 ICYMI: Yesterday We Need Diverse Books revealed the cover for YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS, edited by Ellen Oh!
✈️ I’m so proud to be part of this first title from Allida—out next spring on March 7—with contributions from Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Erin Entrada, Minh Le, Grace Lin, Ellen Oh, LindaSue Park, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan! ✈️ I love seeing the way artist Marcos Chin put all our characters on display as they make their way through this Chicago airport. (Check out my character in her Kiki’s Delivery Sevice bow!) ✈️ Head to We Need Diverse Books to read more about the project from Ellen Oh!  I was first introduced to the film Seven Samurai (1954) and its American counterpart Magnificent Seven (1960) while working at my hometown movie theater between my first and second years of college, and as soon as I started watching, I was enraptured by these stories--
their slowness & their action, their bleakness & their beauty, their swagger & their sadness. I knew already that I wanted to be a writer, and watching these films helped shape the kind of writer I wanted to be. A writer who was interested in stories that were always more than one thing at once-- literary & entertaining, artful & adventurous, epic & small. I’m so thrilled to be working with Emilia Rhodes, Clarion, and the whole team at HarperCollins to bring this story blazing across your shelves, and I cannot wait for you to meet these kindlings, these wandering warriors, these lost children searching for home. ⚔️  It's finally starting to sink in. A THOUSAND STEPS INTO NIGHT is on the longlist for the 2022 National Book Award.
Yesterday, when I read the news, I thought at first that it must be a mistake. My book? My silly Ghibli-esque adventure? My tongue-in-cheek romp? My episodic road trip through a magical world teeming with demons and spirits? My haunting Japanese-inspired folktale? My critique of American patriarchy in the guise of an escapist fantasy? My unapologetic declaration of joy? Was important? Literary? Worthy of recognition? Wow. YES. That’s what this incredible recognition says to me. Yes, there is value in adventure, in laughter, in critique and fantasy and joy. Yes, these things are necessary, noteworthy, and engaged in a national conversation about gender and sexism and power, hierarchy and marginalization and the making of a better, more inclusive world. They’re also (I hope) fun. And there’s value in that too. As I come to grips with the news, I find that I’m excited. I’m tickled. And I’m so, so grateful. My bird boy is on the National Book Award longlist. My trash monkeys are on the National Book Award longlist. My demon girl in all her awkwardness is on the National Book Award longlist. Congratulations, little heroes. Today, you are seen. Thank you to my editors, Catherine Onder and Emilia Rhodes, and to the entire team at Clarion and HarperCollins. Thank you to the National Book Foundation and the judges for recognizing this story among so many notable and important titles. And my deepest congratulations again to all the longlisters! It is truly such an honor to be here with you. Kelly Barnhill, The Ogress and the Orphans Isaac Blum, The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen Johnnie Christmas, Swim Team Anna-Marie McLemore, Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix Sonora Reyes, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist For Justice Sabaa Tahir, All My Rage Sherri Winston, Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution Lisa Yee, Maizy Chen’s Last Chance  A THOUSAND STEPS INTO NIGHT is on the 2022 National Book Award Longlist for Young People's Literature! 🌠 Thank you so much to the judges for recognizing this goofy, demony, second-world fantasy road trip in all its patriarchy-smashing ferocity. 👹 And HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to all the longlisters! 🎉
Kelly Barnhill, The Ogress and the Orphans Isaac Blum, The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen Traci Chee, A Thousand Steps into Night Johnnie Christmas, Swim Team Anna-Marie McLemore, Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix Sonora Reyes, The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile, Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist For Justice Sabaa Tahir, All My Rage Sherri Winston, Lotus Bloom and the Afro Revolution Lisa Yee, Maizy Chen’s Last Chance  This SUNDAY! Come see me, Elizabeth Lim, Axie Oh, Kylie Lee Baker & Van Hoang on this Asian Folklore Panel, hosted by Lili at Utopia State of Mind! I am so excited to discuss books & inspirations with this amazing group of authors! This virtual event starts at 3pm ET/12 pm PT on the Utopia State of Mind YouTube channel, and it will feature a book giveaway as well! Mark your calendars and watch it here.
 More bookish events! Come see me at SE-YA Book Fest starting TOMORROW!
Don't forget to check out all the fabulous SE-YA programming on their website. Hope to see you there!  I've got events coming up this week! First up, this fabulous Virtual Fantasy Meetup with Epic Reads on Thu. 3/10 at 4pm ET! Come join me, Claire Legrand, Madeleine Roux, Deborah Falaye & Akshaya Raman as we speak with Lili from Utopia State of Mind about magic and power and so many other wonderful things. Tune in via Facebook this Thursday!
This event is in partnership with Oblong Books, so if you're interested in any of these titles, please do order from Oblong! Want more? Check out all my upcoming events on my events page!  Happy launch day, little book! 🌙👹 You arrive at a painful and tumultuous time in the world and in my personal life, and sometimes I’m overwhelmed by the incongruity of celebrating in the midst of such uncertainty, such tragedy, such sudden and paralyzing loss. But then I remember that this is by design. I wrote you as a response to the uncertainty, the pain, and the tragedy that have marked all of our lives these past few years, because I needed a different kind of story, a more lighthearted story and a more hopeful one, a story, in the words of the Storyteller at the end of The Reader Trilogy, “with less suffering and more joy.” That’s you, little book. You are the book I needed, and I hope, as you find your way into the world today, you find the readers who need you too. So go, little book. ❤️ Here’s to a little more silliness, here’s to a little more laughter, here’s to indefatigable joy. ❤️ So much gratitude to my agent Barbara Poelle, my editors Cat Onder and Emilia Rhodes, and my whole pub team at Clarion and HarperCollins, who have shown such enthusiasm and support for this strange little patriarchy-smashing folktale since the beginning. And to my friends and family, who have never stopped believing in me, and let me know it every single day. My endless thanks to you all for supporting me through the writing of this book and especially this difficult week. Finally, thank you to my readers, old and new, for finding and loving these stories again and again and again. May we all share a little joy with each other this week. ❤️ Pre-order campaign ends at MIDNIGHT tonight, so get your receipts in to claim your gifts! I’m offering two sticker sheets (six stickers total!) with illustrations by the talented Yutaan. Buy links & details below: Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, Amazon  With your proof of purchase (or proof of library request) for A Thousand Steps, you can get:
To enter, submit the following to chee.preorders @ gmail . com (without the spaces):
You can order from any retailer, like Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. For signed copies, contact your local independent bookseller to see if they have signed copies available! (Don't know your local indie? Find yours here.)
It's the final installment of Awaran Language Lessons, wherein I teach you some words from the made-up language of A THOUSAND STEPS INTO NIGHT! ?? In this video, please allow me to introduce to you our primary antagonist and malevolence demon, Tujiyazai, who's possessing the body of one of the most powerful people in the realm of Awara! ?
Miss a video? Catch up on all the Awaran Language Lessons here! FINALLY, launch is right around the corner, so time is running out to pre-order your copy of A THOUSAND STEPS and send in your receipt for a free sticker set, featuring chibi versions of Miuko, Geiki, and Tujiyazai illustrated by Yutaan! Check them out below! Pre-order Offer | IndieBound | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
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