(Hi ,

I hope you’re doing well and that kinder weather is coming, wherever you are! We’re still under a mountain of snow up here in Montreal.

You know what my favourite romantasy trope of all time is? Marriage of convenience! Along with every possible variation: arranged marriage, political marriage, marriage as rescue — I love them all! And when you put those into a lush, epic fantasy story, it gets even better.

So I’ve been having a great time writing marriage of convenience into my novel Realmcrosser, which I’ll release in early 2027. I’ve given myself the challenge of writing 40,000 words during March to get it out sooner, and tropes like this make the writing process so deliciously fun!

I wanted to share my favourite excerpt with you so far. Here’s a quick scene where my MMC Toren, faced with jeering wedding guests, decides to take matters into his own hands…

Toren could barely breathe. As a wave of laughter rose through the assembled guests, he was suddenly irate that they should desecrate this moment with their mockery. He would make it up to Eira somehow.

He bent down and kissed her.