Delilah S. Dawson
@delilahsdawson.bsky.social
NYT-bestseller, Stoker and Thriller award finalist, writer of horror, fantasy, YA, MG, romance, and Star Wars. Cowriter of the Tales of Pell. Also comics. Olympic lifter. She/her. aka Lila Bowen & Isla Jewell.
Links: https://linktr.ee/delilahsdawson
Links: https://linktr.ee/delilahsdawson
Pinned
Hi! I'm Delilah S. Dawson & Lila Bowen. I'm a NYT-bestselling author of over 30 books and dozens of comics for adults, YA, and middle grade. I love Star Wars, weird taxidermy, Olympic lifting, and gluten free baking. I will answer any non-googleable question about writing, publishing, or my work.
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
From the NYT bestselling author of Bloom comes a darkly seductive tale of beautiful rock stars, sinister cults, and a magical oasis where dreams come true... for a price. 🦄 🎶
HOUSE OF IDYLL by @delilahsdawson.bsky.social is out now! https://tinyurl.com/t38ukrxp
HOUSE OF IDYLL by @delilahsdawson.bsky.social is out now! https://tinyurl.com/t38ukrxp
December 7, 2025 at 1:30 PM
From the NYT bestselling author of Bloom comes a darkly seductive tale of beautiful rock stars, sinister cults, and a magical oasis where dreams come true... for a price. 🦄 🎶
HOUSE OF IDYLL by @delilahsdawson.bsky.social is out now! https://tinyurl.com/t38ukrxp
HOUSE OF IDYLL by @delilahsdawson.bsky.social is out now! https://tinyurl.com/t38ukrxp
I'm sorry, but it really bothers me that the Pantone Color of the Year is...
not actually a color.
That's like a Flavor of the Year being Air.
The Sound of the Year being Silence.
The Feeling of the Year being I Have Never Known The Touch of a Woman.
not actually a color.
That's like a Flavor of the Year being Air.
The Sound of the Year being Silence.
The Feeling of the Year being I Have Never Known The Touch of a Woman.
December 5, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I'm sorry, but it really bothers me that the Pantone Color of the Year is...
not actually a color.
That's like a Flavor of the Year being Air.
The Sound of the Year being Silence.
The Feeling of the Year being I Have Never Known The Touch of a Woman.
not actually a color.
That's like a Flavor of the Year being Air.
The Sound of the Year being Silence.
The Feeling of the Year being I Have Never Known The Touch of a Woman.
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
"This is what would happen if Disney and Tarantino snorted Pixy Stix and watched The Venture Bros. together, and I mean that in the best possible way." - @delilahsdawson.bsky.social
THE FLORIDA HIPPOPOTAMUS COCAINE MASSACRE
Feb 18 from @madcavestudios.com
THE FLORIDA HIPPOPOTAMUS COCAINE MASSACRE
Feb 18 from @madcavestudios.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:27 PM
"This is what would happen if Disney and Tarantino snorted Pixy Stix and watched The Venture Bros. together, and I mean that in the best possible way." - @delilahsdawson.bsky.social
THE FLORIDA HIPPOPOTAMUS COCAINE MASSACRE
Feb 18 from @madcavestudios.com
THE FLORIDA HIPPOPOTAMUS COCAINE MASSACRE
Feb 18 from @madcavestudios.com
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
I made another batch o’ granola and dang the house smells good now.
Also, hey: I got a wee notice that KILL THE FARM BOY went back for another reprinting so thanks, y’all, for reading that & spreading the word. Writing it with @delilahsdawson.bsky.social was so honkin’ fun & I’m glad folks dig it
Also, hey: I got a wee notice that KILL THE FARM BOY went back for another reprinting so thanks, y’all, for reading that & spreading the word. Writing it with @delilahsdawson.bsky.social was so honkin’ fun & I’m glad folks dig it
December 5, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I made another batch o’ granola and dang the house smells good now.
