Lydia wrote a sinister passage from the darkened depths of her journal recently and I just have to share a snippet with you here. The full entry is in my paid subs area, so if you’d like to read on, you can find it there.

This is a witchy book, and so Lydia find’s lots of weird and wonderful things, but this little something is what has helped bring this idea to life (actually it was one of you guys who mentioned it!) But I digress, here is the snippet…

I want Marge silenced.

Not in the way that makes her temporarily lose her voice.

No.

I want her poisonous words contained, confined only by the fabric that covers her mouth so only her muffled screams can be heard through the seams.

I want her flesh to unravel. Fine threads of tendons, veins and tissue, all morphing and weaving into the very stitching of the doll I hold in my hands, until no one can determine human from toy.

I want her soul trapped within her claustrophobic fabric cage, unable to view the world from those weary button eyes, but still able to feel and experience everything I choose to inflict upon her from the outside.

Progress has been slow (silly summer holidays!), which is why I haven’t been sharing much recently, so hopefully once I can get the kids back into school, I’ll be able to sink my teeth into this story further as I have set myself a very tight deadline to get it done…and of course—share more with you all!

I hope you like the little snippet—and don’t forget, it’s for your eyes only!

TGIF!

Love,

Gemma

xxx

I wrote something wicked that I can’t keep to myself.

Here is Lydia’s latest entry in her diary—straight from the pages of Death Wish.

Read more

What a terrible writing week it’s been!

Summer holidays are well and truly kicking my butt. However, I know that there are only a couple weeks left until I get my days back lol and believe me…I need them. My deadline for this next book is sweat-inducing and I really need to get a grip to get it ready for you all!

I would love to be able to announce that ARC’s applications will be open within the month…so let’s hope I can make it happen because I can’t wait for you to meet her.

Talking of Lydia…I wanted to share with you a very small snippet of something she wrote in her journal this week. Those in my paid area have seen the whole passage, but I thought a cheeky line could be given until I’m able to share more…

I want Jonas to feel exactly what I feel when fists meet flesh.

For his skin to tear as easily as my soul does when my dignity is ripped away, piece by small piece.

In other news, Jodi is currently working on the character art for her, and I can’t wait to show you what she looks like!

Anyway, I’ll keep this short and sweet as I don’t want to keep you all on this Friday night. I’ll be back soon to share some more of Lydia’s world, and what’s happening with Daughter of the Night as I get prepared for the Once Upon A Tyne event in September!

Much love,

Gemma

xxx

What a week it’s been. Terrible on the writing front, but great on the summer holiday side of things.

I’ve really wanted to hit 40k as my deadlines are now becoming sweat-inducing, but as usual when you’re surrounded by screaming kids, life gets in the way!

So instead of sharing a huge passage like last week, I thought I’d share a little something…

Read more

I’ve been a very busy bee this week, adding almost 7k of words to Death Wish! (thankfully my kids have been in two clubs, allowing me the time—and the energy—to do so!)

But I can’t believe I’m almost at 40k so far, and I know that I’m not even half way yet…she’s going to be a thiccc book!

I thought I’d share a small snippet of a hauntingly ordinary scene that I just flew through. So if you want to see more, continue scrolling!

Knives and forks scrape across plates.

Not the ones made of china—no, those ones haven’t been seen since Gram’s funeral. The ordinary ones whose rims are chipped from years of use, the ones which mother saves for days like today. Days where she uses them to remind us of exactly how she views this family.

Well, not this family. But me.

She doesn’t think anyone else notices the specific days she chooses to use it, but I do. And it’s always the ones where I’ve fucked up.

“So, darling, how was school?” Her syrupy words don’t match the crease lining her nose, or the way her fingers curl around her cutlery, cutting into her meat with more force than necessary.

“It was fine.”

“Good. I’m glad you were able to have a fine day while I was at the hospital with your brother.”

A single sentence that lands like a scorpion sting, tail whipped and ready to break the skin. That’s the first strike.

Little does she know, our flesh is too thick to be penetrated that easily. We must strike back, the only way she understands.

👀 what do we think??

I’ve shared a few pages with those in the paid subscriber area, so if you just can’t wait and you have to read more, then you know where you need to go!

