S.T. Gibson's Blog

B&N surprised us yesterday by rolling out one of their three-day-only preorder super sales! Today and tomorrow, all preorders (including e-books and audiobooks!) are 25% off on the B&N website with the code PREORDER25! And if you’re a premium member, you get an additional 10% off!

I did the math: if you snag a foiled, sprayed edge exclusive EVOCATION paperback and a hardcover copy of ASCENSION during this sale as a premium member, you can get BOTH for thirty dollars! Not to mention double points you can cash in for more books

New to the Summoner’s Circle? There’s never been a better time to start this soapy, sexy occult fantasy series set in modern Boston, all about a messy web of occultists with a swoony, snarky psychic/sorcerer/witch mmf triad at the heart of it all.

PLUS: I have heard your requests for a look into David’s past as Boston’s premiere teen psychic medium, and baby, the lore runs deep. If you want to read a bonus chapter in David’s POV about hosting seances after school, dealing with his dad (derogatory), hanging out in Lorena’s botanica, and thirsting after older man, just submit proof of your paperback preorder to the form below! The bonus chapter will be emailed out regardless of where you live in the world, and regardless of whether you preorder the standard paperback or the paperback exclusive, from B&N or anywhere else.

There have been some marvelous physical goodies to go along with this series as purchase incentives, arc gifts, or tour stop surprises, but I really wanted this one to be available worldwide! Thank you so much for your support, and for preordering!

The number of preorders tells publishers how much money and publicity to invest in an author, helps bookstores choose how many copies to stock in brick and mortar locations and which books to feature in displays, and is the determining factor in whether a book hits bestseller lists or not. So if you were thinking of picking up any of my upcoming books, preordering them is best for me as the author, and if you’re a USA-based reader who likes to be thrifty, picking them up today or tomorrow during the sale is going to be the best deal for you.

As some of you may know, this year I launched a monthly newsletter dedicated to writing craft insights and publishing industry hot takes, which I lovingly refer to as my Apocrypha. It’s where I capture all of my best practices as an author and try to sort through all the good advice I’ve been given through the years.

First of all, I wanted to tell you that my new essay about writing with radical freaky authenticity, being horny on main as shadow work, the spiritual practice of memento mori, and also, somehow, Drag Race – is now live.

I also wanted to tell you that there are not one but seven juicy essays available in the backlist all for the low price of seven dollars, should you desire access to The Hidden Teachings, which include essays on writing a standout sex scene, crafting a winning query letter, the master guide to fast drafting, burning through writer’s block, writing to trend, minimalist revising, and, of course, writing to match your own freak. You can sign up for one-time access to monthly emails, grab a yearly subscription for all the goodness to come next year, or gift a subscription to a literary friend.

Support via substack helps to power my career as a working author, and also helps me continue to bring you monthly downloads of everything I’m learning in this rollercoaster of an industry.

To everyone who has already subscribed (to either the Apocrypha or my free what I’m writing and reading newsletter, The Epistle), thanks so much for being on this journey with me this year! I’m grateful for each and every one of you.

I’m so pleased to unveil the Orbit Gold Edition of A DOWRY OF BLOOD, featuring a never-before-seen Dracula POV chapter of Constanta’s vampiric baptism. (Yes, I pulled a MIDNIGHT SUN on you, yes I made myself cry while writing it )

The devoted vampire brides and grooms out there deserve nothing less than the sexiest, most sumptuous special edition to celebrate four years of DOWRY. This signed edition will ship on March 4, 2025, and those who preorder will receive a 20% discount! The Orbit Gold edition features:

An exclusive box illustrated by Martina Fackova
A signed hardcover copy of A Dowry of Blood
Gilded pewter edges
Four color endpaper art
A brand-new foil-stamped fabric cover
A ribbon bookmark
An exclusive bonus chapter

US PREORDER WITH DISCOUNT

UK PREORDER WITH DISCOUNT

To everyone who knows and loves this story, thank you for everything. For those of you who haven’t read my polyamorous Dracula’s brides retelling yet, check out the blurb!

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.

Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

I’m so pleased to share with you that Barnes and Noble is releasing a gorgeous special edition of EVOCATION in March 2025! If you’re been waiting for the floppy version of this queer urban fantasy romance about deals with the devil, secret societies, and family trauma to drop, run don’t walk to pre-order before the exclusive sells out!

This special edition features candlelit sprayed edges, a gorgeous alternate colorway, and teal foil! And yes, that mocked up sticker is a clean-peel removable sticker. There are only a limited number of these exclusive editions available, so follow the link to pre-order yours!

