My secret news: I wrote a novel for Netflix!

by Gigi Griffis
THE EMPRESS by Gigi Griffis

I am yet again pleased to be coming to you with big news!

Last winter, I was contracted for not one but two novels.

My creepy Satanic Panic YA announced a couple months ago, and today I am very pleased to tell you about my adult historical debut and the new Netflix show that it’s based on!

THE EMPRESS by Gigi Griffis (cover)

The Empress

The Empress is a captivating, vivid, and remarkably modern tale about falling in love and finding one’s voice.

The year is 1853, and Elisabeth “Sisi” of Bavaria has been very clear: she will wait for the sweeping, head-over-heels love the poets speak of, or she will have no love at all. Just because her older sister Helene is eagerly heeding their mother’s advice and preparing to marry Emperor Franz of Austria does not mean Sisi must also subject herself to such a dutiful existence. Sisi knows there is more to life than luncheon, and corsets—if only someone would let her experience it all firsthand.

Meanwhile, in Austria, the emperor is recovering from an assassination attempt. In a bid to keep the peace, Franz has recommitted himself to his imperial duties—and promised to romance the pliant Helene of Bavaria at his upcoming birthday celebration. How better to unite the empire than with the announcement of a new empress?

But when Sisi and Franz meet unexpectedly in the palace gardens, away from the prying eyes and relentless critique of the court, their connection cannot be denied. And as their illicit conversations turn into something more, they must soon choose between the expectations of their families and standing up for what they truly believe in . . .

Even better, this book is a tie-in to an epic, sweeping historical TV series coming from Netflix this September. You can watch the trailer here (it’s in German, so English speakers will want to turn on the captions!):

For anyone who was wondering about the super secret project that I disappeared into this winter, this is it: my TV tie-in adult historical debut, which comes out October 11th! In addition to the US, rights have been sold in Brazil, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Finland, Czechia, Hungary, Denmark, Lithuania, Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, and Catalonia.

Pre-order your copy today on Amazon or wherever books are sold.


For more exciting book news, you can join the book-only mailing list here. (I’ll only email this list with book news, so if you hate newsletters, never fear!) If you are already on the blog email list, don’t worry – you will also get those emails; you don’t have to sign up twice.

If you want to add the book to your to-read list on Goodreads, it’s already up there as well

A gem of a novel with a compelling feminist bent. - Vaishnavi Patel Guaranteed to win Sisi new fans - Evie Dunmore Palace intrigue enough to keep us turning pages late into the night. - Meg Waite Clayton

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16 comments

Ali July 25, 2022 - 1:37 pm

Congrats!!! This is so amazing and I’m so happy for you!

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gigigriffis July 25, 2022 - 1:43 pm

Thanks!

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Kelly July 25, 2022 - 1:50 pm

This looks amazing, I’m really happy for you! But now I need you to get those rights sold to Netflix Turkey!

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gigigriffis July 25, 2022 - 1:52 pm

The show might be on in Turkey! I actually don’t have a full list of where the show will be (just the book).

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Pat Moody July 25, 2022 - 9:51 pm

Congratulations Gigi! You’ve worked hard for this!

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gigigriffis July 26, 2022 - 1:11 am

Thanks!

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Carole July 25, 2022 - 10:38 pm

Wow Gigi, I’m so happy for you. Netflix – many congratulations.

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gigigriffis July 26, 2022 - 1:11 am

Thanks!

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Jennifer July 26, 2022 - 8:08 am

That’s very exciting!! Congrats!!

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gigigriffis July 26, 2022 - 2:47 pm

Thanks!

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Cecilia July 26, 2022 - 1:23 pm

Hello, I’m Cecilia from the Reef. Been content so far lurking and admiring your photos of your travel but today I had to reach out and congratulate you for this wonderful accomplishment. Brava!

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gigigriffis July 26, 2022 - 2:46 pm

Thank you!

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Cece July 27, 2022 - 11:33 pm

Congratulations Gigi. I admire your talents and tenacity, I’m so happy for you.

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gigigriffis July 28, 2022 - 12:30 am

Thank you!

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Willow July 29, 2022 - 5:19 am

How exciting, Gigi! I didn’t even know there were novels for Netflix. This one sounds great. Congratulations!

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Siobhan August 17, 2022 - 8:24 am

Wowwww, congrats! This is so big!! Excited to read it :)

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