Super excited to meet folks at Bookcon this year!

And I’ve been keeping a huge secret (which as a gossip has been so hard!)

I will be moderating 2 THRILLER Panels

Saturday: Murder She Wrote: Thriller Writing and the Art of Suspense

Sunday: The Perfect Spot for Murder

I’ll also be giving away What Feeds Below arcs!

Check out the books below from the authors on the panels (+ What Feeds Below!)

My goal is to read 10 thrillers in 20 days! I’m almost done Nothing Ever Happens Here and I have NO IDEA how this one is going to end? Which one should I pick up next? How many bodies will drop across 10 books?! (From the attending authors I read The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark and The Scammer by Tiffany D Jackson last year- and they were two of my faves!)

Will I be seeing you at Bookcon?

Happy Friday, Bindery Besties ❤️

Surprise!!! I've got a new giveaway to share, and it's a fun one, too.

Laura Vogt, author of In the Great Quiet, was kind enough to send me a second copy of her debut novel to share with my community. I have an unopened promo box for one lucky winner, hopefully someone that loves immersive Western historical fiction.

I'm reading this right now and really enjoying it! The FMC is spunky and full of grit (bonus points that she's based on Laura's own ancestor), and the writing is really transportive. I have a feeling you'll love it, too.

Anyone who prefers ebooks can snag a FREE copy of this one as part of Amazon First Reads. Let's face it, free is always good!

It’s time to vote on our April book club pick! Each of these are robust fantasies that come highly rated and recommended by the online book community. Can’t wait to dive into one of these with you this month! Voting will close on Monday, March 30th 🗳️

The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, this is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply compelling story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake — or destroy — a world.

Theft of Swords by Michael Sullivan

Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles—until they are hired to pilfer a famed sword. What appears to be just a simple job finds them framed for the murder of the king and trapped in a conspiracy that uncovers a plot far greater than the mere overthrow of a tiny kingdom.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.

If you want to be beyond reproach,

if you're scared of people accusing your writing of using AI, then write the opposite of AI. I've noticed a lot of writers doing this. Substacks are sounding more casual (since GPT has a tendency to write formal-stilted, like a commonapp essay that thinks more formal = smarter) and also more bizarre.

It's kind of fun to read expressly-not-AI style (I prefer a weird reading experience to a slop one) but as someone who is also adjusting their writing to avoid any suspicion of AI, it's annoying that I have to make a stylistic change because of an external force. If I change my style, I'd like that to be completely up to me--not because of paranoia that someone is gonna say, "a robot to write this."

The way (certain) writers are changing it up is in direct opposition to the hallmarks of AI writing. AI sands down all the edges, rounds all the corners. So the writers who are taking precautions are writing more byzantine--sort of eccentric. The posts where I never wonder "Is this AI?" sound faux-pretentious, if that makes sense. This anti-AI style is a little wordier than might have been acceptable a five years ago (because concision is an AI thing: the super short sentences). It often has wacky punctuation (I've been doing this a lot). It's kind of archaic (I see out of date phrases more and more) but also self-consciously affected (using "as it were" comes to mind), where it sounds like the writer is conscious of sounding a little silly, but going for it anyway.

AI is compelling (some of) us to write less direct to prove we are human

Less direct isn't always worse, but in this case it feels like artificial style. I thought of a metaphor that kind of works. Say I'm on a very tight budget for clothing and the only place I can afford to shop is a costume rental store. The exhausted pirate and disco and flapper girl costumes get discounted and I buy them for pennies. So I'm wearing these costumes as regular clothes and people think, "Wow she has such a distinct (and extreme) style," but it's not actually my style -- it's just what I can afford. AI is forcing my writing to don an extreme costume that I would not otherwise wear.

Tea at the plaza dressed as Mermaid Man. It was halloween.

