Copy
View this email in your browser
The logo for author Claire Legrand, featuring her name and a subtitle that reads "New York Times bestselling author of darkly magical books." The logo is illustrated with stars, flowers, bells, vines, and a crescent moon in shades of gold, ivory, green, red, orange, and blue.
Y'all.

Y'ALL.

I am over-the-moon excited to share this news with you:

New books are coming.

New books are coming.

Specifically, an adult fantasy romance series called The Middlemist Trilogy, which my agent pitched as Bridgerton meets A Court of Thorns and Roses.

That's right.

Adult. Fantasy. Romance.

*cue me hugging a pillow to my chest and curling up on my couch in a vibrating ball of excitement*
Publishers Marketplace announcement of Claire's Middlemist Trilogy book deal: "Fiction: Sci-Fi/Fantasy - NYT bestselling author Claire Legrand's debut THE MIDDLEMIST TRILOGY, pitched as Bridgerton meets A Court of Thorns and Roses, in which three sisters of a nobel magic family must fight hidden dark forces trying to destroy the Mist--an ancient barrier that protects their world from the dangerous realm of the old gods--and uncover long-buried secrets that will change their lives forever, to Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Casablanca, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, for publication in spring 2023, by Victoria Marini at Irene Goodman Agency (world).
Publishers Weekly announcement of Claire Legrand's Middlemist Trilogy book deal, featuring photos of the author as well as photos of Rita Chang-Eppig and Yaba Blay, whose book deals were also announced. The text says: Sourcebooks Nabs Legrand's Trilogy - In a three-book, world rights agreement, Annie Berger at Sourcebooks Casablanca bought world rights to Claire Legrand's The Middlemist trilogy. The series, which marks the author's adult debut, was pitched, the publisher said, as Bridgerton meets A Court of Thorns and Roses, and follows three sisters of a noble magic family who must fight hidden dark forces trying to destroy the Mist--an ancient barrier that protects their world from the dangerous realm of the old gods. Legrand (the Empirium Trilogy) was represented by Victoria Marini at the Irene Goodman Agency.

Gemma, Farrin, and Mara
These books (my first adult books! huzzah!) tell the story of the three daughters of the Ashbourne family—Gemma (the youngest), Farrin (the eldest), and Mara (the middle daughter).

Each book focuses on a different sister and her love interest (the first book focuses on Gemma). Each book has its own complete(ish) story that's part of the overall series arc.

If I had to describe each sister with only one word, I would choose the following:

Gemma - irrepressible
Farrin - thorny
Mara - yearning
A photograph of three sisters of varying ages, all white with hair that ranges from dark brunette to medium blond, all wearing white gowns with floral patterns, running through a hedge maze abutting an opulent mansion.

my favorite things
I'm having outrageous amounts of fun writing these books. They incorporate so many of the things I love reading about when indulging in a book or television show—gorgeous dresses, lavish estates, a lush natural setting, ballroom intrigues, dark magic, horrifying monsters, discussions of mental wellness and healing in a fantasy setting (yay!), and, of course, romance—passionate, complicated, steamy romance.

Another fun tidbit, which there wasn't room to discuss in the official announcement—each of these books is inspired by a classic romantic ballet.

Book 1 is inspired by Giselle, Book 2 by The Firebird, and Book 3 by Swan Lake.
An illustration of a young, glowing blond woman, with a knife in her hand, facing an army of amorphous, tentacled, and toothsome shadow-monsters.

my inspiration
The idea for the Middlemist Trilogy grew out of several things—my love of ballet, romance, and stories about sisters; how important it is to me to explore themes about mental wellness in my writing; a street sign I saw on a road trip; and the image below.
A painting of a blindfolded white girl with long brown hair, wearing a gold dress and gold hair-ribbons, stepping into a huge green wall of ivy and leaves.
I first saw this image years ago, and it immediately struck me. It's evocative, dreamy, and a little sinister. I knew a story lived inside it, though at the time I didn't know what that story was. Over the years, I found that story, and now I can't wait to share it with you.

more coming soon . . . 
I'm so excited to be once again working with my Empirium Trilogy editor Annie Berger on this series, as well as with the rest of the incredible Sourcebooks team—though this series will be published not under their YA Fire imprint, but under their adult romance imprint, Casablanca. 

*takes off Professional Hat for a second*

Y'ALL, THIS IS GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN! AHHHHH!!!!!!

Ahem.

*replaces Professional Hat*

Soon I hope I'll be able to tell you more about Gemma, Farrin, and Mara, as well as the official title and synopsis of book 1, but until then, please scroll down and enjoy some of the photos from my inspiration board on Pinterest (which I will make public at a later date) and one of the tracks from my Middlemist playlist on Spotify (again, I'll share my Middlemist playlist later, but you can always follow me on Spotify to check out my other book playlists!).

One last thing! If you want to share this news online, please do, and you will have my humblest gratitude. If you do share online, please consider tagging @SourcebooksCasa so they can boost your post.

(P.S. For those of you who entered my Extasia cover reveal giveaway last summer, I haven't forgotten you! The ten randomly chosen ARC winners should all have their ARCs by now, and as soon as the swag is ready to send out to all the giveaway entrants, I'll send out a quick newsletter blast letting you know to keep an eye on your mailboxes.)

As always, happy reading! And thanks for being here.
The text "Love, Claire" in a scripted font.
An illustrated work by Erion Makuo. In the image, a white woman with platinum blond hair, clothed in a yellow gown and purple cape, rides a white horse with yellow eyes and yellow horns. The horse wears several blankets of purple, gold, turquoise, and lace. The woman wears a sword at her hip and is hiding her face in the horse's neck.
The above image is a work by Erion Makuo titled "Escape."
An illustration in white, navy blue, and muted turquoise tones. The illustration is of a man and woman embracing. The woman has blood on her lip, and the man is holding a bloody dagger.
The above image is an illustration by artist Becky Cloonan.
An image of a young white woman with straight red hair kept in a bun. She is wearing a stark, high-collared, floor-length, black coat designed by Hogan McLaughlin. Underneath the coat she wears frothy white tulle skirts.
The gown featured in the above image was designed by Hogan McLaughlin.
A photograph of a large and opulent interior courtyard of presumably a gigantic mansion. The pillars and balconies are ornately carved white stone, and profusions of greenery are draped over the banisters.
An illustration in slate-blue and grey tones of a harpy-esque creature--part woman, part bird of prey--crouching with her wings raised, her taloned arms folded, and a furious expression on her face.
A pencil sketch in sepia tones, by artist AmberPalette on DeviantArt, of a white woman with blond hair kissing a white man with long wavy black hair.
The above image is a piece called "Logyn" by artist AmberPalette on DeviantArt.
Copyright © 2022 Claire Legrand, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp