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108	    	<a href="/news/2026/09/19/fall-update.html" title="Fall Update"><h3>Fall Update</h3></a>
109	    	<span><p><small>19 Sep 2026</small></p></span>
110	    	<p>I’m taking September off events to get the new term sorted:</p>
111
112<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdFhL-1meZF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdFhL-1meZF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g>
112<path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdFhL-1meZF/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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113
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115<p>I’ve got eight or nine kids (a few more often trickle in after the first couple weeks) in the workshop, plus a one-to-one mentee running in parallel, so it’s busy. But October is just around the corner!</p>
116
117<p>Here’s what’s on the menu for Halloween:</p>
118
119<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdfDCGcAWDs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdfDCGcAWDs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 5
11950.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DdfDCGcAWDs/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote>
120<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
120
121
122<p>Plus the <strong><a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cvhbba-witches-tea-party-2026-tickets-1991706442585">CVHBBA Witches Tea Party 2026</a></strong> on October 24. Dress up in your best witchy costume and join this tea for charity, served at 11:00 am or 1:30 pm at the Courtenay Legion on Cliffe. I’ll be bringing spine-tingling tales for all ages, and there’ll be several other themed vendors on site, plus music and other entertainments. Ticketed event.</p>
123
124<p>And probably more to come for my winter holiday lineup, but so far there’s:</p>
125
126<ul>
127  <li>
128    <p>Nov. 7-8: Woodstove Festival in Cumberland, BC</p>
129  </li>
130  <li>
131    <p>Nov. 14-15: Winterfaire in Courtenay, BC</p>
132  </li>
133  <li>
134    <p>Nov. 21: Christmas at Filberg in Comox, BC</p>
135  </li>
136  <li>
137    <p>Nov. 28: Vanier Winter Market in Courtenay, BC</p>
138  </li>
139  <li>
140    <p>Dec. 12-13: Winterfaire in Courtenay, BC</p>
141  </li>
142</ul>
143
144<p>As always, if you’re looking for one-off event programming, or continuing workshops or mentorship, you can always find more information and inspiration on my <a href="/bookings.html">Bookings</a> page; current and upcoming examples include festival speaking, creative workshops, and even some one-to-one mentorships with young writers. </p>
145
146<p>No new publishing news for this year, but there are two reprints and a new (series tie-in) short slated for 2027, plus I’m a hairsbreadth from launching the next series!</p>
147<hr>
148	  
149	    	<a href="/news/2026/08/27/back-to-school.html" title="Back to School"><h3>Back to School</h3></a>
150	    	<span><p><small>27 Aug 2026</small></p></span>
151	    	<p>Quick update:</p>
152
153<ul>
154  <li><a href="https://indiebook.sale/">This huge biannual sale</a> is back for three days only with nearly 300 SFF/H books under $3. Shop Aug. 29-31!</li>
155  <li><a href="https://www.kobo.com/p/kobo-plus-fantasy-reads">This human-curated fantasy collection on Kobo Plus</a> is a great way to find new-to-you SFF reads(/listens) if you’re a subscriber (and if you’re not, you should check it out—it’s kinda like KU except better for readers and publishers!)</li>
156  <li>My last summer market is a full weekend of fun at the <a href="https://cvex.ca/">Comox Valley Exhibition</a>. Join me this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29-30 for community storytelling, local books, and (new!) chapbooks in support of BC Wildfire Relief and Housing Insecurity.</li>
157</ul>
158
159<table>
160  <tbody>
161    <tr>
162      <td><a href="https://indiebook.sale/"><img src="https://indiebook.sale/site/assets/files/1/narratess_3000x3000_jpg.739x0-is.jpg" alt="Narratess Indie Sale" width="50%" /></a></td>
163      <td><a href="https://www.kobo.com/p/kobo-plus-fantasy-reads"><img src="https://cdn.kobo.com/book-images/4408bc5b-8265-c968-2968-08de9022f387/1140/205/False/image.jpg" alt="Kobo Plus Fantasy Collections" width="100%" /></a></td>
164    </tr>
165  </tbody>
166</table>
167
168<p>The community storytelling board has been a huge success (winner so far: Arts on the Avenue in Ladysmith, where I had to erase the board three times to fit everyone’s ideas in!) and it’s been such a pleasure meeting readers, writers, creatives, community members, and travellers over the past couple of months. It’s always fun to hear when you’ve seen a book in local (or international!) schools, met one of the authors at a school visit, or even met one of my authors friends at another market. I particularly loved seeing stock tick <em>down</em> at the local bookstores, as we got word out about local writers and y’all went out to shop local. Now more than ever, investing in our communities makes such a difference! Thank you!</p>
169
170<p>I’ll be slowing down a smidge on markets for the fall, but stay tuned for THE COOLEST (spookiest?) Halloween event at the Parksville Museum on the weekend of October 16-18!</p>
171
172<p>My fall slate is filling up quickly (now that the back-to-school hustle is hitting!), so if you’re looking for one-off event programming, or continuing workshops or mentorship, please do reach out as soon as you are able! You can find more information and inspiration on my <a href="/bookings.html">Bookings</a> page; current and upcoming examples include festival speaking, creative workshops, and even some one-to-one mentorships with young writers. Speaking of, I’ve just sent out my reading list for a “Magic House Caretaker”-themed anthology workshop inspired by Diana Wynne Jones’ <em>The House of Many Ways</em> for my Creative Writing for Children fall term and it’s going to be so fun!</p>
173
174<p>In other news, I did get through another draft of SONGSTRESS WIP this summer. I’d like one more “clean up the apostrophes” pass before getting more eyes on it…and have been wildly procrastinating with every other art and crafting form known to man, lol. <a href="https://instagram.com/kaie.space">Pics on social!</a></p>
175<hr>
176	  
177	    	<a href="/news/2026/07/17/summer-update.html" title="Summer Update"><h3>Summer Update</h3></a>
178	    	<span><p><small>17 Jul 2026</small></p></span>
179	    	<p>So…I said yes to a few too many things without paying attention, and ended up with a bunch of promos all at once. My mistake—but hopefully your win!</p>
180
181<p>Here’s the lineup:</p>
182
183<p><a href="https://canadianindieauthors.substack.com/p/stuff-your-kindle-event-canadian"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_Eip!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec776692-4ea8-4d1e-96f6-37680f249d1e_1500x500.png" alt="Stuff Your Kindle Event - Canadian Edition!" width="45%" /></a>
184 | <a href="https://www.authordonnataylor.com/stuffyourkindle"><img src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/643b25a60e4efd0e819a1ded/e5477a6f-d57a-4c8a-b052-148f5ef67e04/IYD+STK+Banner.png?format=2500w" alt="Midsummer Night’s Scream Stuff Your Kindle Event" width="50%" /></a></p>
185
186<table>
187  <tbody>
188    <tr>
189      <td><a href="https://books2read.com/thread1"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/c3538e06-79f8-85a7-3b0d-32fc7349adca.jpg" alt="Blind the Eyes by K.A. Wiggins Trope Chart" width="95%" /></a></td>
190      <td><a href="http://books2read.com/thread-name"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/65ee512e-97be-ff4b-0321-f5aacde310e4.jpg" alt="Boy With No Name by K.A. Wiggins Trope Chart" width="95%" /></a></td>
191      <td><a href="https://books2read.com/unsought"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/20fc3b02-e8f9-9c35-a99d-e454f4feda6c.jpg" alt="The Unsought Light by K.A. Wiggins Trope Chart" width="95%" /></a></td>
192    </tr>
193  </tbody>
194</table>
195
196<p>The summer market experiment continues—my first week at the fairgrounds was amazing (shoutout to all the new friends!), so I’m looking at shuffling my August line-up to get back there.</p>
197
198<p>I also (finally) got around to rolling out my community literacy initiative…which is currently a whiteboard, lol.</p>
199
200<p>I just feel like I end up talking a lot about the literacy crisis and empowering people to take control of their own stories and trying to inspire more reading and writing and (human! intentional! effortful!) creativity, and what better opportunity to actually get out there and do something about it?</p>
201
202<p>This first attempt turned out really fun, because I initially was inviting people to suggest first lines with the offer that I’d choose the best of the summer’s and write it into a story (inspired by some of the old pulp storytellers who used to sit in bookstore windows and bash out stories in public on typewriters, and poets who do up poems on demand for events…) BUT after the first line or tw
202o, people started responding to the previous line, and it just naturally evolved into a little crowdsourced/collaborative microfiction.</p>
203
204<p>They seized control of the means of storytelling, y’all! That’s the goal, right there!</p>
205
206<p>So I’m definitely gonna keep that going. I actually have a little travel (“portable” LOL) typewriter I’ve been cleaning up and I’m just waiting on some fresh ribbon for it, then I’ll try taking it and letting people write on it instead, or maybe have duelling stories running depending on whether folks are willing to scribble or type (I also offer to scribe for the ones who are shy about their writing/spelling but come up with ideas easily!)</p>
207
208<p>I’ve seen some other cool participatory literacy game stuff in the wild that might be fun to work toward, but this definitely had the advantage of having a low bar to entry for both me and fairgoers—not much prep, cleanup, or gear to haul around! All in all, I call that a success. :D</p>
209
210<p>I’m still going back and forth with local friends about collab dates/titles for upcoming markets, but here’s the current July lineup!</p>
211<ul>
212  <li>Jul. 18: Saturday Morning Market at the Fairgrounds (Courtenay)</li>
213  <li>Jul. 19: She-Sells Market + Fundraiser (Parksville, BC)</li>
214  <li>Jul. 24: Summer Farmer &amp; Artisan Market at The Views (Comox)</li>
215  <li>Aug. 1: Comox Valley Makers’ Market (Courtenay)</li>
216</ul>
217
218<p>If you’re in the area, stop by to say hi and/or get a book signed! (If you’ve ever picked up a copy at a local Stockist etc., you’re more than welcome to bring that by for signing, too!) Contribute a line to the week’s crowdsourced story (results get posted on my IG!)</p>
219
220<p>And if you’re away all summer, not to worry; plans are already in motion for the fall, including THE COOLEST (spookiest?) Halloween event at the Parksville Museum. (Work in programming or education and want to explore opportunities and ideas for creative ed and lit edutainment? Never too early to reach out!)</p>
221
222<p>In other news, I’ve got (an alarming number of pages of) revision notes locked down and I’m slooowly wading through this draft of SONGSTRESS WIP—while juggling all. the. things. For some reason*, I’m also currently trying to take up papermaking and bookbinding, plus teaching myself to draw…</p>
223
224<p>*All writers have their coping techniques; instead of cleaning, I take up new hobbies to skip out on deadlines. Whee!</p>
225<hr>
226	  
227	    	<a href="/news/2026/05/19/spring-update.html" title="Spring Update"><h3>Spring Update</h3></a>
228	    	<span><p><small>19 May 2026</small></p></span>
229	    	<p>Festival season is on the horizon! As another term draws to a close, summer fun is launching with two awesome local(ish) festivals in the calendar:</p>
230
231<h2 id="parksville-museum-storyteller-festival">Parksville Museum Storyteller Festival</h2>
232
233<p>I’ve coaxed a bunch of awesome mid-island friends into joining me for a lit takeover of the Storyteller Festival hosted by the Parksville Museum throughout June. Join:</p>
234
235<ul>
236  <li>
237    <p>me for <strong>A Trip Through Time &amp; Terroir: A Parksville Museum Sensory Writing Workshop</strong>: a hands-on workshop-meets-tour for beginner through to advanced writers on June 5 from 1-3pm. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1988689492807?aff=oddtdtcreator">Register here!</a></p>
238  </li>
239  <li>
240    <p>Dove Cavanaugh King, Kathleen Lawless &amp; Reyna writing as Carissa Harper &amp; I for <strong>Stars In Their Eyes: Mid-Island Romance Authors Spill the Tea</strong>: a sweet-and-spicy romance fiction panel on June 11 from 1-2:30 pm. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1988692259081?aff=oddtdtcreator">Register here!</a></p>
241  </li>
242  <li>
243    <p>Kate Gateley, Kim Bannerman &amp; I for <strong>Magic, Mystery &amp; Mayhem: Local Settings Through the Looking Glass</strong>: a fun-filled fiction panel showcasing fantastical stories set in and around the island on June 19 from 1-2:30 pm. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1988690281165?aff=oddtdtcreator">Register here!</a></p>
244  </li>
245</ul>
246
247<p>Plus: Kim Bannerman will be returning on June 20 at 2pm for an author talk featuring her Circus Salmagundi series, <strong>Dream of Fairyland: Circus History in 1920’s BC</strong>. And be sure to check out the dozens of other fantastic events <a href="https://parksvillemuseum.com/Storyteller-Festival">on the festival lineup</a>!</p>
248
249<p><a href="https://parksvillemuseum.com/Storyteller-Festival"><img src="https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/688381863_18584354050041523_5624045284686564022_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&amp;ccb=1-7&amp;_nc_sid=127cfc&amp;_nc_ohc=oZJDj2MDzF0Q7kNvwF16ZoR&amp;_nc_oc=Ado4nyOWzywumgwl3GQjxlabPFC9Iquo7kuShPOes7Mvyu94EaHwD21bm0k2cGqpRBk&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.xx&amp;
249_nc_gid=YBe4ufJ3SfzK0XdyZ_4V6A&amp;_nc_ss=7b2a8&amp;oh=00_Af79n1UMz7kThVCQ-0gPPFzDM3YeQNXVSIHGLNA_nWajsg&amp;oe=6A1297AA" alt="Parksville Museum Storyteller Festival lit events" width="30%" /></a>
250 | <a href="https://parksvillemuseum.com/Storyteller-Festival"><img src="https://parksvillemuseum.com/files/resized/904fcf3d-c85f-4d84-8b96-9c1f15e09ba0/1000;500;a791f09e1f2d689ed06410d37528f0524d785fd7.png" alt="Parksville Museum Storyteller Festival" width="65%" /></a></p>
251
252<p>Not in (or visiting) the mid-island region in June? No worries! There’s something for everyone with the…</p>
253
254<h2 id="canada-fiction-fest">Canada Fiction Fest</h2>
255
256<p>This two-week extravaganza encourages us to #ReadCanadian for the summer by showcasing over a hundred authors and books across dozens of panels, readings, and promotions. Join me for:</p>
257
258<ul>
259  <li>
260    <p><strong>Climate Change Fiction: Reckoning and Resilience</strong>, a panel discussion with Margaret Sweatman, Alanna Rusnak, Jason Pchajek and hosted by Steve Hugh Westenra on June 24th, 6:30pm EDT/3:30pm PDT/7:30pm ADT. <a href="https://events.humanitix.com/climate-change-fiction">Register here!</a></p>
261  </li>
262  <li>
263    <p><strong>Fantasy Authors 3</strong>, a group reading with Trinity Cunningham and Rachel A. Rosen, hosted by N.P. Thompson. <a href="https://events.humanitix.com/author-readings-fantasy3">Register here!</a></p>
264  </li>
265  <li>
266    <p>And don’t miss <a href="https://fictionfest.ca/events/">the full festival lineup</a> and <a href="https://fictionfest.ca/">giant CanLit bookshelf</a>!</p>
267  </li>
268</ul>
269
270<p><a href="https://events.humanitix.com/climate-change-fiction"><img src="https://fictionfest.ca/wp-content/uploads/06-24_web-climate-change2fixed-scaled.jpg" alt="Canada Fiction Fest Climate Change Fiction Panel" width="45%" /></a>
271 | <a href="https://events.humanitix.com/author-readings-fantasy3"><img src="https://fictionfest.ca/wp-content/uploads/07-04_web-fantasy3-fixed-scaled.jpg" alt="Canada Fiction Fest Fantasy Author Panel" width="45%" /></a></p>
272
273<p>In other news, I’m less than a month out from wrapping up another Creative Writing with Children term. Spring means books, and it’s always fun (&amp; sometimes a little nerve-wracking!) to see their novels or single-author collections coming together at this point! We’ve waded through a half-dozen Science Fiction and Science Fantasy titles on our “Writing the Future” reading list, and I’ll send them off into their summer adventures with a few dozen more to (hopefully, lol) choose from. Dystopian is definitely having a resurgance!</p>
274
275<p>I’m also pretty much wrapped with the “Songstress” WIP—just nitpicking and shifting things back and forth depending on my mood at this point, sigh—which means it’s time to start working on next steps. Luckily, my summer is looking less overbooked than usual this year, so I’ll be filling it with next steps (or maybe sequel drafts???) Since I took a step back from short fiction to focus on the next series, there’s not much to announce on that front. Some earlier pieces still on submission (markets are doing poorly in light of the flaming dumpster to the south…), a couple of pieces lined up for publication but without firm dates, a few drafts I should probably finish one of these days…</p>
276
277<p>While there’s a lot that could be said about the polycrisis, I actually can’t afford the time to cover it all, so best I can do is express sympathies to those suffering and a kick in the pants to those pretending none of it’s happening. You can’t fix it all (not all at once), but you can make a difference, actually.</p>
278
279<p>Finally, as this continues to be an ongoing challenge in our (and all?) industries, a statement on A.I.: NO. @#$% no, even. I do not, have not, will not use generative AI in any part of my process. I come up with my own bizarre ideas, thank you very much, write them as weird as I want, and slap together visuals when forced using my own limited skills and the tools available. Given the level of AI-infiltration, it’s certainly present in some of the tools I use (ugh, Word, Canva, etc.), but I have it switched off wherever possible and/or avoid generative/LLM-based tools. This is another huge topic I don’t really have time to write an essay about, but it’s not ecopunk to use AI, y’all. I want existing life on this planet to have a future. I want clean air and water and affordable, clean power for all of us. I want to disempower fascists and the surveillance state. I want existing and future generations to have jobs and use their own brains and skills (UB
279I is a good idea, for sure, but that’s not the direction any of this is going.) Plus, the whole thing is a massive lie and bubble from start to finish (there’s no “intelligence”, it’s a tool built on stolen work, crapping out garbage and making humanity worse based on a series of enormous marketing myths.)</p>
280
281<p>Plus, it’s deeply uncool, y’all. Stop it. Be human. Make human stuff. Defy the fascists &amp; save the planet. You know the assignment. &lt;3</p>
282<hr>
283	  
284	    	<a href="/news/2026/01/06/winter-update.html" title="Winter Update"><h3>Winter Update</h3></a>
285	    	<span><p><small>06 Jan 2026</small></p></span>
286	    	<h1 id="upcoming-events--awards-eligibility">Upcoming Events &amp; Awards Eligibility</h1>
287
288<p>Two main notes for this winter 2025-2026 update: workshops/events are coming up fast &amp; please do check out my 2025 release list if you’re reading for one of the annual awards lists, best-of collections, or just on the hunt for some great fiction!</p>
289
290<p>Also a good time to remind everyone my <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">newsletter</a> goes out every second Monday if y’all want to hear from me more often.</p>
291
292<p>Shoutout to all the bookstores, shops, markets, news outlets, and readers that supported SFF/H CanLit &amp; BC books last year—there’s been an incredible wave of support, and we’re only getting started. On a loosely related note, I’m moving toward supporting wholesale orders for booksellers outside of easy direct ordering distance, so do reach out or circle back if that’s of interest!</p>
293
294<p><a href="https://windowseatbooks.ca/events/4442220260226" target="_blank"><img src="/ddbanner.jpg" style="max-width: 95%" /></a></p>
295
296<h3 id="upcoming-events--appearances">Upcoming Events &amp; Appearances</h3>
297
298<p>Dark Dreams: a winter book event series with local fantasy authors at:</p>
299
300<ul>
301  <li><a href="https://windowseatbooks.ca/events/4442220260226">Windowseat Books</a> in Nanaimo on Thursday, February 26th from 6:30-8:00 pm</li>
302  <li>
303    <p><a href="https://firesidebooks.ca/">Fireside Books</a> in Parksville <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1BEQnBvQiD/">on Friday, February 27</a></p>
304
305    <p>and…</p>
306
307    <p><a href="https://cwc2004.org" target="_blank"><img src="/Writingfuture.jpg" style="max-width: 95%" /></a></p>
308  </li>
309</ul>
310
311<h3 id="writing-the-future">Writing the Future</h3>
312
313<p>Every year, groups of kids and teens in Canada, Korea, and around the world gather to grow their skills, invest in creativity, and have fun.</p>
314
315<p>In the fall term, we play with form, experiment widely, and create (often hilarious) group anthologies. Cohorts range from beginners to advanced and grade 3/4 up to the end of high school, so while skill-building starts with introductory topics (character! setting! actually finishing something!) we often zip right past undergraduate-level studies to masterclasses by the end.</p>
316
317<p>Seasonal camps (winter, spring, and/or summer), compress that experience into a joyful whirlwind of a week—think the equivalent of a sports training camp for young writers; soccer camp, but with more bedazzling, prop-building, writing sprints, and wandering around campus with notebooks in hand!)</p>
318
319<p>Spring term is all about the art of the book—young writers each work toward a printed trade paperback of their work, whether a single-author collection of short pieces or a multi-chapter narrative (novel), including cover design, back cover copy, writing their own “author bio”, etc.</p>
320
321<p>This year, I’m excited to lead a cohort of teens through writing what for many of them are their first books (/novels) in a Saturday morning workshop (via Zoom—students come from a wide range of locations!)</p>
322
323<p>And although a portion of our time together is necessarily spent reviewing (or introducing) foundational concepts, I always like to have a bit of a theme (for my own interest and inspiration, as much as the kids’! They get to write in any genre, though our readings and activities will mostly be on-theme…) So, we’ll be exploring sci-fi this year and “writing the future”—diving into utopias &amp; dystopias, alternate histories &amp;
323 apocalypses, space &amp; time travel and more science fiction &amp; speculative tropes and genre conventions through a series of YA novel and short fiction readings, lessons, and guided exercises while we write our own books (novels or single-author collections) over the course of 20 weeks, from January to June (with a pause over spring break).</p>
324
325<p>Feel free to reach out to the <strong><a href="https://cwc2004.org">Creative Writing for Children Society</a></strong> directly or contact me for more information if your teen might be interested in developing their creativity and storytelling skills through a guided book-writing workshop intensive this spring (or to enquire about workshops on different days/times with the other mentors for various age ranges!)</p>
326
327<p>Also on my to-do list for the start of a new year is to firm up the bookings calendar—professional development scheduling, festivals, author visits, bookstore appearances, etc. all start locking in, so it’s time to dig back through my inbox, send out new pitches, dust off the old ones, etc.</p>
328
329<p>Thanks to everyone who’s reached out (&amp; please do nudge if you don’t hear back in the next few days—inboxes do have a tendency to eat messages😅)—and if you’re in need of <a href="/bookings">creative education, professional development, school visits, etc.</a> or even need recommendations for who (besides me—I lead the <a href="https://cwillbc.org">BC kidlit professional association</a> &amp; have lots of other publishing friends beyond kidlit to rec as well!) might be a good fit in your area or for your needs please do hit reply!</p>
330
331<h3 id="quick-round-up-of-2025-publications-for-awards-eligibility-etc">Quick round-up of 2025 publications for awards’ eligibility, etc:</h3>
332
333<h4 id="1-geosapiology-a-brief-history-of-geogenesis-the-stones-and-the-theory-of-appeasement">1. Geosapiology: a brief history of geogenesis, the Stones, and the Theory of Appeasement</h4>
334
335<p>🪨Free to read on <strong><a href="https://dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/geosapiology-part-one">The Daily Tomorrow</a></strong> in July/Issue 3 Summer 2025 (7 parts, 3.3k words/short story serial)</p>
336
337<p>🪨my first serial🎉</p>
338
339<p>🪨SUPER weird (sentient stones? no MC? barely narrative?)🥰</p>
340
341<p>🪨geopocalypse = slow slow OOPS🫠</p>
342
343<p>🪨quiet but bloody but also thinky? “Cerebral”?🤔</p>
344
345<p>🪨science x politics x power - people=💣</p>
346
347<h4 id="2-crumbling-of-the-sandwich-generation">2. Crumbling of the Sandwich Generation</h4>
348
349<p>🥪Free to read on <strong><a href="https://factorfourmag.com/crumbling-of-the-sandwich-generation-by-k-a-wiggins/">Factor Four Magazine</a></strong> in their 50th Issue/September (900 words/flash)</p>
350
351<p>🥪”Swallowing poison” = metaphor for propaganda—but also keeping the peace, playing nice, going w/the flow, raised♀️, etc. ☠️</p>
352
353<p>🥪Angry/sad/dark AF🔥</p>
354
355<p>🥪Def. about 🍉 but also <em>waves hands</em>💔</p>
356
357<h4 id="3-powerhouse">3. Powerhouse</h4>
358
359<p>🐈‍⬛Exclusive to <strong><a href="https://books.kawiggins.com/kindread/">THE KINDREAD COAST</a></strong> (Black Cat Books, Oct. 2025), 6k words/short story</p>
360
361<p>🐈‍⬛Gen-Alpha slang attempt (feel free to laugh!)🫡</p>
362
363<p>🐈‍⬛Much horror, many monsters, also cryptids🐙</p>
364
365<p>🐈‍⬛Nature is SO over us💀</p>
366
367<p>🐈‍⬛He likes to neg, she likes to watch (her bullies get eaten)👀</p>
368
369<p><a href="/standalones" target="_blank"><img src="/2025Fic.jpg" style="max-width: 24%" /></a> <a href="https://dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/geosapiology-part-one" target="_blank"><img src="/2025Fic2.jpg" style="max-width: 24%" /></a> <a href="https://factorfourmag.com/crumbling-of-the-sandwich-generation-by-k-a-wiggins/" target="_blank"><img src="/2025Fic3.jpg" style="max-width: 24%" /></a> <a href="https://books.kawiggins.com/kindread/" target="_blank"><img src="/2025Fic4.jpg" style="max-width: 24%" /></a></p>
370
371<p><strong><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/6cf0b3bc-94e2-11f0-ad0a-1bf0839a73c1">Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy &amp; Science Fiction, Vol. 3</a></strong> (reprint of “The Patron Saint of Flatliners”) &amp; <strong><a href="https://store.tenebrouspress.com/products/brave-new-weird-volume-three-print">Brave New Weird: Best New Weird Horror Volume 3</a></strong> (reprint of “The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)) are eligible for most awards under anthology or other works categories, too!</p>
372
373<p>*“Slime” &amp; “Mistletoe” WMG/Pulphouse releases pushed forward to 2026.</p>
374
375<p>Wordcounts given above. All works are eligible for the Auroras, as well as general/international speculative awards like the Nebulas, Hugos, Stokers, etc. but NOT eligible for the Ignyte awards. Thanks for checking them out! :)</p>
376<hr>
377	  
378	    	<a href="/news/2025/09/16/fall-update.html" title="Fall Update"><h3>Fall Update</h3></a>
379	    	<span><p><small>16 Sep 2025</small></p></span>
380	    	<p>So that July trip to South Korea was <em>amazing</em>! Seriously, the most fun teaching I've ever had in one breathless week of glitter, glue-guns, and ghost stories, followed by an incredible week in Seoul advocating for CanKidLit at the embassy, touring libraries and giving author talks, and taking part in cultural activities! Thrilled to see so many brilliant artists (of all ages) contributing to the 2024-2025 Canada-Korea Year of Cultural Exchange and continue to strengthen our ties to such amazing people and places—and very proud of our students and their creativity! Love to all my new friends and I hope to meet you again on either side of the Pacific!
381</p>
382<h2>Upcoming Events &amp; Appearances
383</h2>
384<ul>
385<li>October 4: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1YysCVpgkK/" target="_blank">Comox Valley Writers' Society Local Author Book Fair at the Little Red Church Community Arts Centre in Comox, BC</a></li>
386<li>October 9: <a href="https://virl.bc.ca/event/spooky-storytelling-workshop-with-k-a-wiggins/" target="_blank">Spooky Storytelling Workshop, 6-7 pm at Vancouver Island Regional Library in Comox, BC</a></li>
387   <li>October 24: <a href="https://bctla.ca/bctla-conference/" target="_blank">"Read Local, Teach Local: Resources for Incorporating BC Books Into the Classroom" presentation &amp;
387 CWILL BC table at the BC Teacher-Librarians' Association Fall Conference at Gladstone Secondary School, Vancouver, BC</a>
388</li>
389   <li>October 29: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1EyLLtsQN4/" target="_blank">"West Coast Horror"</a> at Fireside Books in Parksville, BC, 7-8:30 pm. A spooky night out with the authors in celebration of <em>The Kindread Coast</em>.
390   </li>
391<li>November 22-23: Comox Valley Writers' Society Local Authors' Table at the <a href="https://fannybaycommunity.com/event/fanny-bay-christmas-market/" target="_blank">Fanny Bay Christmas Market</a>, FBCA Community Centre, Fanny Bay, BC</li>
392   <li>November 30: Glittering, Gothic &amp; Gruesome Teen Reads &amp; Up Table at the Royston Elementary Winter Market, Royston, BC
393   </li>
394      <li>December 13: Ho-Ho-Horror for the Holidays Table at the École Robb Road Winter Market, Comox, BC
395   </li>
396<li>December 20-21: Comox Valley Writers' Society Local Authors' Table at the Queneesh Holiday Market &amp; Workshops at the Filberg Centre, Courtenay, BC
397</li>
398</ul>
399<p><img src="https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events10/banners/d149786093469204c26082444e5cfb5737e42ce26cc9ec701409e410f2e2d319-rimg-w851-h315-dcfef9f3-gmir?v=1759244047" style="max-width: 55%" /> <img src="https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/856/files/2025/10/565137256-1390119206453062-892797500366837288-n.jpg" style="max-width: 24%" /> <img src="https://fannybaycommunity.com/wp-content/uploads/FB-Xmas-Market-poster-2025.jpg" style="max-width: 18%" /> <img src="https://scontent-sea5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t51.82787-15/591148675_18543803833041523_2149882898687793760_n.jpg?_nc_cat=108&amp;ccb=1-7&amp;_nc_sid=127cfc&amp;_nc_ohc=RuB0tOaDF9EQ7kNvwET8Ud_&amp;_nc_oc=AdlAaSSp2cqawOY05_CPj_Nf0N2CpSU0mIRPIYgo8diPIOk-DbyRS1euOhZu-1Cx3yY&amp;_nc_zt=23&amp;_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.xx&amp;
399_nc_gid=B6kewpIGGQFsZtMbV0FHTg&amp;oh=00_Afi8eci6cTNNhrOlbFdLJ3a1IYGYrQk1f4jbPqsFDhBR9Q&amp;oe=692EB441" style="max-width: 18%" /></p>
400<p>
401  Educators/institutions/etc., feel free to reach out about fall/winter author visits, workshops, creative education/arts residencies, presentations, continuing ed. and other <a href="/" target="_blank">bookings</a>—I'm only a Zoom, plane, or ferry ride away! (Bonus tip: can be on the mainland week of/following Oct. 24 with no added travel charges!) 
402</p>
403<p><br /></p>
404<h2>Coming Soon
405</h2>
406<p>The fall publishing calendar is bursting!
407</p>
408<p>Keep an eye out for:
409</p>
410<ul>
411     <li>"Crumbling of the Sandwich Generation" (<em>Factor Four</em> Issue 50(!), September 2, 2025)</li>
412 <li>"Powerhouse" in <em>The Kindread Coast</em> (Black Cat Books, October 1, 2025)</li>
413  <li>"The Patron Saint of Flatliners" reprinted in <em>Year's Best Canadian Fantasy &amp; Science Fiction: Volume 3</em> (Ansible Press, October 14, 2025)</li>
414  <li>"The Pink Slime's Appointment With Destiny" reprinted in <em>Really Big, Pointy Teeth: Stories from Pulphouse Fiction Magazine Edited by Dean Wesley Smith</em> (WMG Publishing, TBA 2026)</li>
415 <li>and "The Mistletoe Matchmaker Is Wilting", a stunningly bizarre winter horror fable based on a creative writing brainstorming exercise from my teen creative writing workshop last fall, reserved for an unpcoming but yet-to-be-announced issue of <em>Pulphouse Fiction Magazine</em>!</li>
416</ul>
417<p><em>(Reviewers/awards-season readers, contact me directly <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#87eee9e1e8c7ece6f0eee0e0eee9f4a9e4e8ea">(<span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="365f585059765d57415f51515f58451855595b">[email&#160;protected]</span>)</a> for copies of anything not free to read online.)
418</em></p>
419<p>Stay tuned for further announcements and thanks for reading West Coast Weird!🖤
420</p>
421<hr>
422	  
423	    	<a href="/news/2025/07/09/summer-update-2025.html" title="Summer Update 2025"><h3>Summer Update 2025</h3></a>
424	    	<span><p><small>09 Jul 2025</small></p></span>
425	    	<p>Whirlwind news drop for you! I'll start with the time-sensitive items:
426</p>
427<div class="row">
428 	<div class="col-md-4">
429      <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/ce80a489-01f3-7d6f-5a2a-53dbf22eb53c.jpg" style="max-width:95%">
430  </div>
431 	<div class="col-md-4">
432<img src="https://www.splib.or.kr/attachfile/editor/img_20250706141910370.png" style="max-width:95%">
433  </div>
434 	<div class="col-md-4">
435 <img src="https://www.splib.or.kr/attachfile/editor/img_20250715122027932.jpg" style="max-width:95%">
436  </div>
437</div>
438<h2>Underworld Summer Camp & Library Visits, South Korea
439</h2>
440<p>I'm teaching a week-long "Underworld" creative writing camp for kids and teens—OBVIOUSLY we're gonna weave <em>K-Pop Demon Hunters</em> in, but also check out <em>Misadventures In Ghosthunting</em> by Melissa Yue from our reading list!
441</p>
442<p>Building up to a "haunted hotel tour", teams will design their own tour companies/gear and dream up stories of monsters and magic (...aliens?) while mapping the venue over the course of the week, before guiding their tours on the final night! (Registration details on poster.)
443</p>
444      <p>After, I'll be doing author visits at Songpa English Library for Children (ages 10-13, 11 am, July 29, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.splib.or.kr/spelib/program/eventDetail.do?eventIdx=597304">waitlist full!</a>) and a "Summer Night Reading" with Lee Edward Födi at Wiryeseong Library (ages 7-12, 6:30pm, July 30, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.splib.or.kr/spwlib/program/eventDetail.do?eventIdx=597988">register here!</a>)
445   </p>
446<br/>
447<h2>Kids/Teen Writing Contest
448 </h2>
449<div class="row">
450 	<div class="col-md-5">
451    <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL57SJvhwLD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL57SJvhwLD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g>
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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; 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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DL57SJvhwLD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Embassy of Canada to Korea (@canadakorea)</a></p></div></blockquote>
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452<script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script>
452<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
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453  </div>
454 	<div class="col-md-7">
455   <p>Also (potentially) of interest, I'm one of the judges for this <a href="https://www.heraldenglish.com/khecw/intro.php" target="_blank">kids & youth writing contest</a> in celebration of the 2024-25 Canada-Korea Year of Cultural Exchanges and organized by the Korea Herald, Embassy of Canada to Korea, and the Creative Writing for Children Society.
456</p>
457<p>There are various age brackets and story themes to choose from (highlighting Korean-Canadian history, icons, and cultural identity). The contest page is in Korean, but stories should be in English.
458</p>
459   <p>The submission deadline is August 7. Good luck to all the kids and teens competing this summer!
460</p>
461  </div></div>
462<br/>
463<h2>First Serial Fiction Release
464</h2>
465<p>I’m delighted that <em>The Daily Tomorrow</em> picked up my sentient geology eco-apocalypse weird/soft SF short <a href="https://dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/geosapiology-part-one" target="_blank"><em>Geosapiology: a brief history of geogenesis, the Stones, and the Theory of Appeasement</em></a> (releasing as a seven-part serial from Jul. 6-12).
466</p>
467</br>
468<h2>Local-Famous!
469</h2>
470<p>I made not only the local paper but <a href="https://www.vicnews.com/home2/vancouver-island-author-wins-2-best-of-awards-leans-into-the-weird-and-the-fantastic-8114599" target="_blank"><em>every paper across Vancouver Island</em></a> (that's like twenty of them, including Victoria & Nanaimo!)
471</p>
472<p>(Wish I'd known in advance; I would've arranged to name-drop more shops! Retailers, feel free to reach out directly about consignment; I can (probably) offer more favourable terms than distributors and I've got a restock coming by the end of the week!)
473</p>
474<br/>
475<h2>Local Author Day
476</h2>
477<p>Local author day at <a href="https://bellflowerbookshop.ca/" target="_blank">Bellflower Bookshop</a> was a ton of fun! I think they've still got a couple of copies in stock if you missed out (and watch their events calendar for more events coming later in the year!)
478</p><br/>
479<div class="row">
480 	<div class="col-md-6">
481   <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/e291009d-1734-ce03-490a-b80a6096a813.jpg" style="max-width: 95%">
482   </div>
483    	<div class="col-md-6">
484         <img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/60597027-1134-7a13-60b8-36c342c4fb96.jpg" style="max-width: 95%">
485</div></div>
486<br/>
487<h2>Coming Soon
488</h2>
489<p>The fall publishing calendar is already looking busy!
490</p>
491<p>Keep an eye out for:
492</p>
493<ul>
494 <li><em>The Kindread Coast</em> (Black Cat Books, October)</li>
495  <li><em>Year's Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume 3</em> (Ansible Press, November)</li>
496 <li>and "The Mistletoe Matchmaker Is Wilting", a stunningly bizarre winter horror fable based on a creative writing brainstorming exercise from my teen creative writing workshop last fall, reserved for an unpcoming but yet-to-be-announced issue of <em>Pulphouse Fiction Magazine</em> this winter!</li>
497</ul>
498<p><em>(Reviewers, contact me directly for copies of anything not free to read online.)
