There are a lot of new members joining lately so I just wanted to welcome everyone to The Infinite Realms Book Club! All the fun discussions happen over on Discord so make sure you click the link on my profile to join. That is where all the fun happens!! I am so thankful for each and every one of you who has joined. I absolutely love interacting with you guys and just talking all things books!

We are almost at 150 members which is INSANE!! Should we do something fun/special when we reach 150 members? Let me know 😜

Happy USA TODAY BESTSELLER LIST DAY TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE! Everyone go and congratulate Tatiana for this huge accomplishment!

And huge thanks to all of you readers who read, reviewed, purchased and raved about What Feeds Below! None of this would be possible without your support! I am so proud of Tatiana for being a superstar writer and also all happy to be in community with all of you who rally around authors and make their dreams come true!

A special shout out to our paid members who invest in the production of this book, without them, we really wouldn’t be able to do this! If you are able, please consider upgrading today! We’ve only got more stories to help shine!

Bindery has also put a lot of cool What Feeds Below items up for sale! I just got mine and will takehttps://bindery-books.myshopify.com/products/what-feeds-below-void-vault?utm_source=bindery&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wfb_launch&utm_content=email a photo later, but check out these goodies.

Resistance of the Week

Happy News

Do you like Beauty and the Beast retellings? Then you will love Autopsy of a Fairytale where 'Belle' is a homicide detective and the 'Beast' is a suspect. Clever and gruesome murders with an unexpected ending.

SYNPOSIS: RAQUELLE VAUGHN came to Los Angeles to make music, not headlines. Dropping out of college behind her parents’ backs was supposed to be the reckless part. But months later, Rocky is still struggling to turn her solid social media following into something real, piecing together a punk rock band with more ambition than money and refusing to go home until she has something to show for everything she risked.

Then she meets SLATER HUDSON.

Rock royalty, tabloid disaster, and the infamous “Prince of Punk”, Slater is haunted by his late rockstar father’s legacy while still reeling from a breakup splashed across every tabloid. Desperate to win back his ex, he sees an opportunity when a brief but unforgettable run-in with Raquelle goes viral and proposes a deal: if she pretends to be his girlfriend to make his ex jealous, he’ll use his star power to help launch her band into the spotlight. It’s a win-win.

Until the relationship they’re selling starts becoming harder to separate from the one growing behind closed doors. Between rehearsals, public appearances, and an undeniable chemistry neither of them expected, Raquelle risks putting her career on the line for a man who may still be looking backward, while Slater begins to question whether the past he’s been fighting to get back is still what he wants. And with more than one heart tangled up in their arrangement, the one thing neither of them can afford is for something fake to become real.

CREDITS

STRIKE A CHORD X BRI MONET

ART BY @PALINLINEART + TYPOGRAPHY BY SAGE.AND.FABLE

Chapter 18

Icarus blinked and the first thing he felt was too hot. The gas heat of a furnace warmed through his shirt, making a fine mist of sweat shimmer along his exposed forearms. He wasn’t wearing his vest anymore, nor his coat. He looked around, head full of fog, and it took a moment to realize he was standing in Maren’s office. 

He looked down at his hands and turned them over as if examining palms that belonged to someone else. When did he leave his father’s? Why couldn’t he remember the walk?

“Icarus?” Maren was quiet, but he could hear the guard.

He snapped his head up and stared at her. She was holding a pencil and hovering over a sheaf of papers, the two accursed notes set off to the side. He disliked the way she looked at him, so shielded and masked it was like looking at a stranger. 

She raised her brows a fraction, “Icarus, are you alright?”

He swallowed and discovered his throat was so dry it hurt to speak, “I’m… yes. Fine. Just… how long have… what was I saying?”

A shadow flickered across her face and vanished in an instant, “You were telling me about the Veil and how the blood of a demon-possessed appears to grant immunity to a… pilgrim journeying through.”

Something in his mouth tasted wrong at the phrasing and he conjured his last memories, but his mind went blank while putting on his coat. He groaned against the faint, familiar headache settling into his temples and pressed a knuckle into them to ease the pain. 

“That fucking bottle,” he sighed. “Sorry, Mare. I think I drank too much old fire and blacked out. Damn. Must’ve been stronger than I thought.”

She studied him dispassionately and sat straighter, “How’s the head wound?”

He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair, “Not as bad as I thought, but apparently still making trouble for me when I drink.”

“Mm,” she didn’t sound convinced, but she also wasn’t the one nursing a head wound. 

