Release Day is Here! Once Upon a Blue Moon Is Out in the World

by Avery Arujo | Jul 1, 2025 | Book Updates, Once Upon a Blue Moon

I can’t believe I’m actually typing this.

Once Upon a Blue Moon is officially out in the world today.

It’s fine. I’m fine.

Truthfully, this is a day I wasn’t sure would ever come. Anxiety and I are old frenemies. My go-to response to anything exciting is: “Everyone will hate it and also me.” (Shoutout to intrusive thoughts for always being early to the party.) But I’m doing my best to shut that noise down and focus on something more important: this book is finished. It’s here. It’s real. And I am so proud of it. I hope you are, too.

Hazel and Blake (my two leads in this book) came to me during the first year of the pandemic. At the time, they were part of a cozy little paranormal rom-com idea. Nothing too serious. Just magic, moonlight, and maybe a kiss or two. But as I kept writing, something shifted. Bianca started to take up more space. Then Ravena appeared, fully formed, with a mysterious past and plans of her own. Suddenly, this wasn’t just a love story. It was the beginning of a battle for Moonridge. Sure there is romance, but there’s also mystery, and the stakes really grew. Suddenly it wasn’t so much about Blake trying to figure out how to handle boobs, and Hazel worrying about using the restroom as a guy. The stakes were much, much bigger.

And then it grew even bigger because a bigger bad showed up. (Because of course it did.) But I’m getting ahead of myself. They don’t come into full view until book two.

To say that the story exploded in my hands in the best possible way would be an understatement. By fall of 2024, I had committed to making this a series. As soon as I sent Blue Moon to my beta readers, I dove straight into book 2. I wanted to make sure my idea would work and I would have enough content. And boy, do I ever. As of today, I’m switching between editing book two and plotting out books three and four. Yes, each book will have new leads falling in love amidst paranormal chaos. Spoiler alert: You’ve already met two of the leads for books three and four if you’ve read Blue Moon. Their love interests will be introduced in book two.

I’m getting ahead of myself. More to come on that. For now, all I can say is I hope you fall in love with this town and these characters, because there’s so much more coming and it would really suck if no one read it. 🙂 I can’t wait to share it all with you.

One last request, if you read Once Upon a Blue Moon, please take a few minutes to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads (or wherever you share bookish thoughts). It makes a huge difference, especially for a debut indie author. And if you want even more Moonridge in your life, sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know about sneak peeks, exclusive extras, and early reader opportunities.

Speaking of early reader opportunities, I’m hoping to have Book 2 ready for early readers around the beginning of September. If all goes as planned, It’ll be available on NetGalley, BookSprout, and StoryOrigin.

One last note, we are working on building an automated contact page so you can send in questions, theories, or character crushes, and I’ll be answering some of them on the blog. He’s hoping to be able to build it so it will weed out spam and hate mail to keep my anxiety at bay. Fingers crossed.

This journey has been weird and wild and wonderful, and it’s only just getting started.

Thanks for being here.

Welcome to Moonridge. 💙

Love,

Avery

One More Week and the Magic of Moonridge Begins!

by Avery Arujo | Jun 24, 2025 | Book Updates, Once Upon a Blue Moon

I can’t believe we’re just one week away from the release of my debut novel, Once Upon a Blue Moon! This story (the first in my Welcome to Moonridge series) has been living rent-free in my head (and heart) since the early days of the pandemic.

It all started during COVID lockdowns, when I, like many of you, was searching for a little magic and escape. That’s when Hazel and Blake first appeared. A sarcastic witch. A grumpy werewolf. And then … they swapped bodies. I couldn’t stop thinking about them. What started as a fun novella idea quickly spiraled into something much bigger (and way more chaotic) in unexpected ways.

Enter Bianca. Or as you’ll come to know her, Ravena, the town’s perfectly polished, suspiciously serene wellness guru. Once she stepped onto the page, I knew Once Upon a Blue Moon wasn’t just a one-off story. It was the beginning of something bigger.

By the time I finished the first draft, I was fully in love—with Moonridge, with the characters, with the idea of building a series where love, magic, and mystery collide in one charmingly weird town. I dove straight into writing book two (Date Night With Death), not only to keep my momentum, but to make sure I could truly commit to the long game. Spoiler alert: I could. I did. I’m all in.

So what’s next?

Each book in the Welcome to Moonridge series will center around a new couple finding love while facing off against something supernatural and sinister. You’ll revisit familiar faces (and meet a few new ones), and a much bigger, darker threat will begin to unfold in book two (something even more dangerous than Ravena).

Book two stars Mina, the human B&B owner with a love of baked goods and giving unasked-for advice, and her unlikely love interest: the actual Grim Reaper. (Yes, you read that right.)

I have plans for at least 4–5 books following this arc, and honestly, I already have more ideas than I know what to do with. Moonridge is alive in my head, and I can’t wait to invite you in.

Thank you for being part of this journey. I’ll be back soon with more updates, but in the meantime … mark your calendars, pre-order if you haven’t yet, and get ready to fall under Moonridge’s spell.