so let’s get those preorder numbers cooking, shall we?)

Second, but no less thrilling: SOMETHING FOLLOWED US HOME, an anthology of Latin horror short stories, will release Fall 2026! I believe it is also scheduled to release on September 29, 2026, which is hilarious.

In this volume you will find spine-tingling tales by all the who’s who of Latine horror writers: Mariana Enríquez, Agustina Bazterrica, Xochitl Gonzalez, Ananda Lima, Mónica Ojeda, yours truly (!!!), and many, many others.

My story, “The Hand That Feeds,” is set in the universe of my second novel, Vampires of El Norte, and features another famously monstrous supernatural creature… albeit with a twist. I cannot wait to share it with you all! Use the code PREORDER25 at checkout to get 25% off!

And finally, in related Barnes & Noble news, I will be appearing! In the flesh! At a B&N! Alongside my pal Olivie Blake!

I am THRILLED to share that I will be hosting Olivie for her launch of her graphic novel CLARA & THE DEVIL at Barnes & Noble Northgate Station on May 6 at 6pm. If you saw us chaotically celebrate Olivie’s novel GIRL DINNER at Third Place Books last October and thought “my, those are two unhinged, under-slept, and deeply delightful creatures with great lipstick, I’d love to see them in (chaotic) conversation again," this is your chance!

The rain has slowed up. It’s time to throw myself into the gloom and crushed cherry blossoms with the dog and then stumble back to the desk, for I have acknowledgments to write. Blurbs to seek. A new book to rewrite. An older book to resurrect and propose to my YA editor. A new short story to outline. And, of course, myriad infant ideas to nurse into health. (I also need to nurse myself back to health, tbh. This post-pneumonia hacking cough is getting old.)

we’ll talk soon,

isabel xxxx