Rebecca Yarros has taken the literary world by storm, and the whirlwind release of Fourth Wing (2023), Iron Flame (2023), Variation (2024), and Onyx Storm (2025) has driven her to slow things down for the time being. The writer shared that while she was writing Variation, which is not a part of the Empyrean series she’s best known for, and Onyx Storm, she was writing “12 to 15 hours a day.” That’s enough to make the eyes of even the most industrious writers in the world water.
Speaking on Today, Yarros shared that her desire to spend more time with her six children, as well as take care of her physical and mental health, motivated her decision to slow her roll. In addition, Yarros has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and continuing to write the Empyrean series at the rate she was working was not going to be sustainable for her body in the long run. After the release of Onyx Storm earlier this year, Yarros decided to make a change.
“I miss my kids, and I miss my family, and I feel like I wasn’t able to be present because I was just driven by these deadlines. And so now being able to take a step back and say, ‘Hey, I’m still going to work and do this, but I need healthy hours. I need to work eight hours a day and not 12 to 15.’” Speaking further on how to prioritize self-care as a writer, Yarros said, “I think you have to have a sustainable pace. So, in order to keep putting these books out, I had to slow it down so it’s sustainable. Otherwise, it’s burnout, and then no one gets books.”
Empyrean fans, fear not. Rebecca Yarros is still writing, but she’s writing at a pace that’s going to be sustainable for her as the years wear on. More power to her for prioritizing her health and time with her family.