#34 - I Have a Book Coming Out Tomorrow
AKA "it's called THIS ENDS IN EMBERS, btw"
PROLOGUE
Happy Black History Month! January was about a century long, but February means I have a new book out, so that’s pretty much entirely what this newsletter is about.
I have to rest my hand at the moment due to medical reasons, so I’ve been reading as much as I can. Currently, I’m reading Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao, and I’m loving it so far! My sister and I are also rewatching Parks and Recreation (we’re in Season 2) on a whim, and I forgot how very Leslie Knope I am.
Finally, I’ve been re-listening to Cowboy Carter since Beyoncé won Album of the Year last night, and boy is it making me think a lot about publishing. In 2013, Beyoncé released BEYONCÉ, a self-titled surprise album dropped with no announcement or promotion, that not only debuted at number one but also changed the day of the week that new music is released. I repeat: Because of that 2013 album, new music has been released on Fridays instead of Tuesdays ever since. And, at the subsequent Grammys, Album of the Year went to Beck’s Morning Phase.
To me, it doesn’t matter whether or not Morning Phase is good (it is!) or which Beyoncé album before or since should have won Album of the Year (Lemonade, IMO!). It matters to me that a Black woman can literally drop a world-changing, industry-shaking album, and still not be recognized with the same accolades as other artists. It’s the same in publishing, where Black authors are expected to change the game or educate with every book, and we still won’t get the hype and recognition other authors do. The awards, the lists, the special editions—until Black History Month, of course. If we’re lucky.
I guess the TL;DR of this is that if you have a book by a Black author on your TBR, pick it up and read it. Talk about it. Scream about it. Your Book of the Year is waiting. ❤️
P.S. I’ve said this before on social media, but if I can talk about something other than books for a moment, I encourage anyone with the desire and the means to donate to the ACLU now more than ever. OK, onward we go!
CHAPTER 1: THIS ENDS IN EMBERS IS OUT TOMORROW
Trying to promote a book right now is wild, but somehow THIS ENDS IN EMBERS, the sequel to SO LET THEM BURN and the conclusion to the Divine Traitors duology, is out in the US tomorrow (and the UK on Thursday), and I’ll be touring to promote it. I hope you guys will embrace this book as much as you embraced the first one!
If you’re on the West Coast, in any of these locations, I hope to see you at:
Third Place Books - Ravenna at 7 PM PT on February 4
In conversation with Margaret Owen, author of Little ThievesPowell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing at 7 PM PT on February 6
In conversation with Aiden Thomas, author of Cemetery BoysMysterious Galaxy at 7 PM PT on February 7
In conversation with Leanne Schwartz, author of A Prayer for Vengeance
If you’re not on the West Coast, I’ll be doing a virtual event through Novel Neighbor on Wednesday, February 5, with Chloe Gong, the author of These Violent Delights. You can register for it here!
At the moment I’m writing this, I’m low-key panicking, as I did last time before I had a book out, but I’m excited, too. I’ve been tagged in enough social media posts to know that my sequel is finding its audience, and especially in the midst of everything happening in the world right now I think people will find it satisfying and thought-provoking. Please grab a copy!
CHAPTER 2: AN ARCANE INHERITANCE HAS MOVED
I know I announced last time that AN ARCANE INHERITANCE was coming out in October 2025, but the book has been pushed back to January 27, 2026, for some very -eyes emoji- reasons. However, you can still preorder the book from everywhere but Amazon (for now), so I implore you to get your orders in for the Deluxe Edition paperback because it’s going to be gorgeous and also LIMITED~
CHAPTER 3: THE REC ROOM
Welcome to the Rec Room, the section of my newsletter that I use to highlight books coming out each month I’m really excited about. For Black History Month, we have…
THIS ENDS IN EMBERS by Kamilah Cole (That’s me!)
Perfect for fans of Raybearer and Fourth Wing, this astonishing sequel to the bestselling novel So Let Them Burn doesn't hold back. After all, there are no easy endings in war—especially when sisters are forced to fight on opposite sides.
CURSEBOUND by Saara El-Arifi
Yeeran was born for war but is unprepared for love. She has left her new lover, the Queen of the fae, to return to her homeland, only to find that her former lover now threatens war against the fae. Left behind, her sister Lettle is determined to break the curse that binds the fae to their realm. When a stranger appears in the city, Lettle is convinced he’s the key. But the Fates that once spoke to her have fallen silent. Can Lettle and Yeeran discover the secret behind the curse—and unite these two worlds before they destroy each other?
NEEDY LITTLE THINGS by Channelle Desamours
Sariyah Lee Bryant can hear what people need—tangible things, like a pencil, a hair tie, a phone charger—an ability only her family and her best friend, Malcolm, know the truth about. But when she fulfills a need for her friend Deja who vanishes shortly after, Sariyah is left wondering if her ability is more curse than gift. This isn’t the first time one of her friends has landed on the missing persons list, and she’s determined not to let her become yet another forgotten Black girl.
THE POISONS WE DRINK by Bethany Baptiste
NOW IN PAPERBACK! Love potions is a dangerous business. Brewing has painful, debilitating side effects, and getting caught means death or a prison sentence. But what Venus is most afraid of is the dark, sentient magic within her. Then an enemy's iron bullet kills her mother, Venus's life implodes. Keeping her reckless little sister Janus safe is now her responsibility. When the powerful Grand Witcher, the ruthless head of her coven, offers Venus the chance to punish her mother's killer, she has to pay a steep price for revenge.
CHAPTER 4: LOOK AT MY CAT!!!
I’m currently suffering from cubital tunnel syndrome, and I’m doing PT to avoid a surgery. All of which to say, Sora has been fascinated by the brace I have to wear, and she can’t seem to decide if it’s a robot arm or if I have a big boo-boo. Look at her wittle face.
EPILOGUE
Thank you for subscribing and/or for sticking around! I hope you like rambles, shenanigans, and nonsense, because that’s truly all this is. Stay tuned next month for my usual earnest and peppy newsletter content, but for today, I beg again, buy my books!
TOURING I am SCREAMING