“It’s a lot to take in, when your father’s apparently a murderous mad priest,” he gave her a lopsided smile meant to reassure her. If it had any effect, she didn’t show it. 

She adjusted her papers and set down her pencil with the elevated precision she usually reserved for clients. His stomach twisted, he wanted to be sick or scream or anything other than face down Maren at her most professional.

“Are you feeling alright?” She threaded her fingers together atop her desk. 

He wanted to be out from under her magnifying glass, “Fine. Just a bit… disoriented, I suppose.”

“Disoriented how?”

His arms folded tight across his chest as if it could keep her out, “I don’t know, I shot a demon in the face and got hurled into a rock pillar for the trouble, then had the utter shite kicked out of me by a pair of very gifted warrior priests and I’m fairly sure a Cardinal punched me at one point. What’s the best way to describe that disorientation?”

“Nothing else?” She was unmoved by his tirade, but she made no move to scratch anything down either. At least if she wasn’t taking notes he could tell himself it was nothing.

“No,” he shook his head despite the way it made the room spin, took a deep breath, and let his arms fall, “Look, truth be told I haven’t really slept since the whole excommunication debacle and this has all just compounded into something terrible. I’ve been drinking with a head wound and I need a proper night’s rest.”

She rose with slow calculation and rapped her knuckles once against the wood. Giving him her most assuring smile—which was none—she nodded, “Right. Well. We’ll continue this in the morning, then. Go home and get some rest, let’s see if you feel more yourself after, yes?”

His shoulders slumped in relief, “Agreed. Let me sleep it off and then we can worry if it doesn’t help.”

He turned and made for the exit, crossing his fingers he had hung his coat on its usual hook.

“Icarus,” Maren stopped him and he turned. “No drinking. Straight home. Understand?”

He lifted a hand and bid her a silent good evening before making his way downstairs. There was a small spark of victory in his gut when he saw his familiar coat on its familiar hook. It was all nothing, just a bad confluence of his worst habits coalescing all at once. Nothing to worry about. 

He shrugged it on, opened the door, and stepped out into the frigid Dublin evening. 

**

Icarus made his way to his flat with the focus of a bloodhound determined to remember every cobble and door and lamp that swung even remotely off kilter. He recited the colors of each facade, the types of cats dancing in alleys, the number of voices he caught mid-argument or drunken debate. It was the most focused, most painfully uneventful walk home he had ever endured. He jogged up the stairs and counted as he went, mimicked the sound of his lock uncatching, and bid his flat a good evening—all of it in hopes he would sear every step of his journey home into his mind. 

His flat wasn’t as bare as his father’s room had been. This space was his, no morose childhood memories to weigh down the walls and furnishings. He liked its shabby charm and warm lived-in walls in their dark wainscotting and emerald wallpaper. The sconces flared to life with the flick of a switch—he was never one to use the larger overhead lamps—and he slumped down onto the well-loved burgundy sofa he’d haggled away an afternoon for.

Stacks of papers and books lined most of the surfaces, his instinct to bring his work home with him the only thing he seemed to share with his father. He had never been more grateful to have less in common with the man. 

Icarus fell back onto the overstuffed cushions and stretched his legs out long. He threw an arm over his eyes and took a deep breath to clear out the days’ thoughts from his mind. All of it needed to melt away, disappear into the background and let him find some solace in sleep. If he didn’t find it tonight, it would force its way into his life some other way. Possibly at the most inconvenient time it could find to accommodate him. 

His chest rose and fell in even, slow breaths. The familiar tug and tumble sensation of a falling dream crept into the edges of his awareness. Icarus hated falling dreams, but there was never anything he could do to stop them when he felt them coming. 

His body jolted and he sat upright. 

His flat was gone. Around him rose the grey-green tall grass of a field at night. Overhead, a starless sky lit by the pale white light of a full moon facing the wrong direction, somehow too close and too far at the same time. His heart sank. This was wrong. It looked like his Eidolon dreams, but in a way he had never seen it before. It was always daylight, always full of life and sound and color. 

This version felt silent—not dead, but caught in an in-between space. He tipped forward and eased himself to his feet, brushing grass and dirt off his legs. Around him rose the canyon he knew, its waterfall frozen in space mid thunder. When he squinted, he realized it was moving, but making no sound as the blue-black water spilled down into the crevice below. 

He turned and scanned the black-on-navy skyline. His gaze wandered the long, jagged line of the nameless mountain ridge sprouting directly across from the canyon. It was nearer to him than he remembered, or had it never been far? He couldn’t recall. In front of it, a new shape twisted and tangled in a gnarled mess of darkness he did not recognize. Icarus walked towards it, compelled by some unseen force to approach. 

