THE SECRET LIFE OF HIDDEN PLACES: New title + release date

Illustration by Sarah Silverkey

My first non-fiction book, and first book for adults, written with my friend and author extraordinaire April Genevieve Tucholke, about secret rooms, hidden passages, and the historical figures who built them, will be out on February 13th, 2024, from Workman-Hachette.

And it has a new title! Clandestine is henceforth going to be called:

THE SECRET LIFE OF HIDDEN PLACES: Concealed Rooms, Clandestine Passageways, and the Curious Minds That Made Them

There are so many more things in the book than just concealed rooms and clandestine passageways. There are also mysterious staircases, buried cities, hidden tombs, wells marked with occult symbols, cursed catacombs, labyrinths, secret gardens, and as much information about the people behind them and the psychology of their hiding as we could dredge up from archives and travel.

We just finished our 4th pass, and it’s looking gorgeous. (The images below are not from the book, just teases.)

A very small secret door I encountered last year in Vienna. Doesn’t it make you LONG to know what’s behind it?

The Secret Life of Hidden Places is available for pre-order wherever books are sold.

Next up: cover reveal! I’m not sure when. They’re still putting the finishing touches on it. But it’s beautiful, and I can’t wait for you all to see it.