It's tiresome to be looking over your shoulder and wondering if a sentence you just wrote sounds like AI might have written it. Because instead of focusing on: what is the best way for me to communicate this point? I'm distracted by also thinking about: how do I say this without looking like it was AI-assisted? These are two different objectives and making good on the latter can impede the former.

Also, you could absolutely train GPT or Claude or whatever to write in the semi-affected-dont-accuse-me-of-using-AI way. So I wouldn't be surprised if this intentionally-human style gets co-opted and then we have to find another new way to (try and) be unimpeachable.

I stopped reading 2 newsletters because the AI usage was bad-bad

In theory, I don't mind if you use AI, but if I can really tell (because whatever you're producing is worse for it) it's hard to recover reputationally. You, as an artist, are tainted.

To me the biggest tell of AI writing is when a text says nothing. It's 3 sentences in a row that don't do any work-- complete filler fluff-- and then I spot a word (or convention) that confirms it's AI 💥 Dunzo. Maybe the writer only used AI for that single section or paragraph--doesn't matter. You're now an "AI writer". Again, the reputational risk is just way too high - assuming you define yourself as a writer.

If you call yourself a writer and you're using AI in your newsletter that is promoting your writing-- what are you doing?? Just the threat of the accusation should be enough to keep you from being that lazy.

I see AI in everyone's content

For a lot of creators I follow, I don't care about the actual subject matter of their content. I like their hooks. And headlines. They are a masterclass in how to get/keep attention with microtechniques that i want to imitate.

I can see AI [I can see dead people voice] in all these peoples' posts. It's not that they're using AI to write/edit the entire video but I can tell (bc I've done it too) that they entered their top 5 best performing posts into GPT and told it: "Give me more like this." Sometimes the suggestions are pretty good.

I made a few videos based on a GPT idea and they performed average. Not better or worse than my organic brainchildren. But (I say this humbly) everything that was "good" in the idea GPT provided was a regurgitated thought OF MY OWN. (Nvm- scratch humble.)

It's like when someone says, "I love your purse, I have the same one," -- complimenting their own taste. What I liked in the AI generated idea, was the part that reflected my own opinions back to me (am I being redundant?)

"AI Accent"

is a term I read in Emma Alpern's article "I Am Not a Robot" in the print version of NYMag (idk why I can't find it online. So weird.)

Alpern notes that many neurodivergent people who post on Reddit and chat on Discord using full sentences and proper grammar are getting accused of using AI.

The AI Accent is generic "good" writing imo. Pre-AI, if a student in high school could write like GPT we'd give them an A. It is clear and legible. There aren't (usually) any stylistic flourishes but it sounds "right".

I hate generic good writing. I find it to be very bad writing. It's how all the parents of my clients (that I help with college essays) write. When these parents edit an essay they 1) take ALL of the life out of it and 2) make their kid sound middle-aged.

When I say that AI Accent sounds "right"-- let me clarify-- it sounds right to the average (not that smart) person. I think I speak for pretty much all writers when I say we abhor the way AI writes. For some writers, it's def tangled up in their negative feelings/fear about AI- but I'm just talking about its style. No actual writer aspires to sound like AI. That is not the platonic ideal of writing. It's parent-who-thinks-they-sound-amazing type writing.

I have to share this bit of an essay that a student turned in that was 100% written by her mom:

When you have an immigrant parent, nothing about American life is taken for granted – everything is questioned, analyzed, and parsed to get at the deeper meaning and understanding of what it is to be American and to live in the United States. 

My dad is [Malaysian] and despite being a U.S. citizen for more than 20 years, there’s no escaping the impact of his three decades in [Asia] and the effect of that experience on my upbringing. I feel fortunate to have this influence because it helps me understand others. I can view our country from a slightly removed perspective, from the outside looking in.

Peak college essay. Peak parent parent writing. It's giving AI accent, no?

Not writing like AI isn't hard

That's a rough header. Writing unlike AI is easy. (Better?)

