Finding North: November 2024
Stopping to think, starting to edit 📚🏝
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 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.
Hi, my friends.
When last we met, I was fresh home from tour, delighted at having met so many wonderful readers and having sent The Heart of the World out onto shelves everywhere, and also a bit ready to lie down and have a rest.
This month I’m talking about remembering to slow down, the projects I’m working on at the moment, and sharing a poet I love.
In this letter:
What I’ve been up to: travel + librarian edition
What I’m writing: Lady’s Knight + future books
What I’ve loved lately: Poetry edition
News + events
This month’s giveaway
What I’ve Been Up To
October was a month of two halves. After a very busy few months of drafting and work travel, I spent a week at the start of October doing absolutely nothing, and it was glorious.
Quite apart from being my job, writing is enormous fun for me, and that means it can be hard to stop, even when I should. It’s something I’d do as a hobby — as I did for years — even if nobody was paying me. But! Balance is important. And by the end of this year I’ll have drafted two books, edited two books, and done a pile of festivals, other appearances and teaching. Professionally, this year has been wonderful, but personally at times it’s been hard, and sad. And when that’s the case, one has to be careful to slow down and feel one’s feelings, rather than staying busy enough to keep ahead of them.
So we went to Bali, and I lay by the pool and read some great novels, and even when I felt a bit like writing, I didn’t. I sat in the quiet, and let myself rest, and waited patiently for my brain to slow down. It was certainly one of the nicest places I’ve ever paused.
When I got home, there was a different kind of bucket-filling waiting for me. I was so excited to be the keynote speaker at the Queensland School Library Association’s conference. I was a library kid at school — I loved walking in at lunch to find out what was new, and to visit old favourites. Librarians are magic — is there anyone else out there whose job is to invite you into another world every time they see you? — and the chance to give a great big heartfelt speech to a huge room full of school librarians was a total joy.
From there it was onto a writers’ conference, where I basically spent forty-eight hours straight trying to chat, advise and answer questions for every single attendee present, and then fell fast asleep on the plane on the way home. Physically tired? Yes. But mentally, so full of the wonderful energy that comes from hanging out with like-minded people.
What I’m Writing
My writing at the moment is divided between two books. The first, of course, is Lady’s Knight — if you missed our announcement, that’s my next project: a medieval sapphic fantasy co-authored with Meagan Spooner, full of side quests, haylofts, makeovers, dungeon rescues, and a little bit of magic.
We’re putting the finishing touches on the book now, even though it’s not out until June 2025 — and in fact, as we do that, we’re beginning to draft the sequel.
If you’re ready to join me in my hot pink era:
🇺🇸 You can preorder at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, with more links to come!
🇬🇧 You can preorder at Waterstones or Amazon, with more links to come!
🇦🇺 The Aussie system works on a different timeline, so no links yet, but you’ll hear all about them when they arrive!
📙 And finally, you can add the book on Goodreads right here.
So, I’ve got Lady’s Knight in the final stages before it goes to press, and I’ve got Lady’s Knight 2 in the first stages of drafting. Sitting between the two of them, we have Project RSR, which will be out around the start of 2026 — it’s my return to sci-fi, and to space.
The process for Project RSR has been a strange one. Usually I’d draft a book, hand it to critique partners, and do a full revision based on their feedback before I ever handed the draft to my editor. As I said earlier, though, this year has had its challenges, and that’s required adaptability.
For the first time in my many books, I sent my editor a first draft — I told her in advance not to worry, to save her trying to figure out how to diplomatically tell me this was a little messier than my usual work. I also covered my draft in annotations, so she could see where I planned to do more work, where I wasn’t sure I was pulling off what I was trying to achieve, and so on and so forth.
While she’s been reading, I’ve put together my own to-do list, based on everything I’ve been thinking about since I finished drafting. We’ve got a phone call on Friday morning my time to go over my list and combine it with hers, and then I’ll put my head down and set to work on edits. I’ll report back next newsletter on how they’re going.
What I’ve Loved Lately
A friend shared this poem with me a year ago, and I instantly fell in love.
This incredible piece is a gift from Lyndsay Rush, known on instagram as @maryoliversdrunkcousin.
As someone who’s talkative, loves to tell a story and knows how to hold a room, I’ve been told I’m a bit much more than once. And in the past, that bothered me. These days, I take it as the compliment it surely is — but I think a poem like this would have meant that moment arrived much earlier in my life.
This gorgeous book of poetry released on Sept 17th, the same day as The Heart of the World. I scooped up a copy at Powell’s while I was on tour, and I’ve been enjoying it ever since.
If you think you don’t like poetry, or you’d like to read poetry but don’t know where to start, or if you think it’s possible to laugh and learn the truth at the same time, this one is for you.
News and Events
Over on the Pub Dates podcast, we’ll soon be recording a spoilers episode for The Heart of the World. If you have questions you’d like us to answer — nothing’s off limits, and spoilers are encouraged — then you can drop us a line at pubdates@gmail.com, or leave us a voice message by clicking the button below.
Sydney, I’m going to be at Book Fair Australia this weekend. So will zillions of wonderful authors and illustrators — you can attend panels, wander around to our stalls and meet us, and of course buy many, many books. I’ll have copies of most of mine, and some first edition hardcovers as well. I’d love to see you there.
Melbourne, I’ll be hosting an in-conversation with Patrick Ness at the Wheeler Centre on November 15th.
Giveaway
This month’s giveaway is for for anyone who has a reader aged 8 - 12 in their life — or anyone who loves stories about people, places, cities and treasures lost from our world… but perhaps still to be found in another.
The World Between Blinks, which I co-authored with Ryan Graudin, is one of my favourite stories I’ve ever written. Maybe even my favourite? If the world is a bit intense right now and you could use a break, I recommend it. (No, you’re not too old for it, trust me.)
This month I’m giving away a pack containing limited edition stickers themed on the book, a bookmark and a bookplate signed by both authors — perfect to add to a paperback for someone’s holiday gift.
To enter, just leave a comment telling me something you’d love to find — pirate’s treasure, your glasses, or perhaps Amelia Earhart — she’s in the book, actually!
One answer will be randomly selected, and I’ll reply in a comment to let you know to check your email!
That’s it for this month! I’ll be back next month to let you know how edits on Project RSR are going, and to celebrate the start of the Aussie summer!
Something I'd love to find...probably Cat, from Aurora Cycle. I'm so sad that she died!!!
I would love to find a dragon, ha :D And some money. In desperate need of that, sadly. But yeah. A dragon would be fun. <3