Super exciting news, droogs!

Folks who follow me on insta and twitter will know I’ve been hinting at a new project for a little while now. Today, I’m chuffed to announce that I’ve sold my new fantasy trilogy to the awesome folks at St Martin’s Press and Harper Voyager UK, the same crew who brought you the NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLES!

Here’s the spiel I sold it with:
 

EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE

 
Twenty-seven years have passed since the last sunrise, and for almost three decades, the creatures of the night have walked the day without fear. Once, humanity fought bravely against the coldblood legions, but now, we exist only in a few scattered settlements—tiny sparks of light in a growing sea of darkness.

Gabriel de León is the last of the Silversaints, a holy order dedicated to defending realm and church, now utterly destroyed. Imprisoned for the murder of the vampiric king, Gabriel is charged with telling the story of his life.

His tale spans years, from his youth in the monastery of San Michel, to the forbidden love that spelled his undoing, and the betrayal that saw his order annihilated. Most importantly, Gabriel will tell of his discovery of the Grail—the legendary cup prophesied to bring an end to the eternal night.
But the Grail was no simple chalice, and it’s secret was held by a smart-mouthed teenage urchin named Dior. Their journey with a band of unlikely allies would see Dior and Gabriel forge an unbreakable bond, and set the broken paragon on a road to redemption.

But now, the Grail is shattered. And with the cup of the Savior destroyed and the last Silversaint awaiting execution, what can bring an end to this unholy empire?

Empire of the Vampire is an illustrated dark fantasy epic; the bastard lovechild of Interview with the Vampire, The Road and The Name of the Wind.

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FAQ

Holy shit, vampires?
Fuck yeah. Vampires.

When is it out?
Fall 2020. It’ll basically take over from NEVERNIGHT in my rotation.

How many books?
Good things usually come in threes. 🙂

Is this series tied in with your other fantasy work?
No. EotV is a completely new thing. New world. New mythos. New (anti)hero. New everything. Except me, I guess. I’m still here

Wait, did you say illustrated?
I did indeed. I’m a special snowflake who insists on making my publishers’ lives difficult, see. I like the idea of creating a book that’s beautiful, and having that beauty serve a purpose in the story. But to tell you much more than that is a spoiler

EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE will feature original illustrations by none other than the amazing Nan Fe. Fe popped up on my radar after she created some amazeballs NEVERNIGHT fanart (her illustration of Cassius from NEVERNIGHT below was actually my inspiration for Gabriel). I fell in love with her style, traded her a few human souls and convinced her to be my co-conspirator on this beast. Fe’s aesthetic is perfect for this story–bloody, sexy, and dark af. And she’s a badass bitch to boot.

So fanartists take note – we do notice all your amazing work!
Anyway, it’s. Going. To. Be. Amazing.

Check out some of her stuff:

So is this a graphic novel?
No. “Graphic novel” is typically another term for “comic book”, and this ain’t that. There’s nothing wrong with comics, but EotV is a long-form novel with some illustrations. I imagine there’ll be around 15-20 illos per book

Is EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE a YA book?
NO. EotV has the same publishers as NEVERNIGHT.  I know some people insist on saying NN is YA, but respectfully, my publishers and I disagree. St Martin’s Press and Harper Voyager are adult imprints. EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE is an adult book. Like NN, it contains violence and explicit sex and protagonists with extremely dubious morality. Yes, one of them is a teenager. The book has definite crossover appeal, same as NN.
But it’s not YA

Please understand, I don’t say this to disrespect YA vampire stories, or creators who tell them. I’m a YA author myself, and love writing for younger readers as well as adults. Mad props to Stephanie Meyer and Twilight – even if it’s not your jam, you can’t deny what Ms Meyer accomplished with that story. I’m a stan of the Vampire Diaries (Team Damon 4 liiiife, dont @ me). I loves me some Angel and Buffy. I just want people to know what they’re getting into before this blood-filled murder train leaves the station.

Will there be pre-order offers and special editions and all that good stuff?
Almost certainly. Patience, my friends. I’m glad you’re excited. I am too. 🙂

Jay, do you ever sleep?
Sleep when you’re dead, droogie.