Welcome to My New Website

Posted & filed under blogs, collage art, mad skillz, making things.

Hi everyone. Today, I’m so very pleased to introduce my new website. It was made by Jenny Medford at Websy Daisy, whom I recommend enthusiastically. On my end, everything was straightforward and easy; Jenny was patient, responsive, and imaginative; the parts of website-building that were beyond my abilities were magically lifted from my plate; I was delighted with her design instincts. And here it is! I hope you enjoy looking around! (If you’re receiving this as an email, please do click through and have a look.)

The paper collage art was created by me. Though it wasn’t my goal to represent characters or objects from my own books exactly, it was my goal to invoke my book worlds generally, so, if you’re familiar with my books, you may see objects or characters that ring a bell. If you see objects that don’t ring a bell, it might be because I wasn’t just working with my published books here. I was keeping my future books in mind. So some of these collages are teasers for books that will come out in time.

In terms of blogging, you may have noticed that I’ve dropped off recently. This is partly because during the pandemic, I’ve needed to simplify my life and my responsibilities a bit, for survival (I’m guessing you understand). It’s also partly because given the challenges we’re facing these days with the state of our democracy and basic human rights, I often find I don’t have anything useful to say in blog form. I feel like my most useful contributions to the conversation will be my books. So I’ve been focusing intensely on my books.

Despite breaks from blogging, I do intend to continue my series on the craft of writing, make announcements, and blog on random topics sometimes! I’ll close with a few photos from the process of making one of my collages.

I had the idea to make a picture of raptor monsters flying out of my book Fire. (You can see it on my Books page.) So, first, I opened up my Fire hardcover, and took a couple of photos. This one below for the left side of the page,

A photo of my book Fire in hardcover, held in my hand, open to pages 68-69.

And the one below for the right.

A photo of my book Fire in hardcover, held in my hand, open to pages 354-355.

I printed them, cut them out and shaped them, glued them together, cut a box out of the right side, and added page-looking edges from a picture in a magazine I found somewhere. Note (below) that on the left edge I had to scrabble together some pieces, because I didn’t have a piece big enough to cover that whole edge. I knew at this point that one of the raptor monsters flying out of the book would have to cover that patched spot on the left.

A photo of the beginnings of a collage held in my hand, showing pieces cut out of the previous two photos and glued. It looks like an open book, with a page of Fire on the left (page 68), and a page with a big empty box cut out of it on the right.

I added a few more things and then sent the following photo to my sisters, who told me they couldn’t believe it was flat.

Held in my hand, a flat paper object that looks very much like a three-dimensional open book. The left side is page 68 of Fire, the right side shows an illustration of a mountain peak, winter trees, and a blue and lavender sky. The book has a red cover showing at the edges.

So I sent them the following photo next.

A photo of the 3D-looking book described in the previous image, shown sitting flat on a desk.

At this point, I started making little birds and playing with where they should go and how they should look. I cut out, glued, and ended up rejecting a lot of birds!

Lying on my desk, my 3D-looking book collage, now with three different collaged birds of various yellows, golds, and pinks, positioned randomly. Behind it on the desk, my own pencil sketches.

But in time, I got to the look I wanted. The finished collage is below.

The finished collage. An open book with writing on the left side, and, on the right side, an illustration of a mountain scene. Three colorful birds are flying out of the mountain scene and out of the book. On the right, the birds are purple and fuchsia. The bird on the left is shades of yellow, green, and red.

When I was done, I had a little moment of serendipity. I hadn’t been paying much attention to the page of Fire I was working with, beyond knowing it involved mountains and raptor monsters. I hadn’t bothered to check how many raptor monsters, or what color they were. Imagine my delight when I read the actual page and saw the words, “Three raptors, two shades of fuchsia and violet and one apple-green.” Will you believe me when I say that this was an accident? I was looking for the numbers and colors that worked best with my background, nothing more. These types of serendipitous accidents happen in writing sometimes too. It’s one of the small delights of the process.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my explanation of how one of my collages was made — and I hope you’ll enjoy my new website! Welcome.