Also, hey: I got a wee notice that KILL THE FARM BOY went back for another reprinting so thanks, y’all, for reading that & spreading the word. Writing it with @delilahsdawson.bsky.social was so honkin’ fun & I’m glad folks dig it
Also, hey: I got a wee notice that KILL THE FARM BOY went back for another reprinting so thanks, y’all, for reading that & spreading the word. Writing it with @delilahsdawson.bsky.social was so honkin’ fun & I’m glad folks dig it
I don't enjoy haunted houses, nor do I have the gene that makes me enjoy gambling, and yet for some reason, when I see an Instagram post that's like 'THESE TEN BOOKS MADE ME WANT TO THROW UP AND THE AUTHOR SHOULD DIE IN A HOLE', I squint my eyes and start clicking the arrow, wincing on each page.
December 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
I don't enjoy haunted houses, nor do I have the gene that makes me enjoy gambling, and yet for some reason, when I see an Instagram post that's like 'THESE TEN BOOKS MADE ME WANT TO THROW UP AND THE AUTHOR SHOULD DIE IN A HOLE', I squint my eyes and start clicking the arrow, wincing on each page.
Just a little reminder that Dragon Con guest applications are now open! (And if you're an author who's never been but is thinking about applying and has questions, ask here! DC is... built different.)
December 4, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Just a little reminder that Dragon Con guest applications are now open! (And if you're an author who's never been but is thinking about applying and has questions, ask here! DC is... built different.)
The e-book of BLOOM is on sale for $4.99 in the US, and the second slide would like to seduce you with succulent reasons to read it. All inks can be found here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/736002...
December 4, 2025 at 4:51 AM
The e-book of BLOOM is on sale for $4.99 in the US, and the second slide would like to seduce you with succulent reasons to read it. All inks can be found here: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/736002...
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
A new This Is Horror newsletter has landed. I write about becoming a father again and share This Is Horror Podcast episodes with Gabino Iglesias (@gabino.bsky.social), Delilah S. Dawson (@delilahsdawson.bsky.social), and Jacy Morris (@jacymorris.bsky.social).
podcast-horror.kit.com/posts/listen...
podcast-horror.kit.com/posts/listen...
Listen to This Is Horror Podcast Episodes with Gabino Iglesias, Delilah S. Dawson, and Jacy Morris | Personal Update: I'm a Father Again
podcast-horror.kit.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:23 AM
A new This Is Horror newsletter has landed. I write about becoming a father again and share This Is Horror Podcast episodes with Gabino Iglesias (@gabino.bsky.social), Delilah S. Dawson (@delilahsdawson.bsky.social), and Jacy Morris (@jacymorris.bsky.social).
podcast-horror.kit.com/posts/listen...
podcast-horror.kit.com/posts/listen...
Life with ADHD:
1. Discover that the leg of my pajamas is wet from the knee down to my sock.
2. Investigate: Is it a plumbing issue? Ham juice from the overstuffed fridge? Cat pee? Did I brush against a wet spot refilling birdbaths? No odor. Confused.
3. Change pants & socks, back to work. 1/
1. Discover that the leg of my pajamas is wet from the knee down to my sock.
2. Investigate: Is it a plumbing issue? Ham juice from the overstuffed fridge? Cat pee? Did I brush against a wet spot refilling birdbaths? No odor. Confused.
3. Change pants & socks, back to work. 1/
December 1, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Life with ADHD:
1. Discover that the leg of my pajamas is wet from the knee down to my sock.
2. Investigate: Is it a plumbing issue? Ham juice from the overstuffed fridge? Cat pee? Did I brush against a wet spot refilling birdbaths? No odor. Confused.
3. Change pants & socks, back to work. 1/
1. Discover that the leg of my pajamas is wet from the knee down to my sock.
2. Investigate: Is it a plumbing issue? Ham juice from the overstuffed fridge? Cat pee? Did I brush against a wet spot refilling birdbaths? No odor. Confused.
