Hi all,

Today I finished a draft of a brand-new writing project. I started it on December 14, which means that I wrote it faster than I’ve ever written anything. And though I already know a lot of its revision needs, and though the draft isn’t really done (because I still have to transcribe an entire notebook of handwritten scribbles), and though I’m feeling that unsettled sense of not being sure yet where I’m going with it… And though I expect it to be a while before I can focus on it again… I feel hopeful about its potential. 

I’ve recently (maybe in the past year or so) entered a writing pocket that I call Less Angst. I don’t think my writing is any better or worse than it ever was, but I’m enjoying the work more, and worrying about it less. I can probably list a lot of reasons for this, but I suspect the biggest factor is experience. The feelings of doubt and worry, anxiety because the book isn’t right yet, uncertainty about how many attempts it will take to get it right… Those feelings have become so deeply familiar to me over the years. I think their familiarity is finally making them easier companions. They don’t rock me the way they once did. It’s really nice. And maybe this is temporary; maybe I’m in a sweet spot; but I’ll take it while it lasts. 😊

In other news, the release of Winterkeep went so very well, and now it’s possible to watch videos of all my virtual book events online. Here are the links:

My conversation with Sarah Enni, hosted by Brookline Booksmith.

My conversation with Malinda Lo, moderated by Tui Sutherland, hosted by Mysterious Galaxy.

My conversation with agent Faye Bender, moderated by editor Andrew Karre, hosted by Books and Books.

I have a couple of podcast links to share as well:

My conversation with Sarah Enni on First Draft.

My conversation with Felicity on the Penguin Teen podcast, We Are YA.

I’m also delighted to announce that with the release of Winterkeep, the Graceling Realm hit both the Indie series bestseller list and the NYT series bestseller list, for which I am very grateful. 😍

Finally, these days, most of my announcements and musings take place over on Twitter, which means that readers of the blog may be missing things… And I feel it’s imperative that none of you miss being introduced to my writing companion, February Spiffington. I made him myself, using this sewing kit. Of course I substituted blue felt for his body, because naturally, like all Keepish foxes, he is not red, but blue.

Happy reading and writing, everyone!