Dear Friends,
I have been asked a certain question hundreds of times. I’ve been asked it in person, in interviews, in emails, in blog and Facebook comments, and in letters from kids.
“When is The Green Ember sequel coming out?”
This question has served as both an inspiration to me and a force of pressure on me.
I spent nearly a decade in a long “rough draft” of The Green Ember, telling my kids aloud the earliest versions of what I would later write down for the novel. How was I supposed to follow it up at all, let alone quickly? On top of that, The Green Ember—this book I thought was likely only suited for an audience the exact size of my family—turned out to be kind of a hit with many others. We’ve reprinted more times than I can remember, seen many tens of thousands of copies sold, met with big studio executives about a possible movie, and spent days as the best-selling audiobook in the world. All in about 20 months. Holy cow! There’s been some real enthusiasm about the book, and so when people ask me about a sequel, it’s not like my kids asking for a bed-time story. It’s a lot of kids asking for a story. Pressure!
But it’s pressure because of a privilege. An amazing privilege! What author doesn’t dream about an audience eager to receive what he or she is creating next? What an incredible (almost unbelievable) honor!
So we tried to balance the urgency with a commitment to excellence. I hope we have succeeded.
There have been countless hours of work put into this new book. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the margin to write in the kind of environment where there is regular access to long stretches of uninterrupted, concentrated time. That’s pretty unlikely for a while. So, for critics of flawed sentences and my many other offenses against great writing, fear not. There’s more of the same here. I hope I have improved as a storyteller. For now, we are shipping before we’re ready. We’re hustling toward the possible and saying sayonara to the perfect. 
I haven’t done this alone. To everyone on the team (you know who you are), thank you so much. For something from my heart to be so cared for and curated, savored and shared, is a priceless gift. You’re on my side, and I’m profoundly grateful.
Today’s the day. Ember Falls is finally released. The Green Ember has a sequel. It’s out there, ready to be read by, and to, eager children. These young readers will walk through darkness with my imperfect guidance, holding on to hope in the middle of the fight. Thousands of kids will continue a journey that started in my heart and head over many challenging months. They will travel. They will have a harrowing adventure. I wish I could see their faces!
To those kids who I love dearly and for whom I have heaved my heart into this tale, God bless you.
I made this for you.
Sam
P.S. Some sales stuff:
You can get the new book (or rate and review) at Amazon.
There are some genuinely great Launch Week Deals at My Store. Check it, yo.
There are sales, including Picket’s Swords, Heather’s Necklaces, and Book and Book/T-shirt Combo Deals. It’s dope.
Not to exert more pressure- haha. But will this be available as an audio book soon?
Ha! Jessica, yes it is available in our store now as an audiobook:http://store.storywarren.com/products/ember-falls-audiobook-unabridged
And it will be available in Audible any day now.
Thanks!
I should add we listened to the first two on audible and my kids all loved it! They keep asking me when we can get the new one. We love listening to audible books while we are in the car. The green Ember has been one of our favorites of this year!
I have read The Green Ember and Ember Falls. I could not put them down and now that I am finished with them I find myself thinking about the characters and themes from you stories all the time.
Some of the themes in your stories intrigue me and remind me of my Catholic Faith. For example, sacrificing for others, bearing trials with strength and dignity (bear the flame), never giving up, just war, and doing your best no matter what your job because we are all part of something bigger than ourselves.
There is also a line in your story, “..For my dear prince’s sake, and for the sake of the whole wounded world…”
makes me think of a line from the Divine Mercy.
Thank you for writing and sharing these stories.
Dear Jansy,
I’m so grateful for your kind words and generosity in sharing them with me. I am a devout Christian and I have no doubt those deep values are present in my stories. I believe Christianity is the Faith in harmony with reality, so I just feel like what I do is try to tell on honest, faithful story and leave the rest to God.
Grace and peace to you,
Sam
I have been reading “Ember Falls” aloud to my children…they have been captivated ever since they first met Picket and Heather in the “Green Ember”. I admit…I have been staying up late at night to read ahead of my children! It’s that good!!! But now that I have finished…I have to say that this book was positively marvelous, suspenseful, and magnanimous! May I ask when the continuation of Ember Falks will be released? We are sitting on pins and needles here. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Maggie. Those are kind words. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it.
