Double debut dreamin’: Rachel Peterson and Simon Pulse
A double debut? Yes, you could say that! The Simon Pulse relaunch is finally here, and I’m still OVER THE MOON that Killing Sadie, my debut YA thriller, was selected as a first pick alongside five other incredible books.
The Simon Pulse Summer 2026 roster features:
The Season of Light and Darkness by Jillian Cantor
Killing Sadie by Rachel Peterson
Until Next Summer by Allison Ashley
You Jump First by Myah Ariel
Vampire Beach by Alex Duval
The Beckett Effect by Nashae Jones
So, what’s the vibe of the new Simon Pulse, an imprint that brought us one of my childhood favorites, Nancy Drew? In the words of publisher Valerie Garfield, “With a wide variety of great reads, we’re out to prove that books can be as entertaining, engaging, and moving as any screen. This is not a lineup that you have to read for an assignment; these are the books you want to read.”
Love, love, love this! Books by Shannon Messenger and Meg Cabot (hello, Princess Diaries fans!) are also in the works.
A quick step back. The road to get here was long, winding and full of adventures (and misadventures)! With all of the pieces finally coming together, one of the questions I get asked by other authors the most is: The publisher stage feels like a black box, so how do you know it’s the right fit?
To quote When Harry Met Sally, one of my all-time favorite movies, “I knew. I knew the way you know about a good melon.”
So, with that in mind, I wanted to share a little bit more of my own publishing journey, and how I really knew that my editor and the Simon Pulse imprint were the perfect fit.
Fit feels light, not heavy. When I first signed with my literary agent (fun fact: my journey to getting a literary agent once I started querying was uncommonly short, but the journey to getting my first book deal was long – more on that in a future post!), she said that if you can find an editor you truly match with, all the rest will follow. I understood maybe half of that statement at the time. It wasn’t until much later, when the trifecta of right story, right timing and right editor came together, that her words truly clicked. With Killing Sadie, working with Kara and the whole team at Simon Pulse and Simon Teen has been a dream come true, complete with endless laughs, tears of joy, and in-person time that still brings a smile to my face. You know you’re going to have a strong relationship when the first conversation immediately turns to the ins and outs of true crime!
When you know, you know. Back in October of 2025, with the Killing Sadie manuscript complete and safely in the hands of our truly world-class copyeditors, I met up with my editor in NYC for lunch. I was expecting to casually pop into the offices afterward to meet a few people. When I opened the conference room door, the whole team was there waiting to celebrate Sadie with me, complete with big posters of our gorgeous book cover and homemade cookies in the shape of our signature broken heart necklace! It was one of the greatest moments of my life, and to be surrounded by so much support, joy and excitement was a feeling I will never forget.
So, still in awe, I stepped outside after we wrapped and promptly burst into tears of joy outside of the Rockefeller Center ice rink while Bruce Springsteen blared on the outdoor speakers. (Luckily it’s New York City, so no one gave me a second glance). It was a full body “hell yes!” moment, when it felt as though what I was doing, where I was doing it, and most importantly, the people I was doing it with, were all in perfect alignment.
It’s remarkable how a single moment can make all of the late nights, frustrations, and years of hoping, planning and working toward this lifelong dream 100% worth it.
The small moments matter most. Even before this memorable day in the City, every meeting and call with my editor and publicists (hi, Alex and Maryam!) felt like a partnership with people who not only cared about the story we were telling, but genuinely cared about me as a person. And the feeling was, and continues to be, mutual!
Wishing Simon Pulse, especially my fabulous editor and team, a happy relaunch!