We’re Going on an Adventure
Book 2 cover and blurb reveal and more!
Hey all you cool cats and Colbys, I’ve got an exciting newsletter today!
We’re going on an adventure! Both literally and… in a book!
As a debut author, I think there’s such an adjustment going from debut book to book 2. As a fast writer, it wasn’t so much a crunch of time, but rather growing as a writer and adjusting as I learned more about myself and publishing. I discovered patterns in my writing, voice, and storytelling, some good, some… not so good. Did you know I apparently like to use journals as plot devices? Neither did I!
But when I sold If I Stopped Haunting You and the other two books in my deal, my publisher asked me to swap the order between books 2 and 3, so I had to get a bit crafty in both If I Stopped Haunting You and Book 2. But for good reason!
All three books are interconnecting standalones. I never thought I’d be able to write a little cast of characters like this, and I’m so excited to expand on characters that you might recognize from If I Stopped Haunting You. Which brings me to some very exciting news!
I am delighted to reveal my second book, If I Dig You!!
If I Dig You is a sapphic adventure rom com following two archaeologist best friends who’ve had a bit of a falling out. When Isi discovers a journal and map leading to lost Cherokee treasure, and she and Louise are kidnapped by a wealthy private collector who’s in search of it, they’re forced to work together, navigating not only the map and symbols, but their complex history.
I have been blessed once again with Kerri Resnick designing and Jenifer Prince illustrating
LOOK AT IT!!!! I am fully obsessed. When I threw out glow worm cave as a setting for the cover, I never imagined it would be so beautiful (I should have known better with Jenifer Prince illustrating and Kerri Resnick designing). It feels equally soft and vibrant, which is the perfect reflection of this book and Louise and Isi’s love story.
I grew up on adventure stories (romance and non-romance), completely engrossed by the mixture of thrill, danger, romance, and heroism they brough to the screen. I hope this book brings you back to movies like The Mummy, Indian Jones, Romancing the Stone, National Treasure, and The Lost City.
With a moment like this:
And a character like this:
And lots of moments like this from Romancing the Stone:
But I also wanted to write a book that addresses the white heroism, the damage done by treasure hunters, and the room we should make for Indigenous and Native archaeologists, and the work we can do to address colonialsm and bring light to Indigenous history through the eyes of people from those backgrounds.
And returning it.
You’ll also recognize a few characters from If I Stopped Haunting You. While these are all standalones, they are interconnecting. You can absolutely read them out of order, but I recommend reading them in order for the whole experience!
Here’s where I drop a ton of links!
You can add it to Goodreads here
Signed and Personalized copies of both If I Stopped Haunting You and If I Dig You can be preordered from Third Place Books here (Exclusive preorder goodies!)
If you are an international reader and want to order from Blackwells, you can preorder here
All other preorder links can be found here
In other news, I received some amazing book news this week. I probably won’t be able to share for a while, but it is VERY GOOD NEWS.
I’m headed off on vacation today, which is coming at a much needed time after months and months of back-to-back deadlines. You might not be seeing a lot of me for the next two weeks on socials, but I can’t wait to share more books news and fun stuff with you, soon!
Stay cool, all you cats and Colbys!
Colby Wilkens