Finding North: October 2022

Issue 2: Preorder news and mountain adventures ⛰

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, my friends.

This month was about nature, for me. As we leave winter behind in Melbourne, it’s been time to soak up the sight of all the new flowers and greenery, fill my lungs and slow my pulse. There’s a sense of readiness in the air.

I think we’re all seasonal creatures — we might live in cities, but we evolved in nature — and as the world around me prepares itself for this time of growth and plenty, I’m preparing myself for the busiest time of my writing year. Not in a rushed, frenzied way, but like the greenery all around me. Stories I’ve been waiting to write have been building inside me, and over the next few months, as I draft, they’ll bloom.

This month’s letter is full of news — of my travels over the last month, along oceanside clifftops and through rainforests, of the stories I’m writing, and of The Isles of the Gods. In fact, first up, I have a newsletter exclusive announcement for you.

Below, I’ll tell you about my trip away in the campvervan. Here’s a shot of one of the best moments of the day. A quiet cup of tea, the view we woke up to, and the glorious, spacious feeling of stretching, and saying “What shall we do today?”

The Isles of the Gods update

I have very exciting news on the Isles of the Gods front: we have set a publication date! The book will be out on May 2nd, 2023 — and although I won’t share this news on social media for a few days yet, I can tell you here that it’s officially up for preorder. If you don’t see it at your favourite online retailer, give it a couple of days and it should appear — and of course, you can always ask your local independent bookshop to place an order for you.

We have official cover copy, too — the description that will go on the back of the book — and I’ll share that here, too:

Magic, romance, and slumbering gods clash in the start of a riveting fantasy series spanning gangsters' dens, forgotten temples, and the high seas from the New York Times bestselling author of the Illuminae Files and the Aurora Cycle.

Selly has salt water in her veins. So when her father leaves her high and dry in the port of Kirkpool, she has no intention of riding out the winter at home while he sails to adventure in the north seas. But any plans to follow him are dashed when a handsome stranger with tell-tale magician's marks on his arms commandeers her ship under cover of darkness: He is Prince Leander of Alinor, and he needs to cross the Crescent Sea without detection so he can complete a ritual on the sacred Isles of the Gods.

Selly has no desire to escort a spoiled prince anywhere, and no time for his entitled demands or his good looks. But what starts as a leisure cruise will lead to acts of treason and sheer terror on the high seas, bringing two countries to the brink of war, two strangers closer than they ever thought possible and two dangerous gods stirring from centuries of slumber...

The single most effective way you can support any author is to preorder their books — it sends a message to publishers and booksellers, showing them readers are ready and willing to jump on the book. If you’re looking forward to Isles and funds permit, I’d be grateful if you’d preorder.

USA preorders: find retailer links here

UK preorders: Waterstones or you’ll see it soon at uk.bookshop.org — and you can ask your local bookshop right now!

Australian preorders: You can preorder the Isles ebook from your favourite retailer now — paperback preorders will be online in January.

International preorders: Book Depository

What I’ve Been Up To

We began September by taking off in our beloved campervan for a week—first along the coast, and then inland to the mountains. Each day we’d stop at beaches to make sandcastles (Pip is ready to build a sandcastle at any time of day or night), hike through rainforests and picnic with the most gorgeous views.

See that tiny figure disappearing up the path? Yes, she’s hiking in a tutu. She lives her life in a tutu and will not be taking questions at this time.

At night we’d tuck Pip into bed, and as she fell asleep, quietly singing to herself, we’d kick back and read in that lovely, uninterrupted way that everyday life often prevents. Whenever I have some quiet and space, my head starts to turn up story ideas, and often to ask bigger questions about life, and of course this trip was no exception.

One thing I noticed is that my current narrative that I’m “so busy” doesn’t really make sense—it’s eight months until my book comes out, and although I have plenty of writing to do, there’s no reason for me to be feeling rushed. One of the ways I react to feeling busy is to try and get on top of everything, answering emails the moment they arrive, keeping lists and checking off even the most minor of items.

But, as I was reminded on mountain trails, good things take time. So I’m clearing out the busy-work that crept in my diary, and turning my mind back to writing, and reading, and time with my family and friends.

Speaking of family, here’s the three of us — we hiked through the national park where I first learned how to do it. I could never have imagined I’d be back with my daughter, introducing her to these places that have been sacred to me all these years.