Enjoy the weekend,

Gemma xxx

I wrote this scene yesterday and I just love the hauntingly ordinary so much that I just have to share it with you.

So here’s the few pages…

Read more

It’s live. Paid membership for Vale of Shadows is officially open — and if you’re reading this as a member, thank you. Genuinely. You didn’t have to do this, and the fact that you did means more than a subject line can hold.

I wanted your first paid post to actually feel like something, not just an admin email about tiers and pricing. So here it is:

The opening chapter of Death Wish — my next book, and something no one else has seen yet.

Read more

Firstly, I want to say thank you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so understanding about my need to pull back on social media. I can’t tell you how different I feel knowing I’m not constantly attached to my phone, or clock-watching so I can get the next post out. I don’t think I realised just how much all of it was weighing on me until I stepped back.

Secondly, before I get into the announcement I wanted to share with you, here is a small snippet of what I have worked on this week from Death Wish (TW: for those that don’t like blood.)

👀

I loved writing this scene….so I hope you enjoy this little snippet!

Thirdly, I want to give you a heads-up before Monday, because I’d rather you hear this from me directly than just see it appear.

When I started this newsletter, it was 130 people curious about a book I hadn’t even finished writing. It’s now over 1,600 of you — and that still doesn’t feel real to me.

On Monday, I’m opening up a paid membership tier for Vale of Shadows, and I want to be completely honest with you about why.

Writing full-time means the income has to come from somewhere, and right now that “somewhere” needs to help fund the next books — covers, character art, print costs, and the time it takes to keep creating these stories for you.

To give you a real sense of what that looks like: Daughter of the Night has done around £3,000 in paperback and hardback (only) sales so far, which sounds lovely — but once printing, distribution, and platform costs come off the top, I’m actually left with about £900 of that. And let’s not get started on the other formats (like the audiobook, ebook and specials…for which I haven’t seen any of that commission either!) And this is all before the cover and character art for Death Wish, or the Once Upon a Tyne event costs, have already gone out 🫠

Writing books is expensive before it’s ever profitable, and I wanted you to see that honestly rather than just assume things are further along than they are.

A few things I want you to know now:

• This newsletter — exactly as it is, on the same schedule — stays free. So if paid isn’t for you, that’s completely fine! It isn’t going anywhere 🥹

• The membership tier will start at £4.99/month — the lowest I’m able to offer it at (I wish I could offer it at 99p but Substack has a lower limit of £4.99 as they take a cut from this)

• Members will get early access to pages from my current work-in-progress, their opinions directly shaping the book (I’ll show you exactly what I mean on Monday with a d*ath scene I wrote recently 👀), and a say in small decisions before anyone else sees them.

• There are also a few launch incentives I’m not ready to share yet — but I think you’ll like them.

More details will come on Friday (including a sneak preview of the very special incentive coming on Monday). If paid membership isn’t for you, that’s completely okay — you being here at all means everything to me.

As always, thank you.

Gemma 🖤

I wanted to talk to you directly about something before you really start to notice (you may already have)

Since last September, I’ve been posting three times a day across TikTok and Instagram — a mix of videos, graphic’s, and glimpses of the books as I write them. It’s been a wild year, and getting to over 20,000 of you on TikTok and 23,000 on Instagram has genuinely floored me. Thank you for that.

But I’m going to be honest with you: I can’t keep that pace up, and I don’t think I should.

Between writing the next books in The Shattered Divine, being a mum through the summer holidays, and running every part of this business myself, three posts a day has started to cost me the thing that actually matters most — finishing the stories you’re waiting for. Something has to give, and I’d rather it be post frequency than the books themselves.

So here’s what’s changing:

• I’m moving to fewer, more intentional posts a day, timed around when I know you’re actually online

• I’m stepping back from sharing manuscript snippets and in-progress pages on socials — with how easily AI tools can lift and reuse text now, it’s not a risk I’m willing to keep taking with my own writing. I will be sharing them here still!

• I’m shifting the focus from growing the audience to actually spending time with the readers I already have — that’s you!

