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Month: March 2024

Posted on March 4, 2024

Songs of Snow Cover Reveal

I’m so excited to share the cover of my upcoming wintry, Viking Age YA Fantasy, Songs of Snow. Like the cover for The Bloody Key, Elaine Ho (Art of Elaine Ho) did the illustration and Mallory Rock (Rock Solid Book Design) did the cover design.

Without further ado… 🥁🥁🥁

Continue reading “Songs of Snow Cover Reveal”

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ljthomasbooks

✍️ Author of YA fantasy, paranormal & science fiction books
📚 Genre-hopping reader
💻 Engineer
✈️ Traveler
📍 Minnesota
🔜 THE GHOSTS OF GUNFLINT BAY

Some MerMay book recommendations! 🧜‍♀️🧜‍♂️ And a f Some MerMay book recommendations! 🧜‍♀️🧜‍♂️ And a few movies just for fun.

Honestly putting this post together made me realize I haven't read all that many mermaid books and don't have a ton on my TBR even though mermaids are so fun! So... Tell me what I should add! Indie books & self recs encouraged 💙🪸🐠

#mermay #mermaidbooks #bookrecommendations #bookstagram #mermaids
🧜‍♀️ MERMAY BOOK REC! 🧜‍♂️ Happy MerMay!! 🐚🌊 If y 🧜‍♀️ MERMAY BOOK REC! 🧜‍♂️

Happy MerMay!! 🐚🌊 If you're looking for mermaid books to read this month, I highly recommend @jennacollettauthor's Little Mermaid x Jack and the Beanstalk romantasy retelling! 🪸🐠🌿

I adored the banter between Gavin and Marin, the Mummy/Indiana Jones-esque adventure vibes, and the ocean setting and mermaids! The characters, including the whole treasure hunting crew, were so fun and made me excited to read the sequel when it comes out! 🌿🔥

#mermay #booksofinstagram #indiebooks #romantasy #fairytaleretellings
🌊🖤 COVER REVEAL 🥀🕯️ I'm so excited to share the K 🌊🖤 COVER REVEAL 🥀🕯️

I'm so excited to share the Kickstarter special edition cover of @ameliewestbooks' FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER retelling! 😍 The foiled cover & sprayed edges are going to be so gorgeous. If you like Gothic romance, you won't want to miss this one!

🥀 A house does not forget its daughters 

Featuring:
🏚️ A decaying manor by the ocean
🗝️ A dark family legacy that only affects the daughters 
🌊 A secluded island off the coast of Maine in 1888
🖤 A slow-burn Gothic romance
🕯️ An eerie, gloomy atmosphere 

Kickstarter will be available in July - save this post so you don't forget!

#coverreveal #bookstagram #gothicfiction #gothicbooks #2026books
Excited to share that The Bloody Key eBook is part Excited to share that The Bloody Key eBook is part of a @bargain_booksy hosted giveaway! 📚🎉 

You could win a free Kindle that comes loaded with 20 YA & young reader ebooks! Enter at the 🔗 in my bio! Ends June 30th. Good luck 🍀

#kindlegiveaway #kindledeals #ebooklove #yafantasybooks #bookishgiveaway
I'm SO excited to help reveal the cover for THE LA I'm SO excited to help reveal the cover for THE LAST DAUGHTER OF USHER ISLE by @ameliewestbooks! 🌊🥀🖤

You know I love all things Gothic, atmospheric coastal settings, complicated family relationships, mysterious illnesses, isolated locales... Perfect for fans of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, A STUDY IN DROWNING, and THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE. 

Plus it's set in 1888 Maine and my upcoming book is set in 1890 Minnesota. Can books be sisters? 😍

This is the special edition hardcover that is available through her Kickstarter campaign coming this July. Stop by May 14th to see the full cover reveal! 🥀🌊
A visual guide to THE GHOSTS OF GUNFLINT BAY 👻🦋 Ha A visual guide to THE GHOSTS OF GUNFLINT BAY 👻🦋 Had fun putting together this scrapbook-style carousel for my upcoming novel, featuring a few quotes from the book and character art 🖤

If you like Gothic vibes, coastal settings, complex sister relationships, slow burn romance, murder mysteries, befriending crows, female rage, small towns full of secrets, and all things ghosts, you'll love The Ghosts of Gunflint Bay! 👻🥀🌊

Coming Sept. 29, 2026 and available for preorder!

Minnesota, 1890. Newly orphaned and nearly penniless, the Greenslade sisters head north to live with their great uncle, a lighthousekeeper on the shore of Lake Superior. But their arrival coincides with the disappearance of the local Wiley siblings, and their uncle is a prime suspect. The sisters must discover what really happened in order to clear their uncle of suspicion and make a new home for themselves. 

