Witches of the Wheel

In her metaphysical mystery Witches of the Wheel, Lindsay Merbaum weaves a spellbinding tale of mythology, bartending, and queer belonging.

Gold grows up knowing only a few things about herself: something lets her see ghosts and read her neighbors' secrets, and her mother seems to hate her. But when she strikes out on her own, she stumbles into a job at The Wheel, a literally-underground lesbian bar where a coven gathers every Thursday and each entrance requires a painful sacrifice. It feels like the first place she's belonged.

But the bar, its patrons, and its history are more complicated, and more dangerous, than Gold ever realized. As she entangles herself in her new community, she learns more about herself than she wanted to know—and attracts an ancient goddess’s deadly attention.

Praise for Witches of the Wheel:

“Oh, what a world Lindsay Merbaum has created. With her words, she’s woven a spell that blooms then burns bright, unveiling a realm of ancient and unending magic. I only wish the novel was as eternal as its characters. My advice to the novice—grab a cocktail, find a cozy, candle-lit alcove, and let the witches and goddesses take the Wheel.” —EV Knight, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Fourth Whore and Three Days in the Pink Tower

“In this intoxicating blend of magical realism, where fairy tales and ancient myths bleed into modern queer life, Gold must navigate a world where bartending is a sacred calling, sacrifice opens doors, and the gods themselves walk among us with their own agendas. As she’s pulled deeper into Babylon’s hidden magical underworld, she discovers that being chosen by a goddess is not a gift but a transformation—one that will demand everything she has and reshape her into something altogether more powerful and more terrifying than human.

For fans of Circe and The City We Became, Witches of the Wheel weaves mythology and desire into a darkly enchanting tale of a young woman discovering that her greatest power lies not in controlling her magic, but in surrendering to what she’s always been meant to become.” —Tracy Cross, author of Rootwork and A Gathering of Weapons