Leah Spann

Deal alert! The Waterstones 25% off pre-order sale ends tomorrow. Get my dragon delivered to your door for one great price with the code FEB26.

This post brought to you by five-year-old Leah who wanted so badly to be a paleontologist. (Before I realized that it might involve Going Outdoors and writing a lot of research grants.)

I sometimes get to do very fun tasks for my job such as look at lists of dinosaur species to generate keywords for dinosaur-related books and OH MY GOD WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME BRONTOSAURUS HAD BEEN REINSTATED?!?

IT HAPPENED IN 2015 AND NOBODY TOLD ME?!?

Tell me five classes you took in college:

- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Women Who Kill
- German Fairy Tales
- History of Premodern China
- Art Writing

The auction is live today and tomorrow!

It's a myth remix where Heracles refuses to harm the legendary monsters and instead builds a found family out of them.

Also, according to numerous librarians, it features the most sailor-mouthed Hera of all time.

This is live, friends! You can also bid on a critique from me in here.

The auction is live today and tomorrow!

This is up and running!

3D version of Masquerade with 3D versions of the magnets, with the words: "Free With Purchase. Buy Masquerade and Receive a Set of Micah Grey Magnets. Open to US residents only while supplies last. Ends March 16.

We know you're obsessed with the Micah Grey trilogy by @lrlam.bsky.social, but now you can get themed magnets! Preorder Masquerade, the third and final book of this propulsive fantasy series and fill out the form. Just like a carnival attraction, you won't be able to look away!

buff.ly/Fz1Dqoc

A graphic for Publishing for Minnesota, a group of authors, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals raising money to support immigrant communities. It reads "I donated. Bid on my auction item at: www.32auctions.com/publishingforMN. Auctions opens Thursday January 29th."

I'm offering a first 100 pages manuscript critique (w/notes and edit letter) through Publishers for Minnesota. The auction begins on Thursday, Jan. 29, so if you have an adult SFF manuscript you've been hoping to get professional eyes on, please consider bidding!

www.32auctions.com/organization...

Choosing favorites is always so hard but I think it's got to be Temeraire. But honorable mentions go to Kalessin from Earthsea and a character who I won't name for spoiler reasons from Rachel Hartman's Seraphina

Signal boosting appreciated! Every effort helps.

A graphic for Publishing for Minnesota, a group of authors, editors, agents, and other publishing professionals raising money to support immigrant communities. It reads "I donated. Bid on my auction item at: www.32auctions.com/publishingforMN. Auctions opens Thursday January 29th."

I'm offering a first 100 pages manuscript critique (w/notes and edit letter) through Publishers for Minnesota. The auction begins on Thursday, Jan. 29, so if you have an adult SFF manuscript you've been hoping to get professional eyes on, please consider bidding!

www.32auctions.com/organization...

Tons of industry pros (agents, editors, artists) are donating items, so spread the word to writers and illustrators who want professional help on their project. Opportunities like this come very rarely to get feedback from this caliber of professionals. Plus it supports worthy organizations.

Because again, maybe this was just me. I cracked under the pressure of a confluence of bad circumstances, not just this. But in seeing discussions about some frankly awful responses authors have received to submissions, I think a lot about who survives in this environment and why.

And to be clear, there are editors out there who are doing the good work in spite of all this, who are holding on by the skin of their teeth to make sure that those books make it out into the world in one way or another. I have so much admiration for them, for the resilience they have that I didn't.

You see your hopes for great books get dashed again and again when they don't get any kind of promotional budget. It's demoralizing. You put so much love and time into books that you KNOW are wonderful and they just disappear. And that, among other things, absolutely broke my heart and my spirit.

Because you can choose books that are beautiful and breathtaking and important and that you love with all your heart, because you believe in them and will fight for them. Because you know there are readers who want and need them. But that passion isn't usually enough.

Or maybe it's not part of a larger trend, and it was just me who experienced it, but I feel like I've seen it happen to others. Editors who love their niche, who want to help unique projects find their audience, who aren't getting the support they need in key (financial) places.

I've often wished I had the mental and emotional wherewithal to posit why I think the publishing industry loses editors who are willing to take chances on projects they love that don't necessarily fit a category trend or meet a certain threshold for engagement. Maybe I'm mad and sad enough today.

It looks so good!!! 😍

🎶 It's the most wonderful tiiiiiiiime of the year 🎶

Hands holding pins from Operation Mincemeat on Broadway that say Cast Bingo! On them

We can stop any time we want to. @mincemeatbway.bsky.social @leahspann.bsky.social

Three understudy notices from Operation Mincemeat Playbills

A Playbill and understudy noticed from Operation Mincemeat, framed against a yellow curtain

As of tonight, @rockshrimp.bsky.social and I have officially won the basic version of @mincemeatbway.bsky.social understudy bingo and this IS my greatest accomplishment

Pleased to share that, starting this month, I'll be joining Mad Cave Studios full time as a Publishing Operations Specialist. After working with them as a freelancer, I'm looking forward to joining the team officially!

There is truly no high like having the car all to yourself to put on your own little one-person musical

Every other driver on the road when a train was stalled at the crossing for twenty minutes: 😡🤬

Me on my third rousing rendition of Dear Bill from @mincemeatbway.bsky.social : 🎶🥰🥹🎶

An awesome list--I have so much to add to my TBR.

Especially excited to see THE BLOODLESS QUEEN on here! I had the distinct pleasure of editing it, and it's a twisty, dark, unique read.

Oh L, I'm so so sorry. Sending you hugs.

Thank you, Juliette!