News (good) and other thoughts.

I have been quiet on socials lately, and there’s been a reason for that. I’ve been waiting to be in a position to share some exciting news…

After the Siren is going to be published by Penguin!

To be honest, this absolutely has not sunk in yet. It is very odd be sitting at my keyboard, trying to work out what I want to say about it. I don’t think I really believe it.

I have wanted to publish a book since I knew publishing books was a thing people could do. Stories have always been such a big part of my life: hearing them, reading them, telling them. The idea of having a story I’ve written — words and ideas and thoughts and longings and imaginings from inside me — being published by Penguin is overwhelming and weird and delightful.

I wrote Jake and Theo’s story as a colourful escape from the work I was doing at the time. It is a story that means a lot to me, because for me it was a reminder that things can be silly and joyful and serious at the same time. It’s a story I needed to read, so I wrote it.

After the Siren was the first book I’ve written, and the process of sharing it with friends as I worked on getting it from a first draft to something publishable was both an absolute joy and absolutely horrifying. I suspect that the next eighteen months are going to conjure up that same spectrum of emotions. I can’t wait.

There are many, many people I need to thank, and I’ll get to y’all in the acknowledgements, I promise. However, I want to mention my amazing Australian agent Rochelle Fernandez, for believing in me and in this story. I was also reflecting today on how opportunities are usually some combination of talent, persistence and luck. The wonderful and generous Anna Cowan came into my life like a literary fairy godmother, and this definitely wouldn’t be happening if she hadn’t.

Now I’ve been able to talk about this (not saying anything until it was official has been painful), I will definitely be back posting and blogging. You can also sign up to my newsletter for updates as things chug along. I can’t wait to come back to you with things like a release date in due course!

Happy New Year, everyone.

Darcy xx