One Year of Nightbirds
Anniversary musings (and a little romanceš„)
February 28th marked NIGHTBIRDSā one-year anniversary. I canāt quite believe my debut novel has been on shelves that long! It feels like only a few weeks ago that I was pulling on my flapper dress and heading to my launch party. And yet it also feels like itās been an eon since then. Being a published author is a wonderful thing, and I am so glad I get to do this for a living. But itās a job laced through with uncertainty, anxiety, and a whole lot of time in sweatpants, battling that voice that says āyou donāt belong.ā
Iāve spent this year vacillating between joy and fear: joy that a story I wrote and love is out in the world, and that readers are finding and loving it. Fear that not enough people are finding it, and that itās not the huge blockbuster success every author secretly hopes their book will be. Iāve learned a lot of lessons this year about setting expectations, measuring success, and learning to write through all the noise that comes with publishing. Iāve also learned to soak in every win and joyful moment when they come, and there have been so many. Meeting you, readers, at events, and getting your emails and messages, have been some of my favourites so far.
One thing I can say is that, one year on, Iām incredibly proud of NIGHTBIRDS. And I really, truly cannot wait to share FYREBIRDS with you. And remember, if you want to hear about what itās like to write a sequel, and be the first to get sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes FYREBIRDS goodness, make sure to go and listen to my podcast Pub Dates, which has just kicked off its second season.
News
NIGHTBIRDS has just been named a Notable Book in the The Childrenās Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards! This is a big deal in Australia: itās the kind of award that earns you one of those shiny stickers on your cover that readers know to reach for. I couldnāt be more honored.
So far, foreign language editions of NIGHTBIRDS have come out in Poland, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Spain, and France. Before long itāll be coming to Germany, Russia, and Turkey! What a joy it is to see my girls in other languages.
Sneak Peek
Over on Instagram, I posted a romantic snippet from FYREBIRDS for Valentineās Day. Here it is again, for those who might have missed it. Iāve been interested to see how much readers LOVE Willan, given that he has less page time in Book 1 than anyone else. But I get it. Who doesnāt like a sensitive pirate whoās all about supporting the ladies? I present this sneak peek with very little context, other than: 1) it takes place in the hold of a ship, and 2) Willan spends the entire scene shirtless. Youāre welcome.
āI know you donāt need me,ā he goes on. āYou are strong enough to take care of yourself. But whatever is coming, I want to fight beside you. If itās my fate to die there too, thatās all right. Iām not going to let a vision make my choices for me. I choose my own fate. And I choose you. But I will leave if you ask. I will never take anything you donāt want to give me. And I wonāt kiss you, ever, unless you ask me to.ā
He turns and starts walking back toward the stairs. She tells herself to let him leave her. But this love is theirs, and she wants to claim it. Ćsa wants to chart her own path, come what may.
āWillan.ā
He turns back. She takes a step, pulling him closer. And then she touches his bare chest, as sheās longed to do, fingers spreading across wet skin. The only sounds are the rain pattering on the deck above them, Willanās lantern swinging on its hinges, and his heart crashing under her hand.
āKiss me.ā
Remember, if youāre in the USA, you can now pre-order your copy of FYREBIRDS. Australia, I should have pre-order links for you soon!
Meanwhile, on Pub Datesā¦
After taking a hiatus while we both edited our sequels, Amie and I are BACK on the air! We kicked off last month with an episode where we reintroduce ourselves and let listeners know what Season 2 holds in store. If its ben a while since you listened, or have a friend you might like to introduce the show to, this oneās the perfect point of reentry. We plan to post two episodes a month from here until FYREBIRDS and THE HEART OF THE WORLD come out.
What Iām Reading/Watching/Listening to
Dark Heir by C.S. Pacat and The Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab. Both immersive, beautifully written fantasy novels that Iām finding hard to put down.
The Artful Dodger. This show has everything I love: an interesting historical setting, beautiful costumery, romance, and a healthy dose of intrigue. Other than the gory surgery scenes, which I watched through my fingers, I found Season 1 an utter delight.
Until next time, friends.
congratulations on the anniversary! I only found out about the book recently through the podcast and am still reading it (with DJ snake's Nightbird song on loop on spotify lol) but am enjoying it so far! And those spayed edges for the german edition look so cool!
First, congrats on Notable Book!! Also that snippet? I'm not blushing, you're blushing