BRI EBERHART

Hey Strangers,

This monthly wrap-up is long-winded (it’s taken me three days to write and format because life is now hectic), so bear with me! We have a lot to cover.

I’m happy to say that I’ve finally finished outlining Strangers # 3 and am now drafting. I’ve set a deadline to complete the first draft by September 1st, so I’m now officially in “let’s do this” mode.

I have thoughts on how I want to finish the series—draft, edit, send to beta readers, work with my editor, and then get (early?) ARC readers to read the finale and answer some questions before I send it out as an ACTUAL ARC, so there’s no publishing date in mind yet, but a very very early estimate is sometime around spring/summer 2026, but don’t hold me to that!

I would love to give this book to you tomorrow if I could, but I don’t want to rush it. I want to provide the characters with an ending they deserve, I want the finale to be satisfying for readers, I want everything to come full circle and produce something I can be proud of. So, while there’s an incessant need to create, create, create, I’m forcing myself to slow down. I promise, it’ll be worth the wait! I think we’ll all be better off for it if I don’t rush for the sake of just having another book to publish. 

Now that I’ve fully committed to S3 and given myself a deadline, that does mean that MonsterHouse is going to be taking a bit of a break. While I’d love to be able to draft two books at once, it’s just not happening for me. I’m hoping once I’m in the flow of things with S3, I can maybe dabble with MH every now and then as a passion project, but I need to, for the most part, just accept that I should keep my focus on one thing at the moment, and that thing is finishing up the Strangers series.

(At least, the main series. I do have future ideas on Strangers-related things that I’ll be publishing later down the pipeline, but for now, finishing up Gemma and Theo’s story is my main concern.)

And because I don’t talk about it often, but figured it’s worth mentioning again, I am still querying agents with my adult romantic fantasy. And very recently, I started looking at smaller publishers to submit to directly, so happy (and overwhelmed?) to report that I have many plates spinning!

Lastly, I’ll post it when it comes out, but I did just recently record an interview with Lindsey from Lindsey Byrd in Writing is Hard! We cover everything from self-publishing to querying agents and everything in between. It should go live in July!

April was one for the books on events. I had two back-to-back events, the Read It & Eat Book Fair and Indie Bookstore Day, and I sold 50 books between the two.

I also had a ton of people sign up for my newsletter, so if you swung by my table recently at one of these events, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Having real-time reactions of readers getting excited about Strangers is just mind-blowing, honestly. It’s so surreal, but I’m full of gratitude. 

I have another event coming up in June, so stay tuned for details. I’ll also post about it on Instagram, so make sure you’re following me there.

Can I just say how hard it is to write about a revolution while living in one? I think the reason why it took me SO LONG to figure out how Gemma and Theo’s story ended was because, as of this moment in time, our own future in the United States is so uncertain.

Strangers is a very political book. While it’s (contemporary) fantasy and focuses on mutants, there are still a lot of parallels to what’s happening in today’s world.

But… the thing is… I was never supposed to write current affairs. When I started Strangers, more specifically, Obey, my first ever novel, which is the book I’ll be publishing later that’s Strangers-related, my books were still fantasy—those what-ifs were still what-ifs.

Now, those what-ifs are here at our door, and it’s very scary. There’s still, of course, a more dramatized version in my books—radio waves, government mind control, microchips in brains—you can still connect the dots and see that some things line up in frightening ways. So, while I do what I can, contact my reps by phone or email, share important information, and protest in Buffalo, I know it’s not enough. We need real change and can only get there if everyone uses their voices.

If you are able, I implore you to speak up. The government doesn’t want you to use your voice, so the best thing you can do is to use it. Don’t let them have that power over you. Read banned books. Learn what you can about the government and how a democracy is SUPPOSED to work, and don’t let them fool you. 

So, with that said, here’s another upcoming event in Buffalo, if you happen to be local:

On a happier note, I just had my second annual writer’s retreat with two of my favorite people: Kate & Michelle!

Michelle’s book debuts this month, so make sure The Divide That Binds Us is on your TBR. It’s available as of 05/16/25.

A weekend away talking about books with two great friends is always refreshing. I already can’t wait until next year.

Since last month’s newsletter, I’ve read The Hawthorne Legacy (The Inheritance Games #2) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and All The Whys Of Delilah’s Demise by Neve Maslakovic.

I’m currently reading I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew and Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe.

(I’m now reading at a snail’s pace because life has become busy and I’m back in drafting mode.)

To circle back to my above comments about the government, you should really listen to Money Game and Money Game Pt 2 by Ren.

Both songs have made it to my Strangers # 3 playlist, and I can’t get enough of them. (Pt 3 is good, too, but a bit different from the first two).

Like my reading, my TV watching also took a big hit this past month. I feel like I haven’t watched anything, but I am trying to keep up with the latest season of The Handmaid’s Tale and Grey’s Anatomy & forever trying to finish Ghost Whisperer, lol. 

There are just not enough hours in the day!

Please take note that this is a system to spotlight other indie authors per their request. These titles have not been vetted and readers are encouraged to do their due diligence beforehand.

Whew, we did it!

Until next time friends!
Stay strange,
Bri