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| Though we got to announce in March, Becca and I sold this series on proposal in June 2023. When I tell you that I didn't have "sell a complex high fantasy series with my best friend" on my 2023 Bingo card, I mean it. I went into last year with the intention of not pitching or putting any of my work on submission. I'd just come off of a wonderful, yet extremely busy couple of years that involved selling four books and a comic script for My Little Pony, plus running my writing incubator, Unearthed, along with multiple other classes. I was tired, y'all. And I still had to write a couple of those books I'd previously sold.
Now, if you're currently unpublished and you're reading this, I absolutely know how annoying it is to hear someone go "Oh boo-hoo, I didn't want to sell anything, but it just happened!" I am annoyed even typing it. But I'm talking about where I was, mentally and emotionally, before we sold it to drive home a point: writing and selling King was the most delightful, magical thing that's ever happened in my creative life. And it came out of nowhere, as most magical things tend to do.
Back to the story. It's March 2023. I've just launched Where Darkness Blooms and I'm about to gear up to promote The Maker's Guide to Magic. I still have to draft The Wildest Things and get it to my editor by June. It would be bananas for me to pitch or work on anything else.
And yet.
After Becca and I spent a few days in New York together launching Blooms, we nonchalantly said, "It would be so fun to write a book together one day!" But we had no ideas, so we left it at that and flew home to Michigan.
A week later, I wake to a text from Becca. |
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That was March 9th, 2023. We soft pitched the idea to our agents, both of whom said, "Sounds fun! You both are so busy, why don't you let it marinate for a little and work on a proposal over the summer?"
To be honest, this is very good advice. We were both very busy, and most stories need time to marinate.
But not all.
We began to play around with the concept, just for funsies, just as a side project, but soon it completely took over our writing lives. It was just so dang fun. I'd pop into our shared docs "just for a second" or send a "quick" voice memo to Becca with an idea, and suddenly, I'd look up from my screen and half the day was gone. And I loved it.
It became all-encompassing very quickly. I'd jolt awake in the middle of the night and yell "THAT'S WHY THEY KILLED THE KING!" and scramble to whisper a voice memo to Becca. We sent messages back and forth all day, everyday, for weeks, and never once did it feel like work. Three weeks later, we sent our agents a 50 page proposal.
And they...didn't have any...notes? That has never once happened to either of us; usually I need a lot of plot help when I write a synopsis, so this was a miracle. All we needed to do was write a few more sample chapters so that we had one from each character's perspective. We finished those and turned our proposal back in within two weeks.
At the end of May, I Killed the King was sent to a very small pool of editors in an exclusive submission. We had our first offer within days, over a holiday weekend. We closed the deal with Kristin Rens at HarperCollins on June 9th—exactly three months from text to book deal.
Since then, I've been ruminating on what, exactly, made this project different. What was the magic that made this one so effortless compared to everything else I've ever worked on? Here are the only things I could come up with.
Trust and the willingness to change.
If I would have stuck to my pre-set plan for 2023, I would have missed the opportunity to create something so fun and magical with my friend. And look, I'm not going to sit here and say there weren't any consequences of burning three months of my life to do this; I've turned other projects in late, thus delaying my own pay schedule, as a result. But do I regret it? Absolutely not. When Becca presented this idea to me, my entire body responded with a yes. In the past, I've ignored that yes because I've been too busy, or too broke, or too frustrated. For whatever reason, this time I was willing to follow its lead instead of immediately coming up with a bunch of reasons why I couldn't. I trusted that, ultimately, I've always got my own back. I trusted myself to figure out how to make this work.
I also changed the way I think about the creative process. I love other people, but I love being in my own mind, stitching together story threads. I've always done it that way. Working with a co-writer blew up my theory that I needed to do it alone. Working with a talented writer with a different background than me really elevated my craft, though I didn't know it while it was happening. Becca brought a bevy of new tools, skills, and perspectives to the table—things that I absorbed through osmosis and have made me an infinitely better writer in a short amount of time.
Ultimately, I think what I learned throughout all this is that you've gotta take risks when it comes to your art. I've always done things a certain way, to similar results. Trusting myself and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone was hard, but it literally changed my life.
Do I think every book I write from now on will be this magical? Nope. I know better than to expect or even hope for that. But what I do know is that I will be taking more risks from now on, because I trust that it will be worth it and I will figure it out. There's always, always a way forward. |
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| Now for the "news" part of the newsletter. The most important thing I want to share with you is that we still have a few spots left for the Constellate Retreat in Seabrook, Washington in a couple weeks. I'm co-hosting this retreat with Martha Brockenbrough, and our faculty includes the likes of Elana K. Arnold, A.S. King, and Kristin Dwyer, and we're going to be talking about story patterns from all angles, including subconscious patterns, ethical A.I., and the arcane. For full transparency, and because a few people have asked me, but I'm not sure if we'll be doing this retreat again in this future. We're seeing how this one goes!
If you would like to come to this retreat but you aren't sure about finances, please email me directly. I'm happy to set up a payment plan for you. And because I really want to fill those last spots, I'm also offering a free chart reading ($175 value) to the people who fill up those spots.
If you want to register right away, go to the Constellate Retreat page and click the button for the deposit at the bottom. Then, shoot me an email at andrea [at] andreahannah [dot] to claim your chart reading. Registration closes Tuesday, April 16th. |
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| In other news, I've had to shuffle around some of my other retreat plans for 2024 due to...life. Stay tuned for more info on a fall retreat involving author branding and social media. *eyes emoji*
Finally, Where Darkness Blooms was recently nominated for an International Thriller Writers' Award in the Best YA category! I'll be at Thriller Fest on June 1st for the awards banquet and a panel at 4:10 PM: Underdog, Prodigy, or Loner? Writing Effective YA.
On top of that, Where Darkness Blooms is also now available to read for free on Kindle Unlimited. |
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| And here is a sample of the upcoming cosmic weather for the next week:
4/15 🌓 First Quarter Moon in Cancer
The first turning point in the current lunar cycle. Consider this as the catalyst moment in your monthly story.
REFLECT: It's been a week since the new moon/total solar eclipse. Is there tension between your vision and the execution? What needs to be smoothed out? How can you create a sense of sanctuary so you feel safe enough to thrive?
4/19 Prompt: 💌 Thank You, Next
Mercury (retrograde) conjoins Venus in Aries.
PROMPT: While it’s important to show our gratitude to others, today’s Mercury-Venus meet-up in hyper independent Aries is all about self-love. Today, grab your finest stationary (or sticky note) and write yourself a love note. What have you slayed since the spring equinox? How have changed? Show yourself some love. What you focus on grows.
4/19 🐂✨Taurus Season Begins 9:59 AM
The Sun is in Taurus, officially ending Aries season.
Inspiration radiates from the senses. Pausing to revel in an exquisite meal, wearing your favorite perfume, or literally smelling the flowers is the key that unlocks your creativity. The more you slow down and sink in, the richer your output. |
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| That's all for now! I love to hear from subscribers, so if there's something in this newsletter that stood out to you or you have questions about, please feel free to email me.
All my love,
A |
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