Morally Gray - A Newsletter
February 2026
Hi there!
Happy February, and welcome to Morally Gray, the monthly author newsletter I write to share the happenings of my life as a full-time author in a long-form, slightly more personal way than social media allows. If you’re new here, welcome! If you’re a long-time subscriber, welcome back! I’m glad you’re here!
Let’s talk about life lately first. I mentioned in my last newsletter that the beginning of 2026 came with a lot of challenges. This month, things still feel hectic (more on that later), but definitely calmer. There are a lot of unique challenges that come with being a full-time author; one of the unexpected ones is that it can be very hard to build a routine that allows me to achieve professionally while also taking care of myself. It’s not a conscious choice I make, but when my to-do list is long, things like “go for a walk” get knocked to the bottom. At first, I don’t notice a difference, but over time the consequences show up. My muscles ache from sitting in the same position for hours, my skin looks (to me) duller, I’m grumpier. After 10 days of not being able to walk because of snow and ice and busyness, I finally took Dolly and Louie on a walk and… it was glorious. Despite the fact that I love walking, I’d briefly forgotten the simple joy of sunshine, fresh air, and stretching your muscles. These next few weeks are still packed with different obligations, but I’m recommitting myself to prioritizing time for care. That makes me hopeful!
I hold a part of this newsletter to give writing updates for readers, and this month I’ve got several big ones!
I, Medusa - My fourth novel (I, Medusa) has now been out just over three months and I continue to be blown away by the reception it’s received. Recently I learned that it is in its 5th printing and has sold more than 117,000 copies, a number that just feels sort of surreal. My dad asked me a while back how it felt to have a book do well and… the truth? What I feel most intensely is relief. As an author, when a book you write does well, it improves the chances of your publisher buying more books from you in the future. I am a full-time author, and job security/the future isn’t as certain for me as it might be if I did something else. Really, while the bestseller lists and other milestones are neat, the thing I’m happiest about is that I get to do this job a little longer. It is by far the best one I’ve ever had.
Hawk & Sparrow - In case you missed it, I announced my next novel, Hawk & Sparrow, with Cosmopolitan on February 11th! It’s a Gilded Age-inspired fantasy novel about a reporter who strikes a deal with a rich and arrogant sorcerer to prove his innocence in a scandal in exchange for a payment that could save her struggling newspaper. It is a bit of a genre hybrid—part historical fantasy, part mystery, part romance. It publishes in the US on September 1st, and in the UK on September 3rd. See the two covers below! (Note, the US will also have a deluxe edition with sprayed edges, foiled stamp, and other specs!)
A friend of mine texted me after I announced Hawk & Sparrow’s publication and jokingly asked said “Do you sleep??” in reference to the fact that I’m publishing my fifth book less than a year after my fourth. I will happily admit that this sort of publication schedule is disorienting (it feels like abruptly switching from speaking French to speaking Mandarin), but I suspect I’ll settle into that new rhythm as times goes on.
To add to the fun, in addition to promoting I, Medusa AND now Hawk & Sparrow, I’m also still drafting Book 6. This is taking me longer than I’d like unfortunately, (explanation: see paragraphs above), but I continue to love this book, and I continue to relish the fact that no one on planet earth has laid eyes on it, yet. (If my editor, Caitlin, is reading this, I promise it’s coming… soon.)
*Reminder: You can always order / preorder signed copies of any of my books from Wordworth Books in Little Rock, AR!
Life is not all work, and I like to hold space for joy too. So! A few things that have brought/will bring me joy in February:
Book Events: I had two great Arkansas book events in February! On February 4th I joined Paper Hearts Book Store for their Reading Between the Lines book club at Southern Tail Brewing in Little Rock. They even made a bespoke Medusa-themed cocktail!
I also went up to Northwest Arkansas to do an event at Bentonville Public Library in conjunction with Two Friends Books! We had around 150 attendees which blew my mind!
My new office chair! After dealing with some back pain for the last few months, Puddin’ convinced me to get a new office chair that is, admittedly, a lot better than my old one. It’s a gaming chair from Secret Lab, and though we’re still in early days, I’d recommend it!
Sleep Dr. Chris - A few months back, while scrolling on social media, I came across Dr. Christopher Allen’s instagram page. Dr. Allen (on social media, “Sleep Dr. Chris”) is a board-certified physician and neurologist who specializes in pediatric sleep disorders and uses his social media to talk about them. Although his focus is sleep disorders in children, I’ve learned so much from him in a short time, including how I can get better sleep moving forward.
Detroit Trip! My big joy for the month of February was visiting my good friend Becca, who lives in Detroit. The fact that Becca and I have both voluntarily committed to careers in the circus that is publishing would be enough to trauma bond us, but we’re best friends because we also just are kindred spirits in different bodies (this is made funnier by the fact that, at a glance, we don’t look like we should have a lot in common; Becca is a 5’4”(ish) Midwestern white woman who loves snow and gardening, and I am a 5’9” southern Black woman who thrives in extreme heat and can’t keep any plant alive.) Despite the fact that cold weather is always a bit hard on my body, it was a joy to see her and explore a part of the US I haven’t spent much time in! Bonus micro joy: I discovered a new skin care Detroit-based company, HoneyGirl Skincare—they make the most amazing soaps!
Lastly, a future joy!
This is technically a future joy, but later this week, I’ll be heading to Salt Lake City, UT to attend my second year of StoryCon! This is a really great book con and everyone is so kind, so I’m looking forward to heading back!
Books:
This busy season of life has meant I haven’t had a lot of time for reading, but I do currently have a book on my kindle written by a friend and I can say nothing about it except that I’m delighted!
Movies/TV:
Bridgerton - Season 4 Pt. 1 (2026): I don’t always gravitate toward things that are really big in pop culture, but Bridgerton is an exception. I watched the first part of S4 and honestly, given what was going on in my life, it was the perfect mental escape.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2026): As an OG Game of Thrones fan (as in the show, I read the books later), I was a bit skeptical about the franchise’s spinoff, AKOTSK. The first episode didn’t win me over, and really the second didn’t either. By the third though, I realized I’d come to root for the main character(s). I don’t love that the episodes and seasons are shorter, but I’ve enjoyed it. At heart, I’m a fantasy fan and love a show that feels epic.
Dracula: A Love Tale (2026): When I learned that there was going to be another Dracula movie, I at first wasn’t intrigued. But as I saw trailers, I became more and more interested in an adaptation that seemed to focus less on the horror elements of Count Dracula and more on love lost and the idea of a damned soul. I think Caleb Landry Jones is an incredible method actor, and I enjoyed this one!
Songs:
Often times, I remember segments of life by the songs I had on repeat at the time. In no special order, the songs I’ve been listening to a lot lately:
Wild Ones by Jessie Murph and Jelly Roll
Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves
Big Boy by SZA
(I haven’t found a song in 2026 that I just love, so at the moment I’ve had a lot of older songs on repeat!)
That’s it for me! See you for my next newsletter - April 25th!
xo,
Ooh, I'm SO excited for your new book!!! It sounds so good. 😍 I hope that you find some time to rest in 2026! (As hard as that can be. . .) And that you have fun at StoryCon! (It's such a great conference.)