A large boulder played host to a figure he couldn’t place, loomed over by the shadow of what he thought was a hawthorn tree. He saw that sometimes in his visions, blinking in and out as the fae realm sought fit to include it when he arrived. Now, it was a shadow of itself, none of its features taking any discernable shape or color.

The figure straightened and extended a hand to him. The closer Icarus got, the better he saw it, until he was standing before a monster that should have terrified him. In this dream state, however, he had the strong feeling he could not be harmed. 

It was as gnarled as the tree, limbs too long and spine too stretched. Tall, a rag of white hair that came in thin bursts from atop its patchy head long past its shoulders and parting around curling black horns. Green-inked patterns swirled in brownish-grey skin possessing no muscle he could make out. It leaned down to see him better through opaque, blackened eyes and a thin-lipped smile. It wore a half cloak, tattered and torn, and even in the dark Icarus knew it was a rich red. From under its half cloak came the rustle of leather and a rush of cool night air. A clawed, leathery wing arced up overhead towards the night sky. 

For all its unnatural features, its smile was broad and warm. It raised a long-fingered hand in a gesture of welcome, “At last. Good evening.”

“Evening,” Icarus nodded back and looked around. “What is this place?”

It cocked its head and spoke in a deep, soothing baritone, “Do you not recognize your own mind?”

He shook his head, “I do, but… why is it night?”

The creature’s smile split and he caught the shine of fangs, “There are three and thus we are three. Three worlds, three faces, three places. You have your world of man, of fae, and… of me, shall we say.”

“Why am I here?” He would parse the riddle later. If he was on borrowed time, he needed to be smart with his questions. 

It rested its arms on knobby overlong knees and leaned closer to him, “Because you are being called, my young prince.”

“Why do you all keep calling me that?” He frowned, he hated the epithet with an unreasonable passion. 

“Because this is what you are,” it lifted a hand and touched a nail tip to his chest. “But this is not my place to tell you secrets which are not mine to keep. Ask a better question.”

“Who are you?”

It nodded its approval and motioned to itself, “I am a messenger of sorts. An ambassador. One who is sent to ask of you a favor.”

He took a half step back, “I don’t understand. Explain.”

It sighed and straightened, back cracking in a way that sounded more break than pop. It rose to its feet and he realized the full, towering height of the winged dream-creature, “The blood of my people is being spilled at the hands of yours. There are lies upon lies being poured into your world, a twisting and knotting of things that bring great risk to us all. You are needed, young prince, to untangle these things. You are needed to save a peoples of whom you are not.”

“Why me?” He swept his arm out wide and raised his voice to a shout, “Why not any other person? Why not one of you? I didn’t ask for this! I don’t want this Church and these dreams and whatever the fuck is happening with these blackouts. I don’t want any of it!”

It made a sympathetic sound and bobbed its head, “And yet you are the only one who can help. Will you help us? Will you stop a war that is coming with the certainty of dawn and aid us in saving the three which may never be one?”

Icarus turned on his heel and paced, hands tangling in his hair, tearing at it until his scalp stung. All of this cryptic nonsense, none of these things could speak plainly even in a dream. He roared and shook his head, jamming a finger at the creature. 

“What if I say no? What if I say no and I leave all of this bullshit behind me?”

Its expression turned sad, wistful, “Then doom is spelled for us all. I have been giving what I can with the time we have left, prince. Help us and I will aid you by clearing the way.”

Icarus ran a hand over his face and turned towards the darkened ridge leering at him from the unmoving night. He stared a little longer, a little more unfocused. Something was standing along the back of the jagged mountains. 

Silhouetted by the bulbous, ivory light of the too-close-too-far moon, was a hunched and hooded form seated on a horse—the skeleton of a horse? He could see light between ribs and the haggard remnants of old flesh mostly rotted away. Bone sockets glowed with angry red fire when the horse tossed a maneless head. The figure’s face was on him, he could sense it in the way a rabbit senses the hunger of a fox. Two pinpricks of silver glowed in eerie discordance with the soft white moon as it watched him from the dark.

A leathery finger curled under his chin and pulled Icarus's attention back to the conversation at hand, “We do not have long, the Dark Horseman will call upon his master and she will cast me from this place. Your answer, young Icarus.”

Doom. Veils and blood. Demons. Gates. A history that wasn’t a history at all. Three realms all fighting for something he couldn’t understand. Now a dream in this inversion of a place he thought he knew. It wasn’t a real question at all. 

