Lessons Writers Can Learn from the 2026 Winter Olympics

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The 2026 Olympics and Paralympics in Milan wrapped up a few weeks ago, which means I won’t have my emotional support athletes to make me happy cry on a daily basis. I’m not a big sports person–far from it!–but I love the Olympics. So many of the athletes are regular people in their non-Olympics lives, with non-sports jobs, and they only get this kind of media focus during the games. Largely, they’re not making a ton of money from their sport. They’re doing it because they love it and want to give it their all.

I always follow the figure skating because that’s a personal favorite, and this year was one of the best Olympics viewing experiences I can remember. It wasn’t because of the medal count or the scores. It was the people who made these Olympics meaningful.

Which brings me to today’s topic: lessons writers can learn from 2026 Winter Olympians.

You’re in Charge of Your Career

Alysa Liu was the big winner this year, but it came after a lot of struggle and stress and doubt. She’d been skating since she was five and had been extremely competitive as a young skater. She was obviously very talented and the figure skating culture around her encouraged training at the expense of rest and nourishment. She lacked control over her performances as a young skater and, even though she did extremely well in competition, she ended up burnt out and retired at 16.

When she decided to return to the ice, she knew she’d have to do things differently. She would listen to her body, including knowing how to fuel herself and how hard she needed to train and how much rest she needed as a result. She was active in putting together her own routines and embraced her unique style. All of that resulted in the most dynamic and exciting freeskate in the history of the world.

As writers, it can be easy to think there’s a ‘right’ path to success. If you only write in a buzzy genre. If you only post three new TikToks every day. If you only write even when you’re sick and you have work piled up from your day job and never complain. Success doesn’t have a ‘right’ path and if you keep trying to chase that hot genre or run yourself ragged, even if you manage to have a smash bestseller, you won’t be able to enjoy it because your heart wasn’t in it or because you’re too exhausted to care. Embrace your own Alysa Liu and a) respect your boundaries and health, and b) write the thing you feel deeply called to write, because that joy and meaning will shine through for readers.

Lift Each Other Up

The standout feeling of figure skating at the 2026 Olympics didn’t have to do with “quad god” Ilia Malinin or Amber Glenn’s triple axels. Instead, it had to with the skaters themselves and how they approached the spirit of competition. it had to do with the supportive and joyful vibes that the skaters were bringing to the competition. They were all working hard and doing their best to win a gold medal, but they also saw each other as people, not just competitors.

From Amber Glenn blocking cameras so competitor Kaori Sakamoto could have a private, tearful moment to Ilia Malinin congratulating gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov on his win after Malinin had an extremely tough program to Alysa Liu jumping up and down in joy with bronze medalist Ami Nakai to everyone surrounding Max Naumov with love after the loss of his parents, the energy in skating was all about how skaters can do their best individually and still support one another.

Whether you’re skating or writing, it’s very easy to get jealous of others’ success or think that you succeed alone. In a recent New York Times article about AI-generated romance novels, the generator was quoted as saying “‘If I can generate a book in a day, and you need six months to write a book, who’s going to win the race?'” Except writing isn’t a race. Someone else’s successful book doesn’t negate your book. Readers are going to want to read more than one book–likely, more than one kind of book. And if you’re approaching other authors like they’re just the competition, you’re missing out on a) seriously awesome friendships, b) connecting with other people who really get it, and c) having a valuable support system in this very difficult business of publishing. The authors who show up for other authors are my favorite.

Be Proud of the Medals You Get

Freestyle skier Eileen Gu became the most decorated female freeskier in Olympcis history when she won two new silver medals in Milan. After her win, a reporter asked whether she considered her new medals “two silvers gained or two golds lost.” Gu’s response was perfect:

“I’m the most decorated female freeskier in history. I think that’s an answer in and of itself… Winning a medal at the Olympics is a life-changing experience for every athlete. Doing it five times is exponentially harder, because every medal is equally hard for me, but everybody else’s expectations rise, right? So, the two medals lost situation, to be quite frank with you, I think, is kind of a ridiculous perspective to take. I’m showcasing my best skiing. I’m doing things that quite literally have never been done before, and so I think that is more than good enough, but thank you.”

