Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Announcing HELLFINDER, plus a GIVEAWAY

Hello all. It has been so long since I posted on this site that Blogger has revamped their interface and it took me a few tries to figure out how to write a post :) I hope you are doing well, or as well as can be given the adversity most of us have faced the past year and a half.

This post is to introduce you to my next YA novel, HELLFINDER! It's an action/adventure story that takes place over the span of a few days and is set primarily in the wilds of Iceland. It's a little bit Ally Carter's Embassy Row series, a little bit Shadowhunters, and a whole lot me. I had so much fun reliving all of my trips to Iceland while writing this novel. I hope you enjoy it too. It's scheduled to release in summer of 2023, via Regal House/Fitzroy Books.

It's me, in a volcano!

I'm going to share the working cover copy (which is too long and will be trimmed back or changed) and a mood board. And then, of course, a giveaway! This giveaway is going to be for everyone, but next month I'm going to do another one for newsletter subscribers with a lot of the same entry prompts. So if you want a second chance to win a $20 gift card (or $20 to your PayPal) head over to the Newsletter tab and sign up. I include editing tips, book recs, and an exclusive contest in every letter :)

Okay, here's the working cover copy:

Seventeen-year-old Rory Quinn and her grandmother, Ingrid, spend their free time searching for hidden treasure and missing heirlooms. When Ingrid takes a job in Iceland, things quickly go from dangerous to deadly.

They’re searching for an enchanted stone that will allegedly lead whoever possesses it to the nearest doorway to Hell. The client’s grandson, Einar, took the heirloom at the request of his favorite rock band, Black as Death. As part of a publicity stunt, the band plans to open the closest doorway, rumored to exist deep inside one of Iceland’s many volcanoes, in just three days.

Rory doesn’t believe in Hell and she’s not sure why Gram took this case—they’re treasure hunters, not bounty hunters. But Gram believes she and Rory can find Einar and recover the stone with help from the client’s other grandson, Gunnar, who happens to be Einar’s twin.

An isolated black sand desert, a snowy glacier, and a labyrinth of ice caves and volcanic tunnels stand in their way. And then they’ll have to face down Einar and Black as Death to retrieve the stone, ideally before the band unleashes anything evil into the Icelandic wilderness.

As the team grows closer to Einar, Rory is growing closer to Gunnar, too. But she can tell he’s keeping secrets from her. Big ones, that when revealed, will cause her to question almost everything she’s ever believed.


And here's the first mood board. I forgot how fun these were to make!


Are you intrigued? I joke that even people who don't enjoy the story will love the setting, because how could you not? Visiting Iceland almost feels like being on another planet in some places, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Here's the contest! Remember, if you want a second chance to enter, subscribe to the newsletter and watch your Inbox next month. Happy almost-July! Stay cool, or warm, depending on where you are.

a Rafflecopter giveaway