3. Change pants & socks, back to work. 1/
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
The totally-not-a-cult in this book is giving nothing but green flags :)
#HouseOfIdyll #youindangergirl @delilahsdawson.bsky.social
#HouseOfIdyll #youindangergirl @delilahsdawson.bsky.social
November 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The totally-not-a-cult in this book is giving nothing but green flags :)
#HouseOfIdyll #youindangergirl @delilahsdawson.bsky.social
#HouseOfIdyll #youindangergirl @delilahsdawson.bsky.social
wHy aREn'T PeOpLE sEeinG moVIeS aNyMORe??
I dunno, man, maybe because the last two movies I *really* wanted to see in the theater are only playing in, like, 5 theaters in a 50 mile radius and they all stink? Neither Frankenstein nor Wake Up, Dead Man are coming to my CITY, and I hate it.
I dunno, man, maybe because the last two movies I *really* wanted to see in the theater are only playing in, like, 5 theaters in a 50 mile radius and they all stink? Neither Frankenstein nor Wake Up, Dead Man are coming to my CITY, and I hate it.
November 29, 2025 at 4:12 AM
wHy aREn'T PeOpLE sEeinG moVIeS aNyMORe??
I dunno, man, maybe because the last two movies I *really* wanted to see in the theater are only playing in, like, 5 theaters in a 50 mile radius and they all stink? Neither Frankenstein nor Wake Up, Dead Man are coming to my CITY, and I hate it.
I dunno, man, maybe because the last two movies I *really* wanted to see in the theater are only playing in, like, 5 theaters in a 50 mile radius and they all stink? Neither Frankenstein nor Wake Up, Dead Man are coming to my CITY, and I hate it.
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
Today's Love Letter is a stunning meditation on birdwatching and the loss of a friendship, from the one and only @amalelmohtar.com
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
Why I Need the Birds
A Love Letters Feature by Amal El-Mohtar - November 2025
stone-soup.ghost.io
November 25, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Today's Love Letter is a stunning meditation on birdwatching and the loss of a friendship, from the one and only @amalelmohtar.com
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
stone-soup.ghost.io/love-letter-...
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
If you've got a middle grade Horror lover in your life, I've got a gruesome threesome of books that would make an impressive gift! RIDE OR DIE, CAMP SCARE, and MINE are available wherever books are sold, in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
November 24, 2025 at 5:48 PM
If you've got a middle grade Horror lover in your life, I've got a gruesome threesome of books that would make an impressive gift! RIDE OR DIE, CAMP SCARE, and MINE are available wherever books are sold, in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
I'm just a girl
staring at a screen
begging my favorite bands to have actual concerts instead of only doing crappy festivals in 102 degree summer heat that are standing pit only with rows of stank-ass portapotties and $12 Dasani water.
staring at a screen
begging my favorite bands to have actual concerts instead of only doing crappy festivals in 102 degree summer heat that are standing pit only with rows of stank-ass portapotties and $12 Dasani water.
November 23, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I'm just a girl
staring at a screen
begging my favorite bands to have actual concerts instead of only doing crappy festivals in 102 degree summer heat that are standing pit only with rows of stank-ass portapotties and $12 Dasani water.
staring at a screen
begging my favorite bands to have actual concerts instead of only doing crappy festivals in 102 degree summer heat that are standing pit only with rows of stank-ass portapotties and $12 Dasani water.
I feel so embarrassed for Black Friday. Like, it used to be a nice TV so cheap that you would camp outside of the store overnight and kill a man with a toilet plunger, and now it's like, SURPRISE BESTIE, 10% OFF RETURN ADDRESS LABELS IF YOU GIVE US YOUR PHONE NUMBER!!!! Have some dignity.
November 22, 2025 at 4:37 PM
I feel so embarrassed for Black Friday. Like, it used to be a nice TV so cheap that you would camp outside of the store overnight and kill a man with a toilet plunger, and now it's like, SURPRISE BESTIE, 10% OFF RETURN ADDRESS LABELS IF YOU GIVE US YOUR PHONE NUMBER!!!! Have some dignity.
When submitting a short story to a magazine, how long do you give them the exclusive? Just today remembered one I submitted in February and realized I haven't heard back.
