.jpg)
‘Grief makes detectives of us all’
Nat ional bestselling author Ashley Winstead will share about her upcoming star-studded contemporary romance novel “The Future Saints” and her most recent murder mystery and thriller novel “This Book Will Bury Me” at an exclusive event, Thursday, Nov. 20, from 6-7 p.m. at The Story Peddler.
Winstead’s upcoming author event at the Story Peddler will be her first with the indie bookstore. The Houston-based author will read from and discuss “This Book Will Bury Me,” released in March, and tease her upcoming novel “The Future Saints.” Winstead said she is very excited to connect with and build a community of readers and bookstores in the Houston area, especially in a world of growing technology.
“There’s so much going on, and it makes me so deeply appreciative of the people who are holding on and celebrating books, especially here in Texas where there’s been so many obstacles to getting books into people’s hands,” Winstead said. “It makes you really appreciate the people who are continuing to participate in this wonderful thing that has made humanity really what it is, which is storytelling.”
“This Book Will Bury Me” propels readers through three puzzling murder mysteries inspired by the real-l ife 2022 University of Idaho murders. Following the unexpected death of her father, protagonist Jane Sharp and her new sleuth friends delve into the murder of three college girls. However, Jane quickly finds herself embroiled and unexpectedly complicit in the crime of a century while the media and internet watch.
“This theme that I had in mind was [that] grief makes detectives of us all,” Winstead said. “Sleuthing is, in a way, like a form of intimacy and trying to not only find justice…but really just find closure, and that’s really important to us as human beings.”
“The Future Saints” follows the dramatic romance of failing singer Hannah Cortland and new band manager Theo Ford. Readers meet Hannah at the lowest point of her life after losing the most important person in the world to her and going viral for drunkenly bombing a last-ditcheffort performance. The book will be released on Jan. 20, 2026.
“If ‘This Book Will Bury Me’ is a kind of a dark and murderous lens on grief, I would say ‘The Future Saints’ is a sunshine, comedy and hopeful take on grief,” Winstead said. “[‘The Future Saints’] is a book about music and the way we can claw ourselves out of grief through art.”
The theme of grief in both books mimics Winstead’s own journey with gr ief throughout the books’ production following the loss of her father. She said she wrote what she knew and what was happening to her emotionally and psychologically. Winstead reported that readers found representation and solace in “This Book Will Bury Me.”
“I’ve gotten so many messages from readers talking about how much the grief journey, especially [the one] that Jane goes on, has resonated with them and made them feel connected to me and to the characters…even though we don’t know each other and how helpful it’s been,” Winstead said.
Despite the genre and mood shift with “The Future Saints,” Winstead said the book still holds true to her writing style of fast-paced plots and intense character focuses. Winstead is currently contracted for three more books after “The Future Saints” with her next being in the same genre. However, she assured her long-time readers that she will continue writing crime, mysteries and thrillers.
“If you like the way I handle murder and falling in love in fast-paced, i ntense and cha racter- driven ways, I think you’re going to really love the way I handle a rise to fame and a plunge into the world of Hollywood and the music industry,” Winstead said.
During her author event at The Story Peddler, Winstead will read a brief portion of “This Book Will Bury Me” then discuss with readers and sign books. The event is free and open to the public. The Story Peddler is located at 538 W Main Street in Bellville.
