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Sarah Rees Brennan

New York Times Bestselling Author of the Demon's Lexicon Trilogy

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The Greatest News of My Life So Far

January 12, 2023 by Sarah 2 Comments

I have sold three fantasy novels to Orbit! The first, Long Live Evil, is written and I think it’s my best: I hope you agree.

THIS is the merriest day of all the glad New Year!

Years ago, my writing fell off a cliff. Even the sentences didn’t make sense, and I believed I’d never write again.

Then I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and I believed I’d never write again. Because I thought I would die.

The chemo worked, and I thought I might live. But there never is a way back. My confidence was destroyed. I felt forgotten by the whole world, and many I loved. Survival is a kind of loss. You can’t be the same person again, or do what you once did: if I pushed myself, I got sick and terrified. I had tie-in books that were an honor and a joy to be asked to write, but after many efforts and failures, I believed I’d never write my own books again.

Then Covid, and being shut away from illness, just like before. The whole world was shut away with me. Belief that anything might get better seemed impossible.

But I survive on stories. I grew up on the tales of storytellers long gone, whose voices could still reach me. I believe in stories even when I don’t believe in myself.

In a time of uncertainty and darkness, I hoped for guiding light. I tried to write a story to get lost in. A dying young woman, walking into her favorite fantasy novel and meeting her favorite characters—sending the plot spinning into chaos with her own wicked plot of unionizing the villains.

I was scared to death nobody would want this story, but Jenni Hill and Nivia Evans at Orbit did. I grew up reading Orbit books and carried on with delight to N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series and Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice. They’re dream publishers and dream editors.

I always loved stories where you go into the art, like in Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when the heroes travel to the magical land through a painting that looks a little magical itself. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Jumanji, A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Truman Show, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Extraordinary You. It’s a universal story, books and movies and plays and TV shows all about when the characters step over the line between the real and unreal, the longing to be inside imagination.

I love a merry band of outlaws who are actually an ensemble cast of evildoers, as in Six of Crows, and irreverent play with humor and language, as in Gideon the Ninth. I love a magical world you can see from inside and outside, how fans engage with the histories of Westeros and Middle Earth with such enduring passion and faith that their love makes the story live. I don’t believe the grim darkness is forever: I believe in laughter as a battle cry.

I love how much fun evil characters get to have, love analyzing the evil point of view, and the appeal of evil: romancing a villain as a power fantasy, or throwing caution and conscience to the wind as a fantasy of freedom. Whose sins are never forgiven, and why? Who grants that forgiveness, anyway? Die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain, they say. Being a survivor gets ugly. Who lives? Who dies? Who steals the story? It takes a team to change the course of a narrative, and just when you think you’re in control, consequences strike like a snake.

So I present to you a scheming harlot, a notorious playboy spy, an axe-wielding ice maid, and an extremely dishonorable bodyguard. In a castle at the edge of an abyss.

Long Live Evil. I lived, so this story will too. I hope you’ll walk into the story with me.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lenore says

    January 12, 2023 at 3:16 pm

    How wonderful it’s been to get two email updates from you, and with such good news! Weird to say, maybe, but…I am so, so glad that you are alive, in this terribly flawed world, and finding your voice again. I came of age with your words, and I always want to read your books and your blog posts – I’ve missed them and have wondered how you’ve been and wished you health. Thank you for continuing to share your stories of your self and of imagined worlds with us. ❤️

    Reply
    • Lenore says

      January 12, 2023 at 3:18 pm

      Oh, and this book sounds badass and I can’t WAIT to read it!

      Reply

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sarahreesbrennan

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The rarely seen baths and puffy coats picture! ...

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The rarely seen baths and puffy coats picture! Gellért thermal baths and its Art Nouveau decor, only one of the aquatic delights offered by Budapest. We also saw the Parlament from a trip down the Danube river. My brother & sister put up with me mentioning Jonathan and Mina Harker of #Dracula got married in Budapest, and my insisting on eating chicken paprika like Jonathan. That and soup in a bread bowl comforted me when I was made to walk 300 steps at the Basilika and even more around Buda Castle while protesting I am a potato who sits on the sofa and writes the novels. Budapest was beautiful and so was seeing it with my sibs: I will remember this trip a long time. #draculadaily #budacastle #gellertbaths #danuberiver #ststephensbasilica #hungary🇭🇺

Writing to you live from Budapest! My gorgeous ...