499</em></p>
500<p>Stay tuned for further announcements and thanks for reading West Coast Weird!🖤
501</p>
502<hr>
503	  
504	    	<a href="/news/2025/07/09/Authors-Note-Geosapiology.html" title="Author's Note on Geosapiology"><h3>Author's Note on Geosapiology</h3></a>
505	    	<span><p><small>09 Jul 2025</small></p></span>
506	    	<p>I’m delighted that <a href="https://dailytomorrow.substack.com/p/geosapiology-part-one">The Daily Tomorrow</a> picked up my sentient geology eco-apocalypse weird/soft SF short <strong>Geosapiology: a brief history of geogenesis, the Stones, and the Theory of Appeasement</strong> (releasing as a seven-part serial from Jul. 6-12).</p>
507
508<p>There will be an exclusive authors’ note for subscribers following the final day of the story. But, as is often the case, there are limits to what and how much it’s possible to say about a story on a third party site.</p>
509
510<p>And I have more to say.</p>
511
512<p>I wrote this story in late November of 2023. It was a little over a month after October 7.</p>
513
514<p>In Canada, in my memory and communities, shock, outrage, and mourning over the deaths and hostages lasted a couple of weeks before news started to filter through from Gaza. I remember feeling crazy for months. The cognitive dissonance between what national media and “nice, normal” peo
514ple said and thought, and what I was seeing happening in real time, was beyond belief.</p>
515
516<p>But October 7 happened only a week after the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation. (Earlier, and popularly, “Orange Shirt Day”.)</p>
517
518<p>Canada has a horrifying (ongoing) track record with First Nations/Indigenous people. While I had dug into local history and learned more about the ongoing harms over the past few years, including the persistent crises of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), wildly disproportionate rates of Indigenous children in foster care (even after <a href="https://nctr.ca/education/teaching-resources/residential-school-history/">residential schools</a> were closed), and Indigenous people disproportionately incarcerated and killed by police, because of the memorial holiday, I had the opportunity to engage in a focused day of learning hosted by the school district I was working for at the time.</p>
519
520<p>Indigenous educators, authors, and activists, both at that memorial day of learning, and speaking out in the wake of October 7 and Israel’s increasingly genocidal response, really did amazing work in making the connections between historic and contemporary colonial violence at home and abroad explicit and in highlighting that none of us are free until all of us are free—a lesson we are still learning (with increasing intensity).</p>
521
522<p>I’ve lost track of many of those earliest voices (blame the downfall of Twitter), but some sources I recommend today include award winning Cree/Iroquois/French Human Rights Journalist Brandi Morin, Palestinian journalist, activist, and filmmaker Bisan Owda, social justice journalist professor Steven W. Thrasher, L’nu’skw (Mi’kmaw) writer Tiffany Morris, trans Jewish lawyer Sheryl Weikal, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Canadian doctor Yipeng Ge.</p>
523
524<p><em>Geosapiology</em> was not written “about Palestine”—not exactly. It was written because I had a story prompt (“growth”) and a deadline.</p>
525
526<p>But I think it took the shape it did because I needed to process the pain and horror of the moment, the awfulness of capitalist-colonial-white-supremacist violence across oceans and time, the madness of leaders who refuse to listen to science or people, scientists who operate under the pretense of detachment from historical and socio-political context, and nature crying out for healing.</p>
527
528<p>I very rarely outline or plan short fiction in advance, aside from pieces that come out of creative workshop exercises, and this was 100% a “writing into the dark” (discovery/pantsing) creation.</p>
529
530<p>The Stones came about organically and were not intended as a description of any one tradition, legend, myth, or known quantity.</p>
531
532<p>But the story as a whole was inspired, in premise and setting, by the early days of Israel’s attempted and currently ongoing genocide against Palestinians.</p>
533
534<p>The lack of specificity is deliberate. As we’ve already seen, with the violence spreading to Yemen and Iran, the dynamics of aggressor and victim changes over time. I wanted readers not to get hung up on the who/where/when, but to connect the struggle for peace to the conflict of their own moment, whatever that moment might be.</p>
535
536<p>When the setting shifts “an ocean away,” I am referencing the west coast of Canada, where I live and set most of my work, and particularly thinking of the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley regions. (Though, again, with deliberate lack of specificity, to allow for broad readings.)</p>
537
538<p>These are unceded Coast Salish territories of Turtle Island, home to a diverse and overlapping array of tribes, peoples, and language groups. The Coast Salish peoples actually do have a fascinating tradition of living stone. You can read about one example, <a href="https://www.srrmcentre.com/StoneTxwelatse/07Introduction.html">Man Turned to Stone: T’xwelátse</a> from Stó:lō territory.</p>
539
540<p>The link connects to the records of a multi-media exhibit, which was presented at a gallery-museum in Abbotsford, BC. A book was also produced. Some ideas that inspired me were the Stone in a protective/guardian, moral or educational role, the passing along of knowledge/understanding/ways of knowing, and transformation.</p>
541
542<p>I also became familar with just a bit of the Halq’eméylem language due to living and working on Stó:lō territory, and <em>Xwelitem</em> (hungry people) in particular is such a wonderfully powerful and evocative word/concept. It’s referenced explicitly in the MMIWG section of <em>Geosapiology</em>, but I feel it’s also a thread that runs through any good anticapitalist/anticolonial work. Darcie Little Badger’s YA Novel <em>Elatsoe</em> does this beautifully, as does Ryan Coogler’s film <em>Sinners</em>
542.</p>
543
544<p>To learn more about the MMIWG crisis (and get involved in advocacy, petitions, protests, fundraising) <a href="https://www.aptnnews.ca/topic/mmiwg/">visit APTN News’ dedicated section</a> The list of people in need of rescue (or investigation into their deaths) unfortunately shifts constantly, but for a broad overview of the issues, you can <a href="[https://www.aptnnews.ca/topic/mmiwg/](https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/)">Read The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Calls for Justice</a>.</p>
545
546<p>For more a more diverse and culturally authentic lens on some of the topics and settings referenced in this story, I recommend (the excellent!) work of Indigenous and Palestinian(-Canadian) authors such as Tiffany Morris, Sonia Sulaiman, Eden Robinson, Nadia Shammas, and Cherie Dimaline.</p>
547
548<p>While I write from a specific perspective (white settler, in this context) and with specific hopes for readers (treat each other well &amp; stop destroying the earth!), I also recognize and accept stories take on a life of their own.</p>
549
550<p>I wrote about the idea in <a href="https://kaie.space/news/2024/05/30/Nonfiction.html">(Non)Fiction</a> roughly a year ago, when I pulled the first sale of this story from a lit/foreign policy journal due to hinky (and apparently non-negotiable…) contract clauses and a difference of editorial vision.</p>
551
552<p>The world—particularly the view of it from here in North America—feels like it’s only gotten worse. The death toll is mounting in Palestine (and spreading, as Israel is emboldened and funded to wage terror campaigns against its neighbours), Sudan, Congo, and increasingly freedoms are being stripped, reverted, inverted in colonial nations as well—incarceration in the US, anti-protest actions, racist and sexist hate, and the triumph of anti-science forces in the UK, US, and Canada, rising climate deaths and the drastic toll on nature as UK/US/Canada fold to oil/gas lobbyists…</p>
553
554<p>But I feel the concept I was trying to get across in my original post is still important.</p>
555
556<p>Books (art in general) may educate, motivate, enlighten, persuade. They certainly can be (strongly) political. Fiction can be deeply historical or fact-inspired (or wildly the opposite), and people can be deeply influenced by it either way.</p>
557
558<p>Art (artists) can change the world, but it cannot be accountable for the responses or actions of those who engage with it.</p>
559
560<p>Fascism hates artists, writers, academics. It hates our creativity, our freedom, our ability to inspire, to motivate.</p>
561
562<p>But we’re seeing a whole lot of the worst people on the planet taking inspiration from art (and SFF in particular) right now in building their nightmare futures. They don’t hate stories and imagination when they’re stealing ideas from them! (Just when they’re asked to pay creators or respect literally anyone or anything.)</p>
563
564<p>That’s in no way a failure of the creative works they got those ideas from, to be clear. The artist is not at fault if you mourn when your favourite character died, no more than they are when an evil billionaire is inspired by a fictional villain’s macguffin to build a deportation-facilitating panopticon.</p>
565
566<p>Where am I going with all this? Readers gonna read and you can’t control what they read into fiction or what they do with that after.</p>
567
568<p>Which is why I try to point toward nonfiction sources for timely, fact-based education (and motivation), and to other sources when relevant (historical, cultural, etc.)</p>
569
570<p>The Tyee. Al Jazeera. Haaretz. South China Morning Post. Haymarket Books periodically offers free download ebook bundles on various social justice topics, as well as sales, and their site is a great anytime source for reading lists.</p>
571
572<p>I love fiction. I love <em>speculative</em> fiction. I love the imagination, the ability to play with reality—exploring better and worse trajectories to dramatic effect—and yes, the escapism. I love that for <em>you</em>. You should be free to indulge in fiction with as many or as few brain cells engaged as you wish! Want to ignore or misinterpret what the text is saying, indulge in surface-level escape instead of textual analysis, or just choose popcorn reads over layered lit? That’s your prerogative as a reader!</p>
573
574<p><strong>But please, please, also read well-edited and fact-checked international news and nonfiction on occasion, too!</strong></p>
575
576<p>And then, if I can push the ask one step further, <em>do something</em> with what you learn. Talk about it in real life to the people around you. Build connections and community. Give money and share resources if you can. March, protest, engage in direct action as appropriate. Write letters and emails, call representatives, get involved in local/regional/national politics. Advocate for yourself <em>and others</em>
576.</p>
577
578<p>Not all of the things, and not all at once. But something, sometimes.</p>
579
580<p>I was raised to believe that good deeds should be done quietly, essentially in secret. But, in the interests of integrity and transparency, I will share that I have been donating in excess of a tenth of my gross income since 2023 to Gazan mutual aid, Islamic Relief, Crips for eSims for Gaza, and Médecins Sans Frontières, along with in-kind donations to Kidlit4Ceasefire and local campaigns. (Given the scope of my overall employment, this equates to well over 100% of funds earned by publishing.)</p>
581
582<p>I recommend all of the listed organizations. <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mommunism.bsky.social/post/3l5xend3agh27">Writer Molly Shah’s list of vetted Palestinian mutual aid fundraisers</a> is also a fantastic resource.</p>
583
584<p>I’ve gone to rallies/marches/memorial walks. I’ve worn kuffiyeh and tatreez and CeasefireNow! buttons and Peace4Palestine! stickers to teach (along with MMIWG and Every Child Matters wearables and a mask, because disability justice <em>also</em> matters, none of us are free until we’re all free!) I’ve written emails and postcards and signed letters and petitions. I’ve had IRL conversations and been the awkward buzzkill who reminds everyone about difficult realities, and used my platforms on and offline to signal-boost, organize, affirm, and motivate.</p>
585
586<p>Was it enough? Never. There is more need. There are more causes. But it was all I could do—and I’ll keep doing all I can do.</p>
587
588<p>I know the need is overwhelming. You can’t save the world. I can’t either. We can’t engage with everything all at once, all the time—at least not individually. But together, bit by bit, based on our individual abilities and capacities, we can make a difference. You’re not alone. Be brave. Don’t give up. Pick one thing. Start small.</p>
589
590<p>Just start.</p>
591
592<p>Finally: Free Palestine. Free <em>all</em> occupied and oppressed peoples. Freedom, dignity, safety for all peoples, everywhere. Land back, from Turtle Island to Palestine.</p>
593<hr>
594	  
595	    	<a href="/news/2025/05/10/teaching-canadian-short-fiction.html" title="Teaching Canadian Short Fiction"><h3>Teaching Canadian Short Fiction</h3></a>
596	    	<span><p><small>10 May 2025</small></p></span>
597	    	<p>I’ve been chatting with and presenting to educators and librarians across BC (&amp; beyond) for several years now, as well as teaching kids and teens in extracurricular programs and in classrooms as a TOC.</p>
598
599<p>Reading and writing levels are, to say the least, not where most teachers would like them to be. It’s often a struggle to get through book (novel) studies in class. Time and resources are thin on the ground in many districts and holding students’ attention is a constant battle.</p>
600
601<p>Over the same period, I’ve gotten more and more involved in the speculative (Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror) short fiction scene, and I had the idea that bringing the two together might present at least a partial solution to some of the challenges teachers are facing.</p>
602
603<p>Current short SFF/H is fantastic—timely, sharp, diverse, written by, about, and to a range of identities and backgrounds, written to a high standard with plenty of fodder for literary as well as social discussion and writing inspiration.</p>
604
605<p>While there can be a place for teaching the classics (especially in conversation with reimaginings) and there’s certainly value in reading and teaching novels, I’d like to encourage educators to incorporate short fiction over passages/extracts wherever possible (so as to preserve narrative arc.)</p>
606
607<p>And, given my context of practice and current world events, I’ve focused most of my efforts on the Canadian school system and voices. I’m also leaning into Speculative (SFF/H) because it’s my community/most of what I’m familiar with and I think it holds more appeal to teens (give them fiction they’ll feel like they’re “getting away with” reading not that they “have to read”), but there is certainly high quality general/non-genre short fiction coming out of Canada these days as well!</p>
608
609<p>I recently field tested this idea in a workshop titled “Teaching Current Canadian Short Fiction to Today’s (&amp; Tomorrow’s) Teens” at the Surrey Teachers’ Association Convention (please reach out if your organization would like a similar talk!)</p>
610
611<p><strong>Here’s a quick-ref list of all the resources referenced during the workshop:</strong></p>
612
613<ul>
614  <li>
615    <p>Recommended <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ltkuyctM3QIp_bPVwVRjz32j7ZhIBisdLR8cSGPW0bs/edit?usp=sharing">Short Speculative CanLit for Teens</a> Chart: see “readme” tab for selection criteria &amp; search tips. I’ve added some discussion questions, suggested extension activities and links to some creative writing prompt worksheets in the “Resources” column since the workshop.</p>
616  </li>
617  <li>
618    <p><a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1qupX78cwf6rRCIKoV6cfoxIJ-IUBO0EShWFIvLmCu28/edit?usp=sharing">Workshop Slides</a></p>
619  </li>
620  <li>
621    <p>
621<a href="https://www.csffa.ca/aurora-archives-home/">Canadian Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy Association</a>: Home of the annual Aurora Awards program that collects eligible, shortlisted, and winning Canadian SFF in a variety of categories (short fiction, YA &amp; adult novels, comics, etc.) This is the most prestigious genre-specific writing award in Canada and one way to stay current (will collect stories from the past year only.) NOTE: If you ever have hyper-engaged SFF-fan students, they actually can join the CSFFA for $10 to get a free reading/voting packet of the shortlisted works in that year (about 5 books/stories/comics etc./category) and vote on their favourites; membership is not just for professionals.)</p>
622  </li>
623  <li>
624    <p><a href="http://kotowych.com/bookstore/">Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy &amp; Science Fiction</a> Anthology Series: Annual Ansible Press anthology of the previous year’s best Canadian SFF edited (selected) by Stephen Kotowych. This is another way to keep up with current fiction that has a ~approx. 1 year delay, as it’s a reprint anthology. E.g., Vol. 3 will publish in November 2025 and have stories originally printed in 2024. NOTE: you could go with class sets if there are multiple stories in any given edition that you’re excited to teach, but if just one or two stories stand out to you, try checking the original publication venue. Sometimes they’re free to read online (this is common in many SFF magazines these days…) I’ll always link all known venues/sources for stories on the recommendation chart to make it easy to check.</p>
625  </li>
626  <li>
627    <p><a href="https://www.blackcatbooks.net/">Black Cat Books</a> Anthologies: Annual dark SFF/H anthologies by 100% Canadian authors from a Victoria-based small press. Short fiction set in the Pacific Northwest/BC (mostly Vancouver Island/Coastal BC) by authors from BC, Yukon &amp; the Prairie Provinces, with a strong bent toward local history, social justice, and local interest stories. Target audience is teens through early 20s (includes profanities &amp; violence). Some comics included in past short fiction anthologies, and their website claims a graphic novel anthology is underway.</p>
628  </li>
629  <li>
630    <p><a href="https://augursociety.org/">Augur Society</a>: Canadian publishers of two 95% Canadian SFF/H publications, Augur Magazine (darker/higher stakes) &amp; Tails &amp; Feathers (cozy/low-stakes).</p>
631  </li>
632</ul>
633
634<p>Please feel free to pass along any and all of these resources to colleagues who many be interested in the topic!</p>
635<hr>
636	  
637	    	<a href="/news/2025/04/02/weird-redux.html" title="Weird Redux"><h3>Weird Redux</h3></a>
638	    	<span><p><small>02 Apr 2025</small></p></span>
639	    	<p><strong>(UPDATE, May 6: We have a winner! <a href="https://tenebrouspress.com/blog/2025/5/6/brave-new-weird-final-table-of-contents-announced-preorders-open">Check out the final Table of Contents &amp; preorder here!</a>)</strong></p>
640
641<p><a href="https://tenebrouspress.com/blog/2025/5/6/brave-new-weird-final-table-of-contents-announced-preorders-open"><img src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/565cb2c5e4b0e91a03d014aa/53338972-0232-43d1-9fa4-27fa6bfa1c32/IG+square.jpg?format=600w" alt="" /></a></p>
642
643<p>Delighted to announce “The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)” just got shortlisted in Tenebrous Press’s <em>Brave New Weird: The Best New Weird Horror Volume 3</em>!!</p>
644
645<p>I love this weird homage to Brenna Yovanoff’s structural refrains, Canada’s most bizarre ghost town, and the forest’s revenge.</p>
646
647<p>Special thanks to <em>Strange Horizons</em> for picking it up last July—<a href="http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-tangle-did-not-kill-kitsault/">you can read it on their site for free now</a>!</p>
648
649<p>And whether or not it makes the final print, you’ll want to grab your copy of 2024’s finest weird horror over on Tenebrous’s site come June. <a href="https://tenebrouspress.com/blog/2025/3/31/announcing-the-shortlist-for-brave-new-weird-volume-three">Check out the full shortlist here for a peek at the contenders!</a></p>
650
651<p><a href="https://tenebrouspress.com/blog/2025/5/6/brave-new-weird-final-table-of-contents-announced-preorders-open"><img src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/565cb2c5e4b0e91a03d014aa/e00dc895-15ea-4b02-a941-910249cfe72f/cover+wrap+smol.jpg?format=600w" alt="" /></a></p>
652<hr>
653	  
654	    	<a href="/news/2025/04/01/no-joke.html" title="No Joke"><h3>No Joke</h3></a>
655	    	<span><p><small>01 Apr 2025</small></p></span>
656	    	<p>
656After a rough start to the year, I have some unexpectedly awesome news to share: I’m one of just six “anchor” authors selected for Ansible Press’s <em>Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume 3</em>!</p>
657
658<p>It’s a huge honour just to be included, much less as a featured author, and based on the past editions, the 2024 collection is sure to be overflowing with stunning speculative fiction spanning a range of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror subgenres by the best Canadian talent writing today.</p>
659
660<p>A <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kotowych/years-best-canadian-fantasy-and-science-fiction-volume-3/description">Kickstarter</a> is running in April (already funded in the first hour!) with some cool stretch goals including custom illustrations, translations, and speculative poetry, and backers get early copies in Aug.-Sep. (Public launch is at CanCon in October and it’ll hit stores in November.)</p>
661
662<p><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kotowych/years-best-canadian-fantasy-and-science-fiction-volume-3/description"><img src="https://i.kickstarter.com/assets/048/779/015/5eaecfdaf90ea42bdcaea1fd33627e4a_original.png?anim=false&amp;fit=cover&amp;gravity=auto&amp;height=576&amp;origin=ugc&amp;q=92&amp;v=1743727430&amp;width=1024&amp;sig=U70wahC1o8ttaFkPIm1ZW2x6oYgg7af9fpfuKoyAHj0%3D" alt="" /></a></p>
663
664<p>Fun coincidence: I was reviewing the previous years’ collections for my upcoming talk at STA Convention when I got the news! Speaking of, here’s a quick-ref list of upcoming events:</p>
665
666<h4 id="meet-me-at">Meet Me At:</h4>
667
668<ul>
669  <li>April 28: <strong>UFV Young Writers’ Conference, Chilliwack</strong> Author AMA + Interactive Storytelling for Middle Schoolers (by invitation/public school program)</li>
670  <li>May 2: <strong>Surrey Teachers’ Association Convention</strong> Teaching Current Canadian Short Fiction to Today’s (&amp; Tomorrow’s) Teens (STA members)</li>
671  <li>May 28: <strong>BC Library Association Youth and Children’s Services Section (Remote)</strong> Local Author Collabs: Working with BC Kid-Lit Creators (BCLA/YAACS members)</li>
672  <li>July 20-26: <strong>Creative Writing Camp, Yangpyeong</strong> “Underworld” themed intensive creative writing camp and anthology project for kids and teens led with two other professional authors in South Korea. Enquire about registration with <a href="https://cwc2004.org/">CWC</a>.</li>
673  <li>July 28-31: <strong>Institutional/Academy/Library Visits, Seoul</strong> Author visits in South Korea, TBA. Enquire to schedule one with CWC.</li>
674  <li>October 25: <strong>BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association Fall Conference, Vancouver</strong> Read Local, Teach Local: Resources for Incorporating BC Books Into the Classroom (BCTLA members)</li>
675</ul>
676
677<h4 id="last-call-for-auroras">Last Call for Auroras!</h4>
678
679<p>If you’re reading for any of the speculative short fiction awards (&amp; especially the Auroras, closing soon!), I’d love for you to consider my work from last year. I had a record year in short fiction publishing with SEVEN publications (5 new + 2 reprint).</p>
680
681<p>My awards-eligible new SFF/H for 2024:</p>
682<ul>
683  <li>5,300-word Canadian ghost town/cryptid/ecopunk horror <a href="http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-tangle-did-not-kill-kitsault/">“The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)” in STRANGE HORIZONS July 1 edition</a></li>
684  <li>550-word slipstream/fantasy-meets-neurodivergence flash <a href="https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/mud-maidens-rise/">“Mud Maidens Rise” in LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE Issue 171 (incl. “audiobook” version!)</a></li>
685  <li>3,600-word “Year’s Best Canadian”, Commonwealth Short Story Prize longlisted &amp; Writers of the Future Awards Semi-Finalist ghost story about fentanyl, faith &amp; family abandonment, <a href="https://www.mysteriononline.com/2024/03/the-patron-saint-of-flatliners.html">“The Patron Saint of Flatliners” in MYSTERION</a></li>
686  <li>3,100-word humorous SF-lite adventure about humidfier scum escaping cleaning and the inevitable downfall of all colonial ambitions, <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/products/pulphouse-fiction-magazine-issue-31">“The Pink Slime’s Appointment With Destiny” in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 31</a></li>
687  <li>1,600-word eerie, anti-capitalist, Twilight Zone-esque horror podcast/audio-adaptation (only) <a href="https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s20/20x17">“Hollow” on THE NOSLEEP PODCAST Season 20 Episode 17</a></li>
688</ul>
689
690<p>Time for just one? I get the most love for <em>The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)</em> &amp; <em>The Patron Saint of Flatliners</em> but <em>Hollow</em> &amp; <em>Mud Maidens Rise</em> are nice and short if you’re rushing!</p>
691
692<p>…If I’m honest, all the love for <em>The Patron Saint of Flatliners</em> feels a little weird. I’ve written about it at length in the <a href="https://kaie.space/news/2024/02/28/authors-note-flatliners.html">author’s note blog</a>, but that story came out of a place of such anger and helplessness, and also too much truth.</p>
693
694<p>I very nearly didn’t publish it. I worried—I still worry—about doing justice, bearing witness to the real, whole, human life that was lived and lost. Now, more than ever, as adult literacy rates plummet and Trump fabricates lies about fentanyl trafficking from (instead of into?!!) Canada to justify his colonial ambitions, I fear the weight of eliding complex realities under a sheen of SFF allure. Does it make a difference? Does it capture any truth? Does it push back against the march of fascism? Does it shine a light, open a window, unchain a mind? All questions for any fiction, certainly, but writing so heavily inspired by real life feels particularly fraught.</p>
695
696<p>It’s probably the moment, too. The stakes feel higher than ever. Not just “feel”—we’re in, if not unprecedent times, at least genuinely fraught ones. Hate is strong, organized, well-capitalized, and has shiny, savvy publicity, for all its ugliness. Intersecting threats in environment, health, politics, global security, race, gender, and sex-based-violence are all escalating. This is the opposite of what we need for human thriving. This is the wrong direction, the opposite of where we need to be headed to change the trajectory of lives like the one <em>The Patron Saint of Flatliners</em> was based on. We will see more self-harming, addiction, overdosing and contamination/poisoning of both illegal and legal food and drug (and environmental) supply chains as we continue along this path.</p>
697
698<p>But hate is also weak. It is pathetic and malformed weird in the worst way. It can be defeated. Even now, in all ways, in all places, at all levels, we are rising to defeat it, hearts and minds, hands and feet, voices uniting to call for a world better than this one.</p>
699
700<p>As I write this, US Senator Cory Booker passed the 24 hour mark and soon after broke the (horrifying racist’s) record for longest speech, standing up against tyranny. His feat is remarkable on several counts, but there are thousands upon thous
700ands of us who have been, are, and will continue to work for love and stand against hate, each as we are able, as much as we are able, in whichever and as many ways as we are able.</p>
701
702<p>Choose life and love over hate and death, and keep choosing it. That’s really what I have to say, if you take away all the fun, shiny, speculative stuff. Sorry to be cringe on main, I guess. But we’ve got only so much time here, and I want it to be better for all of us. Hope you do too.</p>
703<hr>
704	  
705	    	<a href="/news/2025/02/11/winter-update.html" title="Winter Update"><h3>Winter Update</h3></a>
706	    	<span><p><small>11 Feb 2025</small></p></span>
707	    	<p>It’s been a rough stretch for many, on many levels. I kind of have so much to say about that that it circles right back around to paralyzed silence. Something I’ve appreciated in voices I follow is the way they emphasize highlighting and celebrating joyful and peaceful moments amidst the horrors.</p>
708
709<p>On the subject of horrors, it’s objectively a small thing amidst the greater burning of so much of the world, but being closest to home, this one has hurt the most:</p>
710
711<blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:ze6pazjwgkfqi2ldqheumv7u/app.bsky.feed.post/3lh7ikcoz6k2j" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreicvjvm5w2d75l5brvwfborhs6s2cbo3vxiy5ggcpccmej25hdj2lq"><p lang="en">Bliss. 2011-2025💔<br /><br /><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ze6pazjwgkfqi2ldqheumv7u/post/3lh7ikcoz6k2j?ref_src=embed">[image or embed]</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins (Kaie) (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ze6pazjwgkfqi2ldqheumv7u?ref_src=embed">@kaiewrites.bsky.social</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ze6pazjwgkfqi2ldqheumv7u/post/3lh7ikcoz6k2j?ref_src=embed">February 2, 2025 at 8:54 AM</a></blockquote>
712<script async="" src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
712
713
714<p>On a brighter note, I had a record year in short fiction publishing with SEVEN publications (5 new + 2 reprint). My awards-eligible new speculative fiction for 2024 was:</p>
715
716<ul>
717  <li>
718    <p>5,300-word Canadian ghost town/cryptid/ecopunk horror <a href="http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-tangle-did-not-kill-kitsault/"><strong>“The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)” in STRANGE HORIZONS</strong></a> July 1 edition &amp; SF fungal humour <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/products/pulphouse-fiction-magazine-issue-31"><strong>“The Pink Slime’s Appointment With Destiny” in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 31</strong></a></p>
719  </li>
720  <li>
721    <p>550-word slipstream/fantasy-meets-neurodivergence flash <a href="https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/mud-maidens-rise/"><strong>“Mud Maidens Rise” in LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE Issue 171</strong></a> (incl. “audiobook” version!) and a reprint of Canadian eco-anxiety body horror rom-com <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/collections/the-magazine"><strong>“Children of Earth” in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 32</strong></a></p>
722  </li>
723  <li>
724    <p>3,600-word Commonwealth Short Story Prize longlisted Vancouver opioid poisoning crisis literary ghost story <a href="https://www.mysteriononline.com/2024/03/the-patron-saint-of-flatliners.html"><strong>“The Patron Saint of Flatliners” in MYSTERION</strong></a></p>
725  </li>
726  <li>
727    <p>3,100-word humorous SF-lite adventure about humidfier scum escaping cleaning and the inevitable downfall of all colonial ambitions, <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/products/pulphouse-fiction-magazine-issue-31"><strong>“The Pink Slime’s Appointment With Destiny” in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 31</strong></a></p>
728  </li>
729  <li>
730    <p>1,600-word eerie, anti-capitalist, Twilight Zone-esque horror podcast/audio-adaptation (only) <a href="https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s20/20x17"><strong>“Hollow” on THE NOSLEEP PODCAST Season 20 Episode 17</strong></a></p>
731  </li>
732</ul>
733
734<p>Thanks for reading! (Eligible for Auroras, Nebulas, Stokers etc.) On the subject of short fiction, I’m adding a talk on new/current Canadian (mostly speculative) short fiction for high school classrooms to my speaking circuit, so reach out if you’re interested in a booking (or to flag a story you think I should consider). Will probably make my resources open-source once I’ve polished them up a bit, too, so keep an eye out for that.</p>
735
736<p>Books are still behind schedule—every time I get close to catching up, a new disaster drops. But I still hope to get back to the Songstress WIP and launch that as my next series later this year, assuming more things don’t catch fire (fingers crossed!!!)</p>
737
738<p>In the speaking roster (already!)</p>
739
740<ul>
741  <li>
742    <p>I’m starting to make local/regional connections but mostly busy with international remote/webinar classes at the moment. Fall anthologies with the teens and the new extra-long spring term (novel-writing intensive, elementary/junior cohort) are both packed to capacity! (Reach out to <a href="https://cwc2004.org/">Creative Writing for Children Society</a> for more info/to register kids/teens for future terms.) And if there’s interest from adults or institutions, get in touch—might be able to get something for you in the calendar in the future.</p>
743  </li>
744  <li>
745    <p>Conference season is already locking in, though so much is on the mainland and travel costs being what they are, I may need to tap other team members to take over. That said, anyone wanting a school visit in the vicinity of a conference location within a day or two might find themself in luck…</p>
746  </li>
747</ul>
748
749<p>I’ve been remarkably lazy about book promotions lately, given <em>waves hands at various dumpster fires</em>—but I should start leaning back in soonish. In the meantime, please support your local independent bookstores (some I love in BC: Western Sky Books, Kinderbooks, Laughing Oyster Books, Massey Books, The Bookman, Iron Dog Books…), buy local (and Canadian!), and if you’re looking for an online ebookstore, I do offer direct sales on my series page, but Kobo is also fantastic and way less horrifying than the usual suspects! :)</p>
750<hr>
751	  
752	    	<a href="/news/2024/08/19/summer-update-2024.html" title="Summer Update 2024"><h3>Summer Update 2024</h3></a>
753	    	<span><p><small>19 Aug 2024</small></p></span>
754	    	<table>
755  <tbody>
756    <tr>
757      <td><a href="http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-tangle-did-not-kill-kitsault/" target="_blank"><img src="https://kaie.space/SH240701.jpg" width="95%" /></a></td>
758      <td><a href="https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/mud-maidens-rise/" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/wp-content/files_mf/cache/th_02e3658482b7a537b889b02165923b2f_1719960049_magicfields_issuecoverimage_1_1.jpg" width="80%" /></a></td>
759      <td><a href="https://www.mysteriononline.com/2024/03/the-patron-saint-of-flatliners.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://kaiewiggins.github.io/Mysterion-sm.jpeg" width="90%" /></a></td>
760      <td><a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/products/pulphouse-fiction-magazine-issue-31" target="_blank"><img src="https://pulphousemagazine.com/cdn/shop/files/Pulphouse_316x9COVER-eBook.jpg" width="30%" /></a></td>
761    </tr>
762  </tbody>
763</table>
764
765<p>Let’s dive right in with new arrivals:</p>
766
767<ul>
768  <li>
769    <p>JULY: Canadian ghost town/ecopunk horror <a href="http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-tangle-did-not-kill-kitsault/"><strong>“The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)” in STRANGE HORIZONS</strong></a> July 1 edition &amp; SF fungal humour <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/products/pulphouse-fiction-magazine-issue-31"><strong>“The Pink Slime’s Appointment With Destiny” in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 31</strong></a></p>
770  </li>
771  <li>
772    <p>AUGUST: Slipstream/Neurodivergent flash <a href="https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/mud-maidens-rise/"><strong>“Mud Maidens Rise” in LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE Issue 171</strong></a> (incl. “audiobook” version!) and a reprint of Canadian eco-anxiety body horror rom-com <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/collections/the-magazine"><strong>“Children of Earth” in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 32</strong></a></p>
773  </li>
774  <li>
775    <p>Another Commonwealth Short Story Prize longlister—Vancouver opioid poisoning crisis ghost story <a href="https://www.mysteriononline.com/2024/03/the-patron-saint-of-flatliners.html"><strong>“The Patron Saint of Flatliners”, now available at MYSTERION</strong></a>—plus yet another reprint in the pipeline. Look for some very cool Halloween horror antho crowdfunding news soon to get in on cool special edition stuff!</p>
776  </li>
777</ul>
778
779<p>Books still behind schedule, but working on it. Latest development: adding songwriting to the mix, because when you’re underwater, why not swim down instead of up??? Hoping/planning to prioritize SONGSTRESS WIP for the remaining weeks of summer before fall crashes down upon me and swallows all my writing time.</p>
780
781<p>Teaching &amp; events continue to be a busy and growing part of the puzzle:</p>
782
783<ul>
784  <li>
785    <p>The spring term (novel-writing intensive, elementary/junior cohort) was fantastic as you can see from their covers below! This fall, I’ll be doing two identical “art of the short story” intensives/anthology making workshops for teens on Thursdays and Friday afternoons (remote/Zoom extracurriculars—contact <a href="https://cwc2004.org/">Creative Writing for Children Society</a> for more info/to register.) And if there’s interest from adults or institutions, get in touch—might be able to get something for you in the calendar in later fall or next spring.</p>
786  </li>
787  <li>
788    <p>Had an awesome high school author visit in the Tricities area! Chatted with a brilliant creative writing club and talked up short fiction and writing as a career with a (hilarious! angsty! surprisingly insightful!) interactive “whiteboard” storytelling/improv creative writing exercise for gen-pop Grade 9 &amp; 12 English classes.</p>
789  </li>
790  <li>
791    <p>Got to do a (remote) book club visit/writing consult for adult readers as well, which was super fun and s
791omething I keep meaning to set up a booking form for, but alas, it remains on my very long to-do list. Reach out about pricing and schedule if this is something your club wants!</p>
792  </li>
793  <li>
794    <p>Excellent (whirlwind!) spring conference season at the BC Library Association Conference and Surrey Teachers’ Association Convention, and I <em>still</em> need to follow up with connections from those events. Intentionally left a little room this fall to allow for new opportunities that tend to crop up, but already I am looking forward to speaking at both the (public) librarians’ youth services and school library conferences this fall. ALL the library love, all the time~ (Also on the horizon, some hush-hush arts council workshop fun in the tri-cities area. Schools, institutions, arts councils, etc., feel free to reach out!)</p>
795  </li>
796</ul>
797
798<table>
799  <tbody>
800    <tr>
801      <td><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/3c1152ab-3e6b-8118-9b6f-3cdd88cd917b.png" width="80%" /></td>
802      <td><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/271aebdd-557c-1062-759a-aa46507500ee.jpg" width="90%" /></td>
803      <td><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/9f6de4cd-32de-a6f4-01a5-ebec612cb042.jpeg" width="90%" /></td>
804    </tr>
805  </tbody>
806</table>
807
808<p>It’s time for IndieAugust promos! Pricing might take a few days to populate to Amazon, but active on Kobo, Apple Books, Google Books, etc. now to first week of Sept:</p>
809
810<ul>
811  <li>
812    <p>(FREE) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thread-name">BOY WITH NO NAME</a></strong>: When the dreamwealking threadwitch the shadow prince of Refuge’s dissolute underground has been obsessed with since boyhood vanishes, he risks all the power he’s begged, borrowed, and stolen to get her back.</p>
813  </li>
814  <li>
815    <p>(FREE) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thread-letter">LETTER FROM THE END OF THE WORLD</a></strong>: When a young mother’s mission to stop the end of the world is hijacked by tragedy, she signs on for an eternity of sacrifice in defiance of the monstrous intelligence possessing her dying city.</p>
816  </li>
817  <li>
818    <p>(FREE) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/unsought">THE UNSOUGHT LIGHT</a></strong>: Duty and desire collide in a war that threatens to bring down an unwilling bride-to-be’s family, clan, and village in ancient (gothic-fantasy) Japan.</p>
819  </li>
820  <li>
821    <p>($0.99) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thread1">BLIND THE EYES</a></strong>: When a young rebel offers a haunted outcast the chance to escape her rule-bound existence, he proves an even more deadly distraction than the monsters overrunning her drowned city.</p>
822  </li>
823</ul>
824
825<p>And, in the amazing annual Narratess Super Sale (Aug. 24-26) <a href="https://indiebook.sale"><strong>here</strong></a>, (FREE to $0.99) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/spectres1">SPECTRES OF THE OLD WORLD: MUD MONSTERS &amp; REVELATIONS</a></strong>: A young dreamwalker and his comrades battle monsters, a toxic legacy, and a tainted future to bring back a long-lost friend (…or maybe more?) taken by the hungry shadows. Micro-trilogy of novelettes in Kindle Unlimited. Book 1 is free and Books 2-3 $0.99 Aug. 23-27, but pricing and sales may depend on your region and time zone.)</p>
826
827<table>
828  <tbody>
829    <tr>
830      <td><a href="https://indiebook.sale" target="_blank"><img src="/SpectresIndieAug.png" width="95%" /></a></td>
831      <td><a href="https://indiebook.sale" target="_blank"><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NZwPpAcsZwC59diTRvioAWLCs33T1PDhRXworxsbkvR4-BwbStQ8ab3Hzr24LKL4PoxqjCA6C1_oj7nwGq2Ukg2N_ESxKx_IbcJq_NIEOftdIiVw7hUxDy0E6EcFknP4qD6XzUDw7XiFBwxalFy9lkUgQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://storage.mlcdn.com/account_image/588408/895d5ac1190f7de6b3902f0426d2bb58f184e4e9.jpeg" width="70%" /></a></td>
832      <td><a href="https://www.32auctions.com/gazafamilies?r=1&amp;t=all" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GVPdRs5aMAENSLi?format=jpg&amp;name=large" width="80%" /></a></td>
833    </tr>
834  </tbody>
835</table>
836
837<p>Finally, the fantastic folks at Kidlit4Ceasefire are running another signed books &amp; ARCs auction that is a little bit behind in updating donated books (a signed hardcover of <em>Blind the Eyes</em> will eventually be added), but there are are already some fantastic books to check out and also a Patreon and/or vetted links to donate to directly if you prefer. <a href="https://www.32auctions.com/gazafamilies"><strong>Check it out here!</strong></a></p>
838<hr>
839	  
840	    	<a href="/news/2024/05/30/Nonfiction.html" title="(Non)Fiction"><h3>(Non)Fiction</h3></a>
841	    	<span><p><small>30 May 2024</small></p></span>
842	    	<p>This is and is not a news update.</p>
843
844<p>I had a story coming out ten days ago.</p>
845
846<p>Then I didn’t.</p>
847
848<p>Some time, maybe I’ll write about contracts and negotiations and voices and motivations and the constant battle between Art and Commerce we all live under.</p>
849
850<p>Today, I’m just happy not to have new fiction to promote.</p>
851
852<p>Because, as I keep forgetting, as I keep being horrifically, mundanely, repeatedly, mind-numbingly reminded, while there is a place for poetry and allusions and escapism and Art that offers all the space in the world for free interpretation and engagement, there is also a desperate need for clarity. Honesty. Facts.</p>
853
854<p>And since I write fiction that tries very hard not to tip into the extremities of didacticism, that explores ideas and invites readers to ask questions and think for themselves, rather than (
854I hope) presenting thin allegories and heavy-handed conclusions, I want to get a statement on record.</p>
855
856<p>Most of my “nonfiction” writing ends up effectively subscription-gated (i.e., via newsletter) or on social media. In many cases, I’m more engaged with raising up voices more directly involved and educated on any given issue than commenting myself. (Again, fiction writer—I process my ideas sideways, inside-out, and open-ended through fun-house mirrors!)</p>
857
858<p>But I’ve also been having very alarming conversations lately. Conversations where I assumed shared understandings about the world and was sadly mistaken.</p>
859
860<p>So let’s get some things straight:</p>
861
862<p>All people are created equal. All human lives have value and should be protected from violence and provided—at a bare minimum—with the necessities of life in a healthy society. As humans, we should all be in favour of human rights (and animal rights are worth a look, too…)</p>
863
864<p>All people means all people. Even if your people historically didn’t like their people or their people hurt your people in the past. Even if you could make more money hating and/or exploiting them, or it will cost you something to defend their rights. Even if they personally annoy you. Even if you feel uncomfortable. Yes, even then. None of us are owed a frictionless existence, especially at the cost of another’s safety, wellness, or survival.</p>
865
866<p>I’d rather not make a list here of every equity-deserving people group, but growing evidence suggests I’d better start with at least a short-list. Black Lives Matter. Palestinian lives do too. Ditto Indigenous &amp; Asian folks. Trans and queer rights are human rights. Again, this isn’t about your or my personal tastes, preferences, beliefs or desires. Human rights for all humans are an inherent good. All humans drawing really clear lines about war crimes, genocide, etc., also good! Let’s all get on that page and stay on that page…</p>
867
868<p>This is where it seems to get harder for many: Colonialism? Imperialism? Not good, actually. See also: authoritarianism, totalitarianism, facism, police states, extractive capitalism . . . I know this gets a lot of folks’ backs up. I know folks get scared/offended/enraged at the thought of all that they’ve sacrificed to the machine being for nothing, humiliated at swallowing all those lies they’ve been propagandized with their whole lives, despairing at the thought that no matter what else they sacrifice, they might never pull themselves up by their bootstraps into wealth and comfort and stability. Believe me, I know.</p>
869
870<p>But we’re not “temporarily embarassed (b)millionaires” (John Steinbeck), and the sooner we accept this, the sooner we can start building societies that work on behalf of the rest of us.</p>
871
872<p>Worldwide human-caused environmental damage is a rapidly-worsening crisis with multiple systemic inputs, but we can make individual and systemic changes to moderate the suffering and, eventually, start to heal. We can make intentional choices with our food systems, our land use, our work and leisure, our technology, our energy. We can give land back to those we’ve stolen it from, we can choose to value sustainability and community instead of individualistic “ambition” that seeks to swallow the earth.</p>
873
874<p>We can tell a different story and bring it to life. We can be better.</p>
875
876<p>I don’t know if we will, but we can.</p>
877
878<p>Yes, this is about Palestine (Free Palestine!) But it’s also about Canada (Land Back!) and about all peoples and places that are suffering and have suffered and are about to suffer. This month—in the last week alone—floods and extreme heat waves have killed hundreds if not thousands, on separate continents. And when it’s not nature-by-way-of-us, it’s directly us—funding munitions to enact genocide against tens and hundreds of thousands, or literally feeding children to the gods of industry from the cobalt mines of Congo to the processing plants of Chick-fil-A.</p>
879
880<p>I will defend my right to write strange, complicated, questioning little stories and your right to escape into labyrinthine adventures and intricate fantasies and tortured romances and turn off your brain or draw the absolute wildest conclusions while doing so if that’s what you choose. You don’t have to learn anything from my (or any other) fiction, despite what your teachers may have told you. You might learn things. I and other authors might even have had things in mind that we hoped you’d pick up on. But there is no test. You’re not being graded, except in the larger sense that we all are, as humans, as beings that share this planet and (hopefully) will go on sharing it for generations to come without wiping ourselves and each other out.</p>
881
882<p>So consider this my plug for balancing fiction and fantasy and all the escapism your heart could desire with a bit of nonfiction every so often. There’s more to learn than they taught you in grade school social studies or high school history class. Or science, for that matter. And there’s a whole lot of money and power being poured into hiding the unvarnished facts that didn’t fit between the pages of your textbooks from you. So please do a little reading, or listening, or watching, Preferably all three.</p>
883
884<p>
884Here are just a few places to start:</p>
885
886<ul>
887  <li><a href="https://thetyee.ca/">The Tyee</a></li>
888  <li><a href="https://hakaimagazine.com/">Hakai Magazine</a></li>
889  <li><a href="https://thenarwhal.ca/">The Narwhal</a></li>
890  <li><a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190109-the-perils-of-short-termism-civilisations-greatest-threat">BBC Future</a></li>
891  <li><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-permaculture-food-forests">Atlas Obscura</a></li>
892  <li><a href="https://pluralistic.net/">Cory Doctorow’s Pluralistic.net</a></li>
893  <li><a href="https://livingatlas.arcgis.com/assessment-tool/search">Climate Mapping for Resilience &amp; Adaptation—Interactive Map</a></li>
894  <li><a href="https://native-land.ca/">Our Home On Native Land—Interactive Map</a></li>
895  <li><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rfsIILBhWzRhnTOpXQxNfgz598aWskW4&amp;link_id=3">Teach Palestine Resources</a></li>
896</ul>
897<hr>
898	  
899	    	<a href="/news/2024/05/14/content-flags-representation-recommendations-threads-of-dreams.html" title="Content Flags, Representation & Recommendations in Threads of Dreams"><h3>Content Flags, Representation & Recommendations in Threads of Dreams</h3></a>
900	    	<span><p><small>14 May 2024</small></p></span>
901	    	<p>This is a resource that I’ve been meaning to collate from various scattered posts, newsletters, storefront subsections, etc. and expand for some time now.</p>
902
903<p><em>Threads of Dreams</em> included my first book, my first series, my first foray back into publishing as an adult, and while there is much I am proud of in it and every part of it was written with intention, there are nonetheless some choices that I would make differently today—choices, in fact, that I pivoted on while still working on the series.</p>
904
905<p>The series, for those who have read it, is set roughly 100 years in the future of Vancouver (and later books travel throughout British Columbia), with a strong speculative influence that nonetheless draws on the landscapes and heritage of the Pacific Northwest. Characters were intentionally drawn from the existing diversity of the current Metro Vancouver population, extrapolated to account for the speculative events and timeline of the series, and some characters, setting/worldbuilding, and plot points also draw on various (local &amp; regional) Indigenous practices, both historical and ongoing.</p>
906
907<p>Little to none of this is made explicit within the text of the books, partly because the story is about societal disconnection from roots and identity in complex ways that took me a series(+) to unpack and is much more fantastical than grounded in its presentation (if you don’t know the area, you might not recognize many/any of the contemporary allusions), partly because many of the connections are embedded enough in daily life and culture here that I didn’t realize where they originally came from until later, but also because my own learning as I wrote/published the series had me rethinking the direction it should take and what was appropriate to even speak into.</p>
908
909<p>In the interests of doing better about attribution and pointing toward fiction that authentically reflects Indigenous lived experiences and perspectives, I’d like to collect a lasting resource here for continued learning and speculative fiction. Those follow below, under the appropriate headings. (<em>Note: I may expand this resource page to cover other people groups referenced within the series at a later date and as I become aware of relevant resources…</em>)</p>
910
911<p>I’ve also been wanting to create an accessible/centralized Content Advisory/Trigger Warning-type resource. Content may be flagged in other locations (inside books, on storefront listings, etc.), but my intent is for this to be the most comprehensive resource.</p>
912
913<p>Content is tagged by book (1, 2, 3 for main trilogy, acronyms for series-related short fiction):</p>
914
915<h3 id="threads-of-dreams-content-advisory">Threads of Dreams Content Advisory</h3>
916
917<ul>
918  <li>Illicit/intoxicating substance use incl. by minors (1, 2, Under)</li>
919  <li>Fantasy violence (monster x human, incl. gore) (all)</li>
920  <li>Fantasy &amp; horror creatures — ghosts, various monsters, zombies/ghouls (all)</li>
921  <li>Gaslighting/emotional abuse (1-3, Under, BWNN, SOtOW)</li>
922  <li>Selfharm/suicidal ideation (1-3)</li>
923  <li>Dissociation/depressive episodes (1-3)</li>
924  <li>Workplace abuse (1, LFtEOtW, Under)</li>
925  <li>Physical abuse (limited/brief) (1)</li>
926  <li>Implied/offpage sexual abuse (limited/brief) (BWNN, Under)</li>
927  <li>Needles/involuntary anaesthesia (1)</li>
928  <li>Torture (1)</li>
929  <li>Implied child abuse (1, 3, BWNN, SOtOW)</li>
930  <li>Child death (offpage/brief) (1, 3, LFtEOtW, SOtOW)</li>
931  <li>Human sacrifice (1, 3)</li>
932</ul>
933
934<p>This series is rated for older teens and up. It does not include on-page sex or “spice” but does include dancing/clubbing &amp; representations of both healthy and toxic relationships. I sometimes refer to the series as having “more blood than kissing”—they’re fighting for survival and have limited time to angst over each other. 😅 It does include quite a lot of violence, generally within upper-YA dark fantasy norms.</p>
935
936<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnbAZnZ9kgTJm7yldczKNq6Z4f5KYIdPtiWEj2zkvntH1kmQ/viewform?usp=sf_link"><strong>If you believe something is missing from the content advisory above, you can flag it here.</strong></a> (With thanks—it’s actually fairly hard for authors to know what might be triggering or worthy of a content advisory, and we can easily err on the side of over- or under-flagging. Reader tastes and expectations also vary widely…)</p>
937
938<p>### Local (to Vancouver &amp; BC) Indigenous Learning Resources For Further Reading</p>
939
940<ul>
941  <li><a href="https://www.musqueam.bc.ca/our-story/">xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqeaum) Nation Official Website</a></li>
942  <li><a href="http://musqueam.zenutech.com/our-story">Additional Musqueam Site</a></li>
943  <li><a href="https://www.squamish.net/about-our-nation/">Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Official Website</a></li>
944  <li><a href="https://slcc.ca/history/">Sḵwx̱wú7mesh L̓il̓wat7úl (Squamish-Lilwat) Cultural Centre Site</a></li>
945  <li><a href="https://senakw.com/">Sen̓áḵw Development Site</a></li>
946  <li><a href="https://www.clc-sic.ca/real-estate/jericho-lands">ʔəy̓alməxʷ/Iy̓álmexw/Jericho Lands Development Site</a></li>
947  <li><a href="https://twnation.ca/our-story/">səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) Official Website</a></li>
948  <li><a href="https://www.legendsofvancouver.net/">Legends of Vancouver by Pauline Johnson Website</a></li>
949  <li><a href="https://fpcc.ca/stories/first-peoples-map/">First Peoples’ Cultural Council Dynamic Map (BC/AB)</a></li>
950</ul>
951
952<p>Have a suggestion for a resource that might be relevant to readers of this series/who want to learn more about local/regional First Nations culture, history, leadership &amp; practices? <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnbAZnZ9kgTJm7yldczKNq6Z4f5KYIdPtiWEj2zkvntH1kmQ/viewform?usp=sf_link"><strong>Let me know about it here!</strong></a></p>
953
954<p>### Indigenous Speculative Fiction</p>
955
956<ul>
957  <li><a href="https://www.bukowskiagency.com/robinson-titles-page">Eden Robinson’s titles, especially the <em>Trickster</em> Trilogy</a>. A member of the Haisla and Hieltsuk First Nations, she lives in northern British Columbia.</li>
958  <li><a href="https://www.cheriedimaline.com/books">Cherie Dimaline’s titles, especially <em>The Marrow Thieves</em></a>. A registered and claimed member of the Historic Georgian Bay Métis Community with section 35 Indigenous rights, of the Metis Nation of Ontario.</li>
959  <li><a href="https://www.darobertson.ca/">David Alexander Robinson’s titles, especially <em>The Reckoner</em> Series</a>. A member of Norway House Cree Nation, he lives in Winnipeg.</li>
960  <li><a href="https://darcielittlebadger.wordpress.com/my-short-stories/">Darcie Little Badger’s titles, especially <em>Elatsoe</em></a>. Lipan Apache.</li>
961  <li><a href="https://shanehawk.com/pages/nwan"><em>Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology</em>)</a></li>
962</ul>
963
964<p>Have I missed a great speculative fiction book by an Indigenous author? <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfnbAZnZ9kgTJm7yldczKNq6Z4f5KYIdPtiWEj2zkvntH1kmQ/viewform?usp=sf_link"><strong>Let me know about it here</strong></a> and I’ll add it to my TBR!</p>
965<hr>
966	  
967	    	<a href="/news/2024/04/01/Spring-Update-2024.html" title="Spring Update 2024"><h3>Spring Update 2024</h3></a>
968	    	<span><p><small>01 Apr 2024</small></p></span>
969	    	<p>Whole pile of news to get through (overdue, yet again! ^_^;) so let’s dive right in:</p>
970
971<ul>
972  <li>
973    <p>Short fiction is booming! I’ve got a first sale &amp; reprint licensed to <em>Pulphouse</em> for their summer edition(s?), a flash to <em>Lightspeed</em> for later this year, and recent releases from <em><a href="https://www.mysteriononline.com/2024/03/the-patron-saint-of-flatliners.html">Mysterion</a></em> and <em><a href="https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s20/20x17">The NoSleep Podcast</a></em>. Plus a couple more honorable mentions from Writers of the Future Awards to round things out.</p>
974  </li>
975  <li>
976    <p>Long fiction is . . . stalled. Mainly because I have about 400% more demands on my time than waking hours (sigh.)</p>
977  </li>
978  <li>
979    <p>Teaching &amp; events are also booming—had a great time talking all things short fiction for StoryStudio’s teen writers recently and I’m just headed back for the second half of this term’s creative writing workshop intensives, and will be presenting at the BC Library Association Conference and Surrey Teachers’ Association Convention in roughly a month, but had to turn down an invite to the Fraser Valley Young Authors’ Conference due to a scheduling conflict.</p>
980  </li>
981  <li>
982    <p>
982It’s that time again—IndieApril promos abound! Pricing (including free) confirmed on Kobo, Apple Books, &amp; Google Books as of today. If you prefer a different storefront, do check back later in the week/month—it can take some time to price match across different storefronts:</p>
983  </li>
984</ul>
985
986<p>– (FREE) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thread-name">BOY WITH NO NAME</a></strong>: When the dreamwealking threadwitch the shadow prince of Refuge’s dissolute underground has been obsessed with since boyhood vanishes, he risks all the power he’s begged, borrowed, and stolen to get her back.</p>
987
988<p>– (FREE) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thread-letter">LETTER FROM THE END OF THE WORLD</a></strong>: When a young mother’s mission to stop the end of the world is hijacked by tragedy, she signs on for an eternity of sacrifice in defiance of the monstrous intelligence possessing her dying city.</p>
989
990<p>– (FREE) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/unsought">THE UNSOUGHT LIGHT</a></strong>: Duty and desire collide in a war that threatens to bring down an unwilling bride-to-be’s family, clan, and village in ancient (gothic-fantasy) Japan.</p>
991
992<p>– ($0.99) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/thread1">BLIND THE EYES</a></strong>: When a young rebel offers a haunted outcast the chance to escape her rule-bound existence, he proves an even more deadly distraction than the monsters overrunning her drowned city.</p>
