I Sold a Novel!

It happened. 

After years of sending out novels to agents, I'm finally getting one published: JENNY WILL EAT YOU NOW.

After I signed on with my (wonderful, capable, not to mention charming) agent Jenna early this year, we started to polish up my novel, then titled JENNY GREENTEETH. I had had fellow writers read and give comments on it over the past couple years, so with their help, it was almost ready! A few edits later, and after Jenna constructed a great submission letter, it was done. Within a couple weeks of becoming her client, my agents and I sent the novel out on submission.

The initial reactions were instantaneous and glowing. I was shocked. I expected months of silence! Jenna shared with me comments from editors who had been "looking for just this kind of thing" and claimed it sounded awesome, cool, and a good mix of "heartwarming and gruesome." That was exactly what I wanted to hear! 

And the process kept moving along. The MS got considered and rejected in short order. The compliments were wonderful, regardless, and affirmed to me that, if nothing else, we were on the right track. Publishers don't have to say nice things if they don't want to!

Then the novel got an offer from a publisher. Then it got TWO.

I am, and remain, completely stunned. I've labored on this novel for a while, unsure if it would find a home. JENNY is a story about love, loneliness, messy, monstrous desire, and being a swamp creature. The idea transfixed me. In selling it, though, it was hard to find anything like it to use as a "comp" title, at least until John Wiswell's SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN was published last year! But the market is unpredictable. At different steps in the process, I was sure I would have to eventually try my hand at the competitive world of self-publishing.

Instead, the book went to auction in March 2025. This involved a lot of email exchanges as opposed to anyone actually banging a gavel. (That I know of, anyway. The only gavel I'm aware of was in my heart.)

After a lot of back and forth, Jenna and I sold the novel to Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. The process of drawing up and agreeing to the contract took several months. 

Working with my editor, Kimberly Laws, has been just wonderful. I had the good fortune to meet her in person at Stoker Con recently, as well! She's fun, funny, and, goddamn, does she believe in this novel. She was the one who texted to tell me that, now that it's been announced on Publisher's Marketplace, it ended up being the Deal of the Day on July 15:

After announcing the sale, I've been blown away by the warm words and congratulations I've received from friends, family, and colleagues. This has left me feeling triumphant. There's a lot about 2025 that's been difficult on the political stage, but this? This has been a gift.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The Schedule is Out for Readercon 2025!

The schedule for Readercon 2025 is out! I'm on five items which includes moderating FOUR panels. Did I mention I enjoy moderating panels?🤣

Friday, July 18, 2025, 3:00 PM

Solo Reading: Gillian Daniels

Envision / Enliven, Duration: 30 mins

Saturday, July 19, 2025, 2:00 PM

Optimism in Horror

Salon I/J, Duration: 60 mins

F. Brett Cox, Gillian Daniels (moderator), Joey Zone, John Wiswell, Kit Mayquist

Conventional wisdom would presume that horror and optimism rarely if ever blend, but does this prove true in practice? Don't many major works of horror have happy—or, well, happy-ish—endings? Is survival enough of an uplifting conclusion, or does a happy ending require the triumph of the protagonist? Even when evil appears set to return for the sequel? What role does optimism play in underscoring but not undermining the unease that horror supplies?

Saturday, July 19, 2025, 6:00 PM

Erotica, Horror, and the Fear of Visceral Fiction

Salon G/H, Duration: 60 mins

Catherine Lundoff, Cecilia Tan, Gillian Daniels (moderator), Ian Muneshwar, Laura Antoniou

Erotica and horror: two genres guaranteed to make certain moms mad when they find the book hidden in your bedroom. Two genres that every other has tried (at least at times) to put down as shlock or trash. Why? What is it about literature that evokes strong visceral physical reactions from the reader that garners such opposition? (And is "paranormal romance" their love child?) 

Sunday, July 20, 2025, 12:00 PM

Content Warnings: Pros, Cons, and Purposes

Salon G/H, Duration: 60 mins

Claire Houck/Nina Waters, Gillian Daniels (moderator), Gwynne Garfinkle, Melissa Bobe, Romie Stott

Many romance novels have started including content notes or warnings, which advise readers of potentially sensitive plot elements or themes, such as grief, murder, and self-harm. Content notes appear far less frequently in SFF novels, whereas some venues for speculative short fiction have been including them for years. Panelists will share examples of particularly effective—or ineffective—content notes, while surveying the reasons for their rise in romance and the potential applicability of those reasons to long-form speculative fiction.