Announcing SEASPARROW, Graceling Realm Book #5, out November 1, 2022!

Posted & filed under Arctic Circle, books, covers, release dates, Seasparrow.

I’m so very happy to announce that my next Graceling Realm book, Seasparrow, will release on November 1, 2022. Scroll down for my beautiful covers in the US and the UK! I’ll also include links for pre-ordering at the bottom of this post.

Seasparrow is told from the point of view of Hava, Queen Bitterblue’s secret sister and spy, who has the Grace of changing what you think you see when you look at her. In other words, the Grace of hiding in plain sight. In Seasparrow, Hava sails across the sea toward Monsea with her sister, the royal entourage, and the world’s only copies of the formulas for the zilfium weapon Hava saved at the end of Winterkeep. As in all of my books, adventure ensues — the kind of adventure that will cause Hava to do some soul-searching. While Bitterblue grapples with how to carry the responsibility of a weapon that will change the world, Hava has a few mysteries to solve — and a decision to make about who she wants to be in the new world Bitterblue will build. Seasparrow was edited by Andrew Karre. Thank you, Andrew, for helping me help Hava find her wings!

Prior to today, I’ve only been talking about this book on Twitter, where I don’t have a lot of space to say meaningful things. I have space on this blog, so here are a few non-spoilery bits of info about Seasparrow.

* Unlike my other Graceling Realm books, this one is told from the first-person point of view. Why? Because it was right for this book. Hava is a character who’s so internal that often other people don’t even know she’s there. I suppose I can’t entirely explain why, when I started writing, I knew I needed to write in first person, but maybe it’s because in order to write about Hava, I needed to get deep inside, where she was. I don’t think I’ve ever written a book from the perspective of someone so hidden before. And yet, from the start, Hava let me in. It felt like she was the one making the decision about what point of view we needed.

* Though the page count is higher (624!), the word count is not higher than any of my other Graceling Realm books. That’s because Hava’s story is told in a lot of pretty short chapters. That felt right for Hava and the way she processes things; again, it felt like she was the one making this decision. Short chapters have a way of creating a sense of empty space inside a printed book, which is an effect I’ve always liked, so I went with it.

* The interior art that Ian Schoenherr created for Seasparrow is spectacular. Maybe more than any of my books prior to this, I’m excited for the day when I’ll have the finished product in my hands.

* Four years ago, I spent some time in the Arctic on a tall ship. I planned this book while I was on that trip. I started writing it the moment I got back. I could not have written this book were it not for my experience doing an artist residency with the organization The Arctic Circle. If you’d like to see some of the photos from my Arctic experience, search for “Arctic Circle” in the search engine.

And now for the covers! Here’s the US/Canada cover for Seasparrow, which will be published by Dutton/Penguin Random House. Kuri Huang is the cover artist. Jessica Jenkins is the cover designer. And as I’ve already said, the interior will include beautiful art by Ian Schoenherr.

 

And here is the UK/Australia/New Zealand cover for Seasparrow. My editor at Gollancz is Gillian Redfearn. Micaela Alcaino is the cover artist and Tomás Almeida is the in-house designer.

 

 

Finally, here are some direct pre-ordering links! Seasparrow can be ordered in the US at:

Bookshop.org

barnesandnoble.com

Target

Amazon

 

And in the UK at:

UK.Bookshop.org

Waterstones

Blackwells

 

…and wherever books are sold.

 

Happy holiday weekend for those celebrating. And happy reading!

New Year’s Reflections

Posted & filed under New Year, Vermont, writing.

Just after the New Year, I spent some time in Vermont.

View of a snowy field and mountains through a frost-covered window.

I go to Vermont to write, but ever since the start of the pandemic, I also go there for some clarity of thought. Sometimes it’s easier to figure out how you’re doing if you can get some distance from everything. Where I go, I have no cell service, internet, or email. I keep my fingers crossed that when I arrive, I won’t discover frozen pipes. I haul a lot of wood (so much wood! Wood is heavy!). I start a fire in the stove and hole up for a while, blessed with the great good fortune to be allowed to turn briefly into a hermit.

