Hello all! We have a super special edition of our newsletter today - the cover reveal for our first book The Needfire!

For the cover design, we were really hoping for someone to capture key elements of the book in a decorative style that would look great on a display with other spec-lit-leaning novels, while also having a unique edge and striking a fantastical chord. Easy, right?

When we found out that our designer was going to be Holly MacDonald, who is responsible for iconic covers like The Book Eaters, Babel, and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, we were over the moon. She is an experienced and thoughtful designer who immediately connected with the novel and was determined to capture key motifs from the book in her design.

The final piece combines hand-drawn artwork and delicately layered branches and flourishes in a dramatic colour scheme that perfectly encapsulates the mood of the story. An early element that we loved was the inset female figures who are, in the end, the heart of the story, and we were delighted to see this smart bit of symbolism make it all the way to the final design.

We're so proud of the cover Holly has created for us, and honoured to have The Needfire in her stable of beautiful designs.

You will like The Needfire if…

The Needfire is for anybody who's ever wanted to see a mash-up of Sarah Waters and Daphne du Maurier with a little more of the supernatural to it, for fans of Mike Flanagan’s haunted houses and lush, romantic Gothic movies like Crimson Peak, and for everybody who likes to see that witchy lesbian subtext become text once in a while.

The Needfire releases from Solaris Books in July 2025 (UK)

Pre-order from all good bookstores here: https://geni.us/needfire 

Add on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222075746-the-needfire 

Or Storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/059a9c7f-a3f6-4275-ba37-c57d4548ffa6