Publisher: Bloom Books (Sourcebooks) and self-published
Genre: Fantasy romance
Formats: $18.99 trade paperback | $21.99 audiobook | $2.99 ebook
Released: August 15, 2023
Laura Thalassa is the author of over 20 paranormal and fantasy romance novels. She lives in sunny southern California with her husband and children. Two of her novels, including Pestilence, have been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award. Pestilence was first released in 2018, then re-released in August 2023 when Thalassa began working with Bloom Books. It is the first of four novels in the Four Horsemen series.
In Pestilence, the Four Horsemen (Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death) have come to Earth, riding their screaming steeds, racing to the corners of the world. When Pestilence comes for Sara Burn’s town, one thing is certain: everyone she knows and loves is marked for death. Unless, of course, the angelic-looking horseman is stopped, which is exactly what Sara has in mind when she shoots the unholy beast off his steed. Too bad no one told her Pestilence can’t be killed. Now the horseman, very much alive and very pissed off, has taken her prisoner, and he’s eager to make her suffer. Only, the longer she’s with him, the more uncertain she is about his true feelings towards her … and hers towards him. And now, well, Sara might still be able to save the world, but in order to do so, she’ll have to sacrifice her heart.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the USA Today bestseller list, Thalassa said: “I think a lot of readers hear that I’ve romanticized the Four Horsemen, beginning with the dude that embodies plague, and I think it evokes a hilarious combo of confusion and intrigue, and that makes them take a chance on the book. It also has had a series of eye-catching covers. Essentially, I think Pestilence gives a memorable first impression, and I think that’s greatly contributed to the book’s—and the entire series’—success.”
Thalassa is on Facebook (16K followers) and Instagram (36.3K followers) and posts semi-frequently with a focus on creating an authentic connection with readers over book promotion on channels she enjoys engaging on. “Other than that, basic things, like making connections with other authors, saying yes to opportunities, keeping a lookout for good cover designers, and so on, probably contributed to my long term success, though I don’t believe any one of those wholly determined it,” she said.
“I do believe that publishing more frequently leads to overall better sales, but it is a balance,” Thalassa said. “I’m personally a slow writer, and at this time in my life, if I put out more than two books a year, the quality of my work would significantly go down. That would likely lead to fewer sales in the long run, so I try to make sure I release books often enough to keep readers engaged but not so often that they lose faith in my ability to tell a good story.”
Note that Sourcebooks’ imprint Bloom Books (established in 2021) is one of the fastest-growing imprints in the US and partners with self-published authors to market, promote, and distribute their work. Sourcebooks overall dominated Publishers Weekly’s trade paperback bestseller list for 2023, accounting for more than 20 percent of all bestseller slots. The large majority of those titles were from Bloom Books. Learn more.
Emily Wenstrom is a freelance writer and platforming expert and writes award-winning speculative fiction for teens and adults as E. J. Wenstrom.
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, a young adult dystopian novel titled Departures (August 10, 2021). When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to DIY MFA and BookRiot, and co-hosts the Fantasy+Girl Podcast. Learn more at her website.