None of this means less of me. If anything, I’m hoping it means better — more thought-out updates, more of the actual writing life rather than a rushed clip that I’m unable to keep up with responses, and more time protected for the books themselves.

I’d love to know what you’d actually want more of from me — writing process, craft chat, day-in-the-life, more direct Q&As — so keep an eye out on TikTok and Instagram this week, I’m asking there too.

Thank you for sticking with me through the chaos of launch and beyond. It means more than you know.

In the mean time, here is a small snippet from what I’ve been writing whilst on holiday;

Death Wish - a dark psychological horror

I can’t wait to share more.

Gemma x

It is July 10th.

Daughter of the Night is officially in the world.

And before anything else today — I want to announce the people who are going home with something very special.

The video showing the winners will be released later on today — so do be sure to check out socials!

The PR Box Substack Winner

One last first edition proof copy. One full PR box. One winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered — every single comment meant something to me.

The winner of the Vale of Shadows newsletter giveaway is:

Sam Carr 🖤

Please check your inbox for a message from me with next steps.

The 20 Signed Special Edition Winners From The ARC Team

To everyone who read Daughter of the Night before the rest of the world did — thank you. From everything I have.

The 20 winners of a signed special edition copy are:

Charlotte Picking

Kay Abadam

Tracy Huntley

Kathleen Herren

Jade Wootton

Katja Jonker

Madara

Victoria (Vicki) Betts

Ines Fonseca

Ame Parton

Katie logan

Helena Tumasian

Jinisha

Mariah Heidel

Yasmin

Krista Ross

Tracey

Michelle Hantman

Katie

Rebecca

You will each receive an email from me today with details of how to claim your copy.

To everyone who entered and did not win — please know that your support, your reviews, your comments and your presence in this community means more than any giveaway could express.

You were here.

That matters. It always will.

Now — go read your copy of Daughter of the Night.

The dark has been waiting for you. 🖤

Gemma x

I have been waiting to write this email for a very long time.

Tomorrow is July 10th.

Tomorrow — Daughter of the Night is yours.

But before we get there — I want to show you something.

The collector’s special edition (which hasn’t even been announced yet!) is now available for you first.

If you have been waiting for this — it is here. 🖤

I want one!

And tomorrow — launch day — I will be announcing:

✨ The 20 winners of signed special edition copies from our ARC team

✨ The winner of the PR box from the Vale of Shadows newsletter giveaway

Keep your eyes on your inbox tomorrow morning.

The dark remembers every single one of you who has been here.

Tomorrow we do this together.

The dark is ready.

Are you? 🖤

Gemma x

We are nine days away from July 10th and I want to celebrate with you.

So I am giving something away.

My very last first edition print copy of Daughter of the Night — the final one that exists — plus a full PR box packed with everything inside.

Yes. Really!

Here is how to enter:

Leave a comment below with either:

✨ Your favourite quote or line you have seen from Daughter of the Night so far

✨ Or what you are most looking forward to reading when the book lands in your hands on July 10th

One comment. That is it. You are entered.

The winner will be announced on launch day — July 10th. 🖤

What better way to kick off launch month than with a giveaway!

Go. Comment. Let’s see what you’ve got.

Gemma x

I have news.

Daughter of the Night is available to listen to. Right now. Today.

I know. I wasn’t expecting it either.

The audiobook went live on Audible earlier than planned, with ACX making it available to purchase now because I’m not signing over exclusive rights to them (which would lock me into a contract with them for 7 years and prevent me from making it available on any other platform) rather than on release day. But honestly? I think the universe decided you’d waited long enough!

I narrated it myself. Every word, every character, every whispered secret — that’s my voice in your ears. Recording it was one of the most intimate things I’ve ever done as an author, and I genuinely cannot wait to hear what you think.

If you’ve been on the fence about whether to read or listen, let me make it easy for you — go listen to the sample and see if it pulls you in. I think it will.

Listen on Audible

The official launch is still July 10th — that’s when the ebook and print editions arrive and when we celebrate properly. But if you’re an audiobook person and you simply cannot wait?

You don’t have to.

Go. Listen. Tell me everything.

Gemma x

p.s. if you listen on any other streaming platform, it will be made available on the 10th July.

