Hello, my dear readers! I am so pleased to let you know that my (seventh!) novel, Lady Safflower, is coming out THIS FRIDAY, June 26th, 2026! Join me for a brand new historical setting (medieval Heian Japan) and cast of characters (we’ll have emperors, ladies, and Buddhist monks—but also fox spirits, demonic courtesans, and tofu-loving goblins…). This era of Japanese history is seen as a tranquil preamble to the age of the samurai that came after it, but in my story, the cracks in that peaceful facade are already starting to show—driven by forces both temporal and supernatural. And if you’re worried about following along in an unfamiliar world, don’t worry. My co-protagonist Jūrō doesn’t know what’s going on either, so you can puzzle it out together, guided by an unlikely cast of creatures and the formidable Fujiwara no Nagako: court lady, poet, and accused madwoman.🌼
We are up for presale orders for the ebook ($2.99 USD) and paperback on most major platforms, with the perennial exception of Amazon, where the Kindle edition and the Amazon edition of the paperback will go live on release day. As we have been doing for the last couple of books, there will be two separate paperback editions: the KDP edition for Amazon, and a Draft2Digital edition for release on the other supported platforms like Barnes & Noble, etc. The text of both are identical, as will be the price ($20 USD), but for Lady Safflower, we—in addition to having the choice of where you want to spend your money—have two different (back) covers from which to choose for your aesthetic enjoyment. The Amazon KDP features a striking red spine and back cover, while the D2D version is a more understated wraparound of the eggshell white of the front cover. Take the OCD-pleasing uniformity of one, or the eye-catching contrast of the other: the decision is yours!
In addition to LS’s release, as is my tradition for pre-publication week (6/21-6/26, 2026), my full back catalogue’s ebooks will be on sale for $1 (USD). Been lurking on here for a while, but hesitant to take the plunge? This week is one of the best times to catch up at a great price!
🪬The God’s Wife: The one that started it all… Arsinoë IV of Egypt fights her sister Cleopatra and Julius Caesar for her land and her life with the help of the Egyptian gods!
🦅Daughter of Eagles (God’s Wife #2): Arsinoë’s daughter, Aetia, tries to find her place between Egypt and Rome by rooting out a dark conspiracy against her reluctant ally, Caesar Augustus!
🐝Children of Actium (God’s Wife #3): Cleopatra’s granddaughter, Drusilla, and Augustus’s grandson, Gaius, are recruited by Aetia to chase another shadowy enemy that threatens them all across the nascent Roman Empire!
🦂Daughter of Scorpions (God’s Wife #4): A dead (and godly) Augustus must help his great-daughter Zosime stop her secret father, the scheming Praetorian prefect Sejanus, from destroying their family and stealing an empire!
🗽The Flight of Virtue: Aaron Burr’s daughter, Theodosia, teams up with Sally Hemings to save the Marquis de Lafayette from the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution!
🐆The Gourd and the Stars: A young, disabled doctor discovers love, adventure, and herself during the fall of the medieval Latin kingdom of Jerusalem!
Sarah Holz 
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