Sunday, July 20, 2025, 1:00 PM

Harry Potter and the Undeath of the Author

Create / Collaborate, Duration: 60 mins

Cecilia Tan, Gillian Daniels (moderator), Natalie Luhrs, Rob Cameron, William Alexander

"The death of the author" is a well-worn concept about who, author or audience, owns the meaning of an author's work. Such arguments take on a different valance, however, when the author is not only alive and well but using the funds and power accumulated by their creation as leverage to take extremely public and reactionary political action. When the price of engagement with a work is empowering its living author to publicly abuse others, how can we plausibly claim that the author is dead and our engagement is ours alone?

CaziCon and Paradigm!

This Sunday, June 1 I'll be at CaziCon 2025 at the Arts at the Armory! With my fellow authors, Lindsay Moore and Cat Scully, we'll be discussing MONSTERS OF THE MOMENT!

Monsters of the Moment
12:15-1:00pm
Every era has its own monsters, and the monsters of a particular period often reflect the concerns of the times - Dracula used vampire mythology to explore fears about immigration and otherness, for example. Current trends include ghosts, evil houses, and zombies - but with a fungal twist. What do these tropes tell us about our current social fears, and what do we think the future of horror will be?

*** 

Matt Snow from Paradigm Agency is now working with my agent at Storm Literary as a co-agent for film and TV rights of my work!

 

I’m pleased and baffled at the attention my writing is getting now. It’s wonderful! My thanks to my agent Jenna Satterthwaite for making contact with Matt and introducing us. I’m so, so happy and grateful.

Boskone: Now with Vampires!

Because I'm me, I've agreed to do another panel for Boskone. This one will be on Saturday and it''s about vampires!

Nocturnal Narratives: Vampires Through the Ages, Marina III Sat 7pm

Elektra Hammond (moderator), Catherine Grant, Darrell Schweitzer, Gillian Daniels

Embark on a journey through the evolution of vampire lore, from the Gothic shadows of Bram Stoker's Dracula to the modern allure of contemporary cinema. This session shines a light on the transformation of these shadowy creatures, exploring their enduring appeal and the societal reflections they embody. Join us for a lively discussion filled with biting wit and intriguing insights into the ever-changing world of vampires.

Boskone 2025

Boskone is almost here! I'm happy to say here's where I'll be and what I'll be doing:

Freaky Friday Night! Marina IV Fri 8:30 PM 

Step into the strange and unsettling worlds of freaky speculative fiction, weird literature, and oddball speculative stories that defy easy categorization. These are the tales that crawl under your skin, blending deep character development with genre-defying twists. Our panel of freaky experts explores what makes these narratives so uniquely compelling and how they carve out a space where the bizarre meets the profound. Come embrace the weird world of freaky fiction!

Catherine Grant (mod), Paul Tremblay, Gillian Daniels, N. T. Swift, Elizabeth Bear

How to Survive a Horror Story Marina IV Sat 5:30 PM

Who knows better than a horror writer how to survive a horror story? Join he fun and "lively" conversation as our panelists discuss scenarios from horror novels and films as if they themselves were characters within the scenes. Will their special authorial insights keep them safe? Will they split up to look for the cat? What are they willing to do to survive (relatively) intact? Who dies first? Who lives to tell the tale?

N. T. Swift (mod), Adam Stemple, Cat Scully, Paul Tremblay, Gillian Daniels

Nocturnal Narratives: Vampires Through the Ages Marina III Sat 7pm

Embark on a journey through the evolution of vampire lore, from the Gothic shadows of Bram Stoker's Dracula to the modern allure of contemporary cinema. This session shines a light on the transformation of these shadowy creatures, exploring their enduring appeal and the societal reflections they embody. Join us for a lively discussion filled with biting wit and intriguing insights into the ever-changing world of vampires.

Elektra Hammond (mod), Catherine Grant, Darrell Schweitzer, Gillian Daniels

Badass Woman Characters and Keeping them Off the Mary Sue Scale Harbor II Sun 11:30 AM  

Badass women characters can be great, but characters intended as such are sometimes derided as being "Mary Sue" characters. What does that mean, and how can you avoid that pitfall?

 Gillian Daniels (mod), Darlene Marshall, Kelley Armstrong, Fonda Lee, N. T. Swift

I Have a Literary Agent!

After spending the last couple years querying agents, I was contacted in January by Jenna Satterthwaite, Associate Literary Agent at Storm Literary Agency! I signed a contract and am now over the moon to say I have an agent.

I’m incredibly honored to join her list of clients, some of whom I’ve already gotten to know online. Jenna has been nothing but supportive and encouraging. Storm Literary has been wonderful about holding my hand. I’m excited to see where my writing career goes next and I already deeply value my time working with them.

A big thank you to all the writers I’ve gotten to know over the years who have helped me develop my craft and art. Hitting this milestone has been a true joy.