Hello, Inklings!

We hope you had an excellent October, and are looking forward to an even better November. As we gently rock closer to the end of 2026, I find myself in a reflective mood – perhaps a little prematurely, we still have all of Eating Turkey season and Fancy Tree season to go through – but I still find myself looking back on all that this year has brought.

It’s been a tough time for a lot of people, all around the world; I know that’s generally consistently true, but I also don’t anticipate a lot of pushback that 2026 may well be one for the books. Especially as I sit here, days before the US midterm elections … I may be feeling much less reflective and much more anxious in a very short time.

And yet, the sun continues to rise every single morning.

I was recently going through my jewelry box, looking for cute and thematically whimsy pieces to accessorize an outfit for the Ink & Paper Book Vendor Fair in my home-town. I don’t typically wear jewelry; my day-to-day outfit is very much what someone who rarely leaves their house wears. But when I do a bookish event, as I’ve been very fortunate to have a few of this year for Bludeye Beach, I’ve made a conscious choice to dress for the part. Assume my full author-sona, if you will.

Generally speaking, this means I max out on whimsy and flair. Hence, the jewelry box.

I found a cuff bracelet that I don’t remember getting, except that I’m fairly certain it was a gift from someone (and if you’re reading this right now, please know I still love and have this bracelet, and I am very grateful to you, kind stranger!)

I flipped over the cuff to slide it on, and found its hidden secret; a phrase engraved on the inside, reading “Keep fucking going.”

Whoever got me this bracelet: Just know I really, really needed to hear that. And to whoever’s reading this, I hope you hear it, too.

I wore it to the fair, I had a blast, and the sun rose again. Because that’s what it does. And I will keep fucking going. Because that’s what I do.

Hook & quill updates

On that note – Hook & Quill is going to be taking a bit of a holiday break! It’s been a long year, and I’m so proud of everything that we’ve accomplished.

First and foremost – our own Samantha Breaux has released Thief of Death!!! This romantasy is full of the exact hopepunk we can all use right now; two souls who have seen more than their share of hard times, choosing to move forward with saving the day and falling in love.

If you’re looking for a cozy, spooky, funny, clever, enchanting read – what are you waiting for? Get ready to join team #Wrencer!!!!

Where in the World is Quillbert?

Quillbert’s already getting packed for his holiday – who knows where this cephalopod will head to next??