Meagan Spooner
Absolutely brilliant. This is the sci fi I’ve been waiting for! Action, romance, twists and turns–this book has it all!

Beth Revis, New York Times best-selling author of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-06T11:42:38-05:00

Beth Revis, New York Times best-selling author of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Absolutely brilliant. This is the sci fi I’ve been waiting for! Action, romance, twists and turns–this book has it all!
"A literally breathtaking archaeological expedition. Spooner and Kaufman prove once again that no one does high-stakes adventure shenanigans like they do."

E. K. Johnston, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars: Ahsoka

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-06T11:44:34-05:00

E. K. Johnston, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Star Wars: Ahsoka

"A literally breathtaking archaeological expedition. Spooner and Kaufman prove once again that no one does high-stakes adventure shenanigans like they do."
One of the most intense, thrilling, and achingly beautiful stories I’ve ever read. Kaufman and Spooner will break your heart with skilled aplomb, and you’ll thank them for it. Absolutely incredible! If I have to, I will come to your house and shove this book into your hands!

Marie Lu, New York Times best-selling author of the Legend trilogy

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-06T11:48:19-05:00

Marie Lu, New York Times best-selling author of the Legend trilogy

One of the most intense, thrilling, and achingly beautiful stories I’ve ever read. Kaufman and Spooner will break your heart with skilled aplomb, and you’ll thank them for it. Absolutely incredible! If I have to, I will come to your house and shove this book into your hands!
With rich, complex characters and a dynamic—and dangerous—new world, THESE BROKEN STARS completely transported me.

Jodi Meadows, author of the Incarnate series

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-06T12:09:41-05:00

Jodi Meadows, author of the Incarnate series

With rich, complex characters and a dynamic—and dangerous—new world, THESE BROKEN STARS completely transported me.
Intense and absorbing, Skylark transported me to a world of magic and danger unlike anything I’ve read before. I loved Lark, and was riveted by her journey of survival and self-discovery. Dark, original, and beautiful, this is a novel you don’t want to miss.

Veronica Rossi, author of UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-06T12:13:28-05:00

Veronica Rossi, author of UNDER THE NEVER SKY

Intense and absorbing, Skylark transported me to a world of magic and danger unlike anything I’ve read before. I loved Lark, and was riveted by her journey of survival and self-discovery. Dark, original, and beautiful, this is a novel you don’t want to miss.
Skylark's rich narrative and plucky heroine will transport you into a mesmerizing and horrifying world.

New York Times bestselling author Carrie Jones

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-27T09:17:02-05:00

New York Times bestselling author Carrie Jones

Skylark's rich narrative and plucky heroine will transport you into a mesmerizing and horrifying world.
With its blend of dystopian, steampunk, and generally fantastical elements, Spooner's follow up is even stronger and more gripping as the debut and is sure to ensnare further loyal readers.

Booklist (Starred Review)

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-27T10:01:57-05:00

Booklist (Starred Review)

With its blend of dystopian, steampunk, and generally fantastical elements, Spooner's follow up is even stronger and more gripping as the debut and is sure to ensnare further loyal readers.
This intriguing dystopian adventure's depiction of the stand this strong female protagonist takes against the horrors of her world is fast-paced, compelling, and un-put-downable.

VOYA

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-27T10:05:07-05:00

VOYA

This intriguing dystopian adventure's depiction of the stand this strong female protagonist takes against the horrors of her world is fast-paced, compelling, and un-put-downable.
Once again, the worldbuilding is superb, the characters fully fleshed out and intriguing, the battles riveting, and the edge-of-the seat suspense compelling. Teens looking for a well-written dystopian adventure with steampunk elements in the magical machines created by the Architects will enjoy spending time with Lark and her companions.

VOYA Magazine, starred review

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-27T10:27:43-05:00

VOYA Magazine, starred review

Once again, the worldbuilding is superb, the characters fully fleshed out and intriguing, the battles riveting, and the edge-of-the seat suspense compelling. Teens looking for a well-written dystopian adventure with steampunk elements in the magical machines created by the Architects will enjoy spending time with Lark and her companions.
An extremely entertaining tale of past, present and future leaving the question: where does humanity stand when the best laid plans backfire?

Children's Literature

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-27T10:29:04-05:00

Children's Literature

An extremely entertaining tale of past, present and future leaving the question: where does humanity stand when the best laid plans backfire?
A haunting and romantic exploration of love and what sacrifices come with freedom.