“Fine. I accept.”

“Then I will help you find the crossroads that holds your father. You will encounter his jailer and your friend must face what she fears most if you are to break the machinations of a mad priest and a madder arbiter of death,” the creature spoke with urgency, glancing to the empty ridge where the skeletal horseman once stood. “The Morrigan is coming, it is she who damns us all. Remember. These are her hands in these attempts at undoing what has already been done.”

“The Morrigan? What-?”

It hissed at him and raised its hand. The palm against his chest was so large, its clawed fingers spread over both shoulders, “I will guide you if you trust me with your fear, young prince. You must go.”

“Why are you trying to help me?”

It hesitated, surprising him with a light tap of talon on his cheek, “Because nothing is as you believe it to be. And a favor was done for which I attempt to repay. Now. Wake up.”

It pushed.

Icarus fell backwards. Falling through darkness, through air, through impossible nothing and everything. The world melted away in streaks of black and gray and ivory, paint on a canvas left in the rain. 

**

He surfaced from the dream with a gasp and tumbled back in an effort to scramble away in his panic. Earth cold and hard with frost crunched under his hand, the moon above offered paltry diffuse slivers of light. He fought for air, to orient himself, darting around and taking in his surroundings. No sofa, no emerald walls, no comfortable stacks of too much work on every surface. 

He stared ahead of him for a moment before making himself look up. Horror overtook him and he let out a cry of despair. He knew exactly where he was. Icarus raised his hands and stared at the dirt-caked palms, the torn and bleeding beds of his nails, the mud-blackened skin of his fingertips. 

He was in the graveyard at the Church of Saint Lazriel. He was digging right where they had buried the head of a man possessed by an abhartach. And he had no memory of how he got here.

Our website is live with some listings! Please consider one of the titles and bear with me as I make more listings--it's a task doing it all manually for SquareSpace, but allows me to more carefully curate!

Thank you all!

-Ryn

I'm excited to be able to offer not one, but TWO, exclusive giveaways for Rachael's Reads subscribers! These are truly just for this community and are independent of any giveaways that I am running over on Instagram. You are more than welcome to enter on both platforms in the case of Giveaway #2.

To enter:

• Comment on this post with the title of the book you'd like to win. Comment "Both" if you would like in the running for either title.

• Upgrade your subscription for extra entries!

  • Follower: One (1) entry per book

  • Inner Circle: Two (2) entries per book

  • Producer: Five (5) entries per book

Open to entrants aged 18+. Winner will be randomly selected from all entrants on October 21st. Must be willing to provide a US shipping address for prize delivery. Not affiliated with any publisher, PR company, author, or retailer (just me!). Void where prohibited. 

Giveaway #1

Not on the Same Page by Allie Samberts

The sequel to September's Book Club read! One (1) paperback is up for grabs! I've opted to extend this giveaway as I think many missed it in October's Newsletter - keep an eye on future newsletters 😉

Giveaway #2

Mine Again by Andrea Thome

Newly released 10/13! I'll be meeting Andrea on her book tour and will have this copy signed before shipping it to the lucky winner! One (1) paperback available.

Good Luck!

Dark, grisly, and difficult to put down. The Secrets That They Keep follows Alyx Beck, a high profile escort, through her day to day and how she comes to realize the life she 'chose' wasn't actually a choice. Check content warnings as there are several graphic depictions, traffiking, and violence. This novel made me think of what Epstein Island might have been like for these women. It was a compelling read that brought some visceral emotional reactions.

Today is the release day for the highly anticipated novel, It Looks Like You In the Dark by Mathilda Zeller. An expansion of her short story “Kushtuka” from the wildly popular anthology Never Whistle At Night (ed. Hawk & Van Alst), this book was chilling, fast-paced, and is absolutely perfect for winter.

We meet her main cast of characters quickly, which isn’t surprising in today’s landscape of literature. At least, certainly not for a lot of newer horror books! I love meeting the cast early on—it really helps me get invested in them and their plotlines as the story progresses. And Zeller does a great job in getting you invested in the Inupiat community that she has created in Alaska: the Kobuk River Valley. You learn about each of the young people at the center of the story and what drives them; who wants to stay and who wants to go and how they plan on making that happen. Everything boils down to what it always boils down to, no matter what community you’re part of: the money to make your dreams happen.

