November 2025
In this month’s newsletter, scroll down to find:
- Les Catacombes de la Reine release
- Podcast: Author Nook with Carina Finn
- Captain’s Log: A Poem
- Review Corner
Welcome to the World!
French translation of Queen’s Catacombs worldwide release: November 26th, 2025
It is an absolute joy to announce that Queen’s Catacombs is now also translated into French! Editions Lux et Nox are such a treat to work with and they have done such a fabulous job making this novel shine en français!
It extra special, because a lot of the inspiration I took in the creation of the Catacombs was from the Catacombs in Paris! So it really feels like a full circle moment. Here are some images from my trip into the bowels of the city of love…
Author Nook
Welcome to my Author Nook, a monthly podcast I created where I chat with authors about their upcoming releases and we nerd out over their literary brain children. Find it on Spotify here, and Youtube here.
As you know, I release episodes once a month with no set date so the best way to stay in the loop is to follow and subscribe on either Youtube or Spotify.
This month, I had the pleasure of speaking with Carina Finn about her novel, Feast and Famine: The Last Great Heir. We chat about potions, power, and puff pasty all the while solving the world’s problems of prejudice with a sprinkling of understanding.
Who would have thought a simple stroll in someone else’s shoes is what makes all the difference? So pour yourself a cup of tea, serve yourself a tasty treat, and settle in for our November Author Nook – and last Nook of 2025!
I am currently creating my 2026 calendar and have some slots available, so if you’re an author who would like to appear on an episode please jump over to my Contact page and send along: your name, the title of your book, a blurb, its release date, and your favourite thing about it that you can’t wait to share with me.
Captain’s Log: A poem
I have adored the Greek myth of the Teumessian Fox who was fated to never be caught and the magical dog, Lailaps, who was fated to always catch its prey. They both set out on an endless chase which created a logical paradox – if one can never be caught, and the other never fails to catch, who would win? In the myth, Zeus steps in and turns them each to stone or into constellations (depending on which version you read). I’ve always felt that ending to be a real deus ex machina… no offense to the ancients, but the solution to a paradox is such a juicy thing that to simply “nope” it all feels anticlimactic. I prefer the idea that it ended in the choice for each to trust the other and end the chase voluntarily.
So, while stuck in traffic the other day, I jotted this down:
Apace
She, the unobtainable fox,
He, the inescapable hound,
Locked in a stalemate at last.
His teeth wrap her throat,
A squeeze of the jaw and she's caught.
Her muscles tense,
A leap, a bound, and he's lost.
Both pause,
Panting.
In his eyes, recognition.
In hers, understanding.
Each a child of prophecy:
To forever run, as hunter or hunted.
Never to rest.
Her rapid pulse flutters against his cheek.
He loosens his grip.
She, given an opening, hesitates,
calms,
the tension bleeds from her limbs.
If one does not flee,
If one does not hunt,
If - instead - each chose simply to remain,
To walk apace,
To trust,
Then two may share the journey.
There’s also a fabulous song that has been in my heart and mind for well over two years by The Hound + The Fox called The Paradox which you should absolutely listen to.
Corner
Reviews are so helpful in getting word of Contest of Queens, Queen’s Catacombs , and Queendom Come out there. If you have time, and if you’ve read the book, I would be eternally grateful if you could leave a star rating and/or a written review on Goodreads or Amazon.
Thank you to all the wonderful people who have left a star rating or review!
Until next year…
x live magically
featured image: https://stockcake.com/i/bakery-window-display_608100_960348
Jordan H. Bartlett 