In some ways, it's fun to break rules that I wouldn't otherwise and dabble in bad writing habits. My fear is sounding sloppy- but I know that's part of what makes me sound more convincingly human. Would you rather read something that's a little sloppy but never makes you wonder "was this AI" or would you rather read clean, concise, neatly generated SLOP?

You know how there's a genre of comedy called anti-comedy? Norm Macdonald was sometimes classified as this. Mitch Hedburg, too. I feel like the style I'm developing in reaction to AI is anti-writing.

https://fable.co/club/kindred-readers-book-club-with-syd-490517587538?invite=a8e687d0-803c-412a-9180-e0ce071d21c4

The Kindred Readers Book Club is now LIVE on Fable for ALL MEMBERS !!

Inner Circle members will soon be able to vote on the book we read for the month of April !! For just $5 !! You will also be able to vote on books you want to see me read, YouTube video ideas + a whole lot more. We will also hold exclusive movie nights and reading sprints each month for Inner Circle members. We will also hold public reading sprints each month so all members will feel included. Inner Circle members will also get exclusive YouTube videos. In this post I have included a list of potential picks for the Kindred Readers Book Club for the month of April !! This list may be set to change when the poll comes but just giving you potential options to encouraging you to become an Inner Circle member !!

Potential Book Club Picks for April:

Spoiled Milk by Avery Curran

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami

The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri

So Old, So Young by Grant Ginder

Whidbey by T Kira Madden

Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane

love yall ughhhhh (the hudson williams way)

🧟‍♀️CLICK HERE TO JOIN on April 4th @2pm EDT🧟‍♀️

Welcome to your April Early Warning System! To give you plenty of time to clear your TBR pile and secure your pre-orders before the release day rush.

April is looking absolutely massive. We have the return of heavy hitters like David Baldacci and TJ Klune, alongside some of the most inventive book-about-books concepts I've seen in years. Seriously, The Book Witch is calling my name!

🚀Releasing April 7, 2026

The Book Witch by Meg Shaffer

• Genre: Fantasy / Romance

• The Hook: A magical Nancy Drew who jumps into novels to fix plot holes. She’s forbidden from falling for fictional characters, but her heart belongs to a detective from her favorite mystery series.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780593983584 

American Fantasy by Emma Straub

• Genre: Contemporary Fiction

• The Hook: A 50-year-old divorcee goes on a 90s-era boy band themed cruise. It’s a smart, funny look at aging, nostalgia, and finding yourself in a sea of screaming fans.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9798217046850 

The Bookshop of 99 Doors by Jamie Jo Wright

• Genre: Historical / Gothic / Christian Fiction

• The Hook: A dual-timeline mystery centered on a Pennsylvania mansion. In 1888, a girl hunts a vengeful spirit; in the present, a bookshop manager accidentally opens a dangerous portal to the past.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780764243813 

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

• Genre: Mystery / Thriller

• The Hook: Six struggling authors are invited to a private island to finish a dead legend’s final masterpiece. The prize is a career-making sum, but the competition is literally killer.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780063444614 

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer & Tamara Moss

• Genre: YA Mystery

• The Hook: A high-stakes reality show where the puzzles are deadly. A girl joins the cast to find out who murdered her sister on set during the previous season.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9798217006120 

The Verdant Cage by Jess Lourey

• Genre: Fantasy / Thriller

• The Hook: In a walled paradise called Noah’s Valley, an apothecary’s daughter discovers the wall isn't there to keep things out, it's there to keep them in.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781682816455

🕵️Releasing April 14, 2026

Hope Rises Nash Falls #2 by David Baldacci

• Genre: Thriller

• The Hook: Walter Nash aka Dillon Hope has transformed into a lethal operative to take down the woman who destroyed his life. But as he infiltrates her inner circle, the line between revenge and attraction blurs.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781538758021 

👵Releasing April 21, 2026

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

• Genre: Domestic Thriller

• The Hook: 81-year-old Elsie is a grumpy neighbor with a secret: she was once Mad Mabel, Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. When a neighbor dies, her past and present collide in a wickedly funny way.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781250284549 