Marie Lu

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-27T15:17:04-05:00

Marie Lu

A haunting and romantic exploration of love and what sacrifices come with freedom.
Amazing. That one word describes the whole book.

VOYA

Meagan Spooner
2017-11-27T15:18:24-05:00

VOYA

Amazing. That one word describes the whole book.
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner prove they are two living goddesses of writing, creating two compelling worlds with high stakes and gripping emotions.

Sarah Rees Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of the Demon's Lexicon trilogy and the Lynburn Legacy series

Meagan Spooner
2020-08-11T09:05:59-05:00

Sarah Rees Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of the Demon's Lexicon trilogy and the Lynburn Legacy series

Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner prove they are two living goddesses of writing, creating two compelling worlds with high stakes and gripping emotions.
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Meagan Spooner

The Kindness Project: The Cost of Kindness

About The Kindness Project:

Too often kindness is relegated to a random act performed only when we’re feeling good.  But an even greater kindness (to ourselves and others) occurs when we reach out even when we aren’t feeling entirely whole . It’s not easy, and no one is perfect. But we’ve decided it’s not impossible to brighten the world one smile, one kind word, one blog post at a time. To that end, a few of us writers have established The Kindness Project, starting with a series of inspirational posts.

 

The Cost of Kindness

I think that childhood often teaches us to be cruel. When you’re a kid, kindness is rarely rewarded, not in reality. And you’re too inwardly focused to understand the impact you have on others.

When I was in middle school I was in a specific track of classes that contained the “smart kids.” The rest of the school were the self-proclaimed “dumb kids.” And the dumb kids hated the smart kids. I remember reading during lunch one day when a group of “dumb kids” came over and took my book, which was about dragons, and made fun of me for it.

After a while one of the girls, clearly uneasy, said, “Leave her alone, just give it back, let’s go.” And that little bit of kindness was enough to make the rest of the pack jump on her, turning all their mockery onto her. “What, you want to be a smart kid too?” And teased and insulted her mercilessly. They left her there standing awkwardly next to my table, and we looked at each other. If it had been a movie she would’ve smiled timidly and said, “I like dragons too.” Instead she threw my french fries on the floor and followed the other girls.

I think we’re trained through this kind of episode to think that kindness is weakness. For me, kindness often actually requires great strength. It’s not looking away when you pass someone less fortunate than you. It’s not yelling at the customer service guy when he tells you the repair man’s coming between 9 AM and 5 PM. But true kindness happens when you’re tired and in a darker place yourself, and that’s the hardest of all. It’s understanding when someone else is cruel to you that it often means more about them than you. It’s letting others win when you need a victory yourself–but they need it more. It’s listening, when all you want to do is shout about the things that are hurting you.

I was a prickly teenager. It wasn’t like I was intentionally mean or anything, but to me, straight up kindness was always a weakness. Emotion in general was weakness. And I wanted to be tough. I wanted to be independent and self-sufficient, I didn’t want to need anyone. I was shy, and to hide that I used sarcasm like a knife, not realizing that it could sometimes be pretty hurtful to the people on the receiving end. I was too proud to go out of my way to be nice, or to let someone else win. In my mind the price of being kind for kindness’s sake was way too high.

But it wasn’t until I was bemoaning the fact that a new acquaintance didn’t seem to like me much that a friend of mine told me bluntly, “Well, it’s because you’re not very nice.” When I stared at her, horrified, she quickly clarified, “Only when someone’s first meeting you! You’re awesome once people get to know you, but it’s hard to get in there at first.” Though it was subtle at the time, that ended up changing my life.

While I’d love to say that I instantly became a goddess of kindness, no one changes their ways overnight. I’m still somewhat standoffish sometimes because of my shyness. I have bad days. I think anyone who doesn’t is probably a pod person. But being kind doesn’t make you weaker, it makes you stronger. Cruelty–or at least indifference–is rooted in self-consciousness, but kindness is selfless by its very nature. You aren’t paying attention to yourself. It costs you nothing to be kind.

One of my favorite quotes about kindness was said by President FDR–and he wasn’t even talking about people so much as policy. But it’s always stuck with me, possibly because I first read it shortly after that eye-opening conversation with my friend.

