For each Bindery release, the team puts together a special ~VIP~ ARC box to send out to creators and I just received the one we designed for BARGAIN so I thought I'd give y'all a look inside!

The actual box itself pulls a ton of elements from the cover design (and just WAIT until you see the inside)

We've got our lovely blurb from Vaishnavi Patel on one side:

And a snippet of Ava Reid's blurb on the other! I realize I haven't shown y'all the full blurb they gave us yet but maybe I'll put that up tomorrow...

And then the INSIDE OF THE BOX!

I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Let's take a look at what's inside. First, some pre-ground masala chai powder from Diaspora Co.

This smells SO GOOD and I'm sure I'm going to fuck it up but I'm going to try making some masala chai with this.

Next, for main character Poppy and a tiny bit for me too, some California Poppy seeds:

And of course, because I'm me, for our other main character Hasan - and our resident fire magic weilder - a candle:

Calling it Den of the Jackal was my idea! Named after a chapter title in the book, Chapter 12: In The Den of the Jackal. The scent profile here is woods, sage, lavender, and a little jasmine.

And then probably my favorite thing in the box, to go with the candle, a set a matches branded with the Devar Brothers Shipping Co. design!

I don't know why I love this little bit so much, but it's my favorite. It's useful and it feels real and in-world, matchboxes they might have around the warehouses or whatnot that makes it feel real. Because the Devar Brothers Shipping Company is definitely a legit and above-board shipping company and certainly not a front for any illicit activities...

And then we have a little info card:

(the name of my imprint is wrong here but pretend it's not)

and finally, the star of the show, the book itself:

So there she is in all her glory! The VIP ARC box for To Bargain With Mortals. It was so much fun for R.A. and I getting to design this alongside our intrepid marketing director CJ and I'm so excited to see people receive it! And of course, I have a couple set aside to give away here and there over the next couple months so keep an eye out for your chance to snag one ;)