Enjoy Your Time Here
This past month, I’ve been focused on keeping up with the growing demand for sprayed edge copies, and I just want to say how grateful I am to everyone who picked one up from Happily Ever After Book Shop. And honestly, I wouldn’t survive half of this without my husband. He’s the real MVP behind the scenes, saving my poor hands when it comes to bookpresses and helping with all the messy bits no one sees.
That said, I’ll be making a few changes to the sprayed edge designs starting next month. Instead of the current two-layer paint, I’ll be switching to stencil-only styles to make the process more manageable for both of us. Between Then and Now will stay with its fall leaves. Where Summer Left Us will be getting sunshine outlines. Kind of a Big Feeling will have ivy vines.
This is just a shift to help carve out more time for writing while still keeping the books beautiful. If you’re someone who wants the full sprayed edges to match your current collection, don’t worry. I’ll be doing a limited run of the originals for my website, the shop, and the Happily Ever After event in February. And if you miss it and still really want one, you can always email me. I’ll do my best to sort something out.
Another reason for the change is that I’m working on brand new special edition covers for the Hallow’s End series. I’ve teamed up with the lovely Jessica (@jessicalynndraws on Instagram), and I cannot wait to show you what we’ve been creating. It took me a while to choose between hardbacks and paperbacks, but I’ve decided to keep them as paperbacks. These editions will come with full detailed sprayed edges, foil title covers, bonus chapters, and new character art. I’m using a new printer for these, and as soon as I have a proof copy, you’ll see it here first.
Check out the first special edition cover below!
New Website
I’ve finally launched my brand new website—authorpatriciaprior.com. And yes, I know I only just got the Canva site done recently, but I outgrew it faster than expected. I always knew I’d need something that could actually keep up with everything I’ve got planned. Now you’ll find loads of interactive sections, full descriptions for all my books, and details on what’s coming next.
The shop section is still marked as "coming soon," but it’s coming. I’m still figuring out all the logistics, plugins, and the other boring bits that no one warns you about when you’re just trying to sell pretty books. For now, the plan is to keep shipping UK only. Between the customs fees, forms, and general chaos of EU and US shipping, it just isn’t realistic to offer international right away.
That said, I’ve been working behind the scenes with an indie bookstore in the US so that all my American readers can still get the special editions without the ridiculous fees. I’ll share more as soon as I have more on this.
Which brings me to the merch. Yes, it’s actually happening. I’m working with Mia (@ardentlybookishdesigns) on five original designs, and I’m hoping to share the first full previews with you next month. I’ll be trialing a few shirt options before the shop officially goes live, but the aim is to launch everything in time for January 2026.
Now, Let’s Have Some Fun
Now that we’ve made it through all the business-y updates, let’s have a little fun. I put together a quick quiz so you can finally find out which Hallow’s End man would be your perfect match. I’ve been missing those early 2000s magazine quizzes lately, and honestly, I think it’s time we bring them back.
I’ll be keeping these going, so if you have any fun ideas or specific suggestions, I’ve added a little suggestion box at the end.
But for now, enjoy the quiz! Don’t forget to share who you get on social media and tag me.
Where I’m At and What I’m Up To
Most of my time has been taken up with event prep. Right now I’m getting everything ready for the Inklink event in London. I’ve been restocking books, sorting out new banners, and finally upgrading my book stands. It’s mostly the boring behind-the-scenes stuff no one really wants to hear about, but it has to be done.
I also have two new events coming up later this year. The first is Lichfield Book Extravaganza on 1st November at Lichfield Guildhall. The second is Burton Book Bash on 30th November, held at Burton Banter (Inclusive Spaces). I’ll pop the links below in case you’re local and want to grab a ticket.
If you're nearby, I’d love for you to come say hi. I’ll be at all the events with my Hallow’s End series and signed copies available.
INCOMING!!
Now for the part you’ve probably been waiting for. Let’s talk When Blood Runs Red. You’ve likely seen a few sneak peeks over on Instagram already, and I’m working on getting some proper reels up soon too. But the big news? I’m officially opening up the Street Team! Think of it as my personal hype squad.
As part of the team, you’ll get early sneak peeks, reveals, behind-the-scenes updates, a guaranteed ARC, discounts on merch, and a giveaway opportunity with every new release. You’ll also be the first to read chapter one before anyone else. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you can sign up here.
Writing time has been a little scarce this month, but I’ve loosely plotted Brodie’s book. If you know me, you know I lean more toward chaos than structure. I’m a full-on vibes writer, not a plotter, but I’ve built enough of a loose skeleton this time to (hopefully) speed things along. Brodie’s book will kick off a brand new series called Brookside. The current working title is Too Close to Resist and it’ll be dual POV between Brodie and Mia. Expect professor x student, boss x apprentice, slow burn, and plenty of tension you can’t quite look away from. I’m really excited to get into it properly.
