sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26)
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slhawthorn.bsky.social
sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26)
@slhawthorn.bsky.social
970 followers 430 following 640 posts
Haligonian SFFH writer / She/They / A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING 🌊 (Sourcebooks 2026) / Maritime Cryptid / Hazel stan 🐈 / Rep: Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Azantian Literary Agency
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slhawthorn.bsky.social
sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26) @slhawthorn.bsky.social · Nov 17
A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING is my love letter to sisterhood, feminine rage, and revenge.

Ft. Faustian bargains, escaping 1860s patriarchy, the ghost of an island lighthouse keeper gutted by the young lady seeking shelter at his door, and the spiral of a sister's love warped with fear and power.
✍️
Publishers Marketplace Deal Report: Category Fiction - Debut from June 24, 2024. "A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING" by Sarah L. Hawthorn Imprint: Sourcebooks. Sarah L. Hawthorn's A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING, a queer historical speculative novel about a lighthouse keeper who leads sailors to their death as part of a devil's bargain to save her sister, but when a shipwrecked survivor washes ashore, breaking her deal with the devil and stealing her sister's heart, so is left with an impossible choice, to Jenna Jankowski at Sourcebooks, in a two-book deal, by Larissa Melo Pienkowski at Jill Grinberg Literary Management (world English). Rights: sam@jillgrinbergliterary.com
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Convincing you to read my novel by the first sentence. Share yours if you want.

👀👻🐟

(A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING, 2026)
I CUT THE COD DOWNWARD, behind the head and near the gills, to create a space in the cavity. The blade runs down its back in shal- low sections until the body becomes thin enough to slice end to end. A sharp knife makes all the difference between a quick, clean cut and a massacre of choppy, gut-covered bits. Smaller fish, like pollock or mackerel, can be opened with one quick swipe of the blade down the backbone. Cod requires patience. “You’ve gotten better at that cut since you did it to me,” says the man I murdered last year. He floats a few inches off the ground, idling near the stairs.
November 11, 2025 at 1:24 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Piiiiiiiiiink!!!!!!!!!!!!?!!!!! 🩷🌸🩷

It's been 3 years since I last dyed it and I love it so much 🩷
Sarah smiling at the camera with bright pink hair, mixed with brown at the edges.
November 8, 2025 at 8:30 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Hazel is here to tell you to shoot for your dreams, especially if the dream is to sit directly in front of whatever work "needs" to get done given you are much more important than words on a monitor ❤️
A calico cat looking up at the camera with green eyes, sitting on a desk with a notebook, phone, airpods, and lit up keyboard.
November 6, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Reposted by sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26)
rebeccaacarter.bsky.social
Long time no post but I'm thrilled to reveal the cover of my debut, An Inheritance of Lies, coming out on May 5, 2026 with Lake Union!

You can pre-ørder now everywhere and àdd on Goodreads!

🔗 below
November 6, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26)
tiffmorris.bsky.social
Cover reveal for Carnalis, my lesbian cannibal novella, which is out in MARCH from @nictitatingbooks.bsky.social!!
Abstract photo of a woman’s face, distorted through smears of water. Shades of pink, brown, and white. At the top Carnalis is written in a serif font. At the bottom is my name.
November 5, 2025 at 1:35 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
I'm going to get my hair coloured this weekend!! It's been a whole 3 years since I last dyed it, I'm so excited 👀
November 3, 2025 at 9:37 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Writing in past after such a long time writing/editing in present is a bit of a trip. What do you mean this already happened. Who are we telling this to after the fact. I'm so used to reading it and I'll get used to it, it's just so alien right now!
November 2, 2025 at 8:16 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Good GOD are you KIDDINGGGGG
November 2, 2025 at 3:33 AM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Spirit of baseball heed one more point for the Jays I don't want to stay up until 4 am 🫶
November 2, 2025 at 3:19 AM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
"let the spirit of baseball take care of this game" objectively the funniest thing I have heard the announcers say as players pour out onto the field for a fight
November 2, 2025 at 1:31 AM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Had a fun little trip down to the Valley today for speciality cheeses, Korean food, vinyl searching, and cider tasting 🧡🧡🧡
Sarah, a white non-binary person (she/they), in a black beanie with a ghost embroidered on it and a cozy fall sweater, sorting through vinyls at a record shop.
November 1, 2025 at 7:25 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
the energy tonight
A gengar plushie sitting on the back of a couch with a blue jays hat on its head.
November 1, 2025 at 2:09 AM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Hark! It's a new Frog Pond, featuring sharks, ancient jawless fish, and why your teeth are so sensitive!! Plus book updates 🌊💙👻

thefrogpond.cloverlore.com/the-frog-pon...
The Frog Pond #27: Blame ancient fish for your sensitive teeth
Did you know sharks aren't attracted to human blood? Plus ancient jawless fish, exoskeletons becoming teeth, and more in this month's Frog Pond!
thefrogpond.cloverlore.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:20 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
As a girlie with nausea issues I want a "pretend food doesn't exist" setting on all apps where I can switch it on and scroll in peace to not get food reels mixed in with cute cats etc.

