March 2026 Newsletter

The Phoenix Pendant Update, Upcoming Releases in 2026, Tell Me About You

Abby Henderson
March 07, 2026

Hello, everyone! Happy March!

How are you doing? What have you been up to? I would love it if you reply and let me know!

Writing: Beta Reading for The Phoenix Pendant

My Pinterest board for The Phoenix Pendant!

It’s time!!!!

After nearly 2.5 years of work, The Phoenix Pendant is finally ready for other people to read.

As I near the end of draft 4, I’ve worked out nearly all the plot holes I can find and am ready for new eyes. This week, I’ll be asking a few people I have in mind if they’re interested in reading my book. Then, next weekend, I’ll be inviting you all to join my beta reading team. I’m hoping to have three to five beta readers, send out copies (either paper or digital) by the end of the month, and have feedback returned by the end of June.

In case you’re wondering, beta readers are ordinary readers whom writers enlist to read a book before it’s fully polished. They give reactions to the story, letting the writer know which parts are engaging, which are boring, and what they enjoy most. At this point, the grammar and flow likely aren’t perfect (they definitely aren’t in my book), so beta readers focus mainly on the plot and characters.

I’m actually surprised by how nervous I feel about other people reading it. Usually, when I share pieces of my writing—whether on my online writing community or with my writing group—I don’t feel nervous at all. I can separate my writing from myself enough to avoid insecurity. But this feels different. Maybe it’s because this is a more polished draft, so I’m no longer able to dismiss flaws. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been working with these characters and ideas for so long that I genuinely can’t tell if it’s any good anymore. I still love the story, but I’m honestly a little bored with it. It just feels ordinary at this point, and I’m unsure if it’s interesting enough to pursue. I guess my beta readers will let me know!

Want to know what The Phoenix Pendant is about? View this Instagram post to find out!

Reading: Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2026

It feels a little late in the year to be doing this, but most of the books I’m looking forward to aren’t out yet anyway. (Note: this is an abridged list because I could go on for pages.)

When Dealing with Dragons by Dana Swift (June 30): Dana Swift’s last book, Bound by Firelight, came out four years ago, so I was super excited to see that she has a new release. I was also offered an ARC (advanced-reader copy), so the book should be arriving soon, and I’ll share my thoughts with you all when I’m done!

We’re a Bad Idea, Right? by KL Walther (March 31): If you’ve seen my bookshelves, you can probably tell by the display of her books that KL Walther is my favorite romance author. I preordered We’re a Bad Idea, Right? and The Summer of Second Chances in January, and have been very impatiently waiting to read them.

Six of Crows: A Darker Shore: Letters from Ketterdam by Leigh Bardugo (June 30): Aaaahh! I’m so excited for this one! The original Six of Crows duology is quite possibly my favorite young adult series of all time, so hearing that there’s going to be another story in Ketterdam?? I can’t wait!

The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss (April 7): You’re probably sick of hearing me talk about Marissa Meyer here, but I’ll be talking about her again soon because I’ll be attending one of her launch events (for the third time) on April 3 to celebrate this release!

The Siren by Tomi Adeyemi (September 29): I’m very intrigued by this book. Tomi Adeyemi’s first series, Children of Blood and Bone, was incredibly successful (rightfully so), and I don’t know how she could possibly reach that level of greatness again. It feels similar to how JK Rowling mostly stopped writing after Harry Potter—there’s just no way to go higher.

You’ll probably see reviews of all of these later this year!

Spotlight: Tell Me About You!

This month I thought I’d do something a little different! Instead of spotlighting something going on with me, I want to spotlight something going on with you.

What’s something exciting that’s happened to you recently? What book are you looking forward to this year? What progress—no matter how small—have you made on your writing project?

Share something about yourself, and I’ll feature some of your replies in my April newsletter!

Personal: Life in February

Reading with my cats! Almanzo (yes, the name’s from the Laura Ingalls Wilder series) is on my lap, and Shadow is sitting next to me.

February as a whole was pretty uneventful. Here in Minnesota, we had a couple of “fake springs” where it warmed up to the 50s and the snow started to melt, only to switch back to below freezing with heavy snow a day or two later. I went to my first youth group retreat, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’ve started to, kind of, make some friends, which has been fun. I’ve also started reading more again—I’m really enjoying Holly Jackson right now.

Quick Writing Update

Continued Draft #4 of The Phoenix Pendant
Continued a short story
Wrote 2,000 words in Project: Europe

What books are you looking forward to in 2026? What did your February look like? Let me know by replying directly to this email or leaving me a comment on the website that corresponds to The Introverted Writer!