Then enters the white man. And he seemingly has the answers to all their problems. He helps one young man with college, gives our FMC a job, seemingly is helping the community. I gotta say, I really love how Zeller makes me hate him from the get-go. Nothing about him feels comfortable from the moment you meet him on the page. He’s an awful capitalist who thinks he knows a little something something about Native culture and how to survive in the Alaskan state, but he’s got several things coming to him. And if you’ve read the short story “Kushtuka”, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Without going into too much detail and ending up spoiling things for you all, I give this a “run-and-buy-it” rating. You’re going to want to read this one, curled up with a nice mug of tea (or hot drink of choice), covered up with your favorite cozy blanket while the air gets colder out. Like I said, this is absolutely perfect for winter, and I highly recommend.

I’ll be going to see the launch tonight at Bucket ‘o’ Blood in Chicago. Will you be seeing Zeller on tour?

Here’s your weekly round-up of brand new, progressive-leaning romances that you may not have seen on your Instagram feed. If I’ve omitted a title you feel passionate about and think this community will enjoy, please do share it in the comments. Reminder that I haven't read any of these titles yet, so this isn't an official endorsement unless noted. Click through to read the post on Bindery for my full commentary.

The Gilded Rose by Joanna Shupe (Avon) — Shupe’s new Gilded Age romance is a no holds barred twist on Beauty and the Beast that asks: What if Belle married Gaston? The Gilded Rose is heavy on angst, exploring how difficult it was for married women to escape domestic violence before no-fault divorce existed. I didn’t find it triggering as a survivor, but I recommend reading with caution if you are sensitive to physical abuse and spousal rape. Zane, our Beast character, is the perfect love interest for a woman rebuilding her autonomy. He does everything he can to help Caroline find freedom, and then joy, at the right pace for her. The Gilded Rose is one of my favorite books of the year, and one of the most important. (Listen to Joanna’s episode of Rebel Ever After here.)

Entities to Lovers by Mallory Marlowe (Berkley) — Rival tour guides are hexed by a matchmaking ghost in Mallory’s third rom-com. I love her voice and am excited to dive in when my pre-order arrives. (Listen to Mallory’s episode of Rebel Ever After here.)

Holidays at Northfield Hall by Katherine Grant, Isabella Kamal, Charlie Lane, and Sri Savita (indie) — Friend of the podcast Katherine put together this collection of holiday novellas that take place in the world of her Prestons series of historical romances. Celebrate Halloween, Diwali, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Eid al-Fitr in stories written by Katherine and friends. (Listen to Katherine’s episode of Rebel Ever After here.)

Love You to Death by Jenna Levine (Berkley) — A grim reaper rom-com from the author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.

Once in a Timeline by Iman Hariri-Kia (Cosmo Reads) — From the author of last year’s Female Fantasy, an influencer gets stuck in her own “day in the life” video on a time loop… and she’s not alone.

A Very Merry Detour by Court Behr (Dial) — Court had me at bisexual/sapphic Christmas romance.

The Museum of Modern Love by Mariko Turk (Henry Holt and Co.) — Two exes get stuck overnight at The Met on a midnight museum tour in this YA romance. The Museum of Modern Love is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection.

Back Where We Started by Becca Freeman (Penguin Books) — A second chance Christmas romance about a Hollywood star who returns home for the holidays. Themes include escaping sexist Hollywood bullshit and redefining success and ambition. 

Happy Tuesday, mis internet amigxs!

It's the last Latine book release newsletter of Latinx Heritage Month and I want to take a moment to thank you all for being part of the Bien Leidos community. You're an integral part of the work I do and inspire me to keep going on days when I feel disillusioned.

SUPPORT BIEN LEIDOS BEYOND THE 31 DAYS OF LHM

If you want to to support the work I do with Latinx books beyond the 31 days of Latinx Heritage Month, continuing to push more Latinx books into the zeitgeist, TODAY is a great day to sign up at the Libritos or Lectores level of support. News may be a bit slower as I adjust through this new period of my life, but there's going to be some exciting announcements coming soon and you can be the FIRST to know. Libritos and Lectores member levels are FOR THE CHISMOSAS!

We have a number of events coming up for the whole community. I hope you'll consider joining us--

BIEN CREATIVOS: REFLECTION ON LATINX HERITAGE MONTH

With Latinx Heritage Month in the rearview mirror, on Monday, October 19th on Discord, we’ll be gathering at 8:00PM EST on Discord to craft, snack and sip while discussing the highs and lows of Latinx Heritage Month 2026. This is a first-of-its-kind Bien Leidos Discord event. Join us in community and share your experiences, ask questions and get to know your fellow community members on Discord.