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Writing to you live from Budapest! My gorgeous little sister surprised me with the amazing birthday present of a city break - and our baby bro came too. This is us at Szimpla Kert, the original of Budapest’s ruin bars: repurposed dilapidated buildings, filling old places with plants and art and music. More from Budapest soon… #szimplakert #budapest #ruinbar #bettyandbiddy

With changes over on twitter, I see many people ...

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With changes over on twitter, I see many people stressing over where and how they can talk up their writing and art. It reminded me of the difficulty I’ve had talking about a project dear to me. I’d see other writers talking about their word count or their plans, and be lime green jelly that I couldn’t, because it was so dear that talking about it felt weighted, because I didn’t have any confidence after being sick, because hope and fear pin down the tongue and keys. There are always challenges when talking about art, whether they come from within or without. But I do believe one of the hardest and most necessary things is to make art with faith it will speak to people when the time comes. So I wanted to put this up here as a way to say: be hopeful, fearful and courageous with your voice. When you can. The time will come. #authorsofinstagram #writing #sarahreesbrennan #srbrennan

Well beloved fairy folk and fans, I know you got ...

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Well beloved fairy folk and fans, I know you got sad news last week and I am so sorry! I also know @straffiiginio and Rainbow do have glorious plans for much in the Winx franchise. For now, I offer signed books as a little comfort! @Soraseilyn, @dutchwinxer and @blindchannxl on Insta, and ladygeeke & subtle-skipping on tumblr, please email me sarahreesbrennan at gmail to collect your winnings. My other cat (about whom more soon!) has been guarding them for you. For myself, I feel lucky to have been part of the journey to Alfea, to write fun books with great characters and to get to know you all: you’ve been so welcoming and kind to me. Thank you and I hope we stay friends. Who knows what is to come? 💕🧚#winxclubforever #fatethewinxsaga #abigailcowen #bloompeters #winxstella

For the end of spooky season! Cancer is about ...

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For the end of spooky season! Cancer is about loss: of hair, teeth, friends… and words. For a couple years before I was diagnosed with late stage lymphoma, I watched my writing go off a cliff in terms of quality and speed - sentences turned to nonsense, and I couldn’t finish anything. It was terrifying. So was trying to come back to writing and publishing after having a traumatic time with chemo. ‘Where was she last year?’ ‘Who’s that again?’ ‘Oh, I thought you were…’ My confidence was shattered, and being approached for Sabrina was a life raft to cling to: being remembered, having fun with writing again, falling for a wild strange fantasy world. It opened the door to other worlds I was honored to be invited into, their lovely fandoms, and to courage that I could perhaps write my own books again. Here’s #chillingadventuresofsabrina and #fatethewinxsaga in Feltrinelli in Rome, and me, because fantasy opens all the escape doors. Happy All Hallows’ Day, and hope you had a great #Hallowinx and you find the doors you’re hoping for 👻🖤. #feltrinelli #romeitaly #cancersurvivor #writersofinstagram #writing #fencecomic

I see many photos where the ‘after’ shows ...

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I see many photos where the ‘after’ shows someone thinner than the ‘before.’ Here’s a different version. When I’m feeling vulnerable, I cover it with jokes. ‘Hey, at least I was skinny!’ ‘Dr: Any unexplained weight loss? Me: I wish!’ It’s safer than saying: When people were telling me I looked great, I felt lousy, scared, and sad they thought I looked better when I felt worse. Once I was in recovery people kept telling me how bad I’d looked. That doesn’t help either. We all have uncomfortable relationships with our bodies, because of society, ideas about what health is, and the fact our outside self is all most people can perceive of us! I was diagnosed late: I kept being told it was bronchitis, pneumonia, a kiwi allergy (that one was weird…), I’d be fine, I was clearly healthy. I often think about what my life, relationships and health would be like if I was diagnosed earlier, if people hadn’t assumed I was lying and secretly dieting or exercising a lot. But I get why they did: I get why I didn’t want it to be a warning sign. Weight is a weighted topic. I wish it wasn’t, for all of us. I love and find beautiful (not that my opinion matters) people of a hundred shapes and sizes, but we always have the most tangled relationship to our own bodies. The body is a vessel that carries us through our lives. If we’re happy with however that vessel looks, I think that’s awesome—but sometimes positivity is difficult. Here are 2 full-length pictures of me, during chemo and a couple years after. Honestly, I’m not happy with how I look in either. But in one, I’m trapped at home with medicines around me. In the other, I’m outside with my sister, on her wedding day. In the end, it’s about where the vessel takes you. #twweightloss #cancersurvivor #wedding #twweighttalk #milestonecountdown

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