THE big news!!!

BEHIND THE CRIMSON CURTAIN found its home!

Nov 09, 2023

The pediatrician's lobby was empty except for me and my three day old (very yellow) baby. I was sitting there, regretting my ambitious decision to climb the stairs in my postpartum state and gaping at the little human who had completely changed my life, when the email came in from my agent:

Someone wanted to buy my book.

I stared at it blankly, shocked to my bones. Eventually my (very sleepy) husband came out of the bathroom, I handed him the phone and said, "I can't even process this."

That night we returned to the NICU for a pretty intense jaundice scare.

The rest of the week my little and I struggled to breastfeed together.

All the while, emails were flowing in...

Updates. Call requests. Contract negotiations.

It was so surreal.

And then, this!

I’m over the moon honored, thrilled, and excited that Adrienne Procaccini and the team at Amazon Publishing’s 47North fell in love with my epic, morally gray, Victorian-inspired, romantasy. Working with them has already been a DREAM.

Behind the Crimson Curtain is officially coming in Fall 2024!

Firin and Bregan are going to get to meet the world.

I still get shivers every time I think about it.

You can add the book to your Goodreads shelf here, and share the news here.

Last week I had my first call with my editors about this next pass of revisions and it infused my soul with joy. So, after weeks of contract negotiations, family visits, and figuring out how to keep a newborn alive, the jaundice is behind us, the breastfeeding is thriving, my writing brain is buzzing, and I've finally found a minute to write to you.

Here’s what’s new!

xo, E

About the book

Writing is an art of self-discovery and change. You cannot write a book and come out the other side the same person. The journey of writing Firin—a con artist who is, unknowingly, trying to figure out who she is—helped me discover so much about who I am and who I want to be, as a human and a writer.

Behind the Crimson Curtain is the book I finally finished.

Through writing it, I befriended my perfectionism, ditched hustle culture, and found a writing process that actually worked for ME. Writing Firin required digging deep into the shadowed parts of my soul, past, and identity—and learning how to alchemize it all on the page. She taught me how important it is to look inward and love what you find, no matter what.

Firin and Bregan are imperfectly human, and their story is as dark as it is beautiful. I cannot wait for you to meet them.

If you like…
📚 Epic fantasy
🖤 Heart-wrenching, spicy, second-chance romance
🎭 Theater AND political drama
🎩 Victorian inspired worlds
🔥 Insane plot twists
✨ Literary prose

…then add Behind the Crimson Curtain on Goodreads!

You could also share this Instagram announcement to spread the word, if you feel so inspired. ☺️

The beautiful chaos

Newborns erase time.

In September, there was only the present moment, minute by minute, breath by breath. I remember some time in week two thinking back to the couple days before Bailey was born and marveling that whoever that person was didn't exist anymore. The thought was like a punch to my sternum, knocking me off kilter.

In a few short days I had become, wholly and completely, “Mom”.

I lived and breathed this new identity.

There was nothing beyond it that I could reach.

I’m sure this is normal. The first few weeks with an infant are all consumed by the infant and the journey of getting to know one another. That state was a really difficult one to process my book deal within. When I got the email in the pediatrician's office, I could barely comprehend it, let alone celebrate. I was utterly out of my body.

But then, a couple weeks later, when I finally got on the phone with my agent and my now editor to hear their ideas for what my book could be, it all came flooding back.

My love for this story.

My obsession with the craft.

My fierce desire for this book to be in the world.

The way writing is buried in my bones.

Me.

Over the last few weeks, I've been chaotically stitching who I was before Bailey into who I've become as her mom.

Strangely, my book deal has helped me navigate this process.

I am Bailey's mother, first and foremost, but I'm not just "Mom"... I am me AS a mom.

My passions and dreams are what make me Bailey's mom, and I'm so grateful to the universe's timing, and my book deal, for (chaotically) showing me that.

And holy crap, I can't WAIT for you to read my book.

A tip for writers

Writing doesn’t have to look like sitting at a desk.

Since Bailey was born I’ve had a hell of a time getting my butt in a desk chair. Instead my art has taken the form of notes scribbled during playtime, daydreams on walks, and plotting while nursing. (Tip: My remarkable tablet is literally saving my life. Only have one hand available a lot of the time? This is THE writing tool for you.)

Don’t restrict your craft or imagination by limiting your writing to looking a certain way. Your process can look however you want it to.

It’s yours to shape.

Filling my well

Reading: The one thing I have had time for lately is reading. Kindles and audiobooks are excellent for late night feedings. My three favorite reads so far have been Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (a WW1-esque fantasy to die for), The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young (which manages to be utterly beautiful and impossible to put down at the same time), and A Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber (a perfect audiobook and conclusion to a fav series!).

Listening: Lord Huron, for calm mornings with the baby, and lots and lots of sing-a-long classic rock while we’re bouncing her around the house!

Television: In the first month of B’s life my husband and I devoured the series Andor and I think that Cassian is a new favorite Star Wars character. We watched the movie Anthropoid (for book research… and also because Cillian Murphy), which was incredibly good, if devastatingly dark. With family visiting we haven’t watched a lot since, just catching up on new SNL episodes.

Adventures: A few weeks ago we got Bailey out on her first mountain hike—and ran into our pediatrician on the trail 😂 . Bailey did great and we can’t wait to get her out for camping trips next year.