HOUSE OF HUNGER Excerpt, ARCS, Updates, and a Goodreads Giveaway!
Hi Reader,
As you can probably guess from the title, many fun House of Hunger-related things are afoot! Perhaps most excitingly, advanced reader copies of House of Hunger are now available for request on NetGalley. Meaning that with a bit of luck, you might be able to score an early copy of House of Hunger before its publication date! If you do manage to get a copy, I’d be immensely grateful if you took the time to leave a review over on Goodreads, and if you haven’t already, please do add it there so you don’t miss out on any giveaways like the one that’s running right now.
And of course, I’d be remiss in my authorial marketing duties not to mention that House of Hunger is available for pre-order. If you’d like a shiny, hardcover copy delivered straight to your door on the day of its release (barring any shipping delays) you should order your copy today!
In this brief Twitter thread, I unpacked some of the scary and humbling feelings that tend to bubble up when I’m sharing a book with the world for the first time. As I watch House of Hunger make its way into the hands of the readers I wrote it for, those feelings have only intensified. But with them comes a newfound freedom in being able to set down the burden of one book and embrace another.
It’s exciting to have my brain repopulated by new characters who are so different than any I’ve written before. My head feels crowded with the presence of these unruly newcomers, to the point where my mind doesn’t really feel like my own anymore. It’s disconcerting, but I find a lot of joy in it too.
And these days, joy is my primary focus. I’m really trying hard to lean into the parts of writing that I love most—the thrill of a blank page, the infinite potential of a story yet untold, the hidden mysteries of characters I have yet to properly acquaint myself with. I’ve made it my goal to pursue creative excitement above all else because I’ve learned that joy is the thing I have to fight hardest to protect, especially in the vulnerable months that lead up to a new book release, when I tend to second guess myself.
I’ve found that one of the best ways for me to nourish myself creatively and preserve a sense of joy, is to read the work of authors I admire. So, here are a few of the books that have inspired me over the past few months:
Tender is the Flesh Agustina Bazterrica: I finished this novel months ago but I think about its final scene all the time. A gruesome and haunting read.
The Harpy by Megan Hunter: A deeply unsettling novel about marriage, betrayal, and feminine rage.
Normal People by Sally Rooney : I feel like the internet sort of peer-pressured me into reading this one, I kept seeing it everywhere. But it really is as good as everyone says it is.
A Dowry of Blood by S. T. Gibson: Easily one of the most seductive and sumptuous vampire novels I’ve ever read. If you’re looking for something in the spirit of Anne Rice’s Interview With a Vampire, this is it!
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison: This is the werewolf book I’ve been waiting for! It’s the best werewolf story I’ve encountered since I watched Ginger Snaps as a kid. Rachel is brilliant and the horror genre is lucky to have her.
The Witch and the Tsar Olesya Salnikova Gilmore: This debut novel is a unique and absolutely enchanting take on the legend of Baba Yaga. Really recommend pre-ordering it!
Babel by R.F. Kuang: A dark academia masterpiece. Truly in awe of R.F. Kuang’s talent.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado: Hands down the best and most compelling memoir I have ever read. Machado’s prose is breathtaking.
Before I go, I’d like to share an excerpt from House of Hunger. This passage is lifted from the first act of the book, when Marion arrives at the House of Hunger and is introduced to its presiding countess, Lisavet, for the first time…
The Countess ran her tongue along her bottom lip, eyeing Marion’s veins, her pupils narrowing to pinpoints as she primed for the bite. When she opened her mouth, Marion saw that both of her canines were capped with golden crowns that were sharpened and hooked into vicious points. She’d heard that a few of the northern nobles made such . . .adaptations. Metal nails honed to knifelike tips; gold-capped canine teeth so sharp they had to take care not to slit the tips of their tongues when they spoke. These modifications made it easier for them to pierce the skin and suck the blood straight from its source. The Countess opened her mouth so wide that Marion swore she heard the soft pop of her jaw unhinging, then snapped it shut around her arm.
Marion expected pain, but in that instant there was none. In fact, the rest of the world— Thiago, the nobles, the nearby bloodmaid—seemed to shrink out of existence, until there was nothing but her and the Countess at her wrist, her teeth sinking deeper, a single trail of blood leaking from the punctures at the points of her gold-capped teeth.
The Countess hunched over Marion’s arm, her jaw locked around her wrist, her eyes unseeing. Her throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed. After a few long moments, she released, tearing her teeth free of Marion’s flesh. Lisavet collapsed back into her chair, limp and breathless but . . . laughing, with all of the carefree mirth of a child. The court looked on as she wiped her bloody mouth clean on the back of her hand and, grinning, gazed at Marion, as if the two of them shared in some unspeakable secret. “Welcome to the House of Hunger.”
That’s all for now! Future newsletters will include more updates by way of ARC giveaways, the UK cover of House of Hunger (I saw it for the first time minutes ago and it is stunning), foreign rights announcements, events, and more!
Sincerely,
Alexis