I know! I forgot I had a newsletter, too.
So, look, I’m bad at keeping up with anything that isn’t Twitter (although since Twitter is essentially the severed right ankle of an Ozymandias statue at this point, I am trying to post more to Instagram). That’s why I disabled the blog on my website years ago. My hope is you’ll forgive my inconsistency because you dig the work I do put out regularly, e.g. books and videos games and whatnot. Or because you think I’m cute. Either way.
A lot has happened since my last newsletter, but let’s start with the pressing business: for the rest of today and tomorrow, Barnes & Noble is having a blockbuster discount on most preorders through their website.
Why is this relevant to us? Because next month I am concluding my first epic fantasy trilogy when the final novel in my Savage Rebellion series, SAVAGE CROWNS, comes out on June 13th from Saga Press.
And that’s not all!
Later this year on October 24th, my third middle grade novel will be released! It’s called NOWHERE SPECIAL and I truly believe this is the best book I’ve written to date. Not just my best middle grade novel, but my best novel thus far, period.
Here’s the amazing cover created by Berat Pekmezci!
Here’s the flap copy my publisher, Katherine Tegen Books, cooked up:
“Author Matt Wallace delivers a deeply moving story exploring that first formative friendship, navigating challenging family circumstances, and finding hope and strength in a forgotten desert town. Perfect for fans of Ernesto Cisneros and Julie Murphy.
The isolation and bullying Stan suffers at school are nothing compared to the war at home. After he tries and fails to defend his mom by standing up to his abusive father, Stan decides there is only one solution to finding a new self-confidence: he must learn how to fight.
Tragic events have split the two sides of Elpidia’s family into fighting factions. Every day she finds herself outnumbered by her cousins on the schoolyard. After the latest beatdown, her grandmother decides Elpidia must learn how to defend herself.
Stan and Elpidia seem like total opposites, but when they both wind up with the same reclusive trainer, they find an unexpected friendship as they work together to overcome their bullies. But when Stan gains the attention of a powerful gang leader, it threatens to pull him away from his new best friend. Will their dreams for the future be enough to get them out of this small town?”
So, yeah. If you’re going to preorder either of these books, and it’s my sincere hope you will, now is the time to do it! Go to B&N and use code PREORDER25 at checkout to save 25% on your orders! This lasts ‘til the end of tomorrow, Friday, April 28th, so get a move on! And definitely show your other favorite authors with preorders some love if you can afford it!
Preorder SAVAGE CROWNS and save!
Preorder NOWHERE SPECIAL and save!
What else has been going on? Work continues on the super secret video game I’ve been writing for the past two and a half years that I can’t say any more than that about because they will literally fire me. But you will get to hear more at some point, and what I will say is this video game is kind of a big deal.
The biggest news, however, is I made the decision at the beginning of the year to part ways with my agent. It was not an easy call. We’d been together since 2015, they sold my first trilogy, they sold my first kids books. But it was absolutely 100% the right thing to do. I’ll (hopefully, maybe) write more about in detail some other time, but for right now I just want to say that if you’re an author or any kind of creative with representation, if you're feeling like things aren’t kosher and/or you’re not getting what you need from that partnership, you’re probably right. Listen to yourself.
On the brighter side of the news, I have a new agent! I am now represented by Becky LeJeune of the Bond Literary Agency. I adore Becky with my whole heart. The few months we’ve been working together thus far are what convinced me more than anything that I made the right decision, not just in choosing her, but in leaving my former agent. Becky is excited about repping me, and her wheels are always spinning with ways we can get me and my work out there and maximize my career and its potential. Her enthusiasm and energy are boundless, and her business acumen is next level. We’ve got half-a-dozen big things in the hopper, and I know I’m going to have exciting stuff to announce soon because of her.
I was honestly in a very prolonged rut about my publishing career. I reached one of those infamous crossroads. All my current book contracts were ending, I was not happy with where I’m at, or my representation or prospects. I very seriously considered just packing it in, or at least taking a long sabbatical, and focusing solely on video games. But now I feel rejuvenated. I feel like I’m entering the next phase of my career as an author. And I’m glad I made proactive choices and took action instead of giving up.
Anyway. Please go preorder my books! Please! And maybe spread the word about the preorder sale today and tomorrow.
This is Matt Wallace, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.