November 22, 2025 at 1:57 PM
When submitting a short story to a magazine, how long do you give them the exclusive? Just today remembered one I submitted in February and realized I haven't heard back.
Fun career first: When answering the publisher's audiobook questions regarding whether the narrator needs to know any other languages, I had to answer, "Must be able to make realistic parrot noises."
November 22, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Fun career first: When answering the publisher's audiobook questions regarding whether the narrator needs to know any other languages, I had to answer, "Must be able to make realistic parrot noises."
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
Authors beware: ClaimsHero is urging authors to opt out of the Anthropic settlement in order to file their own separate lawsuit. Except this outfit has no federal or state court experience with class-action suits. And the judge has called them a fraud.
Predatory Opt-Out Scheme ClaimsHero Targets Anthropic Settlement Participants: What Authors Need to Know - The Authors Guild
In recent weeks, a third-party law firm, ClaimsHero, has launched an aggressive online campaign urging authors to opt out of the Bartz v. Anthropic copyright settlement. ClaimsHero—which has no litiga...
authorsguild.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Authors beware: ClaimsHero is urging authors to opt out of the Anthropic settlement in order to file their own separate lawsuit. Except this outfit has no federal or state court experience with class-action suits. And the judge has called them a fraud.
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
I think one of the hardest things about being a career writer in traditional publishing is that writing attracts the neurodivergent brain while the variable reinforcement schedule punishes it. We are all the rat at the water bottle, waiting for the hit of cocaine. You get one win, and you need MORE.
November 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I think one of the hardest things about being a career writer in traditional publishing is that writing attracts the neurodivergent brain while the variable reinforcement schedule punishes it. We are all the rat at the water bottle, waiting for the hit of cocaine. You get one win, and you need MORE.
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
This Saturday, find me at B&N Perimeter in ATL to defend romance with @runwithskizzers.bsky.social @julianwinters.bsky.social @delilahsdawson.bsky.social and Vanessa Riley! 2pm! Go or else I'll stop posting dog pictures!
November 21, 2025 at 12:02 AM
This Saturday, find me at B&N Perimeter in ATL to defend romance with @runwithskizzers.bsky.social @julianwinters.bsky.social @delilahsdawson.bsky.social and Vanessa Riley! 2pm! Go or else I'll stop posting dog pictures!
Reposted by Delilah S. Dawson
Are you mad at billionaires? Me, too. That's why I wrote this book about punishing them in inventive ways.
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...
November 20, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Are you mad at billionaires? Me, too. That's why I wrote this book about punishing them in inventive ways.
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...
I tell people that if you can do literally anything else as a job, something steady, do that and write for fun. If not, try this, but don't quit your day job until you have a year of living expenses saved up and a good source for insurance. I am fortunate to have a supportive partner.
I heard someone talk about his granddad who always said the best surfers are the ones sitting at the beach, and you know, I would like to ask you if you think not going down this path that you‘re on if you would be happy with that decision.
Or would you long even for the cold of the water?
Or would you long even for the cold of the water?
November 20, 2025 at 3:47 PM
I tell people that if you can do literally anything else as a job, something steady, do that and write for fun. If not, try this, but don't quit your day job until you have a year of living expenses saved up and a good source for insurance. I am fortunate to have a supportive partner.
I think one of the hardest things about being a career writer in traditional publishing is that writing attracts the neurodivergent brain while the variable reinforcement schedule punishes it. We are all the rat at the water bottle, waiting for the hit of cocaine. You get one win, and you need MORE.
November 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
I think one of the hardest things about being a career writer in traditional publishing is that writing attracts the neurodivergent brain while the variable reinforcement schedule punishes it. We are all the rat at the water bottle, waiting for the hit of cocaine. You get one win, and you need MORE.
Are you mad at billionaires? Me, too. That's why I wrote this book about punishing them in inventive ways.
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...
November 20, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Are you mad at billionaires? Me, too. That's why I wrote this book about punishing them in inventive ways.
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...
Guess why it's called Guillotine.
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/763731...