News

Eeep! It’s two months ’til STAR CURSED comes out! To celebrate the two-month mark, I’m going to give stuff away! But first – a little snippet from STAR CURSED! Rilla jumps up onto her bed. “I know you don’t want to be here. Everyone knows you don’t want to be here. You hardly hide it. But it’s almost December—you’ve been in New London over a month now. Can’t you make the best of things?” “I am! I’m trying,” I insist, stung. Since healing Mei two days ago, I’ve been shifted out of botany—the one class I loved—and into advanced healing. Mei’s been partnering with me for lessons and keeps asking me to play chess with her during afternoon tea. Rilla’s made a point of sitting with me during meals and in the classes we share, though it would certainly be easier—and more fun for her—to sit with other chattering, laughing... Read More

Hi! Today we’re celebrating the release of Erin Bowman’s TAKEN. They say:   There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends . . . and he’s gone. They call it the Heist. Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate—until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets, the Heist itself, and what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot—a structure that no one can cross and survive. Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken—or risk everything on the hope of the other side? I say: ​I haven’t had a chance to read... Read More

Hi! You are cordially invited to the STAR CURSED launch party! It will be at One More Page Books in northern VA (right outside DC) on Sat, June 22. I’m so excited to share the new book with you! There will be cupcakes and a champagne toast and wine-tasting, too! The booksellers at OMP are the BEST. More details here. Also, I finally created an official Facebook Author Page. I’d like to keep my private feed a little more private, and it’s gotten hard to keep up with IRL friends there. So if you’d like to follow my bookish news on FB, please “like” Jessica Shea Spotswood. Also-also, I am SO CLOSE to being finished with Cahill  book 3! It’s due Monday and I can’t wait for Amazing Editor Ari to read it! You know, in a vaguely vomity sort of way… Also-also-ALSO, I will be at the Annapolis Book... Read More

Hi! ​A few administrative notes before I launch into the interview. Congratulations to the winners of my contest for Cahill Witch swag packs – Mary H, Sam, Chantelle, tfs93, and Stacie! I’ve already contacted all of them! Stay tuned for TWO awesome Cahill Witch giveaways next week! One of them will be ONLY international! Penguin is having a Goodreads giveaway for 14 ARCs of STAR CURSED! You can enter here. US only (sorry!). ​ Today we’re celebrating the release of ​Kit Grindstaff’s THE FLAME IN THE MIST. They say:  Set in an imagined past, this dark fantasy-adventure is for fans of Philip Pullman’s THE GOLDEN COMPASS. Features  Jemma, a fiery-headed heroine held captive in Agromond Castle, yet destined to save mist-shrouded Anglavia. Fiery-headed Jemma Agromond is not who she thinks she is, and when the secrets and lies behind her life at mist-shrouded Agromond Castle begin to unravel, she finds herself in a chilling race for her life.... Read More

On tour and at other events, I’m frequently asked, “How do you deal with writers’ block?” My answer is: there are two different kinds of writers’ block for me. The first is the fear of suck. This kind of resistance pops up when my inner editor, who’s a total perfectionist, rears her stupid head and declares that whatever I’m writing isn’t good enough. This hits A LOT during the first draft stage. I’ve definitely been experiencing this while working on Cahill Book 3. The usual fear of suck is heightened because rewriting most of STAR CURSED in edits was difficult and painful (though ultimately the best thing for the book), and frankly I’m a little scared to turn in this draft. I don’t think such drastic measures will be necessary for this book, but it’s hard to tell! Plus, it’s the end of the series, and I want the ending to... Read More