Seventeen days.

I can barely breathe when I think about it.

Daughter of the Night is almost in your hands, and everything I’ve been working toward for so long is nearly here. I couldn’t be more grateful that you’re part of this — you showed up before the world knew this book existed, and that means everything to me.

But here’s the thing about being a writer.

The stories don’t wait.

While I’ve been counting down to July 10th, something else — or should I say, someone — has been clawing at the edges of my mind, refusing to be ignored. A new story. A different kind of dark.

I wasn’t going to say anything yet — but you’re my Shadows, and you get to know first. Always.

So here it is.

DEATH WISH is an adult gothic horror novel about a teenage girl who inherits everything from a grandmother she barely knew — including a house steeped in forbidden belief. When her bullies begin dying in ways she’s only ever imagined, she must confront the terrifying truth: some thoughts don’t stay private, and some inheritances are chosen for a reason.

Female rage. Moral horror. Writing as violence.

And this is Lydia — the girl who has been plaguing my dreams and all my waking moments. She'd like to introduce herself.

June 14th,
Dear Diary,

I wonder how many layers of spun sugar I’d have to peel away before I would find the bitter centre of Sable’s heart?

Just the one? Or maybe more?

More, for sure.

Today was yet another rehearsal of my lifelong agony. Another notch on the scoreboard for ‘Making Lydia’s life miserable.’

Lydia 0. Sable 749.

One of these days I’ll finally find the courage to fight back, I promise. But for now, I’ll continue to bleed in silence, recording every strike until the ink runs dry.

There’s a change coming, I can almost sense it in the air.

Air.

If only there was a way to restrict Sable’s so her lilting giggles no longer carried, drowning that syrupy sound until she finally understood what it felt like to gasp for a lungful of anything but her own cruelty.

There are so many ways I could do it too.

A plastic bag over the head? Maybe. The thought of her bulging eyes staring at nothing but the image of my face smiling down at her, does fill my heart with a strange warmth.

But no, it’s not cruel enough for what she deserves. Besides, I’d want to savour it, just like the confectionery she is.

Choking on a sweet could work? That would be ironic. I’d watch her struggle with that cloying, saccharine taste in her throat, a sugar-coated death for a sugar-coated girl.

Yes. I like that thought a lot. Oh how nice it is to dream.

Sorry D, Father’s calling. Got to go.

Love,
Lyd x

She’s something, isn’t she?

I have one question for you, and I genuinely want to know your answer — it’s going to shape this book in ways I can’t say just yet.

If you’ve ever had a disturbing thought about someone who has wronged you…what’s the one that you’d never say out loud?

Hit reply and tell me. Every answer stays between us.

This is just for you — Death Wish won’t be announced to the world until after DOTN launches. You’re seeing something that isn’t ready for anyone else yet. I’d love it if you kept it between us, Shadows 🖤

Seventeen days.

See you soon.

Gemma x

I have wanted to write this email for weeks!

The hardback pre-order for Daughter of the Night is now live.

I know you have been waiting. I know some of you have been checking. I know the patience you have shown has been extraordinary — and I want to say thank you for that before anything else. Genuinely. From everything I have.

It has not been a straightforward road to get here.

Jodi and I have been working through a cover file issue with IngramSpark that has taken far longer to resolve than either of us anticipated. Back and forth. Adjustments. Rejections. More adjustments. It has been one of the most frustrating parts of this entire launch process — and I am so grateful to Jodi for her patience and persistence in getting it right.

But it is right now. And she is here.

The standard hardback of Daughter of the Night is available to pre-order today.

Hardback Preorder - UK

July 10th is coming. And now — finally — every format is ready for you. Special editions to follow!

Thank you for waiting. Thank you for being here. Thank you for caring about this book the way you so clearly do.

🖤

Gemma x

p.s. A note for international readers — the hardback is currently live on UK sites and is making its way to international retailers over the next few days. If you cannot find it on your local bookstore or Amazon yet — please check back shortly. Thank you again for your patience xx

A little while ago I asked you to choose.

Between two designs. Two visions of this world. Two pieces of Daughter of the Night that I wanted to put into your hands.

