I've been keeping a secret...
(though some of you may have guessed it already)
In publishing, it feels like there’s a bunch of nothing, nothing, nothing, and then suddenly EVERYTHING is happening. Well, we’ve reached that critical OH BOY EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING stage and I’m here to share some news I’ve been keeping from you all for a few months now…
There are going to be three more books in the Lights Out series!
I’m so excited to be working again with Berkley and Pan Macmillan on these books. When I was planning to self-publish CROSS THE LINE, my idea for the series was to have it be five books total to represent the five lights that start an F1 race—thus the series name being “Lights Out” (in addition to it being a nod to F1 commentator David Croft’s “It’s lights out and away we go!”)
When CTL was picked up for traditional publishing, it was in a two-book deal, with there being a possibility of more books down the line. But all of that really depended on whether people read CTL and could show publishers that, hey, this is something we want more of! And wow, did y’all show up and show out. I never imagined my trad debut would end up on the USA Today bestseller list, or be translated into nine languages (and end up at #2 on the German bestseller list!), or sell as many copies as it has. I owe so, so much to all of you readers out there who took a chance on a debut author and showed me (and my publishers!) that this was something you wanted.
So this is me giving you a big hug or a gentle kiss on the forehead or subtle nod from a few feet away to show my gratitude. Whatever you prefer. Thank you so, so much for helping me get here. Truly couldn’t have done it without you! (And I also couldn’t have done it without the best agent in the world, Silé Edwards)
I know it’s a little overwhelming to be announcing the title and vague premise of book 3 in the series before book 2, RIDE WITH ME, is even out, but I hope you’ll embrace CRASH INTO YOU too. More news on that one soon!
Upcoming Events & Preorder Campaigns
Speaking of RIDE WITH ME, I’m going to be doing a few events to celebrate its release!
First, I’ll be in London with my wonderful team at Pan Macmillan. While we’re still working on finalizing my schedule while I’m in town, I promise I’ll be doing a couple of events. One of my favorite things is meeting readers and getting to chat (especially about F1 - you will never get me to shut up), so I’d love to see y’all at some point. No official dates just yet, but there will likely be something between 22 May and 28 May if you need to start looking at your calendars. (I’ll be bringing some goodies like stickers, bookmarks, and art prints with me if that’s any incentive 👀)
If you can’t make it out to any events at that time but still want a signed copy of RWM, never fear! West End Lane Books is doing a signed and personalized pre-order campaign! So UK friends, if you want a signed and/or personalized copy of RWM, this is the place to grab it from. I’ll be popping by the shop to sign stock while I’m there, so make sure to get your orders in before 22nd May.
Also, they ship internationally! Pals in Europe, this is probably the best place for you all to order from if you want a signed copy, since shipping will probably be a little more reasonable. However, my fellow Americans, there should be a US-based preorder campaign announced in the near future too, so stay tuned!
And speaking of US-based things, there is going to be a RWM release event at East City Bookshop on Thursday, June 5th at 7pm! You can grab your free ticket now, either for the in-person event or to watch virtually.
I was lucky enough to have the launch for CTL with them last year and had an absolute blast getting to chat F1, romance, and everything in between with one of my besties, Annie Crown. And she’ll be back as my conversation partner again this year! It’s going to be a blast.
Giveaways & Sweepstakes (US)
There’s currently another Goodreads giveaway happening for a copy of RWM! You can enter the giveaway until April 2nd and we’ll all keep our fingers crossed.
Berkley is also hosting a Lights Out sweepstakes to win copies of both CROSS THE LINE and RIDE WITH ME. You can enter here before it ends on March 13th.
Now that the news about books three, four, and five are out there, I can finally take a breath and stop worrying (on top of my usual worry) that I’ve revealed something before I was supposed to. Am I still sitting on other secrets? Oh boy, you bet, and one day I’ll be able to tell you about them.
I can also tell you that I’ve been rewatching the 2021 F1 season while drafting CRASH INTO YOU, and whew, what a doozy of a season that was (I’m a little traumatized all over again). If you ever get a chance to watch or rewatch previous seasons, I highly recommend it. It’s always fun to look back at some iconic moments and see just how much change has come to the sport over the years.
Anyway, happy Drive to Survive season 7 release day to all who celebrate! I’m taking the day off to watch it all and then tomorrow it’s back to work. Apparently I have more books to write!
All my love,
Simone