This Is My Secret: The Blog and Website of Writer Kristin Cashore

Happy new year, everyone :o)

As usual, I'm a little behind the curve about blogging things, but this week, to celebrate the release of the Bitterblue paperback, I've been the author on Penguin's Teen Author Spotlight. Check it out if you want to see a short interview. Then scroll down and read about the other featured authors!

Also, I painted my nails. I hope Piet Mondrian and Frank Lloyd Wright would like them. Y'all know I like to subject you to my nail polish, right?




As long as I'm identifying the beer in the picture, I may as well identify my nail polish painting materials, for the nail painters among you: The gold is Orly "Luxe," the silver is Orly "Shine," and the teal is Diamond "Don't Teal My Heart Away." I'll try to remember to do that in future; I don't think I've been consistent about it in the past. The Orly metallics are extremely malleable and orderly and easy to paint with. The Diamond colors I have are plasticky and gloppy and soft…

I seem unable to stop listening to Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore." I think the mandolin has ensorcelled me. Send help.

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The Cambridge Public Library recently changed their lending policies. Instead of a three-week lending period with the possibility of three renewals (12 weeks total), now they've got a four-week lending period with the possibility of two renewals (also 12 weeks total). It's a disaster. I never know when anything is due, I never turn anything in on time, and I never read anything. It turns out that apparently I need more, and more frequent, reminders that my time is nearly up in order to read. Today I'm returning nine library books. I've only read two, all of them are late, and I owe almost $10. So much for my spotless library record. Thank goodness codename: Cordelia doesn't read my blog; otherwise, I'd never hear the end of it.

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You may have heard by now about the proposed merger of Random House and Penguin.…

Congratulations to Kathy Dawson, my darling editor, who will be starting her own imprint at Penguin in winter 2014. Kathy, I'm so happy for you, and so proud to be a part of this venture. You deserve it.

On the left is my stupendous agent, Faye Bender. On the right is my stupendous editor, Kathy Dawson. We are at the Penguin Young Readers Group cocktail party at the Top of the Standard, where the views are amazing. Hopefully I'll have time to put together a little post of New York views. It was a great party!

I'm taking a moment away from the boxy madness to point out the profile Publishers Weekly did of Fire this week. The online version is here. The focus of the piece is something that's close to my heart -- the wonderful way that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (Graceling's publisher) and Penguin (Fire's publisher) are working together to promote both books.

The article explains why I've got two different publishers. I love both of my publishers, and I must say that I consider myself to be a very, very lucky author.

And now, I return to the boxy pandemonium.

Hellooooooooooo beautiful people!
I'm home.
I'm still processing the last two weeks, so this post might be scattered.
I'll start in Bologna, where I had dinner in a restored medieval tower with my editors / publishers from Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Finland, and Spain (both Castillan and Catalan), not to mention my wonderful agents and scouts from all over Europe. The dinner took place on the middle floors of the tower, but beforehand, we climbed up the steep (and I think it would be fair to say perilous) steps (and, closer to the top, ladders) to the roof, for a toast. The view of Bologna at night from the roof of the Torre Prendiparte was just... well, let's just say that I started to cry. I simply could not believe that I was on top of this beautiful tower looking out at this beautiful city with all of these beautiful people.
What else?
A knight accompanied me to my press conference and stood behind me the entire time. I've never felt so safe in my …