The Huge ACOTAR Announcement
The biggest headline: two new ACOTAR books are coming very close together.
- Book 6 release: October 27, 2026
- Book 7 release: January 12, 2027
But they’re not really separate stories.
Sarah explained the new arc is one massive story told in four parts, so big it had to be split across multiple books.
She said when she finished writing Part 1 it was already around 400 pages, and she realized the story would be far larger than expected.
Her exact vibe about it was basically: “the story that came out of me was really, really big.”
She also said the story finally clicked when she was writing in Montana, describing the place jokingly as having an “energy vortex” that unlocked the story.
Her Writing Process (This Part Was Fascinating)
Sarah admitted something that surprised a lot of readers:
She does NOT meticulously plan everything.
She said her stories often come from:
- subconscious ideas
- emotions she’s processing
- intuition while writing
She even joked she has crystals all over her desk and sometimes feels like something almost “psychic” guides the story.
Her process is very emotion-driven:
- she waits until she feels ready to tell the story
- once inspiration hits, she writes extremely fast
- she lets characters guide the narrative
She said when the story for the new ACOTAR arc came to her, it “poured out” quickly after months of struggling to find the right headspace.
How She Sees Women in Her Books
Sarah was very passionate about this part.
She talked about how fantasy romance — especially books written by women — often gets dismissed as “just smut.”
Her response was basically:
- Sex scenes are not just there for shock value
- They’re tied to character growth and plot
- Emotional intimacy and power dynamics matter
She also said it frustrates her that stories about women’s sexuality are often minimized in publishing.
Her philosophy when writing women:
- women can be messy
- women can be angry
- women can be powerful AND broken
- healing is not linear
This is why characters like Nesta exist.
The Truth Behind Nesta’s Story
One of the most emotional parts of the interview was about Nesta in
A Court of Silver Flames.
Sarah said Nesta’s arc was basically her own mental health journey.
After having her first child in 2018, she began experiencing severe panic attacks and entered a very dark mental space. She said she was terrified that:
- her career would collapse
- something terrible would happen to her family
- everything she built would disappear
Eventually she realized she needed therapy — which she says saved her life. While working through that period, she began writing Nesta. She described the connection like this:
“She was in a hole. I was in a hole. And we dug our way out together.”
One specific scene was directly inspired by her life:
The emotional hiking breakdown scene between Nesta and Cassian.
Sarah said that moment came from a hike she took in New Zealand when she hit rock bottom emotionally.
Her Traumatic Birth Story
This part of the interview was incredibly raw.
Sarah talked about the birth of her first child and how traumatic pregnancy and childbirth were for her.
She said she actually hated being pregnant because doctors constantly monitored her weight and made her anxious about everything she ate.
Her son was born:
- two weeks late
- through an emergency C-section
She said she had never had surgery before and was terrified.
She also said the incision was done poorly and left permanent damage to her stomach, which made the recovery even harder.
How Her Birth Experience Inspired ACOTAR
Her birth trauma directly influenced the pregnancy storyline in
A Court of Thorns and Roses.
She explained that writing Feyre’s dangerous pregnancy was her way of processing the fear and trauma she experienced.
She said:
- without modern medicine she might not have survived
- writing the scene helped her release the emotional weight
The fear Rhysand feels about losing Feyre also came from her own fears about motherhood and childbirth.
Her Thoughts on Tamlin (This Was Iconic)
When asked if Tamlin might get a redemption arc, she bluntly said:
“That f**ker can burn in hell forever.”
Her reasoning was actually thoughtful.
Many readers told her Tamlin reminded them of abusive relationships they had survived, and she doesn’t want to erase that experience.
Other Fun Details From the Interview
Some lighter things she shared:
- Fans can pronounce Rhysand however they want
- She sometimes finds character names by browsing baby name registries
- She refuses to reveal Rhysand’s last name
- She wants control if an ACOTAR show ever happens again
- She got the TV rights back after the Hulu adaptation fell apart
The Core Theme of the Interview
The biggest takeaway from the whole conversation: Sarah doesn’t just write fantasy worlds.
She writes emotional experiences she’s lived through:
- grief
- trauma
- healing
- anger
- female rage
- love
Her books are basically fantasy versions of real emotional journeys.
Which honestly explains why so many readers feel like ACOTAR characters are real people.
Discover more from ROMINA'S LIFE
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.