November 2024!

New books, old books, what a month!

Hey, team.

I have a lot of feelings about a lot of things that happened this month, and one day, I might even write about them cogently. For now, however, I will simply say please read more books. Always be reading, and not just for escaping but for learning. I will say do not be afraid of big books. Do not be afraid of complicated sentences or books that implicate you in the horrors we live through. Do not shirk from your responsibility as a citizen of the world with self-infantilisation, in your reading life or elsewhere.

Read On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder. It’s a great handbook to carry around these days, no matter what country you live in. It’s simple to read, with jumping points if you’d like to go deeper into historical research. A good start.

ANYway.

Finally, someone let me out of my cage!

It is with great joy that I can announce that the “Secret Project” aka Project Bad Mom is none other than Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf, an Arcane Novel. You can preorder it now! (US/UK) It will also have an audiobook, narrated by Ellen Thomas, who voices Ambessa in the show! How amazing is that? It’s out Feb 18, 2025.

Set in the blockbuster and award-winning universe of League of Legends: Arcane and written by award-winning author C. L. Clark, discover a thrilling epic fantasy novel where Ambessa Medarda truly learns what it means to be a Chosen of the Wolf.

Medarda over all.

Ambessa Medarda: Warrior, general, mother. She is a woman to be feared, and the Medardas are unrivaled in their pursuit of glory. She has led conquests and armies. She has slain legendary beasts. She has made grave sacrifices in her ascent up the ranks. And for this she was rewarded: She entered the realm of death and was granted a vision of herself upon the throne of the vast Noxian empire.

But before she can lead her empire, she must become head of her own clan. Yet the title is contested by her cousin and former confidante, Ta’Fik. He knows the bloody sins of Ambessa’s past. And he knows he cannot allow her to rise.

They will fight a war for the very soul of the Medardas.

But the war won’t be fought on battlefields alone. Ambessa’s daughter, Mel, can deftly break through the walls around anyone’s heart, and she’ll put her talents to use for her mother. Yet despite Mel’s strength, Ambessa sees only a child who lacks her killer instincts. Mel knows she can be the leader Ambessa wants her to be, if only she gives her time.

With her family betraying her, enemies closing in on all sides, and unseen forces moving in the shadows, every day proves more dangerous than the last. But Ambessa will not bow. She will burn the world down to claim her place in it.

If you’re watching the show, you’ve probably already seen that Ambessa is playing quite a heavy role in this season. Can’t wait for you to see this weekend’s episodes—the final three, the Arcane series finale! I don’t know about you, but I’ll be sad to see it go. It’s been a breath of fresh air for storytelling, for animated storytelling—it’s amazing to see the kind of skill we can still bring forth as artists in an era when corporate greed is trying to outsource us all to AI it doesn’t have to pay even as the fake art drains our natural resources…. Sorry, where was I? Oh yeah.

Check out this music video, which is sung by THE Sheryl Lee Ralph, and comprises the prologue of Ambessa. Then tell me you’re not hyped for this book.

The Sovereign

Is finished! I turned it in this week—which, yes, is why you’re finally getting this newsletter instead of a month ago—and my editors have approved it to go to copyedits.

I’m very proud of it. I am also very nervous for it to go out into the world. This is my first trilogy finished, and my first major work. An entire series. The conclusion of my debut! It’s odd to think that that experience is almost over. There are plenty of career reasons finishing a trilogy is important, too; driving sales of the middle book, of the whole series, hitting all those people who ‘waited until it was finished’, new buzz, all that stuff. Which will be a bit odd, but also thrilling, I enjoy that part of writing, too. And, obviously, I hope you all enjoy the story.

And I will, of course, miss my girls immensely. My brain has already been conniving ways to stay in touch with them, little fanfictions, alternate universes, even sequels where decades in the future people will look back on the past that Touraine and Luca created. Even a Jackal/Aranen/Djasha/Cantic prequel.

But for now, I’m going to rest. Tie up a few more loose ends on short stories and the like. Then I’m going to move on to Warmongers, which will be a challenge in and of itself. I’ve been so long in the world of the Magic of the Lost that I don’t know what to do with the freedom of building an all-new world. I’m excited, though, to start on a completely blank canvas. (Though Ambessa was a standalone, writing IP work means the canvas is never blank and there are quite a few other people and considerations to navigate beyond your own artistic sensibilities.)

Thanks for reading Honing the Blade! If you’re new, subscribe to know when covers and pre-orders drop.

Miscellaneous

• I signed up for my first longsword tournament in May. I’ll be buckling down for the next six months to master the blade.
• I also have a new sword, a Hans Messer from Regenyei Armory in Hungary. I don’t have any good pictures of me wielding yet, alas.
• I just did another trail run, this time in the dark around castle ruins. I highly recommend Maverick races if you’re in the UK. Unfortunately, the one I enjoyed in July was not a fluke and I might be addicted. Running through the woods is fucking glorious.
• Also, I had a great talk with August Clarke in Chicago and we DID record the audio. But I have to type up the transcript, so that will take time. Stay tuned.

Books I’m Reading

Well, mostly I was reading my own books over and over again. Then, when I finished, I couldn’t stomach any book at all unless it was tiny. Lucky for me, I found a few things that were small but also let me ruminate on the world and my place in it, as a jock, as a writer. Plus a bonus one, just for fun.

• Opacities by Sofia Samatar - as usual, Sofia Samatar always leaves me thinking more deeply after I emerge from her work. If you’re a writer, this book is worth reading, especially if you find yourself butting up uncomfortably with the idea of commercializing your art or your existence as a marginalized writer. I think I have different approaches than her in some of these cases, but my agreement isn’t really the point, is it? It’s just good to read and think and be in conversation with other writers, and that’s what this is.
• Running by Lindsey A. Freeman - Despite their different topics, these books struck very similar chords in me, and in fact, refer to other writers in much the same way—even some of the same writers. I read them back to back, as well, so it was a good experience. But as I’ve always said, running (and lifting) shares a type of DNA with writing. You simply are not entitled to progress, but must work for it, at it over time. And Lindsey talks about that, and about being a queer athlete and writer, relating queer bodies to sport.
• Advocate by Daniel M. Ford - Been waiting for this book since I binge read the last ones last year. Poked my head into the publisher for an early copy and lo and behold! I really can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy this series. I’m about a third through and it’s been a great post-draft read. Just reminding me why I love fantasy. I highly recommend grabbing The Warden if you haven’t yet.

Alright, that’s enough out of me.

Stay sharp, friends.

Seriously.