Tag: iwwv

US Tour Dates and Graveyard News

~ M. L. Rio

It’s been a busy couple of weeks behind the scenes for the Rio team but we have some great news. Graveyard Shift is an IndieNext pick for October and one of Amazon’s Best Mysteries & Thrillers of the month!

It’s so exciting to see this little book getting so much love from the bookselling community. We can’t wait to share it with readers, which brings me to our next piece of good news: we finally have our US tour finalized. You can find all the dates and relevant links on the Events page, or below. Some events are already sold out, so if you want to come get a book signed, grab your ticket now. (Be sure to check the links for the full lists, as some of our West Coast stops aren’t included on the graphic.) These events won’t be your typical book readings–we’ll have great conversation partners, prize drawings, and goodies for everyone–so I hope you’ll come and join the fun.

You can also catch me at the Brooklyn Book Festival on September 29, or at the Southern Festival of Books on October 26-7. If you can’t make it to any of these dates or I’m not coming to your city, never fear: at least one of these events will be taped and watchable online. Details to come.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll consider preordering the book! Preorders go a long way to giving a book a healthy launch, and making sure enough copies are in circulation ahead of pub day to prevent supply chain problems. This one will go down fast, so don’t want to make you wait. And don’t forget, the fresh new paperback of If We Were Villains drops the same day. My hard copies arrived last week, and they are a sight to behold. Don’t sleep on those scarlet spredges.

Finally, if you’re interested in writing craft conversations and more regular behind-the-scenes updates, you can always keep track of me on socials and on Substack.

Wishing you some fall weather, finally. More soon.

New US Edition of IWWV

~ M. L. Rio

Excited to share the cover art for the new US paperback edition of If We Were Villains. It’ll be available on the same day as Graveyard Shift: September 24 of this year. It’s been a long time in the works, but we wanted to update the original black-and-white paperback, which will be discontinued once the new version hits the shelves–with those sexy red spredges and everything. If you want one of the originals and haven’t grabbed it yet, now would be a good time! And if you’re as enamored with the new version as we are, you can pre-order it wherever you buy your books.

Thanks for coming on this journey with us.

M

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

End-of-year updates

~ M. L. Rio

Hard to believe 2023 is almost over, but here we are. Before we go gentle into that silent night of the holiday break, a few updates from Team Rio to close out the year:

  • Events: I’ll be in conversation with Olivie Blake to discuss The Atlas Complex, hosted by A Novel Idea here in Philadelphia on January 11. It’s a ticketed event (we’ll both be signing books), so if you want to be sure to get a seat, snag one soon. Details here and on the Events page.
  • Interviews: I had a long, in-depth conversation with the On the Write Track podcast a few months back, and it’s one of the most thorough “behind-the-scenes of publishing” interviews I’ve done recently. If you’re an aspiring author, just curious about how the business works, or interested in IWWV’s long, strange journey, it’s worth an hour of your time. Listen here or find it on the Links page.
  • Newsletter: If you’ve been seeing fewer posts here, it’s because I’m migrating most of my longer-form writing to Substack. That’s where you’ll find my thoughts on craft and the industry, plus travel updates, content recs and roundups, and opportunities to post comments and ask questions. I recently started a series on one of my favorite (and every other writer’s least favorite) subjects: revision. If you’re curious, you can read the first post here. Subscription is free, for now, and it’s the best way to stay up-to-date. Now’s a good time to subscribe, because we have some big things coming in 2024. I can’t talk about it yet, but I’m really excited to do that when the time comes.

Finally, don’t forget that supply chain issues are still a thing. If you want to gift books to friends and family this year, here’s your nudge to order them now, and your reminder to be patient with booksellers. They’re under a lot of pressure. Give them the benefit of the doubt. And support small businesses and indie bookstores whenever you can.

More soon.

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

Upcoming Events

~ M. L. Rio

Mark your calendars for May. I’ll be making two appearances on the East Coast to launch the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition of If We Were Villains. You can catch me in Rockville, MD on May 5, or at Union Square in New York City on May 8. I’ll be in conversation with two fabulous authors, Elyse Martin and Elisabeth Thomas, and signing books after the chat. Please note that the Union Square event is ticketed, so be sure to snag a stub before they’re gone. You can find more event details here for Rockville, here for Union Square, and on my events page.

See you soon.

M

Fresh Ink

~ M. L. Rio

You might have seen it on socials yesterday, but in case you missed it: new writing from me for the first time in a long time coming 2023.

In These Hallowed Halls: A Dark Academia Anthology

I don’t normally do short stories, but I thought I’d make an exception as a thank you for all your support over the last few years. You can pre-order the anthology from any of the retailers listed here, or here if you’re in the UK.

More to come.

M