Finding North: April 2026
Turns out you can't be too sincere. 💕
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.
Hi there! I’m Amie Kaufman, NYT and internationally bestselling author of Red Star Rebels, The Isles of the Gods, Lady’s Knight, and many more. 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.
Hi, my friends.
We’ve had a cold blast recently in Melbourne, and I thought we’d turned the corner into autumn. Imagine, then, my delight at writing to you in shorts and a t-shirt, sitting in my little office at the bottom of the garden, windows and door flung open! Here’s to unexpected delights, and grabbing hold of them when they come our way.
In this letter:
A reflection on shared vulnerability (don’t worry, it’s happy, not stressful)
A mail club update
Lots of writing updates
And a cheeky audiobook rec, with a free sample
Let’s get started!
What I’ve Been Up To
You all certainly gave me a lot more to think about this month than I anticipated. Last month I invited you to join my mail club waiting list, and I was bowled over by how many of you did.
Now, I feel my emotions deeply, but I’m not one to cry over them that often, unless I’m watching the finale of the movie Apollo 13, in which case all bets are off. (Update — sending this right after watching the launch of Artemis II live, I must add another exception to the list. Such wonder! Such awe! Look what we can do!)
But my point is, I’m not much of a crier. And this month, you all brought me to tears.
Theres a field on the wait list form that invites you to tell me what you hope for for the letters, and… I wish you could have heard the long breath I just let out, as I searched for the right words.
Many of you talked about the desperate need for a little space just for yourself, or a quiet moment to think about the art you keep on pushing down the road to a magical ‘one day’ when things are calmer.
So many of you spoke about opening the door again to your creativity—that phrase came up surprisingly often, as if for so many of you, the door had slammed shut, and you weren’t even sure whether to push or pull to try and get it unstuck. Many of you spoke about wanting to find those first green shoots of spring, and just a hint of the version of yourself you want to be.
And I was a little overcome by the number of you who said some version of ‘I just really enjoy your newsletter, so I would like you to write to me.’ I put a lot of time and thought into this newsletter, and finding that commitment reciprocated meant so much.
It was a vulnerable feeling, sending out last month’s newsletter. It’s a very earnest project, this mail club, and perhaps to the cynical, it might seem too sincere. Despite that vulnerability, I did feel safe, because all my readers here — as you show up in the comments, as you chat to me at events — are so lovely. But even so, the vulnerability was there. It felt a little like the vulnerability of writing a deeply emotional climax to a book, crossing your fingers the readers are willing to come along for the ride with you. If they’re not, then it’s just you on your own, being way too dramatic. You need them to bring their own emotions on board, too.
I was met with such beautiful warmth and enthusiasm, and by so very many of you. (I am going to need a lot more envelopes than I thought.) You met me with your own vulnerability, and I treasure that.
Every time I think about this project, it makes me truly, uncomplicatedly happy. Let’s be earnest and vulnerable together. I am still hoping that I will be opening for official sign-ups in June, to post in July, but once I’m back from my road trip (more on that below) I’ll be getting serious about sourcing paper and so on, and that will help determine the timeline. This isn’t a project I’m prepared to rush and stress over — that’s not the spirit of it.
For now, I’m about to head off for a couple of weeks on a road trip with my family. We’ll be heading from Melbourne up to Sydney, exploring the city, and then making our way back home via the slower coastal road, stopping in beach towns to relax and explore. I’m taking all my ideas for our mail club, my many scribbled notes across various notebooks, and I’ll be writing and thinking while we’re away. It feels like a good thing, to be writing those letters from happy, peaceful places.
We’ll be in our campervan, which I recently spent some time in on my own — the picture above is a shot of my daily view, out across the sea. I spent long days writing and pausing to dunk myself in the sea — funny how when I’m on retreat, I never seem to think it’s too cold. There’s sometimes some gasping, sometimes (shock!) a little cursing, but it’s such a wonderful way to reset your brain.
The mental silence when I’m away by myself means that my thoughts really get to stretch their legs. No interruptions to deal with daily life. I always go through waves with projects — this is great is followed by this isn’t working at all is followed by I love putting my heart into this is followed by why did I think that part made sense? It’s the nature of creative work, to go up and down. My retreats in the van leave room for me to gather momentum, which is so rare these days. Our days aren’t just filled with work or parenting or school or other obligations. We fill our silences, too, pouring someone else’s thoughts in through our ears whenever silence threatens.
