by Avery Arujo | Aug 11, 2025 | Book Updates, Date Night With Death
OK. I couldn’t wait any longer. I spent all last week and this past weekend finalizing “Date Night With Death”. It’s done. I can’t edit it down any further. I feel like the voices are strong, the story is tight, and the stakes have been raised. It’s time to wrap this one up so I can get back to writing book three.
This book was originally slated for release on October 7, but since I’m my own publisher and it’s essentially ready, I’ve moved the publication date up two weeks to September 23. It’s available now for Kindle pre-order, and paperback pre-orders will be up as soon as I’ve confirmed that the printed proof looks great.
I’m still planning to have ARCs available (electronic only) at the end of this month. Keep an eye on the blog and be sure to sign up for the newsletter so you can be the first to know when they are available.
As I’ve mentioned before, this book is darker than Blue Moon. There are still moments of levity, but there is also death in the mix, which is inevitable when the Grim Reaper is part of the story. Just a heads up that it contains references to:
- Cancer (specifically a brain tumor)
- Attempted suicide
- Death and grief
- Mentions of domestic abuse
- Mentions of abortion
- Mentions of infidelity
The cancer storyline is deeply personal. My aunt lived with the same diagnosis featured in this book, and many aspects of the character’s journey were inspired by what she experienced. Writing those scenes was emotional for me. Reading them might be emotional for you, too.
That said, I can’t wait for you to meet Dex and dive into his and Mina’s story. And without further ado, here’s the final cover art.
by Avery Arujo | Jul 20, 2025 | Book Updates, Date Night With Death
I know, I know—I’m behind on blog posts. This one was meant to go up Friday, and here we are on Sunday. But I promise, I’ve got a good excuse: I just finished line edits for Date Night With Death! The manuscript is officially off to my amazing proofreaders for the final round.
If you’ve been following along, you know I wrote the first two Welcome to Moonridge books back to back. After polishing up Blue Moon and getting it out into the world, I returned to Date Night for another read-through to reorient myself, and that’s when something unexpected happened. I had a breakthrough!
While working through a chapter that felt like it was missing something, the missing piece of a future plot thread clicked into place. I’ve already outlined books three, four, and part of five, but there was a lingering issue I hadn’t quite figured out. It had been gnawing at me in the background, but a little voice kept saying, “Leave it. It’ll make sense later.” And it finally did. The writing gods and goddesses are so weird!
Once I saw how to fix it, I got excited. Like, really excited. I ended up expanding a minor side character’s role. She’s now a major player, not just in Date Night, but in the books to come. That shift meant cutting three chapters and writing four new ones, but I can honestly say the book (and the series) is going to be stronger for it.
Here’s what’s next:
- I expect to get proof edits back by mid-August.
- After that, I will dive into typesetting the paperback.
- The cover is pretty much good to go, but I’m going to sit on it for a while. I’m planning to reveal it on Friday, August 15th.
- In the coming weeks, I’ll also be sharing new character bios, including the fabulous Real Vampire Wives of Obsidian Hills.
- We’re still working on the contact form for the site. Hopefully, it won’t be much longer.
If you’re a reviewer, ebook advance copies will be available on StoryOrigin and NetGalley around the beginning of September.
There’s still a lot to do, and even more to share. Stay tuned!