Story time: One of the best parts about my growing up was the way my mother could weave magic for us anywhere—she was always pointing out where fairies might live, or prompting us to imagine what might be right around the corner. I remember one night, when she had taken my sister and I camping, when the three of us decided to creep along the hiking tracks near our campsite, as if we were carrying secret messages on some urgent quest.

We became so immersed in the game, so worked up, that I still remember the moment a fellow hiker nearly happened upon us — the three of us broke into a sprint for the final part of the track, diving into the safety of our tent, hearts thumping, as though we’d nearly been caught by enemy spies, trying to muffle our panting lest we be overheard.

In short, Mum made my childhood magical, and it’s one of the things I want to do for Pip. On one of the hikes we took during our trip, we told her that this area was known for tiny fairy ponies — we helped her hunt behind every bush, peer behind every log. Pointing out hiding places up ahead was, I will admit, also a very handy way to get her to keep on running along the track.

She was disappointed when we didn’t find any. Until, of course, we made it back to our campervan…

The cheeky creatures had been there all along, helping themselves to our snacks. Can you imagine? Anyway, we named them and invited them home with us. There’s one on my desk right now.

I came straight home from our trip, washed my hair, and jumped on a plane to the Scribblers book festival over in Western Australia, where I had the most spectacular time. Over the course of the week I spoke to hundreds of students, and on the public weekend I met readers who have been supporting me for years. A huge thank you to those who patiently stood in line!

Festivals are physically exhausting, but mentally I find them incredibly invigorating — I love hearing from readers about the books they love right now, hearing from fellow writers about what they’re working on. There’s a kind of energy that crackles through the air — all these people in this one place, all united by the thing they love — that leaves me buzzing for weeks afterwards.

What I’m Writing

I’m very excited to say that the anthology story I’ve been working on with Meg Spooner got an enthusiastic tick of approval from our editors — it’s always a relief to share something outside your own personal bubble, and get confirmation that you’ve done what you set out to do. I can’t wait to tell you more about it, once we get the all clear.

In the meantime, I’m working on the sequel to The Isles of the Gods. The words are flowing, though in an attempt not to write 6.5 drafts of this one — as I did for book one — I’m taking it slowly, and thoughtfully. Having set up an awful lot of threads in book one, I need to draw each of them to the conclusion I have planned in book two, which is both a challenge, and also enormously fun. I’m looking forward to spending the next few months with it.

What I’ve Loved Lately

Right now I’m listening to The Killing Code by Ellie Marney, and I’m absolutely riveted. There are so many strengths in her writing — her historical research and sense of place, the relationships between her characters, which feel incredibly real and contemporary, and yet utterly of their time. The suspense, the detail, the pace that draws you on . . . her work is really special.

This book is set during WWII, among the code-breaking girls who lived at Arlington Hall in the US. It’s a murder mystery with plenty to say about the fierce intelligence of girls, about the gaps between who you are and who the world wants you to be, and so much more. It’s tense, but not so terrifying that a scaredy-cat like me can’t handle it. It features beautiful friendships, determined girls and sapphic romance, and whether you read it or listen to it like I am, I recommend it.

News and Updates

I haven’t a single event coming up this month — it’s all about getting into my stride with this story, and preparing for a big trip at the end of the month. I’ll tell you all about it next newsletter, which will be coming to you from New York! (For any locals, no, there won’t be any US-based events this trip.)

There’s a small chance I’ll drop into your inboxes before then — if my cover art is finalised, I want to share it with you first — fingers crossed!

If you’re a podcast listener then you’ll enjoy the recent episodes of Pub Dates, which I co-host with my friend Kate Armstrong. We’re taking readers behind the scenes as we count down to the release of our 2023 books, The Isles of the Gods, and Nightbirds. Our most recent episodes include an interview with Kate’s cover designer, and a discussion on how we do research for worldbuilding — and in an upcoming episode, I’ll be interviewing my editor, Melanie Nolan, about how she acquired The Isles of the Gods. It’s already recorded, and I can tell you that it genuinely is a behind-the-scenes chat.

I’m going to close by reminding you that you can preorder The Isles of the Gods if you’re so inclined, and by thanking you for reading. The response to my first newsletter was so lovely, and I appreciate you all joining me. If you use gmail, you’ll 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.

Here are your preorder links again — until next time!

USA preorders: find retailer links here

UK preorders: Waterstones or you’ll see it soon at uk.bookshop.org — and you can ask your local bookshop right now!

Australian preorders: ebooks available for preorder everywhere now, and paperback preorders coming in January

International preorders: Book Depository