Hi, I’m EMILY “E.L.” STARLING. I write YA speculative fiction novels full of longing and twisty secrets. My debut novel, BOUND BY STARS, comes out July 1, 2025! Follow along for book news and other updates.
Happy spring equinox! The fickle PNW signs are here in Portland. The rain is falling between stints of brilliant sunshine, the chickadees are chick-a-dee-dee-deeing outside my window, and it’s slighter warmer until another wintry wind sweeps through the city.
I love every rainy day because it makes where I live and hike so green. (You’re wrong, Bella Swan, “too green” is not a thing.) Soon enough the hot and relentless summer weather will be here. In about 15 weeks to be exact—about the time Bound By Stars will be out in the world!
BOOK UPDATE
Three and a half months to release day! Preorder campaign is up, ARCs are going out very soon, and the cover is revealed. Originally BOUNDLESS, the book has a new title: BOUND BY STARS.
Preorder your copy almost anywhere. You can go to the big names in books: bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon. OR check your local bookstore’s website like White Oak Books in Vancouver, WA.
WHAT I’M WORKING ON
As Bound by Stars goes to print, I’m going back into a reedit of my speculative summer romance/horror/mystery, as well as pumping myself up for drafting the sequel to Bound by Stars. The outline is complete enough, and I love spending time with these characters, but drafting is always a little painful. I’ve been working at home (as my cat, Pigeon, allows) for the majority of the winter, but it’s probably time to get lost in a crowd to get these words down (and bribe myself with a fancy latte.)
I’ll also be attending my first ever author event with Entangled Teen: YallWest 2025 in Santa Monica!
WHAT I’M READING
As I prepare to head to YallWest in 6 weeks, I’ve been catching up on all the books I missed from the attending authors. It’s turned into a bit of a reading challenge.
Last read: A Cruel Thirst by Angela Montoya—My first vampire book in a long time. Loved it! Great characters and lore.
Current read: The Dividing Sky by Jill Tew—It had me at “memory merchant.”
Next read: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal—If the story is as good as the cover, I’m in for a treat.
BEHIND THE WRITING
In my other life, I’m currently working on a series of large papercut shadow boxes for a museum exhibit and a new summer design for my company, Bird Mafia, (maybe something…spacey?!) and getting out on the trails as much as possible. It’s been a while. I kind of hunkered down for the fall/winter to finish edits, but spring/early summer are when the waterfalls really show off.
SPRING
Goodbye, winter. No one will miss you. I suppose I can’t actually speak for everyone. But I will not miss you until the first 80+ degree day of summer.
I made an agreement with myself that I would start running again as soon as spring arrived, so I’ll be shaking of the hours of editing and breaking in my pretty new running shoes this transitional season. Thoughts and prayers for my IT bands, please.
Speaking of seasons—After a year of seasonal newsletters, I’m going to change things up a bit as we get closer to my debut hitting shelves. There are more exciting things happening, so more to update you on. I plan to switch to every other month instead of every three, so I’m still not flooding your inboxes!
Now, if you’ll excuse me…my coffee is ready.
P.S. If you missed it in my last newsletter, here’s a brief version of last season’s topic:
Why do I write YA?
I read widely, but YA has a special place in my heart. After a very difficult time in my life, Young Adult books drew me back into reading. I healed in books like The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller, If I Stay by Gayle Foreman, and, of course, Hunger Games. Yes, even Twilight.
YA, even at its most tragic, still has a sense of hope. There’s something magical and uplifting about joining characters who are plagued by their looming adulthood, but not yet jaded by it. Everything feels possible.
Hope is precious. And I love writing stories that leave readers with the magic of possibility.
Pre-ordering from my local independent bookstore!