
PSST. One week left — less than one week, actually, since it ends 4/29 — to get in your preorders from Doylestown Bookshop. Which means you get cool stickers (long as the supplies hold out) and also a unique [REDACTED FOR SPOILERS] personalization —
And, to talk about that personalization for a moment, some people have asked what it is, and I’ll say, it’s similar to the “I invent an evil heirloom apple all for you” vibe, but, uhh, specific to this book.
For those who really, really gotta know, I’ll spoil it now under this ROT13 cipher, which you can decipher here —
Lbh jvyy trg lbhe irel bja ebbz vafvqr gur ubeevoyr ubhfr gung jnvgf orlbaq gur fgnvef
That deadline is not a deadline to preorder the book in general, just the preorder deadline for Doylestown Bookshop to ship to you with all goodies and such intact. You can of course still preorder from your local, or get the book from the events I’ll be attending —

So! Yes! Book! Soon. Sorry for shouting and doing the marketing book promo dance, as certainly there is A LOT OF STUFF GOING ON RIGHT NOW and this kind of thing feels trivial and silly. But hope you need a good book as much as I do right now, and further, I hope this book, my book, fits that bill.
And hope to see you out on the road so we can commiserate about, well–
*gesticulates wildly*
OKAY LOVE YOU BYE
Margo says:
For once I am on top of things and have this preordered from Doylestown so I’m feeling pretty great about that (even though everything else in the country sucks). And I am finishing up Juno Dawson’s Her Royal Majesty’s Coven series (very enjoyable btw) so that I will be ready to jump right in on The Staircase in the Woods when I get it into my grubby little paws. Really looking forward to this new one from you Chuck.
April 8, 2025 — 3:24 PM
terribleminds says:
YAY MARGO wooooo
April 9, 2025 — 9:56 AM
Kizzia says:
Well that all sounds fantastic! And I hope you don’t mind me saying that – unless time has completely stopped working right, which given everything wouldn’t surprise me – April 29 is three weeks away from today, not one.
April 8, 2025 — 4:12 PM
terribleminds says:
Haha, yeah, no, I know — but Doylestown only has preorders for this book (featuring the stickers, the personalization) open for one more week. The book can be preordered from other stores until then, for sure — and preordered too from any of the places I’ll be traveling to.
April 9, 2025 — 7:54 AM
Ila in Maine says:
I pre-ordered the Hardcover from a local indie bookshop that I found from this most helpful and enlightening post from Chuck Wendig letting us know that Bookshop.org now has e-books available:
https://terribleminds.com/ramble/2025/02/07/bookshop-org-now-sells-e-books-huzzah-and-hooray/#
If you somehow missed that post, and you don’t want to support Amazon and/or Bezos there is great news at that link, and in the post,
I found an indie bookstore less than 1/2 mile from my house – Woman Owned too.
Another good thing about searching for indie bookstores near you, you can choose a bookstore based on who you want to support: Women, Veterans, LBQGT+, and other options.
I share the link to his post all over the place, especially where others are looking for independent booksellers. I have to have books, physical books I can hold in my greedy reader’s paws, to get me through from one day to the next.
This US Navy Veteran, is appalled at what is happening in the USA, and the only escape I have is books, and more books.
April 8, 2025 — 6:29 PM
Curious says:
I went to Kobo.com to pre-order just now and realized I already pre-ordered ha ha. I am SO on top of things. Really looking forward to this one!
April 9, 2025 — 11:00 AM
terribleminds says:
Hey thanks!
April 9, 2025 — 11:01 AM