AUTHOR CHAT WITH CLEYVIS NATERA

I have confirmed an author chat with our September book club author, Cleyvis Natera!!! We’ll be chatting on Thursday, October 22nd at 8PM EST. I’ll be sending out a Zoom invite and Survey for author questions sometime this week.

OCTOBER BOOK CLUB

I just started reading our October book club selection, You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado, so this is proof that it’s not too late to begin a book club book and chatting about it on Discord. We’ve recently begun created a spoilery discussion thread for those that finish the book and have some thoughts.

NOVEMBER BOOK CLUB

Thanks to everyone who voted, we’ll be reading Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli in November! The book is now a FINALIST for the National Book Award for Fiction, so it will be even more exciting to read in November in anticipation of the awards ceremony.

DECEMBER BOOK CLUB

In December, we’re testing a new way of reading for book club to help everyone meet their year-end Latine reading goals: I’ll be running a poll soon to select either a genre OR a Bien Leidos Bingo Card space as a reading prompt for the month of December. I was thinking we could do little book reports in January to inspire each other with the books we read. This plan is still in development, so if you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments!

OCTOBER RELEASES--FINALLY!

And FINALLY! Onto October (so far) releases, including last week's releases that I missed. I’m attempting a new format today. You can see all the book covers by scrolling through the books at the bottom of this post or clicking the “shop full bookshelf” link.

OCTOBER 6th RELEASES

The Lost Guardian by Natalia Hernandez (Audiobook)

Bruja's Nest by Brenda LaTorre (Audiobook)

They Called Us Wicked by Gloria Munoz (Audiobook)

There's A Monster In The Lake: The World As a Fantastical Place by Laura Fernandez and translated by Alexic Almeida

How to Look Away: On America Cruelty and the Refusal to Look Away by Daniel Pena (Audiobook)

Twilight In Venezuela: Dispatches from My Once and Future Country by Rafael Osio Cabrices and translated by Jessie Mendez Sayer (Audiobook)

What Feeds Below by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne (Audiobook)  

Hear The Dead by Ann Davila Cardinal (Audiobook)

Strange Lights by Mira Gonzalez (Audiobook)

The Creeps by Tehlor Mejia (Audiobook)

Mother Tongue: Immeresions and Other True Stories by Fabio Morábito and translated by Curtis Bauer

You Still Have Yourself by Fernando Samalot (Audiobook)

Tree Dog by Margarita Engle

The Speculative Detective Agency: Case Files of the Supernatural and Fantastic Edited by Richie Narvaez & Matthew David Goodwin

Nixta Taqueria Presents: From Tacos to Tahdig by Sara Mardanbigi and Edgar Rico with JJ Goode: Recipes and Stories from Mexico, Iran, and the In-Between

ADHD and Women: A Guide to Optimizing Your Hormones and Thriving with ADHD by Dr. Jolene Brighten (Audiobook)

The First Reader: On Writers and Editors by Luiz Schwarcz and Translated by Alison Entrekin

Cuban Soul by Mika Leon: Cuban cookbook featuring over 100 recipes

The Sea Witch Prophecy (Witchlings #5) by Claribel A. Ortega (Audiobook)

OCTOBER 13th

The End Of Us by Sandra Proudman (Audiobook)

Revenge of the Final Girl by Andrea Mosqueda Young Adult Fiction Horror (Audiobook)

Things We Lost In The Fire by Mariana Enriquez and illustrated by Lucas Mine

Essential: Being Latino and Indispensable in America by Enrique Acevedo (Audiobook):

You Are What You See: How My Favorite Shows Became My Worst Influences by Doménica Feraud (Audiobook)

The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time by Michael Rey & Oriana Zill de Granados

xo,

Carmen

This next spooky recommendation comes from the creative mind of independent author David Washburn. DIY Exorcism had me imagining dark shapes in corners as sinister figures (it was just my laundry pile) and genuinely gave me goosebumps. When a small town pastor thinks his young son is possessed by a demon he does whatever he thinks necessary to rid the boy of evil.

Happy Indigenous People's Day, friends!

I've got multiple posts coming today, so many things to talk about, so many secrets to ....

Today we recognize the history and contribution of Indigenous people (starting by recognizing, we are still here!)

To Do List:

1. Buy Indigenous books (and from Indigenous creators! I get a small commission every time you shop using my bookshop link and it really helps at the end of the month!) I've added a few books to this post and I've also created a Bookshop shopping list, https://bookshop.org/lists/indigenous-book-releases-2026

Buy using my bookshop link and buying an Indigenous book, you support: Indigenous authors, an Indigenous creator (me!) and an Indigenous bookstore (Black Walnut Books!)