993
994<p>– ($0.99) <strong><a href="https://books2read.com/b/spectres1">MUD MONSTERS &amp; REVELATIONS</a></strong>: A young dreamwalker and his comrades battle monsters, a toxic legacy, and a tainted future to bring back a long-lost friend (…or maybe more?) taken by the hungry shadows.</p>
995
996<ul>
997  <li>The awesome Kidlit4Ceasefire auction in support of Gaza, Sudan, Congo &amp; The Little Miss Flint water filter fundraiser is already nearly halfway to its goal! I’ve donated a complete (paperback) set of the Threads of Dreams trilogy, a signed first edition of the Blind the Eyes hardcover, and an exclusive “ask me anything” (AMA) call—and there are over 350 (amazing!) auction items from other artists for readers, writers &amp; art lovers to <a href="https://www.32auctions.com/KidLit4CeasefireFund?r=1&amp;t=all">bid on here</a>!</li>
998</ul>
999
1000<p>The AMA could be great for anyone with questions related to:</p>
1001
1002<ul>
1003  <li>
1004    <p>Short fiction writing/revising/tracking/submissions/publishing (I’m multi-awarded, multi-published in pro-rate outlets &amp; have given workshops on the topic!)</p>
1005  </li>
1006  <li>
1007    <p>Any publishing-related questions, really, especially related to the kidlit world (I lead a 160+ member professional society of children’s authors &amp; illustrators and speak widely at conferences, festivals &amp; institutions on the topic!)</p>
1008  </li>
1009  <li>
1010    <p>Creative writing/editing/plotting/structure (I’ve been teaching intensive workshops for years now, multi-published, multi-awarded, just might be able to offer the tips you need—I’m nonjudgmental and focused on centering your goals)</p>
1011  </li>
1012  <li>
1013    <p>Happy to chat with readers/teachers/librarians/etc. too if the winning bid comes from a non-writer who wants to use it for something like a book club or classroom visit!</p>
1014  </li>
1015</ul>
1016
1017<p>This is the first time I’ve made this kind of access available to the public. Usually you’d need to attend a workshop or industry conference (or be part of CWILL, I try to carve out a little time for them too lol), so it’s a great opportunity to get your burning questions answered and support a fantastic cause at the same time. (&amp; there are a number of other authors, artists &amp; industry professionals offering AMAs if you’re seeking different expertise, too!)</p>
1018
1019<p><strong><a href="https://www.32auctions.com/KidLit4CeasefireFund?r=1&amp;t=all">Browse the auction now!</a></strong></p>
1020
1021<table>
1022  <tbody>
1023    <tr>
1024      <td><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_Nb66AgIpYyYXHEO7qIiF9qsVS8DQkWkuxtOUn_RZjqnec9AHqbbATKpC1YmNLgAwWGfLuFEg-KHjY-YZN
102476YdtaD9wpxedAWlRcXxTWVVKcFZy7RtsqNAJ6fD9R8KlJzKTNuD3UKFKRClf0oHq_noBJ3uW_rZ-mRG8=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/978bcad4-2dc8-5d9d-1579-afa5b287885f.png" width="90%" /></td>
1025      <td><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NaNRybzBho4lvQMiTG_O7UWm2eCTrF-gT0yOwy4XglNMB5TDcbpXFLNtPRKvRfH7bfGlsDqymQejVL_PKxH1L2haLTldkr7Oa5xhz_Esm3Rco_E6TwWxJm2EjVuSGwUfH6eQnc5X9lygOfiBaCyeW9BFZ1pOE42tIY=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/c1a5c07a-01e2-b378-9b96-1bc5af76ddba.png" width="90%" /></td>
1026      <td><img src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/meips/ADKq_NZQjKu2Ct61nfphK5MRjQfztYN_4azHQ526F04NYORhf-MtxL3RQoSEQIszcAXJWWtJZRlIWuUPiEhEGqB6SKE3oRg10ndGgxWjPYLEJgQKPj7kPTwdPapF4qeXaX_G7PAhKE7VrqN58Gaau7dBXNsKigoFJWtLHUM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/284185b4-35c0-0bcb-8bbf-62e16613e50e.png" width="90%" /></td>
1027    </tr>
1028  </tbody>
1029</table>
1030<hr>
1031	  
1032	    	<a href="/news/2024/02/28/authors-note-flatliners.html" title="Author's Note on Flatliners"><h3>Author's Note on Flatliners</h3></a>
1033	    	<span><p><small>28 Feb 2024</small></p></span>
1034	    	<p>Sometimes there are stories you just aren’t equipped to tell. The one that became “The Patron Saint of Flatliners” (first published in <em><a href="[https://www.mysteriononline.com/](https://www.mysteriononline.com/2024/03/the-patron-saint-of-flatliners.html)">Mysterion</a></em>, March 2024) is one of them.</p>
1035
1036<p>I wrote the earliest version of it the summer after my best friend lost a young member of her extended family to the Vancouver drug toxicity crisis.</p>
1037
1038<p>It wasn’t really a story at that point—just anger and cursing and chaos on a page. Unpublishable. I never expected to come back to it. But in 2023, I encountered Seanan McGuire’s works and found in her <em>Ghost Roads</em> series a surprising parallel.</p>
1039
1040<p>Perhaps my strange, admittedly somewhat twisted form of processing/coping mechanism had produced something that would connect with readers after all . . .</p>
1041
1042<p>But in connecting with readers, in taking something that I wrote for my own reasons and offering it to the world, I find myself concerned that fiction may be mistaken for fact.</p>
1043
1044<p>So permit me the indulgence of straying into facts for a moment, starting with this:</p>
1045
1046<p>I never met the girl who died. I know her only through second-hand accounts.</p>
1047
1048<p>A scattering of stark snapshots of her life are here. Her truth is not.</p>
1049
1050<p>I can’t tell you what it was like to be her. What her hopes and dreams were, how she thought about the future, God, herself.</p>
1051
1052<p>I can tell you that, while she experienced hardship and betrayal, while she made choices you may not agree with and that she herself expressed uncertainty and regret over—according to my friend who was working to help her in her final days—I didn’t nearly capture her rage and desperation.</p>
1053
1054<p>Nor the fervour of her religious practice. In life, she was a devout Catholic.</p>
1055
1056<p>So, while this story does not, cannot, offer full and meaningful representation to that girl or the (many) other victims of the drug toxicity and opioid crises (please seek out survivors’ first-hand accounts and art for that! <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScZ3xiCeHk-BP2NZmToNyds4WHRf6SRNAl9YdwCnM78dZ3-Iw/viewform?usp=sf_link"><em>Recommendations welcome here.</em></a>), it is perhaps in the area of faith that it falls most short.</p>
1057
1058<p>In portraying an angry, questioning, alienated protagonist railing against God for her isolation, I fear I have crafted an engaging fictional narrative, but reinforced popular, comfortable myths.</p>
1059
1060<p>There are convenient untruths that we all cling to at times. “Bad things don’t happen to good people.” “People get what they deserve.” “Overdoses happen to those people and <em>we</em> are not <em>those people.</em>”</p>
1061
1062<p>Popular myths, modern myths, religious myths, even, depending on the context. Nice people, nice families, educated people, professionals, women, students, children, good church-going folks, stable married couples, middle class households . . . immigrants. Believers. Catholics. Pentecostals. Baptists. And so on.</p>
1063
1064<p>Pick your label. It still won’t protect you and yours.</p>
1065
1066<p>The truth is that drug use, experimentation, dependency, addiction, poisoning, overdose, all of these can and do occur within the Church, to Christians, to nice people, to our loved one
1066s, to us. They are not, in and of themselves, a mark of “godlessness.”</p>
1067
1068<p>This story—both the real life story behind the fiction, and the linked piece—also highlight intersecting marginalizations.</p>
1069
1070<p>While I think it’s important to take this moment—particularly as this piece was first published by a faith-affiliated market—to challenge Christians and religious communities, along with the “comfortable majority,” to recognize their own vulnerability, it’s also desperately important to stop judging and dismissing those who make different choices and/or come from other communities, backgrounds, and experiences.</p>
1071
1072<p>This is a story about the vulnerability of people of colour, of people from the Global South, of the harms of adoption practices (esp. in white Christian communities), of the abuses of the patriarchy and toxic control within religious communities (among others!), of economic vulnerability and the way young people, especially women and girls, are more easily exploited (and trafficked) when they can’t access adequate housing, education, and employment.</p>
1073
1074<p>I wrote this story to transmute anger and grief and loss into hope (in my own twisted, strange way.)</p>
1075
1076<p>I couldn’t change the outcome for one girl, but I could give her a sense of purpose and a continuation past “The End”, at least in fiction.</p>
1077
1078<p>Since her death, the opioid and toxic supply epidemics have only worsened.</p>
1079
1080<p>I urge you to take action in whatever capacity you are able. Advocate for safe supply, low barrier housing, and best-available treatments as scientific recommendations evolve. Form, fund, engage in, and champion healthy, strong communities and societies that support human thriving. Get engaged with the political process and hold your representatives to account.</p>
1081
1082<p>And recognize that this isn’t only a “them” problem—we ourselves and our loved ones also may be vulnerable, if not in this moment, then in the future. Love and support starts at home.</p>
1083
1084<p>With hope amidst the darkness,</p>
1085
1086<p>—Kaie</p>
1087<hr>
1088	  
1089	    	<a href="/news/2024/02/04/twilight-zone-time.html" title="Twilight Zone Time"><h3>Twilight Zone Time</h3></a>
1090	    	<span><p><small>04 Feb 2024</small></p></span>
1091	    	<p>Short, fun announcement that I’ve been waiting for <em>ages</em> to make—I’m <a href="https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s20/20x17">The NoSleep Podcast</a> official!</p>
1092
1093<p>Check out my eerie li’l Hollywood North x Twilight Zone x end stage capitalism flash/audio play short based on that <em>very</em> short window where I got convinced that being a background performer would be a great writers’ life side gig (spoiler: it was not) and ended up as a hilariously clueless but probably overpaid body double for a 12 year old boy.🫠</p>
1094
1095<p>Anyway, this is probably my most “straight horror” piece yet (not too much genre blending), more eerie and slow-burn than outright terrifying, with a weird Twilight Zone tilt. Available (only, at this point; licensing enquiries welcome!) as an audio performance by the illustrious NoSleep Podcast—<strong><a href="https://www.thenosleeppodcast.com/episodes/s20/20x17">give it a listen for free here!</a></strong></p>
1096<hr>
1097	  
1098	    	<a href="/news/2023/12/14/awards-eligibility-winter-update.html" title="Awards Eligibility & Winter Update"><h3>Awards Eligibility & Winter Update</h3></a>
1099	    	<span><p><small>14 Dec 2023</small></p></span>
1100	    	<p>So, yeah, six+ months since the last update, probably a good moment to remind folks that my <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">newsletter</a> goes out every second Monday if y’all want to hear from me more often.😅</p>
1101
1102<p>Also, before I drop my release list, if you like speculative fiction but have limited reading time, Sonia Sulaiman has put together a great reading list of <em><a href="https://soniasulaiman.com/readpalestinianspecfic-reading-list/">Palestinian spec-lit that’s really worth a look instead</a>.</em></p>
1103
1104<h3 id="quick-round-up-of-2023-publications-for-awards-eligibility--end-of-year-reading-list-purposes">Quick round-up of 2023 publications for awards’ eligibility &amp; end of year reading list purposes:</h3>
1105
1106<h4 id="1-children-of-earth">1. Children of Earth</h4>
1107
1108<p>2,900 words in FANTASY MAGAZINE Issue 90 (April 2023)</p>
1109
1110<p>Eco-anxiety takes on a life of its own in a body-horror-riffic romcom about a goblin-mode girl, toenail cryptids &amp; a shared compost bin.🌿 This one goes out to all the desperate Millennial renter
1110s~😘</p>
1111
1112<p><strong><a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/fm/fiction/children-of-earth/">Read (or listen) free online here.</a></strong></p>
1113
1114<h4 id="2-castoffs">2. Castoffs</h4>
1115
1116<p>2,000 words in THERE’S NO PLACE (Renaissance Press, October 2023)</p>
1117
1118<p>A washed-up rockstar searches for home, hope &amp; escape from fae-cursed hunger amidst the wreckage of the career she stole from under the hill and over the sea.</p>
1119
1120<p>My entry in this Canadian small press anthology on housing insecurity/homelessness is an alternate/experimental retelling of “A Song of Dark Things” and the upcoming SONGSTRESS WIP, which mash up Scottish Folklore “The Fiddlers of Tomnahurich” “Thomas the Rhymer” &amp; “Tam Lin” with end stage capitalism, artistic angst &amp; female rage.</p>
1121
1122<p>The full <a href="https://renaissance-107765.square.site/product/ebook-there-s-no-place/239?cp=true&amp;sa=false&amp;sbp=false&amp;q=false&amp;category_id=4">ebook</a>/<a href="https://renaissance-107765.square.site/product/there-s-no-place/238">paperback</a> just launched, but <strong>send me a message at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c9a2a8a0acbebba0bdacba89aea4a8a0a5e7aaa6a4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2348424a4654514a57465063444e424a4f0d404c4e">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> to request a review copy</strong> of the story.</p>
1123
1124<h4 id="3-spectres-of-the-old-world-micro-trilogy">3. Spectres of the Old World “Micro-Trilogy”</h4>
1125
1126<p>A fast-paced, time-skip NA/YA Dystopian Fantasy of loss, destiny &amp; inter-generational trauma in an eco-punk, post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters. Spinoff of/parallel timeline to the THREADS OF DREAMS series.</p>
1127
1128<p>This “micro-trilogy” of novelettes adds up to a novella (28,000 words) and is <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP25PFY">free to read in KU</a> or <strong>send me a message at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f59e949c9082879c819086b59298949c99db969a98"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="553e343c3022273c213026153238343c397b363a38">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> to request a review copy</strong>.</p>
1129
1130<h3 id="general-information">General Information:</h3>
1131
1132<p>All releases lean more fantasy than horror (but generally crossover with dark fantasy/gothic or weird horror). “Children of Earth” and “Spectres” include SF elements. “Children of Earth” is the most accessible (&amp; fun) of the lot, while also having the most body horror. (Funny how that works . . .) Wordcounts are given for each. I’m Canadian, so all works are eligible for the Auroras, as well as speculative awards like the Nebulas &amp; Hugos (&amp; Stoker? IDK if any are horror <em>enough</em> this year . . .) My work is NOT eligible for the Ignyte awards. Thanks for checking them out! :)</p>
1133
1134<p>That’s it for new releases from me this year (unless there are any late-breaking surprises👀) BUT you can find everything existing &amp; announced on this site under the Available Now &amp; Coming Soon sections of the home page—already three short pieces under contract or accepted for next year, with Submission Grinder stats looking promising for another few in short order~</p>
1135
1136<p>As a general recap, it’s been a weird year. Some high points—lots of new milestones in terms of short fiction publishing, speaking, etc.—but also it’s getting harder to stay focused and keep moving forward as the rest of the world unravels in spectacular fashion around us. So, yeah, no new novels this year! Better luck next year . . .😅</p>
1137
1138<p><img src="2023AwardsEligibility.jpg" alt="" /></p>
1139<hr>
1140	  
1141	    	<a href="/news/2023/06/01/summer-news-roundup.html" title="Summer News Roundup"><h3>Summer News Roundup</h3></a>
1142	    	<span><p><small>01 Jun 2023</small></p></span>
1143	    	<table>
1144  <tbody>
1145    <tr>
1146      <td><a href="https://members.museum.bc.ca/public/event/details/87a6be19928b3e7de5fc25b5e7ba86287d209396/1" target="_blank"><img src="https://members.museum.bc.ca/cmfiles/8ad90682024fe441/event_logos/Collaborating_with_BC_Childrens_Authors_Illustrators_June_7_Webinar_(1).png" width="60%" /></a></td>
1147      <td><a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/1220812922777038849/1678228688/1500x500" width="60%" /></a></td>
1148      <td><a href="https://www.writeonbowen.com/kawiggins" target="_blank"><img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f02932_d3bb23b182cf4897b0bef2993d47433e~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_0,y_108,w_792,h_407/fill/w_950,h_488,al_c,lg_1,q_90,enc_auto/Artboard%201.png" width="60%" /> </a></td>
1149    </tr>
1150  </tbody>
1151</table>
1152
1153<p>It’s really turned into the year of workshops &amp; short fiction around here—not making as much progress on launching the next series (yes there are now multiples waiting in the wings . . .) as I’d like, because there’s just too much going on between the different author societies, festivals, magazines, etc., but it’s not a bad problem to have!</p>
1154
1155<p>Coming up in the calendar (full event postings in the appropriate section below):</p>
1156
1157<ul>
1158  <li>
1159    <p>“Collaborating with BC Children’s Authors &amp; Illustrators” webinar on Wednesday, June 7 from 12-1 pm for the <a href="https://members.museum.bc.ca/">BC Museums Association</a> (Update: <a href="https://museum.bc.ca/brain/bcma-webinar-collaborating-with-bc-childrens-authors-illustrators/">watch the replay here!</a> )</p>
1160  </li>
1161  <li>
1162    <p>“After ‘The End’: Building Brighter Futures in Apocalyptic, Dystopian &amp; Speculative YA” presentation as part of the 3-5 pm themed programming block “The Good, The Bad, and The Imaginary: Utopias and Dystopias in Speculative Fiction” on Frid
1162ay, June 23 at <a href="https://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/">(Re)Imagining Tomorrow: Agency and Possibility in Literature and Media for Children and Young Adults Graduate Student Conference in Children’s &amp; Young Adult Literature, Media &amp; Culture</a> hosted by University of British Columbia Master’s of Arts in Children’s Literature &amp; iSchool in Vancouver. (Update: <a href="http://blogs.ubc.ca/reimaginingtomorrow2023/files/2023/06/2023-MACL-CONFERENCE-PROGRAM.pdf">Read the program</a>, <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/657277273017">register</a>, check out the <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jszfVbhefVtGx37GN8RgpZSAnFwiLeGIIZt9XRQxbso/edit?usp=sharing">official slide deck with notes/reference links</a>, and <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1k3DdaMyvgZRFxczIBRzWqNM7JHER57_W_eJMgDhk14k/edit?usp=sharing">check out the extended edition slide deck here</a> for bonus content covering additional themes and topics!) )</p>
1163  </li>
1164  <li>
1165    <p>“Choosing a Publishing Path” workshop on Sunday, September 17 from 2-4 pm at <a href="https://www.writeonbowen.com/kawiggins">Write on Bowen Festival of Readers &amp; Writers</a> on Bowen Island</p>
1166  </li>
1167  <li>
1168    <p>“Read Local, Teach Local: New Releases by BC Authors &amp; Illustrators!” on Friday, October 20 from 9-9:45 am at <a href="https://www.bctlaconference.ca/">BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association Fall Conference</a> at Kwantlen Park Secondary School, Surrey, BC</p>
1169  </li>
1170</ul>
1171
1172<p>And I’ll likely also be at Word Vancouver in September on Saturdays. Events earlier this year included presentations to the BC Librarians’ Youth Services Institute, Word Vancouver, and Abbotsford Arts Council, along with my usual Creative Writing for Children term-length workshops.</p>
1173
1174<p>In short fiction, “Children of Earth” was published (in both text and audio formats) in the April edition of Fantasy Magazine (and longlisted in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize), a spinoff “micro-trilogy” of novelettes, <em>Spectres of the Old World</em>, was published from January to February, two new short stories were accepted to a HWA-qualifying podcast and a SFWA-qualifying small press anthology and a third short was award awarded honourable mention in the Writers of the Future awards.</p>
1175
1176<p>My latest attempt at restocking my short story folder is going poorly—a really fun high fantasy concept absolutely ran away with the wordcount and is stubbornly turning into yet another novel (or new series), so at some point you all can look forward to a deluge of new releases. Another part of the holdup is that there has been a bit of traditional/legacy publishing interest in some of these works in progress. I like to use Twitter “pitch parties” to practice writing hooks and test market interest/create buzz, and happened to get an (agent) full request on CAVE STORY WIP (a MG Ghost Story) and interest from a (Harlequin romantic suspense?!!) editor on SONGSTRESS WIP (a Fae murder mystery/UF), so it’ll take a bit of time to chase down those leads and see if they’re worth pursuing further.</p>
1177
1178<p>All that said, I’m hoping there’ll be a bit of a slowdown over summer (though there is the possibility of some summer camp workshops . . . and maybe I should actually see my family at some point . . . ?) and ideally I might have a bit of time to get back into revisions/release planning/drafting on at least one (or all three!) of the novels on the go. I’m definitely not up to Kelley Armstrong/Seanan McGuire levels of productivity here, but it’d be cool to have a major release year with a whole bunch of fun reads all at once! Something to look forward to. :)</p>
1179<hr>
1180	  
1181	    	<a href="/news/2023/04/28/read-local-cwill-bc-2023-spring-preview.html" title="Read Local! CWILL BC 2023 Spring Preview"><h3>Read Local! CWILL BC 2023 Spring Preview</h3></a>
1182	    	<span><p><small>28 Apr 2023</small></p></span>
1183	    	<p>Special thanks to The British Columbia Library Association Young Adults and Children’s Section (YAACS) for the opportunity to pop into their 2023 Youth Services Institute day for a lightning talk!</p>
1184
1185<p>Watch the replay for a sneak peek at some of the 2023 new and upcoming BC kidlit releases we’re most excited for at <a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2023/04/24/read-local-2023-spring-preview/">CWILL BC</a>, along with a quick overview of bringing BC kidlit authors, illustrators &amp; books into libraries, schools and institutions!</p>
1186
1187<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GG7JFEBheY4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
1188<hr>
1189	  
1190	    	<a href="/news/2023/04/11/fantasy-magazine.html" title="Fantasy Magazine"><h3>Fantasy Magazine</h3></a>
1191	    	<span><p><small>11 Apr 2023</small></p></span>
1192	    	<p>Incredibly proud and excited to share “Children of Earth” with the world. 🎉</p>
1193
1194<p>Eco-anxiety takes on a life of its own 😏 in this laugh-out-loud climate fiction-meets-body horror-meets-rom com about the dangers of lusting after your neighbour(‘s laneway house) &amp; the pursuit of eco-sainthood in Issue 90 (April 2023) of Fantasy Magazine.</p>
1195
1196<p>It features a goblin-mode Millennial, toenail cryptids, and a shared compost bin.</p>
1197
1198<p>You can <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/fm/fiction/children-of-earth/">read it (or listen to the podcast/audiobook version) for free online</a>, <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/april-2023-issue-90/">buy the whole brilliant💅 April edition as an ebook for just $2.99</a>, or <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/subscribe/">subscribe for even more fantastic speculative lit for under $24/year</a>!</p>
1199
1200<p>And don’t miss my <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/fm/non-fiction/author-spotlights/author-spotlight-k-a-wiggins/">author spotlight</a> with Fantasy Magazine co-editor-in-chief Christie Yant while you’re there.</p>
1201
1202<p>Podcast/audiobook version narrated by Judy Young. Longlisted in the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Honourable Mention in the 2022 Writers of the Future Awards.</p>
1203
1204<p>With thanks to Arley Sorg at Fantasy Magazine for hands-down the best editing experience I’ve ever had, Dean Wesley Smith at WMG Publishing/Pulp
1204house Fiction Magazine for the killer workshop that spawned this monstrosity, and Rebecca Schaeffer’s MARKET OF MONSTERS series for the twisted inspo (&amp; Mirella’s name).</p>
1205
1206<p>And it’s kinda a deep cut, but for anyone who’s curious (mild spoiler alert? IDK?🤷), the thing Mirella orders to deal with her little problem was totally inspired by a Lomi machine, so if you guessed that, congrats. 😂</p>
1207<hr>
1208	  
1209	    	<a href="/news/2023/03/30/zombie-sub.html" title="The Astonishing Case of the Zombie Sub"><h3>The Astonishing Case of the Zombie Sub</h3></a>
1210	    	<span><p><small>30 Mar 2023</small></p></span>
1211	    	<p>I’ve got some amazing news, but first: a quick heads-up on a super short #IndieApril Sale April 1-3 at <a href="https://promotions.narratess.com/">Narratess</a>!</p>
1212
1213<p>And, in other news, I’m excited to have just been accepted into The Writers’ Union of Canada! Check out my <a href="https://writersunion.ca/member/KA-Wiggins">new speaker’s profile here</a>. I’ll be eligible for funding going forward under the Ontario Writers-In-The-Schools and the National Public Readings programs, so schools and organizations interested in booking an author visit, presentation, or workshop, please get in touch!</p>
1214
1215<p>And finally, the contract isn’t actually signed yet, but I’ve just had an offer on a short story I never thought would actually find a home, so buckle up for . . .</p>
1216
1217<h3 id="the-astonishing-case-of-the-zombie-sub">The Astonishing Case of the Zombie Sub</h3>
1218
1219<p>If you’ve ever tried to create something, you’ve probably realized in pretty short order that a gap (ahem: yawning chasm, void, black hole, unscalable cliff of doom) exists between what you envision and what you’re able to create.</p>
1220
1221<p>This is true regardless of the form your creation takes and, to some extent, regardless of skill level, experience, talent, etc.</p>
1222
1223<p>That’s not to say that you can’t get better at narrowing the gap. A baby artist takes time to gain mastery over her tools. But even a master has that final thread of uncrossable, unscalable, ineffable <em>something more</em> to keep her awake at night.</p>
1224
1225<p>Every story is, at some level, a battle to translate as clearly and completely that perfect, unattainable vision into imperfect words on a page.</p>
1226
1227<p><strong>Case in point: in 2019 I set out to capture an idea about a girl who chose to silence herself in order to win her heart’s desire.</strong></p>
1228
1229<p>It was loosely inspired by Scottish folklore—<em>Thomas the Rhymer</em>, cursed to speak only the truth, <em>The Fiddlers of Tomnahurich</em>, lost from their own time and stranded in a future they didn’t choose or understand, <em>Tam Lin</em>, stolen away by the queen of fairies, or maybe the stealer of virtue himself, destined for sacrifice—and set in a remote corner of modern Scotland where slow decline and struggle for survival roils beneath an idyllic tourism-oriented veneer.</p>
1230
1231<p>My first attempt was the lyrical, folkloric “A Song of Dark Things,” a longish short story that sold immediately to <em>Unknown Realms: A Fiction-Atlas Press Anthology</em>.</p>
1232
1233<p>But it didn’t fully capture the depth of what I wanted, the underlying motivation and tension. So I tried again. And again.</p>
1234
1235<p>The third attempt was something new, something vital and alive and completely different from anything I’d written before. It switches perspectives, introducing an outsider’s view and voice, along with a whole new set of problems and possibilities. And it ended up being the start of something far bigger than I could finish back in 2019. You’ll get a look at it one of these days—it’s now the first chapter in the series I’ve been referring to as Songstress WIP.</p>
1236
1237<p>But let’s circle back to that second attempt. The weirdest one in the Songstress triptych of tales about fae and rockstars and tricksters breaking barbed promises.</p>
1238
1239<p><strong>“Calloused” was the shortest, strangest, most difficult story of the three by far.</strong></p>
1240
1241<p>It jitters between past and present from one scene to the next. It’s entirely narrated, the “action” hinging on quiet, fierce interiority of purpose. While it racked up its share of wonderfully encouraging comments (and took a Silver Honourable Mention in the Writers of the Future Awards last year), it was rejected so many times (59!) that I’d put it through over a dozen revisions and finally resigned myself to releasing it as a subscriber exclusive, or maybe as a launch bonus, when a submission I’d thought was dead came back to life.</p>
1242
1243<p>This is not an Easter metaphor in disguise, in case you were worried. Short fiction submissions usually have a projected response time. When you don’t hear back by that point, you can contact them for an update or assume (as I generally do) that they’ve either run out of time/money/interest, lost your work, folded, hated what you wrote, and/or all of the above. In this case, the zombie sub popped back up with a vengeance.</p>
1244
1245<p>The contract isn’t actually signed and there’s always the possibility of things falling apart in negotiations, so I’m not going to share the market yet, but I’m excited—at this point, astonished—to announce that a Canadian small press has accepted “Calloused” for a pro-rate themed anthology this fall.</p>
1246
1247<p>
1247So this is a tale about persistence, and not self-rejecting, and putting weird stuff out into the world, and keeping at it whittling away at that gap between the thing you want to create and what you’re able to create. You never know what will happen. ^_^;</p>
1248<hr>
1249	  
1250	    	<a href="/news/2023/01/25/WRAD2023-plus-a-not-announcement.html" title="WRAD2023 Plus A Not-Announcement"><h3>WRAD2023 Plus A Not-Announcement</h3></a>
1251	    	<span><p><small>25 Jan 2023</small></p></span>
1252	    	<p>Shoutout to the awesome team at <a href="https://wordvancouver.ca/">Word Vancouver</a> for the invitation to host their in-person World Read Aloud Day event this year!</p>
1253
1254<p>I’ll be chatting with <a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/">CWILL BC</a> member and recent debut Emily Seo as she presents a reading from her 2022 middle grade novel <em>The Science of Boys</em> and demonstrates some live science.</p>
1255
1256<p>Local schools will be joining us for this celebration of reading aloud at Surrey Library Central City Branch from 10-11 am on February 1, 2023.</p>
1257
1258<p>I do also still have availability open on the afternoon of Feb. 1 for schools or libraries who want to book a short, free virtual reading (or, locally, live reading).</p>
1259
1260<p>In other news, I’m very excited to not-yet-officially be able to announce my first audio adaptation has been licensed! <em>Hollow</em> will be coming to a horror podcast near you in the not-so-distant future.</p>
1261
1262<p>The market has requested the official announcement wait until the story goes live, so all I can really say now is that it’s an eerie, Twilight-zone-esque short story inspired by Hollywood North, a Horror Writers of America-qualifying sale, audio-only (first print rights still available), and despite the horror label, suitable for all ages.</p>
1263
1264<p>And, as a word of encouragement for the writers out there: don’t self reject! Getting into this market felt like a real stretch to me, the story is kind of a different direction from my usual (more “straight horror” than cross-genre? But not actually <em>that</em> scary? More unsettling/chilling than gory or bloody?), and I’d very nearly retired it from my submissions rotation when the license request came through on a long-dormant sub. You never know what will connect and with whom!</p>
1265
1266<p>Looking forward to seeing how they interpret this story to audio—so many fun opportunities with the sound design. Will keep you posted when it goes public!</p>
1267<hr>
1268	  
1269	    	<a href="/news/2023/01/10/want-to-write-a-book-with-me.html" title="Want to Write a Book With Me?"><h3>Want to Write a Book With Me?</h3></a>
1270	    	<span><p><small>10 Jan 2023</small></p></span>
1271	    	<p><strong>Need a plan to tackle that “finally write my book” New Year’s Resolution?</strong></p>
1272
1273<p>Find yourself typing “the end” faster (or maybe for the first time ever!) with a structured, supportive 20-week (term-length) workshop starting January 28 (9 am for adults, 10:30 am for kids) on Zoom.</p>
1274
1275<p>Each weekly workshop includes live, interactive access over Zoom with short writing exercises and presentations on creative writing, storytelling, plotting &amp; publishing, slide and video archives (for later review and/or if you miss a week), office hours, + individual feedback on up to 20 pages each week.</p>
1276
1277<p>These workshops are best suited for kids, teens, and adults looking for step-by-step guidance, accountability, and encouragement in starting (and finishing!) the first draft of a (fiction or narrative nonfiction) book.</p>
1278
1279<p>Class sizes are small due to the amount of individual attention, so don’t miss your chance to join!</p>
1280
1281<p><a href="https://mailchi.mp/b859745a22e4/spring-2023-workshops"><strong>Learn more &amp; apply now!</strong></a></p>
1282<hr>
1283	  
1284	    	<a href="/news/2023/01/08/birth-of-a-micro-trilogy.html" title="Birth of a Micro-trilogy"><h3>Birth of a Micro-trilogy</h3></a>
1285	    	<span><p><small>08 Jan 2023</small></p></span>
1286	    	<p><strong>Escape the past. Save the girl. Take back the future.</strong></p>
1287
1288<p>A century after Dreamfall scorched the earth and woke its merciless protectors, Spectre squad’s first unsupervised mission is boring as dirt. After all, they’re dream walkers—ecologists and healers, not soldiers.</p>
1289
1290<p>But when second-in-command Ghost saves a strange girl from sea monsters, they stumble across a secret that shatters the foundations of their society and will change all their lives—if they survive to tell the tale.</p>
1291
1292<p><strong>The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of one boy desperate to escape his destiny.</strong></p>
1293
1294<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP25PFY"><strong>Spectres of the Old World Part 1: Mud Monsters &amp; Revelations</strong></a> is a fast-paced YA Dystopian Fantasy of loss, destiny, and inter-generational trauma in an eco-punk, post-apocalyptic world overrun by monsters.</p>
1295
1296<p>This novelette-length adventure ends in a mild cliffhanger and kicks off a three-part YA Dystopian/Post-Apocalyptic Romance “micro-trilogy” in the same world (parallel timeline) as the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> trilogy (featuring “Ash” as the crossover protagonist.) <em>Spectres of the Old World</em> stories can be read as a standalone series or, due to spoilers, following <em>Burn the Skies</em>
1296.</p>
1297
1298<p>Spectres of the Old World are Kindle Unlimited (Amazon) exclusive releases:</p>
1299
1300<table>
1301  <tbody>
1302    <tr>
1303      <td>**<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP25PFY">Part 1: Mud Monsters &amp; Revelations</a></td>
1304      <td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRPMV6NV">Part 2: Rattlesnakes &amp; Nightmares (23/01/24</a></td>
1305      <td><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRP5Z13S">Part 3: Sedition &amp; Sea Monsters (23/02/06)</a>**</td>
1306    </tr>
1307  </tbody>
1308</table>
1309
1310<p>_</p>
1311
1312<p>. . . Which begs the question <em>“what is a micro-trilogy?”</em></p>
1313
1314<p>When I relaunched the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series in 2021 with the fifth-anniversary edition covers, I missed two titles: <em>Under</em> and <em>Spectres of the Old World</em></p>
1315
1316<p><em>Under</em> was launched in 2019 as <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">an exclusive novella release for my newsletter subscribers and is still available as a free download</a>. (I’m working on a small glow-up and planning a wide release for later this year.)</p>
1317
1318<p><em>Spectres</em> is brand new. The only completely new release in the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> extended story world since <em>Burn the Skies</em> wrapped up the main trilogy in 2020.</p>
1319
1320<p>I actually wrote <em>Spectres</em> a couple years ago and . . . just didn’t find the right moment to release it.</p>
1321
1322<p>Or maybe knew, at some level, that it wasn’t quite finished.</p>
1323
1324<p>Because it started as a short story that turned into a long short story—a novelette. And then hit a time-skip and turned into <em>another</em> novelette. And hopped past another chunk of time into the unwritten future of Cole and Ash and the gang where, you guessed it, another whole novelette’s-worth of adventures unfolded themselves.</p>
1325
1326<p>So I had a novella’s-worth of story on my hands, split into three roughly-even parts, two of which ended on mild cliffhangers, the second darker than the first . . .</p>
1327
1328<p>Sounds awfully like your classic three-act structure—<em>or a fantasy trilogy</em>.</p>
1329
1330<p>At the same time, I’d been meaning to play rapid release strategies and KU. So this is a bit of an experiment, allowing the story to follow it’s own natural structure while giving readers an episodic mini-series sort of reading experience. Hopefully it’s fun! And, at some point in the future, I’ll probably pull <em>Spectres</em> from KU and give it a more standard wide-release in novella form. :)</p>
1331<hr>
1332	  
1333	    	<a href="/news/2022/12/16/achievement-unlocked.html" title="Achievement Unlocked!"><h3>Achievement Unlocked!</h3></a>
1334	    	<span><p><small>16 Dec 2022</small></p></span>
1335	    	<p>Very excited to sneak some (slightly nerdy?) author news in before the end of the year: <strong><a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/"><em>Fantasy Magazine</em></a> just licensed first English world rights to “Children of Earth”(!!!)</strong></p>
1336
1337<p>Skip this next bit if you’re not into geeky publishing insider talk, but: this news is kind of a big deal because, for writers, short fiction markets operate on a scale from “for the love” (unpaid/for exposure) through various token (small money) and semi-pro rates (little bit more money) up to “pro-market” rates. While I love every story I’ve put out into the world and support and appreciate every publisher and market that I’ve worked with, <em>Fantasy Magazine</em> is my first “pro-market” sale. In real terms, it means (a little) more money, the potential for more exposure and recognition, and it’s also a qualifying step toward membership in professional organizations like the Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy Writers Association. So it’s a real milestone!</p>
1338
1339<p>There’s a bit of fun backstory to how this all came about. <a href="https://kriswrites.com/">Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s weekly business-for-writers blog</a> is a must-read for anyone in publishing or thinking about/moving toward publishing, and her weekly free short stories were also instrumental in nudging me (back) into writing short fiction. She’s an amazing, prolific writer with enormous range, who just so happens to be married to another amazing writer, Dean Wesley Smith. Together, they own <a href="">WMG Publishing</a>. Which, in addition to putting out great books, does some really fun stuff in terms of Kickstarter projects &amp; author education workshops. (One of my “when I grow up” big deal/pro author dreams is to actually do a workshop with them in person one day when I have the money/time, lol.) Definitely recommend their online or live workshops 
1339if you’re able/interested. In the meantime, I sneak in the occasional virtual workshop when I can.</p>
1340
1341<p>In Fall 2021, I did a virtual workshop with WMG Publishing called “Writing a Pulphouse Story.” <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/"><em>Pulphouse Fiction Magazine</em></a> is a cross-genre quarterly that publishes “strange” lit. I’d already written “Castoffs” (the body-horror meets humour short story in <a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream"><em>It Was Only A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</em></a>) by then, so I thought it might be my kind of thing. I blew it so hard on the week 1 assignment. Week 2 wasn’t great either. But for week 3, I wrote “Children of Earth.” Dean, who edits <em>Pulphouse</em>, offered to buy it for the magazine. Which was amazing. But, even better, he said I could shop it around first &amp; he’d still be interested in reprint rights. Solid dude. So I entered it in the Writers of the Future contest and (for the first time) placed, with an honourable mention in Q1 of this year (I later received a silver honourable mention in Q3 on a different short story that I’m still shopping around).</p>
1342
1343<p>Anyway, a big shoutout goes out to Dean Wesley Smith of <a href="https://pulphousemagazine.com/"><em>Pulphouse</em></a>, <a href="https://smithsmonthly.com/"><em>Smith’s Monthly</em></a> &amp; <a href="https://wmgpublishinginc.com/">WMG Publishing</a> for pushing me to get as unhinged as possible and not edit my voice into oblivion before submitting. I also just so happened to be reading Rebecca Schaeffer’s (fantastic, twisted, dark, violent, complex) <em>Market of Monsters</em> series when I wrote “Children of Earth.” So the viewpoint character, “Mirella,” is an homage to Schaeffer’s series, and I suspect the body horror aspect owes a debt to her series as well. A true CanLit horror queen~</p>
1344
1345<p>Finally, I don’t actually know the launch date or which edition of <em>Fantasy Magazine</em> the story will drop in yet, but I’ll be sure to shout about it when it does. One of the cool things (among so, so many) about placing a story with them is you all get to read it for free when it comes out! They also sell <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/store/">digital (only) subscriptions</a> if you prefer ebook format, want to support the fantastic work they do, or are looking for a unique gift idea for a fantasy lover in your life.</p>
1346
1347<p>So, if you loved “Castoffs” in <a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream"><em>It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</em> (Hungry Shadow Press, 2022)</a> but thought it could’ve used more body horror, MORE eco-anxiety and a dash of romance, keep your eyes peeled for “Children of Earth” coming soon from <a href="https://www.fantasy-magazine.com/"><em>Fantasy Magazine</em></a>!</p>
1348<hr>
1349	  
1350	    	<a href="/news/2022/11/28/fall-2022.html" title="Fall 2022"><h3>Fall 2022</h3></a>
1351	    	<span><p><small>28 Nov 2022</small></p></span>
1352	    	<p>Yet again I’m waaay behind with updates (join my Twitter or newsletter if you want news while it’s still news, I guess), but here’s some of the cool stuff that’s been going on:</p>
1353
1354<p><img src="/blog-banners2.jpg" style="max-width:95%;" /></p>
1355
1356<p>Congrats to CWILL BC Nikki Bergstresser, who just took home the Literary Arts Award in front of a sold-out crowd at the Abbotsford Arts Council’s 18th Annual Arty Awards. As last year’s recipient, I was honoured to have the opportunity to present. :D</p>
1357
1358<p><img src="/blog-banners1.jpg" style="max-width:95%;" /></p>
1359
1360<p>BC Teacher-Librarians’ Conference was a blast! I had a great time presenting (over 50!) new releases by BC authors and illustrators of books for kids and talking about collaboration opportunities between school librarians and local authors. CWILL BC will plan on making this an annual event going forward. Word Vancouver Festival was also super fun, with two jam-packed live days plus the virtual/school presentation programming to moderate.</p>
1361
1362<p>It’s also been a strong year for short fiction:</p>
1363
1364<ul>
1365  <li>
1366    <p>
1366CASTOFFS in <em>It Was Only A Dream: Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</em> (Hungry Shadow Press, 2022) has done amazing. Cannot believe how much buzz this antho has got!</p>
1367  </li>
1368  <li>
1369    <p>THE UNSOUGHT LIGHT was licensed to be reprinted in <em>Seasons Unceasing</em> (Worldsmyths Publishing, 2022) and is 2/3 of the way through edits, scheduled for re-release before the end of the year</p>
1370  </li>
1371  <li>
1372    <p>A pre-published speculative short, CALLOUSED, recieved Silver Honourable Mention in Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Q3</p>
1373  </li>
1374  <li>
1375    <p>A pre-published speculative short, CHILDREN OF EARTH, recieved Honourable Mention in Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Q1 and has been shortlisted in a keystone speculative professional market</p>
1376  </li>
1377</ul>
1378
1379<p>On that note, longer releases will be the focus for 2023, including a new novella and a novella rerelease in the Threads of Dreams series, a spooky middle grade/junior teen novel, and a new adult speculative series. And it looks like my spring creative writing workshop will be mostly middle schoolers, which is going to be super fun. Can’t wait!</p>
1380
1381<p>Finally, World Read Aloud Day is coming up. I’m happy to volunteer a short reading from an upcoming middle grade novel, YA novels, or short fiction, or from works that inspired me for interested classrooms ranging from grade four through high school. Shoot me a message at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94fff5fdf1e3e6fde0f1e7d4f3f9f5fdf8baf7fbf9">[email&#160;protected]</a> to book a free 10-20 minute reading + author visit on February 1, 2022!</p>
1382<hr>
1383	  
1384	    	<a href="/news/2022/09/12/the-horror-anthology-of-2022.html" title="The Horror Anthology of 2022"><h3>The Horror Anthology of 2022</h3></a>
1385	    	<span><p><small>12 Sep 2022</small></p></span>
1386	    	<h1 id="preorders-are-open">Preorders Are Open!</h1>
1387
1388<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch40jJGO-5U/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch40jJGO-5U/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 5
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1389
1390
1391<p>I’ve just seen the print proofs for <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream" target="_blank">It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right</a></strong> and this is one you won’t want to miss!</p>
1392
1393<p>The star-studded lineup alone makes it one of the most exciting anthologies of Spooky Season 2022(TM), but the creepy/schlocky, retro-horror-movie black-and-white interior illustrations for each story make this not only an incredible read for horror lovers, but a real show-stopper for your shelves.</p>
1394
1395<p>Swing by the publisher’s site to <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream" target="_blank">grab your copy</a></strong> (drops October 18, 2022/preorders open now).</p>
1396
1397<p>Brandon at Hungry Shadow Press has really been working overtime making this an exciting launch. Here’s a bunch of us chatting horror and weird fiction on <strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMAmXyUKWbo" target="_blank">Bonehead Weekly’s Show</a></strong> and <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/news" target="_blank">watch this space</a></strong> for art reveals and interviews with many of the authors about their inspiration and insights into each trope-story pairing (mine drops October 12!)</p>
1398
1399<p>Content note: while I write for middle grade, young adult, and all-ages audiences and my story in this anthology is suitable for my regular audience, the anthology as a whole is recommended for adult horror fans.</p>
1400
1401<p>Speaking of my weird-horror-humour short in this anthology, “Castoffs”, it went through five versions and amassed almost 40 rejections before finding its home (all it takes is one ‘yes’—hang in there, writers!)</p>
1402
1403<p>Here are some of my favourite rejection notes:</p>
1404
1405<ul>
1406  <li>
1407    <p>“This is extravagantly bizarre, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The “deal with the devil” scenario has been done so often that it’s difficult to make that scenario seem new and imaginative, but you manage to do just that. The mixture of lavish, mouth-watering food descriptions with the macabre scenario and the pound of flesh is equal parts tantalizing and perverse—I love it. Best of luck getting this published.”</p>
1408  </li>
1409  <li>
1410    <p>“It was funny – truly. Referring to the female character as dinner was hilarious (…) The journey of the demon putting out the candles is nice – especially because the candle names and scents themselves evoke an aura of middle-class blandness that becomes vivid for the reader. We also thought the bit about the publishing contract would resonate with many. The end was hilarious. Both characters ending up happy is rare and added much humour to the piece.”</p>
1411  </li>
1412  <li>
1413    <p>“Fun in its own insane, visceral way.”</p>
1414  </li>
1415</ul>
1416
1417<p>And from Hungry Shadow Press’s very own Brandon Applegate: “It’s exactly the kind of bonkers, inside-baseball, disgustingly great spin on a well worn trope I was looking for when I started putting this together.”</p>
1418
1419<p>Don’t miss this insane, funny, and somehow happy (?!) gross-out horror comedy and a truly awesome linup of other horror stories! Preorder now at <strong><a href="https://www.hungryshadowpress.com/it-was-all-a-dream" target="_blank">hungryshadowpress.com</a></strong></p>
1420<hr>
1421	  
1422	    	<a href="/news/2022/06/27/awards-news.html" title="Awards News!"><h3>Awards News!</h3></a>
1423	    	<span><p><small>27 Jun 2022</small></p></span>
1424	    	<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🎉New Badge Unlocked🎉<br /><br />Blind the Eyes was shortlisted in the Whistler Independent Book Awards!<br /><br />This is a fun one, since it&#39;s the first book award in my own backyard, so to speak. Also, very competitive, with a huge pool of entrants, so I&#39;m honoured (and a little shocked)!😱🖤 <a href="https://t.co/qi49OH8Kii">pic.twitter.com/qi49OH8Kii</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins is celebrating 5 years of publishing! (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1541536284098801664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
1425<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1425
1426
1427<hr>
1428	  
1429	    	<a href="/news/2022/05/26/celebrating-five-years.html" title="Celebrating Five Years"><h3>Celebrating Five Years</h3></a>
1430	    	<span><p><small>26 May 2022</small></p></span>
1431	    	<p>My debut novel, <em>Blind the Eyes</em>, dropped June 1, 2018. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of a ride ever since. Some things I’d hoped for never turned out; other things I’d never even dreamed of came out of the woodwork.</p>
1432
1433<p>I’d planned to mark the occasion with something small—a new cover for Under, my subscriber-exclusive series prequel novella. Maybe a little giveaway.</p>
1434
1435<p>But the redesign looked so awesome, I couldn’t help myself:</p>
1436
1437<p><img src="/ToD Banners.gif" style="width: 95%" /></p>
1438
1439<p>So, yeah, buckle up for a complete series relaunch:</p>
1440
1441<ul>
1442  <li>A brand-new trilogy collection “box set” ebook drops June 1. (<a href="https://books2read.com/threadsofdreams">Get the collection here</a>)</li>
1443  <li>The new edition of <em>Blind the Eyes</em> launches the same day. (<a href="https://books2read.com/thread1">Get the new BTE edition here.</a>)</li>
1444  <li><em>Black the Tides</em> is scheduled for July 6. (<a href="https://books2read.com/thread2">Preorder here.</a>)</li>
1445  <li><em>Burn the Skies</em> will relaunch in August (Links coming soon.)</li>
1446  <li>and the short fiction titles will hit stores throughout the fall (but newsletter subscribers can grab their copies now!) (<a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">Subscribe here.</a>)</li>
1447</ul>
1448
1449<p>Thanks for your patience as I work through these updates—pages and links might be a little wonky in the transition (and the reason everything doesn’t drop June 1 is there’s a ton of work on the backend to get all the pieces in play.)</p>
1450
1451<p>Also, don’t miss the giveaway!</p>
1452
1453<h3 id="enter-to-win">Enter to Win!</h3>
1454
1455<iframe src="https://pskd66.sociamonials.com/5th-anniversary-celebration-paperback-giveaway/c17906/" class="sm_iframe_main" width="517" height="500" frameborder="0"></iframe>
1456<script type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript" src="https://pskd66.sociamonials.com/campaign/js/smiframwidget.js"></script>
1456
1457
1458<hr>
1459	  
1460	    	<a href="/news/2022/05/15/surprise-toc-announcement.html" title="Surprise TOC Announcement"><h3>Surprise TOC Announcement</h3></a>
1461	    	<span><p><small>15 May 2022</small></p></span>
1462	    	<h1 id="check-out-this-star-studded-line-up">Check out this star-studded line up!</h1>
1463
1464<p>The results are in from the Writers of the Future awards (which is HUGE). <a href="https://www.writersofthefuture.com/writers-of-the-future-1st-quarter-winners-announced-for-volume-39/">Children of Earth got an honourable mention!</a></p>
1465
1466<p>But that nice little accolade is overshadowed by the sudden and star-studded Table of Contents drop of It Was All A Dream: An Anthology of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right:</p>
1467
1468<p><a href="" target="_blank"><img src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61168d1023351869e9565752/bac27e7c-d808-4180-a868-ba232d6c7a24/toc-announcement.png?format=2500w" style="width: 95%" /></a></p>
1469
1470<p><em>Art by <a href="https://linktr.ee/evangelinegallagher">Evangeline Gallagher</a></em></p>
1471
1472<p>Why, yes, that <em>is</em> THE Wendy N. Wagner’s name just above mine! AND Gabino Iglesias to the left of hers! In fact, please, go ahead and just take a moment to absorb that fantastic lineup!</p>
1473
1474<p>No release date yet because the publisher is commissioning interior artwork for the stories, but I’ll keep you posted.</p>
1475
1476<p>This is really exciting for me because my twisted little story, <em>Castoffs</em>, has been one of my most popular AND most rejected. It features both a “deal with a devil” trope and a rather insider writers joke, which has made it a really hard sell.</p>
1477
1478<p>But editors LOVE it. Here’s some of my favourite rejection notes:</p>
1479
1480<ul>
1481  <li>
1482    <p>“This is extravagantly bizarre, and I mean that as the highest compliment. The “deal with the devil” scenario has been done so often that it’s difficult to make that scenario seem new and imaginative, but you manage to do just that. The mixture of lavish, mouth-watering food descriptions with the macabre scenario and the pound of flesh is equal parts tantalizing and perverse—I love it. Best of luck getting this published.”</p>
1483  </li>
1484  <li>
1485    <p>“It was funny – truly. Referring to the female character as dinner was hilarious (…) The journey of the demon putting out the candles is nice – especially because the candle names and scents themselves evoke an aura of middle-class blandness that becomes vivid for the reader. We also thought the bit about the publishing contract would resonate with many. The end was hilarious. Both characters ending up happy is rare and added much humour to the piece.”</p>
1486  </li>
1487  <li>
1488    <p>“It’s fun in its own insane, visceral way.”</p>
1489  </li>
1490</ul>
1491
1492<p>And from Hungry Shadow Press’s very own Brandon Applegate: “It’s exactly the kind of bonkers, inside-baseball, disgustingly great spin on a well worn trope I was looking for when I started putting this together.” (!!) Seriously, just absolutely glowing over here! And can’t wait to see what else made it in (28 stories total~)</p>
1493
1494<p>So, look forward to this insane, funny, and somehow happy (?!) gross-out horror comedy and a truly awesome linup of other horror stories one day soon!</p>
1495<hr>
1496	  
1497	    	<a href="/news/2022/03/09/Award-Finalist.html" title="Award Finalist"><h3>Award Finalist</h3></a>
1498	    	<span><p><small>09 Mar 2022</small></p></span>
1499	    	<h3 id="update">Update:</h3>
1500
1501<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Big thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/ReaderViews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ReaderViews</a> (&amp; 🇨🇦indie eco-horror friend <a href="https://twitter.com/b_bellec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@b_bellec</a> for bringing these awards to my attention)🖤<br /><br />Score another one for the gothic(-dystopian) fantasy team—my original book baby just brought home another medal!🔥 <a href="https://t.co/ACY6U6fHoZ">pic.twitter.com/ACY6U6fHoZ</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins needs beta readers for Spooky MG 👻 (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1501656526401855488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
1502<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1502
1503
1504<h3 id="original-post-feb-28-2022">Original Post: Feb 28, 2022</h3>
1505
1506<p>So this just happened:</p>
1507<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BLIND THE EYES made the <a href="https://twitter.com/ReaderViews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ReaderViews</a> 2021-2022 Literary Awards finalists list!🔥<br /><br />Congrats to all finalists 🖤🖤🖤 <a href="https://t.co/6ejrlb9kDC">pic.twitter.com/6ejrlb9kDC</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins needs beta readers for Spooky MG 👻 (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1500228950538080256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2022</a></blockquote>
1508<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1508
1509
1510<hr>
1511	  
1512	    	<a href="/news/2022/02/24/Story-Studio.html" title="Story Studio"><h3>Story Studio</h3></a>
1513	    	<span><p><small>24 Feb 2022</small></p></span>
1514	    	<p>It’s been another few whirlwind months in writing land and, uh, the rest of the world, too. Wild times!</p>
1515
1516<p>Popping in today to say I’m excited to be leading a discussion on writing YA speculative (/fantasy) for the teen writers group of Story Studio tonight! I LOVE chatting with teen writers, and so rarely get the chance (so much programming is targeted for younger age groups, for some reason.)</p>
1517
1518<p>In the spirit of transparency, ease of access, and making life easier for all of us, here are my slides/notes: <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BVds0lJJfzqRygWDXpN2UHuvN-bgF40VQRBS7VeLuuM/edit?usp=sharing"><strong>Students, access slides/notes here!</strong></a></p>
1519
1520<p>If you’re not familiar with Story Studio, they’re a Victoria (BC)-based charity that provides free and low cost writing programming, resources, and contests for kids and teens across Canada. <a href="https://www.storystudio.ca/">Check out their site for all the awesome details!</a></p>
1521
1522<p>Also: I filmed a mini preview for TikTok if anyone’s interested in watching me be awkward on camera for three-ish minutes. :D</p>
1523
1524<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaatDV5gUDb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaatDV5gUDb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 5
152450.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/tv/CaatDV5gUDb/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote>
1525<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1525
1526
1527<p>In other news:</p>
1528
1529<ul>
1530  <li>
1531    <p>I’m teaching a term-length (remote) “novel”-writing workshop for kids in Korea this spring + a week long writing (remote) spring break writing “magic-house-sitting adventure” camp for kids in White Rock using Diana Wynne Jones’s <em>House of Many Ways</em> and now all I want to do is write about wizards and magical buildings . . .</p>
1532  </li>
1533  <li>
1534    <p>I’m speaking at the BC Library Association’s Youth Services divisions mini conference in April on collaborations between librarians and local children’s authors</p>
1535  </li>
1536  <li>
1537    <p>I’m chasing down some leads on behalf of CWILL BC around potentially creating books for kids with language-based learning difficulties</p>
1538  </li>
1539  <li>
1540    <p>I’ll be at the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable (VCLR)’s Mad Hatter Tea Party next month—<a href="https://www.vclr.ca/save-the-date/">join VCLR</a> to get in on this fun event for free!</p>
1541  </li>
1542  <li>
1543    <p>Cave Story WIP is coming along well in the sense that it’s fun, complete, and off to beta readers. Do I have time to revise and submit or set up for preorders? hahahAHAHAHahahahahaNo, but maybe one day . . .</p>
1544  </li>
1545</ul>
1546
1547<p>So, yeah, busy-busy-busy as usual, with more, very fun, upcoming news that I can’t quite share yet, but stay tuned!</p>
1548<hr>
1549	  
1550	    	<a href="/news/2021/10/29/Blog-Tour-NaNoWriMo.html" title="Blog Tour & NaNoWriMo"><h3>Blog Tour & NaNoWriMo</h3></a>
1551	    	<span><p><small>29 Oct 2021</small></p></span>
1552	    	<p>Just a quick heads-up on two new developments before I retreat into heavy-duty drafting mode!
