COVER REVEAL and PREORDER CAMPAIGN!

Unknown planet from outer space. Space nebula. Cosmic cluster of stars. Outer space background. 3D book render.

So excited to reveal the cover of Hayley Reese Chow’s INTO THE CHURN! This award winning author will blow your socks with this romantic high stakes sci-fi, that races across a new planet of savage storms and dazzling tech. Fall in love with Ezren and Foster as they battle side-by-side to save their scrappy world on a ruthless interplanetary stage where appearances are everything, speed means survival, and the only thing deadlier than the storms are the other racers.

Preorder campaign begins today! You can order your choice of a paperback, hardcover, or exclusive dust-jacketed hardcover here on Whimsical and as preorder incentives you will get a bookmark, two character art postcards, a map postcard, and a signed  bookplate for free. ORDER HERE NOW! If you are looking for the ebook book version, you can preorder it via Amazon now (preorder incentives are not included with order through Amazon.)

BOOK BLURB:

Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s deadly storms with the dream of giving her backwater planet open teal skies. But when budget cuts threaten to shut down her mother’s lab, Ezren enters Belethea’s Race Royale, the system’s deadliest and most lucrative race. To win, she’ll have to run, drive, and fight her way across Belethea’s barren landscape while navigating its savage and volatile storms. With her planet’s future, and her family’s, on the line, she can’t afford to lose. But first, she’ll have to convince her handsome royale partner that their planet is worth saving.

Foster Sterling is a jaded ex-prodigy royaler still reeling from his partner’s death in a training accident. When Ezren Hart comes charging into his life, her passion reminds him of what he once loved about racing and his dream of returning pride to their planet. Still, no matter how fast they go, they can’t outrun the mysterious string of deadly accidents following them like a curse. As Foster falls harder for Ezren, he races to piece the clues together. But with time running out and their survival on the line, he’ll have to decide if their dreams are worth their lives.

Earth was tame. Belethea is not.

Author – Hayley Reese Chow is a PowerPoint ranger by day and writer by night, but the book that Whimsical will be publishing in 2023 is heavily influenced by her experiences as an All-American collegiate fencer and ultramarathoner. Her first self-published novel won the 2020 YA Florida Author Project and was the 5th place finalist in the 2021 Book Blogger Novel of the Year Awards. She currently dodges hurricanes in Florida with her two wild boys, her long-suffering husband, and a dog that thinks she’s a cat. Follow Hayley on her website hayleyreesechow.com or on Instagram @hayleyreesechow

Here’s my review:

You know those books, the ones you can’t put down, and when you’re forced to do so, all you can think about is getting back to it as soon as possible? Well, that’s exactly what INTO THE CHURN is like!

Even if sci-fi isn’t your go-to genre, you will still love this YA, action romance––the pining, the kisses, the slow burn––OH MY HEART! And the action too! The Race Royale takes place in heart of Belethea’s churn belt, a portion of the planet where temperatures are unliveable, lightning rages, and tornados tear the planet apart. This is a life threatening triathlon of epic tech proportions where neighbouring planets compete for resource rights and interplanetary glory. The thing is, our heroes, Ezren and Foster, are the underdogs, and not only will you melt over their romance, you’ll be biting your nails and praying for their safety until the very end.

Don’t miss this, just don’t.

~Micheline Ryckman, author of The Maiden Ship series.

 

TITLE AND BLURB REVEAL!!!

 

We are SOOOOOO excited to reveal the title and blurb for this upcoming romantic, sci-fi adventure by award winning author, Hayley Reese Chow!  Whimsical will be releasing this story on April 4th 2023!

Full cover reveal and preorder information will be coming within the next couple of months.

READ ON TO LEARN MORE !


Earth was tame. Belethea is not.