It was a unanimous decision with Design A being the clear favourite!

The golden city. Auria’s skyline bleeding into shadow. The world that started everything.

And honestly — I think you chose perfectly. 🖤

So here she is.

The official Daughter of the Night signed bookplate — available now.

A peel and stick adhesive bookplate designed to sit on the inside front cover of your copy — making it yours. Personally signed by me.

Every single one.

Pricing:

— UK — £3.50 including postage

— International — £4.50 including postage

They can come with a personalised message - just add a very small message upon checkout, as well as premium DOTN stickers, and bookmark!

These are limited.

I am not printing an endless run of these — when they are gone they are gone. If you want one I would not wait.

Order link below. 🖤

Check out the Bookplates

Thank you for choosing. Thank you for always being here.

Gemma x

You know me well enough by now to know that I do not do things by halves.

So here is what I have done.

With four weeks until July 10th I have set milestone goals for ebook pre-orders — and every time we hit one I am unlocking something from The Shattered Divine world that has never been seen by anyone.

Not publicly. Not privately. Not even by my ARC readers or my Night’s Shadows.

Nobody.

Until now.

Here is what unlocks as we hit each goal:

300 ebook pre-orders — an exclusive never before seen quote from Book 2

500 ebook pre-orders — an exclusive paragraph from Book 2

750 ebook pre-orders — the full first page of Book 2

1,000 ebook pre-orders — the title reveals for Books 2 AND 3 — plus the first page of Book 3

My pre-order reports aren’t accessible for paperback, hardback or audiobook…so I genuinely have no idea how many I have for them. However, the only metric I can track is ebooks.

And for those, we currently have 132.

So if you have been thinking about pre-ordering on ebook and haven’t yet — I am asking you today. Not because the number matters to me more than the story does. But because every ebook pre-order lands simultaneously on July 10th and tells the algorithm that this book deserves to find readers beyond this community.

Every pre-order is a vote for this book on the day it matters most.

And if you have already pre-ordered — you are already part of every milestone we hit. Every piece of content that unlocks is yours too. Thank you. From everything I have.

Pre-order link below. 🖤

Pre-order Here

Four weeks. Let’s see what we can unlock together.

Gemma x

You asked for them. So here they are.

I have been working on signed bookplates for Daughter of the Night — adhesive stickers you can place inside your copy to make it yours — and I have two designs I cannot choose between.

So I am letting you choose for me.

Design A

The golden city. Auria’s skyline fading into shadow. Dark and atmospheric with amber warmth bleeding through the dark. My signature in black script.

Design B

The figure. Seren in a sweeping dark purple dress holding a staff crowned with a violet orb — standing at the threshold of something. My signature in white on a dark band.

Both designs are horizontal sticker format — designed to sit beautifully on the inside front cover of your copy.

Reply to this email with A or B and I will go with whichever one you choose.

Once the design is confirmed bookplates will go on sale ahead of July 10th.

Pricing will be:

— UK — £3.50 including postage

— International — £4.50 including postage

One more thing before I go. 🖤

Pre-orders are now live insert happy dance! for the ebook, paperback and audiobook — links are below.

The hardback is following very shortly — just a few more days. I know some of you have been waiting specifically for that one and I am so grateful for your patience. It is coming. I promise.

Purchase Preorders Here

Here’s Why Pre-Orders Matter 🖤

Every pre-order placed before July 10th counts as a sale on launch day — not the day it was placed.

That means if 500 people pre-order between now and July 9th — Amazon sees 500 sales land simultaneously on July 10th.

That spike tells the algorithm this book is worth recommending — and it starts surfacing Daughter of the Night to readers who have never heard of it.

Pre-orders also:

— Push the book up Amazon’s bestseller charts on launch day

— Spread it through Goodreads automatically as readers add it to their shelves

— Show the wider book community that this book has momentum before it even launches

Every single pre-order is a vote that lands on July 10th.

The bigger the pile — the bigger the wave.

And I couldn’t reach those trophies without you guys.

Thank you. For everything. For always being here. 🖤

Gemma x

I need to be completely honest with you about something — because you deserve that, and because I made a mistake.

