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, 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.
The world is a lot right now, isn’t it? Let’s take a breath for a minute. This month, I’m talking about finding moments of peace that are particular to us.
In this letter:
Moments of mindfulness, because look at the world
Lady’s Knight sequel update
A podcast rec
Upcoming events - Melbourne and Sydney!
A Lady’s Knight ARC giveaway
Recently, I found myself consuming news as I did at the start of the pandemic — pulled into endless checking, absorbing all the details as if there would be a test later. The world is full of hard things and bad news right now, but of course this cycle of endless vigilance didn’t help — not me, nor anyone I was reading about.
Today, I want to talk about one way I respond to being caught in that cycle. Finding ways to stay present, slow your body, ground yourself for a moment.
Back in March last year, I wrote this newsletter about how to fill your well. It’s full of lists of practical steps you can take to fill your well in five minutes, that same day, or on an ongoing basis. You might find it useful right now.
I’ve been bringing a lot of these activities into my days lately, because whatever’s going on in the world, I need to find the quiet in my head that allows to me write. This month I’m on the sequel to Lady’s Knight, and though it’s fierce and feminist, it’s also cozy and funny. Not a story I can write well from a place of fear.
So what I’ve been doing — when it’s time to write, or when the pressure of the world feels a lot — is turning to the kind of mindfulness that focuses on a single moment. Not looking forward, not looking back. Just slowing my breathing, and reminding myself of all the sensations that existed for me in that moment.
For me, dwelling in these moments looks like heading into an album of photos I’ve got on my phone, where I collect them. I pick one, I look at it for a minute, and I slow right down. I think about what I could hear. What I could see. What I could touch.
I meditate every day, but this is something else — or at least, it’s a different kind of meditation. It’s a way of resetting my body and my brain, and reminding it the present moment exists.
Grounding yourself in a particular moment doesn’t mean you’re forgetting about the future, or ignoring it. What you’re doing is taking yourself out of fight or flight (or freeze) — and then returning to the parts of your life that still need to be lived. You might need to be writing, or parenting, or tending to friends and family, or looking after your health, or taking political action. (American friends, my colleagues have recommended 5 Calls as the most frictionless way to get in touch with your representatives.)
There’s a difference, is what I’m saying, between trying to do these things stressed and scared, and taking a moment to ground yourself and calm your body before you proceed. It’s not a magic cure, but it’s a step in the right direction, and it doesn’t take long to do.
Do you have a moment you return to, to ground yourself? Whether it’s a feeling of awe, or excitement, of appreciation for natural beauty, or something soothing, I’d love to hear about it.
Just two months out from the release of Lady’s Knight, most of my writing brain is focused on that. Meg and I are working hard on the sequel, and approaching the lovely tipping-point of the midpoint. From here, it’s all downhill — in that everything is about to start going wrong for our characters, but also because the back half of a book always feels like a fun kind of charge toward the finish line for me.
Since my mind’s entirely on Lady’s Knight, I thought I’d share one of the graphics we featured in the pitch document that convinced our publisher to pick up our cozy, feminist fantasy. Tell me you don’t want to step into this world.
As always, I’ll take this opportunity to remind you to preorder if you can — it’s the most concrete way you can support authors, as it shows publishers there’s excitement for a book. If you plan on reading the book, we’d love if you clicked one of these links, or requested it at your local library!
🇺🇸 You can preorder at Amazon or Barnes & Noble or Bookshop or Books-A-Million!
🇬🇧 You can preorder at Waterstones or Amazon or Blackwells or Bookshop or Foyles or Hive or WH Smith!
🇦🇺 You can preorder from Booktopia, or Amazon or Readings or QBD with more links to come!
📙 And finally, you can add the book on Goodreads right here. (This is, of course, free, and really helps signal your interest!)
One of my favourite podcasts, hands down, is Poetry Unbound, hosted by Pádraig Ó Tuama. The episodes are about 15 minutes long. First the host reads the poem, and then dissects it — not enough to take the magic out, but just enough to shine a light on the poet’s skill.
If you’d like to try it, I’d recommend a couple of episodes I love. First, Francisco Aragón — Asleep You Become A Continent (Jan 2024) and Maria Dahvana Headley — Beowulf (Feb 2024.)
I have two events coming up in Australia that I’m hugely excited about. For the first time since pre-pandemic, Meagan Spooner is going to be out here and doing events, so don’t miss this chance to see us together! We’ll happily sign backlist, and there’ll be time for Q&A.
Melbourne, you can book tickets here — we’d love to see you!
Sydney, you can book your tickets here — and check out all the other amazing events at YA Day!
US friends, I know I’ve been teasing you about events in the USA for a while now. In the interests of transparency, there are a lot of conversations underway right now about whether this kind of travel is a good idea. I promise that once I know the outcome of those, you will too.
In the meantime, I wanted to mention this really fun interview The Book Guy — if you enjoy my podcasts, or listening to two people talk low stakes book stuff for an hour sounds like your thing, you should check it out.
This month’s giveaway is for an advance reader copy (ARC) of Lady’s Knight! It’s open internationally. Read on to find out how to enter.
Now, in Lady’s Knight, hype starts to build around our blacksmith Gwen’s alter ego, Sir Gawain. The rumours start to pile up about this mysterious knight who swept in from nowhere, and is slaying (not literally, don’t panic) in the jousting lists.
I thought perhaps we could have some fun, and create a few of our own. Here’s the sort of thing that happens in the book…
To enter to win the ARC, just leave a comment with a rumour of your own — it doesn’t have to be as elaborate as these! Though fair warning, I’m not above stealing one or two for the sequel, which we’re about halfway through drafting!
One rumour will be randomly selected, and I’ll reply in a comment to let you know to check your email!
That’s it from me. If you have a moment you return to to ground yourself, I’d love to hear about it — and don’t forget to leave me a rumour about Sir Gawain!
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