This newsletter, admittedly, got away from me… as things did during our continued existence during a worldwide pandemic (or as we will not-so-affectionately refer to it: Le Pando.)

I’d love to keep doing, this, though, and I’m very thankful you’ve all stuck with me during this long absence! I’m coming back to updating you semi-regularly here and what better way to re-launch this thing than with the news that I am writing an original Peter Parker trilogy for Marvel Press! Amy Ratcliffe over at Nerdist was kind of to do a cover reveal and mini-interview, which you can find right here.

BOOKS

When I tell you I am ob!sessed! with this cover. This book has been a long time coming, and I am honestly still waiting for the floor to drop out from under me. Here’s me in 2014:

And now here we are. I’m not sure there are words to get across how completely hyped I am.

The first book is called Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma and will be for upper-middle-grade readers — ideally readers ages 10 - 14 (though I think everyone will enjoy it, but maybe I’m biased) — and takes place when Peter is 16 and has been Spidey for just a few short months.

Here’s the official summary:

The first in a three-book series by Spider-Man's number one fan and hilarious fiction writer, Preeti Chhibber!Peter Parker has been swinging and thwipping his way through New York City as Spider-Man for just a few months, and balancing his double life is complicated. He goes to school and tries not to embarrass himself in front of his crush, MJ; he takes photos for the Daily Bugle and tries not to embarrass himself in front of his boss, J. Jonah Jameson; and he fights crime in the evenings and . . . well, he’s kind of always trying to not embarrass himself. Easier said than done when you’re a teen with spider powers you’re still getting used to. On top of all that, the notorious villain the Sandman is acting more strangely than ever, social media seems to be taking a toll on MJ, and someone keeps trying to steal an artifact that’s supposedly powered by alien matter . . . which can’t be good. Something eerie is going on, and Peter is determined to figure out what it is before things go from weird to dangerous. Told with Preeti Chhibber’s incomparable voice, which balances wit and charm with teenage earnestness and vulnerability, this series is full of action-adventure, humor, friendship, and, of course, heroism.It’ll be out next summer, but is already (or will shortly be) available for preorder and for request on Edelweiss if you’re so inclined.

I’m in the midst of working on book 2 RIGHT NOW, so as we go on, I might share some snippets and ideas with you in the months to come. Plus, I will be getting bound galleys so there maaaay be a giveaway in the near future.

Okay what else…

PODCASTS

You may have seen an ad or two about that new show… The Wheel of Time? Curious about it, but not sure if you want to get into a fourteen book series? Well, have I got a podcast for you. It’s called Tar Valon Or Bust, and in it, Jenn Northington and I dig through each book in the WoT series a few chapters at a time.

It is spoiler-free, if you want to join as a new reader, and we do spend a lot of time on plot and craft. When I say we close read, I mean we close read. But we have a lot of fun while we do it, and we think our listeners do, too. You can check our episodes out here, or really wherever you listen to podcasts.

Also, this is a big fall for Desi Geek Girls — everything that didn’t come out because of Le Pando and is now coming out ALL AT ONCE is of interest to us, so we’ll be covering, well, basically all of it.

As always, thank you dear readers, for hanging out with me! And if there’s something specific you’re hoping for from these newsletters—craft talk, sneak peaks, etc—feel free to talk to me about it on Twitter or send me a note via the contact form on preetichhibber.com — I’d love to know!