March 2025
Hello, you glorious creatures!
Welcome to spring, and the official countdown to the release of THE SCROLLS OF TIME! The covers are being finalized, the book files are finished, the marketing plan is in place, and we are rocking and rolling. The book is coming May 20, and to celebrate, I’m doing things a bit differently this time.
First things first: I am so excited to share that the book is available on Netgalley for your early looks. I hope you love it, and if you do read early and you do love it (you will, I promise), please leave a rating or review at the site of your choosing.
Secondly, in a very cool update, you can now pre-order all formats, not just digital! Here’s a little teaser to wet your appetite…
In this shattering conclusion, CIA Librarian Jayne Thorne faces a god who has brought magic to its knees. Her final battle will require more than courage, more than power—it will demand an impossible choice.
After Odin's devastating victory, the magical world lies in ruins. Libraries burn. Grimoires turn to ash. The TCO is devastated. And Jayne Thorne, the librarian who once protected both magic and memory, stands alone among the wreckage—those she loves lost to the Torrent, her lover and her Rogue beyond her reach.
As Odin's malevolent power grows and his army of Wraiths tightens its grip on the mortal realm, Jayne’s last hope lies in the World Tree, where the Norns weave the threads of destiny. With her dragon Hayden beside her, Jayne must navigate the Tree's treacherous paths to reach these ancient Fates. Only they can bestow the Time Totem—the power to unravel time itself. But the Norns' trials are legendary, designed to break both body and spirit, and they do not grant their gifts lightly.
In THE SCROLLS OF TIME, a cosmic convergence looms that will bind the worlds of magic and mortality forever. Because this time, being clever isn't enough. Being brave isn't enough. To defeat a god, Jayne Thorne might have to become something else entirely.
Third, when the book releases, I will be selling it direct from my store on the website for a nice big fat discount over all the retail sites. You can actually get all the previous books at a nice discount, but Scrolls will be on a very special limited-time release offer.
If you enjoy listening to the Jayne Thorne CIA Librarian books, THE BOOK OF SPIRITS is 50% off for a very limited time. This offer is only valid at the link below!
From the boy, did I mess up files? When I moved us over to this new Substack newsletter, I uploaded all of your addresses to the Joss Walker Dispatch, but they also uploaded to my alter ego’s newsletter! It was a subconscious mistake, I think, because eventually, I’d like to migrate everyone over there, but not until things slow down on the Joss side. But! For those of you who are interested in the thriller world, I would love to have you join me on that side of the fence. I talk about the books I read, give you great recipes, and have tons of news to share.
Plus, I have a craft/writing blog that you might like. No matter what genre we’re working in, the basics stay the same, and this is a deep dive into the writing process.
Enough of all the business stuff. I am in a bookish slump post Onyx Storm. I did score an early look at VE Schwab’s Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil, which was excellent and you will love, but other than that, I can’t seem to get myself into gear. I’ve got several books waiting for me, like Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen, The Ever King by LJ Andrews, Buried Magic by TJ Green, Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas, and of course, Quicksilver by Callie Hart. Any suggestions, from this list or outside of it?
I do want to try my friend Alisha Klapheke’s new pen name, Lila Appleton, and the second book, When The Witch Met The Minotaur, just came out! It’s got sexy times, and a good cozy vibe. Have you read it yet?
There’s nothing better than a nice big stack of books. Always looking for suggestions! And definitely need SOMETHING to break me loose.
That’s it from me—it’s been good to catch up. Grab Scrolls from Netgalley and let me know what you think!
Blessed be,
Joss
Here are some other books to take a look at…
Greywood Conservatory for the Arcane.
Welcome Home.
No one really understood my obsession for poison and deadly plants, so when I was offered a spot at Greywood Conservatory, I thought I'd found acceptance.
I should have remembered appearances can be deceiving.
The professor who delivered my invitation haunts my thoughts. My unlikely friendship with a fae that’s feared by everyone, including professors, is causing tension. And then there’s the quiet and secretive incubus who is fighting his attraction to me.
But classmates and courses aren't the only things I have to worry about. Students are being attacked on campus with no answers in sight.
The magickal world is full of secrets, and I've found myself in the middle of them. I've always thrived among the baneful, but this abyss threatens to be all-consuming.
With secrets and evasions at every turn, will the people closest to me open up, or will fate make the decision for us?
Delaney Murphy has always known she’s the Devil’s daughter. And although the title itself is a burden, she never expects to inherit all her father’s infernal abilities. When her newfound magic begins to poison the people closest to her, Laney must make a choice. To protect the world from the worst she can do, she leaves everyone she loves behind and builds a new life for herself, alone, in a place where she can control the urge to give in to the magic living within her. But when she recognizes a familiar pattern in a string of murders, Laney leaves her peaceful, isolated life behind and goes on the hunt, unleashing a threat she never dreamed possible. Confronting this menacing specter could mean giving in to temptation and becoming the one thing she fears most. Will she use her magic to do the right thing, even if it means hurting the ones she loves?
Woohoo!! I can’t believe we are at this point in the Jayne series. I downloaded from NetGalley and I’m excited to dig in!!