New Book Announcement!
There’s some exciting news, which I’ve been sitting on for a while. I have decided to dip my toes in self-publishing, emboldened perhaps by the experience of producing the anthology.
Binding the Cuckoo is an alternative-history, Gilded Age romance, inspired partially by the women’s suffrage movement and the domestic workers’ rights’ movements.
It’s the first volume in the “Daughters of Defiance” series, each volume telling a story of a different couple within the same social circle.
Like many fantasy readers, I’ve seen the rise of the “romantasy” genre, but as a romance reader as well, I thought there is space for a genre-mash that focuses on the romance more, rather than keeping it in the background. (I think there are a lot of Outlander fans out there that would agree with me on this).
And so this is a historical romance. Unapologetically, deliciously so. With a hint of magic and folklore, of course, because well… I’m still me.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In the late 19th century, a scientific marvel allows scientists to open rifts into the realms of myth. Powerful creatures, weakened and stripped of their memories, are brought to serve the whims of the wealthy elite…
In 1899 New York, Hare, a young woman with a mythical secret, finds herself trapped into servitude to the wealthy elite. When an equally desperate schoolmistress, Miss Anne Bonningham offers Hare a chance at freedom, they embark on a daring plan. Disguised as “Miss Edwina Walker,” Hare navigates the treacherous waters of London high society, solely focused on securing a marriage and escaping her past.
However, amidst the glittering balls and intricate social games, Hare finds herself drawn to Ernest, a charming solicitor torn between duty to his friend and his undeniable attraction to her. As hidden agendas surface and a vengeful figure from her past threatens to expose her true identity, Hare must make a choice: embrace a life of comfort and security or choose freedom and a love that could shatter the very foundation of her world.
Binding the Cuckoo is a story of love, deception, and the fight for self-determination in a world where appearances can be deceiving, and the line between freedom and captivity is blurred.
Binding the Cuckoo is coming out on the 15th of October, and is now available for preorder. Look below for the virtual book tour dates!
Some stock of WHISPERS IN THE EARTH still available!
Our successful kickstarter campaign last year has allowed us to create two beautiful editions of our folklore anthology: a paperback and an exclusive hardcover.
Now that all the backers have received their copies, we can distribute the remaining stock via The Broken Binding. But please note, the stock is very limited, so consider purchasing soon, to avoid disappointment.
Each of the twenty stories is illustrated with a hand-carved linocut print. No AI in sight. Slow art, one could say!
Again, thank you so much to all who believed in this project and helped me to bring it to life.
Click here to see the listing.
KICKSTARTER NOW LIVE!
Whispers in the Earth is now available via the kickstarter!
A fully illustrated anthology of twenty stories inspired by world folklore!
You can pledge your support here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabrielahouston/whispers-in-the-earth
Stories from around the world, twenty full linocut illustrations and a variety of finishes and tiers available for every budget!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gabrielahouston/whispers-in-the-earth
WHISPERS IN THE EARTH – an illustrated anthology
Those who follow me on social media might have seen me post cryptic reels of carving, inking and printing linocut illustrations. I have actually been working on a collaborative project with 19 talented authors.
Whispers in the Earth is an anthology of short stories inspired by world folklore, and how stories travel and grow over time. Each story illustrated by myself with a linocut print, and with smaller illustrations throughout, we offer different formats, from ebook to a super deluxe hardback collectible.
On the 21st of May, in a partnership with The Broken Binding bookshop, we are launching the Kickstarter campaign to raise money for this project.
Putting this book together is a dream come true for me. I love illustrated books, yet that’s exactly the kind of project that would be considered far too expensive and risky by most publishers. Kickstarter offers the opportunity to bring exactly this kind of an unusual project to life, by bringing artists and backers together.
If you want to hear more, you can sign up on the landing page
http://pro.theknowledge.io/whispers
A NEW YOUTUBE SHOW AND PODCAST!
The first episode is now live, and I can tell you all the news I’ve been sitting on for a month and a bit while I’ve been secretly (not so secretly) recording the first few episodes.
THE GABRIELA HOUSTON PROJECT, is what I grandiosely named it (because it’s my project, duh.), is a series of conversations with eminently interesting people about how storytelling fits into their lives and professions. I interview writers (because I know a few of those, and they’re a cool bunch, generally speaking), artists, musicians, fundraising specialists, researchers, public speakers etc.
My first guest is authoor Stephen Aryan. We talk about his newest trilogy inspiired by Mongolian and Persian Medieval history.
