Francesca's Words

Hello lovely readers,

I’m so pleased to announce that Rotting Trees, the first book in the Bezzina’s Emporium of Magical Artefacts and Antiquities trilogy, will release on 31st January 2025. It will be available as an ebook and a paperback from all major retailers. Ask your local bookshop to order it in! It’s available through various wholesalers, so although it might not be on display, you can ask for it to be ordered for collection to shops like Waterstones, Toppings and Co and any independent bookshop in your area. You can also request that your local library buy in a physical or digital copy.

Here are all the order links, including Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Hoopla and BorrowBox. You might remember that we’ve been doing a chapter-per-week read along at the No. 1 Readers’ Club on Patreon all year, and you can still join in – the story won’t wrap up over there until December! Here is a blog post with more release info and chatter. You can also keep up with release news via my newsletter.

There’s a discount on all pre-orders, so make sure you order your copy before release day on 31st January! I’m also sending an exclusive Bezzina’s Emporium standalone short story, Christmas Calamities, to everyone who pre-orders: just email me your proof of purchase at francescas words (at) outlook (dot) com.

If you’d like to try before you buy, you can find reviews and ratings on StoryGraph and GoodReads, and you can read the prologue and first three chapters completely free here. Here’s the blurb:

All the women in Ariel Scarlet’s family die before the age of forty. Family legend blames a cursed Victorian necklace, and Ariel is determined to discover who cursed it and why.

Sophey Cartwright works in Bezzina’s Emporium of Magical Artefacts and Antiquities. She can help Ariel find out the truth… but is Ariel ready to face the past and choose her own place in history?

Enjoy!

Francesca