Everything you need to know about PORTRAIT OF A SHADOW, my YA speculative mystery about a missing sister, a mysterious boy, & a painting that holds the truth beneath its peeling edge, out July 16!
Preorder links, playlists, commissioned art, & more here:
I can write a whole book but I can't find the words to express just how stunned and thrilled I am said book is going out into the world. Thank you to
@marchsoloway
and
@jessharold
for making what felt like an impossible dream come true❤️
💀COVER REVEAL💀
Bidding spooky season goodbye with A GUIDE TO THE DARK cover reveal, my YA debut about two best friends in love and the motel room that wants to kill them. Coming July 18, 2023.
🖤Preorder:
🖤Add on Goodreads:
Still can’t believe I get to write this tweet but I am thrilled to announce that I’m now represented by the wonderful
@marchsoloway
at
@AndreaBrownLit
. Here’s to this little book about two best friends in love and the motel room that wants to kill them ❤️
‼️Cover Reveal‼️ PORTRAIT OF A SHADOW, my new YA novel about a girl in search of her missing sister, the mysterious boy that tags along, and a strange painting made of secrets, is out next summer!
Add on Goodreads:
Preorder here:
I grew up reading
@mstiefvater
and now I get to be the editor for the graphic novel adaptations of The Raven Cycle. Surreal doesn't begin to cover it. What an honor ♥️
Hello
#writersoftwitter
! I’m Meriam and I write speculative suspense. PORTRAIT OF A SHADOW, a YA novel about a girl in search of her missing sister and the painting that holds all the answers, is out this July 🖼️
can we bring back
#WritersOfTwitter
again? i would love to meet some new writer friends (& hype up the ones i’m lucky to know already) so go ahead and (re)introduce yourself! 👀💕
My
#MSWL
page is live! Agents, send me your lyrical or funny picture books, your grim and adventurous MG, and all of your dark, whimsical, and emotional YA. Graphic novels are also welcome 📚
A GUIDE TO THE DARK is on Goodreads and I was not expecting it to feel this surreal. It really is a real book! If two girls in love and a sentient motel room that wants to kill them sounds promising, add it on Goodreads🖤
If you're curious about my slow burn / best friends to lovers/ sentient motel room / queer BIPOC MCs / spooky interior photography / HEARTSTOPPER meets HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE YA debut, then here you go!
NetGalley:
Edelweiss:
Here's everything you need to know about A GUIDE TO THE DARK, my sapphic speculative suspense YA debut where two best friends fall in love as a motel room tries to kill them, coming out July 18th! 🧵
Pre-order here if you're already convinced:
THE RAVEN CYCLE X WE ARE OKAY
Mira finds herself in a quiet roadside motel and haunted by memories of her dead brother. When she learns 8 people died in that same room, she knows there's a connection. Mira just has to find it before she becomes the 9th
#PITMAD
#YA
#POC
#LGBT
Okay, but is it? Sure, publishing is full of lunches and launches. Of publishing professionals networking with agents, authors, and coworkers but how we do these things doesn’t have to look the same way it did 50 years ago. 1/7
My entire feed is either the BN sale or
#writersoftwitter
. Here's both!
I write messy queer/North African characters, ominous and sentient spaces, and my sapphic speculative suspense YA debut comes out this summer ⬇️
A missing sister. A mysterious boy. And a painting that holds the truth beneath its peeling edge...
PORTRAIT OF A SHADOW by
@MeriamMetoui
is a romantic, eerie mystery about the lengths we're willing to go for the truth and the ones we love. Start reading:
Agents! My website got a refresh, which means my MSWL did too! Still making my way through my submissions and am very much open to (almost) everything but know that I'm especially looking for picture books & graphic novels of all ages. My Inbox awaits you.
Do you like unresolved trauma? Bisexual chaos? Sentient motel rooms out to get you? Well, do I have a treat for you. Enter the Goodreads giveaway to win a copy of A GUIDE TO THE DARK:
in exactly 3 months, A GUIDE TO THE DARK comes out. i am very calm about this. so calm. enjoy this graphic while i continue to be calm about this very fun and not at all terrifying fact
Hello hello everyone, and welcome back to
#QATalk
! Let's jump right in🌈
Q1: Introduce yourself! Tell us your name, what you write, and a music comp for your WIP or book.
Sure, maybe
@marchsoloway
is the only agent I've had but that doesn't change the fact that she's the best agent I could ask for. I'm forever fortunate we found our way to each other ❤️
#KidlitAgentWeek
The writer // the writing
First page of Portrait of a Shadow, out in July. I love this book even though/especially because it was the hardest thing I’ve written. I can’t wait until you meet Mae and Dev ❤️
The writer // the writing.
