Hi friends!
As we creep closer to the new year, it’s hitting me that we only have a few months left before The Ruins Beneath Us hits shelves everywhere. Cue the screaming, sobbing, throwing up, and cold sores (since my body apparently hates me).
This was a very busy month! Between work trips, casting the audiobook narrator, and meeting with my publisher to pitch my plot for Book 2 (I got everything approved!!!), it’s been the best kind of rollercoaster.
FIRST BOOK FESTIVAL
A huge highlight was attending YALLFest in South Carolina. This was my first time in the lovely Palmetto state and my first official author event. Since Ruins isn’t out yet, I’m not technically a real author yet and therefore not eligible to sit on any official festival panels. Instead, my publisher “sponsored” (paid for) a time slot in the event quad to make flower crowns and pass out ARC copies.
So let me tell you… I was stresssssed. If nobody came, it would be an early signal to Hyperion not to invest in future promo. My #1 dream for this book is to hit the mainstream enough to facilitate in-person events, so I was crossing all ten fingers and toes and fully prepared to cry myself to sleep if it flopped.
But… you guys showed up. BIG TIME.
When I walked into the event and realized it was COMPLETELY full, I started crying. Then I got up to speak about the story and cried even more. I vlogged the whole experience, and (spoiler alert), cried again while recapping it, so watch at your own risk.
There have been a lot of moments over the last several years where I’ve looked around and thought…. Wait. Is this really my life? I was such a miserable kid— and so convinced that life was always going to feel grueling and awful — that it feels sometimes like I traveled into an alternate dimension where dreams really come true.
I try to say thank you as often as I can, but I don’t think I can ever fully communicate how much my online audience has changed the quality of my life. So I think it bears repeating: HOLY FREAKING SHIZ, THANK YOU— for showing up to events, preordering the book, leaving reviews, or even just boosting my posts on social media. I promise I am working as hard as I can to make art worthy of your support and attention!!!
WRITING UPDATES
Speaking of which, I’m deep into writing Book 2!
My first draft is due at the beginning of March, which is the same time I’ll be touring Ruins. Is this a safe space to remark how weird it is to be promoting the first book while my head is completely stuck in the sequel? The two have dramatically different vibes.
If I had to summarize Book 1 with a single word, it would be betrayal. If I summarized the sequel? Vengeance.
So far, the most difficult part of this process has been keeping my mouth shut about all the easter eggs and plot twists I’m planning. How does Taylor Swift do it?!?! I want to scream my secrets from the rooftops.
REVIEWS + EARLY ACCESS
There’s been a ton of discourse lately about authors engaging in review spaces, so I’ll pledge now to keep my nose out of Goodreads (except for the secret stalking that I do….*checks watch*… every few hours). I’m only human, OK!?!?! And some of the reviews fully have me giggling and swinging my feet.
If you’ve received an early copy, I’d love to get your thoughts as well! Unless you hated it. In which case…. please forget I ever existed.
TOUR DATES
My 2026 book tour details are forthcoming, but I wanted to give my subscribers as much time to plan as possible!
3/3 — New Jersey
3/4 — Orlando
3/6 — Chicago
3/7 — Salt Lake City
PRINTER TOUR
Another highlight worth mentioning was the trip I took a few weeks ago to see my books being PRINTED!
I’ll be honest, I initially assumed that my book would be manufactured abroad. So I was surprised and delighted when Hyperion arranged for me to travel to Maryland (another state off my bucket list!) to visit Phoenix Color Corp, a factory that prints massive titles including Fourth Wing, Lightlark, Percy Jackson, the HUNGER GAMES…. I could go on. There were big sections of the tour where I wasn’t allowed to film anything because of proprietary protections, and I was absolutely geeking over some of the samples.
And, my favorite part of the newsletter— here’s what I’m consuming lately!
CURRENTLY WATCHING:
Death by Lightning on Netflix — I made a whole video yapping about how much I loved this show. It’s loosely based on the book Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard, which details the stranger-than-fiction story of President James Garfield and his tragic assassination just a few months after taking office.
CURRENTLY LISTENING:
Taylor Swift’s The Life of A Showgirl is on repeat, especially Father Figure (big Lyria energy) and CANCELLED! And of course, the Ruins Beneath Us playlist.
I unfortunately did not love the second Wicked movie, but I have been loving Cynthia Erivo’s No Good Deed. It basically forms the emotional foundation of Book 2.
CURRENTLY READING:
I finally polished off Alchemised by Sen Lin Yu, which easily stands among my top five favorite books of all time. Which begs the question… what TF is wrong with me???? Hahaha. I’ll admit I had a bit of trouble getting into it at first, but switching to the audiobook really helped! The world-building is dense, but it’s worth the investment.
While developing Book 2, I’ve been diving into the War of Three Kingdoms, starting with The Scottish Revolution 1637–1644 by David Stevenson. I’ve also been reading about traveling through icy terrain, including revisiting East by Edith Pattou and Graceling by Kristin Cashore, both childhood favorites.
PREORDER (please)
Here’s the part where I get on my knees and beg. As of the last update from my publisher, we’ve garnered about 1,000 preorders for Ruins. That’s great news, and I’m SO grateful, but it’s only a fraction of what I’d need to make it onto any bestseller list or get the attention of big retailers. So I’m going to be doing all I can in the next few months to get that number up! If you’d like to help, the book is available now from basically anywhere you buy books. Every share, repost, comment, and word-of-mouth recommendation also does wonders!
It’s recently come to my attention that if you preorder on Amazon, you won’t get charged until it ships! There’s a Kindle version, and Amazon ships to a lot of places internationally, though I’m crossing my fingers that the book will be translated and distributed abroad! (again, another thing that preorders will help determine).
If you’ve made it this far, THANK YOU! May any avocado you purchase ripen at precisely the right moment. May your jeans make your butt look fantastic. May you find forgotten cash in your coat pocket.
I appreciate you more than you’ll ever know!
XOXO,
Sasha E. Sloan