1. Shop Indigenous! Some of my fave Indigenous bookshops: Black Walnut Books, Quiet Quail Books and Eureka Bookstore!

2. Consider upgrading your membership today. Your monthly subscriptions are what keep this imprint going and provide a place for these authors to have a great publishing experience getting their stories into the world. More subscribers= more books!

3. Order books from Boozhoo Books. YOU HAVEN'T PURCHASED WHAT FEEDS BELOW YET? How can we become a bestseller without you?

   Have you preordered Cracks? It's time to start building momentum so that Cracks can debut with over 1,000 preorders in April. Can that be our imprint's "THING" - 1,000 preorders for authors every time. (This doesn't happen in trad pub, because the publishers just don't put in the effort and leave it all to the authors.) Proud to have community support and community funded publishing!

While I was in NYC, someone asked me if I was still interested in publishing Indigenous books- the answer has always been yes, but I know I don't talk about the behind the scenes as much as I should:

1. To date, we have made offers on 3 books by Indigenous authors. (a couple you know!) Unfortunately, we lost to other presses.

2. I am not an editor in the traditional sense, and Bindery's editing turnaround is tight, so I'm looking for manuscripts that are nearly there where I want them to be.

3. I have to be passionate about the story and believe I can sell it. I've read some good stories, that just are not for me.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it publicly, but I am always open to submissions for Indigenous authors. If you're agented, send directly to Bindery. If you're not agented, you can email me directly. My current bandwidth does not allow me to respond to all submissions, but I am always reading.

Someone left me a comment on Instagram (that I deleted, because I have that capability) and asked if I could still be an Indigenous led imprint, if I don't have any Indigenous books. Did I stop being Indigenous? (I could make an entire post about the stupid comments I get on social media, should I?)

Did you notice the new(ish) byline for my imprint: Publishing stories that haunt and heal.

I've read so many great stories recently and want this imprint to grow and expand, encompassing all that haunts and heals.

Did I mention earlier that I had publishing secrets? A total of three. And they keep coming!

One is going public SOON. One might get announced this week to paid subscribers. Maybe two. If you haven't upgraded yet- it's definitely time. Things are about to get spicy.

Okay, more coming soon! (Including a new Indigenous book bingo card! I know you've been waiting!)

XoXo (should I rewatch Gossip Girl? One like on this post and I will take that as a yes)

There have been lots of new friends joining recently, both here and on Instagram! If you're new, welcome! I'm so glad you're here!

You Can Sit with Us Book Club is an asynchronous, virtual book club exclusively for followers of Rachael's Reads! We chat on Discord and, as of this month, have added the ability to discuss on Fable as well. For now, we alternate between contemporary romance and fantasy/fantasy romance. Inner Circle and Producer level subscribers have the option to suggest titles for future months.

October's book is The Song of Sunrise by Monica J. DeLoy. Monica is an indie author from the Midwest and will be featured on my podcast, Endpapers, next week! The Song of Sunrise is a magical war academy fantasy romance and, as of earlier this month, is available as a full-cast audiobook! It's also on KU.

Book 2 of the Prentice Teller series releases TOMORROW, so when you left wondering what happens after The Song of Sunrise ends, you won't have long to wait!

Join on Discord!

Join on Fable!

Ready to read? Let's go!

Ready to dive into the world of selkies, fae, witches, werewolves, political intrigue, dangerous enemies, complicated loyalties, and one seriously complicated love story? 📚👀

The full Book Club Kit, Individual Book Club Member Guide, Buddy Reader Kit, AND Solo Reader Kit for Between Sky and Sea: Book 1 of the Black Heart Tribunal Series by Katy Tearle are officially available for The First Editions!

Whether you’re reading with your book club, buddy-reading with your favorite person, or going full solo deep-dive mode, we’ve got a kit for you. 🌊📖✨

📚 TAP THE LINK TO DOWNLOAD YOUR KITS!

Book Club Kit 

Individual Book Club Member Reader Guide 

Buddy Reader Kit 

Solo Reader Kit 

And once you’ve got your reading materials ready, don’t stop there!

🔥 CHECK OUT OUR BOOK CLUB DEEP-DIVE REVIEW OF BETWEEN SKY AND SEA for our full thoughts on Mira, Lukas, the Black Heart Tribunal, the supernatural world, the high-stakes political conflict, and ALL the things we’re still thinking about.