You can listen to the audio version via Spotify
Or watch the YouTube video below.
2023 DOUBLE BOOK NEWS!
Exciting days are a-coming!
I’m really excited to announce that this year I have two Slavic-folklore-inspired Fantasy novels coming out! Something for everyone: one for adults, one for children.
The first one, THE STORM CHILD, is the continuation of Mara’s journey from The Wind Child. The sequel (and the last part of the duology) comes out in the UK May 2023 from Uclan Publishing.
The Storm Child picks up a year after the end of The Wind Child. Mara, who had her human soul ripped out of her by God Veles, is on the run from Koschei the Deathless, whose soul she’d stolen. She travels with her shape-shifting best friend Torniv, and to survive they must strike deals with gods. But in the final showdown, how much are they willing to sacrifice to protect each other? And what are they willing to become in the process? The book is now available for preorder here.
My next adult book, THE BONE ROOTS, is coming out on both side of the pond from Angry Robot Books in October 2023.
The Bone Roots is a stand-alone story about two mothers willing to do anything to protect their children.
It’s been 40 years since the Fox took Kada’s brother. Though she ran and kept herself hidden, she fears it may be stalking her again, this time to steal her daughter.
Every year, Vedma Kada gives thanks to the bone roots – those that belong to the child-bearing tree who gave Kada her desperately-wanted baby, Secha. Kada lives her life in service of the bone roots and the goddess Zemya, but they cannot keep her daughter safe. Not when Secha’s emerging powers, both mysterious and brutish, threaten to out her for who she truly is…
Meanwhile Sladyana, a rich noblewoman, has spent the last fifteen years searching for her missing daughter, Luba. She was snatched from their home by the Fox thief and Sladyana has heard nothing from her since. But the one who gave Sladyana her daughter has come within her grasp once again, and so has the secret of her daughter’s fate.
You can preorder The Bone Roots here.
THE WIND CHILD Sold To UCLan! – COMING FEBRUARY 2022
New book deal announcement!
My first middle grade (children’s) book, The Wind Child, is coming out from UCLan Publishing in February 2022!
It’s a Slavic-folklore-inspired novel about how far you would go and what you’d be willing to sacrifice to save someone you love…
It follows young Mara, the granddaughter of Stribog, the God of Winter Winds, who sets out on an epic journey with her shape-shifting best friend, Torniv, in order to bring back her beloved human father back from the land of the dead. On her way she has to rely on her wits to survive as the spirit world of gods and monsters seem determined to stop her.
I’m very proud of this book and I can’t wait to share it with you all!
THE SECOND BELL IS OUT!
I THINK THIS IS MY NEW VOLUME BECAUSE THE SECOND BELL IS OUT AND I’M A PUBLISHED AUTHOR!
This is a quick post to let you all know that my Slavic-mythology-inspired fantasy about a striga and her mother is out in the world!
It’s available in all the formats, including audio, narrated by the very talented Dora Hart.
Here’s the smart order link: Here’s the smart order link: https://smarturl.it/thesecondbell
You can order a signed copy with a special book plate designed by yours truly from The Broken Binding bookshop (they ship internationally!)
I’m incredibly excited and I hope you all enjoy my book!
Thanks,
Gabriela
BOOKISH TAKE launching on YouTube on 1st of March!
So in the last few weeks I’ve been cooking up something very exciting with my fellow Angry Robot author, Caroline Hardaker (Whose intimate dystopian tale, Composite Creatures, comes out in April 2021)!
We have put together a mini-series of YouTube videos called Bookish Take, where we chat about our writing journey, from the initial idea, through the editorial process up to going off on submission and getting published!
See the promo for Bookish Take below and join us on the 1st of March to hear about our experiences and for writing tips and advice!
THE SECOND BELL named one of SFF180’s 31 most anticipated 2021 Fantasy novels!
A friend sent me a link to this yesterday!
My debut, The Second Bell, coming out in March 2021 from Angry Robot, has been listed as one of SFF180’s 31 most anticipated Fantasy novels of 2021!
I’m so incredibly chuffed and grateful to be listed alongside Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne (whose books, Empire of Sand, and Realm of Ash, inspired by the Mughal Empire, I absolutely LOVED), as well as some really exciting debuts, The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec (a Norse retelling about the wife of Loki), and Son of the Storm by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, the first volume of a new fantasy trilogy inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa!
There are many more amazing books on that list, so I link the video below, so you guys can have a look!
