The Stars Did Wander Darkling is a paperback!

And it's out today

This is a screenshot of the paperback cover from the pdf; there is no mysterious yellow square at the top of the actual book design. Keeping it real this way.

Hey there, valued Machine Shop subscriber!

Just wanted to drop a quick line and let you know that my latest book, The Stars Did Wander Darkling, is out today (September 19) as a paperback — so if you’re the sort who likes theirs books smallish, flexible, and slightly less expensive, this guy’s for you!

In case you missed my endlessly going on about it this time last year, I’ll recap: it’s a middle grade novel about a small town on the Oregon Coast that is visited by a cosmic evil and the group of kids who have to try and stop said cosmic evil. It’s a horror novel, ostensibly, and a homage to the novels I loved as a kid — Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, John Bellairs. It was a New York Times bestseller when it came out and Booklist said this about it in a — ahem — starred review: “Meloy expertly teases out the suspense to foster an atmosphere of otherworldly mystery, while concretely establishing the story’s sense of time and place.” Not the sexiest pull quote, but it’ll do.

Anyway, I would typically, now, direct you to your nearest independent bookstore to pick up your copy — mine is either Annie Bloom’s or Powell’s — but if you don’t have one of those, you can always order via Bookshop.org, a site that funnels a portion of its sales to independent bookstores. It’s also an audiobook; you can find it over at Libro.fm, another company that uses its online heft to support indie retailers.

That’s it! More studio diaries upcoming + more. Thanks again for being a subscriber!

Colin