The Language of Liars by S.L. Huang

• Genre: Science Fiction

• The Hook: A psychic spy attempts to become a member of an alien species to save his civilization. But he discovers that truly understanding another species might be the very thing that destroys them.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781250405333 

🌅Releasing April 28, 2026

We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune

• Genre: Speculative Fantasy

• The Hook: A rogue black hole is ending the world in 30 days. An elderly couple sets off on a cross-country road trip to finish their business, witnessing the beautiful and chaotic ways humanity spends its final hours.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781250881236 

When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston

• Genre: Contemporary Fiction

• The Hook: A retired Michelin-star chef in a nursing home starts a secret midnight kitchen to rediscover his joy, while his sister navigates a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis. A recipe for forgiveness.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9780063397347 

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

• Genre: Thriller

• The Hook: A former homicide detective buys a fixer-upper in Maine to save her marriage, only to find a chilling message carved under the attic carpet and a connection to a missing girl.

• Pre-order: https://bookshop.org/a/118425/9781335001368 

🧐Which one is on your list?

I’m personally torn between the high-concept magic of The Book Witch and the emotional weight of TJ Klune’s latest.

Note: The links below are my personal affiliate links for Bookshop.org, which supports local independent bookstores.

Hi all! Great to chat tonight. Next month's meeting will be on April 29th at 8pm eastern. I threw Woodworking into the mix again for our pick, since it seemed like one that peaked some interest :)

Woodworking by Emily St.James

Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit.

Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High’s resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It’s a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty—and loneliness—that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn’t the only one struggling to shed the weight of others’ expectations.

As their unlikely friendship evolves under the increasing scrutiny of their community, both women—and those closest to them—will come to realize that sometimes there is nothing more radical than letting the world see who you really are.

Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn

Ten years ago, Lila Devlin was an A-list actress with a movie star husband and a beautiful baby girl, Josie. When Josie was kidnapped out of her home and never seen again, Lila’s previously pristine public image twisted into that of an Unfit Mother. Driven mad by the hungry press, incompetent cops, and relentless true crime–obsessed “fans,” she disappeared into anonymity. 

Now, Lila Devlin returns to LA with a grand vision for a radical new skincare brand to reinvent herself and honor Josie’s legacy. She's prepared to move into the next chapter of her life with forgiveness in her heart, when an encounter with a parasitic blogger ends with him dead. Lila suddenly discovers forgiveness isn’t nearly as satisfying as a body hitting the floor.

With the help of her devoted publicist Sylvie, Lila begins a relentless, blood-soaked hunt through LA. Giving her skincare the edge it needs, they introduce a secret ingredient—revenge-sourced—from the bodies piling up. But as the company’s success skyrockets and Lila begins unraveling the truth behind her daughter’s kidnapping, her murderous side hustle threatens the life she’s painstakingly rebuilt.

Kin by Tayari Jones

Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood, but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Atlanta at eighteen for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and marries into an affluent family. Annie, abandoned by her dissolute mother as a child, and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, and culminate in a battle for her life.

Sky Full of Elephants by Cebo Campbell

One day, a cataclysmic event occurs: all of the white people in America walk into the nearest body of water. A year later, Charlie Brunton is a Black man living in an entirely new world. Having served his time in prison for a wrongful conviction, he’s now a professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University when he receives a call from someone he wasn’t even sure existed: his daughter Sidney, a nineteen-year-old left behind by her white mother and step-family.

Traumatized by the event, and terrified of the outside world, Sidney has spent a year in isolation in Wisconsin. Desperate for help, she turns to the father she never met, a man she has always resented. Sidney and Charlie meet for the first time as they embark on a journey across a truly “post-racial” America in search for answers. But neither of them are prepared for this new world and how they see themselves in it.

Heading south toward what is now called the Kingdom of Alabama, everything Charlie and Sidney thought they knew about themselves, and the world, will be turned upside down.