Occasionally I’m able to talk to Kevin on the phone, and our conversations go something like this: Hi! How have you been? Could you please tell me the names of Henry VIII’s wives in order and also which ones were executed?

Because, again, I have no internet. So I keep a running list of all the things I’ve been wondering. And when you’re listening to the audiobook of Wolf Hall while staring out the window,

 

Glorious orange sunrise over a rolling range of mountains.

 

sometimes you realize you want some spoilers. (The answer, if you’re interested: (1) Catherine of Aragon. (2) Anne Boleyn, beheaded. (3) Jane Seymour. (4) Anne of Cleves. (5) Catherine Howard, beheaded. (6) Catherine Parr.)

So anyway, I went to Vermont at the New Year. In previous years, I’ve loved the New Year. It’s been a time of reflection and planning for me, a time to find balance and reconsider my intentions. Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve lost that New Year ritual to a certain extent, because time and its passage have gotten quite confusing. It doesn’t seem possible, for example, that Winterkeep was released in 2021. Wasn’t that eons ago? But also, I finalized a new book in 2021 (more on that, as soon as I’m allowed to say more) and am more than halfway through writing a new one, plus I have three other ideas begging to be written. How is that possible? Hasn’t it been only a year? Didn’t time used to be less springy than this? How old am I anyway? Did winter always used to make me this emotional? Why did I used to dislike my gray hair and now I love it? Why did I ever, EVER, put up with itchy tags in my clothes before now? Have my hands always been this cold? When will I see my friends’ faces again?

It’s really hard to sum up my last year and make plans for the next. I’m thinking in mushy blobs of time, rather than weeks, months, or years. But I am still hoping and planning.

Here are three plans I have for the nearish future:

1. I will finish a draft of a new, contemporary book that I’m currently loving writing. (I actually think this will happen this spring!)

2. I will unveil a website. Finally, after more than a decade, I’ve hired someone to build me a website! I’m having so, so much fun making my own art for it. I think this will get sorted this summer.

3. I will make some strides in a project currently occupying me and some other family members: dual USA-Italian citizenship.

These are my plans. Of course, every new piece of news and frankly the world in general can gum up the works pretty easily these days. So, we’ll see how everything goes. I’m trying to learn flexibility.

I hope you’re able to find some flexibility too, and also some clarity of thought, as we move through the New Year.

 

A vibrant purple, pink, and gold sunrise over a range of mountains, with a field of snow in the foreground.

 

Upcoming Online Events with Gareth Hinds for the GRACELING Graphic Novel!

Posted & filed under events, Gareth Hinds, Graceling Graphic Novel.

Hi again folks. Just announcing some upcoming events for the release of Gareth Hinds‘ graphic novel adaptation of Graceling:

Tuesday, November 16, 7pm – East City Books, online, Gareth Hinds and Kristin Cashore in conversation.

Friday, November 19, 7pm – Oblong Books, online, Gareth Hinds and Kristin Cashore in conversation.

Saturday, November 20, 3pm – Books of Wonder, online, Gareth Hinds, Makiia Lucier (Year of the Reaper), and Kristin Cashore in conversation.

Saturday, November 27, 6pm – An Unlikely Story, Plainville MA — this event is in-person + Facebook and is just Gareth — I will not be there — but that means Gareth will do more drawing and process stuff!

You can pre-order signed copies now from any of those stores. Follow the links to order books or sign up for the events. Hope to see you there!

 


 

How to Buy Signed/Personalized Copies of My Books

Posted & filed under Mount Auburn Cemetery, signed copies.

Hi everyone! Just checking in with a nice announcement: I am once again signing/personalizing books via my local indie, Harvard Book Store. 

