It Never Gets Old: House of Earth and Blood Author, Sarah J. Maas on Holding her Finished Novel

1) If I looked at your internet history, what would it reveal about you?

That I’m mother of a 20-month old boy who just discovered “Baby Shark” and I’ve had to endure listening to it (and watching the video) an ungodly number of times. True story: my son is now so obsessed with this song that we’ve heard him over the baby monitor singing it to himself as he falls asleep!

2) How does it feel to hold your book in your hands?

So surreal. I’ve published a bunch of books by now, and every single time, I get a little bit choked up the moment I finally get to hold the finished book in my hands. It never gets old.

3) Do you write about people you know?

Definitely not! I try to keep the people in my life out of my writing, though some experiences I’ve had definitely have made their way into my writing in various forms (mostly emotions). But my family members are constantly looking for themselves in my books, and I have to keep explaining that it’s not the case!

4) Are you able to switch off at the end of a day of writing? If so, how?

Definitely. Especially now that I’m a mom, I find myself wanting to switch off when I’m done for the day so I can be present with my son and enjoy every second with him. But once he’s off to bed, my husband and I usually make ourselves a nice dinner, maybe have a glass of wine, and binge a TV show or watch a movie (recent favorite movies: Parasite and Knives Out).

5) What’s your daily writing routine like and what are you working on at the moment?

It’s pretty simple: wake up, play with my son for a little bit around breakfast, then after a few cups of tea, head into my office to write for most of the day. I take a break midday to exercise for an hour, then have a quick lunch, then keep writing until my son’s dinner and/or bath time. After that, I’m done for the day, and I can unwind.

Right now, I’m working on my edits for the next Court of Thorns and Roses novel (also known as the Nesta/Cassian novel!), and gearing up to write the first draft of the sequel to Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood!