the Author
August
6
45 Comments

It’s CAST IN ATONEMENT pub day!

Posted in Cast, Elantra, Publication.

Today is Cast in Atone­ment’s publi­ca­tion day — where, in theory, the book is avail­able for purchase every­where in trade paper­back, ebook and audiobook.Cast in Atonement front cover

I really like the cover for this one, and the clothing Kaylin is wearing might seem familiar. Because it is :)

I had not intended this book to be what it became — although by this point, I think I’m 50/50 on inten­tion and result. It’s the usual diffi­culty for me: I have a plan, and it looks good in four sentences on paper.

But as I write actual book words, the conse­quences of the prior book or books rear up and smack me upside the head. So my first chapter – intended to be one angry Bellusdeo and her possible rela­tion­ship issues – was very imme­di­ately and heavily derailed. In cases like this, I accept the derail­ment because it’s so heavily entwined with the char­acter. All of Bellus­deo’s ranting is completely forgotten because from chapter one, it’s no longer impor­tant – to Bellusdeo.

(To para­phrase a much used internet quote: well, well, well, if it isn’t the conse­quences of my own decisions.)

I really don’t recom­mend reading Cast in Atone­ment if you haven’t read Cast in Eter­nity, as the two are more tightly entwined than I’d intended. (Sort of like Cast in Peril & Cast in Sorrow were.)

Happy book day, Cast in Atonement!

45 Responses to It’s CAST IN ATONEMENT pub day!

  1. Ashley W says:
    August 6, 2024 at 6:47 am

    WHAT?! How did this sneak up on me? I was going to do a reread first! Oh well guess I’ll read it then do a reread to refresh 😁! So much for what I was reading while I waited!!!

  2. michelle says:
    August 6, 2024 at 6:49 am

    @Ashley: that’s pretty much how I felt — wait, wait, it can’t be the 6th of August already!!! What happened to July? T_T

  3. Lee Tincher says:
    August 6, 2024 at 8:17 am

    Excel­lent! I’ve been patiently waiting as your writing always captures my imag­i­na­tion and sends me exploring new worlds. Please continue writing.

  4. Zia says:
    August 6, 2024 at 8:18 am

    I’m so happy it’s finally out! It’s been a terrible year and this was one of the few things I’ve been looking forward to…and one of the fewer things I know that was entirely safe to be excited about because while most every­thing else has been a bit of a disaster, these novels are always the bright spot to the year!

    I had a tricky time chasing down sample chap­ters, but finally found some was that only added to my excitement. 

    The book might not have gone as intended but I absolutely loved it. While I love the series as a whole, this one is defi­nitely top 5, maybe top 3 for me. Thank you, as always, for writing it!

  5. Joey says:
    August 6, 2024 at 8:36 am

    Congrat­u­la­tions! I will look for it in Glasgow.

  6. Elizabeth G says:
    August 6, 2024 at 8:55 am

    Found it early on a store shelf over the weekend (YAY soft release!) — I’m a little over a third of the way through and certainly am enjoying it!

    Yesterday at lunch i worked hard to not snarl at the coworkers asking ques­tions.… or my phone reminding me to clock back in :)

  7. Taen says:
    August 6, 2024 at 9:15 am

    I derailed the entire of my morning to read Cast in Atone­ment, and loved it! Ugh, there are parts I’d love to comment on and enthuse about, but it’s so early after release that I’d only be spoiling it for everyone. It was a wonderful contin­u­a­tion to the Elantra story, and I had almost happy tears in my eyes at the ending. I will pop back and enthuse some more when it is spoiler-safe to do so. :)

  8. Elizabeth G says:
    August 6, 2024 at 9:54 am

    so checking on Amazon, i see that it (currently) only has one middling rating, no reviews (no surprise it just came out and we are in the morning time of that day) but the link in the author bio is to your word­press that hasn’t been updated since Dec 2013.