1553<a href="https://www.ireadbooktours.com/blog---current-tours/spotlight-book-tour-blind-the-eyes-a-dystopian-gothic-ya-urban-fantasy-by-ka-wiggins" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.ireadbooktours.com/uploads/5/0/0/5/5005989/blind-the-eyes-tour-banner_orig.jpg" style="width:80%" /></a></p>
1554
1555<h3 id="1-blog-tour">1. Blog Tour</h3>
1556
1557<p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p>
1558
1559<p>You can enter the giveaway on any of those blogs or by clicking <a href="https://gleam.io/xMYhs/blind-the-eye-by-ka-wiggins-book-tour-giveaway">here</a> until 11:59 PM EST on Dec. 24, 2021.</p>
1560
1561<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A haunted teen outcast &amp; her snarky ghost outwit monsters, enforcers &amp; the scars of their stolen past in a race to expose a (un)deadly conspiracy in this award-winning <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/gothic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#gothic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Fantasy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Fantasy</a>👻💀✨<br /><br />Enter to win hardcover edition: <a href="https://t.co/MNGFprhrwt">https://t.co/MNGFprhrwt</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BookGiveaway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BookGiveaway</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BookTwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BookTwitter</a> <a href="https://t.co/jd9Uq0yZS7">pic.twitter.com/jd9Uq0yZS7</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins finished Spooky MG for #NaNoWriMo👻 (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1473412978858811394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2021</a></blockquote>
1562<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1562
1563
1564<p>And here come the blogs! I’ll link to the ones with custom content (guest blog or interview) below.</p>
1565
1566<ul>
1567  <li>Dec 20 – Bonus: Q&amp;A on <em>Humor in Books, and Other Places, Too!</em> at <a href="https://www.krrlockhaven.com/single-post/humor-in-books-and-other-places-too-an-interview-with-k-a-wiggins">K.R.R. Lockhaven</a></li>
1568  <li>Dec 17 – Interview at <a href="https://victoriazumbrumsreviews.blogspot.com/2021/12/blind-eyes-by-ka-wiggins-and-author.html">Girl with Pen</a></li>
1569  <li>Dec 15 – Guest post on <em>Horror, but make it Fantasy</em> at <a href="https://www.jazzybookreviews.com/2021/12/blind-eyes-by-ka-wiggins-book-tour.html">Jazzy Book Reviews</a></li>
1570  <li>Dec 14 – Interview at <a href="https://booksteahealthyme.home.blog/2021/12/14/author-interview-k-a-wiggins-author-of-blind-the-eyes/">Books, Tea, Healthy Me</a></li>
1571  <li>Dec 9 – Interview at <a href="https://ginaraemitchell.com/blind-the-eyes/">Gina Rae Mitchell</a></li>
1572  <li>Dec 9 – Interview at <a href="https://www.bookshelfscout.com/post/q-a-with-author-k-a-wiggins">The Bookshelf Scout</a></li>
1573  <li>Dec 7 – Guest post on <em>Read Spooky Not Scary!</em> at <a href="https://storeybookreviews.com/2021/12/guest-post-giveaway-blind-the-eyes/">StoreyBook Reviews</a></li>
1574  <li>Dec 6 – Guest post on <em>Designing the Future</em> at <a href="https://jenabaxterbooks.blogspot.com/2021/12/blind-eyes-dystopian-gothic-ya-urban.html">Character Madness and Musings</a></li>
1575  <li>Dec 2 – Guest post on <em>Chasing Nightmares</em> at <a href="https://www.westveilpublishing.com/?p=13119">Westveil Publishing</a></li>
1576  <li>Dec 1 – Interview at <a href="https://coverloverbookreview.blogspot.com/2021/12/giveaway-interview-blind-eyes.html">Cover Lover Book Review</a></li>
1577  <li>Nov 30 – Interview at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6GoyprbRm/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link">booking.with.janelle</a></li>
1578  <li>Nov 29 – Guest post on <em>Monsters, Towers, and Lost Girls</em> at <a href="https://www.givernyreads.com/2021/11/29/blind-the-eyes-guest-post/">GivernyReads</a></li>
1579  <li>Nov 26 – Guest post on <em>Horror and Faith</em> at <a href="https://splashesofjoy.wordpress.com/2021/11/26/giveaway-tour-blind-the-eyes-by-k-a-wiggins/">Splashes of Joy</a></li>
1580  <li>Nov 26 - Guest post on <em>Reclaiming Monsters and Magic</em> at <a href="https://amybooksy.blogspot.com/2021/11/blog-tour-and-giveaway-blind-eyes-by-ka.html">Locks, Hooks and Books</a></li>
1581</ul>
1582
1583<p><strong>OP: Oct. 29</strong></p>
1584
1585<p>I’ve got a blog tour coming up for <em>Blind the Eyes</em> (as a result of winning the Page Turner Awards tour prize last year) so I’ll have a bunch of interviews and blogs for you to check out in late November to early December.</p>
1586
1587<p>I also just wanted to offer, if there are any bloggers among my readers who want to get in on the fun (and take advantage of the free content), you can check out all the details and sign up <a href="https://www.ireadbooktours.com/blog---current-tours/spotlight-book-tour-blind-the-eyes-a-dystopian-gothic-ya-urban-fantasy-by-ka-wiggins">here</a>.</p>
1588
1589<p>And there’ll be another chance to win a special edition hardcover coming as part of the tour!</p>
1590
1591<h3 id="2-nanowrimo2021">2. #NaNoWriMo2021</h3>
1592
1593<p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p>
1594
1595<p>So, uh, this went shockingly well? About 55k words in the first 11 days of the month over 45-50 hours and a messy zero draft is born! In unrelated news, why do my hands hurt???</p>
1596
1597<p><strong>OP: Oct. 29</strong></p>
1598
1599<p>If you’ve never stumbled across National Novel Writing Month before, it’s a now-international challenge to write a novel (or rather, 50,000 words of one) in the month of November. I tried it out way back in the dark days of 2020 and produced most of <em>Burn the Skies</em>, wrapping up the Threads of Dreams series.</p>
1600
1601<p>This year I’ve got something a little different in mind . . .</p>
1602
1603<div style="width:80%"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViz1YYgZ4i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViz1YYgZ4i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g>
1603<path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CViz1YYgZ4i/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote> 
1603<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1603</div>
1604<hr>
1605	  
1606	    	<a href="/news/2021/09/27/shop-early.html" title="Shop Early"><h3>Shop Early</h3></a>
1607	    	<span><p><small>27 Sep 2021</small></p></span>
1608	    	<p>So last week was a little crazy. CBC news caught onto a situation that’s been developing in the publishing world. The tl;dr is that a combination of pandemic and shipping-related issues is making books more expensive and making it hard to stock and nearly impossible to restock physical copies of books on any kind of reasonable timeline.</p>
1609
1610<p>Spent a few days on correspondence, recorded <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-writers-publishers-fear-supply-chain-issues-as-holiday-season-approaches-1.6189109">print/blog</a> &amp; tv interviews and a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1953164867823">live radio</a> piece on behalf of CWILL BC members. Decided it might be clearer to just lay things out in my own words. If you want the deep dive, it’s posted over on <a href="https://medium.com/@kaie.web/still-reading-gifting-paper-books-why-that-might-be-a-problem-this-year-c7a0a2105d82">Medium</a>.</p>
1611
1612<p>The upshot of all this is that it gave us the kick in the pants we needed to finally launch our (CWILL BC) planned giveaway! If you live in British Columbia, <a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2021/09/24/celebrate-local-lit-by-entering-our-give-away/">click here</a> to enter to win a stack of kids books in time for the holidays OR a free author or illustrator visit via Zoom.</p>
1613
1614<p><a href="https://cwillbc.wordpress.com/2021/09/24/celebrate-local-lit-by-entering-our-give-away/" target="_blank"><img src="/Celebrate Local Lit Giveaway-landscape (1).gif" width="80%" /></a></p>
1615<hr>
1616	  
1617	    	<a href="/news/2021/09/25/2021-arty-awards.html" title="2021 Arty Awards"><h3>2021 Arty Awards</h3></a>
1618	    	<span><p><small>25 Sep 2021</small></p></span>
1619	    	<p><strong>UPDATE</strong> Cannot believe I won!! Thanks to my mystery nominator and the whole council team, volunteers, and supporters!</p>
1620<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUVgYXAv58F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUVgYXAv58F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 5
162050.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUVgYXAv58F/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote>
1621<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1621
1622
1623<p><strong>Original Post: September 9:</strong></p>
1624
1625<p>This was a definite higlight of my summer: someone nominated me in the annual <a href="https://abbotsfordartscouncil.com/arty-awards-2/">Abbotsford Arts Club Arty Awards</a>!</p>
1626
1627<p>Congrations to my fellow nominees in the literature category, local authors David Tickner, Julia Rohan, Emily Isaacson, and Lauralee Sí:tel Á:la Kelly! The awards ceremony will be held remotely on September 25 at 7 pm.</p>
1628
1629<p>If you’re a visiting and looking to check out my work in hardcopy, you can find paperbacks locally to borrow through the <a href="https://fvrl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1776036021">Fraser Valley Regional Library</a>, or for sale at <a href="https://www.bookman.ca/">The Bookman</a> or <a href="http://www.hemibooks.com/">Hemingways Books and Records</a>. Thanks for reading and shopping local!</p>
1630<hr>
1631	  
1632	    	<a href="/news/2021/08/29/news-round-up.html" title="News Round-Up"><h3>News Round-Up</h3></a>
1633	    	<span><p><small>29 Aug 2021</small></p></span>
1634	    	<p>Aaand just like that, summer’s over! As usual, I’ve been too busy to share updates as they happen, so here’s a quick rundown of what you may have missed:</p>
1635
1636<h4 id="threads-of-dreams-complete">Threads of Dreams Complete</h4>
1637
1638<p><em>Burn the Skies</em> launched on July 6, completing the trilogy. <a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">Binge the whole series today!</a></p>
1639
1640<h4 id="elections">Elections</h4>
1641
1642<p>The Children’s Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia society elected me as president on June 30. If you’re a published (or professionally indie publishing) illustrator or author of books for the under-18 crowd living in British Columbia, please join us at <a href="https://cwillbc.org">cwillbc.org</a>. We’re doing a ton of cool stuff!.</p>
1643
1644<h4 id="awards">Awards</h4>
1645
1646<p>Not sure I’m allowed to share the news yet, but there’s a super fun awards nomination in the works that I’ll be able to shout about soon. Thanks to whoever nominated me, btw!</p>
1647
1648<h4 id="instagram-catastrophe-update-its-back"><del>Instagram Catastrophe</del> UPDATE: It’s back!</h4>
1649
1650<p><del>On the not-so-fun news side, my Instagram (@kaie.space) got unexpectedly shut down. Not sure if I got hacked or flagged by bots or something else, but it doesn’t appear to be recoverable. Sad to lose 3,000+ connections and 5+ years of work, but moving on and starting over with a new handle. Join me <a href="https://instagram.com/kaiewiggins">@kaiewiggins</a> for pretty(?) book photos and book recs featuring YA fantasy and Canadian authors!</del> Main account <a href="https://instagram.com/kaie.space">@kaie.space</a> was reinstated (after a month . . . ) with their apologies, so we’re back up and running!</p>
1651
1652<h4 id="student-showcase--recommended-resources">Student Showcase &amp; Recommended Resources</h4>
1653
1654<p>Just launched two new website sections to feature creative projects by emerging writers I’ve had the privilege to teach and compile writing and publishing resources. Between teaching and leading CWILL, I’ve been getting an increasing number of questions about where to start with x or y, so while I’m no publishing guru, hopefully this provides a helpful starting point to refer questions to. It’ll likely grow as I have time and questions increase. Students of past workshops or who I’ve connected with at presentations are welcome to get in touch at any time with a creative project they’d like featured on the showcase page.</p>
1655
1656<h4 id="up-next">Up Next</h4>
1657
1658<p>I’m still dithering about what project to dive into next on the writing front, but I’ll be teaching two anthology workshops with Creative Writing for Children in the fall term, growing CWILL BC’s reach and effectiveness, and taking a continuing ed workshop on short fiction with WMG Publishing. Somewhere in all that, I need to plot and draft the next release, genre and title TBD. Stay in touch via the <a href="https://space.us16.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae&amp;id=1839d5c802">newsletter</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">social</a> for all the details as they drop!</p>
1659<hr>
1660	  
1661	    	<a href="/news/2021/06/30/Preorder-Bonus.html" title="Preorder Bonus"><h3>Preorder Bonus</h3></a>
1662	    	<span><p><small>30 Jun 2021</small></p></span>
1663	    	<p>It’s just <strong>SEVEN DAYS</strong> to <em>Burn the Skies</em> launch day, so I guess I better hurry up and tell you about the preorder bonuses!</p>
1664
1665<p><strong>All eBook preorders of <em>Burn the Skies</em> (on any storefront) OR library requests are eligible for a FREE digital bonus pack.</strong> 🔥</p>
1666
1667<p>It includes a exclusive ebook special edition of <em>Boy With No Name</em> (the Ravel antihero side story formerly only available as part of <em>The Devil You Know</em> anthology), plus 6+ sheets of printables featuring adorable nature sprites (debuting in <em>Burn the Skies</em>, because this book needed a little cute-and-cuddly to balance out all the explosive tension!) for custom DIY magnetic bookmarks, stickers and more. 🎨</p>
1668
1669<h3 id="to-get-your-bonuses">To get your bonuses:</h3>
1670
1671<ol>
1672  <li>
1673    <p><a href="https://books2read.com/burntheskies">Preorder <em>Burn the Skies</em></a> on any storefront OR submit a new book request at your local library before launch day (July 7, 2021).</p>
1674  </li>
1675  <li>
1676    <p>
1676Screenshot or snap a pic of the order confirmation/receipt/library request.</p>
1677  </li>
1678  <li>
1679    <p><a href="https://forms.gle/siTt711yqhqb9wT99">Fill out this Google Form</a> and submit your receipt. Your bonuses will be sent to the email you provide by the end of launch week!🔥</p>
1680  </li>
1681</ol>
1682
1683<p><a href="https://forms.gle/siTt711yqhqb9wT99" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/BTSPreorderBonus.jpg" /></a></p>
1684<hr>
1685	  
1686	    	<a href="/news/2021/05/21/Sneak-Peek-and-Series-Wrap-Up-Giveaway.html" title="Sneak Peek and Series Wrap-Up Giveaway"><h3>Sneak Peek and Series Wrap-Up Giveaway</h3></a>
1687	    	<span><p><small>21 May 2021</small></p></span>
1688	    	<p>That’s right, the epic finale to the award-winning <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series is finally (nearly) here! <em>(Scroll to the end for a celebratory giveaway.)</em></p>
1689
1690<h2 id="in-blind-the-eyes---">In <em>Blind the Eyes</em> . . .</h2>
1691
1692<p>Haunted 17-year-old shut-in Cole knows she’s missing out on something—maybe a whole lot of somethings—but she’s not quite sure if the cost of finding out is worth the risk of getting thrown to the eldritch horrors infesting her drowned city.</p>
1693
1694<p>When a suspiciously charming stranger and his dangerously tempting offer drive her into a chance encounter with one of the monster-taken dead, she stumbles across a shocking and grisly conspiracy between the nightmares and the authorities.</p>
1695
1696<p>Now she and her disembodied best-frenemy are on the run from enforcers, dreamjacking ghosts &amp; soul-sucking monsters in a quest to expose the lies and take back their lives that takes them from the sterile authoritarian heights of Refuge to the glittering hedonistic underground club hidden beneath the floodwaters.</p>
1697
1698<p>But Cole hasn’t yet uncovered the biggest secret of all—and it might just have something to do with the invisible threads that keep tangling around her fingers and the silver-lit boy from her dreams . . .</p>
1699
1700<p>Can she take back her stolen-and-once-forgotten powers and expose the web of lies before she’s the next to die?</p>
1701
1702<p>Find out in the 2020 Page Turner Awards Book Spotlight Prize-winning and Barnes &amp; Noble Press “20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018” first book of the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series.</p>
1703
1704<h3 id="shop-blind-the-eyes"><a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">Shop Blind the Eyes</a></h3>
1705
1706<p><a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/Blind-the-Eyes-formats.jpg" /></a></p>
1707
1708<h2 id="in-black-the-tides---">In <em>Black the Tides</em> . . .</h2>
1709
1710<p>Cole’s life has never been better. She’s reconciled with not-so-ghostly-after-all bestie Cadence, rescued dreamwalker and childhood friend Ash, and even managing to suppress (most of) her jealousy about their shared history—a past she still can’t remember. But it turns out being a city-saving hero is pretty cool, even if she hasn’t quite won the war yet.</p>
1711
1712<p>That’s a problem she’s eager to solve. But when she dives back into battle with the nightmarish Mara too soon, her newfound powers fail to show up for the fight. Narrowly saved by a still-injured Ash, Cole is devastated. And determined to get her magic back, whatever the cost.</p>
1713
1714<p>Ash has a plan. And she hates it. But when he kidnaps her, Cole has no choice but to brave sea monsters and the haunted wilds in a perilous journey through the monster-infested wilds.</p>
1715
1716<p>Will she reach the dreamwalker homeland, recover her magic, and save her city before it’s too late for the friends she left behind?</p>
1717
1718<p>Find out in the twisty, cinematic, and devastatingly cliff-hanger-serving second book of the series.</p>
1719
1720<h3 id="shop-black-the-tides"><a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides">Shop Black the Tides</a></h3>
1721
1722<p><a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides " target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/Black-the-Tides-formats.jpg" /></a></p>
1723
1724<h2 id="in-burn-the-skies---">In <em>Burn the Skies</em> . . .</h2>
1725
1726<p>
1726There’s only so much betrayal a girl can take. But Cole has come way too far to give up now, even if she’s never been more powerless and the stakes have never been higher. The clock is ticking on not only the survival of her friends and the city she’s sacrificed so much to save but the survival of the world.</p>
1727
1728<p>But disaster isn’t through with her yet. When her quest to muster a dreamwalker army founders, she’s left with one option: turn on the former friend and ally who betrayed her trust and stole her body. But she can’t bring herself to sacrifice the life of a delusional and homicidal child, not even to save all of humanity.</p>
1729
1730<p>As her pool of friends and potential allies shrinks and resistance mounts, Cole pushes through grief and fear to find ever more desperate ways to fight back, holding back the monsters at the cost of her rapidly-draining life force.</p>
1731
1732<p>Will her refusal to pay the ultimate cost end with her trapped in an eternal wasteland after everyone she’s ever cared about goes down in flames?</p>
1733
1734<p>Find out in the breathless conclusion to the series, coming to a storefront near you on July 7, 2021.</p>
1735
1736<h3 id="add-on-goodreads--preorder-burn-the-skies"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56554432-burn-the-skies">Add on Goodreads</a> &amp; <a href="https://books2read.com/burntheskies">Preorder Burn the Skies</a></h3>
1737
1738<p><a href="https://books2read.com/burntheskies" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="/Burn-the-Skies-formats.jpg" /></a></p>
1739
1740<p>Cover design credit on all three covers goes to the fantastic Christian Bentulan of <a href="http://CoversByChristian.com">CoversByChristian.com</a> with modifications added.</p>
1741
1742<h2 id="enter-the-giveaway">Enter the Giveaway</h2>
1743
1744<p>Here for the prizes? This giveaway launches May 31, 2021 and ends at 12:00 am PST July 31, 2021.</p>
1745
1746<p><img style="width: 95%;" src="/series-wrapup-giveaway.jpg" /></p>
1747
1748<p><a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3678dbc2/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="d3678dbc2" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_3sliewyh">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
1749<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1749</p>
1750<hr>
1751	  
1752	    	<a href="/news/2021/01/26/Get-Ready-for-IReadCanadian-Day.html" title="Get Ready for IReadCanadian Day"><h3>Get Ready for IReadCanadian Day</h3></a>
1753	    	<span><p><small>26 Jan 2021</small></p></span>
1754	    	<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfOS8KADRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfOS8KADRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 5
175450.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKfOS8KADRM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a></p></div></blockquote>
1755<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1755
1756
1757<p><a href="https://www.litworld.org/worldreadaloudday">World Read Aloud Day</a> is a “celebration of the power of reading aloud to create community, to amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right.”</p>
1758
1759<p>If you’re building your #IReadCanadian day TBR, my books qualify—and so do all of <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/kids-books-of-cwill-bc/">these</a>. (Picture books up through YA!)</p>
1760
1761<p>As creators of books for young readers, many members of <a href="https://cwillbc.org">CWILL BC</a> are offering free 10-20 min. virtual readings in support of this wonderful cause.</p>
1762
1763<p>While I’m more than happy to present to classrooms, library groups or book clubs of all ages, my fiction currently targets ages 14+, so for readings at elementary or middle school groups I can instead present an age-appropriate Canadian children’s book that inspires me.</p>
1764
1765<p>Shoot me a message at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bfd4ded6dac8cdd6cbdaccffd8d2ded6d391dcd0d2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bed5dfd7dbc9ccd7cadbcdfed9d3dfd7d290ddd1d3">[email&#160;protected]</span></a> to book a free 10-20 minute reading, workshop, or author visit on February 13 or the week of February17, 2021!</p>
1766<hr>
1767	  
1768	    	<a href="/news/2021/01/04/Title-Reveal.html" title="Title Reveal"><h3>Title Reveal</h3></a>
1769	    	<span><p><small>04 Jan 2021</small></p></span>
1770	    	<p>Good news: I wrapped up the zero draft of the third and final Threads of Dreams book in early December, which means it’s time for a #TitleReveal:</p>
1771
1772<div style="max-width: 80%;"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TitleReveal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TitleReveal</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoverReal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoverReal</a> to come.)<br /><br />In the city of nightmares, death is far from the end.<br /><br />Series finale BURN THE SKIES drops summer 2021. <br /><br />Preorder: <a href="https://t.co/jFFjS1eL4K">https://t.co/jFFjS1eL4K</a><br /><br />Goodreads: <a href="https://t.co/LKcXSTOePn">https://t.co/LKcXSTOePn</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YAFantasy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YAFantasy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YAHorror?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YAHorror</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DystopianGothic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DystopianGothic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ecopunk?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ecopunk</a> <a href="https://t.co/GC1AWLnerg">pic.twitter.com/GC1AWLnerg</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1346206369423081473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
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1772 <script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script>
1772<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1772</div>
1773
1774<p><strong>In the city of nightmares, death is far from the end.</strong></p>
1775
1776<p>Who knew a ghost could get up to so much trouble? Cole’s never been in a worse bind. But her continued existence, such as it is, is far from the only thing at risk.</p>
1777
1778<p>If she can’t find a way to keep the Mara from being unleashed by the one person she never could have imagined, not only her city, but the whole world will be devoured.</p>
1779
1780<p><strong>In this thrilling conclusion to the Threads of Dreams trilogy, the spark of revolution is lit—and even a drowned city can burn.</strong></p>
1781
1782<p><em>Look for the #CoverReveal in early June &amp; a midsummer launch date. You can also</em> <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S23XXLT">preorder now!</a></strong> or <strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56554432-burn-the-skies">add on Goodreads</a></strong>.</p>
1783
1784<p><em>(Preorders default to Dec. 2021 until production delivery dates confirmed.)</em></p>
1785<hr>
1786	  
1787	    	<a href="/news/2020/10/28/Page-Turner-Awards.html" title="Page Turner Awards!"><h3>Page Turner Awards!</h3></a>
1788	    	<span><p><small>28 Oct 2020</small></p></span>
1789	    	<p><strong>Update: Results!</strong></p>
1790
1791<p>Very excited to have won the eBook Award “Book Spotlight” prize and looking forward to working with iRead Book Tours in the coming months to reach new readers!</p>
1792
1793<p><strong>Press Coverage:</strong></p>
1794
1795<ul>
1796  <li><a href="https://pageturnerawards.com/entrants-stories/vancouver-ya-novelist-shortlisted-prestigious-book-award">Page Turner Awards official press release</a></li>
1797  <li><a href="https://www.abbynews.com/entertainment/abbotsford-author-shortlisted-for-literary-award-for-young-adult-novel/">Abby News</a></li>
1798  <li><a href="https://www.theprogress.com/entertainment/abbotsford-author-shortlisted-for-literary-award-for-young-adult-novel/">Chilliwack Progress</a></li>
1799</ul>
1800
1801<p>As an aside, an <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1x8EKg8U87SF9JMsRjMdbD_P1cpkv7p_T?usp=sharing">Author Media Kit</a> is available to any members of the press seeking readily-available resources.</p>
1802
1803<p><strong>Update, 2020-10-02</strong></p>
1804
1805<blockquote style="width=80%;" class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This timing is wild, but I&#39;m wrapping up my second release week of 2020 w/ *another* awesome announcement from <a href="https://twitter.com/PageTurnerAward?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PageTurnerAward</a> :<br /><br />BLIND THE EYES made the eBook Award shortlist!! <br /><br />😱🎉😱🎉😱 <a href="https://t.co/HNp5FQWeBO">pic.twitter.com/HNp5FQWeBO</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins ~preorder THE DEVIL YOU KNOW antho~ (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1312115636198281216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
1806<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1806
1807
1808<p>Super random that this just so happens to fall at the end of <em>another</em> launch week, but I’m honoured and amazed to learn <a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes"><em>Blind the Eyes</em></a> has been shortlisted in the eBook Awards 2020 category of the Page Turner Awards alongside some wonderful titles!</p>
1809
1810<p>Very excited to (remotely) attend the awards ceremony on October 20—though a little bummed it’s a plague year and therefore impossible to pop over to the UK for the party.😢</p>
1811
1812<p>Congrats to all the shortlisted eBook and Writing award category entrants (<a href="https://pageturnerawards.com/2020-finalists-shortlist-and-winners">check out their stories here!</a>)</p>
1813
1814<hr />
1815
1816<p><strong>Original Post, 2020-08-29:</strong></p>
1817
1818<p>This is just such an awesome way to cap off launch week: <em>Blind the Eyes</em> is a Page Turner Awards finalist in the 2020 ebook awards category! Always awesome to see my creepy lil murderbabies getting the love~ ^_^;</p>
1819
1820<p>Check out the finalists’ profile and excerpt <a href="https://pageturnerawards.com/ebook-award-finalists/ka-wiggins">here</a>!</p>
1821<hr>
1822	  
1823	    	<a href="/news/2020/10/26/new-paperbacks.html" title="New Paperbacks!!"><h3>New Paperbacks!!</h3></a>
1824	    	<span><p><small>26 Oct 2020</small></p></span>
1825	    	<p>Paperbacks are finally here!! 🎉</p>
1826
1827<p>Pandemic-induced publishing &amp; shipping woes plus a very stupid mistake on my part 😅 delayed the matching covers by a couple months, but you can finally order the horror-variant covers on Amazon if paper copies are your thing. 👍</p>
1828
1829<p>Original cover BTE ppb &amp; hardcover will remain available as “special editions” but that artist’s rates keep going up 😭 so the series will continue with these new designs. Additional hardcover editions aren’t currently in the pipeline.</p>
1830
1831<p>**Shop the new editions on Amazon (other storefronts coming soon): **</p>
1832
1833<p><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blind-Eyes-Threads-Dreams-Wiggins/dp/1775162796">Blind the Eyes</a></strong> (book one) &amp; <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Tides-Threads-Dreams-Wiggins/dp/1775162788">Black the Tides</a></strong> (book 2)</p>
1834
1835<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0Z2knAKjN/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0Z2knAKjN/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 5
183550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0Z2knAKjN/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-10-26T19:40:15+00:00">Oct 26, 2020 at 12:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
1836<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1836
1837
1838<hr>
1839	  
1840	    	<a href="/news/2020/10/15/Finding-the-Daydreamer.html" title="Finding the Daydreamer"><h3>Finding the Daydreamer</h3></a>
1841	    	<span><p><small>15 Oct 2020</small></p></span>
1842	    	<p>I’m hosting Day 4 of <em><a href="https://findingthedaydreamer.carrd.co/">Finding the Daydreamer</a></em>’s book tour—one of my favourite new reads of 2020!</p>
1843
1844<p>Check it out on bookstagram below, read an expanded review on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3544981018?book_show_action=false&amp;from_review_page=1">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://findingthedaydreamer.carrd.co/">get your copy here</a>!</p>
1845
1846<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYDNPSgx1K/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYDNPSgx1K/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 5
184650.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGYDNPSgx1K/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-10-15T19:23:38+00:00">Oct 15, 2020 at 12:23pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
1847<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1847
1848
1849<hr>
1850	  
1851	    	<a href="/news/2020/10/14/BookLife-Feature.html" title="BookLife Feature"><h3>BookLife Feature</h3></a>
1852	    	<span><p><small>14 Oct 2020</small></p></span>
1853	    	<table>
1854  <tbody>
1855    <tr>
1856      <td>Today in randomly fun news: <a href="https://books2read.com/blindtheeyes"><em>Blind the Eyes</em></a> got picked up for the spooky season Indie Spotlight feature in Publishers Weekly’s BookLife magazine! Catch it in the October 12, 2020 edition (<a href="https://www.digitalpwselect.com/pwselect/booklife_october_12__2020/MobilePagedReplica.action?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=TXPWSE201014002&amp;utm_content=gtxcel&amp;pm=2&amp;folio=78#pg4">magazine format</a></td>
1857      <td><a href="https://booklife.com/authors/10/15/2020/indie-spotlight-part-1-october-2020.html">blog format</a>).</td>
1858    </tr>
1859  </tbody>
1860</table>
1861
1862<p><a href="https://www.digitalpwselect.com/pwselect/booklife_october_12__2020/MobilePagedReplica.action?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=TXPWSE201014002&amp;utm_content=gtxcel&amp;pm=2&amp;folio=78#pg4" target="_blank"><img style="width: 95%;" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EkTUhABVcAEgt9R?format=jpg&amp;name=large" /></a></p>
1863<hr>
1864	  
1865	    	<a href="/news/2020/09/30/Celebrate-The-Devil-You-Know.html" title="Celebrate The Devil You Know"><h3>Celebrate The Devil You Know</h3></a>
1866	    	<span><p><small>30 Sep 2020</small></p></span>
1867	    	<p>It’s launch day! Get the inside scoop on <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series antagonist(?) Ravel in <em>Boy With No Name</em> plus ELEVEN other villain, anti-hero &amp; morally-grey character adventures in <em>The Devil You Know: A Fiction-Atlas Anti-Hero Anthology.</em></p>
1868
1869<p><a href="https://books2read.com/devilyouknowfa">Pick up your copy here</a> (ebooks out now, paperbacks on their way!) &amp; celebrate with us all day with gifs, games &amp; giveaways at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/clcannon">launch party on Facebook.</a>
1870<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/clcannon" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjLkPW6U4AA1Fzo?format=jpg&amp;name=medium" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
1871<hr>
1872	  
1873	    	<a href="/news/2020/09/27/anti-hero-giveaway.html" title="Anti-Hero Giveaway"><h3>Anti-Hero Giveaway</h3></a>
1874	    	<span><p><small>27 Sep 2020</small></p></span>
1875	    	<p>The authors of <em>The Devil You Know</em> anthology are sponsoring an anti-hero themed giveaway to celebrate the launch! Enter at <a href="https://bit.ly/dykgiveaway">bit.ly/dykgiveaway</a>
1876<a href="https://bit.ly/dykgiveaway" target="_blank"><img src="https://clcannon.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/screenshot-bookbrush.com-2020.09.24-00_26_08.png" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
1877<hr>
1878	  
1879	    	<a href="/news/2020/09/14/Release-Blitz.html" title="Release Blitz"><h3>Release Blitz</h3></a>
1880	    	<span><p><small>14 Sep 2020</small></p></span>
1881	    	<p>Calling all book bloggers, bookstagrammers &amp; booktubers: the anthology publisher is organizing a release blitz for <em>The Devil You Know!</em></p>
1882
1883<p>Can you share a premade P.R. post with the book’s blurb, buy link, cover, and release giveaway some time during release week? (September 30th - October 7th) Every participant will receive one entry for every place they share in a draw for a $10 Amazon gift card!</p>
1884
1885<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceJpyZ40aBd6QGhMwrrKJSl-sQGqJVv_RbvbURBdtzcdB2Rw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2415N_lGC4VE_h60DIZDkVSGxisscjc8DeYpDvzK250acNAMw6U_jJXVI" target="_blank"><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EgiYHKtWAAAlbjI?format=jpg&amp;name=medium" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
1886
1887<p><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSceJpyZ40aBd6QGhMwrrKJSl-sQGqJVv_RbvbURBdtzcdB2Rw/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2415N_lGC4VE_h60DIZDkVSGxisscjc8DeYpDvzK250acNAMw6U_jJXVI">Sign up here!</a></p>
1888<hr>
1889	  
1890	    	<a href="/news/2020/09/12/Boy-With-No-Name-ARCs.html" title="Boy With No Name ARCs"><h3>Boy With No Name ARCs</h3></a>
1891	    	<span><p><small>12 Sep 2020</small></p></span>
1892	    	<p>This one’s for all the Ravel fans in the crowd: <em>Boy With No Name</em> review copies are now available in advance of its debut in <em>The Devil You Know: A Fiction-Atlas Anti-Hero Anthology</em>.</p>
1893
1894<p>
1894<a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/e14cca03-f9f4-4b29-9b7a-4230867e4cf0" target="_blank"><img src="http://kaiewiggins.github.io/BWNN-ARCs.png" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
1895
1896<p>Apply now to review via <a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/e14cca03-f9f4-4b29-9b7a-4230867e4cf0">StoryOrigin</a></p>
1897<hr>
1898	  
1899	    	<a href="/news/2020/08/26/Black-the-Tides-is-Here.html" title="Black the Tides is Here!!"><h3>Black the Tides is Here!!</h3></a>
1900	    	<span><p><small>26 Aug 2020</small></p></span>
1901	    	<p><strong>BLACK THE TIDES IS (FINALLY) HERE!! 🎉</strong></p>
1902
1903<p><a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides" target="_blank"><img src="BlacktheTidesShadows.gif" style="width:80%;" /></a></p>
1904
1905<p>More ghosts. More monsters. More existential angst.</p>
1906
1907<p>Now with bonus nature walks &amp; next-level torment &amp; suffering (mosquito bites! blisters! attack of the snapping turtles!) 😂</p>
1908
1909<p>In all seriousness, I’m super excited for you all to read it. But just a heads-up: the twist in this one is KILLER. Don’t hate me~ 😈</p>
1910
1911<p><strong>Buy Black the Tides today from your favourite online bookstore: <a href="https://books2read.com/blackthetides">Choose Your Store</a></strong></p>
1912
1913<p>I’ll be posting quotes and featured content to celebrate all day on <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">Twitter</a>, so if you’ve got time, come hang out and share the excitement!</p>
1914
1915<p><em>Haven’t read book 1 yet?</em></p>
1916
1917<p><em>Blind the Eyes is on $0.99 special to make it easy to get started with the series! Grab your copy here: <a href="http://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">Choose Your Store</a></em></p>
1918<hr>
1919	  
1920	    	<a href="/news/2020/08/24/surprise-another-new-release.html" title="Surprise! ANOTHER New Release"><h3>Surprise! ANOTHER New Release</h3></a>
1921	    	<span><p><small>24 Aug 2020</small></p></span>
1922	    	<p>There’s been an unexpected wave of excellent news, most of which I can’t share (yet) BUT I am very excited to announce a story in Fiction-Atlas Press’s next anthology:</p>
1923
1924<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Part 1 announcement of last week&#39;s good news: one of my stories got selected for Fiction-Atlas Press&#39;s next anthology!<br /><br />Awesome timing bc it just so happens to be a tie-in story w/ Black the Tides (launching Wed)<br /><br />Thread w/deets, blurbs &amp; author tags:<br /><br />(gif by <a href="https://twitter.com/AmberMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmberMorant</a> ) <a href="https://t.co/BNpXXR3orm">pic.twitter.com/BNpXXR3orm</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins ~preorder BLACK THE TIDES~ (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1298004403476025344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
1925<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1925
1926
1927<h3 id="the-devil-you-know-a-fiction-atlas-press-anti-hero-anthology">The Devil You Know: A Fiction-Atlas Press Anti-Hero Anthology</h3>
1928
1929<p><strong>These heroes might not be angels, but you know what they say—it’s always better to trust the devil you know…</strong></p>
1930
1931<p>Looking for a typical hero tale? Keep looking. These twelve tales explore the grittier side of what it means to make life’s hardest choices, and let your reputation pay the price. From back-alleys and ancient cities to graveyards and castle walls, these trouble-makers are out for themselves…or are they?</p>
1932
1933<p>Fiction-Atlas Press is proud to present, The Devil You Know featuring stories by: USA Today Bestselling Author C.L. Cannon, USA Today Bestselling Author Lily Luchesi, Zoey Xolton, K.A. Wiggins, K Matt, K.R.S. McEntire, Scott Moore, J.M. Rhineheart, Angela Kulig, Kat Parrish, Amber Morant, and Nick Edinger!</p>
1934
1935<h3 id="boy-with-no-name">Boy With No Name</h3>
1936
1937<p><strong>When you’re nothing, you have to grab everything you can and hang onto it with everything you’ve got.</strong></p>
1938
1939<p>Ravel clawed his way up from failed test subject to master of the decadent underground club Freedom—not to mention shadow prince of the Towers of Refuge—and his ambition is far from sated.</p>
1940
1941<p>He knows everyone’s secrets, holds all the keys, and his hand is in every deal worth making. Even the recent, catastrophic invasion of the nightmarish Mara hasn’t shaken his confidence.</p>
1942
1943<p>When human sacrifice is the price of power, a small massacre is nothing more than a setback.</p>
1944
1945<p>But when the dreamwalker Ravel’s been obsessed with since childhood vanishes from his monster-infested city, he risks everything he’s built and become to chase her down.</p>
1946
1947<p>Cut off from everything he knows, can this master manipulator find the right thread to pull and win back his love?</p>
1948
1949<p>Or will the conscience he’s been running from all his life finally take him down?</p>
1950
1951<p><em>Tragic pasts and twisted futures collide in Boy With No Name, a standalone-ready companion story to Threads of Dreams book 2, Black the Tides, available exclusively in Fiction-Atlas Press anti-hero anthology The Devil You Know coming September 30</em></p>
1952
1953<p>Preorder at: <a href="https://books2read.com/devilyouknowfa">books2read.com/devilyouknowfa</a></p>
1954<hr>
1955	  
1956	    	<a href="/news/2020/08/17/Black-the-Tides-Cover-Reveal-New-Date.html" title="Black the Tides Cover Reveal & New Date"><h3>Black the Tides Cover Reveal & New Date</h3></a>
1957	    	<span><p><small>17 Aug 2020</small></p></span>
1958	    	<p><strong>UPDATE:</strong></p>
1959
1960<p>The release date for BLACK THE TIDES has just been pushed up from September to <strong>August 26, 2020</strong></p>
1961
1962<h4 id="click-here-to-preorder-for-only-99cuntil-aug-26"><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/0afebf2e-d80d-11ea-b452-0f053dc84439">Click here to preorder for only 99c—until Aug. 26.</a></h4>
1963
1964<p><em>Matching paperbacks coming soon.</em></p>
1965
1966<hr />
1967
1968<p><strong>Original Post: COVER REVEAL. August 11, 2020</strong></p>
1969
1970<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sea monsters 🐉, hauntings, ravening nightmares, &quot;accidental roommates&quot; &amp; road trip bickering make BLACK THE TIDES my tropiest &amp; most horror-forward YA dark fantasy yet: <a href="https://t.co/yeeUkhwRVt">https://t.co/yeeUkhwRVt</a> <br /><br />(Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/byMorganWright?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@byMorganWright</a><br /> for animation &amp; <a href="https://t.co/xVQpq4yfLK">https://t.co/xVQpq4yfLK</a> for design 🥰) <a href="https://t.co/xN76iXvDh3">pic.twitter.com/xN76iXvDh3</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1293247186151464960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2020</a></blockquote>
1971<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
1971
1972
1973<hr>
1974	  
1975	    	<a href="/news/2020/08/04/ARCs-Are-Here.html" title="ARCs Are Here"><h3>ARCs Are Here</h3></a>
1976	    	<span><p><small>04 Aug 2020</small></p></span>
1977	    	<p>Get ready for an epic cover reveal (hint: 🐉🐙), a new launch date announcement (maybe more than 1…?) annnd—ARCs are here!</p>
1978
1979<p><a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/718a8197-85d7-4a32-be00-6614876ffc20" target="_blank"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/d11d93f3-c993-4e87-b193-41cbb0da5d0e.png" style="width:50%;" /></a></p>
1980
1981<p>Can’t wait to read Black the Tides? <strong>Apply to review now via <a href="https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/718a8197-85d7-4a32-be00-6614876ffc20">StoryOrigin</a></strong></p>
1982
1983<p>Still haven’t read book 1? I’m releasing a limited number of Blind the Eyes review copies to established bloggers/bookstagrammers/reviewers—<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a1cac0c8c4d6d3c8d5c4d2e1c6ccc0c8cd8fc2cecc">message me</a> to apply📚🎉</p>
1984
1985<p>Handy links to popular review sites for <em>Black the Tides</em>:</p>
1986
1987<ul>
1988  <li>
1989    <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54611871-black-the-tides">Goodreads</a></p>
1990  </li>
1991  <li>
1992    <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088P5T26X">Amazon</a></p>
1993  </li>
1994  <li>
1995    <p><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/black-the-tides-ya-fantasy-with-an-edge-threads-of-dreams-book-2-by-k-a-wiggins">Bookbub</a></p>
1996  </li>
1997  <li>
1998    <p><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162951865">Barnes &amp; Noble</a></p>
1999  </li>
2000  <li>
2001    <p><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/black-the-tides-1">Kobo</a></p>
2002  </li>
2003</ul>
2004<hr>
2005	  
2006	    	<a href="/news/2020/08/01/Books-in-the-Wild.html" title="Books in the Wild"><h3>Books in the Wild</h3></a>
2007	    	<span><p><small>01 Aug 2020</small></p></span>
2008	    	<p>Looking for my books IRL? Here’s an (incomplete, alphabetical) listing of where you can find them:</p>
2009
2010<p><strong><a href="https://bellflowerbookshop.ca/">Bellflower Bookshop</a></strong></p>
2011
2012<p>3-133 Second Ave. W., Qualicum Beach, BC</p>
2013
2014<p>Stocks: paperbacks of <em>Blind the Eyes</em>, third edition</p>
2015
2016<p><em>Note: Coming soon! Visit the Local Author Fair on June 28 between 10-2 to get it signed in person or reserve your copy in advance with a note regarding any desired personalizations!</em></p>
2017
2018<p><a href="https://bellflowerbookshop.ca/events"><img src="/bellflower.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
2019