About book 3. I totally sympathize and I will do my best!
God bless you.
Dear Mr. Smith,
You were obviously created with a story in your heart. Many thanks to you and your family for sharing that with the rest of us. Your stories are deeply impacting.
Please consider, for the sake of your readers, locking yourself in a room so that you may write like the wind. 😉
Waiting (im)patiently in Wisconsin,
Kim
That’s a very kind way to say it! Thank you so much. 🙂
We have now read all of your books and love them!!!! We can’t wait for the next one!
Thank you, Bayes Kids! That’s very kind. 🙂
You must write a third !!!
I just finished Ember falls and I love it!!!
I’m working on it. Glad you enjoyed it!
I downloaded The Ember a while back when it was the Deal of The Day on Audible. My husband pointed it out to me because he knows how much I like a good rabbit tale. (Watership Down fan here!) When I finished I bought the sequel, The Ember Falls. I just finished that one and I am so disappointed I have to wait to find out how everything turns out. Thank you for a wonderful story. I will have to buy the actual books and add them to my list of “read them again” books.
Thank you, Sheryl! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I’m working hard on the next ones. Have you tried The Black Star of Kingston yet? It’s a prequel of sorts, set 100 years before TGE.
Cheers!
We have just finished Ember Falls today. While we have enjoyed reading books together as a family for years, none has captured the entire family like these two books of yours. I have boys ages 5,7,8,12, and 13 and everyone was begging for “just one more chpater” all the way through! We have read every day on the way to and from school, after school and at bedtime. Before these books, read aloud time was just at bedtime. I have precious memories of read alouds from my own childhood and am now grateful for the memories, shared stories and common vocabulary that your books have given me and my kids. They were so disappointed when the story ended and insisted I immediately look you up to find out when the next one is coming. Blessings on you and your family and your work! We will buy every book you write!!
Dear Valerie,
Thank you for this very kind, very encouraging note! It brought my wife to tears (and me too, possibly). This makes me want to press on, so I’m grateful for your words. I count it a tremendous honor to write stories for your children and I shall endeavor to love and serve them well with that work. Please say hello to your boys for me! God bless you.
Your servant,
Sam
SO I just noted on the line you left for Sheryl you stated you were working on the “next ones”… does this mean there are more than one more book to your story?
We serve in missions in PNG, making it hard to download anything, but I had my mother hand deliver a copy of Ember Falls when she came to visit, and we care so glad she did! We just love this story, and pretty much started crying when we realized it was not the end. this being both from joy and getting more but also in sorrow of having yet another opportunity in life to practice patience! (it takes 3 months to get letters here.)
thank you for for being so generous with your words. they are a gift.
Kristi
Hi Kristi,
I’m glad you enjoyed the books and I pray God blesses your work in PNG. (I am an MK myself.)
I hope there will be more books, both sequels and prequels (Whitson Mariner stories).
Grace to you,
Sam
I discovered the Green Ember through Amazon’s recommendations this past Friday and went ahead and bought the kindle version. By Saturday afternoon I had read the whole book and was bowled over by the story! The characters are deep, the emotions are real, the descriptions vivid without being verbose. I loved it!
So I ordered hard copies of all three books as I know my niece and nephew will enjoy them, but I couldn’t wait for the books to arrive. I started reading the Ember Falls (the kindle version) Sunday night. Of course, I knew that I would be going to work the next morning and would have to be a responsible adult and go to bed on time… Well, after many “just one more chapters” I finished the book in the early hours of the morning.
You have an incredible gift, and it is wonderful to see you using it with God’s glory as your goal. Thank you very much for working hard on these, and I can’t wait for the next part of this story!
Hi Sam,
Thank you so much for writing and sharing this with me. It is truly an encouragement. I’ve had that same experience with other books and I’m delighted to learn I have contributed even slightly to your delinquency. 😉
You are very kind to write. Thanks again.
Your servant,
Sam
Oh how we are loving these books!! We have been reading ravenously and will return to them again and again. They have a place beside the chronicles of Narnia. Thank you so much for being one of our favorite authors!