    CLEARLY we know how to find you but I didn’t know if this was some­thing that might have fallen off a to-do list somewhere.

    also, feel free to delete this comment as it doesn’t truly have anything to do with the wonder­ful­ness that is your latest book

  9. Jb says:
    August 6, 2024 at 10:00 am

    Outstanding. Been reading the others books in the series with tng. Thank you so much

  10. Elizabeth says:
    August 6, 2024 at 10:08 am

    Michelle, a publi­ca­tion day from you is a happy day for me! The magic of pre-ordered books is waking up to both ebook and audio in my library. I agree about this cover. With the series grouped together in my kindle app, I can see all the covers together. They are gorgeous!
    I just aban­doned the book I feel asleep reading last night. The joy of a new Kaylin mystery!

  11. jennifermorris11 says:
    August 6, 2024 at 10:31 am

    Excited for this one and I also delight in pre-order (I checked before bed last night just in case it came early … )! Does anyone know of a “story so far” summary posted some­where in the inter-lands? I am trav­eling and can’t wait to start this one, but do feel like a need a refresher after Michelle’s comments about being inter­twined with Cast in Eter­nity. Happy Pub Day, Michelle, and Happy Book Birthday to Cast in Atonement.

  12. Joyce says:
    August 6, 2024 at 11:12 am

    Well, like others this caught me flat-footed. For some unfath­omable reason it was not written in my planner/calendar, which I usually do, and i had in my head I still had two weeks to wait. I’m so happy!! My day is disrupted but there is no one here that cares so I shall read. I’m wondering if i ought to do a reread of Eter­nity first? Thank you!

  13. Cyn Wise says:
    August 6, 2024 at 11:47 am

    Woohoo! Mine has already hit my e‑reader and I can’t wait to start it! Thanks, Michelle!

  14. Jana says:
    August 6, 2024 at 12:37 pm

    I am so excited to read this book you have no idea 😅 thank you so much for contin­uing to write my absolute favorite book series of all time! Your hard work does not go unap­pre­ci­ated and we love you and your awesome storytelling

  15. Estara Swanberg says:
    August 6, 2024 at 12:39 pm

    Reading right now, wohoo ^^

  16. Gretchen says:
    August 6, 2024 at 2:59 pm

    Yessss! I’ve been so antsy for this release and wondering why I wasn’t seeing anyone talking about it. 

    Awesome to have the preorder show up on my Kindle today; going to be hard to stay focused on work!

  17. michelle says:
    August 6, 2024 at 6:03 pm

    @Elizabeth G: my attempt to *find* where a website is linked on Amazon has been entirely unsuc­cessful on the first attempt. I think I was told, an age ago, that author pages were Impor­tant, so I filled out the then-current infor­ma­tion and… left it alone. So, yes, as you guessed, it fell off a to-do list, and trav­eled to the molten core of author brain, where it dissolved completely =/

  18. Jade says:
    August 6, 2024 at 6:31 pm

    A couple weeks ago, my company shut down for a week. I took the time to reread some of the earlier books. It’s amazing how much more I got out of them. There were so many little details that I missed the first time. Some things I picked up on now that I have the back­ground. The two Wolves books also helped filled in some of the missing info. Looking forward to reading this. Going to save it for the weekend so that I’m not up to 2AM and have to wake up at 6AM to get ready for work.

  19. Mathew Foster says:
    August 6, 2024 at 8:10 pm

    Awesome can’t wait to get a hold of a copy. Please keep them coming :)

  20. Therese says:
    August 6, 2024 at 8:17 pm

    I can’t believe it’s already August! I got an email noti­fi­ca­tion that my book is on it’s way. Here’s hoping I receive it soon!

  21. br60103 says:
    August 6, 2024 at 8:28 pm

    Had an eMail from Chap­tigo on Friday that my book was being shipped. A check of the web showed some copied on the store shelves on the weekend, but I restrained myself. Final eMail came after lunch today.

  22. MFG says:
    August 7, 2024 at 1:01 am

    Another fantastic install­ment. Now I’m anxiously awaiting the right blog to talk spoilers.