💬 AND IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY, CHECK OUT OUR BOOK CLUB CONVERSATION WITH KATY TEARLE! We went behind the pages to talk about the story, characters, world-building, and so much more.

Basically…if Between Sky and Sea is on your TBR, we came prepared. 😂🌊

Now grab your kit, grab your book, and come dive into Alistile with us! 📚✨

#BetweenSkyAndSea #KatyTearle #BlackHeartTribunal #BookClubKit #ThePageLadiesBookClub

If you’re looking for a fantasy that throws you directly into the fire and refuses to let you catch your breath, Between Sky and Sea: Book 1 of the Black Heart Tribunal Series by Katy Tearle is ready to drag you under and I was absolutely here for it.

I went into this expecting selkies, fae, witches, werewolves, political intrigue, and a dangerous fantasy world. What I got was all of that plus a story about power, prejudice, grief, loyalty, love, and what happens when someone is forced to become a leader before they’re ready.

And honestly? Mira has A LOT on her plate.

As the newly crowned King of All Selkies, Mira should be settling into her new role. Instead, she’s dodging assassins, protecting defectors from the fae, expanding her Royal Entourage with a witch and his apprentice, negotiating with werewolf packs, and trying to figure out how to protect an entire supernatural population from the Black Heart Tribunal.

No pressure, right? 😅

Except the Black Heart Tribunal isn’t just some shadowy villain lurking in the background. They’re organized, politically motivated, deeply hateful, and determined to wipe out non-human nobility while taking control of the supernatural population. Selkies, dragons, witches, werewolves, seers, fae, sirens the threat reaches across every corner of this world.

And that gave the story a sense of urgency that I really felt.

Because Mira isn't fighting for a kingdom alone. She’s fighting for people who have been targeted simply because of what they are.

That made the political conflict hit differently for me. The Tribunal’s ideology creates an atmosphere where alliances matter, trust is dangerous, and every decision carries consequences. Mira is learning how to lead while simultaneously trying to determine who she can actually trust and whether diplomacy will be enough when the people coming for her are willing to burn everything down.

Then there’s Lukas.

Former love. Current bodyguard. Complicated history. 👀

Lukas has sworn to protect Mira, but their past hangs between them, and I was completely invested in that tension. Their relationship brings a deeply personal layer to an already dangerous story. There’s unfinished business, regret, vulnerability, and the very real question of whether something broken can ever become whole again.

What I especially loved was how Between Sky and Sea balances the massive fantasy stakes with those intimate emotional moments. Yes, there are assassins, supernatural politics, magical beings, shifting alliances, and a terrifying enemy but underneath all of that is Mira trying to figure out who she is now that everyone expects her to be a king.

She isn’t handed an easy path. She makes mistakes. She questions herself. She has to learn when to compromise and when to stand her ground. And watching her grow into her power while the world around her becomes increasingly unstable made this feel like the beginning of something much bigger.

And I have QUESTIONS. So. Many. Questions. 😂

The world Katy Tearle is building has so much room to expand, and I am absolutely curious about where the Black Heart Tribunal will take us next, which alliances will hold, which ones will shatter, and what Mira and Lukas’s complicated history means for the future.

🌊 FINAL THOUGHTS

Between Sky and Sea is a high-stakes fantasy filled with selkies, fae, witches, werewolves, political intrigue, forbidden/second-chance romance, supernatural alliances, dangerous enemies, and characters carrying more emotional baggage than they probably have room for.

But beneath all that fantasy goodness is a story about identity, leadership, prejudice, found family, forgiveness, and choosing what kind of person you want to become when the world is demanding something from you.

I finished this feeling like the story had only just opened the door and I am very much ready to see what’s waiting on the other side.

📚 Thank you, Katy Tearle, for sharing Between Sky and Sea with us and giving The Page Ladies Book Club the chance to dive into this world!

✨ Want to dive in with us? Tap the link to download our Mini Reader Kits for Between Sky and Sea, or join The First Editions to get access to the full Book Club Kits and take your reading experience even deeper.

Mini Reader Kits 

And if you haven’t already, make sure you check out our Book Club Conversation with Katy Tearle for an even deeper look at the story, characters, world-building, and the inspiration behind the book. 🌊📖

💬 BOOK CLUB QUESTION: If you were Mira, would you prioritize diplomacy and alliances with the supernatural kingdoms or go straight after the Black Heart Tribunal before they have the chance to strike again?

#BetweenSkyAndSea #KatyTearle #BlackHeartTribunal #FantasyBookClub #FantasyBooks