I’m suffering from a bit of a cold at the moment (not COVID, thank goodness, I tested) and looking forward to my flu jab on Saturday. Well, is “looking forward” quite the right tone? Anticipating as a very necessary evil, perhaps, and being grateful that Sunday should be a non-active day. I don’t always get post-vaccination malaise, but life being what it is, I’d rather not have something tremendously important to be doing on the day directly afterwards.

On a “definitely looking forward to” note, it’s the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton at the end of October, and I’ll be attending. My definite commitments are:

Thursday 6.00 – 7.00 – Meet The Author

Friday 8.00 – 9.30 pm – Mass Autographing Session

Saturday 10.00 – 11.00 – Reading Group 20 (Horror)

Saturday 6.00 – 7.00 – Fantasy: Beyond the Binaries

If you’re going to be there, high five!

I’ve handed in the current draft of book 1 of the new trilogy (girls’ school, demon summoning, Latin teacher, all-round mayhem) and am starting in on book 2. Wish me luck.

No, we’re not in Autumn yet, but we will be soon, and then all of the UK will be complaining that it’s too cold (and possibly too wet – I do hope so, we need the rain) rather than complaining that it’s too hot.

Current first draft nears its end. (This is the one described as Girl’s School With Demon Summoning, and it’s the first of three. I’m having fun with the protagonist. She is not always sensible.)

I’ve also really enjoyed K-POP DEMON HUNTERS, which has an entirely different set of demons, but much better singing. (My favourite song is WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE, but they’re all good.

Current news: SCARLET is currently just 99p on UK Amazon, at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scarlet-Genevieve-Cogman-ebook/dp/B097N3Q2HT/ – so should you not already have that little ball of Pimpernel-ish joy and vampiric bloodlust, it’s there to be grabbed.

Bank holiday in the UK tomorrow. Last one till Christmas. I will enjoy the day off work. Well, day job work. Writing continues. Will that be my epitaph? Probably for a lot of us.

Less than a fortnight now till DAMNED comes out, and I’m having the usual run of nerves. It’ll also be strange when it’s over and I can file all my Regency and Revolution research away . . . well, for the moment at least.

More immediately, I’m going to be in London a couple of times in the next few weeks, and also at It’s Strange Up North in Leeds.

Firstly, I’m attending London Comic Con on Friday 23rd May: I’m going to be in the “Just A Little Bite…” panel at 1:00 pm on the Writers Block Stage (together with Bella Higgin and Cat Hepburn), and then I’ll be doing a signing on the Author Signing stage from 1:45 – 2:40 pm. (All times and locations subject to not being altered by the Comic Con organisers, because we all know that Stuff can happen.

Secondly, I’m at It’s Strange Up North in Leeds on Saturday 24th May, 5.30 – 8.30 pm. (To anyone looking at the dates: yes, I know.) You can find the details at https://www.waterstones.com/events/its-strange-up-north-2025/leeds: there are going to be a lot of excellent authors there, and I’m proud to be in their company.

Thirdly, I’m going to be in Waterstones in Covent Garden in London on Tuesday 27th May for an event organised by the British Fantasy Society: ‘BFS Bookclub: An Evening with Genevieve Cogman’, where I will answer questions about the Scarlet Revolution series and interact with fans about their thoughts on the book for a reader-centric evening about all things fantasy writing and reading. (Details and booking at https://www.waterstones.com/events/bfs-bookclub-an-evening-with-genevieve-cogman/london-covent-garden.)

After all that, I think I may collapse.

And then go back to working on the first draft of the next book. (Girls boarding school, demon summoning, hapless Latin teacher…)

Just a quick note that Audible are doing a promo on the first 5 Library books until Sunday. If you’d like to give them a go, get then while they’re cheap.

No real other news for the moment: counting down till the release of DAMNED. There may be a couple of things happening in May, and I’ll fill you in when I have more details.

I’m delighted to be able to share that I’ve signed a deal with a new trilogy with Tor UK.

It involves a boarding school for girls, demon summoning, dark academia and a hapless Latin teacher, and I like to think of it as somewhere between St Trinian’s and Faust, with a dash of PG Wodehouse.

The Bookseller announcement is here:

https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/tor-uk-summons-dark-academia-trilogy-from-genevieve-cogman

More details will follow as and when I can share them. In the meantime, the next book out will be Damned (and I’ve just sent back the final proofs for that, so the Pimpernel’s latest scheme is progressing nicely) . . .

Thanks to everyone for your support. It’s because you keep on buying my books at your end that the publishers keep on making deals at their end. Much appreciated!

Firstly, happy holidays and appropriate wishes of the season to everyone! Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, Happy New Year if you’re on the solar model, and the compliments of the season where appropriate. I hope that you’re having – or have just had – a good time, that you and the people you care about are well, and that any return to work (such as my own on Monday this week) isn’t too painful.

Secondly, ELUSIVE is currently available (ebook form) for just 99p on UK Amazon, at:

Finally, there may be some interesting news coming later this month. (When is news not interesting? A demned interesting philosophical question, as Sir Percy might say.) If it happens (and no future is certain) I will share it as and when I can. Fingers crossed.

There’s little to tell about my personal or work life, except that it’s currently annoyingly cold here in England. Radiators have been turned on, and there’s that familiar smell of heated dust in the air. It’s the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate this weekend, which will make a nice break.

SCARLET is currently just 99p for the ebook on UK Amazon – available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Scarlet-Genevieve-Cogman-ebook/dp/B097N3Q2HT – and ELUSIVE is just out in paperback, and I can’t wait to see the proofs of DAMNED.

Finally, I have some good news which should be coming in the near future. As they say, watch this space.

Firstly, I can reveal the cover of DAMNED, third book in the SCARLET REVOLUTION trilogy.

(Can be pre-ordered at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Damned-magical-adventure-Scarlet-Revolution-ebook/dp/B0CXX6K5HH – a page for the book should be added to this website shortly.)

Secondly, THE LOST PLOT (fourth book in the LIBRARY series) is currently at just 99p for the ebook on UK Amazon: available at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lost-Plot-Invisible-Library-Book-ebook/dp/B06X6N22ZM …

Thirdly … Autumn is here, alas, and at the moment it’s more a “season of damp and grey skies” than anything more pleasant or crisp or enjoyable, let alone Halloweeny. Ah well, we’ll just have to see how the weather changes and cross our fingers. I’m going to be visiting my aunt in Guernsey shortly, and the weather may be better over there. It’ll almost certainly be windier.

Just a couple of days till Worldcon.

My schedule is as follows:

Friday, 9 August 2024, 19:00
Fanfic or Re-Imagining?
Alsh 1

Sunday, 11 August 2024, 17:30
AFK: LitRPG and Progression Fantasy fiction
Alsh 2

Monday, 12 August 2024, 13:00
Autographing: Monday at 13:00
Hall 4

But in the meantime, work needs doing . . .

You’ve won my heart and I’ve lost my brain . . .

Blame the July weather. It’s the season for quoting Anything Goes.

The audiobook of Scarlet is currently discounted to £5.99 on Amazon UK, so if you like your books audio, open your ears (and your wallets).

I’ve just handed back the second round of structural edits for the third book – Damned – and am now preparing for WorldCon, which, heaven help us, is in just over two weeks. If you’re attending, I hope you enjoy it as much as I plan to. I’ve also seen the planned cover for Damned, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. I look forward to sharing it with you all when I can.

Other than that, I’m just worrying about the state of the world, and trying to put my own desk in order, and plot for what I’m writing next. At least Labour did win the election in the UK. That’s something.