Celebrating Women's History Month with Leigh Bardugo

Across the publishing industry, women are making waves and breaking down barriers—including #1 New York Times bestselling author, Leigh Bardugo. 
​
Bardugo’s debut novel, Shadow and Bone, was published back in 2012 by Macmillan. Today, the Grishaverse (her fantasy world that started with Shadow and Bone) is an international sensation, and is currently being adapted into a television series.

Her seemingly “overnight success” may come as no surprise to those who are familiar with her work. After all, for readers of young adult and new adult, fantasy books are a hot commodity—just look at rising stars Shelby Mahurin, Ayana Gray, and J. Elle. But Bardugo’s writing journey has been anything but overnight. ​

---

In her interview with Locus, Bardugo reflects on this journey.
 
“Writing really became important to me when I hit junior high. That was when my mom remarried. We moved to a very different kind of neighborhood, I started a new school, and things were rough for me. That was when I discovered science fiction and fantasy, and started reading it copiously and writing it almost compulsively. It was a survival mechanism for me at that point.”
 
Bardugo’s passion for literature eventually led her to pursue an English degree at Yale. In a separate interview with Writer’s Digest, she discusses her struggle to complete the first draft of a novel during that period of her life.
 
“I didn’t know yet that I was an outliner, and how badly I needed structure in order to work,” she explains. Her attempts resulted in a “terrible, messy, ugly first draft”, though she believes that the experience was necessary.
 
Despite this setback, Bardugo eventually sought representation for her work—an endeavor that would prove difficult. While high fantasy stories (particularly those aimed at young adult readers) are now in high demand, many experts in the industry doubted that such a book could find commercial success back in 2012.
 
“I knew very little about the market. I learned that many [agents] would not even entertain the idea of that kind of book,” Bardugo states as she reflects on the difficult early days.
 
She would go on to land an agent who believed in her work, and within a week of Shadow and Bone’s release, she would also find herself at the top of The New York Times bestseller list. Clearly, her tenacity paid off. With more than 1 million copies sold worldwide, readers can’t get enough of the Grishaverse – and there’s still more to come. While the television series is set to air in April, Bardugo’s highly anticipated Rule of Wolves (the second installment in the King of Scars duology) will be released later this month. 
 
While we haven’t received official word on Bardugo’s next project, many of her fans are speculating that an adaption for Six of Crows is also in the works. The popular duology takes place after the events of Shadow and Bone, so it may be some time yet before we receive confirmation. Bardugo herself has neither confirmed nor denied these speculations, though she did tweet the following earlier this year: “And I know some of you will be hungry for more Crows. We’ve got you. Just wait.”
 
We’re certainly willing to wait. And we can’t wait to see what she does next!
 
Hungry for more? You can follow Bardugo on Twitter to stay up to date on her latest projects. And don’t forget to celebrate Women’s History Month by supporting your favorite female authors!

ABOUT THE WRITER Carson Faircloth previously studied public relations at the University of Georgia, and is currently a freelance editor who specializes in young adult and new adult audiences. You can follower her on Twitter @carsonfaircloth and Instagram @carsonleighs. For advice for all things writing, visit her blog: www.sevenbillionwonders.co.