Happy Book Birthday, NOW COMES THE MIST!
Today’s the day!
My adult debut, NOW COMES THE MIST, officially lands on shelves after a very long and tumultuous journey, and I am so grateful that I get to share this story with readers.
My phone likes to think that I am the model on the cover of my own book (I’m not), so I thought I would confuse it further by doing a photo shoot in the same exact pose. I think it’s clear to see how proud and happy I am of this novel!
Although MIST is written for adults, is much sexier, and delves into topics I take care to avoid in my stories for children, I think it’s a perfect amalgamation of the previous seven books I have published and a fitting milestone on this decade-long odyssey of a career of mine. It has all the hallmarks of a book you would expect to see from me: the struggle between choice and destiny, dark seductive magic, unbreakable bonds of friendship, and a woman fighting to live life on her own terms.
I’m thrilled to welcome my rendition of Bram Stoker’s Dracula to the world, and I truly hope that you will enjoy the read and fall as much in love with Lucy Westenra as I have!
NOW COMES THE MIST is available to purchase in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook (and you can listen to a sample of brilliant British-Vietnamese actor Ainsleigh Barber reading the opening pages here).
I also have some fun extra content you can check out if you like:
The content warnings for MIST can be found on Goodreads here.
Read about MIST's origin story in this blog post.
Check out the MIST inspiration board on Pinterest.
Listen to the Spotify playlist that helped inspire MIST.
Praise For NOW COMES THE MIST
The book has received some lovely accolades from fellow authors! Here is just a sample of the blurbs I received from some truly kind and generous people:
"Now Comes the Mist is a sultry gothic that hooked me from the first sentence. Every page of this lush Dracula retelling is imbued with danger and darkness. It’s a beguiling book and one I can’t recommend enough." - Alexis Henderson, author of YEAR OF THE WITCHING
"Wild, wicked, sensuous, fun. NOW COMES THE MIST is for all of the dark romantics, the lovers of drama, and the ones who want to get bitten." - Wendy Xu, author and illustrator of INFINITY PARTICLE
“A wonderful read! I was spellbound by this vivid reimagining of a Dracula myth that is at once enthralling, haunting, and darkly romantic." - Sue Lynn Tan, USA Today bestselling author of DAUGHTER OF THE MOON GODDESS
Publishers Weekly also gave MIST a nice review! Here’s a snippet of it:
Dao (Mermaids Never Drown) reimagines Dracula in this refreshing and clever gothic romance… Dao’s writing is haunting and atmospheric and, despite the familiar source material, the plot takes some surprising turns. Most commendable is the characterization of Lucy, a Victorian woman struggling to assert her agency. Fans of dark vampire romance will be delighted. (Oct.)
Bookstore Appearances and Events
I am looking forward to reading from NOW COMES THE MIST and discussing the book at three of my favorite independent bookstores in the Northeast. Come see me! And if you purchase a copy of the book, I have cool lenticular bookmarks of Lucy transforming into a vampire to give you, while supplies last!
Cambridge readers, please note that the date for my Porter Square Books appearance has changed since the last newsletter came out. See below for details.
Thursday, October 3 - Phoenix Books, Burlington, VT
7PM: In conversation with NYT bestselling author Katherine Arden
Preorder a copy of the book from Phoenix HERE.
NEW DATE: Wednesday, October 16 - Porter Square Books, 1815 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA
7PM: In conversation with WBUR reporter Kalyani Saxena
More information and RSVP HERE
Tuesday, October 29 - Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA
7PM: In conversation with bestselling author Gretchen Felker-Martin
More information and RSVP HERE
Until Next Time!
I recently turned in a rough draft of NOW COMES THE MIST 2, and a week later, I got to see a mockup of the beautiful cover. The plan now is to finalize that cover and gear up to do edits on this sequel. I want it to sparkle as much as possible when it hits shelves next fall!
In the meantime, I am coming up with a list of new story ideas to write next. After so many years of dabbling in the world of Dracula — with occasional breaks to work on Team Chu, a series I am immensely proud of and am forever wishing that more people knew about — I’m ready to move on to a new universe and a new cast of characters. I do want to take some time off from writing so I feel refreshed and eager to dive in.
So that is what’s going on with me! As promised, more newsletters are headed your way in the meantime, so keep an eye out on your inboxes for those. More soon!
XO
Julie
Happy book day, Julie!! I can't wait to read this gorgeous book.