So, here’s to some quiet — even if it’s just ten minutes — and to letting our thoughts stretch their legs.
What I’m Writing
As I hit send on this letter, I’ve just sent in my first draft of what will be my 2027 book, which is code-named Relic. It’s another space story, and I’m looking forward to talking about it more in the future, hopefully before the end of the year!
This month, apart from wrapping up that draft, I’ve also finished the proof pages for One Knight Stand, and remain obsessed with the cover, below. It’s out at the start of June, and Meg and I can’t wait for you to read it.
We’ve been getting questions from US readers who are keen to preorder (thank you, legends!) and for now, I promise that the book will be up for preorder very soon, and certainly before I write to you next. I will let you know in advance, so you can start emotionally and spiritually preparing, that the US edition will be a paperback. This means that it will not match your hardcover. This is beyond our control — and as we all know, it’s the words inside that matter. Though also, look at this cover!
And what next, after finishing a draft and proofing before print? When I’m back from the road trip in late April, I’ll be spending about five weeks polishing up the draft of my PhD thesis, which is very nearly done. I’ll also have my pre-submission meeting! Plenty of brain work ahead, so looking at lovely paper samples and thinking about letter inclusions will be the perfect break.
And after that? Well, my friends, that’s a secret for now.
What I’ve Loved Lately
This is usually the section where I recommend a fabulous book or TV show or movie I’ve enjoyed recently, but — lest you think I’m over here just floating through life on cotton candy clouds of creativity — I got a great big migraine and had to give away my ticket to a very fancy cinema to see Project Hail Mary, so I can’t recommend that yet. I am convinced it will be fabulous, but you probably already know that.
What I want to talk about instead — if you’ll indulge me — is the Red Star Rebels audiobook. Because my friends, it is utterly fantastic. I got an email in the early stages from my amazing producer Nick, with whom I’ve worked on Illuminae books, the Aurora Cycle, the Isles of the Gods duology, the Unearthed duology, and so on. You can listen to me interviewing Nick about how audiobooks work right here — it’s a great conversation. (You’ll hear us chatting a little at the start of the ep about the Aussie launch for The Isles of the Gods — also a great conversation!)
Nick was in touch to ask how I’d feel about a full cast performance, with a full bed of sound effects behind it. Would that, he asked, be okay?
I cannot convey to you how quickly I said yes.
Nick and the whole amazing team at Listening Library worked so hard on this audiobook — the casting was so painstaking, the pronunciations were carefully checked, the background sounds were so perfectly tweaked. The audio is just so immersive, and the narrators bring so much to their roles. They made me laugh at my own jokes, and I have no higher praise than that.
You can listen to the first four chapters of the audiobook here.
I’d love to give you audiobook links, but alas, I get redirected to the Aussie site for the relevant retailer every time I try. So, I will simply say that you can grab the audiobook wherever you like to buy yours, or request it from the library.
🇺🇸 If you’re in the US, you can find all your hardcover links right here.
🇬🇧 If you’re in the UK, you can purchase the paperback from Waterstones, Amazon, Blackwell’s, Bookshop, Foyle’s, Hive, or WH Smith.
🇦🇺 If you’re in Australia, you can buy the paperback from Dymocks, Booktopia, Readings, Amazon or QBD.
And wherever you live, you can add it as to-read on Goodreads.
If you’ve already read Red Star Rebels, I’d be so grateful if you’d leave a review on the retail sites in your country. I can’t tell you what a difference it makes.
News and Events
Having had a truly lovely time at so many festivals over the last twelve months, I am absolutely delighted to announce that I do not have any upcoming events until June. I’m going on a road trip, and then I’m going away on a solo trip to fill up my well, and I can’t wait.
Watch this space next month, when I’ll probably be able to tell you about that June event!
For now, that’s it for this month! Remember that if you’d like to join the mail club waiting list, you can do that right here. And as I head off to fill up my head with inspiration, and think about what matters in a creative life, I wish you — sincerely, earnestly, vulnerably! — a month full of small pleasures and delights, wherever you are.
a new space book!! can't wait!!