Yes, yes! The new book is finally DONE. Not just first draft done, but DONE DONE.

It is the longest book I have ever written. It originally clocked in at 195,000 words–but I KNEW that wasn’t working. So with only eight weeks before our DROP DEAD deadline, I began a major restructuring/revision and got it down to a much leaner, cleaner, (hopefully!) more compelling 165,000 words. Even so, you guys will practically be getting a twofer–two books for the price of once (word count-wise, anyway) and two stories woven into one. (That’s why the manuscript has two colors.)

Oh–and I can finally share the title:

Courting Darkness

And a little bit about the book . . .

Death wasn’t the end, it was only the beginning . . .

Sybella has always been the darkest of Death’s daughters, trained at the convent of Saint Mortain to serve as his justice. But she has a new mission now. In a desperate bid to keep her two youngest sisters safe from the family that nearly destroyed them all, she agrees to accompany the duchess to her new life in France, where they quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies. Their one ray of hope are Sybella’s fellow novitiates, disguised and hidden deep in the French court years ago by the convent—provided Sybella can find them.

Genevieve has been undercover for so many years, she struggles to remember who she is or what she’s supposed to be fighting for. Her only solace is a hidden prisoner who appears all but forgotten by his guards. When tragedy strikes, she has no choice but to take matters into her own hands—even if it means ignoring the long awaited orders from the convent.

As Sybella and Gen’s paths draw ever closer, the fate of everything they hold sacred rests on a knife’s edge. Will they find each other in time, or will their worlds collide, destroying everything they care about?

It publishes February 5, 2019. I know, I know! We said Fall of 2018! Technically, February 2019 IS CONSIDERED part of the Fall 2018 list. No, it doesn’t make sense to me either. And I’m truly sorry for the delay. In my defense, the end of 2017 went out with a BANG–including wildfires, floods, and mudslides resulting in FIVE evacuations in less than four months. I have to tell you, it’s reeeeally hard to stay on deadline under those conditions.

So I think that brings us up to date. I begin copy edits next week–we’re on an expedited production schedule trying to make up for lost time. Because of that expedited schedule, there should be Advanced Reader Copies at ALA. There are also some exciting things in the works–including a pre-order campaign with cool prizes. Oh, and they are releasing new paperback editions of the original His Fair Assassin trilogy with new covers. I will share those as soon as I can.

And I’ve started an Instagram account. I know I’m wildly late to the party, and to be honest, I am not great Instagram material–I am a serious anti-glamorous author. No pristine house with color coordinated bookshelves or a charmingly decorated office. Even so, I’m finding it a fun place to hang out. You can find me over there at: https://www.instagram.com/rllafevers/.

More later!