“Thank you” isn’t nearly enough — but it’s a start.

In just a few days—on 5.26—The Serpent’s Sanctuary will finally be out in the world. And I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.

This book has lived in my bones for years. It began as a flicker of an idea—dark, emotional, mythic—and refused to let go. I kept writing it in pieces, daydreaming about it at work, reimagining it on long walks, scribbling it into notebooks that were already falling apart at the spine. And now it's real. It’s here. And I have you to thank for helping make that possible.

Some of you have been following my work from the earliest days, when I was just a teen on a little site called Mibba, writing original stories and fan fiction late into the night. I remember rushing to finish chapters, falling in love with characters that weren’t even mine, and realizing—deep in my gut—that writing was all I ever wanted to do.

Every November, I’d show up for NaNoWriMo like it was a sacred ritual. I didn’t care that the drafts were messy (okay, really messy). What mattered was that I was doing it—I was creating. And every year, that dream got louder: Be an author. Tell the story only you can tell.

And now... I am. I did.

This moment is surreal. Publishing The Serpent’s Sanctuary is the culmination of years of dreaming, doubting, rewriting, and refusing to give up. It’s terrifying and exhilarating and deeply emotional. I poured everything into this story—its romance, its rebellion, its tenderness and fury—and I can only hope it finds the readers it’s meant for.

If you’ve preordered, shared a post, added it to your TBR, left a kind message, or just cheered me on quietly from the shadows—thank you. You’ve made this dream come true in the most beautiful way.

I hope The Serpent’s Sanctuary is just the beginning. I want to write many, many more books, and I’d be honored to have you beside me for every one.

With love (and a little fire),
Circe