I’m thrilled to unveil the cover for EVOCATION, book one in my urban fantasy romance series. Evocation kicks off the Summoner’s Circle series, and follows David, a psychic medium and hotshot lawyer, who must team up with his sorcerer ex-boyfriend and the ex’s witch wife to break a family curse. Forced proximity, magic lessons, and polyamory ensure, all against the moody backdrop of Boston. 

I’m absolutely breathless with what a phenomenal job artist Eleonor Piteira has done bringing David to life, and I’m indebted to the entire Angry Robot crew for all they do for me. 

The day David Aristarkhov’s occultist father died, he bought himself an Audi, drank every drop of liquor in the house, and abandoned his life as a teen psychic prodigy. Now pushing thirty, David is a Boston attorney, moonlighting as a medium for a secret society.

But when the Devil comes to collect on a deal David’s ancestor made, he reluctantly reaches out to his ex-boyfriend Rhys for help. However, to get to Rhys, David will have to befriend Moira, Rhys’s wife. The trio gets a little too close for comfort as they combine their powers to unravel the century-old curse, and if they don’t break the curse by David’s thirtieth birthday, he won’t live long enough for everyone to figure out their feelings for each other.

EVOCATION hits shelves in May of 2024, so there’s still time to preorder from any of your favorite retailers! Preorders are a big help to authors, as they demonstrate audience interest to retailers and publishers and can even help books hit lists! You can also add the book to Goodreads, or post about it on socials using the hashtag #manifestingevocation.

ANGRY ROBOT: LINK 

BARNES AND NOBLE: LINK 

AMAZON US: LINK

AMAZON UK: LINK 

GOODREADS: LINK 

As always, thank you so much for your enthusiasm and support and for reading!

“Love is sacrifice. One of us was always going to bleed for the other.”

Unveiling the cover for AN EDUCATION IN MALICE, my academic rivals-to-lovers Carmilla reimagining. Thank you designer Duncan Spilling for making this beauty a reality! The companion novel to A DOWRY OF BLOOD, she’s a twisting tale of passion, artistic obsession, and toxic mentorship set against the backdrop of an elite poetry cohort in the 1960s.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua’s College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

PREORDER FROM WATERSTONES

PREORDER FROM BARNES AND NOBLE

I’m ecstatic to announce that the marvelous editorial team at Orbit and Orbit UK has acquired my Dracula’s brides retelling, A DOWRY OF BLOOD. The book will be re-released in a sexy new hardcover this October, just in time for spooky season, and ebooks are still available across retailers to read now!

If you read the announcement closely you’ll see that this is a two book deal! That means I’ll be writing another book in the DOWRY OF BLOOD universe, which will be coming to you in 2023! I can’t wait to share more with you about this twisty, sexy new installment in the series. And now *drumroll* it’s time to unveil the new DOWRY hardback cover!

I’m thrilled to reveal the new hardback cover for A DOWRY OF BLOOD, designed by Duncan Spilling. Our aim was to maintain the sensuality and gothic flair of Marlowe Lune’s gorgeous original cover while opting for a sleek, striking design, and I’m quite pleased with the result.

I’m overjoyed to announce that A DOWRY OF BLOOD is going to be translated into Italian by Tiffany Vecchietti and published by Mondadori. The news took me completely by surprise, and I never dreamed that my little vampire book would be travelling around the world and being translated into different languages! Fingers crossed that this is just the first of many translations to come!

Paperback editions of A DOWRY OF BLOOD will be going out of stock across retailers on December 10th. I’m not at liberty to say why just yet, but I have some exciting news coming to you in the new year. In the meantime, grab your paperbacks before they’re gone!

With holiday supply chain issues rearing their ugly heads, it’s especially imperative that you order before the 10th if you want to gift the book for Christmas, or to have your own copy in the new year.

INDIEBOUND: https://tinyurl.com/2wuw3red

AMAZON: https://tinyurl.com/6m9ce567

NYX: https://tinyurl.com/9sfhjf7f

BARNES AND NOBLE: https://tinyurl.com/yhfjwks9

CONTENT WARNINGS: https://tinyurl.com/yhc2krb5

I am overjoyed to announce that A DOWRY OF BLOOD has made it into the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards in Horror!!! This is all I wanted for early Christmas, thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Every nominee on this list is so deserving but the inclusion of DOWRY at all is such a huge win for indie presses and for queer love stories. Readers believed in this book and boosted it through pure passion and I am eternally grateful.

You can cast your one-click vote in the finals right here!