Seventeen-year-old Ezren Hart interns in her mother’s terraforming lab, studying Belethea’s deadly storms with the dream of giving her backwater planet open teal skies. But when budget cuts threaten to shut down her mother’s lab, Ezren enters Belethea’s Race Royale, the system’s deadliest and most lucrative race. To win, she’ll have to run, drive, and fight her way across Belethea’s barren landscape while navigating its savage and volatile storms. With her planet’s future, and her family’s, on the line, she can’t afford to lose. But first, she’ll have to convince her handsome royale partner that their planet is worth saving.

Foster Sterling is a jaded ex-prodigy royaler still reeling from his partner’s death in a training accident. When Ezren Hart comes charging into his life, her passion reminds him of what he once loved about racing and his dream of returning pride to their planet. Still, no matter how fast they go, they can’t outrun the mysterious string of deadly accidents following them like a curse. As Foster falls harder for Ezren, he races to piece the clues together. But with time running out and their survival on the line, he’ll have to decide if their dreams are worth their lives.

Perfect for fans of underdog heroes, slow burn romance, and high stakes sci-fi, INTO THE CHURN races across a new planet of savage storms and dazzling tech. Fall in love with Ezren and Foster as they battle side-by-side to save their scrappy world on a ruthless interplanetary stage where appearances are everything, speed means survival, and the only thing deadlier than the storms are the other racers.


Author – Hayley Reese Chow is a PowerPoint ranger by day and writer by night, but the book that Whimsical will be publishing in 2023 is heavily influenced by her experiences as an All-American collegiate fencer and ultramarathoner. Her first self-published novel won the 2020 YA Florida Author Project and was the 5th place finalist in the 2021 Book Blogger Novel of the Year Awards. She currently dodges hurricanes in Florida with her two wild boys, her long-suffering husband, and a dog that thinks she’s a cat. Follow Hayley on her website hayleyreesechow.com or on Instagram @hayleyreesechow

 

 

Exciting Things Coming in November!!!


Writing

I’m still working on three books simultaneously, so the going is slow, but I find it’s actually kind of helpful. If I get stuck on one project, I can shift gears and redirect my attention to another so I’m less likely to have extended writer’s block. I hope you’ll all love these stories I have in the works… as soon as I’m able to share them with you!

Illustrating

My arm is finally letting me create art again! I’m trying to take it slowly and not overwork myself. Doing a little bit at a time seems to be better than trying to push myself too much and then having another lapse. I hope to have more art to share with you soon! Some of the newest pieces are below and available in the shop now!

Publishing

We Could Be Villains is finally out into the world! I have LOVED seeing everyone’s social media posts and reviews. It’s such a fun unique concept and I’m so glad it’s getting the love it deserves. Read below for your exclusive first sneak peek of Hayley’s book, including the title reveal!


These are just some of the new art pieces available in the shop!

Be sure to use a rep code to save yourself a little money!


The secret is out, Whimsies! The November YA book for @Unpluggedbookbox is our very own We Could Be Villains. They’ve pulled out all the stops for this book:

  • stunning foil on the hardcase
  • exclusive art on the inside dust jacket (art by me!)
  • digital signature
  • exclusive multi-color stenciled edges

Full boxes are currently sold out and on a waitlist, but the book-only option is still available, either as a subscription or a one-time purchase.


⚠️ Important Update for US Shipping ⚠️

Since the majority of shop orders are being shipped from the US now, I wanted to make you all aware that the United States Postal Service has temporary rate increases from now until January 22, 2023.

As a result, you may see a very slight increase in shipping costs on the website. These increases are very minor, under $1, and only affect Media Mail (books) and First Class packages. Priority mail and international shouldn’t be affected.


Exciting news, my whimsies! You all remember my assistant, Christina? Well, she’s going to be at Yallfest in Charleston, SC on November 11th and 12th with a sack FULL of Whimsical giveaways!

She will have postcard prints galore, including some of the discontinued Sarah J Maas art that will never be sold in the shop again! She will also have some older designs that we had made into stickers along with a few copies of The Rightful Bearer. Be sure to follow me on Instagram – I’ll share a photo of her each day so you’ll know what she’s wearing. If you see her, stop her and she’ll let you choose a prize from her supply of Whimsical goodies!


