Category: Uncategorized

HOT WAX cover art

~ M. L. Rio

I won’t waste your time. It’s here. It’s hot. It’s big. It’s loud. I’m in love with it.

There are so many things I could say about this cover. A lot of care went into the design, and it looks absolutely delicious.

My editor, T., wanted this to feel like “ a big book.” We needed something high-contrast and eye-catching that would demand a reader’s attention as soon as they walked into the bookstore. Because the title is still one of everybody’s favorite things about this book, and because the words are so short and so perfectly matched in size, I suggested we go big with the title itself.

If you want to hear more about this process and what went into the design, I go in depth over on Substack, which is still the best place to keep up with all the goings-on going on behind the scenes. If you’re rather just pre-order the book, you can do that here (and I might just add that all pre-orders are 25% of at Barnes & Noble with the code PREORDER25). It’s hitting shelves on September 9. Hope you love it as much as we do.

Upcoming Events

~ M. L. Rio

Checking in with a quick update from the first stop of my eight-week conference/wedding/speaking/research tour. I’m in Chicago at the moment for the Renaissance Society of America Conference, and really looking forward to continuing the scholastic conversation at Arizona State University next month. I’ll be making a few classroom appearances as well as doing a larger event open to the public on April 17, so if you’re in the Phoenix/Tempe area I hope you’ll come out and join us. This will be a rare opportunity to hear me talk about my creative writing and my academic research in tandem. I promise, not as boring as it sounds! You can find more info here.

I’ll also be making an appearance this Wednesday at the Charleston Craft & Canvas book club. If you can’t get enough of the Villains, this is a great opportunity to discuss the book with other fans of crime and mystery, and to do some collective crafting inspired by the story. Just to sweeten the deal, the organizer also happens to be the person who directed me in my first Shakespeare play when I was fourteen. It promises to be a great hang, so if you’re in or around Charleston, SC, I hope you’ll sign up. You can do that–and find more info–here.

Can’t wait to meet you.

M

GRAVEYARD SHIFT cover reveal

~ M. L. Rio

Short post today as I’m on All the Deadlines, but we’re excited to finally show you the cover art for Graveyard Shift, along with an official release date. Mark your calendars for September 24, 2024.

Don’t forget you can already pre-order the book if you’re in the U.S., and pre-orders are a huge help to bookstores, publishers, and authors because they take some of the guesswork out of the printing process. If you’re outside the United States, don’t worry–we’re working on getting foreign rights all lined up, and I’ll share more information on that front as soon as I have it. If you want to stay abreast of what’s going on behind the scenes with Graveyard Shift and Hot Wax, the best place to do that is over on Substack. Our first “Road to Publication” post will be live on Tuesday.

Hope you love this as much as we do.

M

New York, New Events, and New Releases

~ M. L. Rio

A few quick updates as we approach the end of September. Firstly, the In These Hallowed Halls anthology is finally out in the world. You can buy it from many bookstores, or find your preferred online retailer here. To help celebrate the release, I signed stock of both Villains and the anthology at eight different bookstores in New York City this past week. You can find a list of them on this thread on the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Finally, I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be helping kick off Spooky Season at one of my favorite indie bookstores. I hope you’ll join us at the Book & Cover (Chattanooga, TN) on October 2 at 7pm. Please note this is a ticketed event and tickets are going fast, so grab yours before they’re gone.

Hope to see you soon.

M

Sundry Updates

~ M. L. Rio

A few quick updates from the Rioverse:

  • B&N Exclusive: This baby is almost sold out. You can’t order them online, but check your local store if you want to snag one for your shelves.
  • In These Hallowed Halls: This anthology hits shelves next month. My contribution is called “Weekend at Bertie’s” and it’s probably ever weirder than you’re thinking. I hope you enjoy it. You can pre-order the book here.
  • Shepherdstown Book Festival: I’m a featured author at the inaugural Shepherdstown Book Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, from 15-17 September. Hope to see you there for some talk and probably some signing. More info here.
  • Turning Points Writing Retreat: Very excited to be returning to New Mexico this fall to talk about the professionalization part of writing. Stay tuned for more about that.
  • Substack: This has taken a turn because–as you may already know if you follow me on socials–last week I broke my ankle and shattered my heel and I won’t be able to walk for another 6-8 weeks. Because that obviously puts a damper on my travel plans, I’m pivoting to more craft posts with the newsletter, so if you’re interested in my thoughts about the nuts and bolts of writing, make sure you subscribe (it’s free). Next post on Sunday, probably.

That’s all for now. More soon, hopefully.

M

Reddit AMA

~ M. L. Rio

Missed my last AMA? Never fear, because we’ve got a new one on the books for Friday, May 5 at 12 pm ET on the r/books thread. (You can find me under the username M-L-Rio.) Mark your calendars and bring your questions!

M

5th Anniversary Edition Release

~ M. L. Rio

Well, it’s here.

A lot of people have been working together to make this special edition a reality, since way back in December of 2021. Our marvelous illustrator, Angie Hoffmeister, really captured the atmosphere of the story, and the good people at Titan Books gave it a dust jacket worthy to contain the artwork inside. As for me, I’ve spent hours at my desk, or my coffee table, and even hotel bars or elsewhere on the road, signing 25,000 tip-ins. It’s humbling to think that that many people might want to have a piece of paper I scribbled and creased and spilled coffee on; it’s surreal to see all our efforts come together in a physical object you can have and hold.

Of course, since I’m still in the States, many readers will get their hands on it before I do. But that’s okay–this book really belongs to you. Without the readers who rallied behind it, there would have been no reason to do this thing in the first place. So thanks, from me and everybody on the UK Villains team.

Time for the inevitable plug: if you haven’t ordered yours yet, you can do that here. Because they’re signed and my arms can only withstand so much, quantities are limited.

Happy reading.

M

Ebook Sale

~ M. L. Rio

Good news for anybody loading up their ereader for summer travel: If We Were Villains is on sale for $2.99 across platforms today through July 3. Grab it from your favorite digital retailer!

M