2020<p><strong><a href="https://blueheronbookscomox.ca/">Blue Heron Books</a></strong></p>
2021
2022<p>1775 Comox Ave., Comox, BC</p>
2023
2024<p>Stocks: paperbacks of Threads of Dreams trilogy (<em>Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides, Burn the Skies</em>, third edition)</p>
2025
2026<p><em>Note: local friends are often in stock here! Ask about Roz MacLean &amp; M.C. Rolston’s books!</em></p>
2027
2028<p><a href="https://blueheronbookscomox.ca/"><img src="/blueheron800.jpeg" alt="" /></a></p>
2029
2030<p><strong><a href="https://www.bookman.ca/">The Bookman</a></strong></p>
2031
2032<p>45939 Wellington Ave, Chilliwack, BC (can be delivered free of charge to the Abbotsford location with prior notice)</p>
2033
2034<p>Stocks: signed paperbacks of <em>Blind the Eyes</em> (first edition)</p>
2035
2036<p><em>Note: local friends are often in stock here! Ask about Stacey Chomiak, Eileen Holland &amp; Barbara Nickel’s books! Educational supplier—ask about book fairs!</em></p>
2037
2038<p><a href="https://www.bookman.ca/"><img src="/bookman.JPG" alt="" /></a></p>
2039
2040<p><strong><a href="https://www.books4brains.ca/">Comox Valley Books 4 Brains</a></strong></p>
2041
2042<p>17a 215 Port Augusta, Comox, BC</p>
2043
2044<p>Stocks: paperbacks of Threads of Dreams trilogy (<em>Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides, Burn the Skies</em>, third edition)</p>
2045
2046<p><em>Note: local friends are often in stock here! Ask about Heather Fawcett, Roz MacLean &amp; Anna McCarthy’s books! Educational supplier—ask about book fairs!</em></p>
2047
2048<p><a href="https://www.books4brains.ca/"><img src="/b4b800.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
2049
2050<p><strong><a href="https://kikiscommunications.com/compass-gallery-%2B-gifts">Compass Gallery + Gifts at Comox Airport YQQ</a></strong></p>
2051
2052<p>#107 1250 Knight Road, Comox, BC</p>
2053
2054<p>Stocks: signed paperbacks of <em>Blind the Eyes</em> (third edition)</p>
2055
2056<p><em>Note: Free parking spots near the airport main doors. Open to all/not a duty-free store. Turn to your right as you enter the airport to locate! Local friends are often in stock here! Ask about K. Bannerman, Roz MacLean &amp; M.C. Rolston’s books!</em></p>
2057
2058<p><a href="https://kikiscommunications.com/compass-gallery-%2B-gifts"><img src="/compass800.jpeg" alt="" /></a></p>
2059
2060<p><strong><a href="https://abbotsfordartscouncil.com/boutique/">Kariton Art Gallery</a></strong></p>
2061
2062<p>2387 Ware Street, Abbotsford, BC</p>
2063
2064<p>Stocks:</p>
2065<ul>
2066  <li>signed paperbacks of <em>Blind the Eyes</em> (first edition)</li>
2067  <li>signed paperbacks of Threads of Dreams trilogy (<em>Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides, Burn the Skies</em>, second edition)</li>
2068</ul>
2069
2070<p><a href="https://abbotsfordartscouncil.com/boutique/" target="_blank"><img src="/Kariton.png" /></a></p>
2071
2072<p><strong><a href="https://www.laughingoysterbooks.com/">Laughing Oyster Bookshop</a></strong></p>
2073
2074<p>286 Fifth Street, Courtenay, BC</p>
2075
2076<p>Stocks: paperbacks of Threads of Dreams trilogy (<em>Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides, Burn the Skies</em>, third edition)</p>
2077
2078<p><em>Note: local friends are often in stock here! Ask about K. Bannerman, Heather Fawcett, Shari Green, Roz MacLean, Anna McCarthy &amp; Shanon Sinn’s books!</em></p>
2079
2080<p><a href="https://www.laughingoysterbooks.com/"><img src="/laughingoyster.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
2081
2082<p><strong><a href="https://roammedia.ca/storestudio/">Roam Store + Studio</a></strong></p>
2083
2084<p>Unit 26B – 215, Port Augusta Street, Comox, BC</p>
2085
2086<p>Stocks: paperbacks of Threads of Dreams trilogy (<em>Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides, Burn the Skies</em>, third edition)</p>
2087
2088<p><em>Note: this super-cool space not only showcases local arists and artisans, it doubles as an active design and photography studio where gorgeous print magazines and other creative works are produced! Local friends are often in stock here: ask about K. Bannerman, Anna McCarthy, Sherry McMillan &amp; M.C. Rolston’s books!</em></p>
2089
2090<p><a href="https://roammedia.ca/storestudio/"><img src="/roam800.jpeg" alt="" /></a></p>
2091
2092<p><strong><a href="https://smolstore.ca/">Smöl Store</a></strong></p>
2093
2094<p>2704 Dunsmuir Avenue, Cumberland, BC</p>
2095
2096<p>Stocks: paperbacks of <em>Blind the Eyes</em>, third edition</p>
2097
2098<p><em>Note: this adorable storefront hosts eco-friendly, ethically-sourced, and locally made toys and baby and children’s wear, as well as books and gifts for all ages. Ask about storytimes and craft days! Educators: ask about school discounts. Local &amp; BC friends are often in stock here: ask about Jana Curl, Kallie George, Ashley Kuramoto, Deborah Hodge, Roz MacLean &amp; Anna McCarthy’s books!</em></p>
2099
2100<p><a href="https://smolstore.ca/"><img src="/smolstore.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
2101
2102<p><strong><a href="https://store.westernskybooks.com/">Western Sky Books</a></strong></p>
2103
2104<p>2132-2850 Shaughnessy St., Port Coquitlam, BC (online ordering/shipping available)</p>
2105
2106<p>Stocks: signed paperbacks of Threads of Dreams trilogy (<em>Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides, Burn the Skies</em>, third edition)</p>
2107
2108<p><a href="https://store.westernskybooks.com/" target="_blank"><img src="/WSB2024.JPG" /></a></p>
2109
2110<hr />
2111
2112<p>Watch this space; I update as more locations get added! Also, I’d love it if you’d take a moment to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7e171018113e151f0917191917100d501d1113">let me know</a> if you spot any of my titles in any other retail locations so I can add them to the list!</p>
2113
2114<p>If you want to request one of my books (or any book, really) at a local indie bookshop, chain bookstore, or library, all you have to do is give them the author, title, and, if you can, ISBN number.</p>
2115
2116<p>You can find those details on the Standalones or specific series page via the menu. Thank y
2116ou!</p>
2117
2118<p><em>Last updated: May 23, 2025</em></p>
2119<hr>
2120	  
2121	    	<a href="/news/2020/06/12/black-lives-matter-and-so-do-black-stories.html" title="Black Lives Matter and so do Black Stories"><h3>Black Lives Matter and so do Black Stories</h3></a>
2122	    	<span><p><small>12 Jun 2020</small></p></span>
2123	    	<p>You probably didn’t stop by today for political commentary and, in general, I prefer to make my arguments in fiction (and fantasy at that . . .), but this is also a historic moment. A turning point that will go down in history.</p>
2124
2125<p>Or, at least, that’s what we need it to be. What we need to <em>make</em> of it.</p>
2126
2127<p>There’s a lot of wrong in the world. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, to lose hope, to say it has always been broken and will always be broken. To try to find stability and comfort and safety each in our little corner and ignore the fires raging outside.</p>
2128
2129<p>But we’re all fantasy readers here. We’ve spent years reading our fairytales and dystopias and urban or gothic or paranormal or supernatural or science fantasies.</p>
2130
2131<p>And, in all our beloved stories of resistance and revolution, there’s that pivotal moment.</p>
2132
2133<p>It’s not the moment the bomb goes off or the assassin shoots or the capitol burns. It’s not a grand set piece of clashing armies or duelling generals, of kings losing their heads or thrones tumbling, of corrupt regimes imploding or the great nameless evil erased once and for all.</p>
2134
2135<p>It’s that quiet moment between one heartbeat and the next that a decision is made, once and for all: <em>no more</em>.</p>
2136
2137<p>That’s the birth of power. Magic. The force to turn the tidal wave and put an end to the darkness. That’s where the protagonist of her or his story steps up and commits to the challenge that will either destroy them or change the world.</p>
2138
2139<p>So, here’s the question before each one of us: <em>what’s your pivotal moment?</em></p>
2140
2141<p>What’s going to be (or has been) your “hero origin story,” the turning point where you chose to take action and work to set things right?</p>
2142
2143<p>You’re probably not going to rally an army (uh, I hope . . .) or unlock ancient powers or wield lost artifacts of magic, and you probably won’t even be at the center of the action when it comes right down to it, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a role to play in changing the world.</p>
2144
2145<p>On that topic, there are far more insightful, educated, and valuable voices than mine you should be listening to right now when it comes to what to do and how to help. Here are a few I’ve come across:</p>
2146
2147<ul>
2148  <li>
2149    <p>A Twitter thread on good <a href="https://twitter.com/cypheroftyr/status/1267773750595989505">ways to help right now and going forward</a></p>
2150  </li>
2151  <li>
2152    <p>The Toronto Star on <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/06/04/ive-worked-for-years-on-anti-racism-training-heres-what-ive-learned-about-how-canadians-can-take-the-next-steps.html">Anti-Racism training</a></p>
2153  </li>
2154  <li>
2155    <p>Stratagem on <a href="look like https://www.welcometostratagem.com/post/10-habits-of-someone-who-doesn-t-know-they-re-anti-black">what anti-Black habits</a></p>
2156  </li>
2157  <li>
2158    <p><a href="https://afomaumesi.com/black-young-adult-novels/?fbclid=IwAR0COZ6Ozh-_jDlDd5oZkdS0mSnTmj4tZbC4fcxODvRDhjKfSq6D3E24ce4">Black YA Novels to read</a></p>
2159  </li>
2160  <li>
2161    <p><a href="https://www.epicreads.com/blog/new-ya-books-black-authors/#.XtemWvZFAL8.twitter">New Black YA Releases</a></p>
2162  </li>
2163</ul>
2164
2165<p>. . . and just in case you’re getting fired up about being Katniss in the Hunger Games, a timely reminder that, while we need to change the world, we need to do so without causing more harm to the most vulnerable: <a href="https://twitter.com/GeekMelange/status/1267822634202312708">a thread on revolutions</a></p>
2166
2167<p>I want to live in a world where we get all the amazing stories and hear all the beautiful, challenging, original voices without a filter of race, sex, or privilege. That world is more interesting, more fun, and more equitable. It’s also better for us.</p>
2168
2169<p>But until that world is ours, and for the record because apparently it still needs to be said: Black Lives Matter, and so do Black Stories.</p>
2170
2171<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL4hxmAYPq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL4hxmAYPq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g>
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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL4hxmAYPq/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 Bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-06-08T19:22:27+00:00">Jun 8, 2020 at 12:22pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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2172<script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script>
2172<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
2172
2173
2174<p>I’m highlighting Dhonielle Clayton’s stunning YA Dystopian Fantasy <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23197837-the-belles?ac=1&amp;from_search=true&amp;qid=GQ4R0DRMYd&amp;rank=1">The Belles</a> in particular today, because yes, we need stories with both real life and fantasy, lived experience and imagined, interrogation and extrapolation and, at times, just straight up escapism in speculative fiction. And sometimes an author wants or needs to write about race in a contemporary or historical setting, but that should never be demanded or expected of them. (a.k.a. give us more Black fantasy!)</p>
2175
2176<p>Anyway, this book (series) in particular stood out to me because Dhonielle told a gripping story of stunning beauty and devastating dystopian horror and I’ve very rarely seen glitter and misery combined with such excellence.</p>
2177
2178<p>I’ll be incorporating regular titles by Black authors (trad &amp; indie) into future editions of this newsletter, as well as highlighting indigenous and POC stories.</p>
2179
2180<p>And if you’re a writer of YA or teen-friendly speculative fiction and Black, indigenous, or otherwise POC, please reach out with a link to one of your books so I can share it with everyone. 💖</p>
2181<hr>
2182	  
2183	    	<a href="/news/2020/05/28/more-book-recs.html" title="MORE Book Recs"><h3>MORE Book Recs</h3></a>
2184	    	<span><p><small>28 May 2020</small></p></span>
2185	    	<p>Local author Lois Peterson was kind enough to interview me and a bunch of other CWILL BC authors on her blog.</p>
2186
2187<p><a href="http://loispetersonwriter.ca/2020/05/27/author-qa-k-a-wiggins-2/">Check it out</a> for bite-sized facts, book recommendations and more at: <a href="http://loispetersonwriter.ca/2020/05/27/author-qa-k-a-wiggins-2/">loispetersonwriter.ca</a></p>
2188<hr>
2189	  
2190	    	<a href="/news/2020/05/23/a-sequel-is-born.html" title="A Sequel is Born"><h3>A Sequel is Born</h3></a>
2191	    	<span><p><small>23 May 2020</small></p></span>
2192	    	<p>I’m just gonna leave this here . . .</p>
2193
2194<p><a data-pin-do="embedPin" data-pin-width="large" data-pin-terse="true" href="https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/572872015104799081/"></a></p>
2195<hr>
2196	  
2197	    	<a href="/news/2020/03/27/COVID-19-Response.html" title="COVID-19 Response"><h3>COVID-19 Response</h3></a>
2198	    	<span><p><small>27 Mar 2020</small></p></span>
2199	    	<p>TBH it’s hard to know what to say or how best to respond. As a writer and freelancer, my lifestyle already looked a lot like self-isolation, except for creative writing workshops and speaking engagements, so for the moment, it’s (almost) business-as-usual. I’ll be working on sequel rewrites, keeping up newsletters and book marketing efforts, and priotizing freelancing a little more than I had been to make up shortfalls.</p>
2200
2201<p>But I know a ton of people are going through a tough time financially or have lost their jobs entirely, at least during the regional lockdowns. I don’t have enough of a backlist built up to offer much for free, but here’s a list of libraries and subscription services where you can find ebooks of Blind the Eyes:</p>
2202
2203<ul>
2204  <li><a href="https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/6786290038">Vancouver Public Library</a></li>
2205  <li><a href="https://www.scribd.com/book/387925871/Blind-the-Eyes-Threads-of-Dreams-1">Scribd</a></li>
2206  <li><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/x/x/x?id=2833301">24 Symbols</a></li>
2207  <li><a href="https://www.overdrive.com/media/3995334/blind-the-eyes">Overdrive/Libby</a></li>
2208  <li><a href="https://www.kobo.com/ebook/blind-the-eyes">Kobo Plus</a> (regional access)</li>
2209</ul>
2210
2211<p>I’m also offering coupons on ebooks to try to keep reading material accessible for those who don’t use library or subscription services.</p>
2212
2213<p>-Use <strong>AGB60</strong> to get 60% off at <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/947703">Smashwords</a> until the end of May
2214-Use <strong>BNPESCAPE75</strong> to get 75% off at <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/blind-the-eyes-ka-wiggins/1128583665">Barnes &amp; Noble</a> until the end of May</p>
2215
2216<p>And, for those of you who’ve suddenly become homeschoolers (especially you BC parents without school support!), I’m open-sourcing some <a href="https://kaie.space/news/2020/03/20/learning-resources.html">teaching materials from my creative writing workshops</a>. They’re tested on ages 8-12, but you could easily scale up or down a few years for maybe a couple hours of edutainment. ;D</p>
2217<hr>
2218	  
2219	    	<a href="/news/2020/03/20/learning-resources.html" title="Learning Resources"><h3>Learning Resources</h3></a>
2220	    	<span><p><small>20 Mar 2020</small></p></span>
2221	    	<p>Since school suddenly got cancelled this spring, I’ve reworked some materials from my creative writing workshops for home use.</p>
2222
2223<p><strong>Here’s what I’ve got so far!</strong></p>
2224
2225<ul>
2226  <li>
2227    <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Tws3KLmCnd2aBNiUORTpdzd1rTDfj9u2"><em>Last Chance Island</em> by Norma Charles Reading Questions</a></p>
2228  </li>
2229  <li>
2230    <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1v8cDaHU6AeiyfnF0GfOgs_CmzL_tL8EL"><em>Last Chance Island</em> by Norma Charles Craft Activity</a></p>
2231  </li>
2232  <li>
2233    <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1LdUVe3yYONDwmyJOdChbvCnDJA-wjKkh"><em>Last Chance Island</em> by Norma Charles Creative Writing Prompts</a></p>
2234  </li>
2235  <li>
2236    <p><a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-WFbtq8Vjec-cy1pCK4LlQOSq2ZEgyKt"><em>Last Chance Island</em>
2236 by Norma Charles Facilitator’s Guide</a></p>
2237  </li>
2238</ul>
2239
2240<p>If you’re looking for more free home learning resources, <a href="http://teachbcdb.bctf.ca/">TeachBC</a> is well stocked, and <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Creative-Writing-And-Literacy-For-Ages-8-12">TeachersPayTeachers</a> also has massive amounts of free (and paid) material.</p>
2241<hr>
2242	  
2243	    	<a href="/news/2020/02/14/alternate-cover-launch.html" title="Alternate Cover Launch"><h3>Alternate Cover Launch</h3></a>
2244	    	<span><p><small>14 Feb 2020</small></p></span>
2245	    	<p>Field testing an alternate cover design for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CSHPBGH/"><em>Blind the Eyes</em></a> by <a href="http://coversbychristian.com/">Christian Bentulan</a> with animation by <a href="https://www.morganwrightbooks.com/morgan-wright-book-cover-animations">Morgan Wright</a>.</p>
2246
2247<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is not at all Valentines-related, but hi! Blind the Eyes has a new cover &amp; it&#39;s extra creepy:<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CoverReveal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CoverReveal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/horror?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#horror</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DarkFantasy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DarkFantasy</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dystopian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dystopian</a> <a href="https://t.co/ObNzfIaG3u">pic.twitter.com/ObNzfIaG3u</a></p>&mdash; K.A. Wiggins (@kaiespace) <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace/status/1228428815266807809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
2248<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
2248
2249
2250<p>This will be an Amazon exclusive until I figure out which version performs better with readers.</p>
2251<hr>
2252	  
2253	    	<a href="/news/2020/01/09/Kicking-Off-2020.html" title="Kicking Off 2020"><h3>Kicking Off 2020</h3></a>
2254	    	<span><p><small>09 Jan 2020</small></p></span>
2255	    	<p>SO MUCH going on as we head into a new year (could it because it’s been six months since I last updated you? Maybe? Who really knows??)</p>
2256
2257<p>Anyway, here’s the rundown:</p>
2258
2259<hr />
2260
2261<h3 id="sequel">Sequel</h3>
2262
2263<p>The next installment of Threads of Dreams didn’t make it for 2019, but it did get written.</p>
2264
2265<p>Look forward to more hauntings, more monsters, more revelations, and a bonus roadtrip to the BC interior.</p>
2266
2267<p>Revisions, a lot of research as the adventure heads out of the city, and a few rounds of editing lie ahead, but I hope to keep things moving and work on book 3 when book 2’s off for editing this year because y’all are gonna hate me if I leave you hanging with its ending for another two years.</p>
2268
2269<hr />
2270
2271<h3 id="events">Events</h3>
2272
2273<p>I’ll be getting out of the house more in 2020, with several IRL events already on the book (<a href="https://kaie.space/events.html">here’s a page where you can keep track of them all!</a>). Briefly:</p>
2274
2275<ul>
2276  <li>
2277    <p>Writing &amp; Illustrating Kids Books: The Inside Story. Vancouver, Feb. 3, 2020. More details <a href="https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/search/fq=branch_location_id:(CEN)&amp;fq=types:(53e94ea21fdd7868020058ca)/event/5df81ba869c98645007cffb6">here</a>.</p>
2278  </li>
2279  <li>
2280    <p>World Read Aloud Day Live Readings. Burnaby, Feb. 5, 2020. More details to come.</p>
2281  </li>
2282</ul>
2283
2284<p>Aaand speaking of getting out of the house:</p>
2285
2286<hr />
2287
2288<h3 id="coaching">Coaching</h3>
2289
2290<p>My head is still spinning, this got arranged so fast . . . but I’m officially the newest storytelling mentor with Creative Writing for Children Society!</p>
2291
2292<p>They’re a local nonprofit that runs after-school/weekend creative writing workshops for ages 8 and up all around the Greater Vancouver/Lower Mainland region (and, occasionally, overseas.) Term-length workshops end with the kids self-publishing a short book or anthology.</p>
2293
2294<p>I’ll be running a creativity-in-storytelling anthology workshop in White Rock starting next week (😱) so that’s going to be busy for a bit until I get it sorted. If you have kids interested in doing more creative writing, definitely <a href="http://www.cwc2004.org/">get in touch with them</a> to see if there’s an upcoming workshop in your area!</p>
2295
2296<hr />
2297
2298<h3 id="actual-publishing-news-">Actual Publishing News (?)</h3>
2299
2300<p>You’ll see some familiar stories popping up later this year with a new look.</p>
2301
2302<p>I did a little clean-up on both On the Edge and A Song of Dark Things and they’re pending consideration for a magazine and anthology project respectively.</p>
2303
2304<p>A few other short stories, new and old, are under submission as well, and I got the news just last night that Castoffs is pending consideration for a magazine that does print/ebook/audio. Can’t wait for you guys to read it (hope it finally sells!) since it’s so utterly unlike anything I’ve put out before. Kind of weird horror, if that’s a genre? Or dark comedy-fantasy?</p>
2305
2306<p>An alternate cover for Blind the Eyes is also underway. It’s an experiment to see what a less-creative-more-genre-aligned cover might do on digital storefronts (which are a bit of their own beast when it comes to such things), so look forward to a new/old cover reveal in the next edition!</p>
2307
2308<hr />
2309
2310<h3 id="stores">Stores</h3>
2311
2312<p>Just added a new IRL retail location, if you’re into supporting indie bookstores and/or shopping local.</p>
2313
2314<p>You can now find signed paperbacks of Blind the Eyes at <a href="http://www.hemibooks.com/">Hemingway’s Books &amp; Records</a>** in Abbotsford, BC.</p>
2315
2316<hr />
2317
2318<p>That seems like more than enough for now! As always, you’ll get news a little faster if you join me on social or sign up to the newsletter! :)</p>
2319<hr>
2320	  
2321	    	<a href="/news/2019/08/13/first-anthology.html" title="First Anthology"><h3>First Anthology</h3></a>
2322	    	<span><p><small>13 Aug 2019</small></p></span>
2323	    	<p>Surprise! One of my stories got picked up for an anthology by Fiction-Atlas Press (coming out next month already!!! 😱)</p>
2324
2325<p><a href="https://books2read.com/unknownrealms" target="_blank"><img src="https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/69692861_2702902193086945_9017343211579899904_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&amp;_nc_oc=AQlmcaSB0X_e77AoUof0ty_QvAFV3AbTcRS2RfEsxwZrteJ8jV-v5dRWuEv_eorfNIo&amp;_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&amp;oh=68d5ef6cf176a2afc419676995534454&amp;oe=5E0A6ADE" style="max-height:300px;" /></a>     <a href="https://books2read.com/unknownrealms" target="_blank"><img src="https://scontent.fyvr3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/69979816_10162260041325319_2448780878034239488_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&amp;_nc_oc=AQkFy7ETJjKr4VbyQikDFZE-i3LuTLDT95dAepyTfusVzIU0HAycoYwTrSrWn88uSDA&amp;_nc_ht=scontent.fyvr3-1.fna&amp;
2325oh=65dd86f21c8eb26e11b46cddfc710ca1&amp;oe=5DF6C28D" style="max-height:300px;" /></a></p>
2326
2327<p><em>A Song of Dark Things</em> is a contemporary dark fantasy inspired by the Scottish fairytales <em>Thomas the Rhymer</em> &amp; <em>The Fiddlers of Tomnahurich</em> and my own travels at the edge of the (old) world. ✨</p>
2328
2329<p><strong>Blurb</strong> “A Highland teen desperate to escape her smalltown existence makes a deal with the fae to achieve her dreams of stardom, only to discover her heart’s desire comes at an unexpected cost.”</p>
2330
2331<p>I’m super excited about this story—it’s especially perfect for all of you who loved <em>On the Edge</em>; unsettling and creepy and gorgeous. 💖💖💖</p>
2332
2333<p>But because it’s an anthology, you don’t just get my weird take on devil’s bargains, you get another NINE amazing speculative stories about stepping into other worlds! 🎉</p>
2334
2335<p>You can preorder Unknown Worlds now at <a href="https://books2read.com/unknownrealms">any online bookstore</a> and your ebook will be automatically delivered on October 28th!</p>
2336
2337<p>Not into ebooks? Paperbacks should hit stores soon (I’ll update with links when I have ‘em!)</p>
2338
2339<h3 id="expanded-blurb">Expanded blurb:</h3>
2340
2341<p>Lee would sell her soul to be a rockstar, but no one’s buying. Well, no one around here, anyways. There’s little trade on the Morar Peninsula, and the holiday goers cluttering up the view show precious little interest in her soul. They’re more interested in a romantic highland getaway, clean rooms, and a view of the sea.</p>
2342
2343<p>Doesn’t matter. She has a plan, and a prospective buyer lined up. Though, if everything goes right, the Folk will deliver her heart’s desire at a much better price. She hopes to trade a night at best, a year at a bargain, and if it takes a century, well. That can be arranged.</p>
2344<hr>
2345	  
2346	    	<a href="/news/2019/06/25/Two-Kinds-of-Audio.html" title="Two Kinds of Audio"><h3>Two Kinds of Audio</h3></a>
2347	    	<span><p><small>25 Jun 2019</small></p></span>
2348	    	<p>With huge thanks to the Vancouver Public Library’s free creator spaces, I was able to spend a week recording <em>Blind the Eyes</em> in Vancouver. 20 hours later, I have raw files and a mountain of audio editing ahead, but audiobooks are <em>finally</em> underway!</p>
2349
2350<p><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/69b7865f-e71a-4ec2-b11d-5c5915c1b290.jpg" style="width: 300px" /></p>
2351
2352<p>Also: I’ve been accepted as a member and registered as a speaker with the Children’s Writers and Illustrators of British Columbia Society (CWILL BC). Looking forward to learning, building connections, giving back to the community, and hopefully getting out to see more awesome readers and the next generation of writers!</p>
2353
2354<p>If you’re an event organizer or a reader lobbying local events to bring in more authors you like, <a href="https://www.cwillbc.org/Member_View.aspx?MemberID=82980">here’s my speaker profile on CWILL BC</a> for reference. I’d love to meet you!</p>
2355
2356<p><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/b078f875-e134-47c1-8db8-c53671f0b4f1.jpg" style="width: 300px" /></p>
2357<hr>
2358	  
2359	    	<a href="/news/2019/06/24/first-magazine.html" title="First Magazine"><h3>First Magazine</h3></a>
2360	    	<span><p><small>24 Jun 2019</small></p></span>
2361	    	<p>UPDATED June 24, 2019</p>
2362
2363<p><a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com/2019/06/on-edge-by-k-wiggins.html">Read <em>On the Edge</em></a> for FREE courtesy of Enchanted Conversation Magazine!</p>
2364
2365<p><a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com/2019/06/on-edge-by-k-wiggins.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eUvshuAZ04A/XPw6fXy8nlI/AAAAAAAAFuo/jYa0XIf3vygIT1GdetETV2NkUsWfl6uxgCLcBGAs/s400/ON%2BTHE%2BEDGE%2B-%2BWiggins%2Bcopy.jpg" style="max-height:300px;" /></a></p>
2366
2367<hr />
2368
2369<p>ORIGINAL POST May 5, 2019</p>
2370
2371<p>Just a quick update today: one of my stories got accepted by a literary magazine! Okay, it’s really more of a genre ‘zine, but either way!</p>
2372
2373<p>It might seem like a weird thing to get excited about at this point in my career, but it’s actually a first for me. I’ve had short stories win contests, indie-published, and licensed for translation (and published long-form fiction), but I’ve never actually submitted to a publication before.</p>
2374
2375<p>Even more excitingly, the story was picked up by the very first place I submitted to! (They called 
2375it “exceptional and lyrically beautiful!!”)</p>
2376
2377<p>You can read <em>On The Edge</em> in <a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com">Enchanted Magazine</a>’s June 2019 edition. It’s an NA horror/dark fantasy faery story about walking on water, adulthood &amp; escaping reality in the Scottish Highlands and the ending is possibly my favourite thing written to date.</p>
2378
2379<p>Hidden paths and ancient ruins! Creatures beneath the waves! ALLLL the millennial angst. Very On Brand #monstersandmagic ✨</p>
2380
2381<p>Also, it’s inspired by my actual adventures in the UK. Up to you to guess which parts~</p>
2382<hr>
2383	  
2384	    	<a href="/news/2019/06/05/Happy-Book-Birthday.html" title="Happy Book Birthday & Giveaway"><h3>Happy Book Birthday & Giveaway</h3></a>
2385	    	<span><p><small>05 Jun 2019</small></p></span>
2386	    	<p>I can’t believe it’s been a year already!</p>
2387
2388<p><em>Blind the Eyes</em> came out on June 1, 2018, and in a weird and totally-unplanned-for twist of fate, it was  three years to the day since I first sat down to write it, making this officially my fourth year as an author (<em>shock</em>).</p>
2389
2390<p>To celebrate, here’s a look back at one year of awesome milestones and a fun bookbox giveaway:</p>
2391
2392<h3 id="may-2018-first-copy-sold">May 2018: First Copy Sold!!</h3>
2393
2394<p>When I talk about how much I love international readers, this is one of the reasons why. The first ever copy of one of my books to sell was a preorder of the BTE ebook, and it went to a reader in the Philippines.</p>
2395
2396<p>To be entirely honest, I would have been thrilled just to sell a copy to someone I wasn’t related to, but it’s super cool to know exactly who gave me that first vote of confidence. :)</p>
2397
2398<h3 id="june-13-2018-first-press-feature">June 13, 2018: First Press Feature</h3>
2399
2400<p>It was almost two weeks after launch, blogger reviews were slowly filtering in and I was <em>still</em> wrestling with KDP to get the paperbacks posted when I got the email.</p>
2401
2402<p>BTE was selected to be featured in the Summer 2018 Barnes &amp; Noble Press Presents promotion. In case you’re not up on current trends in bookselling, B&amp;N is one of the curated storefronts where human beings (instead of just algorithms) select books to be featured.</p>
2403
2404<p>After two weeks of book launch madness, this was definitely a welcome development!</p>
2405
2406<p><img src="/vexoIG.png" style="width:100%;" /></p>
2407
2408<h3 id="june-19-2018-paperbacks">June 19, 2018: Paperbacks</h3>
2409
2410<p>Almost three weeks post-launch, but better late than never (sob) Ingram Spark came through with gorgeous paperback proofs. I’d spend the next six+ months wrestling with KDP support to get cheaper versions out to stores, but yay, pretty books!</p>
2411
2412<h3 id="july-2018-prequel-finished">July 2018: Prequel Finished</h3>
2413
2414<p>A second Camp NaNoWriMo saw the end of the first draft of <em>Beneath the Surface</em>—now available to newsletter subscribers as the prequel novella <em>Under</em>.</p>
2415
2416<p>I’d like to circle back and rework this story into a full novel with some tweaks, but y’all are waiting on the sequels, so . . . some day. (shrugs)</p>
2417
2418<p><img src="/giftwrapped4288long.jpg" style="width:100%;" /></p>
2419
2420<h3 id="november-2018-hardcovers">November 2018: Hardcovers</h3>
2421
2422<p>BTE was finally available in three (out of four) formats—and man, those hardcovers look <em>good</em>. Audiobooks are still to come . . . whenever I get free from this #$%^ sequel, lol.</p>
2423
2424<p>Also in November, <a href="reginawamba.com">Regina Wamba</a>’s gorgeous cover design for BTE was shortlisted as one of the top 10 Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy covers of 2018 by the rad team at Kobo.</p>
2425
2426<h3 id="december-2018-best-of-book">December 2018: Best-Of Book</h3>
2427
2428<p>Another best-of list! Just before Christmas the Barnes &amp; Noble Press team let me know they’d selected BTE as one of their “Top 20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018” and called it:</p>
2429
2430<p>“A unique twist on the YA-dystopian genre, Wiggins weaves a complex tale that unfolds like a dream itself — mystical, and sometimes odd, but always captivating.”</p>
2431
2432<p>Thanks so much for the kind words, B&amp;N Press!</p>
2433
2434<h3 id="january-2019-paperbacks-part-2">January 2019: Paperbacks Part 2</h3>
2435
2436<p>Yes, <em>finally</em> the long-awaited KDP paperbacks finally got unstuck from the bowels of the internet and appeared in stores. Rejoice!</p>
2437
2438<p>I also kicked off a year of releases with <em>Letter From the End of the World</em> on January 31.</p>
2439
2440<p>I don’t believe in New Years Resolutions, so let’s call it a quiet scheme to release a story a month (mostly to make up for being s l o w getting that sequel out to you).</p>
2441
2442<p><img src="/carnage8long.gif" style="width:100%;" /></p>
2443
2444<h3 id="february-march-2019-releases-2-4">February-March 2019: Releases 2-4</h3>
2445
2446<p><em>Letter</em> is a super-short epistolary second-person villain origin story in the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> world.</p>
2447
2448<p>I basically just recycled some of my worldbuilding and backstory notes into a side story to explore the possibilities of Kindle Unlimited, so I was frankly shocked to hear from a small international publisher asking about translation rights.</p>
2449
2450<p>
2450A couple rounds of successful negotiations later and *Lettera dalla fine del mondo” is now available in Italian from Virgibooks, Inc. First translation deal!</p>
2451
2452<p>Somewhere in between, the 30,000 word prequel novella <em>Under</em> launched to newsletter subscribers.</p>
2453
2454<p><em>The Unsought Light</em> debuted as a Valentines Day free read before getting reworked for KU. First story outside of the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series!</p>
2455
2456<p>Also in February: <a href="https://mybooks-myworld.com/2019/02/18/my-interview-with-author-k-a-wiggins/">first interview</a>, thanks to Mary Bernal of <em>My Books My World</em></p>
2457
2458<p>And ALSO, this funny little email about some event in India . . . which brings us to:</p>
2459
2460<p><img src="/broken7-unsought-long.jpg" style="width:100%;" /></p>
2461
2462<h3 id="april-2019-my-new-favourite-thing">April 2019: My New Favourite Thing!!!</h3>
2463
2464<p>I was invited to speak at a children’s literature festival in Mumbai. Even more unexpectedly, I said yes—and loved it! Turns out I love talking about books and encouraging readers and writers—who knew?</p>
2465
2466<p>I had a great time at Creative Ink Festival closer to home in Burnaby a couple weeks before heading to India as a “practice run” too—great to meet some new friends and make a lot of really exciting connections at both events. Will definitely be on the lookout for more chance to get out and connect with y’all offline more often!</p>
2467
2468<h3 id="may-2019-more-shorts">May 2019: More Shorts</h3>
2469
2470<p>Writers reading this might laugh, but it hadn’t really occurred to me to try to license short fiction—even after my first attempt getting snapped up for translation.</p>
2471
2472<p>But I kind of stumbled across an online call for submissions for speculative stories about water and . . . 1,600 words later a weird, creepy, delightfully dark faery story called <em>On the Edge</em>
2472 was snapped up the first place I submitted! They called it “exceptional and lyrically beautiful” so there’s that.</p>
2473
2474<p>Look forward to reading that later this week at <a href="https://enchantedconversationmag.blogspot.com/">Enchanted Conversations Magazine</a>!</p>
2475
2476<h2 id="celebrate-with-me">Celebrate with me!</h2>
2477
2478<p>Looking back, it’s hard to believe all the amazing things that have happened in just one year!</p>
2479
2480<p>So many of the things I expected didn’t happen and tons of things I never would never dreamed of have, so it’s very much been an exercise in adjusting expectations and getting excited about what is.</p>
2481
2482<p>And so many of those great things are because of the amazing readers, bloggers, bookstagrammers, and other supporters who have taken the time to write reviews, post pictures and, you know, buy books. So, thank you, everyone!</p>
2483
2484<p>To celebrate, I’ve put together a bookbox inspired by some of the highlights and events of the past year:</p>
2485
2486<ul>
2487  <li>
2488    <p>Signed paperback of the brilliant Kelley Armstrong’s terrifying YA paranormal thriller <em>The Summoning</em> from Creative Ink Festival</p>
2489  </li>
2490  <li>
2491    <p>Paperback of local author J.M. Barrie’s faery fantasy <em>Liminal Lights</em> from Creative Ink Festival</p>
2492  </li>
2493  <li>
2494    <p>Hand-bound copy of <em>The Unsought Light</em> with a matching (unlined) notebook</p>
2495  </li>
2496  <li>
2497    <p>Gold elephant bookmark and shape notebook from Mumbai</p>
2498  </li>
2499  <li>
2500    <p>“Read” pin</p>
2501  </li>
2502  <li>
2503    <p>One bonus paperback from my collection! Choose from dystopian, dark fantasy, or a copy of <em>Blind the Eyes</em></p>
2504  </li>
2505</ul>
2506
2507<p><img src="/BookBirthdayGiveaway.JPG" style="width:100%;" /></p>
2508
2509<hr />
2510
2511<p><a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3678dbc1/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="d3678dbc1" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_4uhb299p">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
2512<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
2512</p>
2513<hr>
2514	  
2515	    	<a href="/news/2019/05/02/My-new-favourite-thing.html" title="My new favourite thing"><h3>My new favourite thing</h3></a>
2516	    	<span><p><small>02 May 2019</small></p></span>
2517	    	<p>The Children’s Literature Fest in Mumbai was spectacular, guys—I wish you all could have been there!</p>
2518
2519<p>Huge shoutout to ORCHIDS The International School and the other sponsors, and Rupsa and her team for making it happen.</p>
2520
2521<p>(They also made this rad video—you can see they’re skilled by how they edited my barely-coherent flailing interview into something cool~)</p>
2522
2523<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6i59lhgzqkQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
2524
2525<p>Apparently this was not only the first Children’s Lit Fest in Mumbai, but the largest anywhere? I think 10,000 guests over the course of the festival were anticipated. (So happy I don’t get stage fright!)</p>
2526
2527<p>The level of production was just unbelievable; they had this thing they called a “story street” that you can catch a glimpse of in that YouTube where they’d created like 10-foot high vinyl-printed illustrations and pop-up installations all along a corridor so you literally walked through stories to get to the festival.</p>
2528
2529<p>All the storytellers (guest speakers) had these personalized introduction videos (also: we got to walk on stage to epic film soundtracks.) Total celebrity moment! Plus the festival had its own theme song (and later, music video!)</p>
2530
2531<p>I was so busy connecting with everyone, I didn’t really get around to taking any decent pictures, but you can find some of the videos and images from the festival <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Orchids-Childrens-Literature-Fest-392001844713668/">here</a>.</p>
2532
2533<p>The team worked so hard—just nonstop running around to make it all happen (one even broke her leg and kept going!! Badass, Taniya!) and it was cool to hear how the whole thing came about because they’re encouraged to come up with creative, ambitious projects.</p>
2534
2535<p>Some sessions were standing-room only, but one of my favourites was near the end of the festival when only four kids showed up and we got to just circle up chairs and chat writing for a couple hours. Brilliant.</p>
2536
2537<p>Speaking of brilliant, these kids—wow. I was speaking to mostly 11-14 year olds, with some sessions attended by older teens and adults, and I was worried if they would be too young at first, but even the youngest ones were totally engaged. I wish I’d been half as confident and able to communicate effectively at their age!</p>
2538
2539<p>Another cool moment: because I mostly sell books online, I’ve only ever personalized books for friends, family, and reviewers. But one awesome dad who brought out his daughter to multiple days of the festival bought a copy as a surprise for her after her next exam. Such a cool moment for me (and I hope for her!)</p>
2540
2541<p>If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, you’ll know that I almost didn’t go, but I’m so glad I did. It was amazing meeting all the brilliant guests, sharing stories, talking writing, and getting to spend time with so many great people.</p>
2542
2543<p>(I’ll be working on a series to introduce you to some of them in the newsletters and on social in coming weeks.)</p>
2544
2545<p>As a creative and business owner in the 21st century, I’ve really had a digital-first mentality. But now I’m absolutely going to be seeking out more chances to connect with readers and writers offline as well~</p>
2546
2547<p>Thanks to everyone who helped put on the event, taught, or attended a session—I can’t wait to do more events like this!</p>
2548<hr>
2549	  
2550	    	<a href="/news/2019/03/31/a-villain-origin-story-translated.html" title="A Villain Origin Story TRANSLATED"><h3>A Villain Origin Story TRANSLATED</h3></a>
2551	    	<span><p><small>31 Mar 2019</small></p></span>
2552	    	<h2 id="letter-from-the-end-of-the-world">Letter from the End of the World</h2>
2553
2554<p><strong>Before her deal with the devil, Maryam Ajera was . . . anything but ordinary. Read the letter she can never send to the son she can never acknowledge confessing the true story of their world before its fall.</strong></p>
2555
2556<p>Brilliant academic, driven professional, cynical wife, and reluctant mother, Maryam Ajera’s ambition knows no bounds. She’ll sacrifice whatever it takes to rise to the top. But when her secret mission to stop the end of the world gets hijacked by tragedy, the monstrous intelligence possessing her dying city forces her to choose between surrendering her life or signing on for an eternity of sacrifice.</p>
2557
2558<p><strong>In a city overrun by monsters, she’s not the only one who’ll pay the cost.</strong></p>
2559
2560<p>Discover the unexpected villain origin story of the unearthly Mayor of the Towers of Refuge in this short spinoff to the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series. Suggested as a companion read, this short story covers events leading up to <em>Blind the Eyes</em> and can also be enjoyed as a standalone.</p>
2561
2562<p><em>Letter from the End of the World</em> launched on January 31, 2019 and it is a Kindle Unlimited exclusive short story/flash fiction title, so you can only <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MZQ1H1M">get it on Amazon</a> (at the moment).</p>
2563
2564<p><img src="/carnage8long.gif" alt="Short Story Letter from the End of the World/Lettera dalla fine del mondo by K.A. Wiggins" width="100%" /></p>
2565
2566<h2 id="now-available-in-italian">Now Available in Italian</h2>
2567
2568<p>I’m also very excited to announce that Italian language ebook rights for this title have been licensed to international publisher Virgibooks, Inc. The Italian translation, <em>Lettera dalla fine del mondo,</em> hits <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NS76DYH">Amazon stores</a> today!</p>
2569
2570<p>Since this is a short read, print editions are not planned at this time.</p>
2571<hr>
2572	  
2573	    	<a href="/news/2019/03/28/a-standalone-and-a-prequel.html" title="A Standalone and a Prequel"><h3>A Standalone and a Prequel</h3></a>
2574	    	<span><p><small>28 Mar 2019</small></p></span>
2575	    	<h2 id="two-new-stories">Two New Stories!!</h2>
2576
2577<p>I’ve been aiming for one new story a month this year.</p>
2578
2579<p>First up was <em>
2579Letter from the End of the World,</em> a <em>Threads of Dreams</em> flash fiction at the end of January. The translation, <em>Lettera dalla fine del mondo,</em> comes out at the end of March. I managed to wedge these two right in between:</p>
2580
2581<h3 id="the-unsought-light-a-japanese-fairytale-retelling-with-a-gothic-twist">The Unsought Light: A Japanese Fairytale Retelling with a Gothic Twist</h3>
2582
2583<p><img src="/broken7-unsought-long.jpg" alt="Short Story The Unsought Light by K.A. Wiggins" width="100%" /></p>
2584
2585<p><strong>Daughters don’t get to choose their fate. But there’s one choice no one can deny her.</strong></p>
2586
2587<p>Promised from birth to the son of the clan lord, Hana’s only joy is gazing out over the lake beyond her window. She dreams of floating away on the breeze like the cherry blossoms, but when an otherworldly stranger offers a chance at escape, duty and desire collide in a war that threatens to bring down her family, her clan, and her village.</p>
