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Hi <<First Name>>,

It's the heart of October, and my brain is practically boiling with stories.

I'm actively working on two new projects, both of which feel like such pure creations of my uttermost self—much as the Empirium Trilogy did (and does)—that I'd describe the process of writing them as indulgent.

I don't consider that a negative word, though, not in this context. If you're going to write a book, it should feel indulgent. A book should be a collection of things you love, things you're curious about, things that creep you out and charge you, that enrage you and seduce you and excite your mind. When you sit down to work on it, even though it is indeed work, and sometimes mentally grueling work, there should be something about the tone, the language, the characters that makes you think, Yes, this is the thing I should be writing, because it is true to who I am and what I like. It is thrilling, both challenging and comforting at once. It is the book I would want to read, and therefore, I shall write it.

Indulgent? You bet. And I'm reveling in how powerful it feels to create from such an unfettered place.

in this newsletter

Lightbringer now available in paperback
Empirium Trilogy eBook sale
Mid-Cities Teen Book Fest, this Saturday 10.16
What I'm reading, watching, and listening to

LIGHTBRINGER now in paperback

I love a good hardcover edition of a sprawling fantasy book, as the multiple editions of His Dark Materials on my bookshelves demonstrate, but paperback is my preferred format. There's something intimate and comforting about curling up with a book you can bend, a book you can tuck easily into your reading position of choice. A book that, if you drop it on your face because you're starting to doze off while reading, won't hurt nearly as dreadfully as its sharp-cornered cousin.

I'm delighted, then, that earlier this month, Lightbringer released in paperback, and now the entire Empirium Trilogy is available at a lower price point, in a softer format, and with matching covers—striking, sleek, minimalistic. Take a gander at Lightbringer's paperback cover, below, and check out the following links if you'd like to buy a copy.

BOOKSHOP.ORG

INDIEBOUND

BARNES & NOBLE

AMAZON

Empirium Trilogy eBook Sale

The Empirium Trilogy eBook bundle is on sale through October 18, which means that you can currently purchase all three books from your favorite eBook retailer for a grand total of $8.99. I am not an eBook reader myself, but if you are, this is a wonderful opportunity to add the eBooks to your collection. Buy links below:

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

APPLE iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY BOOKS

AMAZON

Mid-Cities Teen Book Fest

On Saturday October 16, I’ll be in North Richland Hills, Texas at the North Richland Hills Library for the Mid-Cities Teen Book Fest! Scroll for more details.

My panels are “Enchanted Tales” at 10:45am (with Sherry Thomas and Brigid Kemmerer) and “Middle-Grade Must Reads” at 2:00pm (with C. Michael Morrison, Lyla Lee, and Rebecca Balcárcel), followed by an author signing at 3:45pm. Click the button below to view the full event schedule and parking information.

MID-CITIES TEEN BOOK FEST

The festival organizers are being diligent about health and safety measures in light of the ongoing pandemic, and I feel confident it will be a wonderful day for all.

what I'm . . .

. . . reading: Matrix, by Lauren Groff, who is one of my absolute favorite writers. Her prose is sublime. I highly recommend her short story collections Florida and Delicate Edible Birds.

. . . watching: Midnight Mass, on Netflix. Showrunner Mike Flanagan created two of my favorite series in recent years, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. I just learned that a third Haunting series is in the works—based on various works of Edgar Allan Poe, including The Fall of the House of Usher—and I could not be more thrilled.

. . . listening to: Trevor Gureckis's score for The Goldfinch. I have neither read The Goldfinch nor seen the film adaptation, but the score composed by Gureckis for the latter is wonderfully moody, melancholy, and a little sinister, with a dark fairy tale quality that I find irresistible.

And now, speaking of things I'm reading, it's time to go curl up with Lauren Groff's latest and disappear for a while into the rhythm of her spectacular brain.

Until next time, I wish you happy reading of your own, and a season of indulgent creativity.