Hardcovers Are Here!!

That’s right! You can finally get hardcovers of ALL the Whimsical Publishing books directly from the shop (which means they’re eligible for rep codes!)

These editions do not have dust jackets – the design is printed directly on the hardcase. We are exploring options for dust jackets in the future, but for now, we are just THRILLED to offer this new option for our growing collection of books published by Whimsical.


Mark Your Calendars: Black Friday Sale!

There will be different deals and sales for the entire Black Friday shopping weekend. More details will be shared in a few weeks so keep your eyes peeled. Details will be shared in a separate newsletter, on here, and on Instagram and Facebook.


 

Good, better, and something only a little sad.

What’s been going on with me at Whimsical:
Writing

Lots of projects are in the works. I’m still plucking away at Toff’s TMS spin-off, Charting Stars 2, and the Sleeping Beauty retelling I’m co-authoring with my lovely friend Bryn Shutt. I love writing, but at the same time, sometimes I wish I could just snap my fingers and have a complete storyin your hand now! Just know there are a lot of fun things in progess.

Illustrating

I’m still dealing with a relapse of my arm injury, so illustrating isn’t happening as much as I’d like right now. I do have some commissions from a while back that I’m able to share now so be on the lookout for those on social media. And attached here is a little sneaky peek, one you won’t see on social media, it’s a detail of a work-in-progress fan art that I was painting of Harper and Rhen from Brigid Kemmerer’s ACSDAL before my arm relapsed. I look forward to finishing it once I’m finally better!

Publishing

Just a few more days until the release of WE COULD BE VILLAINS! I’m so excited for this book to be out in the world. It’s such a fun adventure. In addition to that, we’re also hard at work behind the scenes with Hayley Reese Chow’s Sci-fi action romance that I’m just bursting to share more details about soon!


This is a small up close detail of a fan art that I can’t wait to finish once I’m healed again of Brigid Kemmerer’s Rhen and Harper from ACSDAL. Hope you find this sneak peek fun!

 


WE COULD BE VILLAINS
kindle sale!

We Could Be Villains by Megan McCullough in ONE WEEK! Are you as excited as I am?! To celebrate, the Kindle version is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon! But hurry, this deal is only valid until the book releases on October 3rd.

And don’t forget you can still pre-order a paperback copy from my website, which is the only way to get the pre-order goodies, including a signed bookplate designed by Megan herself!


We Could Be Villains
Read-a-Long


To celebrate the launch of Megan’s WCBV, @literaryfaery will be hosting a read-a-long on Instagram beginning on October 7th. Be sure to watch her Instagram for details coming very soon. There will be weekly check-ins and there might even be prizes involved. 😉


I will be going LIVE with Megan Mccullough on Instagram on October 1, 2022 at 5pm PST. We’ll be chatting about writing, publishing, and all things
We Could be Villains!
I hope you’ll join us!


Discontinuing merch is still on sale!


As a reminder, I’m no longer going to be stocking headbands, totes, or mugs in the shop, so whatever’s still there is all there is! If you’ve been eying something, you better hurry over and grab it now!

Stock of these items is ALMOST GONE. At the time of this newsletter, there are only (3) Maiden Ship Compass tote bags, (3) Scarlett headbands, (5) Maiden Ship compass headbands, and (2) Charting Stars mugs!

These products are 50% OFF the lowest listed price. Use code CLEAROUT at checkout.


Charting Stars Rebrand will be delayed

This is the “little sad” part. We’re still planning to re-launch Charting Stars with an exciting new cover, but plans have been slightly altered and it’s a better fit to re-release it later. We will keep the Street Team sign-ups open, however, so if it’s something you are interested in, please complete this Google Forms questionnaire. All street team members will receive a Kindle edition of the book for free!