Jess Lourey's Blog, page 2

THE REAPING Cover Reveal

THE REAPING, the sequel to the Edgar-nominated thriller THE TAKEN ONES, officially has a cover! I think the artist did a masterful job teasing the utter creepiness of this book. I hope you'll preorder your copy today.

PREORDER:

AmazonBarnes & NobleIndie BookstoreSigned CopyTarget

New MAY DAY Cover!

May Day, my very first published novel, has a new cover! It also has some snappy new dialogue, top-notch editing, and my favorite part of the re-release? The series will finally be out in audiobook! It releases April 30, but you can preorder now wherever books are sold.

I'll be touring this spring and summer to celebrate, including a signing in Battle Lake during Chief Wenonga Days!!! There are not enough exclamation points for me to convey how thrilled I am, so you're just gonna have to trust me.

Stay tuned for details, and in the meanwhile, make sure you're subscribed to my newsletter to be automatically entered in a May Day promo box giveaway (it'll be "Minnesota in the late '90s" themed).

PRAISE FOR MAY DAY

"This trade paperback packed a punch...I loved it from the get-go!" ―Tulsa World

"What a romp this is! I found myself laughing out loud..." ―Crimespree Magazine

"Mira is the strength of the book. She has a unique voice, full of irreverent humor...I couldn't help rooting for [her]." ―All about Romance

"Meet this witty heroine in Lourey's engaging new series." ―Mystery Scene Magazine

"May Day starts the action rolling with a clever mystery and some snappy writing . . . These pages are filled with fresh dialogue!" ―In the Library

"Mira digs up a closetful of dirty secrets, including sex parties, cross-dressing and blackmail, on her way to exposing the killer. Lourey's debut has a likeable heroine and surfeit of sass." ―Kirkus Reviews

New Cover(s)!

I am over the moon thrilled to share that Thomas & Mercer, the fabulous publisher of my last five books, recently bought my 14-book backlist (the Salem's Cipher thrillers and the Murder by Month romcoms). Here's what that means:

--New covers
--Deep editing
--Some new content (though the central stories in all 14 books will remain the same)
--The ability to reach a wider audience ❤️

Salem's Cipher and Mercy's Chase are the first to go through the sparkle machine. ✨ Their new covers (below) were created by the genius artist behind The Taken Ones and The Quarry Girls (as well as the cover for Daisy Jones and the Six, which I unfortunately did not write).

⭐ "Complex protagonists who overcome many obstacles take adventurous readers on a hair-raising thrill ride."―Library Journal (starred review)

⭐ "A fast-paced, sometimes brutal thriller reminiscent of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code...a real nail-biter."
―Booklist (starred review)

If you like a tight plot, strong female characters, and a dose of conspiracy theory with your history, I suggest you preorder your Salem's Cipher thrillers today! They'll be re-releasing March 26, 2024.

—Amazon
—Barnes & Noble
—Independent Bookstore
—Target

p.s. Sign up for my newsletter for a free download of "The Adventure of the First Problem," a Salem's Cipher short story.
p.s.s. Stay tuned for a sneak peek at the new Murder by Month covers!

THE TAKEN ONES Is OUT!

This is a one-sitting read!” —Jeffery Deaver, author of The Bone Collector and The Watchmaker’s Hand

The Taken Ones is the first full-length novel in a new series featuring BCA cold case agent Evangeline “Van” Reed and BCA forensic scientist Harry Reed. They have an Odd Couple/Mulder and Scully vibe, and the series is best described as cold case meets urban legend.

This new series was born when my brilliant editor at Thomas & Mercer, Jessica Tribble Wells, asked me in 2021 if I wanted to write a short story. When I tell you I'd rather go to the dentist, gynecologist, and DMV every day for a week than write a short story...truly, if anyone else had asked, I'd have said no.

But it was Jessica. If you know her, you know. So I said yes with not a thought in my head as to what I'd write. You've heard those stories of authors who sit down to write a story, and it just flows from their fingertips? I’ve always been annoyed by them, too, so imagine my surprise when that's what happened with this short story. I was poolside in Costa Rica, and out poured "Catch Her in a Lie,” the first case featuring BCA cold case agent Evangeline “Van” Reed and BCA forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck.

I loved that short story. I loved Van and Harry. But I figured that was our brief fling, and we were all moving on. Then Jessica came back. Asked if I wanted to write a whole series featuring them. I hesitated for exactly one minute—it's been years since I wrote a series, the police procedural angle is outside my comfort zone—but I wanted to hang with Harry and Van again. He's fussy, brilliant, and decent; she's messy, intuitive, and made of steel. They're both hiding secrets. That’s my jam! So I dug in.

I hope you do, too. Dig in, that is. Van and Harry are waiting for you here, and if you like their style (and I think you will), you can schedule a date to hang out with them again in 2024 here.

“Twists and turns you don’t see coming make for a real page-turner.” —Kirkus Reviews

The Quarry Girls Takes the Gold

I have happy, thrilling news! The Quarry Girls took home the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original/Audiobook/Ebook at last week's Bouchercon, the world mystery convention.

To be honored by the community I love is humbling, and it's extra special because I love this book so much (secret: I don't love all of 'em ☺️, and I'm not gonna tell you which are not my faves. Ok, fine. I think May Day is kinda stinky, but it's fine for a first book, and I truly believe writing it saved me.

It was an honor to be nominated alongside Sandra S.G. Wong, Jim L'Etoile, Kelly J. Ford, and Gabriel Valjan. I share this award with them, and I hope you'll check out their books, too.

THE TAKEN ONES Giveaway

If you're not yet signed up for my VIP Reader newsletter, do it now!

I'll be giving away ten signed early copies of The Taken Ones along with a deluxe promo kit. Open to all newsletter subscribers, including international ones. :)

Plus, you get the latest news on my signings, book releases, cover reveals, and foster kitten pix.

Exciting New Project!

I have very, very big news that I can finally share. 🥹 Thrilled to report that I'm writing a YA series that I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, and have I mentioned how grateful I am to have the best agent in the world? ❤ The baby preorder is available here. I say "baby" because the cover isn't up yet, and only the hard…

THE QUARRY GIRLS Won!

I am thrilled to report that The Quarry Girls won the Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction last night! I'm still walking on stars. It was wonderful to feel part of a larger community of writers, as well as to support libraries and librarians at a time when they’re both under attack. It’s never bee…

The Best Book for You

Jess here. Did you know I've written 20+ books across genres? Maybe you came to me via my true-crime-inspired thrillers, like The Quarry Girls, or my laugh-out-loud-funny romcom mysteries, or my young adult fantasy, or maybe even my children's picture book. If you enjoyed it (I sure hope you…

Minnesota Book Award Nomination!

The Quarry Girls has been nominated for a Minnesota Book Award! I am over the moon. The MBAs have always guided my book-buying and book-checking-out choices, and so to see my name on that list is next level. It’s extra special because I’m so proud of The Quarry Girls. It was important to me to cap…