I love the part about ‘everybody else’s expectations rise. In writing, it’s so easy to keep moving the bar for yourself. First you just want to finish a draft. Then revise it enough to feel confident querying. Then get an agent. Then get a book deal. Then a starred review. Then another book. Then a movie option. And on and on and on. It’s even harder when your professional circle is other writers–it’s easy to think that everyone writes a book or gets an agent or a book deal. But whether you have a bestselling book with a blockbuster movie or you just finished your first draft, you get to be proud of yourself. You achieved a big goal, one that most people don’t get to achieve. They all don’t have to be silver medals. You can enjoy every medal you get.

What I’ve Been Reading

I recently finished Wolf Hall, which I picked up after watching the phenomenal miniseries on Masterpiece. The miniseries takes so much from the book and builds on the characters and situations even more, which was super satisfying.

I also finally got around to A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, which was a delight. I love T. Kingfisher’s books and this was the perfect blend of magic and sweetness.

Thoughts about your favorite Olympics moments? Other recent reads you’ve enjoyed? Share them in the comments!

Cold Weather, Conversations, and Other Updates

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Between moving, a cycle of colds throughout the house, and the holidays, sharing news here really got away from me. But I’ve been doing a lot of book-related stuff and have more exciting stuff coming!

Where I’ve Been

I’ve had a few great events over the last few months, including the Young Adult Author Symposium (YAAS) in Concord, MA, back in November with a bunch of other amazing YA authors, some of whom I hadn’t seen in years and some of whom I got to meet that day. The organizer of the event is Kip Wilson, a fellow YA author and the school librarian at Concord-Carlisle High School. With the Boston Teen Author Festival having closed its metaphorical doors post-COVID, it was so great to be at a YA-specific event in the Greater Boston area. There were multiple breakout sessions throughout the day centered around different topics and Concord-Carlisle High students got to be the moderators. This was only YAAS’s second year so I highly recommend keeping an eye out for next year’s schedule.

January kicked off with the launch of Beth Is Dead, a fabulous retelling of Little Women that reframes the story as a YA thriller. I got to talk with the author, Katie Bernet, about retellings and writing a mystery and the winding path to publication, at her launch event at the Silver Unicorn. The weather wasn’t ideal but the crowd was warm and enthusiastic and the Silver Unicorn staff did such a great job with this event. Plus, I got to see fellow 2014 YA debut author Jenny Martin!

And then last week I was part of this amazing panel on reproductive rights at Brookline Booksmith. Honestly, it was so humbling to be on a panel with so many people making a real difference for reproductive rights both in Massachusetts and beyond. Fellow panelists Meghan Elizabeth Kallman , Marlene Fried, Loretta Ross, and Mason Dunn were so thoughtful and passionate about helping others. One theme that kept coming up was the importance of community–how we need to keep showing up for each other, refusing to back down in the face of fear, and finding ways to connect.

Where I’ll Be

Winter White is coming out on Tuesday, January 27 (less than a week from today!), which means I’ve got book-related events coming up.

First, I’ll be at Books on the Square in Providence, RI on Saturday, January 31 at 6pm. This is my first event in Rhode Island in forever, and I’m so excited to be at the bookstore I thought was the coolest back in the day. Come to hear a little about Winter White and get a signed copy!

Thursday, February 5 at 7pm is the launch event for Winter White at Brookline Booksmith. I’m so excited that my conversation partner is none other than the aforementioned Kip Wilson. I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about, especially around writing YA novels that deal with heavy topics but provide hope. And seriously, get Kip’s books! They’re gripping historical YA novels in verse about fortitude and heart and how we keep moving forward.

What I’ve Been Into

I finally caught up on the Wolf Hall miniseries, the first season coming out in 2015 and the second in 2024. I’d heard it was good but y’all, this was so fantastic. It’s stellar writing, excellent acting, phenomenal production design, all wrapped up in some great historical storytelling. Super recommended and you can watch it all on PBS Passport. Other good viewing includes Poker Face, Wake Up Dead Man, Traitors, and The American Revolution.

It was a good end to the year/start to the year with reading, including:

  • Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley. Boulley does not miss, y’all.
  • Hear Her Howl by Kim DeRose, the ’90’s sapphic werewolf boarding school book you didn’t know you needed.
  • Truth Is: A Novel in Verse by Hannah V. Sawyerr, which is powerful and gorgeous and a must-read for any young writer.

