 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
 ONE WEEK ‘til A THOUSAND STEPS INTO NIGHT and hardcovers are here! ✨ It’s such a joy to finally hold this book in my hands, to know that this is a real thing, that this thing I made is soon going to be in the world. 🌙👹 If you haven’t preordered yet, there’s still time submit your receipts for your free chibi stickers illustrated by Yutaan! 🌸 Details on this page & buy links here: IndieBound | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Amazon
Welcome to the third installment of Awaran Language Lessons, wherein I teach you some words from the made-up language of A THOUSAND STEPS INTO NIGHT! ?? As I talk a little about the inspiration behind the spirit world of Awara, I'll be touching on the name of Miuko's best friend (and very good bird boy) Geiki ?as well as my one of my favorite words from this fun invented language!
Did you miss a lesson? Check out my other language videos here! We're less than two weeks from launch, so don't forget to pre-order your copy of A THOUSAND STEPS and submit your receipt for a free sticker set of chibis illustrated by Yutaan!
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.)  🌙 TWO WEEKS until A THOUSAND STEPS INTO NIGHT! 🌙 Any good fictional road trip will include a fun cast of characters, and I’m REALLY excited for you to meet all the curious creatures Miuko meets on her journey across the Japanese-influenced realm of Awara! Here’s a small sampling of some of my favorites:
🐦 Geiki, a very good bird boy and thieving magpie spirit 😈 Tujiyazai, a vengeance demon 🐴 Roroisho, utterly magnificent, not a talking horse 👻 some ghosts 🌳 Nogadishao, a feral forest god with mushrooms for eyes 🐵 several monkeys who are bad at driving 💀 a very forgetful skeleton warrior Don’t forget to submit your pre-order receipt (or proof of library request) to claim your free chibi sticker sets, illustrated by Yutaan! 👹 Buy links (IndieBound | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon) & all the details here! |
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