  23. Karen says:
    August 7, 2024 at 10:10 am

    Congrats and thanks for the update and for the new installment…must be summer brain (summer always goes faster than I want it to), but it also surprised me. Cast in Eter­nity now in my “read on transit today” bag while I await my new copy.

  24. Asia says:
    August 7, 2024 at 1:38 pm

    Love it! Amazing story!! So much is happening!! Thank you for the book!!

  25. michelle says:
    August 7, 2024 at 5:41 pm

    @Joey: I wish I could look for it in Glasgow T_T

  26. michelle says:
    August 7, 2024 at 5:45 pm

    @Zia: I’m sorry it’s been a terrible year =/. It’s been a chal­lenging 2024 for us so far with regards to house repair and costs (and the attempt to have the front of the house painted resulted in a shat­tered storm window, so unex­pected window replace­ment is now also on the cards). But: I am very happy to be a bright spot in an other­wise chal­lenging year :)

  27. Crystal Smith says:
    August 8, 2024 at 9:24 pm

    Gosh I loved it!! And have sooo many ques­tions. I have a huge book hang over the two books I’ve been waiting on all year long (this was the second) have been read and now I’m at a loss. So where can I ask questions.…..

  28. Louise Rankin says:
    August 12, 2024 at 4:28 pm

    Is there any chance audio­books books 4 to and including book 9 as I wanted to read the whole series but books 4 – 9 were missing on audible uk site

  29. Becky Trosino says:
    August 15, 2024 at 11:15 pm

    I re-read Eter­nity first and agree that these books defi­nitely should be read together. I was a little worried when I saw this one wasn’t as thick as previous books… but oh man… meaty. And yes… publishers might prefer a word cap, but readers certainly don’t!! I await with antic­i­pa­tion and thinly veiled impa­tience for the proper Spoiler thread so proper gushing can commence.

  30. Jeanine says:
    August 18, 2024 at 4:03 pm

    I read it and then reread it to see details I missed the first time through. Enjoyed it both times. This book goes on my keeper shelf! Thank you for writing it!

  31. Valerie Mackey says:
    August 22, 2024 at 12:37 pm

    LOVED this book, but I have a ques­tion which occurred in it: WHEN did Kaylin bring Severn a name for himself from the Lake? I’m obvi­ously going to have to reread all the books again (which I do love to do!) but my current recol­lec­tion is that Kaylin brought her own name from the Lake and the part of the High Lords name that was missing. Not a name for Severn — I thought he can talk with her inter­nally because he holds HER name? Or did I miss something.

  32. Kristal says:
    August 22, 2024 at 3:02 pm

    Valerie, I am rereading starting with when the cohort take the test of name trying to figure that out too. It plainly says he doesn’t have one in this book at the start so now I have to read every­thing up until the new book again
    Love the new book. Missed Belusudeo in the last one and am glad she was featured in this one

  33. Gretchen says:
    August 22, 2024 at 7:24 pm

    I’ve been checking back every day hoping to get a spoiler thread because I wanted to ask the same ques­tion about Severn’s name! 😂

  34. Karen V says:
    August 22, 2024 at 9:07 pm

    I absolutely LOVE this series and the newest addi­tion. I have reread every book at least three times. Though each new install­ment has a great story line, the real invest­ment for me in these books are the char­ac­ters. Learning about their person­al­i­ties, their histo­ries and “seeing” their devel­op­ment. I know that you have spent many years gifting the world with the series and I know this takes a lot of commit­ment and time away from family & friends but PLEASE , PLEASE tell me that this is not the end!! There are still so many ques­tions / plots left unfin­ished. What happens with the Outcaste,
    Bellusdeo & Emmerian? What of the Acad­emia? What happens with Shadow, Ravellon & those still enslaved there? How does the Keeper finally find his peace? Most impor­tantly, what happens between Kaylin, Night­shade & Severn? Does Kaylin finally grow past the Past and acknowl­edge real LOVE???

