The news is out, and my next book coming out is Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, the official novelization of the animated movie that just came out last weekend! It will be out November 10th, 2026.

It’s a bit of a departure from The Phoenix Pencil Company in that it is writing in an already very established fantasy world. But I’ve learned a lot from it, and it’s taken me on various adventures, first to New York City to see the movie a few months ago, and then to San Diego Comic Con where I was on a panel in front of 700 some people!

That picture was taken by my friend from high school, Mina! I hadn’t seen him in years, but it is always lovely and surprising how fandom can connect and reconnect.

During the panel, we got to do a cover reveal. Here it is!

I think it’s such a beautiful cover, and really captures the angle I was trying to take with the book. Compared to the movie, the book is slower and has more space for introspection/reflection.

I’ve been getting quite a few questions about the book, so here’s a quick FAQ!

How did you get this opportunity??

I’m lucky to be friends with F.C. Yee, who wrote the incredible Avatar Kyoshi and Avatar Yangchen books. We met at a writing workshop back in 2022, and I was already a huge fan of the Kyoshi books, so was stunned when he was in my workshop. We’ve kept in touch since then, and last summer he asked if I’d be interested in writing for Avatar. Having grown up with the show, I really couldn’t say no, so here we are!

How involved was Avatar Studios?

Very involved, since the beginning! I received the script from them, then wrote an outline based on the script with scenes I wanted to add or expand on. They left comments on that, and then on every draft since then as well. It was a bit of a shock to see Mike, one of the co-creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender, leaving thorough comments on all of my docs!

What will the book have that the movie doesn’t?

Lots of things! I think almost every scene is expanded in one way or another. The movie is very fast paced, which is great for an animated movie, but not so great for a book. So whereas the movie might cut from Aang at the Southern Air Temple straight to Katara giving a speech in Republic City, the book lingers in each spot a bit longer. More Aang reflecting at the Southern Air Temple, and then an introduction to Republic City, and then Katara pepping herself up to go give her speech, for example.

There are also totally new added scenes that have been approved by Avatar Studios. I won’t give away all of them, but a teaser:

• Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko reuniting before going off to look for Aang

• Katara trying to help Toph find love

• Another angst sharing session on a beach (anyone else’s favorite episode of the show “The Beach”?)

In addition, there were certain themes I wanted to explore in the book that might not be quite as overt in the movie—an emphasis around legacy and legend, for example, and how we are remembered.

What points of views are in this book?

It’s mostly alternating Aang and Katara. But they let me be pretty fluid in terms of jumping around, so there are also points of view chapters from:

• Kallik, one of the villains

• Tagah, a new character who joins Team Avatar

• Sonam, a previous Avatar

And then there are some scenes from Toph, Zuko, and Sokka’s points of views, and one scene from the Cabbage Merchant’s.

It’s been a wild ride, and I feel very lucky to be able to contribute this small bit to this universe I’ve loved since I was a kid. If you’re a fan of the show and of the recent movie, I hope you’ll consider picking up this novelization!

What about not Avatar stuff?

I’m hard at work on the next book, I promise! I would say I’m maybe 75% through a first draft, but the last 25%, where I have to wrap everything up, is kicking my butt. Hopefully better news next time!