AUGUST 2025

Book sales and new tales…

Hello, hello.

Welcome to another riveting installment of the JJ monthly newsletter, in which I prattle about my life, both publishing and personal.

These past few weeks vanished in a blink, didn’t they?

Someone once told me if summer were a weekend, July would be a Saturday while August is a Sunday. To me, the final stretch of summertime always feels a bit like living with an invisible countdown clock in the background, ticking down the seconds until beach days are inevitably traded for sweater weather. Even now, as I’m writing to you, it’s a gloriously sunny morning here in Massachusetts… but the air feels edged with the faintest hint of autumn.

Below, I have some exciting bookish news to share (one of my ebooks is FREE to download this week only!), plus some publishing timeline updates, personal reflections on this crazy rollercoaster of an industry, and — as always — I’ll close out with a handful of recent book recommendations.

I’ve got a cup of coffee on hand and nothing else on my morning agenda. I’m ready if you are, friends. So, grab a beverage, pull up a seat, and away we go…

In last month’s newsletter, I finally got to share the cover art for my upcoming book THE SEA SPINNER, which is book two in my fantasy trilogy. Before we move on, I just want to take a second to express my appreciation to everyone who helped me reveal the cover on social media. (Even bigger thanks to those of you who’ve already pre-ordered your copy.)

Over the past few days, I’ve been busy reviewing pass pages for the upcoming paperback version of THE WIND WEAVER, ensuring everything looks good before it goes to print. (Official release date for the paperback version is March 3 in the USA, 12 March in the UK.)

I’m eager to finish up and get back to writing. Yes, writing! I’m working on something totally new at the moment — book one of a new duology — and I’ve set myself a tentative target of finishing the first draft by the end of the year.

Ambitious? Perhaps. But I like deadlines. Actually, I need them. Without a goal post to chase, I tend to flail about in the mulling stage for weeks on end, adrift from any actual progress to show for it on the page.

Though, truth be told, mulling is a vital part of my process. I don’t know about other authors, but when I sit down to sketch out something new I have to see the whole plot in my head, start to finish, before I can fully immerse myself. I’m not saying I need to see every single character or twist, but I do have to understand the bones of the story before I can start filling in the flesh.

I need a basic skeleton, if you will.

That’s much easier with a standalone book than a duology or a trilogy or a series. It can feel like being stuck in some sort of mad cerebral purgatory… Days of staring at the wall, contemplating themes, testing out dynamics, laying the foundations of world-building inside my brain, brick by brick…. until, at last, things solidify enough to actually put my fingers to the keys and start typing.

I’m still in the magical beginning stages of this book, still getting to know my new characters. But it feels fantastic to finally allow all my chaotic musings to crystallize into paragraphs and pages and chapters.

As I make more progress, I’m simultaneously refining my pitch sheet, which is something I’ll send to my agents so they have a better idea of what I’m working on — and, eventually, are prepared to discuss this new duology with potential publishers. (!!!)

Frankly, I have no idea if it will end up with a traditional deal. If I’ll choose the indie route instead. If it will be anything of interest to anyone besides… well… me. But I’m not thinking about all the what-ifs yet. I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself. I’m keeping my eyes focused on the only part of this process I can ever truly control: the book itself.

Wish me steady words and speedy keystrokes, please.

Now, in other bookish news…

My witchy romantic comedy BAD LUCK CHARM is currently free to download at all e-retailiers. It’s a perfect autumn read, and a total standalone.

QUICK SUMMARY: When occult shop owner Gwendolyn Goode unwittingly becomes the target of a dark witch coven, she knows she's in deep, deep trouble. But bloodthirsty pagans are the least of her problems. The real danger lies in protecting her heart from Graham Graves, the no-nonsense PI tasked with keeping her safe.

• murder mystery

• enemies to lovers

• forced proximity

• heroine in danger

• morally gray MMC

• occult vibes

• touch her and die

• “who did this to you?”