2588
2589<p><strong>Freedom. Passion. Family. Fate. What do you do when there are no good choices left?</strong></p>
2590
2591<p>A gothic retelling of the ancient Japanese folktale The Maiden of Unai, this short story explores the untold perspective of the “maiden” destined for an arranged political marriage in a time and place where family fortunes mattered more than individual happiness or choice. A historical romance in the vein of Rome &amp; Juliet with a supernatural twist.</p>
2592
2593<p><em>Trigger warning for suicide.</em></p>
2594
2595<p>This is a standalone short story (the setting might have tipped you off?) and it is also, at least for the moment, exclusive to the Kindle Unlimited program, so you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P3KDXQ8">get it on Amazon</a> as of today.</p>
2596
2597<p>(Pro tip: Kindle Unlimited books are always free to KU subscribers, but one advantage of the program is the ability to do dramatically lower pricing or even price to free every so often, so you might want to <a href="https://www.amazon.com/K.A.-Wiggins/e/B072N62MXK">follow me on Amazon</a> to get alerts about sales.)</p>
2598
2599<h3 id="under">Under</h3>
2600
2601<p><img src="/giftwrapped4288long.jpg" alt="Prequel Novella Under by K.A. Wiggins" width="100%" /></p>
2602
2603<p>So, I’ve been promising you guys a prequel novella since last summer and it’s (past) time to deliver.</p>
2604
2605<p>The reason you didn’t get <em>Under</em> last July is that I finished drafting it, replotted it, and came up with a much bigger story to tell, and one which needed tweaks to fit properly into all the complexity of the <em>Threads of Dreams</em> series. That story is <em>Below the Surface</em>, and it’s going to have to wait its turn (lol).</p>
2606
2607<p>But <em>Under</em> is a fun, fast-paced little romantic thriller all on its own, so I cleaned it up a little and made it into a newsletter subscriber freebie!</p>
2608
2609<p><strong>Sibling rivalry takes a new turn as sisters fight for love, identity, and survival in a monster-infested drowned city.</strong></p>
2610
2611<p>The twins’ bond kept them together through everything the Towers of Refuge could throw at them. But when Ange fakes her own death in a rash attempt to protect her sister, her twin runs away to join a secret club in the abandoned levels of the tower below the floodwaters.</p>
2612
2613<p>Ange is determined to bring her sister back. But the secrets—and the strangers—they discover below the waterline could sever their bond for good.</p>
2614
2615<p>This SFF/spec-fic prequel story takes place less than a decade before <em>Blind the Eyes</em> and blends monsters and magic with near-future post-eco-disaster cityscapes for a fast-paced, genre-bending romantic thriller.</p>
2616
2617<p><a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">Join the newsletter</a> to download a free complete copy of <em>Under</em> and an extended preview of <em>Blind the Eyes.</em></p>
2618<hr>
2619	  
2620	    	<a href="/news/2019/02/23/playing-catch-up.html" title="Playing Catch Up"><h3>Playing Catch Up</h3></a>
2621	    	<span><p><small>23 Feb 2019</small></p></span>
2622	    	<p>Bear with me, guys. There’s been a ton going on this year (how is it almost March?!?) but between releasing new stories, writing newsletters, book marketing, sublicensing, translations(!), international speaking invitations, and even a dash of actual writing in all that, I’ve fallen behind on updating this site.</p>
2623
2624<p>So . . . keep an eye out for all those things, I guess? And I’ll try to copy important news over here as soon as I get a chance.</p>
2625<hr>
2626	  
2627	    	<a href="/news/2019/02/18/more-than-you-ever-wanted-to-know.html" title="More Than You Ever Wanted to Know"><h3>More Than You Ever Wanted to Know</h3></a>
2628	    	<span><p><small>18 Feb 2019</small></p></span>
2629	    	<p>Amy Bernal of My Books-My World interviewed me on her blog.</p>
2630
2631<p><a href="https://mybooks-myworld.com/2019/02/18/my-interview-with-author-k-a-wiggins/">Check it out</a> for awkward photos, way more than you ever wanted to know about my process, and a sneak peek excerpt!</p>
2632<hr>
2633	  
2634	    	<a href="/news/2018/12/21/Wishing-you-hope-this-Christmas.html" title="Wishing you hope this Christmas"><h3>Wishing you hope this Christmas</h3></a>
2635	    	<span><p><small>21 Dec 2018</small></p></span>
2636	    	<p><em>(first published in newsletter December 21 edition)</em></p>
2637
2638<p><strong>Christmas is next week. How are you doing?</strong></p>
2639
2640<p>I hope you’re having an awesome holiday season with not a cloud in the sky, but for many of us, Christmas is a tough time.</p>
2641
2642<p>And maybe it’s because New Years looms—with all of its pressure to look back, reevaluate, and set those dreaded resolutions—that it also tends to be a season that shines a harsh light on the gap between reality and our dreams.</p>
2643
2644<p><strong>Christmas movies love diving into this stuff.</strong></p>
2645
2646<p>The endless flood of holiday romances, with or without kids in the picture, unpack the longing for love (and freedom from family and societal expectations) and a desire to return to a childlike place of belief.</p>
2647
2648<p><em>
2648We dream our prince will come . . .</em></p>
2649
2650<p><em>Or our dead-end career will be replaced by something we love—that also makes us super-successful . . .</em></p>
2651
2652<p><em>(The turkey will make itself . . . )</em></p>
2653
2654<p><em>We’ll save the farm/family business/small town/ . . .</em></p>
2655
2656<p><em>Estranged family members will reconcile . . .</em></p>
2657
2658<p><em>Our enemies will repent from their wicked ways . . .</em></p>
2659
2660<p><em>The ones we’ve lost will return to us . . .</em></p>
2661
2662<p><em>(Peace on Earth . . . )</em></p>
2663
2664<p><em>The true meaning of Christmas will transform our hearts . . .</em></p>
2665
2666<p><em>Magic will return to our world . . .</em></p>
2667
2668<p>It’s easy to read those lines with a cynical inner voice. How silly. How childish. We live in the real world.</p>
2669
2670<p>Geez, those fantasy writers, amirite?</p>
2671
2672<p><strong>To be honest, I’m really not a fan of all those Hallmark-channel specials.</strong></p>
2673
2674<p><em>I don’t believe a prince will come and transform my world.</em></p>
2675
2676<p><em>I already quit the terrible job, and while the new one is amazing, it’s still a tough slog and when it comes right down to it, work is still work.</em></p>
2677
2678<p><em>Family is complicated and magic is hard to hold on to.</em></p>
2679
2680<p><em>Peace on Earth and goodwill to men (&amp; especially women) seems to get further away every year.</em></p>
2681
2682<p><strong>So where does that leave us?</strong></p>
2683
2684<p>While I’m all for escapist fantasies in whatever form of media you prefer, it’s also important to live in the real world at least some of the time.</p>
2685
2686<p>But almost every woman I know is on depression and/or anxiety medication. Suicide rates are skyrocketing.</p>
2687
2688<p>If right here, right now is all there is, people are opting out in droves.</p>
2689
2690<p>And, without discounting the value of medication, therapy, and other treatments, I think there’s something about Christmas that can help all of us, wherever we’re at.</p>
2691
2692<p><strong>Before the song was the poem.</strong></p>
2693
2694<p>It gets crowded out these days by endless renditions of <em>Jingle Bells</em> and the controversy swirling around <em>Baby It’s Cold Outside</em>, but perhaps you’re familiar with an old carol: <em>I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day</em>.</p>
2695
2696<p>It’s a pretty tune, even if it doesn’t get that much radio play.</p>
2697
2698<p>But take a look at the original text:</p>
2699
2700<hr />
2701
2702<p>I heard the bells on Christmas Day</p>
2703
2704<p>Their old, familiar carols play,</p>
2705
2706<p>and wild and sweet</p>
2707
2708<p>The words repeat</p>
2709
2710<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
2711
2712<p>*</p>
2713
2714<p>And thought how, as the day had come,</p>
2715
2716<p>The belfries of all Christendom</p>
2717
2718<p>Had rolled along</p>
2719
2720<p>The unbroken song</p>
2721
2722<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
2723
2724<p>*</p>
2725
2726<p>Till ringing, singing on its way,</p>
2727
2728<p>The world revolved from night to day,</p>
2729
2730<p>A voice, a chime,</p>
2731
2732<p>A chant sublime</p>
2733
2734<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
2735
2736<p>*</p>
2737
2738<p>Then from each black, accursed mouth</p>
2739
2740<p>The cannon thundered in the South,</p>
2741
2742<p>And with the sound</p>
2743
2744<p>The carols drowned</p>
2745
2746<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
2747
2748<p>*</p>
2749
2750<p>It was as if an earthquake rent</p>
2751
2752<p>The hearth-stones of a continent,</p>
2753
2754<p>And made forlorn</p>
2755
2756<p>The households born</p>
2757
2758<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!</p>
2759
2760<p>*</p>
2761
2762<p>And in despair I bowed my head;</p>
2763
2764<p>“There is no peace on earth,” I said;</p>
2765
2766<p>“For hate is strong,</p>
2767
2768<p>And mocks the song</p>
2769
2770<p>Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”</p>
2771
2772<hr />
2773
2774<p>It’s a poem about war and death and destruction.</p>
2775
2776<p>Cheery, right? So festive!</p>
2777
2778<p><strong>Here’s the backstory:</strong></p>
2779
2780<p>In the mid-1800s, the dress of an accomplished artist, academic, art critic, mother, and wife named “Fanny” (Frances) caught on fire while she was with her children.</p>
2781
2782<p>(Flammable women’s fabrics &amp; dress designs were <a href="https://www.racked.com/2017/12/19/16710276/burning-dresses-history">an epidemic</a> of the time.)</p>
2783
2784<p>Though she ran to her husband for help (and presumably to spare her children) and he sustained severe injuries trying to save her, she died the next morning.</p>
2785
2786<p>Her husband had pursued her for over seven years prior to their marriage and would mourn her to the end of his days. Christmas was a particularly hard time after her death, as evidenced by his journal entries.</p>
2787
2788<p><strong>But the story doesn’t end there.</strong></p>
2789
2790<p>This widowed father of six was the famed American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and his home was the headquarters for George Washington in the early days of the American Revolution.</p>
2791
2792<p>The year after Fanny Longfellow died, their eldest son ran away to join the Union Army during the American Civil War.</p>
2793
2794<p>The following year he was shot in The Battle of Mine Run.</p>
2795
2796<p>His father raced to his side in early December, learning that the bullet clipped his 
2796spine and paralysis was likely. Young Charley Longfellow survived, eventually recovering most of his mobility, but that moment had to have been devastating.</p>
2797
2798<p>Henry Longfellow was nearly 60, widowed twice over, with six children under the age of 20, the eldest of whom was likely to be paralyzed for life.</p>
2799
2800<p>And his country was ripping itself apart.</p>
2801
2802<p>Longfellow wrote the poem <em>Christmas Bells</em> that December—but there’s one more verse that I didn’t include above.</p>
2803
2804<p>He ends his lament against loss, death, and destruction like this:</p>
2805
2806<hr />
2807
2808<p>Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:</p>
2809
2810<p>“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;</p>
2811
2812<p>The Wrong shall fail,</p>
2813
2814<p>The Right prevail,</p>
2815
2816<p>With peace on earth, good-will to men.”</p>
2817
2818<hr />
2819
2820<p><strong>Hope.</strong></p>
2821
2822<p>Do you hear the triumph in that final stanza?</p>
2823
2824<p><em>“The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail . . .”</em></p>
2825
2826<p>What an absurd perspective. The world was a scary place in the mid-1800s.</p>
2827
2828<p>It still is today.</p>
2829
2830<p>There’s pain, loss, the small deaths of day-to-day miseries and the greater deaths of the ones we love.</p>
2831
2832<p>War continues on, unrelenting. Oh, and we’re probably ruining the planet.</p>
2833
2834<p><strong>But Christmas reminds us to find and hold on to hope in the darkness.</strong></p>
2835
2836<p>It makes sense—the earliest baby-in-a-manger source of Christmas was about hope for a broken world.</p>
2837
2838<p>Along the way, it’s picked up on other influences. Winter solstice—light returning to a dark, cold world. Legends of spirits and saints bringing some comfort into the harsh realities of winter.</p>
2839
2840<p>Even the commercialistic modern Santa offers a kind of hope—if only for parents to be freed from shopping lists, for kids’ dreams to come true. For a last taste of magic in our prosaic, capitalist world.</p>
2841
2842<p><strong>Hope can make a difference.</strong></p>
2843
2844<p>It doesn’t deny or ignore yesterday’s mistakes and losses or today’s realities, but it validates dreams for a better future.</p>
2845
2846<p>It doesn’t tell you you’re wrong or weak or foolish for the longings of your heart, but encourages you to continue on through whatever today may hold for you.</p>
2847
2848<p>Hope frees you to keep living. To keep trying. To keep believing. To keep loving.</p>
2849
2850<p>So this Christmas my wish for all of you is that you find hope that sustains you through this season and all your tomorrows.</p>
2851
2852<p><em>Kaie</em></p>
2853<hr>
2854	  
2855	    	<a href="/news/2018/12/18/BTE-is-a-2018-fave.html" title="BTE is a 2018 fave!"><h3>BTE is a 2018 fave!</h3></a>
2856	    	<span><p><small>18 Dec 2018</small></p></span>
2857	    	<p>So excited to announce that Barnes &amp; Noble Press have just named <em>Blind the Eyes</em> as one of their top “20 Favourite Indie Books of 2018”!!</p>
2858
2859<p>Here’s what they had to say about it:</p>
2860
2861<p>“Why we loved it: A unique twist on the YA-dystopian genre, Wiggins weaves a complex tale that unfolds like a dream itself — mystical, and sometimes odd, but always captivating.”</p>
2862
2863<p>Thanks guys!</p>
2864
2865<p><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/bnpress-blog/2018-favorite-indie-books/">Check out the other awesome titles on the list</a> for more great indie book recommendations!</p>
2866<hr>
2867	  
2868	    	<a href="/news/2018/11/27/All-About-Covers-Part-3.html" title="All About Covers Part 3"><h3>All About Covers Part 3</h3></a>
2869	    	<span><p><small>27 Nov 2018</small></p></span>
2870	    	<p>Welcome back to the book cover design miniseries! To recap:</p>
2871
2872<ul>
2873  <li>
2874    <p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/23/All-About-Covers-Part-1.html">Part 1 was all about the different types of covers (D.I.Y., premade, and custom)</a></p>
2875  </li>
2876  <li>
2877    <p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html">Part 2 was about the process of commissioning a cover design</a></p>
2878  </li>
2879  <li>
2880    <p>Part 3 (first published in the Nov. 27, 2018 NL) is about the design for Blind the Eyes specifically.</p>
2881  </li>
2882</ul>
2883
2884<p>If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember some of my (D.I.Y.) prelaunch covers, like this one:</p>
2885
2886<p><img src="/scarf-version-bte.jpg" alt="Pre-publication cover of Blind the Eyes" />
2887<em>The last version before the true cover reveal!</em></p>
2888
2889<p>I did try to get the design as close to story–accurate as possible, but the limitations of stock photos and my Photoshop skills are clear.</p>
2890
2891<p>Thankfully, superstar cover designer <a href="https://reginawamba.com/">Regina Wamba</a>’s mad skills and hyper–organized approach came together to create something both subtler and more specific, as well as, you know, gorgeous.</p>
2892
2893<p>I flooded her with 10 pages (!!) of notes about genre, setting, symbolism and visual elements, inspiration, characters, etc. plus <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/cover-inspiration/">an overstuffed Pinterest board</a> of cover inspiration, and she came through with a stunning concept that made sense of the chaos I dumped on her:</p>
2894
2895<p><img src="/BTEFrontJacket.jpeg" alt="Final cover of Blind the Eyes" /></p>
2896
2897<p>Here’s how some of those themes, plot elements, worldbuilding details, etc. informed the visual design:</p>
2898
2899<p><strong>The Tower</strong></p>
2900
2901<p>For those of you who haven’t had a chance to read BTE yet, the entire book takes place in (and under) a single tower in a flooded and monster–overrun city. The tower is a place of both refuge and oppression, as is so often the case, and defines the limits of main character Cole’s worldview and identity for much of this first book.</p>
2902
2903<p>
2903While technically fantasy, BTE also has a post–apocalyptic setting, and the Towers of Refuge are based on a real–world location: Bentall Centre, a series of integrated office towers built over an underground shopping mall in Vancouver, BC.</p>
2904
2905<p>I love the way this blends gothic fairytale castle with imposing corporate monolith. The tower looms and bisects the flow of the page. The textured gold fill is simultaneously enticing and tarnished. Perfection.</p>
2906
2907<p><strong>Gold &amp; Silver/Light &amp; Darkness/Mist &amp; Decay</strong></p>
2908
2909<p>I wanted to get away from communicating in terms of white and black/light and dark, so in the book (/trilogy), silver and gold are the most important visual cues.</p>
2910
2911<p>Gold is extravagant, enticing, overwhelming, excessive, even menacing. It’s a glittering mask over reality. Silver is subtle, ephemeral, subversive, easily overshadowed, but also a bearer of light. It manifests in the margins with unexpected power (and readers may recognize a character–driven reason for the rooftop beam dominating the cover.</p>
2912
2913<p>Both are present throughout the design, pushing against one another, holding the tension. Mist/fog is part of the worldbuilding, trapping humanity, corroding the city, and hiding the nightmarish Mara, and adds visual texture. The negative space of the title speaks to hidden realities, both truth and lies that hide in the shadows, exposed not by their presence but by the weight of their absence.</p>
2914
2915<p><strong>Threads/Networks</strong></p>
2916
2917<p>Cole exists in a world that insists on isolation, and she starts from a place of embracing that value. She quickly starts to question her world, discover what lays beyond its borders, and find the power to change the world and her place in it.</p>
2918
2919<p>The interconnected threads/web visual elements speaks both to this theme of connection (both productive and destructive, illustrated by the gold and silver tones), as well as the powers that Cole begins to perceive and interact with.</p>
2920
2921<p>It also just looks wicked cool . . .</p>
2922
2923<p><strong>Genre Crossover, Detail &amp; Format</strong></p>
2924
2925<p>Cover design needs to meet readers’ expectations for the genre and perform on a functional level. Genre is MUCH harder to pinpoint than you’d think. It incorporates age group (MG vs. YA vs. adult), subgenres (is it Gothic fantasy? Gaslamp? Dystopian fantasy? etc.), and there are even differences between indie vs. traditional cover design trends within the same subject matter/subgenre.</p>
2926
2927<p>In the case of Blind the Eyes, it hews closer to traditional/big publishing trends in YA fantasy (illustrated/graphic cover design) as opposed to indie trends (girls looking fierce with weapons and/or ball gowns), and I love it.</p>
2928
2929<p>On the functional side, the cover needs to be eye–catching in small, thumbnail sizes, but still work at full–size and, in my case, various formats of print. Tucking enough detail so it doesn’t look raw and unfinished at larger sizes without muddying the form so much that it looks like a mess at smaller sizes is no joke, and colour profiles vary widely between digital and print formats. (Things look brighter on a screen, since they’re backlit, for instance.)</p>
2930
2931<p>I’m in awe of how subtle, dynamic, and eloquent the design turned out, and I can’t wait to see how the designs for the sequel looks!</p>
2932<hr>
2933	  
2934	    	<a href="/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html" title="All About Covers Part 2"><h3>All About Covers Part 2</h3></a>
2935	    	<span><p><small>24 Nov 2018</small></p></span>
2936	    	<p>Welcome back to the book cover design miniseries! To recap:</p>
2937
2938<ul>
2939  <li>
2940    <p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/23/All-About-Covers-Part-1.html">Part 1 was all about the different types of covers (D.I.Y., premade, and custom)</a></p>
2941  </li>
2942  <li>
2943    <p>Part 2 is about the process of commissioning a cover design</p>
2944  </li>
2945  <li>
2946    <p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/27/All-About-Covers-Part-3.html">Part 3 (first published in the Nov. 27, 2018 NL) will be about the design for Blind the Eyes specifically.</a></p>
2947  </li>
2948</ul>
2949
2950<h4 id="what-its-like-working-with-a-cover-designer">What it’s like working with a cover designer</h4>
2951
2952<p>While designing my own covers was good practice and the outcome could have looked (much) worse, leaning too hard into a D.I.Y. ethos can be a mistake. I felt it was important to work with experts where appropriate—and design work (like editing) is one of those areas where it makes sense to recognize your own limitations and invest.</p>
2953
2954<p>In this case, those limitations were both creative and technical. My artistic and Photoshop skills aren’t that finely honed, and light alterations to stock photos were about all I can manage. All my attempts at cover designs were only as strong as the stock photos. I could have flailed around for a few hundred more hours and hoped to hack my way into a reasonable layout, decent photo, and genre-appropriate outcome . . . or I could work with a professional.</p>
2955
2956<p>I started looking for a cover designer WAY early (mostly because I originally planned to publish about a year before my actual launch date.) Many of the character traits, themes, and worldbuilding elements were already established, but some things did change considerably. It all worked out, as you’ll see, but I’d recommend caution if you’re a pre-published author eager to get your cover ordered.</p>
2957
2958<p>That said, there’s usually a waitlist involved. I’d been keeping an eye out for cover artists and enquired with Regina Wamba in early March after seeing her work on Instagram. She has her business very well organized, which was helpful in quickly getting a sense of whether we could work together or not.</p>
2959
2960<p>Specifically, I sent a sort of preliminary enquiry clarifying what I was looking for and asking about rates. She confirmed that she’d be interested in the project, sent over a “menu” of services, and set the timeline.</p>
2961
2962<p>Because Regina’s also a superstar photographer, her offerings ranged from ebook-only cover design (using purchased/3rd–party stock photos) all the way up to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2114538108819983/">custom photography shoots to capture the exact look of the story</a>.</p>
2963
2964<p>Once a design package was agreed upon, there was a contract to sign, a 50% deposit to pay, and lots of homework. Depending on what you select and who you work with, these terms could vary, but creative work tends to take time, and freelancers have to schedule projects (and therefore often can’t do things immediately/last minute).</p>
2965
2966<p>In this case, the designer asked for 4-6 weeks minimum to process design inspiration, and I ended up letting her know that there was no rush on the design (because I got held up on the editing side) so it was a few months between drafts.</p>
2967
2968<p>Design homework on the author’s end can look like anything from some quick notes about design ideas to a collection of images or comparable covers. In this case, Regina had a sort of survey for me to fill out that asked about everything from technical requirements (wh
2968o’s your printer? what are the dimensions?) to setting, characters, theme, and visual elements to the story.</p>
2969
2970<p>Given my (obvious) inability to be concise and restrained when it comes to wording, I flooded her with ten pages of chaotic scribbles. And a <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/cover-inspiration/">Pinterest cover inspiration board</a> with over a hundred covers to sort through. So, yeah, you can see why designers ask for several weeks to let it all sink in!</p>
2971
2972<p>That was the main effort on my end. There were a few small back–and–forths with the draft, but it was over 90% there from the beginning. (The first round had a flowery, more “fairytale”–looking border, and no beam of light.) Deciding on cover text was also surprisingly difficult and made for extra work for the designer; I change up my hooks and blurbs too often, lol.</p>
2973
2974<p>Design drafts are low-res screencaps, so once a design was finalized, I got a dropbox link to full-size covers. In my case, I hadn’t anticipated all the design resources I needed in the initial order, so that added a few steps. Since the overall concept was there, though, and the cover art was graphic not photo–based, ordering larger–format covers (i.e. the square–shaped audiobook cover and the extended artwork for the hardcover) wasn’t a matter of redesigning so much as simply specifying the dimensions and any new cover text. And then, every new format goes into a work queue, so that takes some time as well.</p>
2975
2976<p>So, that’s pretty much the process from my end! If you’re a first–time author or indie–publisher getting ready to order your first cover, the steps are roughly:</p>
2977
2978<ul>
2979  <li>Decide vision (will the D.I.Y. or premade approach work for you? how are you positioning this book?)</li>
2980  <li>Check budget (and revise vision or postpone and start saving!)</li>
2981  <li>Research cover designers, maybe check in with authors/publishers to see what their experience was like</li>
2982  <li>Initiate contact, communicate goals/vision, and ask for quote/timeline</li>
2983  <li>Sign contract/pay deposit/schedule cover design</li>
2984  <li>Send design reference material (instructions/specifications/subgenre, design inspiration, cover text, etc.)</li>
2985  <li>Review artwork &amp; approve or specify changes</li>
2986  <li>Pay remaining fees, securely download/save full resolution artwork</li>
2987  <li>Plan a cover reveal!!</li>
2988  <li>Launch book</li>
2989</ul>
2990
2991<p>Part 3, how the design of BLIND THE EYES is informed by worldbuilding and thematic visual elements, is in the Nov. 27 newsletter.</p>
2992<hr>
2993	  
2994	    	<a href="/news/2018/11/23/All-About-Covers-Part-1.html" title="All About Covers Part 1"><h3>All About Covers Part 1</h3></a>
2995	    	<span><p><small>23 Nov 2018</small></p></span>
2996	    	<p>Thanks to the team of lovely human beings at Kobo for shortlisting Blind the Eyes as one of this year’s top 10 Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy covers!</p>
2997
2998<p>You can <a href="https://kobowritinglife.com/2018/11/23/the-kwl-cover-contest-2018-week-2-science-fiction-fantasy/">check out the full list and vote</a> in the public voting round until Nov. 30.</p>
2999
3000<p>I started drafting a special cover edition of the newsletter and realized there was WAY too much content, so I’m breaking it out into a blog series instead!</p>
3001
3002<p>First of all: shoutout to my amazing cover designer <a href="https://reginawamba.com">Regina Wamba</a> who designed the published covers for the Blind the Eyes ebook, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook editions. I’ll link out to some of her content within this series to bring in the designer’s perspective, but mostly this will be from the author/publisher’s perspective.</p>
3003
3004<ul>
3005  <li>
3006    <p>Part 1 is all about the different types of covers (D.I.Y., premade, and custom).</p>
3007  </li>
3008  <li>
3009    <p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html">Part 2 will be about the process of commissioning a cover design.</a></p>
3010  </li>
3011  <li>
3012    <p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/27/All-About-Covers-Part-3.html">Part 3 (first published in the Nov. 27, 2018 NL) will be about the design for Blind the Eyes specifically.</a></p>
3013  </li>
3014</ul>
3015
3016<h4 id="as-promised-all-about-cover-design-from-an-authors-perspective">As promised: all about cover design (from an author’s perspective)</h4>
3017
3018<p>Okay, here we go. Let’s start with an overview of the options, starting with D.I.Y.</p>
3019
3020<p>A great cover can have a huge impact on the success of a book, which is why it’s one of the most important outsourcing choices and biggest expenses after your editor (and, y’know, the author’s time).</p>
3021
3022<p>
3022If you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember some of my prelaunch covers:</p>
3023
3024<p><a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/limited-edition-covers/"><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ab/68/52/ab68526359f06d6a7ed8a29e220c018d.jpg" alt="Prelaunch D.I.Y. covers of Blind the Eyes" /></a> <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/kaiespace/limited-edition-covers/"><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/13/28/88/13288808ef9c9c1bf55e868a020f5cc2.jpg" alt="Prelaunch D.I.Y. covers of Blind the Eyes" /></a></p>
3025
3026<p>For those of you  aspiring authors: yes, it’s entirely possible to make your own and spend . . . well not quite zero dollars, but very little.</p>
3027
3028<p>When I worked in corporate marketing, I used Photoshop and did a certain amount of design, so I wasn’t completely without skills. As an early publicity stunt (&amp; just for the practice), I actually released the first beta readers editions in five–chapter segments and created a unique cover for each one. I paid for some stock photos, but the total cost was fairly minimal. I also had an old version of Photoshop to use, but you can subscribe for a month at a time or use other desktop, app-based, or online design programs (like Canva) with varying levels of sophistication.</p>
3029
3030<p>For instance, the two Wattpad story covers (on the homepage) were made in the Typorama app with (free) built-in images and fonts, so obviously your mileage varies in terms of outcome. Are they the worst thing in the world? No—especially not for free or very low cost. But they’re also limited by a LOT of factors, including technical specs, imagination, design sense, understanding of genre trends, etc.</p>
3031
3032<h4 id="the-next-level-up-when-it-comes-to-cover-design-options-are-premades">The next level up when it comes to cover design options are premades.</h4>
3033
3034<p>Designers sometimes sell covers with placeholder text, and you can get a great deal if there’s one that matches your book, as long as you don’t need any changes. (Sh
3034oot me a message if you’d like some suggestions of where to look if you need one!)</p>
3035
3036<h4 id="and-then-theres-custom-design">And then there’s custom design.</h4>
3037
3038<p>This is a pretty broad category, which could include everything from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2031986487075146/">photomanip (Photoshopping stock images)</a> to dedicated, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2135376180069509/">exclusive photo shoots</a>, to graphic or fine artists producing original works of art and then converting these into a cover or working with a design team to create the finished product.</p>
3039
3040<p>On the low end of custom design, you might work with a less experienced or polished designer for under a hundred dollars to a couple hundred. On the high end, you’re talking thousands or tens of thousands (e.g. for a photoshoot—possibly with paid models and on location—or an original work of art).</p>
3041
3042<p>That can sound breathtakingly expensive (especially when placed against the likelihood of actual earnings from your book), but it takes time, skills, and experience to produce professional quality work, and the best designers are in high demand.</p>
3043
3044<p>Cost will also be impacted by formats. An ebook cover is the least expensive option: you just need a rectangular .jpg that looks okay in thumbnail format and on a screen. But a paperback cover is more work for the designer—they have to produce a print–ready PDF and make the design wrap around the spine and back. A hardcover dust-jacket is even more work (you need to continue the design further into the flaps), and even an audiobook cover may be a challenge if your design was originally meant for portrait mode, not square format.</p>
3045
3046<p>Then there’s the marketing extras. Some cover designers offer additional services like graphics for social media, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/reginawamba/permalink/2035305050076623/">cinemagraphs or gifs</a> (motion versions) of your cover, book trailers, “making–of” or behind–the–scenes videos, etc.</p>
3047
3048<p>If you’re an author pricing out covers, always check what’s included in a price against what your actual needs will be (and consider bundling formats at the start for a discount.)</p>
3049
3050<p><a href="https://kaie.space/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html">Part 2: What it’s like working with a professional cover designer.</a></p>
3051<hr>
3052	  
3053	    	<a href="/news/2018/11/22/Overdue-Update.html" title="Overdue Update"><h3>Overdue Update</h3></a>
3054	    	<span><p><small>22 Nov 2018</small></p></span>
3055	    	<p>So, clearly I don’t update the site often enough. Just a heads-up if you dropped in looking for more interaction: I’m on social media <em>at least</em> weekly and even the newsletter goes out more often than I post here, so stalk accordingly. (links in the sidebar)</p>
3056
3057<p>That said, I’m going to try to get a little more content up on here. Some stuff you mighta missed over the last 4 (!!) months:</p>
3058
3059<ul>
3060  <li>
3061    <p>Hardcovers are OUT!! They look rad, and you can request paperbacks or hardcovers from your local library, indie bookseller, trade bookseller, or shop online at your preferred bookstore.</p>
3062  </li>
3063  <li>
3064    <p>The next release (<em>Under the Surface</em>) has been delayed, but it’s still coming! It’s a prequel novella (assuming I can keep the wordcount under control) and newsletter subscribers <em>at the time of release</em> will get it in ebook format for FREE because y’all are amazing. But it won’t stay free forever, so def. get those subscriptions in!</p>
3065  </li>
3066  <li>
3067    <p>I’m trying out a weekly newsletter format with feature content, some of which may make its way over to this blog space eventually. Planned topics include the recap edition (photojournal/apology for where I’ve been for the last few months), the cover edition, the library edition, the plotting edition, and the character edition (and maybe one on worldbuilding? or edition? who knows!)</p>
3068  </li>
3069  <li>
3070    <p>Also re: the newsletter, I do featured reviews and bookish shoutouts with every edition, so if you want to re
3070commend a book to the other subscribers or feature your feed, sign up &amp; give me a shout.</p>
3071  </li>
3072</ul>
3073
3074<p>I try not to spam the NL list all the time, so if you’re really keen on hearing about sales, follow me on social media or on a specific bookstore for alerts.</p>
3075<hr>
3076	  
3077	    	<a href="/news/2018/06/19/Paperback-Proofs-are-HERE.html" title="Paperback Proofs are HERE"><h3>Paperback Proofs are HERE</h3></a>
3078	    	<span><p><small>19 Jun 2018</small></p></span>
3079	    	<h2 id="theyre-so-pretty">They’re so pretty!!!</h2>
3080
3081<p>The first proofs just arrived and they look great! I’m celebrating with a giveaway on Instagram, check it out <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BkN93FHFAqs/?taken-by=kaie.space">here</a>.</p>
3082
3083<p><img src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b2/a6/24/b2a62461b60fd03eb551092a9f7be7c6.jpg" alt="Blind the Eyes first proofs and giveaway" /></p>
3084
3085<p>And if you’re not on IG, you might want to <a href="https://emailoctopus.com/lists/6b5e4875-6428-11e8-a3c9-06b79b628af2/forms/subscribe">head on over to the newsletter</a>! 99% chance there’s gonna be a paperback giveaway in subscribers’ future~ ;D</p>
3086<hr>
3087	  
3088	    	<a href="/news/2018/06/13/Achievement-Unlocked.html" title="Achievement Unlocked!!"><h3>Achievement Unlocked!!</h3></a>
3089	    	<span><p><small>13 Jun 2018</small></p></span>
3090	    	<h2 id="bn-press-presents">B&amp;N Press Presents</h2>
3091
3092<p>I’m super excited to announce that <em>Blind the Eyes</em> has been handpicked by the Barnes &amp; Noble Press team for the Summer 2018 B&amp;N Press Presents list!</p>
3093
3094<p>As a creator, it’s always awesome to get a vote of confidence from a respected source like this. <em>Blind the Eyes</em> is on a special <a href="http://books2read.com/blindtheeyes">sale</a> to celebrate, and it’s in some great company, so why not head over to <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/bn-press-presents/teens/_/N-rf4Z19r4">check out the list</a> and pick up a few summer reads while you’re at it?</p>
3095
3096<p>Here are a few I’m most excited for:</p>
3097
3098<p><img src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940159099181_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg" alt="" /></p>
3099
3100<h3 id="running-with-the-wolves-by-je-reed"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/running-with-the-wolves-je-reed/1128523240?ean=2940159099181">Running with the Wolves by J.E. Reed</a></h3>
3101
3102<p><em>Another dystopian fantasy crossover with nightmare monsters–it’s this summer’s epidemic!</em></p>
3103
3104<p>Chronopoint was only meant to be a game, but Kiuno finds herself trapped in that world.</p>
3105
3106<table>
3107  <tbody>
3108    <tr>
3109      <td>As hideous, twisted monsters only seen in nightmares plague her every move, will she find allies in time or discover death has taken far more than she’d ever imagined?</td>
3110    </tr>
3111  </tbody>
3112</table>
3113
3114<hr />
3115
3116<p><img src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940159091659_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg" alt="" /></p>
3117
3118<h3 id="stolen-enchantress-by-amber-argyle"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stolen-enchantress-amber-argyle/1128494806?ean=2940159091659">Stolen Enchantress by Amber Argyle</a></h3>
3119
3120<p><em>A monsters and magic-infused sister story with a fairytale sensibility.</em></p>
3121
3122<p>Any girl who goes into the Forbidden Forest never comes out again. Except the one who did. Beauty and the Beast meets The Pied Piper.</p>
3123
3124<p>Larkin should have been watching her sister. She goes after her into the woods and even manages to escape again, but not before discovering the truth lurking beneath the wicked boughs.</p>
3125
3126<p>Larkin may have evaded the beast once, but with the full force of his magic now fixated on her, she isn’t sure how much longer she can resist.</p>
3127
3128<hr />
3129
3130<p><img src="https://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940162047667_p0_v1_s550x406.jpg" alt="" /></p>
3131
3132<h3 id="the-illusion-queen-by-te-dickason"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-illusion-queen-te-dickason/1128768887?ean=2940162047667">The Illusion Queen by T.E. Dickason</a></h3>
3133
3134<p><em>A dystopian fantasy featuring a brainwashed girl who learns to see past the lies of her homeland and fight for what matters.</em></p>
3135
3136<p>Aleja is the most celebrated young woman on Corazon, an ancient and mystical island where laws and traditions are carved in stone.</p>
3137
3138<p>Every generation one Daughter is chosen to be the Vessel. Aleja accepts the honor willingly–until she discovers her sacrifice only serves a lie that enslaves her people.</p>
3139
3140<p>In order to survive, Aleja must reject the world she thought she knew and learn that even rules in stone can be broken.</p>
3141<hr>
3142	  
3143	    	<a href="/news/2018/06/12/So-Many-Giveaways.html" title="So Many Giveaways"><h3>So Many Giveaways</h3></a>
3144	    	<span><p><small>12 Jun 2018</small></p></span>
3145	    	<p>There are <del>seven (and counting)</del> (currently one, with another coming next week) for fantasy readers, paranormal readers, dystopian readers, YA readers, horror readers . . . just go enter already!</p>
3146
3147<h3 id="dystopian-giveaway">Dystopian Giveaway</h3>
3148
3149<ul>
3150  <li>Kindle Fire</li>
3151  <li>Any 2 dystopian novels for your new ereader</li>
3152</ul>
3153
3154<p>Enter <a href="https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cdc854b724/">here</a> by July 2.</p>
3155
3156<h3 id="coming-soon-mortal-instruments-urban-fantasy-giveaway">Coming soon: Mortal Instruments Urban Fantasy Giveaway!</h3>
3157
3158<p><del>Fantasy Bookcrate Giveaway</del> (ended May 26, 2018)</p>
3159
3160<p><del>Fantasy Paperbacks Giveaway</del> (ended May 26, 2018)</p>
3161
3162<p><del>
3162Ultimate Twilight Giveaway</del> (ended May 30, 2018)</p>
3163
3164<p><del>For the Love of YA Giveaway</del> (ended May 30, 2018)</p>
3165
3166<p><del>SFF &amp; Horror Ebook Instafreebie Giveaway</del> (ended May 31, 2018)</p>
3167
3168<p><del>Bookbub Giveaway</del> (ended June 2, 2018)</p>
3169
3170<p><del>YA Fantasy Giveaway</del> (Ended June 11, 2018)</p>
3171<hr>
3172	  
3173	    	<a href="/news/2018/06/01/Launch-Day.html" title="Launch Day"><h3>Launch Day</h3></a>
3174	    	<span><p><small>01 Jun 2018</small></p></span>
3175	    	<h2 id="its-finally-here">It’s finally here!!</h2>
3176
3177<p>Three years ago today, I was sitting in so-hip-it-hurts Vancouver standby Brassneck Brewery with a tasting flight, an iPad mini, and a bluetooth keyboard in front of me.</p>
3178
3179<p>Actually, I totally didn’t plan it this way. Facebook very helpfully reminded me this morning with this photo!</p>
3180
3181<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkaiespace%2Fposts%2F657625451247153&amp;width=500" width="500" height="513" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
3182
3183<p>Photographic proof that I was typing the first lines of what would eventually become Blind the Eyes on June 1, 2015.</p>
3184
3185<p>It went on sale today. Three years to the day. I mean, I wish I’d been on it enough to plan it that way, but, um. Total coincidence. ANYWAYS.</p>
3186
3187<p>Super thanks to my amazing Beta readers who slogged through the many, many drafts over the last three years and to my awesome ARC readers who are already posting reviews!! All-stars, all of you!</p>
3188
3189<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkaiespace%2Fposts%2F657624461247252&amp;width=500" width="500" height="499" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>
3190<hr>
3191	  
3192	    	<a href="/news/2018/04/23/Updates-ARCS-and-Giveaways.html" title="Updates, ARCs, and Giveaways!"><h3>Updates, ARCs, and Giveaways!</h3></a>
3193	    	<span><p><small>23 Apr 2018</small></p></span>
3194	    	<p>Reminder: <a href="https://mailchi.mp/7852e61cb116/ka-wiggins-ya-dystopian-dark-fantasy-newsletter">join the newsletter</a> to be the first get content like this and more exclusives. Here’s a quick list of what’s going on:</p>
3195
3196<ul>
3197  <li>Kindle Scout update</li>
3198  <li>ARCs are coming~</li>
3199  <li>Giveaways</li>
3200</ul>
3201
3202<h3 id="so-about-that-kindle-scout-campaign---">So, about that Kindle Scout campaign . . .</h3>
3203
3204<p>First off, thanks for all your nominations! You pushed BLIND THE EYES to the trending list on Kindle Scout!</p>
3205
3206<p>. . . Unfortunately, they announced their plans to cancel the whole program on the last day of its campaign, so . . . yeah.</p>
3207
3208<p>Corporations . . . <em>mumble grumble</em></p>
3209
3210<p>Just wanted to say how much I appreciate your support in this prelaunch phase. It’s been a long wait, but we’re finally nearing the end – aaand, on that note:</p>
3211
3212<h3 id="arcs-are-coming">ARCS are coming!!</h3>
3213
3214<p>. . . for real this time!</p>
3215
3216<p>I’m not <em>quite</em> ready to announce preorder and on-sale dates for BLIND THE EYES, but plans are well underway. There are a few extra hoops to jump through in order to get print editions, but digital Advanced Reading Copies/Review Galleys/Digital Proofs (whatever you want to call them) are nearly ready to head out into the world.</p>
3217
3218<p>If you’re a book blogger, reviewer, #bookstagrammer, etc. and would like an early review copy of the ebook, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90fbf1f9f5e7e2f9e4f5e3d0f7fdf1f9fcbef3fffd">get in touch</a>!</p>
3219
3220<h3 id="the-prequel-you-didnt-know-you-needed">The prequel you didn’t know you needed</h3>
3221
3222<p>Um, yeah. It sort of just snuck up on me?</p>
3223
3224<p>I mean, there I was, minding my own business, racing to get BLIND THE EYES out to you and the sequel underway and . . . BELOW THE SURFACE pulled a JAWS on me and dragged me under.</p>
3225
3226<p>What it is: a spinoff short that takes place ~6 years before the events of BLIND THE EYES and the main THREADS OF DREAMS trilogy.</p>
3227
3228<blockquote>
3229  <p>Blurb: The twins’ bond kept them together through their parents’ murder, the memory wipe, and assignment to separate work divisions in the Towers of Refuge, the only surviving habitat in their flooded city.</p>
3230</blockquote>
3231
3232<blockquote>
3233  <p>But when protective older sister Ange follows carefree Amy into the abandoned lower reaches of the towers, the secrets they discover below the waterline could sever the
3233ir bond for good.</p>
3234</blockquote>
3235