#booksofinstagram #2026books #gothicfiction #ghoststories #murdermysterybooks
ALL the love to artists and cover designers for be ALL the love to artists and cover designers for being able to convert our ✨ graphic design is my passion ✨ mockups into beautiful works of art! 😍

The artist/illustrator for The Bloody Key and Songs of Snow was the super talented @artofelaineho 🎨 

The cover designer for all three was the excellent Mallory Rock of Rock Solid Book Design! 🖼️

Which of my covers is your favorite? Do you have a favorite cover designer, illustrator, or character artist? Share in the comments because I love seeing their work 😍 (Human artists only, I don't want to see AI slop)

#coverart #coverdesigner #bookstagram #bookreelsofinstagram #bookillustrator
GIVEAWAY TIME!! 🎉 I wasn't paying attention and so GIVEAWAY TIME!! 🎉 I wasn't paying attention and somehow I surpassed 1500 insta followers, so it's the perfect time to give away three copies of my YA post-apocalyptic novel with found family, slow burn romance, survival skills, and very weird science! 🏹🧪🧡

After disease and nuclear warfare decimate the world population, 17-year-old Nadia is sure she's the last person left alive. Then she hears a voice on her radio...

To enter:
1️⃣ Follow me - @ljthomasbooks 
2️⃣ Like & repost or save this post
3️⃣ Comment whether you'd like a paperback or audiobook version!

Bonus entry
4️⃣ Tag a friend!

Winners will be randomly selected May 19th. US only, 18+ only, not affiliated with Meta. 

THANK YOU to the 1600+ who have chosen to follow me, and good luck!! ☘️

#bookgiveaway #audiobookstagram #audiobooklove #postapocalypticfiction #sciencefictionbooks
HAPPIEST of book birthdays to one of my favorite h HAPPIEST of book birthdays to one of my favorite horror authors, @michelletangwrites! 🎂🥭🎉

I adored Michelle's novella Dumort last year and her works I've had the privilege of beta reading, so I cannot wait to dive into this haunted house story featuring Filipino folklore and a crumbling marriage. It will be a daylight hours-only read for me, though, because Michelle knows how to terrify and get under my skin! 🕷️🏚️👻🥀

Congratulations, Michelle!! Can't wait to read 😍

#2026books #horrorbookstagram #booksofinstagram #shewaitswhereshadowsgather #horrorbook
I can't believe I have my fourth book coming out i I can't believe I have my fourth book coming out in September! 😍 If you've read any of my other books, you may find yourself asking, will you like The Ghosts of Gunflint Bay as well? 👻🌻 I made this handy chart to help illustrate what my books have in common, with the things they ALL have in common on the last slide 🖤

I'd say it has the most in common (elements, themes, tropes) with The Bloody Key since they are both Gothic stories 🗝️🥀 But there are some commonalities between the other two as well! And through this exercise I have come to realize my author brand is basically "grief and the woods" 😂🌲

If you've enjoyed any of my other books, consider préordering The Ghosts of Gunflint Bay! It's a YA paranormal murder mystery set in 1890 Minnesota. Haunted lighthouse on the shore of Lake Superior, younger sister who can speak to the dead, a drowned girl and a missing boy, and a small town full of secrets... 👻🌻🦋 

Oh and if you know of any other books that could be classified as "Great Lakes Gothic" or "Midwest Gothic" do let me know! I'd like to collab with other authors on something 👀 

#bookstagram #2026books #paranormalbooks #ljthomasbooks #indiebooks
My May TBR hopefuls! I am planning to do a lot of My May TBR hopefuls! I am planning to do a lot of reading this month, and these are some that have been on my mind lately!

🕷️ SHE WAITS WHERE SHADOWS GATHER by Michelle Tang - I adore Michelle's books (even though they are slightly outside my scary story comfort zone!) and I'm so excited for the haunted house and Filipino folklore in this one. My strategy? Read it in daylight only!!

🐅 I picked up a signed copy of TIGERS BETWEEN EMPIRES by Jonathan Slaght from the @thinkingspotus booth at @rewindbookfair and I'm so excited to read about this fascinating conservation case! Plus all of the wild tigers!

🐉 TO SHAPE A DRAGON'S BREATH by Moniquill Blackgoose was recommended by a friend since I have been looking to read different takes on a dragon's role in society for a future WIP, and this one sounds like a very unique take on that idea!

🌊 WILD DARK SHORE by Charlotte McConaghy was last year's BotM Club Lolly winner so I was lucky enough to get a free copy! It was also my top pick from my Earth Day round up, so I'm extra excited to dive into this work of climate fiction!

🗡️ LITTLE THIEVES by Margaret Owen is the latest pick for an author book club I'm in. There are several in the group who really love this one so I'm looking forward to it and expecting it may become a favorite of mine too!

🌿 A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES by Shea Ernshaw. A dark fairy tale and psychological thriller mashup about an isolated commune? Sign me up! I've been wanting to read this one for a while and think the commune aspect will be good for a little We Survivors sequel research!

Have you read any of the above? Where should I start? What's on your TBR for May? 

#maytbr #tbrlist #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #newbooks
If you like these specific things... you'll love T If you like these specific things... you'll love The Bloody Key! 🗝️🥀 AND it's only $0.99 worldwide on all platforms through tomorrow!

Read for:
🏰 Black Forest-inspired setting
🕯️ Gothic vibes
🗝️ Bluebeard fairy tale retelling 
🥀 Secret gardens 
👻 A possibly haunted castle 
🖤 Slow burn romance 
🦢 Unbreakable sister bonds
🗡️ Murder mystery 

#fairytaleretellings #gothicfiction #bluebeard #gothicvibes #bookstagram
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