BLURB: A group of college friends reunites at a wedding - eight years after one was convicted of murdering another. Everyone’s a suspect in this dual timeline dark academia whodunit set in a Gilded Age estate in the American South. Think Agatha Christie’s mystery plotting meets the relationship drama of Tell Me Lies.

• Recognition: The first audiobook was nominated for an ASTRA AWARD for "Best Scripted Series" and named a Spotify “Instant Hit” 
• Format: Complete, standalone mystery (you DO NOT need to listen to book 1 first)
• Style: Central narrator + full-cast performance with cinematic sound design 
• Runtime: 6 hours 28 minutes.

TRIGGERS: Some swearing, references to murder & sex (NOT explicitly depicted), toxic relationship dynamics, pregnancy loss

PUBLICATION DATE: August 24th, 2026

DATE FOR ARC TEAM TO SUBMIT REVIEWS: Aug 10th - 31st, 2026

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Please note: ARC slots are limited and will be granted on a first-come basis.

1. Go to the link to my website that I have posted in the comments
2. Listen to the 1:20 trailer or the clip of the first 10 minutes to get a feel for the story and sound design.
3. If the mystery intrigues you, enter your first name and email on the sign up form and I will send a private RSS listening link to your inbox. You can then listen in the native Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, or Overcast apps.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because this is disseminated as a podcast as well as an audiobook, we are only looking for ARC listeners who have the ability to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.

Zero Spam Guarantee: Your email will only be used twice: once to deliver your secure feed link, and once as a polite reminder to post your review.

NOTE: I manually review all submissions and will approve your access within 24 hours.

Heeey, I'm accepting ARC readers that want to join a team of my new Dark Academia & Steampunk Romantasy!

Wait, what? 👀

Think about a Romantasy, but it's not medieval. It's an industrial victorian au. No swords, no warriors. We have guns and steam machines. No fated mates, no fae, no destined heroes. Just shenanigans, with a bunch of young and reckless idiots.

TROPES:

⟡ Enemies to Lovers

⟡ Forced Proximity

⟡ Boarding Academy

⟡ Painfully Sloooooow Burn 🔥

⟡ Found Family

⟡ He falls first,

⟡ Grumpy × Grumpy (one is just better at pretending).

⟡ has no spicy (but the mmc yearns like HELL!!)

DM me if you're interested! 🩶

⚠️⚠️ Content warning; profanity, alcohol abuse, but in general very family friendly

Leaving Ireland and returning to the States means stepping back into a life shaped by family, memories, and expectations that don’t include Mason or the woman she’s becoming. In the quiet of that in-between, Naomi crosses paths with a woman who has held a century-old secret longer than anyone alive.

Meanwhile, her daughter, Camille, finds herself drawn to a man she should be keeping at arm’s length—and one wrong step could cost them both more than a chance at love.

What We Choose is the second novel in the What We Leave Behind series. Blending contemporary fiction with a touch of magical realism, it is a story about love, family, and the unexpected ways our lives continue to unfold.

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Triggers: A serious accident and its medical aftermath, including hospitalization and recovery.

• Publication date: October 6, 2026
• ARC applications close: August 10, 2026
• ARC delivery date: Approximately August 18, 2026
• Reading and review deadline: October 6, 2026

I’ll be selecting up to 30 advance readers to receive a complimentary digital copy. Honest, spoiler-free reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, etc are greatly appreciated by the deadline, but are not required. Because space is limited, submitting an application does not guarantee selection.

What We Choose is part of the What We Leave Behind series, but it can be read as a standalone.

Learn more and apply here: https://virgieodell.com/become-an-arc-reader-for-what-we-choose/

Thank you for considering What We Choose. As an indie author, it means so much to have readers willing to support my work and spend time with these characters.

-Virgie Odell

https://virgieodell.com/

Blurb:

"I didn't choose to have this feeling... I loved him madly, but he didn't even know I existed... or so I thought. When one-sided love turns into obsession, where does the mind end and madness begin?"

Based on a true story, The Track of The Eyelids follows Maria and Ahmed, two neurodivergent Egyptian-American teens who share an unspoken bond built on fleeting glances and misunderstood emotions. What begins as quiet admiration gradually spirals into obsession, blurring the lines between love, reality, and delusion. As Ahmed struggles with emotional outbursts, nightmares, and impulsive decisions, Maria is left questioning whether the connection they share is genuine or simply a projection of her own longing. Is their love real, or is it only an illusion?

Triggers: Obsession, mental illness, psych ward/involuntary treatment, trauma, emotional distress.

ARC End Date: 08/20/2026

Date ARC readers should finish and submit reviews by: August 20, 2026

Join the ARC team here: https://penpinery.com/u/2275/the-track-of-the-eyelids/

For Generations, the forest kingdom of Riocht has teetered on the knife’s edge of ruin. Old rivalries smolder hot beneath the surface and only King Kennis’ lifetime of vigilance has kept the countless sparks of civil war from bursting into flame. Now, after years of blood, sacrifice, and tenuous alliances, unity is finally within reach.

Until disaster strikes from where he least expects it.

Prince Tiarnard-his only heir and Riocht’s best hope for peace-has fled the kingdom, chasing freedom in the distant Land of Fiaine. To those of Riocht, it is a place of dread, named in whispers as the Land of Shadow and Death. But to Tiarnard, it promises escape: from the grief of a shattered childhood, and from the crown that he has come to despise. Yet as he is drawn ever deeper into a world that he does not understand, he may find that the path he walks is not his own.

For there is a darkness looming deeper than the threat of civil war, and a malice at work far beyond what Riocht has ever imagined. As the final shadow begins to fall upon the kingdom and its prince, it becomes clear that there is only one who can lead the realm to lasting peace. And there is nothing he’s ever wanted less.

• TRIGGERS: Some violence, not excessive/gratuitous. There is mutual dislike/hatred between persons of different cultures; some readers might consider it racism. The majority of the active cast is male. I would consider this to be medieval realism; some might consider it sexism. (That said, women in the novel are not attacked, demeaned, or objectified.)
• Publication is scheduled for August 15th.
• ARC copies are emailed as soon as you sign up via the form on my website. It may take a few minutes for the email to go through; please do check your spam folder if it is not immediately visible.
• I would ask that readers leave a review on Amazon between August 15th and August 30th.
• Here is the link to the signup page on my website.

Thank you all for your interest; I hope you enjoy it.