When applications closed for The Night’s Shadows I had just over 50 responses. I selected from those, sent out my emails and believed the process was complete.

Then I found my spam folder.

There were an additional 20 applications sitting there that I had never seen. People who had taken the time to write to me — genuinely and thoughtfully — and whose words had been swallowed up before I ever read them.

I am so sorry. That is entirely my error and it sat very heavily with me.

I have since opened The Night’s Shadows to accommodate an additional 10 of those applicants to acknowledge that mistake — and those people have now been contacted. To the remaining applications I missed — I have written to each of you personally to apologise. It was never a reflection of your application. It was a technical failure on my end and I own that completely.

Now I need to share something else — and I want to do it with the same honesty.

When I created my PR teams and The Night’s Shadows I envisioned a small, intimate group. What has happened — because of your incredible response and my own determination to include as many of you as possible — is that the group has grown to over 80 people.

Which I am genuinely moved by.

And which has created a problem I have to be transparent about.

Each PR box costs approximately £30 to produce and ship. Across 80 members that is £2,400 — which as a debut indie author funding every single penny of this launch myself is simply not something I am able to cover.

I have sat with this for a while. I have tried to find a way around it. And I cannot.

So I want to tell you directly what is changing and what is not.

What is NOT changing:

— Your name will be permanently written in the acknowledgements of Daughter of the Night. In every copy. Forever.

— You will have direct priority access to future ARCs for the entire Shattered Divine Series.

— You are The Night’s Shadows. That does not change.

What IS changing:

— Instead of a full PR box, every member of The Night’s Shadows will receive a signed standard edition paperback of Daughter of the Night — personally signed for you — sent directly to your address.

I know this is not what some of you were expecting. I am genuinely sorry for that.

But I hope you can understand that I would rather be honest with you now than overpromise and underdeliver. That has never been how I want to run this community.

The signed copy is personal. It is yours. And your name in the back of this book is permanent in a way that a PR box never could be.

I completely understand if some of you wish to exit the team. If this is the case, please reach out to me personally.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for applying.

The dark remembers every single one of you. 🖤

Gemma x

I have been waiting to write this email for a very long time.

From the moment I typed the last line of Daughter of the Night — from the moment I locked the manuscript and started building everything around it — there has been one moment I have been moving toward more than any other.

This one.

The cover is here.

And before a single post goes live on social media. Before BookTok sees it. Before Instagram sees it. Before the rest of the world knows it exists.

You are seeing it first.

That was always the promise. And I meant it.

I want to tell you about the process of getting here — because it wasn’t instant and it wasn’t simple and I think you deserve to know what went into this.

I worked with the extraordinarily talented Jodi — @jodicreatesartwork — and from our very first conversation I knew she understood this world in a way that felt almost uncanny. The darkness of it. The mythology. The way Seren exists between two things simultaneously — the girl she has always been and the goddess she is becoming.

We worked on the concept together for a while. Refining. Adjusting. Getting closer and closer to something that felt true to everything this book is.

And then she sent it.

I sat with it for a long moment before I could say anything.

Because it was right. Not almost right. Not close. Right.

This is Daughter of the Night.

I hope you feel what I felt when I first saw it.

I hope it feels like yours — because in so many ways it is. You have been here since before this cover existed. You applied for ARCs before there was a face to put to the title. You pre-ordered the ebook before you knew what you were buying.

You trusted me with something before I could show you what it was.

This is what it was. 🖤

The cover reveal goes public on social media in a few hours.

Until then — this is yours.

Please don’t share it anywhere before then. Not because I don’t trust you — I do, completely — but because this moment deserves to land properly when the rest of the world sees it. And knowing that you saw it first is something I want you to carry with you when that happens.

You were here before anyone else.

You always will have been.

One more thing before I go.

I know some of you have been patiently waiting for the paperback and hardback pre-orders to go live. I want you to know — they are coming very soon. I am so grateful for your patience. You have waited beautifully and I promise it will be worth it.

In the meantime — if you haven’t yet pre-ordered the ebook, the link is below. And if you have — thank you. From the absolute bottom of everything.

Pre-Order Ebook

Thank you. For all of it. For being here.

Gemma x