I also finished all the bonus chapters for the Hallow’s End series, and they’ve now gone off for proofreading. Between Then and Now is getting an extra chapter from Ethan’s POV, Where Summer Left Us will have one from Daphne’s POV, and Kind of a Big Feeling is getting a new Caleb chapter. These are just fun additions that take place after the main stories, so don’t worry, if you’re not getting the special editions, you won’t be missing anything plot critical. It’s just a peek at what’s going on in their lives after the books end.
And yes, I’ve already started pulling together my notes for When Blood Runs Red book two. There’s something really big happening behind the scenes when it comes to publishing plans and the schedule for the rest of this series, but it’s still too early to share publicly. I’ve locked in the timeline with my editor though, and it’s something I’m actively working on, I’ll tell you everything as soon as I can.
Of course I wouldn’t leave you hanging without at least one little teaser. This month I’m sharing a scene snippet from Kind of a Big Feeling, one of my favourite chapters, actually. And how cute is this new piece of character art for it? I’m fully obsessed.
Now for the fun part. With autumn creeping in, it’s the perfect time to pick up Between Then and Now. This was my very first book, my baby, and I honestly can’t believe we’re coming up on its one-year anniversary. Watch me get overly emotional about it next month, but right now I’m still in denial that it’s been twelve whole months.
This book started as a love letter to all things fall and Gilmore Girls, and if I’m being honest, it was also a very satisfying middle finger to my ex. (Yes, I can be a little petty.) If you’ve read any of my interviews or author spotlights, you already know Sebastian’s original inspiration came straight from that breakup. Just a little gossip for you to take with your pumpkin spice latte.
Also, don’t miss the big fall giveaway happening over on Instagram right now. You could win a copy of Between Then and Now, along with a stack of other autumn and Halloween reads. Definitely worth checking out.
And finally, here are this month’s author spotlights. Because let’s be real, you can never have too many books to curl up with.
I also want to give a little shoutout to my author bestie, Amy Reading. She’s been part of my writing journey since the very beginning, before I was even published, and it’s been the best thing to be able to share all the ups and downs of this wild ride with her. I was lucky enough to read early drafts of her fantasy novel A Legacy of the Light, and if you’re a fantasy reader and haven’t picked it up yet, you absolutely need to. The plot is so well layered, the MMC is hot (obviously), there’s Scottish-inspired lore, and twists you will not see coming. Plus, the female friendship in this book is one of my favourite parts.
And yes, I feel very smug about the fact that I’ve already read book two, A Deceit of the Dark, which is coming out later this year. I can’t say much without spoiling it, but just know I was fully swooning and screaming through several chapters. If you loved Outlander, this needs to be on your TBR. And if you’ve already read book one, ARCs for book two are now open. Go show Amy some love on social media. IG here.
And lastly, I thought I’d share what I’ve been loving this month. I’m fully in the mood for cold, rainy fall days, even if it’s still way too warm here in the UK. At least we’ve finally got rain. Watch me take it all back in a few months when the seasonal depression kicks in and I start begging for sunlight again. But for now, I’m ready for cozy evenings in and finally getting to wear all my cardigans again.
Music-wise, I’ve been obsessed with Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Best Friend. My top songs at the moment are Go Go Juice and Nobody’s Son, both have been playing nonstop. And of course, with autumn creeping in, I’m fully back on my usual folklore, evermore, and The Tortured Poets Department rotation from Taylor Swift. Nothing fits the season more.
Also, I’m a huge horror fan. Fun fact, my husband and I have unlimited cinema cards, so movie nights are basically our date nights. He’s not as into horror as I am, but he’s a good sport about it. We’re heading into my favourite month of the year, so I’ll keep you updated on all the horror movies I end up seeing and what I think of them.
And of course, it wouldn’t be fall without The Vampire Diaries and Gilmore Girls. I’ve even managed to get my husband into The Vampire Diaries, despite his original protests, he now refuses to let me watch it without him. I’ve also been trying to bake more lately, and obviously had to try the Taylor Swift chai cookies. They turned out amazing.
So now I want to know, what’s your go-to fall movie or TV show? I’ll share some of your answers next month.
And speaking of next month, that’s when I’ll officially be launching two newsletters a month, one for fantasy, and one for romance. Hope you’re ready.
Since spooky season is officially here and Halloween is just around the corner, leave me your best movie recs (anything from full-blown horror to cosy Disney classics.) I’ll share the full list in next month’s newsletter.
Submit Recs Here
Q: What’s a seasonal book recommendation you think I should read?
Reply to this email, and let’s talk about it 🍂
See you between the chapters,
