Stone Soup Digest 05.13.22

Sarah Gailey -

Welcome to the Stone Soup Weekly Digest! This is where I share what I'm up to and some of my favorite things from around the internet. Subscribe to Stone Soup to get this in your inbox every week.

This week has been a whirlwind! I have so much to share with you.

First of all, this morning brought a delightful development with it: A starred Publisher’s Weekly review for Just Like Home! They called the book a “superior novel of psychological suspense,” complimenting the prose, plot, and atmosphere. Read the whole thing here! Paste Magazine called it a Must-Read Summer Thriller, and Book Riot called it one of the Best Reads of Summer 2022. I’m over the moon!!

You can download a free, exclusive extended digital preview of the book here.

I also got the very exciting news that The Echo Wife is a top-ten finalist for the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. I’m in amazing company and so thankful to everyone who chose to recognize my book on their ballot!

On Friday 05/13 at 2pm PT, come join me for the Feminist Frequency 13th anniversary livestream as I interview superstar authors about their work! I’ll be joined by Lillian Boyd, Mallory O’Meara, Caitlin Starling, Anne Heltzel, Zin E. Rocklyn, and Maggie Tokuda-Hall to talk about horror. We’re going to have a blast!

Buffy Interview

I got to talk about The Vampire Slayer, ElfQuest, Iron Fist, and more in this interview. Go check it out!

Nibedita Sen on First Times

Nibedita Sen is an incredible and innovative author. I got to chat with her about First Times, a piece of interactive fiction that’s honest and lovely. Her craft insights are staggering.

Meet Escapade!

Charlie Jane Anders, Ted Brandt, and Ro Stein have created a brand new hero for Marvel: Escapade!

Escapade, whose real name is Shela Sexton, is a trans mutant who can instantaneously switch physical locations with another person or trade any specific physical or abstract attribute such as possessions, organizational status, skills, superhuman powers, and even situations! Escapade is only able to maintain the power for a few hours at a time and must be within seven feet of her target, and the more complex the switch, the higher the chance of a mishap.

Click the link above to read the full press release! You can also see Anders discussing the new hero here. I’m so excited for this one!! It’s no secret that I will read anything Anders writes, and this hero sounds like a blast.

Visit a Neighbor: The Full Lid by Alasdair Stuart

Alasdair Stuart is one of the foremost voices in media analysis and commentary today. He’s got great opinions, sharp analyses, and an unflinching sense of the way a complicated legacy can impact a property. I had the honor of having my work featured in The Full Lid, but that’s not why I’m recommending it – subscribing to a newsletter written by Alasdair Stuart is just a good way to live, no matter what work he’s writing about.

Sign up here! You can also find the most recent newsletter here.

I’m Reading: I’m the Girl by Courtney Summers

When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley's older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley's killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty--but who is guiltiest.

"No maids, no funny talking, no fainting flowers." Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese American girl from Hungarian Hill--but she doesn't care. She'd rather play a monster than a maid.

But in Luli's world, the worst monsters in Hollywood are not the ones on screen. The studios want to own everything from her face to her name to the women she loves, and they run on a system of bargains made in blood and ancient magic, powered by the endless sacrifice of unlucky starlets like her. For those who do survive to earn their fame, success comes with a steep price. Luli is willing to do whatever it takes--even if that means becoming the monster herself.

Add Siren Queen to your tbr here. Order it from your local independent bookseller, or order it via Bookshop.org to support independent booksellers throughout the US and the UK. For international shipping, you can try Barnes & Noble. If you prefer audiobooks, here’s a Libro.fm link. You can also request Siren Queen from your local library — here’s how to get in touch with them. And if you need to order from the Bad River Website, here’s a link that will leverage your order for good.

A beautiful picnic

I got to have a picnic this week with two beloved friends! The menu included a trumpet mushroom and shallot frittata, marinated cucumbers, roasted herbed carrots, and farmers market radishes with butter and salt. I made a strawberry-ginger cornmeal olive oil cake with a ginger-sugar crust (check out this month’s Supper Club to learn how to do a sugar crust of your own!). Then we walked around an abandoned zoo and I got to learn about local edible plants. Can you imagine a better day? I can’t.

If you’re a paying subscriber, come by the Stone Soup Supper Club for our weekly chat! And remember that we have our Writing Date this Saturday, May 14 at 10am Pacific – the link to join is also in the Supper Club post. I can’t wait to find out how you’re doing.

—Gailey