Loyalty is so excited to welcome authors Sami Ellis, Amanda M. Helander, and Emily Varga for Debut Post-Op: A Spoilery Author Chat! Join debut YA authors Sami Ellis (Dead Girls Walking, Amulet), Amanda M. Helander (Divine Mortals, Disney), and Emily Varga (For She Is Wrath, Wednesday Books) as they discuss crafting a novel, the process of going from draft to debut, and touch on the publishing process from start to finish. Viewers are encouraged to ask spoilery questions for the authors to give both readers and writers in the audience a full picture of the debut year experience. Please note that this event is now a virtual event starting at 8pm ET! This event will be held digitally via Crowdcast and is free to attend but registration is required. Click here to register for the event. You can also order any of the authors' books from our website to be added to the event's registration list, and there will also be an option to snag their books during the event. For any questions, please email events@loyaltybookstores.com

DEAD GIRLS WALKING: Sami Ellis’s Dead Girls Walking is a shocking, spine-chilling YA horror slasher about a girl searching for her dead mother’s body at the summer camp that was once her serial killer father’s home—perfect for fans of Friday the 13th and White Smoke.
 
Temple Baker knows that evil runs in her blood. Her father is the North Point Killer, an infamous serial killer known for how he marked each of his victims with a brand. He was convicted for murdering 20 people and was the talk of countless true crime blogs for years. Some say he was possessed by a demon. Some say that they never found all his victims. Some say that even though he’s now behind bars, people are still dying in the woods. Despite everything though, Temple never believed that her dad killed her mom. But when he confesses to that crime while on death row, she has no choice but to return to his old hunting grounds to try see if she can find a body and prove it.
 
Turns out, the farm that was once her father’s hunting grounds and her home has been turned into an overnight camp for queer, horror-obsessed girls. So Temple poses as a camp counselor to go digging in the woods. While she’s not used to hanging out with girls her own age and feels ambivalent at best about these true crime enthusiasts, she tries her best to fit in and keep her true identity hidden.
 
But when a girl turns up dead in the woods, she fears that one of her father’s “fans” might be mimicking his crimes. As Temple tries to uncover the truth and keep the campers safe, she comes to realize that there may be something stranger and more sinister at work—and that her father may not have been the only monster in these woods.

DIVINE MORTALS: Mona can name anyone's soulmate—but she'll do anything to avoid being matched with her own. Especially when she learns he's the king.

This debut romantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros delivers sizzling romance, cutthroat competition, a lush fantasy world, and an unforgettable heroine.

Blessed by the gods, Mona Arnett has the unique ability to divine soulmates, but she refuses to seek out her own—until she learns the king is dying without an heir, threatening the royal line and the world’s access to magic. Tasked with naming his future queen, Mona discovers the king’s soulmate is . . . her.

A royal match is the last thing Mona wants—especially when she starts falling for the king’s closest advisor—so she lies, cheats, and contends with scheming gods to hide the truth. But when this high-stakes game of thrones leads to murder, survival and the fate of the kingdom will depend on her finding the courage to face her destiny.

Delightful wit, spellbinding prose, and a flawed, funny protagonist you'll love from page one make this debut fantasy a must-read.

FOR SHE IS WRATH: A sweeping, Pakistani romantic fantasy reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo, where one girl seeks revenge against those who betrayed her—including the boy she used to love.

Three hundred and sixty-four days.
Framed for a crime she didn't commit, Dania counts down her days in prison until she can exact revenge on Mazin, the boy responsible for her downfall, the boy she once loved—and still can't forget. When she discovers a fellow prisoner may have the key to exacting that vengeance--a stolen djinn treasure--they execute a daring escape together and search for the hidden treasure.

Armed with dark magic and a new identity, Dania enacts a plan to bring down those who betrayed her and her family, even though Mazin stands in her way. But seeking revenge becomes a complicated game of cat and mouse, especially when an undeniable fire still burns between them, and the power to destroy her enemies has a price. As Dania falls deeper into her web of traps and lies, she risks losing her humanity to her fight for vengeance--and her heart to the only boy she's ever loved.

Sami Ellis is a queer horror writer who’s inspired by the horrific nature of Black fears and the culture’s relation to the supernatural. When she’s not acting as the single auntie with a good job, she spends her time not writing. You can follow her @authorsamiellis on Instagram, or check out her words in the Black horror anthology, All These Sunken Souls and her debut novel, Dead Girls Walking.

Amanda M. Helander is a romantic fantasy writer and paralegal from Seattle, Washington. Her debut novel, Divine Mortals, is available now.

Emily Varga is a Fantasy author with a fondness for getting lost in bookstores and watching a lot of terrible reality tv. She has lived all over the world, but currently calls the Rocky Mountains of western Canada home, where she lives with her family and their menagerie of pets. When she’s not writing, Emily is a cohost of the ON THE WRITE TRACK podcast and works as a family lawyer, where she learned more about storytelling than she ever expected. Emily’s debut novel For She Is Wrath is a Pakistani-inspired Count of Monte Cristo retelling.

Please note Loyalty has a zero tolerance policy for harassment or intimidation of any kind during this event.

Debut Post-Op: A Spoilery Author Chat w/ Sami Ellis Amanda M. Helander & Emily Varga