My Best News Ever...!!!
March 2024
Hi friends,
If you missed it last week, I announced one of my biggest pieces of news EVER… I sold a new book series!!!
Art by the brilliant Joy Cole.
And if you saw that announcement and its caption, this newsletter will be filled with even MORE things I’m bursting to tell you about this exciting new series!!!
The origin of The Incorruptibles
I started working on this book in 2019. And it started—as all my books do—with incoherent scribbles on my whiteboard:
(I can show you this because these scribbles are 5 years old, and things have changed SO MUCH since I first jotted thoughts on this whiteboard. Even the main character’s name changed, from Fia to Fiora. And the organization changed from Breakers to Incorruptibles. Plot and character details, too, are totally different.)
Eventually these scribbles started to take the shape of a story…
Raise your hand if you’ve ever found it really SUSPICIOUS that people with magical powers—who believe themselves special—somehow never let that go to their head…? For me, this never passed the smell test, and I’ve thought about this basically all my life.
You see, I’ve read (and loved) so many stories where a kid gets magical powers, and it’s something wonderful and enviable. But… what happens after the sorcerers/wizards/witches/magicians get unstoppably strong? How could magic NOT be a corrupting influence—when you have that much power over others? How could it not alter the way sorcerers see themselves—as mighty, as formidable?
And wouldn’t this cause tension between the people with magic and the ones without?
This is the premise… and welcome to The Incorruptibles, friends!!! An action-packed series about the corrupting power of magic and the human ingenuity it takes to fight for good, no matter how messy. It’s for 10-14 year old readers, sitting squarely in that in-betweeny space of “is this upper middle grade? or is this lower young adult?”
To me, the middle grade argument works because it's funny and full of friendships and often feels like sitting by a cozy fire. And the young adult argument works because there’s darkness and complex themes and quite a bit of nuance to the good vs. evil narrative.
This isn’t a fantasy world… it’s a fantasy future. Basically, power-hungry humans figured out how obtain magic—to turn themselves into weapons by becoming sorcerers. With their new abilities, sorcerers took over towns and cities, dominating the humans living there.
The stronger the sorcerer, the bigger the city they’ve conquered. One hundred years later, those original sorcerers’ descendants rule the roost. And at the top of the sorcerer hierarchy is a small nomadic group called the Radiance: the toughest, coldest, baddest sorcerers out there.
In this sorcerer-controlled world, anyone could have magic if they wanted, but to accept that kind of power—to take the Dark Deal—is seen as a moral failing among most humans.
Of course, we can’t have all-powerful sorcerers without a group of human resistance fighters! And so, I created Inc Academy (though it’s technically more of a brawler’s boot camp than a school).
Having the protagonists being the ones without magic—to have characters opposing monstrous power with nothing more than tech, grit, and heart—has been an absolute joy.
And these protagonists are my everything. Fiora—our narrator—is a quick-thinker on the battlefield, has a strong moral compass, and is too curious for her own good. Onyx—our endearingly awkward bookish strategist—is harboring a secret. Mel—our most talented recruit and unflinching fighter—has a major attitude problem when it comes to teamwork. Cameron—our earnest cinnamon roll with a heart of gold—is the peacemaking glue who is desperately trying to hold everyone together.
Plus, I can’t wait to introduce you more characters who mean so much to me—bubbly Clementine, easygoing Heath, lackadaisical Lavinia, compassionate Amethyst, anxious Rowan, and confident Veda.
And the captains (cool Quinn and genial June and prudent Silvius), who are all badass in their own way.
And rigid and rational Uncle Randal, who is—funny enough—named after my uncle, though Book Randal is the exact opposite in personality as Real Randal.
And most importantly: THE SQUADS. The Thistles (with their in-your-face close-range fighting style and stubborn, prickly attitudes), the Buttercups (with their adaptable mid-range techniques and warm, welcoming auras), and the Clovers (with their cautious long-range fighting tactics and their proclivity for preparedness).
One day, I’ll devise a quiz and ask you which squad you’d be on! In the meantime, if you feel passionately about one, PLEASE let me know! :-)
The writing and submission process
It took me about 4 months to finish the first draft of this book. I got notes from my agent Alexandra Levick in the fall of 2022, and we worked on it together until it was sent out in June (perfect for pride month, as there are 8 queer characters book 1).
In October, we heard from my editor Kara Sargent—she LOVED the book and was bringing it to acquisitions. And upon talking with her, I knew right away that she was the best editor to bring this story to life. She *gets* it, on a bone-deep level!
In December, on the penultimate day of Hanukkah, Agent Allie and Editor Kara finished negotiating and closed the deal. It was the most perfect Hanukkah present! And here I was the exact moment the deal was finalized, and I knew—for sure—that this secret obsession of mine since 2019 was going to be a real series:
Since then, I got an edit letter… and I found out who will be illustrating the cover. And let me tell you: this thing is going to be absolutely epic!!! I am seriously exploding with excitement—this is the book series I’ve always wanted to write! And the series I would have killed to read—and theorize about—in middle school.
Art by Joy Cole again, and isn’t it so inviting?! Welcome—seriously—the academy gates open so soon!
What I’m Writing
The Incorruptibles (Summer 2025): I’m doing revisions right now!!!! I love love LOVE working on this book! Too soon to preorder, but stay tuned later this year…
The Mythics series (book 3 releases May 14th, and book 4 releases December 3rd): I just saw the interior illustration sketches for Mythics 4: Ember and the Phoenix, and MY GOODNESS. I laughed, I cried—legitimately! I chortled out loud like six different times. And tears pooled in my eyes two different times. Mirelle Ortega has done it again!
Marina and the Kraken and Hailey and the Dragon are out now!
Kit and the Nine-Tailed Fox and Ember and the Phoenix are available for preorder!
Case Closed series (out now): Ever wish that a book could feel like a video game? I know—from talking to hundreds and hundreds of kids at school visits—that almost all of them say YES, they do wish a book could feel like a video game. Good news: the Case Closed series is perfect for these kiddos!
The books can be read in any order. They’re all highly interactive with over 100 choices to make, 30 dead ends to avoid, and a dozen puzzles the reader must solve in order to find their next page. (With puzzle hints, if the reader is finding them too challenging.) A mystery series that’s perfect for readers of all levels! You can read each mystery four different times—four books in one!
Horror Project: I’ve done a revision and implemented my agent’s brilliant suggestions. I’ve sent the new draft off to her, and I’m waiting on tenterhooks for her response to my changes!!!
What I’m reading
The Eyes & the Impossible by Dave Eggers: I listened to this year’s Newbery medalist, and I highly recommend the audiobook version.
Yes, I know, I missed out on some spot illustrations. But honestly? Hearing this read to me by the expressive Ethan Hawke, I feel like I gained more than I lost. This was such a fantastic audiobook!!!
Wilderlore 4: The Night Compass by Amanda Foody: The newest Wilderlore book dropped earlier this month, and I adore this series so very much!!
I especially love the way book four escalated the stakes, had a major plot twist, had character growth for days, and my ship seems to be setting sail! I could go on and on, but you should really stop listening to me gush about it and go read it!!!
Saying Goodbye
There’s just so much to share with you about The Incorruptibles. SO MUCH. This really only scratched the surface. If you’re not subscribed to my newsletter, I really hope you do—I’ll be updating every step of the way. Please come on this journey with me!
Because these aren’t just MY squads anymore… now they’re yours too! <3
Lauren
The Incorruptibles sounds so COOL!!! I read a fair bit of MG and YA so I'll be on the lookout for any and all of your news. Congrats on all of it! <3