He said: “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”

 

 

Posting today for The Kindness Project:

Elizabeth Davis * Sarah Fine * Liza Kane * Amie Kaufman * Sara Larson * Matthew MacNish * Sara McClung * Gretchen McNeil * Tracey Neithercott * Lola Sharp * Michele Shaw * Meagan Spooner * Carolina Valdez Miller

Be sure to check them out! We post the second Wednesday of every month. Want to join us? Grab our button and spread a little kindness.

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13 Responses to “The Kindness Project: The Cost of Kindness”

  1. Sarah Fine says:

    Oh my goodness–I’m very much like this! I get feedback that I’m intimidating or cold as a first impression, but never from people who know me. At first I was sort of baffled, because I’d never intentionally put that out there, but then I realized that that was how people were interpreting my shyness. And a little bit of gentle feedback helped me stretch a little, and do a little bit better with that. The effort is worth it.

    Such a good point about the interpretation of kindness, too. It’s a risk to be kind, when that means letting down your shields a bit. Again, worth it, but you’re so right about kids, because they’re still trying to figure it out while not getting smashed in the process!

  2. So well said. Kindness doesn’t have much meaning when it’s easy. I think that’s Carol’s point exactly.

    For me, being a large, scary man, my kindness is not often taken for weakness in real life. But it’s a whole different world on the internet.

    I’m so proud to be a part of this with you, Meagan, and it’s also nice to meet you!

  3. Amie Kaufman says:

    As someone who’s been up close to your shyness, I know exactly what sort of heart lies behind it – and I’ve watched you stretch to overcome your natural desire to stand back and keep quiet. You have so much kindness inside you, and I love the way you mix it with your resilience. <3

  4. Sara McClung says:

    I totally understand the standoffish comment, I think it happens to all of us who are, at the core, very shy. BUT as someone who’s met you in person? You didn’t seem standoffish to me at all. Very warm, very friendly, and very inclusive 🙂 (Even if we only had a few minutes between eating!)

  5. Lola Sharp says:

    I love that FDR quote. <3

    Kindness in the face of adversity takes extreme strength.

    I look forward to reading more from you. 🙂

    Hugs,
    Lola

  6. Michele Shaw says:

    Great post! And you are so right! Kindness is strength. Glad to be on this project with you:)

  7. Liza Kane says:

    I love that FDR quote, and think of that often throughout my dayjob as a store manager. Another thought I embrace: “It costs nothing to be kind.” It takes great strength to show kindness in the face of adversity, like you say; but the reward is always satisfying, even if it’s not immediately apparent.
    Thank you for sharing, and nice to meet you!

  8. I LOVE that quote! So powerful. And what a wonderful, honest post. I love how many of us are looking at our lives and what helped change and shape us and how we can keep trying to become better through this project. So glad to meet you!

  9. Ah, yes, I get the standoffish comment, too. Really, I’m just super shy.

    Being kind when we don’t feel like is difficult. It’s something I personally struggle with. Sometimes I think those acts of kindess can make the biggest difference. Like how, in the movie version of your life, the mean girl stood up for you and then became your BFF over your mutual love of dragons. The fact that she was kind is great, but the fact that she was kind despite the years of bullying, etc. between the two of you makes it even more powerful. (And, yes, I’m totally talking about your fake childhood. What?)

    Glad to be a part of this awesome project with you.

  10. I think so much of the time life conditions us to be the kind of people we don’t want to be or to meet. Like you said we learn that cruelty is rewarded, or at the very least, makes you less vulnerable. And honestly I’ve sometimes felt like being kind really puts me out there and into a vulnerable position. It sometimes feels like it’s easier to get hurt sometimes, or taken advantage of. I don’t honestly know if this is true or not, but I know that to be cruel or unkind will not solve anything and will hurt me far worse than any kindness I give ever could. There is so much reward in kindness–for the receiver and the giver. And like you said, it costs nothing. If that girl hadn’t knocked your fries down, and had been friendly to you instead, what’s the worst that could happen? Her nasty friends don’t want to be “friends” anymore? Yeah, not so bad. And I bet she would’ve had a great friend in you in exchange. That may have been a moment of revelation and understanding for her, a moment that could’ve changed her life. But we’ll never know.

    No one ever looks back and says, I wish I could’ve been meaner. Beautiful post, Meg.

  11. Jess Corra says:

    I love that your friend was able to tell you and you were able to hear that and learn from it!

  12. What a really great and honest post. Kindness really is all about strength, isn’t it. It sometimes take enormous strength of character to be kind – I know it has for me, esp with my step-daughter. Glad to be joining you on this amazing project.

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