The Plan for 2026
Well, as the first month of 2026 comes to an end, I thought it was time to update everyone on my plan for the year’s releases.
Dark Fantasy (Romance)
First and foremost, this will likely be the year of dark fantasy with some form of sapphic romantic subplot. If you’ve read my A Tale of Two Crowns trilogy written as Rebecca St. Claire, you know what to expect, for the most part. Things are getting darker this year.
First and foremost, my next book, The Devourer’s Sonata, is with my editor at present. While she works on it, I can say that the cover reveal will happen on Valentine’s Day. I’ve talked a little bit about it in the past, and once the cover reveal hits, I’ll be talking a lot about it, its influences, and the world I created for it.
As a brief reminder, The Devourer’s Sonata is a dark fantasy where a brooding monster hunter (Danika Sarkovski), who is both an heiress to a heroic legacy and an outcast in society, reluctantly teams up with librarian and bibliomancer Elire Dimitriou, the apprentice and former student of her estranged father. Together, they seek to find her father and an ancient tome he sought, the Lamentata Nihilith, which is purported to contain a song, written in the ink formed from the cries of damned souls, that can unmake reality. The romantic subplot is one told in silent gestures, longing glances, and the occasional bout of witty and sarcastic banter. (There’s also a masquerade ball)
Currently, I’m working on another weird idea that came to me: a tale where a middle-aged necromancer, a witch who is perpetually annoyed with the world, teams up with a succubus who romanticizes her life as if she were a fairy tale princess (the Disney variety) in a bid to save the kingdom from the Dread Empress of the old Caledarian Empire.
Additionally, I think I’ve figured out how to package the collection of dark fantasy novelettes featuring my silent protagonist, the Veiled Rose. The first collection of 9-10 shorter pieces (each around 8000-12000 words) will be out probably in the fall. Those are the main releases I have planned.
Paranormal Romance?
I still have one paranormal romance manuscript completed and unreleased. Sweet Temptations is my love letter to Stardew Valley where a succubus who is bad at succubus-ing (but who loves baking for people!) moves to a small town when a grandfather she never knew existed (and doesn’t believe is hers) dies and leaves her his farm.
I’ve got two versions of the story (heterosexual and sapphic), and I haven’t decided which one I want to release. That will probably be out sometime this year.
The Future of Sam Hain
I haven’t forgotten about my long-running, urban fantasy series, The Adventures of Sam Hain. A lot is about to happen there. I have the next book outlined, but I’m being intentionally critical of my outline. I know what has to happen in the very near future of that world, and it will have impacts on the world along the level of a divine flood. A threshold is about to be crossed, and once crossed, there will be no going back.
As such, I want to take my time with what comes next so it is worthy of the impact it will have.
And that’s where things stand for the year. I’ve got some big things coming, and some other ideas percolating.
-Robin
