October Newsletter Recap (original) (raw)

Happy Sunday!
Cassandra Clare sent a short issue of her newsletter to her subscribers. Despite the shortness, we got a snippet, artwork and news about her appearances in 2025.

Let’s have a look at the snippet first. It’s from Cassie’s Kickstarter project and the story will be in her short story collection Better in Black:

Heaven in Hell’s Despair, the Sebastian and Seelie Queen story from Better in Black. See if you can guess who it’s narrated by…

He brought his lips to my ear. “I’ve been watching you all night,” he whispered.“I highly doubt that. Whatever measure of beauty I may have is far outshone by the ladies of the Court.” And this, of course, was true.

“Oh, no doubt.” He laughed. “You’ve an utterly forgettable face, and yet—” He pulled back, just enough to get a good look at me. “You seem familiar, somehow. Have we met?”

“Never.”

Coal black eyes, cruel lips, a teasing note in his voice—that last the only familiar thing about him. It called to mind my sister Celithe, when she found a mortal to torment. I had once watched her cage a lover on a bed of hot coals. “Dance, my love,” she had crooned, and later, when he fell to the ground and writhed in agony, when the burning coals seared flesh from bone, “Such a beautiful dancer.” I knew well the sound of someone who delighted in suffering.

He let go, and swept into a deep bow. “Sebastian Morgenstern, at your—well, no, that’s ridiculous, not at your service at all. Only at your queen’s.”

“Well met, Sebastian Morgenstern.”

He turned without asking my name.

Any guesses who the narrator could be?

The artwork is for Cassie’s upcoming The Ragpicker King:

“This depiction of Conor and Kel doing what they do most—sitting on a windowsill and talking!—by niru.sky is absolutely beautiful. I love the colors as well as her depiction of the view out over Castellane.”

So pretty, I completely agree with Cassie about the colours. 🙂

And finally, since The Ragpicker King is published in 2025 (4th March), Cassie announced that she would be going on US tour. More information will be shared in a future newsletter and Cassie also teased that she’ll “also be hitting some international locations next year, like England and Italy, so stay tuned.”
So exciting! I always love it when Cassie visits England!

Don’t forget to pre-order The Ragpicker King!