And yes, I am working on a new story about another arrogant & rage-filled Black woman. She’s a literal Queen this time maneuvering inside an enemy court after entering into a bargain with a villainous but very hot king. 😏
Announcing A GUIDE TO THE DARK ✨pre-order campaign!✨ Submit your pre-order receipt or library request to receive 5 character cards and a signed bookplate.
The first 50 will get exclusive artwork of my favorite character, Room 9 at the Wildwood Motel🖤
So thrilled to be editing
@SarahLuAnn
’s beautiful picture book about a father and daughter’s cozy day together as they wait for a storm to pass. I can’t wait for you all to see it ☂️
Happy Friday! A GUIDE TO THE DARK is coming to a city near you, if you live near Royal Oak, San Diego, Seattle, New York, and Ann Arbor, I mean. Pre-order a copy at the link in bio and/or come say hi! I want to see you all!
the writer & the tropes
aka my YA speculative mystery about a girl who sets off on a road trip to find her missing sister and the strange and secretive boy who insists on tagging along, out this summer
Working remotely addresses so many of the current problems publishing faces and if it’s at the cost of an agent lunch turned zoom meeting, so be it. 7/7
In case you missed it, you can visit the ✨Wildwood Motel✨ located in Indiana. More specially, in the pages of my YA debut, A GUIDE TO THE DARK. But most specifically at
Happy Valentine's Day to my favorite couple 🖤
They let me include photography in A GUIDE TO THE DARK and I can't wait until you all meet Mira and Layla in the prose and the photos
I've been fortunate enough to receive some wonderful blurbs from wonderful authors. I'l be sharing them (along with a sneak peek at photos found in the book) throughout the week but first up is Chloe Gong🖤 As usual, links in bio!
2 months until PORTRAIT OF A SHADOW comes out 🙃 Until then, feel free to stare at this gorgeous jacket with me, designed by L. Whitt with art by
@ChuckStyless
✨Welcome to the Wildwood Motel✨
Meet the staff, read guest reviews, and learn all about A Guide to the Dark. The motel might not be real, but the website sure is.
“You don’t have to say it. We’re screwed.”
Read an excerpt from
@MeriamMetoui
’s A GUIDE TO THE DARK, a paranormal mystery YA about the ghosts we carry with us — publishing July 18th with
@HenryHolt
And working remotely allows for the diversity that this industry loves to claim it supports. BIPOC have a more difficult time entering this industry when they are forced to take on unpaid or low paying internships in a city many can barely afford without additional support. 5/7
Happy book birthday to ON A RAINY DAY! This was the first book I ever acquired and it'll always hold a special place in my heart. I hope you all love it as much as I do💙
ON A RAINY DAY is out TODAY!! This book was five years in the making, and I'm so excited its out in the world.
To celebrate, I'd like to know--what is YOUR favorite thing to do ON A RAINY DAY?
I already finished a first draft of my WIP but it never feels real until I have a mood board. I can't wait until you all meet Mae and Dev and the painting with the peeling edge. Coming to bookstores near you in summer 2024 🖼️
So many of us editors are taught we need to give personal/detailed passes and that's getting less and less feasible. I wish editors had the option to close or use QM but we don't. What I can start doing is send a form rejection. It's not ideal but I hope it's better than silence.
Still adjusting to the new publishing reality in which simply never hearing from an editor again is as much a part of the submissions process as a pass or an offer.
PSA to literary agents: Send me your YA graphic novels! A few things I'm always looking for:
📕Magical realism & speculative threads
📕Romance to keep me up all night
📕Retellings with a fresh spin
📕Joyful queer stories to fill the Schitt’s Creek shaped hole in my heart
It's that time of year again! If you preorder A GUIDE TO THE DARK from B&N and get 25% off, I will show up to your house and personally thank you.
#BNPreorder25
A Reminder that when you order a copy of PORTRAIT OF A SHADOW (or request it from your library), you get Mae's sketchbook from the book. Ends August 1st!
Appreciation post for the gorgeous A GUIDE TO THE DARK cover details thanks to illustrator
@fdasuarezart
and designer
@auroraparl
. The hand hold, distorted type, new tagline, gold shine, warping wallpaper, and motel sign light leaking through. I continue to be obsessed 🧡
When they are lucky enough to find full time positions, the low salaries and long hours are yet another barrier that many don’t have the resources to overcome. And we wonder why publishing is so white. 6/7
I am BEGGING my romantasy loving mutuals to watch "My Lady Jane" -- it's the most fun I've had watching a TV show in YEARS. Just a wild, fantastic romp!! And SO SWOON-WORTHY. A masterclass in romantic tension & payoff. I am absolutely besotted. 😍