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

For the last three weeks, I have mostly been listening. I've been listening to my friends talk to me and to each other. I've been listening to the reactions of smart writers and thinkers. I've been listening to podcasts and pundits. I've been listening to the sadness in my mother's voice and the faith in my father's voice. I've been listening to the comfort in Kevin's voice. I've been reading the texts and emails of my sisters, who are holding me up. At 2 AM the night of the election, the last thing I did before finally attempting sleep was to read a text from one of my heartbroken sisters. It said, "Love still trumps hate." I've been listening to Georgette Heyer audiobooks and watching Jane the Virgin and Gilmore Girls , for comfort. I've been writing a new book, which is an amazing distraction and vast relief in the moments when a scene manages to suck me in. As is the case for many people, my mental health has taken a hit. S

I have a new book coming out in Fall 2017 , and I'm finally allowed to talk about it. :o) It's called Jane, Unlimited . I won't say a lot for now—more will be forthcoming—but for today... Jane has led a small and mostly ordinary life, raised by her aunt Magnolia—an adjunct professor at a small college and a world-traveling deep sea photographer. But when Aunt Magnolia dies unexpectedly on one of her expeditions, Jane finds herself adrift, and when an invitation comes from an old acquaintance to accompany her to a gala at her family's island mansion called Tu Reviens, Jane leaps at the chance. There, her story takes a turn, or rather, five turns. What Jane doesn't know is that Tu Reviens will offer her choices that can ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But at Tu Reviens, every choice comes with a reward, or a price. This book has been years in the making, and has gone through more revisions than any of my previous books, probably because i

My twin nieces live in Jacksonville, FL, an area that generally votes red, but only by a couple percentage points. After the election, one of my nieces noticed that the neighbors had taken down their Hillary sign, and she worried that the neighbors were sad. So she wrote them a letter. from: your neighbor [name redacted] I Loved your Hilary sine We are glad you Love Hiorlory. We do too. I Loved your Clinton Sine. and we are Sad Trump won. He is soooooooooooo oooooooooooooo ooo mean. But were Glad Hilary tride. I hope you saw her speches? (Final version of the letter, edited to strike a more positive note:) We are glad you Love Hiorlory. We do too. I Loved your Clinton Sine. and we are Sad Trump won. We Hope He lernds to Be nise. But were Glad Hilary tride. I hope you saw her speches? My other niece also wrote a letter (and you can too). go Hilray you are the Best you tryed Thank you for making us proud. Hillary Clinton PO Box 5256 Ne

In a week during which we lost both the election and Leonard Cohen, SNL's response was perfect. Press play. (And don't read the comments.)

"Are you fighting the Black Thing?” Meg asked. “Oh, yes,” Aunt Beast replied. “In doing that, we can never relax." —Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time An article in the Huffington Post that helps: What Do We Tell the Children? (Thanks to Jess and Catherine.)

This American Life asked Sara Bareilles to imagine what President Obama might be thinking about the current election and that horrible person, but can’t say publicly. Leslie Odom, Jr. , performs the song. (There's a lot of hatred and bitterness in the youtube comments. Skip them.)

We went to the polls today for you.

Leaf season this year has been (1) late and (2) more muted than average. My walk through the cemetery on Tuesday wasn't as spectacular as it is some years -- but it was still beautiful. Especially for those of you who don't get to experience a New England fall, here are some pictures :o)