3236<blockquote>
3237  <p>A dystopian dark fantasy that ranges from the sterile Towers of Refuge to glittering clubs and abandoned tunnels, BELOW THE SURFACE is a prequel to the Threads of Dreams trilogy and blends monsters and magic with near-future post eco-disaster cityscapes and a splash of romance.</p>
3238</blockquote>
3239
3240<p>I’m doing this for Camp NaNoWriMo, which is a spinoff version of National Novel Writing Month where you set your own goals and pick a writing target for the months of April and July. The idea is for this to be a long short story or short novella, in the 20-30k word range, that I can release as a free newsletter exclusive in the next couple months.</p>
3241
3242<p>So in other words, sorry that you’re going to have to wait longer for a sequel, but on the flip side, there’ll be something cool to read in the meantime~</p>
3243
3244<h3 id="fantasy-giveaways">Fantasy Giveaways~~</h3>
3245
3246<p>I’m ramping up marketing in advance of the BLIND THE EYES book launch and I’ve got a bunch of giveaways planned over the coming months. Some of them are multi-author team-ups, while others will be exclusive to my followers.</p>
3247
3248<p>You just missed the Ultimate Harry Potter Giveaway. <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">Follow me on Twitter</a> for giveaway news, since some of them will only run for a short time.</p>
3249
3250<p>You can still <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/t5r4t3">enter the Fantasy Bookcrate Giveaway</a> until May 26, 2018 to win a book box with surprise fantasy-themed content worth up to $600.</p>
3251
3252<p>In the past, these have included books, gear or swag, and a high-value gift (like a Kindle or an Amazon gift card).</p>
3253
3254<p>This is a multi-author collaboration giveaway and you can get entries by joining mailing lists.</p>
3255
3256<p>I’ve also planned collaborative giveaways with dystopian and paranormal themes for those of you who like your fiction with extra bite. Again, you can <a href="https://twitter.com/kaiespace">follow me on Twitter</a> to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities.</p>
3257
3258<p>And while I’m at it, if you have any ideas for giveaway items or themes (like your favourite author/series/genre) for prizes you’d love to have a chance at winning, feel free to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#553e343c3022273c213026153238343c397b363a38">shoot me a message</a> and let me know what those are!</p>
3259
3260<p>Thanks for being on this journey with me; I can’t wait for you to read BLIND THE EYES! You can’t preorder it (yet), but you can <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35428965-blind-the-eyes">Add it on Goodreads</a>.</p>
3261
3262<p>And don’t forget to enter those giveaways!</p>
3263<hr>
3264	  
3265	    	<a href="/news/2018/03/29/Camp-NaNoWriMo.html" title="Camp NaNoWriMo"><h3>Camp NaNoWriMo</h3></a>
3266	    	<span><p><small>29 Mar 2018</small></p></span>
3267	    	<p>I tend to have too many projects on the go at one time. My plan is to solve that by . . . yup, adding another one! Yaaaay~~</p>
3268
3269<h4 id="quick-pause-for-a-commercial-blind-the-eyes-is-down-to-its-final-days-in-kindle-scout-if-you-havent-already-you-can-go-to-kindle-scout-and-nominate-blind-the-eyes-as-a-book-you-want-to-read-if-it-wins-you-get-a-free-copy-before-its-release-date">Quick pause for a commercial: Blind the Eyes is down to its final days in Kindle Scout! If you haven’t already, you can <a href="https://goo.gl/xGWXpz">go to Kindle Scout and nominate Blind the Eyes</a> as a book you want to read. If it wins, you get a free copy before its release date!</h4>
3270
3271<p>‘Kay, back to the new news. :) So I’ve entered Camp NaNoWriMo to push myself to make more progress writing a prequel to Blind the Eyes that will sit outside of the Threads of Dreams Trilogy and may be a serial, short story, or novella. It shouldn’t be all that long, maybe 10-20,000 words (contrast with BtE at 97k), and it’s not going to go through the same level of production.</p>
3272
3273<p>The idea is that this could be some sort of incentive/newsletter exclusive or “reader magnet” - in other words, a freebie writing sample that lets me explore some of the world-building backstory, try out some different pacing and structures, and take a different sort of story for a spin while getting over my anxiety about writing book 2 in the trilogy (lol). But my projects have a tendancy to balloon in size and scope, so we’ll see - there’s a chance it could spin off into a full book/series if I don’t watch it like a hawk!</p>
3274
3275<p>Camp NaNoWriMo runs in April and July, and it’s a sort of “choose your own adventure” version of National Novel Writing Month where you set your own goal (regular NaNoWriMo is a minimum of 50,000 words). I’m hoping the peer pressure/defined timeline/deadline helps me dig in and get my word counts back up and running!</p>
3276
3277<p>To boost my motivation, I even made it a cover! Check out the synopsis, excerpt and cover <a href="https://campnanowrimo.org/campers/kawiggins/projects/below-the-surface-380586">on the campsite</a> or scroll on for more:</p>
3278
3279<h3 id="synopsis">Synopsis</h3>
3280
3281<p>The twins’ bond kept them together through the death of their parents, the memory wipe, and assignment to separate work divisions in the Towers of Refuge, the only surviving habitat in their flooded post eco-disaster city.</p>
3282
3283<p>But when protective older sister Ange follows carefree Amy into the abandoned lower reaches of the towers, the secrets they discover below the waterline could sever the
3283ir bond for good.</p>
3284
3285<p>A dystopian dark fantasy that ranges from sterile towers to glittering clubs and abandoned tunnels, BELOW THE SURFACE is a prequel to the THREADS OF DREAMS trilogy and blends monsters and magic with near-future post eco-disaster cityscapes.</p>
3286
3287<h3 id="excerpt">Excerpt</h3>
3288
3289<p>“I’m tired. Aren’t you tired? Maybe we should go back and do this another night.” Or not at all.</p>
3290
3291<p>Amy hooked her arm through Ange’s and bumped heads. “I’m not tired, and I’m not letting you off the hook, either. This’ll be fun. It’s something different. Something new.”</p>
3292
3293<p>“I like routine. It’s safe.”</p>
3294
3295<p>Amy paused, their linked arms dragging Ange off balance. “Nothing’s safe. Nothing’s allowed. Which just makes it all more interesting, don’t you think?”</p>
3296
3297<p>“You won’t be saying that when the Mara take you.”</p>
3298
3299<p>Amy snorted and tugged on Ange’s arm to get her moving again. “The Mara are a myth created by Refuge. They’re nothing more than the Bakunawa, the Aswang, the Batibat, the—“</p>
3300
3301<p>“Stop! Don’t. They’ll come for you.”</p>
3302
3303<p>“Ange, come on. I haven’t performed submission for months and nothing’s happened to me. Refuge’s just making up monsters to scare us. To control us.”</p>
3304
3305<p>The metallic tang of fear weighed down Ange’s tongue as she hurriedly muttered submission for the both of them: “I call upon the Mara to eat my dreams.” She repeated it three times while Amy threw up her arms and pressed on down the stairs.</p>
3306
3307<p>Ritual complete, Ange hurried after her. “It’s not a lie. Our mother believed in the multo, the ghost-monsters, or don’t you remember? Our father told stories about the Nightmare, and the Each Uisge. Refuge protects us from the Mara.”</p>
3308
3309<p>“Believe what you want. Anyway, if I’m going to get eaten by the boogeyman, I’m at least having some fun before I go.”</p>
3310
3311<h3 id="preview-cover">Preview Cover</h3>
3312
3313<p><img src="/BtS_ToD0.1.jpg" alt="BELOW THE SURFACE preview cover, prequel novella to the THREADS OF DREAMS trilogy" /></p>
3314<hr>
3315	  
3316	    	<a href="/news/2018/03/22/One-Week-Left.html" title="One Week Left"><h3>One Week Left</h3></a>
3317	    	<span><p><small>22 Mar 2018</small></p></span>
3318	    	<p>Blind the Eyes is down to its final week in Kindle Scout! It’s been a great learning experience, and I’m excited to finish up the competition and get on with sharing this book with all of you.</p>
3319
3320<h4 id="if-you-havent-already-you-can-go-to-kindle-scout-and-nominate-blind-the-eyes-as-a-book-you-want-to-read-if-it-wins-you-get-a-free-copy-before-its-release-date">If you haven’t already, you can <a href="https://goo.gl/xGWXpz">go to Kindle Scout and nominate Blind the Eyes</a> as a book you want to read. If it wins, you get a free copy before its release date!</h4>
3321
3322<p>When I first started researching Kindle Scout, there wasn’t a lot of information online from people who had recently gone through the competition, so for those of you who are interested (&amp; for posterity), here’s what I’ve learned so far. I’ll also update after the competition closes with a retrospective.</p>
3323
3324<h2 id="what-is-it">What is it?</h2>
3325
3326<ul>
3327  <li>Kindle Scout is the American Idol of publishing</li>
3328  <li>Readers vote on pre-published books during a 30 day period</li>
3329  <li>Editors read the manuscripts at the end of voting</li>
3330  <li>Amazon publishes the best of the combined editor- and fan-approved books in ebook format</li>
3331  <li>Amazon sends a free ebook to everyone who voted for (“nominated”) a book that gets published!</li>
3332</ul>
3333
3334<p>That’s it in a nutshell, but of course it’s more complicated behind the scenes. <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/about#how-it-works-authors">Visit Kindle Scout</a> for their current prerequisites and contract.</p>
3335
3336<p>The best resources I’ve found with the freshest information are <a href="http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,213112.24675.html">this board</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/159261-kindle-scout">this board</a> &amp; <a href="http://jaxonreed.com/bookpr…/kindle-scout-perspectives-2018/">this compilation of blog links</a> so check those out if you’re researching for your own campaign.</p>
3337
3338<p>To apply for your first campaign, you need:</p>
3339
3340<ul>
3341  <li>Amazon account</li>
3342  <li>Complete, finished, edited, and proofread manuscript</li>
3343  <li>Cover image</li>
3344  <li>45 character one-liner</li>
3345  <li>500 character description</li>
3346  <li>500 character author bio</li>
3347  <li>
3347500 character Thank you note to be sent to nominators at the end of the campaign</li>
3348</ul>
3349
3350<p>You can also add social media links and a few short Q&amp;A style statements about your work. You’ll choose up to four categories (genres) for your book.</p>
3351
3352<p>In case you’re not used to thinking in terms of character (not word) counts, this is all REALLY short and limited. Spend some time browsing on the KS site before campaigning. You’ll see that the first thing nominators see is your cover, title and tagline, so those have to pop. If they draw nominators in, they can hover over the cover to read the first half or so of your description, and click to see your campaign page, which includes the cover and tagline, full description, first few chapters of your book, and author bio, links, and any other information you shared. Keep in mind, there are less people looking at your material with each step.</p>
3353
3354<h4 id="the-most-important-things-are-cover-title-and-one-liner">The most important things are: cover, title, and one-liner.</h4>
3355
3356<p>These will automatically be seen by the most people and they’re your chance to draw readers/nominators in. Next most important is your description, then your first lines/first chapters (expect to start losing people after 5-10 words if the opening isn’t strong).</p>
3357
3358<p>In my campaign, I think choosing a weak one-liner was my biggest mistake. That, and not writing a more popular genre to begin with! At only 45 characters, you’re hard pressed to cover setting, character, and stakes. Same with the description; there’s just not a lot to work with, so your choices have huges impacts.</p>
3359
3360<p>It’s important to research data that’s as recent as possible; the KS program seems to be growing, and the effort-to-outcome ratio has changed considerably since the early days, and even within the last few months. A lot of early advice emphasized a professional cover and properly edited work would get you noticed. Based on the current stats being shared, you need a way to drive traffic to your campaign. Authors with books that hit and/or stay on the “Hot and Trending” board mostly have large mailing lists and author platforms and/or have paid for third-party marketing to advertise their campaign. That’s not to say that you don’t get organic traffic, and a cover/title/one-liner that really hits a hook or genre tropes that people love could theoretically rise to the top if it’s lucky enough to stay visible long enough, but a well-produced publication-ready book is no longer enough to get noticed on the site.</p>
3361
3362<h2 id="why-do-kindle-scout-at-all">Why do Kindle Scout at all?</h2>
3363
3364<p>Indie authors in particular may not want to wait the 30-45 days it takes to be released from the Kindle Scout exclusivity period. I chose to participate because it’s free marketing. I was definitely too cocky about my ability to rise to the top without outside marketing efforts (I’ll dive into the data at the end of the campaign), but even without hitting the leaderboard, I was able to get 1k+ new eyeballs on my work at a minimal cost, take the book for a test-run to gauge response, and trial some marketing techniques.</p>
3365
3366<p>Other benefits: at the end of your campaign, that 500 character “thank you” message you wrote at the beginning gets sent to everyone who nominated you, whether or not you win, so that’s a chance for some list building (I directed people to my newsletter) or asking for ARC readers or whatever other marketing effort you want to do. Additionally, other authors have noted that KS sends an email to your nominators if/when you publish that title to Amazon as a Kindle Edition - so you get another free boost in publicity.</p>
3367
3368<p>In my case, I entered Blind the Eyes because I felt like it was a win-win whether or not the book gets picked up by Kindle Press. On the one hand, KS/KP gives you a trivial amount of cash upfront ($1.5k: yay - pay for production on the next book!) and may give it a bit of a marketing advantage you win and they publish your ebook. On the other hand, they only pick up books that fit their list closely, like with any traditional publisher, so the chances of actually getting caught in that contract (which isn’t bad by traditional standards, but which is still a bit restrictive) are minimal and you’re really more likely not to win.</p>
3369
3370<h2 id="on-to-my-experience">On to my experience:</h2>
3371
3372<p>I built up my campaign materials and did some last minute research over the course of a couple days and submitted the application late in the week (Wed/Thurs). It took about two days to hear back that it was approved, and the launch date was two days after that (so, 4 days from upload to public).</p>
3373
3374<p>My campaign launched at midnight eastern time on a Sunday (Saturday my time). It turns out that launching on a Sunday is ideal, because no new campaigns are posted on Mondays or Tuesdays, so you get an extra couple days of free visibility before newer campaigns bump you off the front page.</p>
3375
3376<p>If you go to the Kindle Scout website, the landing page has sliders for the following categories:</p>
3377
3378<ul>
3379  <li>Hot &amp; Trending (top 20 books on the site)</li>
3380  <li>Recently Added</li>
3381  <li>Ending Soon</li>
3382  <li>By Genre (so one each for mystery, romance, YA, etc.)</li>
3383</ul>
3384
3385<p>So you get front-page visibility if you reach Hot &amp; Trending, when your campaign is about to end, and when you’re brand new (under both Recently Added and your genre). Here’s the catch: only four books are visible in the sliders at any given time. So, even if you’re in one of those categories, you may 
3385not have at-a-glance visibility the whole time. They seem to auto-rotate the ones posted on the same date for more visibility.</p>
3386
3387<h4 id="the-number-of-new-campaigns-and-total-campaigns-on-the-site-will-limit-your-organic-reach-how-many-people-see-your-campaign-without-you-sending-them-there">The number of new campaigns and total campaigns on the site will limit your organic reach (how many people see your campaign without you sending them there).</h4>
3388
3389<p>Kindle Scout did a promotion for NaNoWriMo people in February and gave free editorial advice on submissions, so that blew up the number of campaigns and made it super hard to get seen in the crowd. If you can, try not to be like me and launch at the busiest time! Ideally you want no more than four new campaigns a day for best visibility and lower competition. Right now (March 2018) there seem to be around 300 campaigns running at any given time, and about 20 spots on the Hot &amp; Trending list available.</p>
3390
3391<p>When you’re an author in the program, you get a campaign stats page that shows three main metrics:</p>
3392
3393<ul>
3394  <li>Hours in Hot &amp; Trending (aggregate and by day)</li>
3395  <li>Campaign views (aggregate and by day)</li>
3396  <li>Traffic sources (percentage and source)</li>
3397</ul>
3398
3399<p>It also shows what other books your nominators have chosen. Mine were all over the map, so people don’t necessarily stick to one genre. What it never tells you is how many people nominate your book vs. view its campaign, or how they rated different aspects of your book incl. cover, tagline, PV, blurb. Which kinda sucks, since the only way you really know if people like your book is if it hits H&amp;T.</p>
3400
3401<p>I was super lucky to have three days before any new books were posted (because it launched on a Sunday), so I got front page visibility for those three days (and didn’t do any off-site promotions to drive traffic.) I got 272 campaign views the first day, 370 the next day, and 435 the third day (total: 1,077).</p>
3402
3403<p>My strategy was to take advantage of free visibility for the first few days and do a social media push later in the campaign when things got quieter. Don’t be like me, lol. I was super cocky about my chances because I’d invested a lot in a professional, custom cover and well developed work, and other books in same categories had less polished materials, but the materials I had in my campaign weren’t enough to push me to the Hot &amp; Trending list. It could just be that people didn’t like something about the submission (I regret my one-liner), but if you look at the stories of people who had more success reaching the H&amp;T list, they did an upfront push with social media and paid campaigns to reach it. Once you’re on it, you get more organic views and are more likely to stay on it.</p>
3404
3405<h4 id="id-recommending-doing-a-burst-of-newsletter-and-social-media-marketing-within-the-first-24-48-hours-of-the-campaign-for-best-results">I’d recommending doing a burst of newsletter and social media marketing within the first 24-48 hours of the campaign for best results.</h4>
3406
3407<p>In terms of paid promotions, I did experiment with a few outlets and saw a bit more outside traffic, but not enough to make a difference. I’ll update with complete stats at the end of the campaign, but right now I’m sitting at just under 1.7k views and zero hours on H&amp;T with an ad spend of around USD$50. My rationale: it’s worth a few dollars in marketing to try to get higher visibility, but reaching H&amp;T isn’t a guarantee of a contract, so it’s not worth spending too much on. Kindle Scout doesn’t just publish the most popular books; they’re looking for a book they think they can sell to Kindle Press readers, so there’s absolutely some editorial intervention, but not making the H&amp;T list at all is a sign that it’s not a match for their regular readers.</p>
3408
3409<h4 id="as-with-all-books-genre-matters-in-terms-of-audience">As with all books, genre matters in terms of audience.</h4>
3410
3411<p>Romance and Mystery writers have the best shot of getting noticed, and stand alone or first in series books tend to get preference.</p>
3412
3413<h2 id="verdict-id-recommend-entering">Verdict: I’d recommend entering.</h2>
3414
3415<p>After all, nearly 2k people just got exposed to my book on a new platform, which is like free advertising. OTOH, they’re people that have a thing for free books, so idk. It sounds like it’ll still take around four months to publish after the campaign if you win, so it’s slow by indie standards, but lightning fast by trad pub standards, and authors seem to be happy with it. I’ve heard a lot of authors saying they try to publish as 
3415soon as possible after they hear back if they’re rejected, to take advantage of whatever momentum the campaign has built. Seems like an ok indie author tool to me :)</p>
3416
3417<p>If you’re thinking of entering, you might want to sit on the site and watch to see if there’s a slowdown in new campaigns you can take advantage of - I think it’d be a lot easier to get votes if you could hold onto your front page visibility longer!</p>
3418<hr>
3419	  
3420	    	<a href="/news/2018/03/07/Cover-Reveal.html" title="Cover Reveal"><h3>Cover Reveal</h3></a>
3421	    	<span><p><small>07 Mar 2018</small></p></span>
3422	    	<h2 id="its-finally-time-for-the-long-promised-cover-reveal">It’s finally time for the long promised cover reveal!</h2>
3423
3424<p>If you’re subscribed to the newsletter, you already got your sneak peek yesterday. For everyone else, surprise! In addition to a brand-new, professionally-designed cover, I’ve got some other exciting news: Blind the Eyes is competing in Kindle Scout!</p>
3425
3426<h4 id="what-does-that-mean">What does that mean?</h4>
3427
3428<ul>
3429  <li>Kindle Scout is the American Idol of publishing</li>
3430  <li>Readers vote on pre-published books during a 30 day period</li>
3431  <li>Editors read the manuscripts at the end of voting</li>
3432  <li>Amazon publishes the best of the combined editor- and fan-approved books in ebook format</li>
3433  <li>Amazon sends a free ebook to everyone who voted for (“nominated”) a book that gets published!</li>
3434</ul>
3435
3436<p>So if you want a chance to get a free copy of BTE, head on over to the Kindle Scout website, <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/E9IM6GHX3YIJ">nominate it</a> and hope it wins!</p>
3437
3438<p>And hey, why not vote for some other faves while you’re at it? You get up to three nominations at a time.</p>
3439
3440<h4 id="what-happens-if-it-doesnt-get-chosen-for-publishing">What happens if it doesn’t get chosen for publishing?</h4>
3441
3442<p>You have to have a fully edited, finished book to compete in Kindle Scout. If BTE isn’t chosen for a publishing contract, that just means I’ll be able to indie publish it even faster because it’s already complete and ready to go out the door!</p>
3443
3444<p>Look for the release date announcement by mid-April. It’ll come out by May 30 or earlier. And for those of you who aren’t fans of e-reading, yes, I’ll be putting out a bound paperback either way (and an audiobook as soon as possible afterwards). Plus, since I’ve already hashed out the plot of the next Threads of Dreams trilogy book with my awesome editor <a href="https://www.lisapoisso.com">Lisa Poisso</a>, you can look forward to the sequel coming in 2019!</p>
3445
3446<h4 id="what-happened-to-all-that-querying-you-were-doing">What happened to all that querying you were doing?</h4>
3447
3448<p>Wow, it’s been over half a year and there are <em>still</em> some outstanding queries! There’ve also been several agents requesting the book, so that’s a great sign that it’s a good quality read. The thing is, I’m just not ready to spend another year or more (at least!) working on connecting with traditional publishing, and it’s not the right choice for every book or every author, either.</p>
3449
3450<p>I’ve done a <em>lot</em> of research on the writing business and what’s best for books, for authors, and for readers. I’m confident that the indie path is right for me and Blind the Eyes. So, sorry for the long-ish wait while I sorted that out!</p>
3451
3452<h3 id="cover-reveal">Cover Reveal:</h3>
3453
3454<p><img src="/FrontCoverSS.png" alt="Blind the Eyes, Threads of Dreams Book One Cover by Regina Wamba, MaeIDesign" /></p>
3455
3456<p>Isn’t it amazing?! Feel free to share across social media and blogs, but please be sure to <strong>credit my incredible cover artist, Regina Wamba, at <a href="http://www.maeidesign.com/">Mae I Design</a> <a href="http://www.maeidesign.com/">(http://www.maeidesign.com/)</a> when you do.</strong> :)</p>
3457
3458<p>And don’t forget to <a href="https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/E9IM6GHX3YIJ">nominate Blind the Eyes on Kindle Scout</a> for your chance at the free ebook!</p>
3459<hr>
3460	  
3461	    	<a href="/news/2018/02/06/Turtletime.html" title="Turtletime"><h3>Turtletime</h3></a>
3462	    	<span><p><small>06 Feb 2018</small></p></span>
3463	    	<p>Official announcements plus some updates for the new year! Where things are at:</p>
3464
3465<ul>
3466  <li>
3467    <p>
3467I just pulled all the preview editions from ebookstores. The three chapter special preview edition of Blind the Eyes has done really well on Amazon and the other usual suspects, but it’s also been up for half a year longer than I expected, since I pivoted from indie publishing to querying. It’s a little hard to continuously build momentum while also pushing the release date further and further into the future, so for the moment I’m pressing pause on all book marketing initiatives. However, I’ll still be present and active on social media, and the onsite and newsletter-exclusive extended downloadables will remain available!</p>
3468  </li>
3469  <li>
3470    <p>&amp; on that note, yes, Blind the Eyes is <em>still</em> under query until at least March 2018. There’s been some good feedback and several agents have asked for additional materials to review. I’ll review opportunities in March and update you all accordingly! I’ve been eyeing the Kindle Scout program, so if I do go indie, that’ll be my first stop (after the cover reveal! You guys, it’s SO GOOD and I’ve been waiting over half a year to show you!)</p>
3471  </li>
3472  <li>
3473    <p>but the other reason I’m turtling into my introvert shell for the rest of winter, besides, y’know, just straight up waiting for tradpublishing to get a move on, is because I just finished developmental consultation on book 2 with my awesome editor last week! Friends, it’s gonna be good! Blind the Eyes is just the tip of the iceburg, and things get crazy FAST in book 2 . . . at least, that’s the plan. I start writing this month.</p>
3474  </li>
3475  <li>
3476    <p>Speaking of book 2, it doesn’t have a name yet because I finally clued in that you can’t just “borrow” song lyrics for titles. Oops! Which means the trilogy needs a new name. I was thinking “Threads of Dreams” would be a good one. What d’you all think?</p>
3477  </li>
3478  <li>
3479    <p>Other stories are <em>still</em> on hiatus too, but hey, I managed to word-vomit <em>one</em> short story. No you can’t read it (yet). I took a shot at writing a topical contemporary piece, and instead it turned into a weird, profane, and decidedly paranormal take on the Fentanyl crisis in Vancouver. So . . . yeah, I’m thinking I should take some time cleaning that up before sharing. But yay accomplishments - anytime I finish something with a beginning, middle, and end, it’s a good thing!</p>
3480  </li>
3481  <li>
3482    <p>Freelance writing and consulting work is picking up for the new year, which is another reason to pull back. Find me at <a href="http://www.businesswriting.solutions">Business Writing Solutions</a> for website, technical, and copywriting, among other stuff.</p>
3483  </li>
3484  <li>
3485    <p><em>Still</em> in the Pacific Northwest - I totally had a trip back to the UK planned, and then realized I’d double booked over my nephew’s first birthday! But hey, I’m more likely to get that book in your hands sooner if I’m not digital-nomadding my way around the world anyways, right?</p>
3486  </li>
3487  <li>
3488    <p>Thanks for sticking around for this (looong) journey! If you haven’t already, sign up for the newsletter for freebies, previews, and news when books are available, or follow me on social media, Goodreads, or BookLikes for reviews of recent and upcoming YA fantasy. Links on your left.</p>
3489  </li>
3490</ul>
3491<hr>
3492	  
3493	    	<a href="/news/2017/12/20/Booktree-2017.html" title="Booktree 2017"><h3>Booktree 2017</h3></a>
3494	    	<span><p><small>20 Dec 2017</small></p></span>
3495	    	<p>Microupdate plus #booktree end of year shout outs to everyone who sent me books this year!</p>
3496
3497<p>Where things are at:</p>
3498
3499<ul>
3500  <li>
3501    <p>Blind the Eyes (G&amp;S book 1) is <em>still</em> under query, so the tentative indie release date has been bumped to March 2018. There’s been some good feedback and it may still get picked up by tradpub, thus the long runway. :)</p>
3502  </li>
3503  <li>
3504    <p>G&amp;S2 plot is mapped out and undergoes developmental consultation on Jan. 10, so hopefully I’ll be at least mid-draft by the time book 1 comes out! Currently expecting G&amp;S will be a trilogy.</p>
3505  </li>
3506  <li>
3507    <p>Serial fiction Things Got Out of Hand is finally getting a proper plot map! I haven’t decided whether to continue its draft zero as a serial or take it down yet, so keep an eye on Wattpad in the new year just in case :)</p>
3508  </li>
3509  <li>
3510    <p>Tiptoeing into some short story writing, since the serials are necessarily on hold for a while yet. The zero drafts need some polishing, but expect some short reads in the new year in a wider variety of genres (I tried for c
3510ontemporary, but so far I can’t help sneaking in some fantasy or supernatural elements into every story)</p>
3511  </li>
3512  <li>
3513    <p>Been rounding out my freelance portfolio and recently launched <a href="http://www.businesswriting.solutions">Business Writing Solutions</a> in beta on the boring grown-up side of my life. The part of me that isn’t compelled to write about monsters and magic tends to geek out over template automation and well-crafted copy, lol.</p>
3514  </li>
3515  <li>
3516    <p>Still in the Pacific Northwest for the foreseeable future. Travel’s on the radar, but there’re just too many bullet points to tick off to make #digitalnomad-ing practical right now!</p>
3517  </li>
3518</ul>
3519
3520<p>So! On to the shout-outs. Special thanks to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://49thshelf.com">49th Shelf</a> and artist &amp; book blogger <a href="https://twitter.com/IrynaKhymych">Iryna Khymych</a> who have taken the trouble and expense to send me books this year!</p>
3521
3522<p>As promised in the social media posts that you probably followed to get here, here’s the full list of books with review and shopping links.</p>
3523
3524<h3 id="kidlit">Kidlit</h3>
3525
3526<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYtiR0jFFLN/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYtiR0jFFLN/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-09-06T19:35:03+00:00">Sep 6, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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3528
3529<p><strong>Mr. Crum’s Potato Predicament</strong> by Anne Renaud &amp; Felicita Sala (Canadian Read)
3530<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33961368-mr-crum-s-potato-predicament?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1771386193/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1771386193/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1771386193/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3531
3532<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcLGlOWnGJX/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BcLGlOWnGJX/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-12-01T20:44:26+00:00">Dec 1, 2017 at 12:44pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
3533<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
3533
3534
3535<p><strong>Dragonfly Song</strong> by Wendy Orr (Canadian Read)
3536<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29866071-dragonfly-song?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1760290025/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1760290025/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1760290025/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3537
3538<h3 id="ya-reads">YA Reads</h3>
3539
3540<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8GY40HUlX/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8GY40HUlX/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-12-20T21:25:32+00:00">Dec 20, 2017 at 1:25pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
3541<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
3541
3542
3543<p><strong>Son of a Trickster</strong> by Eden Robinson (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
3544<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30257957-son-of-a-trickster?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345810783/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0345810783/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0345810783/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3545
3546<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc5ZhnxHtLa/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc5ZhnxHtLa/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-12-19T20:15:02+00:00">Dec 19, 2017 at 12:15pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
3547<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
3547
3548
3549<p><strong>Daughters of the Storm</strong> by Kim Wilkins
3550<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35457253-daughters-of-the-storm?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399177477/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0399177477/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0399177477/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3551
3552<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTmFZiRFgcD/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTmFZiRFgcD/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-05-02T15:31:03+00:00">May 2, 2017 at 8:31am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
3553<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
3553
3554
3555<p><strong>The One Memory of Flora Banks</strong> by Emily Barr
3556<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30849412-the-one-memory-of-flora-banks?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141368519/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0141368519/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141368519/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3557
3558<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6CYlllpEA/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BX6CYlllpEA/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-08-17T19:35:06+00:00">Aug 17, 2017 at 12:35pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
3559<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
3559
3560
3561<p><strong>Riven</strong> by Jane Alvey Harris (Indie Read)
3562<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34584961-riven">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1544054173/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1544054173/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1544054173/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3563
3564<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbkZH4cHMRX/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BbkZH4cHMRX/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-11-16T19:56:05+00:00">Nov 16, 2017 at 11:56am PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
3565<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
3565
3566
3567<p><strong>Enough Space for Everyone Else</strong> edited by J.N. Monk and Lee Black (Comics Anthology)
3568<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33542852-enough-space-for-everyone-else?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Space-Everyone-Else-Monk/dp/0993997082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1513813841&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Enough+Space+for+Everyone+Else">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Enough-Space-Everyone-Else-Monk/dp/0993997082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1513813841&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Enough+Space+for+Everyone+Else">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enough-Space-Everyone-Else-Monk/dp/0993997082/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1513813841&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Enough+Space+for+Everyone+Else">UK</a></p>
3569
3570<h3 id="adult-reads">Adult Reads*</h3>
3571
3572<p><strong>Bellevue Square</strong> by Michael Redhill (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
3573<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33595663-bellevue-square?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385684835/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0385684835/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0385684835/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3574
3575<p><strong>Minds of Winter</strong> by Ed O’Loughlin (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
3576<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29776084-minds-of-winter?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1681442450/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1681442450/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1681442450/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3577
3578<p><strong>Transit</strong> by Rachel Cusk (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
3579<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29939363-transit?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374278628/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0374278628/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0374278628/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3580
3581<p><strong>I am a Truck</strong> by Michelle Winters (Giller Prize Shortlist, Canadian Read)
3582<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29902535-i-am-a-truck?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1926743784/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1926743784/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1926743784/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3583
3584<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYeCVzjnu5N/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:40%; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(40% - 2px); width:calc(40% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYeCVzjnu5N/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-08-31T19:07:22+00:00">Aug 31, 2017 at 12:07pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
3585<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
3585
3586
3587<p><strong>The Felix Chronicles: Freshman</strong> by R.T. Lowe (Indie Read)
3588<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25714503-freshmen?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/151195843X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/151195843X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/151195843X/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">UK</a></p>
3589
3590<p><strong>Floating City</strong> by Kerri Sakamoto (Canadian Read)
3591<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25488994-floating-city?from_search=true">Goodreads</a> | Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345809890/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">US</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0345809890/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_w_bb_ca-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=15121&amp;creative=330641">CA</a></p>
3592<hr>
3593	  
3594	    	<a href="/news/2017/12/04/Books-to-check-out-NL3.html" title="Books to check out NL3"><h3>Books to check out NL3</h3></a>
3595	    	<span><p><small>04 Dec 2017</small></p></span>
3596	    	<p><em>This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter October 2017 (creepy reads) edition.</em></p>
3597
3598<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7507908-the-replacement#"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/2f8e4dcb-583e-4de4-a2e3-90bfda27f70a.jpg" alt="The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff" /></a></p>
3599
3600<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7507908-the-replacement#">The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff:</a>For those who prefer their fae bloodthirsty and horrific instead of sparkly and romantic. This was a rare 5 star read for me. Excellent character development, worldbuilding, and storytelling.</p>
3601
3602<p>Also check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10261812-the-space-between">The Space Between</a> for demonic thrills and chills, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667948-fiendish">Fiendish</a> for Southern Gothic-horror…yeah, just go ahead and add all her books to your TBR.</p>
3603
3604<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9378297-anna-dressed-in-blood?ac=1&amp;from_search=true#"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/dad77f38-c04d-458c-a830-8b7d5aac20f8.jpg" alt="Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake" /></a></p>
3605
3606<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9378297-anna-dressed-in-blood?ac=1&amp;from_search=true#">Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake:</a> Ghost hunter. Ghost girl bent on bloody revenge. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a girl ready to rip your heart out? Think Supernatural with teens.</p>
3607
3608<p>Also check out another skilled WA-based author, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6006518-strange-angels?ac=1&amp;from_search=true#">Lili St. Crow’s Strange Angels</a> for a super dark gender-swapped take on monster hunting.</p>
3609
3610<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2800905-the-summoning?ac=1&amp;from_search=true"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/0a917310-8188-4a63-9584-770936b4e6fa.jpg" alt="The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong" /></a></p>
3611
3612<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2800905-the-summoning?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong:</a> Classic teens-with-powers, but one happens to be a necromancer. The only thing worse than being trapped in a spider-infested, lightless underground crawlspace is knowing something’s clawing its way up from below.</p>
3613
3614<p>Also check out her YA thrillers <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25487124-missing">Missing</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24733600-the-masked-truth?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">The Masked Truth</a> for horror sans paranormal.</p>
3615
3616<p>
3616<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6931344-the-near-witch?ac=1&amp;from_search=true#"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/119f7d3a-0f45-4e84-9637-e9f968344345.jpg" alt="The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab" /></a></p>
3617
3618<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6931344-the-near-witch?ac=1&amp;from_search=true#">The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab:</a> Seems like this is the least-hyped of Schwab’s work, but IMHO definitely the creepiest. Seriously. Classic fantasy with a terrifyingly tangible setting and evil at every turn out to get you.</p>
3619
3620<p>Also check out <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10929432-the-archived?ac=1&amp;from_search=true#">The Archived</a> for even <em>more</em> ghost hunting.</p>
3621
3622<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15783083-the-diviners"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/dc47702e-3140-49eb-a55c-f15b397f58f7.jpg" alt="The Diviners by Libba Bray" /></a></p>
3623
3624<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15783083-the-diviners">The Diviners by Libba Bray:</a> Left this one for last because it seriously pushes the limits of my horror tolerance - like, don’t-read-at-home-alone level scary.</p>
3625
3626<p>The Roaring 20s historical fiction setting and over-the-top characters are lots of fun, but the monsters are… yikes. Make sure you have a buddy to check under the bed for you.</p>
3627<hr>
3628	  
3629	    	<a href="/news/2017/11/27/Books-to-check-out-NL2.html" title="Books to check out NL2"><h3>Books to check out NL2</h3></a>
3630	    	<span><p><small>27 Nov 2017</small></p></span>
3631	    	<p><em>This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter August 2017 edition.</em></p>
3632
3633<p><strong>Best of Summer</strong></p>
3634
3635<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104737.A_Monstrous_Regiment_of_Women"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/66faee30-4fb8-4984-a29a-a31876611a91.jpg" alt="A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN by Laurie R. King" /></a></p>
3636
3637<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104737.A_Monstrous_Regiment_of_Women">A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN by Laurie R. King:</a> I can’t believe I’m giving top billing to a non-YA, non-fantasy read, but this book honestly takes top prize for my summer reads. All of King’s books seem to be excellent quality, and I’m still working my way through the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, but if you can only read one King book, make it this one. Adult historical fiction/mystery with a feminist twist.