• spicy

Make sure to grab your copy before the price jumps back up to $5.99 at the end of the weekend.

August is just about over. Autumn is waiting in the wings, ready for her time in the spotlight. The leaves aren’t changing colors and I haven’t started pulling my coziest sweaters from the back of my closet… yet. I know I’ll need them soon enough.

Usually, I can’t wait. Usually, the so-called “-ber” months are my favorite time of year. But, like much of the world in 2025, right now things seem somewhat off-kilter.

I’m doing my best to stave off existential dread and endless doom-scrolling. To stop spinning my wheels over things I can’t control. To keep out the invasive pessimism that blindsides me whenever my brain wanders too far into the future.

What if AI replaces every living artist on the planet? What if no one wants my next series? What if this new story is too strange, too dark, too different from my other material? What if readers hate it? What if I never achieve everything I dream about? What if the apex of my career is already behind me? What if none of it matters anyway because aliens invade the earth and devour all our brains?

What if, what if, what it?

Some days, pushing my myriad worries aside is just a matter of refocusing. Shifting my perspective. A long walk, a hot shower, a nap… typically, those methods are enough to do the trick. But lately, there’s been such an unstoppable influx of horrific news, world events, politics… it’s hard to keep track, let alone process all of it.

I once heard the opposite of a “trigger” is called a “glimmer" — something that sparks joy instead of pain or panic or anxiety. So I’ve been doing my best to find the glimmers and avoid the triggers.

That means not reading the news first thing in the morning but, instead, walking down to the beach with my coffee mug. Feeling the sand under my bare feet, watching the seagulls circling and the waves crashing. Dragging deep breaths of curative salt air into my lungs until all those worries clanging around inside my head aren’t quite so loud.

It means dinners with old friends, and Facetime chats with long distance family. It means laughing my guts out at a comedy show on a random Sunday night. (I saw Nate Bargatze at TD Garden and he was genuinely hilarious.) It means reading in the hammock and muting all notifications on my phone.

Less endless scrolling on social media; more remembering that Instagram is a highlight reel, not a reflection of reality. Less comparing my career journey to others, being swallowed up by imposter syndrome; more looking at my own path, seeing how far I’ve come from that 22-year-old version of Julie who stumbled backwards into this industry without a single expectation of success.

Glimmers.

I’m seeking them out. I’m breathing them in.

Until further notice.

Have you been reading a lot this summer? I have. In fact, I’ve read more in the past handful of months than I did in all of 2024, if you can believe it. (In my defense, I was writing heavily last year, and I rarely allow myself to get lost in fiction while deadlines are looming.)

In August, I enjoyed a mix of books across multiple genres, from LJ Andrews’ pirate-fae romantasy The Ever King to the spicy dark romance Lights Out by Navessa Allen to the twisty wedding-themed murder mystery The Guest List by Lucy Foley to Anna Todd’s dazzling love story The Last Sunrise.

I even tossed a nonfiction read into the rotation, which I’m slowly making my way through: The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. Oh, and I’m finally ticking The Road by Cormac McCarthy off my TBR, which I’ve somehow never done in all these years. It’s a very dark read; I’ll need to select something lighter next. (Though I do plan to watch the movie after I finish.)

Speaking of movies… I once again spent the majority of my free time this month with my nose stuck in a book, so I don’t have a plethora of good onscreen recommendations for you. However, I did finally watch Howl’s Moving Castle and am kicking myself for waiting so long. (Now I need to watch the rest of the Ghibli films.)

I also watched several dark true crime documentaries, but balanced them out with a rewatch of New Girl, which is the ultimate feel-good show. (I save Gilmore Girls for my autumn comfort rewatch.)

Whew, this was a long one. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me. My coffee needs a refill and I’ve officially run out of rambles, so I’ll bid you farewell.

Wherever you are in the world, enjoy the turn of the seasons. September is always feels like a fresh start, doesn’t it?

May yours be full of joyful glimmers.

Until next time…