say hello to of valentines and visions!

I'm going to say more about this on my publisher's blog tomorrow, but this book did not end the way I planned. I had this juicy, more horror-adjacent (or perhaps Dickensian) thing where Bertie died. See, I don't even care that I've spoiled it for everyone, because the way he lives isn't expected.

2025 wore on me; I am so tired of queer people being scapegoated to disastrous results. I couldn't kill Bertie because, for a while, it felt like every morning fed me headlines about someone in the community being mistreated or murdered. (Sometimes both.) Usually in response to a thinly veiled call to action. Due to reasons I can't articulate fully but feel deeply, it started to seem weird to kill off a villain whose issues and foibles were largely wrapped up in his own repression and self-denial. If Bertie were different in his motivations and construction, maybe I'd have proceeded with my original intent.

I'm satisfied you can now read the second part of his story as it is, though. It's tender, it's dark, it's seductive, it's eerie, it's introspective, and there isn't much black-or-white gatekeeping to be found. In terms of historical romance as a genre, yes, it can fit there, but think about Guillermo Del Toro and not Julia Quinn.

And, naturally, we get more of our lads Alastair and Paul, while even Lucas becomes less inscrutable.

With much excitement and gratitude, I bring you the last (for now) story in Threads of Wyrd... for those of you who have been here the whole time: I hope you have moments of oh my fuck, did they just do that and wait, I need to take a second to process because you know what comes after all of this. For those of you who are reading in timeline order: you're in for just as much of a heartfelt ride.

If you haven't preordered, you can get your copy of OVAV anywhere you get your books, including Bookshop.org and Waterstones.

I'm happy you're all here, and thanks for coming along x