There are dozens of us 😔
October 29, 2025 at 11:10 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
exCitement for yOur debut can be so Very funny because somE days I'm at my day-job or wRiting or playing with my cat and suddenly my brain'S like !!! remember hOw your childhood dreams are cOming true?? are you taking this in?? what it if goes wroNg??

what if it goes better than you'd ever hoped??😇
October 29, 2025 at 1:34 AM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
Had a lovely time at a local used bookstore today called Fluffy Cat Books! Posted a little haul video over on the tictacs: www.tiktok.com/@slhawthorn/...

I'm still new to posting videos of myself BUT I'm happy with this one and even edited out at least half the ums! 🥰 📚👀 #booksky
Used Bookstore Haul!! I grabbed some local gems, a new horror I can't wait to read, and a reading journal (and bonus sticker!). All from a lovely store in Lower Sackville called Fluffy Cat Books! #Boo...
TikTok video by ✨ sarah l. hawthorn✨
www.tiktok.com
October 26, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by sarah l. hawthorn (A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING '26)
noellemonet.bsky.social
🦋𝓒𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓪𝓵🦋

I am SO incredibly thrilled to finally share the beautiful cover & 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐱𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 of my YA dark academia contemporary fantasy BOUND BY FURY!!

BOUND BY FURY is now available to preorder across all US/Canadian book retailers (🔗 is in my bïø)
Pink background with constellations and bound by fury cover with sprayed edges. Deluxe limited edition. The striking hardcover edition includes gorgeous celestial stained edges! Cover of bound by fury over pink background with constellations. Cover is blue black and pink with a black girl and white male in front of a pink moon. Description of novel bound by fury
October 21, 2025 at 1:21 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
It's been a while since a proper update!! I've kept busy finishing dev & copy edits on A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING, publishing behind-the-scenes things I can't wait to share, & keeping up with a full-time job to boot.

I finally got a standing desk and walking pad. I think it's pretty cute honestly!!
A standing desk set above a walking pad. There are pink and green desk accessories on the green desk including cloud-shaped wrist rests, a sage green notebook, headphones, a mouse, and a water bottle. The laptop is open and the desktop background includes the words A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING.
October 19, 2025 at 7:26 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
had a fun day today 🧡
A selfie of Sarah, wearing an orange sweater and Opalite necklace, with long dark hair and a straight fringe with teal eyeshadow and long pointed eyeliner. A close up photo of a beaded friendship bracelet that says Opalite on it, sitting on a gray jewelry mat.
October 3, 2025 at 11:21 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
have you considered... her?
a calico cat with green eyes. She is lying on a gray blanket on a bed. Her paws are visible and they are a mix of pink and black. Her green eyes are looking to the side.
September 28, 2025 at 1:38 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
301 days until A FATE WORSE THAN DROWNING is released 😳

Fun fact: The name of the island featured in the book changed over the centuries, including Isle Verte, Rous' Island, and Wood Island until it was known as Devils Island (due to a misspelled last name) with permanent settlement in the 1830s!
September 23, 2025 at 2:49 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
What are you reading lately?? 👀

I'm nearly done THE STARVING SAINTS, just started A WITCH'S GUIDE TO MAGICAL INNKEEPING (only 6 days left on my libby loan haha), and reading PROJECT HAIL MARY before bed (trying to get back into reading physical books and not just audio).
September 21, 2025 at 5:36 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
a very good problem to have: how to i fit everyone in the acknowledgements asking for a friend

i am the friend help there are too many people who have been very kind and great and cared about this book!!!
September 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
back into the watery abyss i go!!!!!
A screenshot of a Spotify list of playlists in a folder titled "A Fate Worse Than Drowning". The playlsits are titled "Copy Edits Round 3: Choosing Violence", "Dev Edits Round 2: This Time It's Personal", and "Concetrated Dev Edits Playlist AFWTD". Each playlist has a reaction image that is too small to read but features cute animals such as a small cat in a cowboy hat, a tiny bunny on a sidewalk, and a guinea pig in a pink toy car.
September 20, 2025 at 1:49 PM
slhawthorn.bsky.social
oh boy working on your second book pre-debut sure can be Mr. Bones' Wild Ride of confidence fluctuation huh!
September 13, 2025 at 5:38 PM