Dear readers, today I’m overjoyed to finally announce that Corpses and Cognac is about to release. Mark your calendars for March 5th, or simply hop over to your favorite online retailers and preorder your copy now.

It’s been a long journey to get here. Before Bones and Bourbon even released, I’d been hard at work figuring out what a sequel would look like. A lot has changed since that initial draft, written and rewritten while I was still in college, and the past two years alone have resulted in…three entirely different drafts of the same book. Hoo boy.

But the wait is almost over! And to prepare for this momentous occasion, I’d like to show you all the cover. Feast your eyes on this!

Gorgeous, isn’t it? M. Brackett really knocked it out of the park with this one. This cover encompasses the entire book pretty damn well, with the core of it being one of my favorite scenes (one that’s pivotal to me as it’s…the only scene that’s remained intact through every completed draft).

Let’s look at the full illustration, shall we?

Now that you’ve seen the whole thing, what can you expect? Well, let’s check out that back cover text…

An ancient leviathan lies buried under the town of Arcata, California—which isn’t a problem until its head goes missing and its ghost threatens to destroy the entire town. Sounds like a typical case for possessed hairdresser Retz and cursed bounty hunter Jarrod, the half-huldra Gallows brothers. But the case soon turns complicated with a string of disappearances, a madcap carnival promising eternal bliss, and a motorcycle gang of minotaurs plotting against mysterious strangers that are neither human nor monster.

Lucky for the Gallows brothers, they have staunch allies…or at least they have Nalem, the necromancer ghost who “borrows” Retz’s body, and Farris, Jarrod’s daredevil boyfriend coming to grips with his new un-life as a Faerie. Everyone else they thought of as friends show a different face in the funhouse mirrors, and old foes beg to be saved from “The Happiest Place Out of This World”.

This case will shake Retz and Jarrod to their cores, forcing them to question everything they know about themselves and their loved ones. It’ll be a struggle to save the day with their bodies and minds intact…which means it’s the perfect time for a drink. Sit back and raise a glass—the Gallows brothers ride again!

Lot of stuff going on in this book. We’ve got a motorcycle gang of minotaurs. A mysterious carnival (perhaps connected to the one Retz found in Bones and Bourbon?). A leviathan ghost who, if the cover is anything to go boy, does not play nicely with the Gallows Brothers. And so much more, from old faces returning in new lights to strange creatures we’ve yet to meet. And at the heart is a story about two brothers trying to keep each other alive while holding true to who they are, no matter how the world around them tries to tear them down.

Also, like with the self-published rerelease of Bones and Bourbon, Corpses and Cognac will feature some snazzy extras.

I’m so excited for all of you to be able to read it.

And me…I’m going to let the Gallows Brothers and their pals take a mental vacation while I plot out book 3. It’s going to be tough to topple this book, but I’ve got some fun ideas and revelations brewing already. But after a full year of editing and crash-coursing through the self-publishing world, I think we’re allowed to take a break to brainstorm and dabble with other projects. Fear not though; book 3 will be written and ready to go before you know it. Knowing me, I won’t be able to stay away from writing more Deadly Drinks longer than a month or two.

In the meantime, I’ll be on Twitter talking all about Corpses and Cognac for the week leading up to the March 5th release. There will be QAs! Info on what kind of myths I used for the story and my research process for Arcata CA, the town where the book takes place! Even a talk about queer identity in the book, as it ended up becoming an important factor in the heart of the plot–and myself as well! Check me out over at @DorianGravesFTW. I’ll see about rounding up the posts over here as well!