Caitlin McDonald

Come for the Cannibalism, Stay for the Mind Control: 7 Lady Knight Books That Absolutely Slay (Exclusive) If you saw Chappell Roan at the VMAs, you already know Castlecore is the moment. Here are a handful of great 2025 reads featuring female fighters that you won't want to miss

what’s better than morally grey women? Morally grey women with SWORDS.

aka I wrote a list for People Magazine about the bounty of lady knights were getting this year:

people.com/castlecore-b...

The Starving Saints “As brilliant as it is bizarre. From the very first page you know you are in the hands of an author at the height of their abilities. . . . This is the unhi...

You can snag it at your favorite book purveyor, or check some options here:

www.harpercollins.com/products/the...

We are running low on stock though, so if you hit a backorder notice, don’t worry! More is coming!

A photograph of THE STARVING SAINTS, an art print by Mia Minnis, a cool knife, a necklace featuring fanart of Ser Cauthrien, and a gold plate, all artfully arranged on some dead leaves and against a mossy stone. There is a red knife sheathe poking out from behind the art print.

The Starving Saints is now out in the world! I wrote the first draft of this book five years ago, and have been obsessively searching for a home for it ever since. It’s meaty and squelchy and lustful and terrifying, full of alchemy and and weird magic and flesh. I’m so excited to share it with you.

Today is THE STARVING SAINTS pub day, & the primaries in PA. If that's you, go vote! Then reward yourself with a copy of SAINTS for some delicious, cathartic sapphism & great tips on how to handle dangerous usurping entities in an environment of isolation-induced extreme economic scarcity! 😉

Heads-up: my query inbox will be closing this Friday, Aug 9. It'll reopen when I've caught up on the existing submissions--I'm aiming for November, but we'll see what life throws at me between now and then!

Thank you, all, for being so patient during my medical leave, and as I continue to adapt to my new limitations--it's an ongoing learning process. (Chronic health conditions suck, I do not recommend them!)

Separately, I'm also available at Manuscript Academy: manuscriptacademy.com/faculty-memb...

Free lunch meetings for query feedback or to ask industry questions are also open again for authors who are BIPOC or who identify as non-cisgendered; just drop me a DM to schedule one. (Please, please do not send pitches via DM!)

Hi all! I'm back and working my way through the remaining queries from before I went on leave. I'm hoping to have all responses out by end of the week, but either way, I'll be reopening for submissions on MONDAY (6/10) and will stay open through at least the end of June.

A book cover for THE OBLIVION BRIDE by Caitlin Starling. A woman in a white dress floats in the foreground with lighthouse-like beams of red light haloing her head. In the background is a close up of another woman’s eye surrounded by bright blue cracks. Art by Ocean Salazar. The tagline reads: A DEATHLY MAGIC. AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE.

It’s cover reveal day for THE OBLIVION BRIDE! Check out this gorgeous art by Ocean Salazar for my f/f arranged marriage novella about a young woman with a death curse and the intimidating older woman she’s wed to in an attempt to stop the magic that has killed her whole family.

Query queue update: I've responded to many over the past week & was hoping to get through all queries before I go on medical leave tomorrow, but unfortunately I didn't succeed. Sorry if yours is still unanswered! I will get back to all once I'm healed, which will be a few months.

I'm now closed to queries; thanks so much to everyone who submitted! I'm getting through these as fast as possible and will let you all know when I'm ready to reopen again.

I reopen to queries tomorrow! I'll be open for one week to start, then will reopen again when I've responded to all in that first batch. If you'd like to query, be sure to read through my guidelines in advance: literallycait.tumblr.com/query

I will probably remain pretty quiet here for now, though, bc I've been struggling with pretty severe chronic pain for the last 9 months & I simply don't have the stamina for social media on top of all the other parts of my job.

I have made it to the new blue website! Follow me here for the same updates as xitter & a bit more interaction, as I'm hoping to eventually make this my new home base.