I’m really thrilled to share this news — THE RETREAT has won the fiction prize at this year’s Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. This jury citation made me SWOON:

“Elisabeth de Mariaffi’s “The Retreat” pairs the blood-chilling suspense of The Shining with the thorough and thoughtful feminist exploration of the creative process in Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own.’ De Mariaffi’s dancer-protagonist is blessed with powerful, intertwined drives to create and survive; both of which turn out to be essential to making it through the journey ahead of her when she arrives at a remote artist retreat in the opening pages of this fast-paced, heart-wrenching novel.”

Stephen King x Virginia Woolf? They really GET me. It’s kind of astonishing to find a jury willing to look beyond the word genre and find the book as it was intended. I feel very grateful.

And look, I got my nails done in NYC! Thank goodness!