Exclusive update: COVER REVEAL + Monthly Prizes & Pre-order Now Available

Danielle Trussoni’s Newsletter - December 2022

Dec 10, 2022

Reality and the supernatural collide when an expert puzzle-maker is thrust into an ancient mystery—one with explosive consequences for the fate of humanity—in this suspenseful thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Angelology

“In short: The Puzzle Master = (The Da Vinci Code + The Silent Patient + sprinkle of Stephen King) x gorgeous writing.”—Angie Kim

Hello, friends! I’m so excited to be able to share the cover of my forthcoming novel The Puzzle Master with you! See that guy running toward you through the folding waves of quantum energy? That’s Mike Brink, the hero of the story, an ingenious puzzle solver who becomes entangled in a mystery surrounding an ancient cipher. Three cheers to the cover designers at Random House, who made such an alluring and evocative representation of this story.

To celebrate the cover, and because I’m so excited to be only a few months away from publication, I’d like to introduce…

Monthly Giveaways!

Countdown to the release of The Puzzle Master with me! Every month, I’ll be offering new prizes such as exclusive fiction, personalized editorial feedback, a custom crossword puzzle, signed first editions of my previous books and advanced copies of The Puzzle Master.

With that, I am pleased to kickoff our first set of giveaways with these exciting prize opportunities!

Are you on Goodreads?

Add The Puzzle Master to your Want-to-Read shelf and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a personalized, signed first edition of Angelology.

Are you in a book club?

Invite 5 members of your book club or 5 bookish friends to subscribe to this newsletter and you’ll be entered into a drawing for an advanced copy of The Puzzle Master.

Are you a writer?

Pre-order The Puzzle Master and you’ll be entered to win an editorial evaluation by yours truly. The winner will receive editorial advice on any piece of writing (up to 15 pages). This is an ongoing contest, and the winner will be announced in May 2023.

How to enter:

You can show me which prize(s) you’re entering by emailing me screenshot proof that you qualify (a screenshot of your Goodreads shelf, proof of pre-order, and/or your 5 friends’ names) to dtrussoniassistant@gmail.com by December 31st at 11:59:59pm ET.

Winners will be announced in the January newsletter.

I’ll be announcing new and continuing opportunities with each newsletter, so be sure to check back next month to find out what else you can win!

In other Puzzle Master news, I’d like to share some early excitement from Jordy’s Bookclub, a great resource for book recommendations on Instagram. If you’re not familiar with it, I highly recommend following him on Instagram.

Thank you also to @GreenEyedGardener, for this post:

For those of you who are new to this newsletter, I moved from New York to San Miguel de Allende Mexico last year. I love it for many reasons–the weather, the food!–but one thing that I particularly enjoy is the Christmas tree at the Rosewood resort. Just look at this gorgeous Christmas tree that recently went up in the courtyard!

Book of the Month

My selection for December’s recommended reading is Rachel Harrison’s Bad Dolls, a collection of four terrifying stories. You can find your ebook copy here.

Reader of the Month

As a continuation of a newer feature in the newsletter, here is the third installment of Reader of the Month. Each month I’ll feature one of my extraordinary readers. If you’d like to be featured, write to me at danielle@danielletrussoni.com.

Please say hello to Briana, who lives in New York City and works as a creative project manager and producer for a nationwide restaurant brand. She grew up in Florida and has a cat named Miso.

Here is some more information about Briana.

Q) What are your favorite kinds of books to read?

A) I truly love all kinds of books! I mostly read fiction, but I also love reading about history, art, politics, and economics. My very favorite books are Jane Eyre, the Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny, and The Secret History by Donna Tartt–all of which, I think, explain why I love Danielle's work so much.

Q) What are some of your hobbies and passions?

A) When I'm not reading, I love trying new restaurants, traveling (I went to Iceland this fall), going to museums, and gaming (currently very into Breath of the Wild). In November of this year, I got my second literary tattoo–a word in elvish from Lord of the Rings.

Q) Why do you love to read?

A) My whole life, reading has been my favorite thing to do. Purely from an entertainment standpoint, it's my favorite way to pass the time but it also goes deeper than that. I love how storytelling allows me to understand more about myself and the world around me. So much of my identity and my values have grown out of the things I've read. I'm newly part of a book club that meets here in the city and am finding it so fulfilling to have a group that loves to dig into literature in the same ways that I do. We recently read The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, both of which are books I think you have to discuss after reading.

Thanks for joining us this month, Briana!

Q&A

Finally, I opened the floor to my friends on social media again this month to take any questions about my new books or the writing/reading/publishing world at large.

Q) My current mentor informs me that the current publishing climate is tough. He tells me his agent is 'distraught' that she can't get some of her established writers published because sales numbers were disappointing, or not meeting expectations. That's a frightening thought. He tells me that being a new writer could be in my favor, but oh my gosh. I see some debut authors who have blockbuster sales and hit the best seller lists, but are they one in a million, realistically speaking? I'm not panicking, but any advice you can share would be helpful.

A) Yes, the market is difficult right now. I have a friend who has written a great novel that has not been purchased (yet). There are many factors at play here, and one of them is (as you say) the sales track record of his previous books. In some sense, you're right: a debut has a clean slate, and this author therefore has the chance to create her career with her debut. In the end, I do believe that a great book will find readers and that this is the most important element. That said, I would work to find the best agent possible, someone who will support your book through the whole process.

As always, a big thank you to everyone for spending your time with me, on my website, and across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. My books wouldn’t be possible without your support! Please stay in touch and let me know how you’re doing.

Yours,

Danielle