I no longer live around the corner from the store, so I expect to go in for signing and personalizing only about once a month or so — so please order ahead if you anticipate wanting something! Once I have more info about holiday deadlines, I’ll come back and blog about that. In the meantime, feel free to go ahead and start ordering. Here is the link: https://shop.harvard.com/kristin-cashore-signed-copies. 

Notice the instructions at the top: When checking out, indicate in the comments field that you would like a signed copy. Include any personalization you’d like as well. I’m happy to honor requests to wish someone a happy birthday, good luck with their writing, etc., but please do note that if you ask me to write something I’m not comfortable signing my name to (!), I won’t honor those requests. (Yes, I’ve occasionally been asked to write some head-scratchers…) 😂

Hope everybody is doing well. I’ll be back very soon with info about upcoming online events for Gareth Hinds’ graphic novel adaptation of Graceling, which releases on November 16! And now I’ll send you off with a picture from today, in Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Trees with red, orange, yellow, and green leaves in Mount Auburn Cemetery.

Tiny Quick Update

Posted & filed under Other.

Hi everyone,

I’m deep into revising the next Graceling Realm book (starring Hava), which is why I haven’t been here on the blog. It’s also why over on Twitter, mostly I’ve just been tweeting pictures of candles. I am Very Absorbed. Also, we moved to a new apartment last month. Also life. Also the pandemic and self-care. I hope you’re doing well.

Gareth Hinds’s adaptation of the Graceling graphic novel comes out in November! He’s been tweeting some lovely stuff on Twitter, and Graceling: the Graphic Novel is now available for pre-order wherever books are sold. Including at your local indie.

I’ll be back when there’s more news and/or when I have a minute for blogging, whichever comes first.  Until then, leaving you with a few of my recent candles…

 

Yellow beeswax candle, spherical, with vine-like designs on the outside.

Small turtle-shaped yellow beeswax candle on my writing desk.

White soy candle, cubic, with a hive-patterned surface, the variegated surface illuminated by the flame inside.

These Texas Organizations Need Our Support

Posted & filed under Other.

Here are a few organizations that need our support right now: 

Fund Texas Choice. A nonprofit organization funding abortion travel for people in Texas. 

Frontera Fund. Making abortion accessible for people in the Rio Grande Valley. 

Clinic Access Support Network. Providing transportation, lodging, emotional support, and more to those seeking abortion care in Houston, TX. 

Bridge Collective. A full spectrum doula collective, nonprofit organization based in Austin, TX. 

The Afiya Center. An advocacy organization based in Dallas, TX, dedicated to transforming the lives of Black womxn and girls through reproductive justice. 

Texas Equal Access Fund. Providing financial and emotional support to people seeking abortion care in the north, east, and panhandle regions of Texas. 

Lilith Fund. Financial assistance, emotional support, and building community spaces for people who need abortions in Texas — unapologetically, with compassion and conviction. 

West Fund. Working to make abortions accessible and affordable to people in West Texas. 

Thank you to the folks at @FundTexasChoice who helped me compile this list.

 

 

An Update on Email Delivery

Posted & filed under Other.

Hi again everyone,

Just an announcement that I think I’ve successfully migrated all email subscribers to a new working email service (MailChimp). I tried my best to transfer all verified subscribers to the new list — and not to transfer any unverified subscribers. Time will tell whether this blog post goes out successfully as an email. (There’s a box in the dropdown menu on the left of my homepage for anyone who wants to subscribe to my blog posts via email.) 

If there are problems with the new service, I expect I’ll realize it pretty soon, and I promise I’ll do my utmost to rectify them quickly. Apologies in advance if anything goes amiss! 

In the meantime, I have another craft post planned, and a few other thinky posts too. So, more soon. Thanks for your patience with all of this, everyone!

Upcoming Changes to Email Delivery

Posted & filed under Other.

Just a note to those readers who receive my blog post via email: The service that provides this, Feedburner, is shutting down in a couple of weeks, so I’m going to be migrating my subscribers to a new service. If you get an email from me in the next couple of weeks, please pay attention, because you may need to reconfirm your subscription with the new service! 

Thanks, and stay tuned!