Hello 2026. Big year ahead: elections, book releases, book tours, music, things we can’t predict will happen, things we’re desperately hope for could happen… Lots of possibilities. In my heart of hearts, I’m screaming into the universe that it needs to be gentler. Show us––and teach a lot of folks-–compassion. For each other and for ourselves. That’s a tough task; I can be very doom and gloom, but we’ve seen enough doom and gloom in 2025.

This year, I’m going for more delight and bright, even when it challenges me. Right now, I’ve never been more anxious. Over the years I’ve been stressed about what’ll come next, yet it’s this time, a month before my seventh book release, that I feel stuck. You know when you put your all into work? When you stare painstakingly at every word, choice, and line you’ve used, made, created? That’s been me for months. I didn’t see the forest through the trees. And…worryingly, I still can’t. All I think about is: can I make this book break out? Will I prove to my publisher that I’m a good bet? Can I push the needle, influence where the book goes, what audience it finds…can I, can I, can I…?

You’re aware that you can only do so much, which is why you focus on writing a new story. So you do. You revise it for moooooonths, and then submit it. Crickets. So you write another. Revise it for mooooonths. You submit that too. Those crickets stay cricketing. Now what?! You write another?! What’s the point??!!! And it’s not special. This is the nature of publishing, and it certainly is for a Black author with other identities. While it’s always been difficult, right now feels different. We’re in the thick of book bans, anti-DEI or “woke”, AI…and publishing is reacting, doubling down on what they’ve “deemed” makes money. All you need to do is look at the movie, Sinners, to see that audiences want our stories, want our songs. We’ll give it to them, but they’ll need to give us the opportunities, take chances on us, and pay us.

All that said, yes, we may only do so much, promotion still falls on our shoulders. It’s not that the industry wants us to fail, it’s that it’s not necessarily set up for all of us to succeed. Keep that in mind when you notice authors posting graphics, shouting about our books online, begging you to preorder––because yes, they make or break an author’s career, doing preorder campaigns and giveaways, setting up events, figuratively ripping our hair out…We don’t have the control we want, we only have to act like we do. Be patient with us, we love writing books and want to keep doing it.

Anyway, here’s some stuff:

An Unlikely Story on February, 2nd, click here to sign up.

Love & Legends on February 3rd, click here to sign up.

Mysterious Galaxy on Feb 6th, click here to sign up.

When there’s a Grand Gestures link, I’ll let you know!

And for the Potions & Devotions tour:

Always Here Bookstore, click here to sign up.

Spanish Fork Library event, click here to sign up.

Anderson’s Bookshop, click here to sign up.

Rainy Day Books, click here to sign up.

Love Y’all Book Festival, click here to sign up. I’ll be there Feb 13-15th!!

TODAY’S THE LAST DAY OF A PREORDER SALE AT BARNES & NOBLE

I made these this one below.

For Members (you can get a membership for free), get 25% off Until the Clock Strikes Midnight using the code PREORDER25. Extra 10% for premium folks. Remember to keep your receipt for the preorder campaign.

Alright, that’s enough from me. Expect one more newsletter before the book comes out, sorry in advance :)) Please feel free to write me and chat anytime!

Happy New Year!

Alechia