What have you been reading/listening to/experiencing? Share your recent favorites in the comments!

Travels, Talks, and Other Updates

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Welcome (Back)

I’ve been doing some website-related updates and trying to consolidate my online communication stuff here. Blogging used to be such a huge part of my online experience and it made sense to bring things back here instead of trying yet another newsletter platform. So whether you’re on my site or getting this via email, welcome!

Where I’ve Been

Last month I had the opportunity to attend the New England Independent Booksellers Association’s (NEIBA) fall conference in New Hampshire to talk about Winter White at one of the children’s author breakfasts. When I mentioned to my writing group that I was asked to attend, they were so enthusiastic. A couple had previously worked in indie bookstores in New England. “NEIBA is the conference to go to,” one said.

I can’t compare it to other indie conferences, but I had a great time. The booksellers I met there were so gracious and thoughtful, and I loved hearing from the other authors/illustrators about their upcoming books. It was especially nice to meet with Alex, a bookseller I’d previously worked with at Brookline Booksmith events. They introduced me at the breakfast and had such kind things to say about Winter White.

It was my first time talking about Winter White in public, not just with people in publishing or my writing group and honestly, it was a little strange to be moving from that phase of ‘this is a thing I’m working on’ to ‘this is a thing for other people now. But as one of my writing group friends told me, this was a super friendly crowd. Indie booksellers are the best.

Where I’ll Be

I’m so thrilled to be at the Young Adult Author Symposium (YAAS) on Saturday, November 15! This is the second year they’ll be running YAAS, and it’s awesome to have a YA-specific, large-scale event in the Greater Boston area.

Years ago, there was the Boston Teen Author Festival, which I took part in when The Change You Won’t Return was first published. Unfortunately, organizing a giant event with a bunch of authors and local readers is a tough job, especially if it’s not a paid job for most of the organizers. So when COVID hit, the BTAF never came back. It was understandable, but kind of heartbreaking for YA fans in New England.

So when I heard about YAAS, I was thrilled. One of the YAAS organizers, Kip Wilson, is a fellow YA author I’ve known for years. Her books are largely historical novels-in-verse and must-reads.

If you’re in the Boston area, come out to Concord on Saturday, November 15. You can check out the festival information, including the schedule, author line-up, and breakout session info to plan your day. I’ll have swag on hand and maybe some advanced reader copies of Winter White to give away, too.

What I’ve Been Into

Last year, Walt read The Power Broker by Robert Caro and kept telling me a little about the book and how its central figure, Robert Moses, shaped so much of New York City by sheer force of will. It’s a big ol’ doorstop book and I didn’t think I’d be that interested in a book about the infrastructure of New York. But I ended up reading Robert Caro’s Working, largely about his writing and research process, and it was so fascinating and well-written that I thought, Damnit, I’m going to have to read The Power Broker.

So I read The Power Broker.

Y’all, it’s really good.

It won the Pulitzer prize in 1975, so it’s not like people haven’t been aware of how good this book is for fifty years. But if you, too, think it’s a lot of book to get through, trust me–it’s deeply compelling. It’s also available in audiobook, so you can listen to the story of Robert Moses and get furious as you walk your dog around the neighborhood or do the dishes (just as an example).

Other (more recently published) books I’ve been enjoying:

  • The Trouble With Heroes by Kate Messner, a middle grade novel-in-verse that deals with grief, loss, and love in the most touching ways.
  • The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst, the exact kind of charming, cozy fantasy I was looking for. I think this one is technically in the adult fantasy section but is extremely appropriate for teen readers, too.
  • The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon by Grace Lin, a new middle grade novel from one of my favorite fantasy middle grade novelists working today.

What have you been reading/listening to/experiencing? Share your recent favorites in the comments!

Winter White Cover Reveal

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I’m so excited to share the cover of my next book, Winter White! The official reveal post is up at Pop! Goes the Reader, along with a little about the main character, Pia, and how books and the local library are essential to her emotional journey.

Major thanks to artist David Curtis, who designed the cover (along with many other amazing covers you’ll probably recognize).

Winter White comes out on January 27, 2026, but you can pre-order a copy now at any of your favorite book retailers.