Per my post about 2023, I really need to refocus on refilling my creative well. So, this year, I’m limiting the number of author interviews I do and reshuffling my to-read list to be mainly about backlist titles. Plus, I am releasing a novella of my own, which I am more than thrilled to unleash upon the world.
My Own 2023 Release
The title is dropping on Twitter and on the blog on January 11th. The novella comes out on April 11th, and it’s a true crime secondary world fantasy noir with a fabulous cover from Aleta Perez.
Loosely inspired by the life and crimes of Richard Kuklinski, it’s about a hit person who uses ice magic to support her own sapphic lifestyle. Love, betrayal, family, magic, and more. There is a cat, the cat does not die.
The 2023 Blog Interviews
These are in chronological order. One is redacted for it is a Harper Collins title and the strike is still ongoing, which may affect the release date.
- A Necessary Chaos by Brent C. Lambert (February)
- Heart, Haunt, Havoc by Freydís Moon (February)
- Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton (April)
- Another Life by Sarena Ulibarri (May)
- Off-Time Jive by A.Z. Louise (May)
- The Surviving Sky by Kritika H. Rao (June)
- Sordidez by E.G. Condé (July)
- The Weaver and the Witch Queen by Genevieve Gornichec (July)
- Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington (July)
- Skin Teeth by Suzan Palumbo (October)
- Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase (November)
- Redacted, support the Harper Collins Union
23 Books I am Excited to Read in 2023
These are in alphabetical order and a mix of pre-2023 and backlist
- Angels Before Man by rafael nicolás (adult, fantasy, 2022)
- The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller (YA, contemporary fantasy, 2017)
- Books of Blood by Clive Barker (adult, horror, 1998)
- Boys, Beasts, and Men by Sam J. Miller (adult, short story collection, 2022)
- Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses (adult, nonfiction, 2021)
- Darknesses by Lachelle Seville (adult, horror, 2022)
- Dead Boys by Gabrielle Squailia (adult, horror, 2015)
- Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin (adult, horror, 2004)
- For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten (adult, fantasy, 2021)
- How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu (adult, science fiction, 2022)
- Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid (adult, horror, 2022)
- Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite (adult, horror, 1992)
- Mine by Delilah S. Dawson (MG, horror, 2022)
- Nothing Sung and Nothing Spoken by Nita Tyndall (YA, historical fiction, 2022)
- Our Share of Night by Mariana Enríquez (adult, horror, 2023)
- Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco (adult, dark fantasy, 2022)
- Spring’s Arcana by Lilith Saintcrow (adult, fantasy, 2023)
- The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah (adult, fantasy, 2022)
- These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever (adult, contemporary, 2020)
- Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame by Meg Long (YA, science fiction, 2023)
- Vampire Hunter D volumes by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano (adult, science fiction fantasy horror western, 2006-)
- We Don’t Swim Here by Vincent Tirado (YA, horror, 2023)
- Whalefall by Daniel Kraus (adult, horror, 2023)
RIP to your TBR lists.
Happy reading,
Jo
Jo Writes Fantasy 
Wow 😮 this is a great list! I definitely love your picks for horror! Out of curiosity, are you going through a publisher or self-publishing for your novela? I’m currently writing my first novel, and when I think about publishing, I feel lost and anxious. I’m unsure if I want to find a publisher or self-publish. Any insight helps.
Thank you for sharing your lists with us, and I here’s to a sweeter 2023! 🥰
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Hi there! Sorry for taking a minute to reply.
For the novella, I’m self-publishing it. The novella market is quite small, and I had exhausted most of it. Plus, that story is exemplary of the writing I want to do post-2020 and I thought, “Hey, there’s a way to showcase this!”
I’m technically still in the query trenches for my second novel. For those, I do want to do traditional publishing as there are factors of reach, product design, and marketing that I simply do not have the bandwidth for. However, with current news about the Big 5, I am beginning to consider self-publishing as my overall strategy. I definitely want to give querying a third try once I finish something I want to share with the public like that.
I’ll probably be posting some regular updates and a post mortem on the whole process at the end of the year so for sure be on the look out for that.
Thank you for reading and finding new books to read!!
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That’s amazing! Thank you so much for sharing, as it does help a ton. I’ll keep my eye out for the process! I’m definitely interested 😃 thank you so much again!
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