What is the title of your latest release?
THE DIVINE GARDENER’S HANDBOOK: OR WHAT TO DO IF YOUR GIRLFRIEND ACCIDENTALLY TURNS OFF THE SUN
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Two rival gardeners stop at nothing to secure the top spot in the Divine Gardens, including overthrowing God, destroying the sun, and running afoul of a brewing rebellion, all while the attraction between them blooms.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
DGH accurately reflects how often I watch Gardening Australia and Bladerunner.
Would you hang out with your heroines in real life?
Absolutely not. I’m a homebody and not prone to running about destroying stuff.
What are three words that describe your heroines?
Innovative, determined, spiteful.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
That I’d better say “potted plants” instead of “pot plants” for an American audience.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I am a terror who constantly adds jokes for my own amusement.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Chocolate.
Describe your writing space/office!
My desk has been taken over by cats. One sits on a little cushion where my laptop should go and the other has a special pod attached to the side of the desk. I’m lucky if I get a corner, and occasionally I lose my chair.
Who is an author you admire?
Jeff VanderMeer, for always being as weird as possible.
Is there a book that changed your life?
ENDURANCE by astronaut Scott Kelly, where he says a book inspired him to begin his career. It reaffirmed the importance of stories to me, and I realized books have inspired me at several key points in my life too.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It all felt like a dream, until I got my edit letter, then reality smacked me in the face…ahah just kidding. It’s still a dream!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Science Fantasy
What’s your favorite movie?
Right now, it’s Project Hail Mary. The colors! The subverted expectations! The sentient rock! And of course, I guess Ryan Gosling is okay too.
What is your favorite season?
Winter. Good writing weather.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
As little as possible.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I was lucky enough to get to blurb A VIPER AMONG KINGS by Sydney Olivia - a VERY original, darkly funny fantasy that quickly became one of my all-time faves.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Well-blended soups. I like food that doesn’t surprise me with unexpected textures.
What do you do when you have free time?
I read and write!
What can readers expect from you next?
I have a new YA fantasy novel, SELKIES & SKEPTICS, comes out in November 2026, and a second adult science fantasy coming soon!
DELUXE EDITION—featuring beautiful sprayed edges!
Perfect for fans of Tamsyn Muir and Rebecca Thorne, this joyful debut follows a gardener fighting to secure her dream job in the Divine Gardens—manipulating God, antagonizing her attractive rival, and running afoul of a brewing rebellion along the way.
Cyprin grows perfect apples.
No other worker tends the orchards like she can. Sick of living in a Jenga-esque megacity where she’s never alone (there’s always a rat), Cyprin dreams of a job in the Divine Gardens, tending to the plants overseen by God.
Her only way in is winning an annual flower pageant—one that’s been dominated by the Divine Gardens’ head gardener for five years running: an insufferable woman with an undeniable affinity for plants. When Cyprin plays dirty (criminally dirty) and wins, she jumps headfirst into life in the gardens and her rivalry with the head gardener, who she just can’t stop thinking about.
Pranks, backstabbing, and a lot of heated glaring unite them, until they’re both drawn into a plot to take down God—who’s really just some guy with a great garden. As they spiral through layers of the city’s history and underground rebel group, Cyprin and her rival will find they understand each other like no one else does, even if there can only be one head gardener in the end.
But rise or fall, at least Cyprin will always have the rats.
A chaotically queer exploration of love, ambition, and toxic work culture, The Divine Gardener's Handbook is a romp of a science fantasy that will leave you gasping for more.
Science Fiction | Romance LGBTQ [ Saturday Books, On Sale: August 18, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250395184 / eISBN: 9781250395191 ]
Eli Snow (they/them) is a speculative fiction writer, editor, and former medical geneticist, based in rural Australia with their two cats. Their work tends to center queer and neurodivergent characters, as these are the perspectives they experience the world from. When not reading or writing, they should be checked for signs of life. Eli also writes YA Fantasy under the name Elias Cold. Their YA debut, The Duke Steals Hearts, is available now from Page Street Kids.
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