Emily,
I’m so encouraged by your kind words and insane comparison. 😉
God bless you!
Your servant,
Sam
Are you writing a third . These books are out of this world. Thank you so so much for writing these books.
Thank you, Trinity. I AM writing a third. Pray for me!
I’ve already this on an amazon review but I’m saying it again here. My family reads a lot of books, however our list of favorite books and authors is very short. It’s like a very exclusive club. The Green Ember and Ember Falls just joined the club.
Terry, that is very kind. Thank you so much for the encouragement and especially for sharing them at Amazon. That is so helpful.
Grace and peace,
Sam
I’m sorry if you’ve answered this question elsewhere, but what is the english translation of the latin dedication in Ember Falls? I plugged it into Google’s translation page and I don’t think it got it quite right (unless your dedication had something to do with animatronic turnips…). My other option is to learn Latin, which seems like a lot of work. Any light shed would be appreciated!
Hi Sam!
Where is your spirit of adventure?! If I wouldn’t tell a single member of my own family, do you think I’d tell you? Where’s the fun in that?
Mea culpa?
Me, a culprit.
We just finished Ember Falls and my kids are dying to know who is singing! We have loved your books. We read a lot and the kids never want me to stop when reading your books. Then they go and act it all out! (Ages 10,8,6,4,3,1). Thank you for such great story.
Hello Leslie,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the books. Thank you. As to who is singing, I can never reveal such a thing, but it is discernible from the story. I hate to keep a secret from your kids, but you, as THEIR MOTHER, may be able to figure it out. 😉
God bless you,
Sam
Thank you for sharing your wonderful gift of writing with the world. I enjoyed reading The Green Ember. There were times I struggled a little because there were pieces of the story I didn’t quite get, but when I read Blackstar Kingston then I felt much better. I understood more of the background and the pieces fit together better. So then I couldn’t wait to read Ember Falls. After reading Ember Falls I said to my husband “They have to have another book! I must find it.” Haha. I cannot wait to read the rest of your amazing work. Not to put more pressure on you, but is there also any chance you could write a background story about Flint and Fay like you did with Whitson Mariner and Fleck Blackstar? They are mentioned as very important figures in your stories but what exactly did they do to become such a big part of the rabbits history? Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thanks again for taking the time to write an incredible series. I haven’t been this sucked into a book since I read The Binding of the Blade series.
Hi Shanna,
Thank you for the kind and considerate note. I appreciate the encouragement. I’m sorry for any confusion I’ve caused. I am trying to reveal what history needs to be revealed in time for it to make the most sense as a larger narrative, but I’m certain I have and will make mistakes with that. I plan to share more about Flint and Fay as the story goes on. Right now what needs to be know from them is revealed in the stories so far. At least I think so. It’s challenging because I know more than I’m saying, but if I said all I know about the history, it would be a very tough read. Trying to do it artfully and in a hospitable way, especially for children. I hope that makes some sense.
Thanks again for commenting. God bless you
Sam
Alright, that makes sense. I look forward to the next book/books you have to offer. #Super excited
My 8yo son begs me to read these books to him! He is engaged in the lives of the characters and often tells me “wait, mom!” as he trys to figure things out before we continue reading. I have to admit though he is quite upset about a certain death and hopes the next book is “Return of the Green Ember.” Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful gift.
Dear Mr. Smith. when will book 3 be relesed i have read books 1 and 2 they were amazing and i am on a cliff hannger it is so good please hurry on book 3! I love the series!!!
Hi Katherine,
I’m so glad you are enjoying the series. I am working on book 3, but I can’t say when it will come out (because I don’t know and I don’t want to disappoint). It will take a while, but I hope it’s worth it!
Have you read The Black Star of Kingston yet? It’s worth a try if you like the other two.
Cheers!
mr.s.d.smith when is your next book being published
mr.smith when are you publishing your next green embers book
Hi Stacy,
We’re not sure yet, but we are working hard to get it done well. The best way to stay up to date is to join our newsletter: http://sdsmith.net/sign-up-for-updates/
Cheers,
Sam