  35. Gail Halsted says:
    August 24, 2024 at 12:23 am

    It’s taken some time for THE book to reach me. Michelle is in Canada. I am in New Zealand and Amazon sent the book to me from India
    Go figure. Reached me on 23rd August. Still reading as plot is complex (no complaints)

  36. Joey says:
    August 28, 2024 at 1:04 am

    Happy Book Day!

  37. Megan Elizabeth Mary Van Schyndel says:
    August 30, 2024 at 7:50 pm

    Ahh! I just read the part about severn having a name and imme­di­ately jumped online to try to find a way to ask the author about it 😭😅, I have read every book in this series (the the seven and acad­emia spin offs), I’ve also ready the first 7 books at least 5 times over the years and have been working on my own summaries to quickly read when a new book comes out every year. SEVERN DOESN’T HAVE A TRUE NAME she only carried two, one in each hand, from the lake, hers and the high lords! This is the first incon­sis­tency I’ve found in the entire series 😭😭 what happened!

  38. michelle says:
    September 3, 2024 at 1:28 pm

    @Megan: I am going to have to go back and reread. I think you’re right — I think the reason she can speak to him is, in fact, that she has the name and he knows it. 

    Pardon me while I go and beat my head against the wall now.

    (Severn, if you’ve read his two in-the-past books, is a bit unusual, but a lot of things haven’t really hit the page, so they’re amor­phous to me; they exist as things I’ve thought about or jotted notes about, but… not on the page.)

  39. Gretchen says:
    September 3, 2024 at 5:09 pm

    @michelle: please be gentle with that head and all of its amor­phous notions and spec­u­la­tions! I really enjoyed the Severn-centered stories and finally getting some of his POV. Self­ishly hoping for more of that in the future but you and the health of your head come first ;-)

  40. Mary Allen says:
    September 15, 2024 at 11:02 am

    We know Severn knows Kaylin’s name because in another book he tried to use it against her in order to keep her from doing some­thing and then wouldn’t talk to her for awhile because of the quilt of trying to control Kaylin. I think it works like the Tha’ala­nari know a Barrani name an use it and Severn used that same name in Sword and Shadow while in the West March.

  41. michelle says:
    September 15, 2024 at 11:13 am

    @everyone re Severn’s name: The first comment about this was right. Severn knows Kaylin’s name. Severn does not, on the page, have a name. He is… unusual, but largely human; if you asked him, he would tell you he was human. He has magic poten­tial, but the only thing it’s ever been trained for is the use of the weapon. Things about Severn are compli­cated, but: the control he attempted to exert was his knowl­edge of Kaylin’s True Name.

    I really, really apol­o­gize for this confu­sion — this is entirely on me. I under­stand how it escaped into the world, but if I hadn’t written it, it wouldn’t have. T_T

    @Marinamoon: Thank you so much! For me, that author was Terry Pratchett. I could approach his books, and find their heart, in any state of mind and in any situ­a­tion — and I was so grateful for his books.

  42. Mary Lynn Allen says:
    September 16, 2024 at 10:17 am

    I am so grateful for your books. They are my go to when­ever I need to escape. I love the books and really don’t care if Severn has a name. I just pray you keep writing. I reread Hidden City twice a year and all the Cast books and Sun Sword books once a year before a new one comes out. Thanks again.

  43. Robin W. Crabtree says:
    October 14, 2024 at 6:33 pm

    Thanks for clar­i­fying Severn’s name or no name. I was confused!

  44. LEE KLADKY says:
    December 29, 2024 at 2:18 pm

    I love the Elantra series, but the House War series is also great. It said that “War” was the final book in the series, but it seems like many things are unre­solved. Will there be any more sequels? THANKS — LOVE YOUR BOOKS!

  45. michelle says:
    December 29, 2024 at 4:17 pm

    @Lee: There is another book. If you’re on the web-site to comment, you can look at the bibli­og­raphy drop-down. There is a final arc: THE BURNING CROWN. The first book, HUNTER’S REDOUBT, is avail­able now; the second book, THE WILD ROAD, will be avail­able in 2025 (hope­fully March at the latest).

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