News

Tor.com’s “30 Most Anticipated SFF Books”

Tor.com includes Saturnalia in its list of the “30 Most Anticipated SFF Books for the Rest of 2022!”

I love me a secret society, and honestly if I was invited to a club where the dress code was “blacker than the blackest black” I would be in so fast they’d barely have time to extend an actual invitation. The social clubs in Philadelphia are preparing for the Saturnalia carnival, a night of revelry and opulence. Nina is entering her old club, The Saturn Club, with a job to do—but it’s a job that’ll take her into the depraved depths of the Saturn Club and across the city on the longest night of the year. Saturnalia is part The Chosen & The Beautiful and part Eyes Wide Shut, wonderfully weird and chaotic and sexy and tinged with magic. It’s definitely a page-turner, and should be on the list for anyone who likes a little bit of romantic surrealism with their funhouse mirror dystopia.

I’m flattered to be on such an exciting list. Read the whole thing here.

Publishers Weekly Review

I’m pleased to share this first review for SaturnaliaPublishers Weekly says, among some other cool things

The story features moments of bizarre, distressing cruelty and occasional gore, but it’s grounded in themes of belonging, friendship, and the potential costs of ambition. Feldman brings impressive richness and depth to both Nina’s emotional evolution and the masterful worldbuilding. This is sure to win the author many fans.

Nice!

Read the whole review here.

 

July 12: In Conversation with AC Wise for the launch of HOOKED

I’m exciting to join AC Wise in conversation as she launches her new novel, Hooked, set in the same world as last year’s fantastic Wendy, Darling. Celebrate with us at Main Point Books (Wayne, PA) on Tuesday, July 12, at 7pm. (As of today, masks required.) We’ll talk about feminist retelllings, grief and survivor guilt, and of course, monsters and the enduring allure of Peter Pan.

Register for free at Eventbrite and order your copy of Hooked from Main Point.

Once invited, always welcome.
Once invited, never free.

Captain James Hook, the immortal pirate of Neverland, has died a thousand times. Drowned, stabbed by Peter Pan’s sword, eaten by the beast swimming below the depths, yet James was resurrected every time by one boy’s dark imagination. Until he found a door in the sky, an escape. And he took the chance no matter the cost.

Now in London twenty-two years later, Peter Pan’s monster has found Captain Hook again, intent on revenge. But a chance encounter leads James to another survivor of Neverland. Wendy Darling, now a grown woman, is the only one who knows how dark a shadow Neverland casts, no matter how far you run. To vanquish Pan’s monster once and for all, Hook must play the villain one last time…

Structure Your Novel Bootcamp, July-August

This summer, I’m excited to bring back my four-week boot camp on structuring the  novel!

This course—open to those who have yet to start writing, and those who are revising full-length drafts—guides you in developing a complete story structure for your novel. It provides tools for outlining new projects and finding fresh insight into stalled projects.

In this course, we will use written guides, writing exercises, assigned stories, and discussions to move from premise to detailed synopsis, identifying universal principles that will make your distinct story a satisfying read. Writers will leave with outlines for their works-in-progress and a toolkit of strategies for future projects.

Join us for readings, exercises, workshops, and zoom discussions on Thursday evenings, 8:30-10pm EST, from July 28-August 15. Read more and register here and feel free to be in touch with any questions.

May 12-15: StokerCon Appearance

I’m excited to attend my first StokerCon in Denver on May12-15. Here’s my schedule:

Thurs., 4pm:
Fiction Reading
with David Rose and Sam Rebelein

Sat., 3pm:
“Ghost Stories: They Haunt Your Dreams”
with Heather Graham, Usman Malik, Karley Pardue, and AC Wise

SATURNALIA Cover Reveal!

Well, if you’re on this site, you’ve now seen it–and yet, still happy to thank Tor.com for being the first to share the beautiful cover for my new novel Saturnalia, designed by Jaya Nicely.

Tonight, Nina will put on a dress of blackest black, and attend the biggest party of the year. Before it’s over, she will discover secret societies battling for power in an increasingly precarious world…

Saturnalia is also now available for pre-order! You can order from your favorite local indie bookstore as well as from Unnamed Press, Barnes & Noble, and the other usual suspects.

Read “The Annual Conference of the Ladies in White”

I’ve been driving for six hours when a hotel appears on an otherwise empty stretch of road. It has turrets and a fussy gazebo, like an antique wedding cake preserved by moonlight, and a red sign promising “vacancy.” Whatever it costs, my emergency stash will have to cover it.

My flash ghost story “The Annual Conference of the Ladies in White” is now online at Flash Fiction Online. This one was so fun to write–you can learn more about my process via FFO’s Patreon interview series.

The story is free to read online and the complete issue is available as an e-book for purchase.

March 24: The CLAW Reading

It’s happening! My first in-person Philadelphia reading since… you know when.

March 24, 6pm
with Piyalia Bhattacharya, Ariel Delgado Dixon, Carmen Maria Machado, Sara Nović, and Asali Solomon
Kelly Writers House
3805 Locust Walk, Philadelphia (UPenn campus)

In-person attendance is free and open to the public. Proof of vaccination required.
Register here.

Or stream live via YouTube.

March 16-20: ICFA 43 Events

I’m excited to return to the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, March 16-20 in Orlando. Here’s my schedule:

Weds., 3/16, 4:30 pm:
I’m hosting a reading for Valya Dudycz Lupescu, Gregory Frost, Jacob Weisman, and Rick Wilbur
Vista A

Thurs., 3/17, 10:30am:
Creative Panel: Is there a Craft?
with Eileen Gunn, Joe Haldeman, and Marge Simon
Vista B

Thurs., 3/17, 2:30 pm:
Author Reading with Dennis Danvers, Micah Dean Hicks, Elle E. Ire (host), and Alethea Kontis
Vista A

New Short Story: “The Boyfriend Trap”

I’m thrilled to start of 2022 with a new short story. “The Boyfriend Trap” is now available in the January/February issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction.  Order the print or digital issue via the Asimov’s shop.

In the story, a young woman and her boyfriend visit a cabin to hash out their plans for the future. Instead, they discover the dark heart of their relationship–and their own secret desires.

“I felt guilty for reaching for him out of anxiety, not affection. Though they’re not so separate, maybe. Like reaching for your date when the monster appears on the screen. Who do you want to be close to when you’re feeling afraid?”

Read the full story.

Update: Read my reflection on the writing of this story on the Asimov’s blog.