The Wives of Herrick Hall Blurb Reveal

Happy October, friends! 🍁

It is officially pumpkin season, and as the world’s biggest pumpkin pie fan, I am HERE FOR IT (I’ve celebrated all my good publishing news with pumpkin pie - a waiter even snuck me a second slice for free once, and I’ll love them forever for it).

Last week, I revealed the official blurb for my debut Gothic sapphic horror, The Wives of Herrick Hall. I am so excited to introduce you to my girls Josephine and Nora (and a host of angry ghosts too) next May! I’ll share the release date and pre-order links as soon as I’m able to. ☺️

TWHH is full of ghosts, girls kissing, and female rage against the patriarchy (you won’t like Nora’s husband, but don’t worry, he’ll get his just desserts). It’s inspired by my love for the two Janes (Austen & Eyre), and it’s for anyone who grew up loving historical romances & classic Gothic fiction - but never saw their own queerness reflected in it.

Herrick Hall doesn’t let anything go without a fight. Least of all its masters’ dead wives…

After a dalliance with another woman leaves her reputation in shambles, Josephine Carter is banished to the isolated manor to serve as lady’s companion to Herrick’s mistress. Lady Nora Blake is a headstrong, capricious woman, who spends her days convalescing from a mysterious illness—and her nights witnessing her imminent death over and over. Shackled to her side, Josephine is certain life could not get worse. But then she meets the Herrick wives.

Ghosts veiled in shadow stalk the halls and trespass into Josephine’s dreams, trapped forever in the fury of their last dying wish: to destroy Herrick and everyone beneath its roof. Josephine determines to escape by any means necessary. Until she and Nora fall in love.

Together, Josephine and Nora must confront Herrick’s curse to battle their way to freedom. But Herrick has already claimed them as its next ghostly brides, and neither the house nor its vengeful wives will relinquish them without bloodshed…

I’ll keep this month’s newsletter short and sweet, but I wanted to thank you all for the continued love and support. You all truly mean the world to me. ❤️

There’s something daunting about bleeding so much of yourself into a book and then asking for it to be perceived. It’s a shitty timeline to be a queer artist in, and while I’d love for my books to travel far and wide to readers’ bookshelves, I won’t pretend there isn’t something scary about the possibility it might break containment and find the attention of certain groups. I don’t have a happy, pithy way to wrap this up, except I’ll keep writing my queer little stories anyway, scared or not.

I hope you all have the most incredible Octobers, and if you’re a Halloween lover, I hope you live it up big this season! I am hoping for trick or treaters for the first time in our new home and am planning some trips to different stores to source the best candy for our basket.

But for the next few weeks, you’ll find me locked in my deadline cave, pounding away on the keys (or procrastinating with spider solitaire or messing around on Canva, but 🤫).

All my love xx

-Julie