Recently, I got to do an editor’s favorite thing… attend a book launch and see a shiny new novel released into the wilds! Then watch the books be carried away into the night, clutched to the hearts of excited fans. And best of all, it was in the magical city of New Orleans.
Editing Alys Arden’s debut novel (The Casquette Girls) and it’s sequel The Romeo Catchers means I’ve spent many hundreds of hours deeply immersed in her fictionalized version of New Orleans, so it was surreal to finally see this city in real life. She’d bought it so vividly to life in my imagination that it felt somehow familiar, though I’d never set foot there before. It’s such an intriguing place… I could totally feel how this colorful city inspires so much art. My only regret is that I missed stopping in at the Clover Grill — but next time!
In true Arden style, The Romeo Catchers release party was total rainbow gothic spectacular, with gorgeous pastel cake, casquette-shaped cookies, vampyre wine, and an exclusive tour through the old Ursuline Convent, which you’ll already know well if you’ve read the books! ?
One of my favorite parts of the launch was just gazing at the long line of fans waiting to get their books signed. It wound all the way through the beautiful old Beauregard-Keyes House, stretching from the front room almost to the antique four-poster bed in the back bedroom. It was too long to even get a photograph of it. Gawd, I love hanging out with people who read.
We finished up the night drinking potions on a balcony in Bourbon Street. I kept wishing Adele and her coven could have joined us. It did feel like a Medici could walk through the door any second. I kept watch…
There was one other super exciting part of my trip, which was getting to hear the outline for the next book in the series. Ohmygoodness soo good! But alas, my lips are sealed!
If you haven’t read these novels yet, you know what to do. Start with Book 1, The Casquette Girls (published by Skyscape Publishing in 2015). It’s an epic paranormal fantasy full of spells and realism and amazing characters. You can get it in paper or ebook from Amazon, or in audio from Audible.com (narrated by the amazing Kate Rudd).
Once you’ve read that, you can dive into The Romeo Catchers, available in all the same formats.
Here is some of the feedback on Amazon for the newly released Romeo Catchers so far…
★★★★★ “Beautifully Descriptive and Could Not Put It Down!!!” ★★★★★ “ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!” ★★★★★ “What a ride!!!” ★★★★★ “Best series ever.” ★★★★★ “A fantastic sequel to The Casquette Girls.” ★★★★★ “MY BOOK OF THE YEAR WITHOUT A DOUBT.” ★★★★★ “Has everything I loved about the first book and plenty of new surprises.” ★★★★★ “Love this story with a Purple Passion!” ★★★★★ “Wow.. Just wow..” ★★★★★ “Awesome adventure!” ★★★★★ “Engrossing believability.” ★★★★★ “Could not put it down!” ★★★★★ “I did NOT want this book to end – it was perfection!” ★★★★★ “Huge Book-Hangover!!” ★★★★★ “Holy awesomeness!!!”
And here’s what the critics are saying…
“This detailed and descriptive sequel is every bit as engrossing as the first, with deftly drawn character arcs and a captivating setting.” —School Library Journal
“In this sequel to The Casquette Girls (2013), teen witches Adele and Isaac grow closer while fresh evil descends upon flood-ravaged New Orleans. The author continues to woo culture and history mavens, adding vivid New Orleans color (the funeral procession) and plenty of post-hurricane detail (such as Isaac’s grim recovery work, so similar to that carried out after Katrina). Warm, carefully drawn characters are the story’s main attraction. A meticulous blend of witchery, New Orleans lore, and teen angst.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Fans will be floored by The Romeo Catchers, the much-anticipated follow up to The Casquette Girls. An intense dreamscape of a read full of magic, menace, and mystery.” —Tonya Hurley, New York Times bestselling author of the ghostgirl series and the Blessed trilogy
“Adele’s supernatural roller-coaster ride continues at breakneck speed, with shocking revelations along the bloodstained way. Rich descriptions of post-storm New Orleans as well as a variety of vivid secondary characters create a lush background, allowing this extraordinary story to thrive. Readers will be enchanted and horrified in turn as Arden plunges them into a sudden, unpredictable cliffhanger that will leave them as stunned as her characters.” —RT Book Reviews
Pick up your copy here: The Romeo Catchers
Happy reading, and have a lovely trip to magical New Orleans!
