Finding North: April 2024

On hoarding my nuts for winter (plus a giveaway) 🐿

Note: The recording above is a reading of this newsletter — there’s no different content, and it’s not produced, so you’ll hear the occasional stumble, or sounds of daily life in the background. If you’re someone who needs or prefers to hear their news, then I hope it’s helpful.

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Hi there! I’m Amie Kaufman, NYT and internationally bestselling author of The Isles of the Gods, Illuminae, Aurora Rising, These Broken Stars, and many more books besides. This newsletter is the place to learn about my latest releases or events, and to follow along behind the scenes as I find my way through writing, and through life.

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Hi, my friends.

I can’t believe another month has gone by, and I’m writing to you already! This month I’m thinking about the turn of the seasons, and asking you to weigh in on a special edition and tell me what you’d love to see. There’s also an update on what I’m writing, a podcast recommendation, and lots of fun shortlist news.

Oh, and if you’re here because you saw my news on instagram about the Illuminae swag giveaway, you’ll find that right at the bottom.

Aware I am perpetuating the myth that there are just koalas in trees everywhere in Australia, but look at this gal! My daughter and I met her at a wildlife sanctuary recently. She’s famous there for her fluffy ears.

What I’ve Been Up To

We’ve finally turned away from Australia’s hot summer, and we’re properly settling into autumn. I’m writing to you from my little office at the bottom of the garden, with a candle burning beside me, and rain steadily dripping from the gutters outside. There’s a huge, intricate spiderweb I’ve been watching progress outside my window for several days now, and at the moment it’s covered in raindrops that look like diamonds.

Last year I skipped the winter solstice here — instead, I stood on a lakeshore in my beloved Ireland and breathed in the summer — but this year I’ll be at home, and as someone who tries to live seasonally, I’m making my preparations.

I am not committed enough to go out into the rain to take a picture of my cottage, so here’s one I prepared earlier.

We’re past the equinox, and from here it’s a slow journey to our shortest day of the year in June. As my friends on the other side of the world start to come out of hibernation, I’m relishing the chance to slow down, soak up the crisp autumn air, and horde my nuts like a squirrel preparing to ride out the winter.

What kinds of nuts? I’m making winter plans, booking in visits to our local hot springs. I’m taking long walks on the beach, breathing in the salt air and letting my body see how the seasons are turning. I’m planning experiences that will buttress me against the dark we’re heading into, and that will light it up when I’m there.

I’m building a stack of books on my bedside table, for the nights I’ll head to bed early. I’m making my nest ready for a snug winter — right now there are six different wallpaper samples tacked up on my bedroom wall — and I’m lining up the work that will suit me best when days are dark and cold.

A long time ago, I think I’d have been jealous of those who were heading into summer just now, watching their flowers start to bloom and their trees start to bud. Summer’s my favourite season. But one of the ways I’ve grown over the years is in my appreciation for every part of the year. And just now, I can’t wait for the first day we can light a fire in the grate.

What I’m Writing

Right now I’m deep in revisions for Project LK, and starting research for Project RSR. I won’t be able to talk to you about either of them for a while, though I’m looking forward to spending my winter months writing Project RSR.

What I do have for you, though, is a very fun question indeed!

I’m so delighted to announce that Book Addiction, an Aussie company that makes the most incredible special editions, will be tackling The Isles of the Gods and The Heart of the World.

The special edition is going to be a hardcover box set with an all-new cover and illustrated endpapers, signed by me, and with some other special extras as well.

I got to choose both the cover artist and the artist for the endpapers, and I’m so, so excited to see the results! You can preorder right now — prices are in Australian dollars.

helenaschmalz

A post shared by @helenaschmalz

Here’s some gorgeous art by Helena, who’ll be doing our endpapers. This is the exact piece that made me fall in love with her style.

Here’s my question: We need to pick out two scenes to be illustrated for the endpapers. The one for the front shouldn’t contain spoilers, though the one for the back can be a little spoilery.

Is there an iconic moment from The Isles of the Gods that you’d love to see illustrated? If so, please leave a comment and tell us — you might be the one who thinks of the perfect scene! (And if you haven’t read The Isles of the Gods, then (a) you really should, I worked hard and it’s very good, and (b) probably don’t read the comments, as suggestions may be spoilery.

What I’ve Loved Lately

Recently I’ve been inhaling the Sidedoor podcast — it invites you in through the side door of the Smithsonian, where host Lizzie Peabody takes you deep into the stories behind their incredible museum collection. Every episode’s a gem, even (and sometimes especially) the ones you didn’t know you’d be interested in.

I’d recommend Face Value, a recent episode on choosing the women to be featured on the USA’s new quarters, and Did Meat Make Us Human, about whether our dietary choices are why we’re driving cars and gorillas aren’t.

News and Events

Aussies! I’m going to be at the Brisbane Writers Festival from 30 May to 2 June. I’ll be in a bunch of sessions, talking about magic and worldbuilding, and interviewing Naomi Novik, which I’m so looking forward to! You can grab tickets by clicking here. They’re selling very fast!

I’m also incredibly proud to announce that The Isles of the Gods has made some amazing shortlists. The Dymocks Top 101 is voted on by Australian readers every year, and is open to books from all genres, all categories, and all age ranges. There’s a huge number of votes, and showing up on the list is a very big deal. I’m so, so happy to see Isles on there at number 66 — thank you so much to everyone who voted!

I’m also frankly astonished to announce that The Isles of the Gods has shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards — this shortlist is chosen by a large panel of booksellers, and as you can imagine, competition is unbelievably stiff. Seeing Isles honoured by both readers and booksellers in the same month has been an incredible experience.

Meanwhile, over on the

Pub Dates

podcast, our episodes this month were about pass pages and copy edits — what they are and how they work — and book recommendations, in which Kate and I rave about some of our recent reads. You can listen at the links, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Heads up, Spanish readers — books one and two are out right now, and book three is coming soon!

Giveaway

This month’s giveaway is this Illuminae pack — a pair of socks (I think they came from the YA Chronicles book box back in the day) plus a signed bookmark and a pre-publication sampler that was released in 2015.

Originally I was going to just pull a subscriber at random each month, but then I realised that I have eight different published series, and folks who are fans of one might not be fans of another. So I wanted to give you a chance to enter for the prizes you want, and leave the ones you don’t.

To win, leave a comment telling me something about your Illuminae experience — a character you love, whether you prefer the paper book or the audio, a favourite line, when you first read them — literally anything connected to the books is fine!

The giveaway is open internationally. One answer will be randomly selected about halfway through the month, and I’ll reply in a comment to let you know to check your email! (This is the first time I’m trying this — if it doesn’t suit us for any reason, we’ll come up with a new system for next time.)

For now, time for me to sign off — I’ll see you in May!

If you use gmail, you’ll also find it helpful to drag this email from its place in the ‘promotions’ tab at the top, across to the ‘primary’ tab, so it doesn’t get lost among the advertisements.