3638 </p>
3639
3640<p><strong>Best Indie</strong></p>
3641
3642<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8573632-the-way-we-fall"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/ec50d252-5438-4c53-8227-f0e428cc4af4.jpg" alt="THE WAY WE FALL by Megan Crewe" /></a></p>
3643
3644<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6240223-give-up-the-ghost">GIVE UP THE GHOST</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8573632-the-way-we-fall">The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe:</a> Canadian Indie author bonus points! Crewe writes disarmingly authentic teens with complex and conflicted motivations, awkward, slow-moving romances and a touch of the creepy. The Way We Fall is first in a trilogy of excellent and very Hollywood-esque plague’pocalypse thrillers. Give Up the Ghost is contemporary-paranormal, and it’s <a href="http://www.subscribepage.com/GiveUpTheGhost">FREE to Crewe’s newsletter subscribers.</a>
3645 </p>
3646
3647<p><strong>Best Canadian</strong></p>
3648
3649<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25487124-missing?ac=1&amp;from_search=true"><img src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/5d9ccc35d544fcc85135fb8ae/images/4c4d3281-344e-4c6f-ae16-587f3c53980e.jpg" alt="Missing by Kelley Armstrong:" /></a></p>
3650
3651<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25487124-missing?ac=1&amp;from_search=true">Missing by Kelley Armstrong:</a> The best thrillers aren’t just action-action-action. This tense, surprising read has a lot of heart. The slow-burn romance and challenging, complex characters were incredibly compelling. Armstrong also has a gift for making remote locations sound appealing. Love all her YA books. Add to your list for Halloween spine-tingling horror-lite (no paranormal, just human creepiness!) <br /></p>
3652
3653<p><strong>Bonus Round</strong></p>
3654
3655<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32337121-lockdown"><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1486052805l/32337121.jpg" alt="Lockdown by Laurie R. King" /></a></p>
3656
3657<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32337121-lockdown">Lockdown by Laurie R. King:</a> I really don’t tend to recommend novels about school shootings . . . or contemporary novels, period, but this is a must-read. The level of craft alone - King writes in a dozen distinct voices, each with character development arcs and backstories - mind-blowing literary skill. But what makes this 
3657story readable is that it brings a distinct sense of hope to the otherwise traumatic subject matter.</p>
3658<hr>
3659	  
3660	    	<a href="/news/2017/11/20/Books-to-check-out-NL1.html" title="Books to check out NL1"><h3>Books to check out NL1</h3></a>
3661	    	<span><p><small>20 Nov 2017</small></p></span>
3662	    	<p><em>This edition of book recommendations first appeared in Newsletter June 2017 edition</em></p>
3663
3664<p><strong>Best of the Best:</strong></p>
3665
3666<ul>
3667  <li>
3668    <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1874917240">Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor:</a> you need to read this. Seriously. Beautiful writing. Gorgeous language. Classic, epic storytelling. The richest worldbuilding you can imagine.</p>
3669  </li>
3670  <li>
3671    <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1922833230">Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake</a> best YA dark fantasy all year. Three competing protagonists with their own cast and setting. Plus, Kendare’s one of my fave writers who inspired the style and content of Blind the Eyes. PNW writers unite!</p>
3672  </li>
3673  <li>
3674    <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1877354261">A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas:</a> and the sequel is even better, an incredible accomplishment when most second books are the weakest of a trilogy. Mature content warning.</p>
3675  </li>
3676</ul>
3677
3678<p><strong>Canadian reads to check out:</strong></p>
3679
3680<ul>
3681  <li>
3682    <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1971454999">Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston:</a> a strangely uplifting tale of teen rape. Non-explicit trigger warning for trauma, but an incredibly hopeful and instructive read of how to help in the aftermath, and how stepping in changes everything.</p>
3683  </li>
3684  <li>
3685    <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2022816960">Missing by Kelley Armstrong:</a> best YA thriller I’ve read in ages (well, since the last one she wrote, probably, lol.) Just the right balance of compelling romance between complex, relatable and flawed people in a high-stakes fast-paced setting.</p>
3686  </li>
3687</ul>
3688<hr>
3689	  
3690	    	<a href="/news/2017/11/13/Book-blog.html" title="Book blog"><h3>Book blog</h3></a>
3691	    	<span><p><small>13 Nov 2017</small></p></span>
3692	    	<p>So, I read a ton. Like, well over 150 books a year. And now that I’ve discovered <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/kaiespace">Goodreads</a>, I also rate and review most of those books, and then feature them with dubious quality photography on <a href="https://www.instgram.com/kaie.space">Instagram</a>.</p>
3693
3694<p>What I haven’t done is launched a book blog/reviews section here, because let’s be real; how often do I get around to updating? And how many of you hang out here on a regular basis? So.</p>
3695
3696<p>However, just last month I discovered <a href="http://kaiespace.booklikes.com/">Booklikes</a>, which not only shares reviews on-platform and pushes reviews to Goodreads, it collects them in a custom blog. Update one place with automatic syndication to all useful platforms? Yes please!</p>
3697
3698<p>All that to say: <a href="http://kaiespace.booklikes.com/">Check out my book blog</a> for (mostly) YA Fantasy recommendations!</p>
3699
3700<p>I also do bimonthly book recommendations and “best-of” lists in <a href="http://eepurl.com/cSevwn">my newsletter</a>, and those I will to take the time to host on this site (eventually), so look forward to it!</p>
3701<hr>
3702	  
3703	    	<a href="/news/2017/11/04/BTE-Targeting-2018.html" title="BTE Targeting 2018"><h3>BTE Targeting 2018</h3></a>
3704	    	<span><p><small>04 Nov 2017</small></p></span>
3705	    	<p>So there’s good news and there’s bad news.</p>
3706
3707<p>The good news is, all that querying attracted some attention after all, literary agents <em>do</em> like Blind the Eyes, and the full manuscript has been requested. It’s not a publishing deal (yet, lol), but it’s actually pretty rare to get that far and it took less than 50 queries (many books take over 100 to even get that sort of response), so it’s definitely cause for celebration!</p>
3708
3709<p>…The bad news is, now I can’t publish BTE in November like I was hinting at, which is super sad because my proofreader did an amazing job AND turned the project around in half the time I’d had scheduled, so it should have been right on target for a pre-holidays release.</p>
3710
3711<p>Back to good news: this means I can (ahem, should) get the sequel(s) plotted out and written for fast, consecutive releases when BTE <em>does</em> come out. But, yet again, sorry to make you all wait longer and thanks for your patience!</p>
3712
3713<p>While I’m at it, huge shout out to my awesome team:</p>
3714
3715<ul>
3716  <li><a href="http://lisapoisso.com/">Lisa Poisso</a> did a spectacular job helping me work through the multiple rounds of develoid a pmental and line editing to make BTE a book worth reading</li>
3717  <li><a href="http://alchemy.catherinemilos.com/">Catherine Milos</a> caught the embarassingly obvious logic errors, typos and generally polished everything to a shine</li>
3718  <li>Regina Wamba of <a href="www.maeidesign.com/">MaeIDesign</a> crafted a gorgeously artistic and iconic cover design (that one of these days I will finally get the chance to unveil, I hope!)</li>
3719</ul>
3720
3721<p>I highly recommend these guys if any of you are looking to form a publishing team of your own!</p>
3722
3723<p>So what comes next? Well, there’s a lot of waiting. The waiting period for the querying stage wouldn’t have closed until this December (yeah, I was jumping the gun with a November release no matter how you sliced it) and, for a full mansucript request, you normally add at least six months. If an agent offers representation, that’s another week or so to alert any outstanding queried agents that they need to throw their hats in the ring, then paperwork to hire the agent, then they go to work selling the manuscript to editors. So, more waiting. Years of waiting. And at any point in that, potentially more edits and rewrites.</p>
3724
3725<p>But, as I’ve said all along, traditional publishing isn’t right for every book and every author, so while it’s very exciting to see a positive response from the establishment, given the current market and opportunities, BTE may do better as an indie book, and as new information comes to light, I’ll be making a judgment call on whether to release it sooner. Again, all the pieces are in place except for final layout design, and I’ll probably book that and get it ready in the coming month or so too, so an independent release could happen fast.</p>
3726
3727<p>For those of you book bloggers/reviewers who’ve gotten in touch, and those who are thinking about it, feel free to keep signing up, just know the timeline’s been pushed out to next year. I’m keeping a database of everyone who’s shown interest for when the ARCs are ready to go.</p>
3728
3729<p>Until next time,
3730K.</p>
3731<hr>
3732	  
3733	    	<a href="/news/2017/09/21/Almost-there.html" title="Almost there"><h3>
3733Almost there</h3></a>
3734	    	<span><p><small>21 Sep 2017</small></p></span>
3735	    	<p>I should get the next newsletter out in a couple weeks, but since I’m past due for an update, thought I’d pop in and share the progress!</p>
3736
3737<p>BLIND THE EYES is out for query with a number of literary agents. For the uninitiated, to get a book published in the traditional manner, you send a sort of formal application letter to literary agents, who ask for more information on your book (or decline). If they love the story and think they can sell it to a publisher, they offer to represent you. Then they contact editors and try to sell the manuscript. Then a publishing house responds with an offer (and if you’re really lucky, you get a few of these to choose from). Then you get assigned an editor and work with that publisher and editor to adapt the book, which can mean more editing, rewrites, proofreading, cover designs etc. Then the book comes out in stores, 1-3 years later. And at every step of the process, it’s super competitive and subject to both market demand and the relevant professionals falling in love with your work.</p>
3738
3739<p>I’ve had some really encouraging responses from agents, but nothing to tempt me away from indie publishing so far. That said, the publishing world moves super slowly, so I’ve only heard back from a quarter of the queries I’ve sent out so far.</p>
3740
3741<p>So here’s the plan: there’s only a couple steps left to produce BLIND THE EYES as an independent publisher. It still needs a final proofread, final back cover copy and interior layout/design. I’m getting in touch with a proofreader this week to line that up for late October - it’s a minor cost and worth risking to set up. My cover artist can do interior design, but I still need to talk to her about a schedule. If she’s available, I think everything could be done for as early as the middle of November. So… no promises guys, but I’m thinking a holiday release could be a great idea!</p>
3742
3743<p>Keep an eye out for preorders, and I’ve already had some enquiries from book bloggers and ARC reviewers, so feel free to get in touch at any time if you’d like to be added to that list. We’re nearly there!</p>
3744
3745<p>In other news, I’m looking at local jobs, overseas jobs and more long-term remote/freelance work, so another round of travel may or may not be in my future. More news on that soon!</p>
3746<hr>
3747	  
3748	    	<a href="/news/2017/08/27/Confessions-retractions-and-other-wafflings.html" title="Confessions, retractions and other wafflings"><h3>Confessions, retractions and other wafflings</h3></a>
3749	    	<span><p><small>27 Aug 2017</small></p></span>
3750	    	<p>…I know I’ve been babbling about it all over the place lately and I’ve only <em>just</em> finished switching over graphics and web presence to the new subgenre, but I’m seriously considering changing everything back to the previous (non) subgenre for BLIND THE EYES of “dystopian dark fantasy”. Which isn’t an official thing, and I know you’re not supposed to genre-blend, but… it just kind of <em>is</em>. The setting’s pretty dystopian. And it’s definitely future and sort of post-apocalyptic. And dark. And there’s fantasy and supernatural stuff going on. It’s also not a bad fit for urban fantasy, other than the future setting. So I dunno. Waffle waffle waffle. Angst angst angst. lol.</p>
3751
3752<p>On thing in its favour, the freebie preview ebooks on Amazon got quite a bit stronger downloads when listed as dystopian. So I figure for querying, it should read urban fantasy, and if I end up going indie, dystopian dark fantasy.</p>
3753
3754<p>But don’t hold me to that, because apparently continuously changing my mind and making work for myself is what I do…</p>
3755<hr>
3756	  
3757	    	<a href="/news/2017/08/26/On-Monsters-Boundaries-and-Inspiration.html" title="On Monsters, Boundaries and Inspiration"><h3>On Monsters, Boundaries and Inspiration</h3></a>
3758	    	<span><p><small>26 Aug 2017</small></p></span>
3759	    	<p>While I love research in a general sense, I more or less refuse to do it while drafting a book. I’m too addicted to that archaeological sense of uncovering another world to allow this one to consciously intrude. However, at some point I generally do have to pull out the books (hi Google) and go hunting for real world equivalencie
3759s, or at least reference points.</p>
3760
3761<p>Enter the Mara. The story that has become BLIND THE EYES emerged out of an image or a scene wherein a girl is saved from monster attack by a hero. And diverged dramatically from there - the Wattpad story-in-progress THINGS GOT OUT OF HAND is closer to the original intent. All that to say, my sense of what the monsters in question were was vague to say the least.</p>
3762
3763<p>But successive drafts did serve to nudge things along. Fairly early on, I knew the monsters were a waking nightmare, a concrete manifestation of a victim’s fears, though I intended this literally as depicted in TGOOH. Later, with the addition of THE FIRST DREAM (BTE Chapter 8), the nightmare-monsters were found inhabiting a separate plane of consciousness, killing victims in a sort of dreamscape, with only gradual crossover into the waking world.</p>
3764
3765<p>Around the same time, I realized the monsters, the dream-eaters, had their source in the paranormal world of ghosts or malevolent spirits. Obsessed with mist, fog and boundaries, I envisioned them as hungry spirits of the dead, trapped within a closed city and cannibalizing the living inhabitants. Amorphously inhabiting and twisting victims’ desires or longings to attack, they manifest in the real world with considerably less clarity, little more than a sickly yellow mist.</p>
3766
3767<p>But dancing around their identity, both named and visual, was adding confusion to an already vague and dreamy draft, and I hated every time I had to write “dream-death” or “nightmare”, feeling it too clunky.</p>
3768
3769<p>More drafts, more careful excavating of a story world that I could envision but wasn’t making plain enough for readers. My monsters were hemmed in by a literal boundary, a city cut off by environmental as well as spiritual damage. The ocean had risen, flooding the edges of the city, and opening up identities for the monsters in the pantheon of water-monsters that I was most familiar with from Celtic legend. Time to pull out the books.</p>
3770
3771<p>I started with a survey of aquatic monsters, with a quick turn through dream-eating and nightmare beasts, scanning through familiar Celtic sources as well as Japanese monsters and a brief, not particularly successful survey of Canadian and American First Nations spirits, legends and monsters, and came up with surprising results.</p>
3772
3773<p>As it turns out, there wasn’t a single likely culprit that blended aquatic and dream attributes, but a Japanese dream-eating monster called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku_(spirit)">baku</a> came awfully close to meeting my dream-eater needs. It seems to function in a mostly positive way, eating nightmares, but it has a darker side where it can go too far and eat the hopes and desires of a dreamer as well, leaving them hollowed out and empty…</p>
3774
3775<p>…which as I write this, brings up some interesting implications for a historical angle on the story world’s current troubles. I chose to integrate the aquatic or marine element of BTE’s dream-eating monsters by calling them the Mara. In various Celtic/European languages, this ties in nicely to night’mares’ or nightmara, with, at least in my mind, some shadings of Kelpie and other water horses as well, but functions more like the Japanese Baku.</p>
3776
3777<p>And there you have it, the not-so-well-researched anatomy of a monster, in which my imaginary demons turned out to have surprisingly connected real-world counterparts, confirming once again that human imagination has its limits. I think I’ll do a feature on the world monsters and their traits in my next newsletter (October) - keep an eye out for it!</p>
3778<hr>
3779	  
3780	    	<a href="/news/2017/08/20/Fresh-Newsletter-and-New-Freebies.html" title="Fresh Newsletter and New Freebies"><h3>Fresh Newsletter and New Freebies</h3></a>
3781	    	<span><p><small>20 Aug 2017</small></p></span>
3782	    	<p>The August newsletter is out! Musings on the finer points of genre, book reviews (still debating whether to add that as a website feature - thoughts?) and a fresh downloadable for this round.</p>
3783
3784<p>If you haven’t already, <a href="https://eepurl.com/cSevwn">sign up</a> for access to the freebie content, which is currently an extended preview ebook or audiobook of the first five chapters of BLIND THE EYES and an ebook-format downloadable preview of THE FIRST DREAM (currently chapter 8 of the manuscript), which is the first instance of supernatural goings-on in the draft and also the bit where I realized I was writing horror and not just fantasy, lol. I do newsletters roughly every two months with updates, insider content and book reviews. I promise not to spam your inbox endlessly!</p>
3785
3786<p>In other news, I’ve been dreadfully sick for the last week and therefore have gotten a bit behind again, but I’m planning to pick up with the final nitpicky little changes next week and start the querying process. There’ll probably be an update to the preview freebies following this round, as the first chapters continue to tighten up bit by bit; keep an eye out for it! Also, enjoy the Instagram feed I finally figured out how to embed! Turned out to be way less complicated that posting journal entries with individual IG shots, and innit pretty? ;D</p>
3787<hr>
3788	  
3789	    	<a href="/news/2017/08/05/Book-Geek-Time-Queries-Round-2.html" title="Book Geek Time - Queries Round 3"><h3>Book Geek Time - Queries Round 3</h3></a>
3790	    	<span><p><small>05 Aug 2017</small></p></span>
3791	    	<p>Last query round for now. For the super publishing geeks in the audience, here’s the final Query I went with for Pitch Wars! If any of the mentors send back notes, I’ll be sure to post them for reference!</p>
3792
3793<p>Dear Mentor,</p>
3794
3795<p>I’m pleased to introduce my YA novel, BLIND THE EYES, in which a not-quite alive girl and her not-quite dead ghost discover that authorities lie, allies have their own agendas and all monsters wear masks.</p>
3796
3797<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. But when one girl learns her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions, she must figure out who to trust to bring down the state and stop the dying before the nightmares eat her alive.</p>
3798
3799<p>
3799BLIND THE EYES is a stand-alone YA urban fantasy novel for ages 14 and up, complete at 100,000 words, with series potential. A dark and dangerous journey of discovery fraught with monsters both traditional and of the human persuasion, BLIND THE EYES evokes STRANGE THE DREAMER and THIS SAVAGE SONG with the flawed, challenging voices of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS.</p>
3800
3801<p>Thanks for your consideration.</p>
3802
3803<p>K.A. Wiggins
3804[+contact deets!]</p>
3805<hr>
3806	  
3807	    	<a href="/news/2017/08/04/Book-Geek-Time-Queries-Round-2.html" title="Book Geek Time - Queries Round 2"><h3>Book Geek Time - Queries Round 2</h3></a>
3808	    	<span><p><small>04 Aug 2017</small></p></span>
3809	    	<p>I may have used up all my luck before the submission window launched, but I was fortunate enough to win a query and first chapter critique from the awesome Lindsey Frydman. I’ve included the query with her markup/revisions for the writing/publishing geeks out there plus anyone thinking of subbing to Lindsey who really wants to do their research!</p>
3810
3811<p>Lindsey’s the author of YA contemporary romances with a twist <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/the-heartbeat-hypothesis">THE HEARTBEAT HYPOTHESIS</a>, <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/to-whatever-end">TO WHATEVER END</a>, and <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/project-a-i-d-e-n">PROJECT A.I.D.E.N.</a>.</p>
3812
3813<p>Find her on <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyMF">Twitter</a> or <a href="http://www.lindseyfrydman.com/">online</a>.</p>
3814
3815<p>Lindsey’s comments are marked ( <em>LF</em> ).</p>
3816
3817<hr />
3818
3819<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. (LF: <em>A query really should start with the character, so I’d put her name in the sentence. “obedience is the only way for Cole to survive. When she learns her…”</em> ) But when one girl learns her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions, she must figure out who to trust to bring down the state and stop the dying before the nightmares eat her alive. (LF: <em>I think this should actually go at the end…after reading the whole query a couple times, I think it definitely belongs down there.</em> )</p>
3820
3821<p>All desires and distractions are forbidden in authoritarian tower-state Refuge. That doesn’t stop 17-year-old failed trainee (LF: <em>Trainee for what? I think you should add that in here. Round it all out.</em> ) Cole from longing to be accepted as a full worker. But, secretly obsessed with the dead and haunted by the ghost of a child, Cole’s one step away from being abandoned to the Mara, nightmares that devour souls. (LF: <em>This should come after your very first sentence – in my opinion. Tell us about her, who she is, what she wants. 😊 I do love the creepy feel to this story!</em> )</p>
3822
3823<p>A surprise assignment offers Cole a shot at promotion, but when she succumbs to temptation and reaches out to a corpse, she learns her world is a lie and obedience to the state is no guarantee of survival. Shocked and angry at Refuge’s (LF: <em>I don’t know who this is. It sort of pops up out of nowhere, so maybe a short explanation of them here?</em> ) betrayal and the futility of trying to live up to its rules, Cole vows to expose its lies and sets off to find the allies she needs to take revenge and end the suffering.</p>
3824
3825<p>BLIND THE EYES is a YA Urban Fantasy complete at 113,000 words. STRANGE THE DREAMER meets THIS SAVAGE SONG with the flawed, challenging voices of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS. It is one girl’s journey through a world of dreams and ghosts, monsters and magic as she learns to own her choices and transform weaknesses into power. BLIND THE EYES is a standalone with series potential.</p>
3826
3827<p>I’ve been a crusader against the evils of corporate entropy, a mercenary word-weaver and a guardian of empty spaces. I convinced my classmates there were witches in the back wood of our elementary and my sister that faeries lived in the snow melt (‘cause they do…) and dreamed of growing up to be Martin of Redwall (because small animals with swords and battlecries), Frodo of the Shire (because heroes can be small and still do great things), a Fantasy or Manga Editor (because languages are magic), and a rock star (done). Still waiting for a wardrobe to open, but in the meantime I create my own magical worlds at http://kaie.space (LF: <em>As awesome as I think all this information is, I think you should cut it from your query. It’s just not relevant enough. And you really don’t need a bio if you have no credentials. Not unless an agent specifically states it on his/her submission rules.</em> )</p>
3828
3829<p>(LF insertion: Thank you for your time and consideration.)</p>
3830
3831<p>Best,</p>
3832
3833<p>K.A. Wiggins</p>
3834<hr>
3835	  
3836	    	<a href="/news/2017/07/29/Switching-features.html" title="Switching features"><h3>Switching features</h3></a>
3837	    	<span><p><small>29 Jul 2017</small></p></span>
3838	    	<p>I’m switching formats a bit to end the Journal segment and hopefully bring in Instagram and Goodreads feeds. When I started the journal, it was a great solution. It helped me frame my writing time, keep consistent records, continuously update with new content and hopefully provide value for writers and publishing geeks by chronicling in exhaustive detail the long slog of writing. Turns out I suck at updating the website and there’s more actual news these days, plus spending more time on Twitter lately has reminded me that transparency, while an important and meaningful value, is not good policy in today’s climate. So instead I’m planning to feature more pretty books. Journal archives are <a href="https://kaie.space/journal/index.html">here</a> for now.</p>
3839<hr>
3840	  
3841	    	<a href="/news/2017/07/23/Pitch-Wars-Pimp-My-Bio.html" title="Pitch Wars Pimp My Bio"><h3>Pitch Wars Pimp My Bio</h3></a>
3842	    	<span><p><small>23 Jul 2017</small></p></span>
3843	    	<p>So this is apparently a tradition within <a href="http://www.brenda-drake.com/pitch-wars/">Pitch Wars</a>, an awesome online contest to connect with publishing industry peeps and get a manuscript query-ready.</p>
3844
3845<p>I’ve been resisting making one of these because, really, who likes talking about themselves? But then I had to write an author paragraph for my query anyways, and… Here goes:</p>
3846
3847<p>I’ve been a crusader against the evils of corporate entropy, a mercenary word-weaver and a guardian of empty spaces. I convinced my classmates there were witches in the back wood of our elementary and my sister that faeries lived in the snow melt (‘cause they do…) and dreamed of growing up to be Martin of Redwall (because small animals with swords and battlecries), Frodo of the Shire (because heroes can be small and still do great things), a Fantasy or Manga Editor (because languages are magic), and a rock star (done).</p>
3848
3849<p>Still waiting for a wardrobe to open, but in the meantime I create my own magical worlds as (mostly) YA fiction and journal about it here.</p>
3850
3851<p>I read an insane amount and post to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/kaiespace">Goodreads</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kaie.space_author">Instagram</a>. Spectacular books I’ve read recently that I can’t shut up about are:</p>
3852
3853<ul>
3854  <li>
3855    <p>Laini Taylor’s STRANGE THE DREAMER. Seriously, there’s nothing closer to a perfect book.</p>
3856  </li>
3857  <li>
3858    <p>
3858Unless it’s Brianna Yovanoff’s equally amazing but totally different PLACES NO ONE KNOWS. Her MC is me, basically. SO, so jealous I didn’t write it first.</p>
3859  </li>
3860  <li>
3861    <p>&amp; Kendare Blake’s work is amazing, particularly the masterpiece that is THREE DARK CROWNS…</p>
3862  </li>
3863</ul>
3864
3865<p>…and I could go on like this all day, but to summarize, I wish I wrote thrillers as tight and creepy as Kelley Armstrong, dark fantasy as twisty as Holly Black and Melissa Marr, and worlds as big as Cassandra Clare and Scott Westerfeld. But instead I write like me, which means a lot of stuff about edges and boundaries and borders and about being not quite one thing or the other.</p>
3866
3867<p>I write Pacific Northwest stories. And Canadian stories. And magical crossover stories, because where I’m from, most people aren’t that clear about where they’ve come from or where they’re going. And sometimes moving forward is less about understanding it all, and more about just accepting it.</p>
3868
3869<p>So BLIND THE EYES is a Canadian story, and a Pacific Northwestern story, and a Vancouver story, and a blended-people-with-missing-identities story and a dark, broken future Urban Fantasy story that doesn’t know it’s any of these things (yet.)</p>
3870
3871<p>And at the heart of it is Cole, who still hasn’t really learned who she is or what she needs to do, but is scared to death of getting it all wrong. She’s part of a generation who have been taught not to want, instead of being taught how to understand what they want. She’s not a great hero, or even a strong female protagonist, because she’s more about avoiding difficult things and hiding from herself and everything around her than she is about confronting injustice and defeating evil. But she’s not alone, and she’s not as helpless as she thinks she is, and she’s about to find out that her fears and flaws and failure don’t define her, they fuel her.</p>
3872
3873<p>BLIND THE EYES has been about three years in the making, and for at least two of those I planned to release it as an indie publication, so it’s been through three rounds of editing and painful, painful rewrites to date. It’s not the first book I’ve written, but it is the first I’ve written properly and produced completely.</p>
3874
3875<p>Other stuff I do/love:</p>
3876
3877<ul>
3878  <li>
3879    <p>music. Specifically playing music in bands, ‘cause why just listen when you can do?</p>
3880  </li>
3881  <li>
3882    <p>making craft gin. And, of course, drinking said gin. BTW, best group activity ever (premake half so you have something to drink, then let everyone make their own mix!)</p>
3883  </li>
3884  <li>
3885    <p>Scotch. Drinking, not making. That’s not a DIY sort of activity. But mmm. This was totally my MS fuel of choice. My one regret in Scotland was that I didn’t live near any distilleries. Oh, and Islay fantatic, all the way. Talisker’s ok too.</p>
3886  </li>
3887  <li>
3888    <p>thrift shopping, vintage fashion &amp; hats. Not necessarily all together. Actually, I hate shopping, but I love that you can get cheap clothes and put together unique, functional outfits while protecting the environment and contributing toward something good. Plus I love history, museums and other times/places so it’s fun to use styles to access a fantasy of another place or era, like taking that feeling of being in a story world out into the real world with you. And hats are mostly about me and the sun not getting along, and partly about me and my hair not getting along, and mostly just a convenience thing TBH.</p>
3889  </li>
3890  <li>
3891    <p>and on that note, I adore historic sites. And museums. Although I get annoyed when the crowds are too big because a) hyper introvert and b) I just want to soak in the atmosphere and pretend to be from whenever and wherever the site originated. I love aquariums for sort of the same reason. Zero desire to go in or on the water, but I love pretending to be underwater without getting wet. And also marine mammals are adorable. I want to write a YA were-seal fantasy. Well, actually I want to write an X-Men meets fairytale creatures fantasy with a selkie trying to survive high school, lol. But were-seal sounds cooler. ;D I mean, imagine being a 15-year-old girl whose super power involves being furry and large and awkward on land. You’d feel like the world’s biggest klutz, and everyone else would think you were adorable. Oh the drama.</p>
3892  </li>
3893  <li>
3894    <p>hyper-emotive, over-the-top media like teen shows (Shadowhunters, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries), kid movies and anime/manga are so up my alley. I’m all about the escapism, but bonus points if it’s dark, or works in incisive social commentary without feeling depressing or breaking the story world. But, like, happy stuff’s ok too. Howl’s Moving Castle is the ultimate animated film of all time and I will brook 
3894no debate on this subject. Tarzan &amp; Mulan do ok too ;D OK, tbh any Disney or Miyazaki show makes the cut, lol. I’m equally on board with demon hunting and shiny princesses on a mission. Speaking of which, I really want to do a Tarzan inspired Celtic princess crossover world-hopping quest fantasy. But like, with jungle cats instead of gorillas.</p>
3895  </li>
3896  <li>
3897    <p>Buffy the Vampire Slayer gets its own bullet point b/c although it’s an over-the-top teen show, it’s also my go-to brain candy. I seriously run this in the background any time I get the chance. Buffy’s got me through hours of chores, programming and some of my more tedious freelancing. Firefly’s pretty great too.</p>
3898  </li>
3899</ul>
3900<hr>
3901	  
3902	    	<a href="/news/2017/07/21/Book-Geek-Time-aka-Queries-Round-1.html" title="Book Geek Time aka Queries Round 1"><h3>Book Geek Time aka Queries Round 1</h3></a>
3903	    	<span><p><small>21 Jul 2017</small></p></span>
3904	    	<p>Geek writing/publishing craft time: basically my first day after deciding to join this year’s Pitchwars, I won a (luck-of-the-draw) query critique from the amazing <a href="https://twitter.com/alicia_clancy">Alicia Clancy</a>! Alicia’s an Assistant Editor at St. Martin’s Press, Pitchwars mentor for the YA group and happens to be on my on my shortlist of mentors to sub to, so score! But then I had to scramble to actually write a query and synopsis lol. I’ll post Alicia’s version first, a few notes on how it works better, and then my original last for reference if anyone wants to get <em>that</em> geeky with it!</p>
3905
3906<hr />
3907
3908<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. But seventeen-year-old Cole isn’t like the rest of her authoritarian state Refuge’s citizens—no matter how hard she tries, she simply cannot follow the rules. being haunted by a ghost named Cadence certainly doesn’t help her situation.</p>
3909
3910<p>When Cole once again fails her probation, Refuge abandons her to the Mara—nightmares that devour the disobedient. But with Cadence on her side, Cole flees her oppressive state, and falls into the hands of a Freedom rebel group. Ravel, the group’s charismatic leader, brings Cole into their underground world and their mission to topple Refuge’s control.</p>
3911
3912<p>But Cole finds herself distracted by visions—visions of a silver-shrouded boy taking on the Mara. A boy that Cadence seems to know. And when people started dying in more than just her visions, Cole must risk her hard-won status, her home, and maybe even her life to expose the truth—that her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions—and that it’s up to them to defeat the Mara.</p>
3913
3914<p>Combining the flawed, challenging voice of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS with the supernatural chills of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and the dark fantasy dystopia of THIS SAVAGE SONG, my debut novel BLIND THE EYES is ultimately a story about a girl who’s terrified of never being good enough and the lengths she will go to overcome that fear.</p>
3915
3916<p>(Add in a 1-3 sentence author bio here)</p>
3917
3918<hr />
3919
3920<p>So. For one thing, I obviously forgot to put in wordcount (shame) and skipped the bio paragraph entirely.</p>
3921
3922<p>I’ve actually been using that first line forever, but one of the Pitchwars mentors made a point of saying how you should lead with the main character, so I pushed it to the extended syopsis. Love that Alicia brought it back to the forefront!</p>
3923
3924<p>Another thing she does is really bring a more colloquial (younger) voice to it. I was really focused on trying to write tight and brief, to the exclusion of voice, so while the tone feels a bit off to me (because now it’s someone else’s voice, lol), it definitely gives me a push to make sure not to strip out all the tone from my queries.</p>
3925
3926<p>And finally, Alicia really tweaked the focus on action and motivation. It got a little too far from the actual plot (which she’s never read, so of course,) but gives me a good push to both be clearer on what’s actually happening in the story and forefront motivation and stakes in my final query letter. Stay tuned for future updates, since I’m working with my editor on queries right now (see ‘hooks’ post) and will post further revisions/finals!</p>
3927
3928<p>&amp; Here’s my rough first version for the super geeks in the room!</p>
3929
3930<hr />
3931
3932<p>Dear Alicia,</p>
3933
3934<p>Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this - I was so surprised to win the query critique after last night’s live video! It’s the first time I’ve really worked on query materials, so thanks for the motivation to get it together and start polishing.</p>
3935
3936<p>Seventeen-year-old Cole hides a dangerous obsession with death from the repressive, authoritarian tower-state Refuge and Cadence, the ghost who haunts her. Cole has failed to obey in the past; if she can’t pass probation this time, Refuge will abandon her to be devoured by the nightmarish Mara.When Cole flunks her trial, she discovers Refuge has been lying all along. Obedience to the state never guaranteed safety from the Mara.</p>
3937
3938<p>Fleeing, she finds an ally in the charismatic leader of the underground club and rebel enclave, Freedom. Ravel offers the power to expose Refuge’s lies - along with a hedonistic new way of life. But as Cole struggles to fit in and earn Ravel’s help, she finds herself drawn into visions of death - and to the silver-shrouded boy in them who fights back against the Mara, a boy Cadence claims to remember from her former life. In the waking world, Ravel is more focused on transforming Cole into his ideal consort than toppling Refuge’s control - and people are dying in more than just Cole’s visions.</p>
3939
3940<p>BLIND THE EYES combines the flawed and challenging voices of PLACES NO ONE KNOWS with the supernatural chills of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD and the dark fantasy dystopia of THIS SAVAGE SONG in a debut novel about a girl who’s terrified of never being good enough.</p>
3941
3942<p>Best,</p>
3943
3944<p>K.A. Wiggins</p>
3945
3946<table>
3947  <tbody>
3948    <tr>
3949      <td><a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7318121a165d04161133141e121a1f5d101c1e">[email&#160;protected]</a></td>
3950      <td>https://kaie.space</td>
3951    </tr>
3952  </tbody>
3953</table>
3954
3955<p>Synopsis follows:</p>
3956
3957<p>In a world where hope kills and dreams are deadly, obedience is the only way to survive. But when one girl learns her society’s absolute control and guarantee of safety are both illusions, she risks her hard-won status, her home and her life to rebel and expose its lies.</p>
3958
3959<p>Probationary surveillance technician Cole is determined to cast off her reputation as a failure and pass probation in the ascetic, totalitarian tower-state Refuge. If she fails, she’ll be abandoned to the Mara, the nightmares that devour disobedient workers. But to be accepted, she’ll have to suppress her forbidden obsession with the dead, hiding it even from the ghost who haunts her, Cadence.</p>
3960
3961<p>Cole’s fascination with death torpedoes her probationary trial when she touches a corpse and witnesses a vision of its final moments. Trying to hide her failure, she discovers Refuge has been lying; its endless regulations can’t protect anyone from the deadly Mara. Cole flees Refuge enforcers and follows the ghost Ca
3961dence to allies who will help her expose Refuge’s lies, recognizing that no one will ever listen to or follow a failure like Cole. But Cadence lied; there are no allies, and Cole is nearly taken by the Mara instead.</p>
3962
3963<p>Cole turns to Ravel, leader of an underground club and rebel movement. He teaches her to reject Refuge’s programming. She struggles to earn acceptance in his alien society while suffering visions of Mara attacks. She’s drawn to the silver boy who fights back in the visions, Ash. Cadence claims to know him. When Cole tells Ravel of the visions, and the ghost who haunts her, Ravel blames them on Cadence. But Cole discovers Ravel’s rebellion is restricted to preaching radical self-indulgence. He has no plan to expose Refuge’s lies and abuse. Worse, the illusion of safety Ravel provides is based on a tithe of human sacrifice to the Mara.</p>
3964
3965<p>Then the Mara attack in the waking world and Cole discovers Cadence isn’t the one lying; Ravel is. The visions are real. Cole finally chooses to stop looking for a leader to follow and fight on her own. She infiltrates Refuge to help Ash. Interrupted mid-mission by another Mara attack, Cole fights back with powers like Ash’s, powers Cadence claims Cole has been absorbing from her. Cole’s secret obsession with the dead has been a side effect of Cadence’s haunting and Cole’s growing powers. Captured by Refuge after the fight and high on her recent success, Cole tricks an enforcer, sneaks off and contacts Ash. She selfishly demands Ash join her mission instead of heading to his location. But the enforcer was watching all along, and shoots Ash on arrival. Ravel kidnaps Cole and drugs her to keep her docile. Cole realizes her priority has never really been on saving people, but rather taking revenge on the system that made her feel like a failure. Cole overcomes the drugs and her guilt-ridden despondency when she discovers Ash survived and sets off to rescue him from torture and execution.</p>
3966
3967<p>When Ash’s escape is threatened, Cole sacrifices her own safety and hopes for acceptance to turn back and distract the pursuing enforcer. She uses her newfound powers to catch the enforcer in a Mara attack. But the enforcer is possessed by the Mara and Cole loses control of the fight. Then Cadence reveals a truth she’s only just realized herself; the ghost Cadence is what remains of Cole’s own memories and identity before Refuge captured her and wiped them. Cadence helps Cole recognizes her past failures and flaws as strengths that keep the Mara from twisting her hopes and dreams and devouring her. Teaming up with this part of herself she never knew she’d lost and owning her desires and wants, Cole defeats the Mara.</p>
3968
3969<p>Cole is reunited with Ash, who helps her accept her fragmented self. He affirms her broken and flawed identity as Cole seeks healing and her lost memories while struggling with the implications of Cadence’s separate existence. Ash commits to partnering with Cole and breaking Refuge and Ravel’s abuses to free the people and save them from the Mara. Their journey isn’t over, but Cole has overcome her programming and learned to choose her own path and fight back. Series potential; could be tweaked to show an ultimate defeat of the Mara and destabilization of Ravel’s rule and Refuge’s supremacy for standalone publishing.</p>
3970<hr>
3971	  
3972	    	<a href="/news/2017/07/19/Pitchwars-2017.html" title="Pitchwars 2017"><h3>Pitchwars 2017</h3></a>
3973	    	<span><p><small>19 Jul 2017</small></p></span>
3974	    	<p>Oh man, news, news, and more news you guys! I was trying to save it all up to release by newsletter first ‘cause I need motivation to keep up with that, but the thing with news is that you’re too busy doing newsworthy things to have time to shout about it! …and THAT doesn’t sound arrogant at all, lol. But moving on…</p>
3975
3976<p>So I got final edits back from the amazing Lisa Poisso, which turned out to be a gracious and generous blend of Substantive and Line Edits ‘cause I couldn’t make up my mind about what I was asking for. Still some tuning up to do, but overall the manuscript is in amazing shape and I’m already working on the early stages of query materials with her… and then this happened.</p>
3977
3978<p>Pitchwars. It’s a (mostly) Twitter contest to polish and submit your manuscript. In the first roun
3978d you submit to industry insiders like published authors, editorial assistants etc. If one picks you, you have two months to work with them on refining your book and query materials, and then there’s the agent round. If magic happens, you get an agent! At the very least, it’s a great way to make connections and learn a ton - which I have. For instance: apparently BLIND THE EYES is Urban Fantasy, not paranormal or horror or dystopian or dark fantasy or all the various other things I’ve stumbled around thinking it was. Who knew?</p>
3979
3980<p>Anyways, while it’s slowing down my final revisions (though, lol, we all knew they were going to take me longer than I expected because OF COURSE), I’m super excited to be participating in Pitchwars this year and getting BtE in even better shape for publication in whatever form that looks like! So, no newsletter this month, but I’m being hyperactive on Twitter &amp; IG, so go ahead and follow me there instead. :)</p>
3981<hr>
3982	  
3983	    	<a href="/news/2017/06/28/Pick-a-Story.html" title="Pick a Story"><h3>Pick a Story</h3></a>
3984	    	<span><p><small>28 Jun 2017</small></p></span>
3985	    	<p>So I’ve been thinking about doing a prequel novella or short story to Blind the Eyes for the next round of newsletter bonuses. Which of these sound like something you’d like to read? <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kaiespace/posts/493675980975435">Vote and comment on FB.</a></p>
3986
3987<ol>
3988  <li>
3989    <p>Teen sisters sneak off from the Tower to the underground club Freedom in its early days and things go sideways. One runs away after a relationship turns dangerous; the other starts up a secret counter-rebellion and stays in Freedom as a spy to save future innocents and atone for ruining her sister’s life. 
3990YA urban contemporary w/ dystopian, supernatural &amp; romance. ~10 years prev. to BtE book 1. Cast includes: Ange, Morristu, Ravel &amp; Cass, possibly cameos by Serovate, Haynfyv &amp; Sam.</p>
3991  </li>
3992  <li>
3993    <p>The future Mayor of the Tower was once an ambitious young professional climbing the ranks of corporate power with a jr. exec. husband, showcase baby and a secret mission. But when the rising fog threatens the safety of her family and she refuses to leave, she loses her child, her husband, and her chance at success. When she cuts a deal with the evil intelligence within the fog, she becomes a double agent, working on the side of evil for a shot at the power to keep it from swallowing everything.
3994-New Adult urban thriller, tragedy. Antagonist/villain backstory. ~120+ years prior to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Maria Ashera, possibly cameos by Serovate, Ravel.</p>
3995  </li>
3996  <li>
3997    <p>Cadence &amp; Ash as kids up north; dreamwalker training, learning to fight, faction politics between their respective camps (displaced First Nations &amp; Roma Traveller). Or Cadence’s family’s failed mission to the city &amp; her capture. Or Ash’s (off the page) journey during Blind the Eyes up to the point where he makes it to the Tower. This one would give a lot of world-building context and background, but is light on encapsulated storytelling/plot.
3998Kids or YA fantasy/contemporary, possibly thriller/tragedy. 10 years prev., 5 yrs prev. or 4 weeks prev. to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Cadence, Ash (protagonists, Ash formerly Itri/Silver), possibly Sam &amp; Lily.</p>
3999  </li>
4000  <li>
4001    <p>A young prince of the Tower as a preteen, coming to terms with his background and launching the rebel and counter-culture movement via the underground club Freedom. His rebellion against the Tower leader (/mom) &amp; the deal he cuts with the enemy in unconscious imitation of his mother, gaining power at a terrible cost.
4002YA dark fantasy, urban fantasy. 5+ years prev. to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Ravel, Maria, cameos by Serovate, maybe Ange, Morristu, Haynfyv, Cass.</p>
4003  </li>
4004  <li>
4005    <p>Tower Investigator Haynfyv geeking out and making a name for himself by being a bizarro luddite and digging into historic practices instead of using Tower surveillance for everything. Mostly just a chance to hang out with the weirdest side character.
4006Mystery. 5-10 years prev. to BtE book 1. 
4007Cast incl. Haynfyv, Serovate, Maria, Ravel, cameos by Ange, Cass, Morristu.</p>
4008  </li>
4009  <li>
4010    <p>A Street survivor saving a refugee from the Tower &amp; Freedom, helping her raise her child, forming a family with the child after the mother cuts a deal to be taken back into the relative safety of the Tower.
4011 Dystopian, romance, tragedy. 5 years prev. to BtE book 1. Cast incl. Sam, Morristu, Lily, cameo by Serovate.</p>
4012  </li>
4013</ol>
4014<hr>
4015	  
4016	    	<a href="/news/2017/06/26/Ebook-Freebies.html" title="Ebook Freebies"><h3>Ebook Freebies</h3></a>
4017	    	<span><p><small>26 Jun 2017</small></p></span>
4018	    	<p><strong>Freebies are live!</strong></p>
4019
4020<p>You can now download the free Limited Preview Edition ebook of Blind the Eyes, a YA dystopian dark fantasy, at your ebook retailer of choice:</p>
4021
4022<ul>
4023  <li><a href="https://goo.gl/nstVEs">Amazon</a></li>
4024  <li><a href="https://goo.gl/Fvcou7">iTunes</a></li>
4025  <li><a href="https://goo.gl/dstx73">Kobo</a></li>
4026  <li><a href="https://goo.gl/t13tgs">Nook</a></li>
4027</ul>
4028
4029<p>OR, pro-tip, the Special Preview Edition ebook AND audiobook are <strong>over 20% longer and you can get them free</strong> by <a href="http://eepurl.com/cSevwn">signing up for my newsletter</a></p>
4030<hr>
4031	  
4032	    	<a href="/news/2017/06/25/Taking-Over-the-Nets.html" title="Taking Over the 'Nets!"><h3>Taking Over the 'Nets!</h3></a>
4033	    	<span><p><small>25 Jun 2017</small></p></span>
4034	    	<p>So I must be overdue for an update; it’s been over a month! <em>Cue gasp, nervous laughter.</em></p>
4035
4036<p>Aaaaanyways… It’s about two weeks before I get the (hopefully last!) round of editorial back, and it’s been a busy month of book promotions and getting back in the freelancing swing of things. US exchange sucks when I have to pay my consultants, but rocks when I’m the one benefitting from it, lol.</p>
4037
4038<p>Some cool stuff emerging on the book promo front; I’ve finally (!!) launched a newsletter. If you <a href="http://eepurl.com/cSevwn">sign up</a> you get the current freebie (extended preview of Blind the Eyes in Ebook or Audiobook formats), and any future freebies. I’ve got lots of ideas for supplementary novellas, so if I can keep those spoiler-free and under 80k words (lol), that’ll probably be the next freebie. Also doing extended updates and top recommended reads in the newsletter. A lot of indie authors in particular do cross-promotion or newsletter swaps, which is where you agree to promote someone else’s book in exchange for them putting it in their newsletter or on other platforms… which is nice and probably super effective, but I don’t like the idea of just upselling some product I don’t personally know much about, so I’m going to focus more on book reviews and if a handful of indies or Canadian authors make it into the mix, all the better. But no spam, I promise!</p>
4039
4040<p>And once I’d made up the pretty ebooks and audiobooks for my newsletter subscribers, I realized it would be super easy and a great trial run to make a shorter version and toss it up on all the major ebook stores, so you can now get a (just) 3 chapter Limited Preview Edition of Blind the Eyes on Amazon, iTunes, Nook and Kobo as well!</p>
4041
4042<p>So the other cool thing about doing that work, besides pretty, pretty files out there for you all, is that I was able to get all of it up on Goodreads, so you can now <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/kaiespace">Follow me on Goodreads</a> or on my <a href="http://amazon.com/author/kawiggins">Amazon author profile</a> for notifications through those platforms whenever I publish something new. And, like, reviews n’stuff. Plus I’m pretty sure there’ll be some ARC copies coming along one of these days… So yeah, check it out ‘n give me a follow there!</p>
4043<hr>
4044	  
4045	    	<a href="/news/2017/05/25/Kids-Fantasy-Audiobooks-Live.html" title="Kids' Fantasy Audiobooks Live"><h3>Kids' Fantasy Audiobooks Live</h3></a>
4046	    	<span><p><small>25 May 2017</small></p></span>
4047	    	<p>The audiobook recordings of Book of Curses and The Book of Wishes by award-winning Irish author Conor Kostick are now complete and live on Audible, Amazon Whispersync and iTunes!</p>
4048
4049<p><strong>The Book of Curses by Conor Kostick</strong> kids adventure fantasy with zombies! Get it on:</p>
4050<ul>
4051  <li>
4051<a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Book-of-Curses-Audiobook/B072BNT2L4?qid=1496975906&amp;sr=1-19">Audible</a></li>
4052  <li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Curses-Conor-Kostick-ebook/dp/B00FEXBMEQ/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1496976070&amp;sr=8-37&amp;keywords=conor+kostick">Amazon Whispersync-ready ebook</a></li>
4053  <li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/audiobook/the-book-of-curses-unabridged/id1235776506">iTunes</a></li>
4054</ul>
4055
4056<p><strong>The Book of Wishes by Conor Kostick</strong> kids fairytale fantasy with dragons! Get it on:</p>
4057<ul>
4058  <li><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Book-of-Wishes-Audiobook/B072LVGWQ2?qid=1496975977&amp;sr=1-5">Audible</a></li>
4059  <li><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Book-Wishes-Conor-Kostick-ebook/dp/B00FEONCL6/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1496976239&amp;sr=8-38&amp;keywords=conor+kostick">Amazon Whispersync-ready ebook</a></li>
4060  <li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/audiobook/the-book-of-wishes-unabridged/id1241087691">iTunes</a></li>
4061</ul>
4062<hr>
4063	  
4064	    	<a href="/news/2017/04/20/Recording-for-Conor-Kostick.html" title="Recording for Conor Kostick"><h3>Recording for Conor Kostick</h3></a>
4065	    	<span><p><small>20 Apr 2017</small></p></span>
4066	    	<p>Quick news update; Blind the Eyes is still on hiatus while I wait for the next editorial report and the beta readers do their thing, but I finally got my ducks in a row (also known as my tech array implemented) for audiobook production!</p>
4067
4068<p>I’m recording The Book of Curses and The Book of Wishes for award-winning Irish author Conor Kostick! Coming soon to an Audible store near you ;D</p>
4069
4070<p>Predictably but disappointingly, it’s been a slow start getting all my freelancing up and running this month, so now that I’m nearly back into rewrites, of course there’s a wave of projects to finish, lol. I’m also doing some light business planning for that bookish chocolate store idea; seems like viable for producing my own swag, but I’m trying to figure out if there’s a larger market for pop-culture/book-themed chocolate products, perhaps for book boxes or other authors wanting a custom giveaway item… I’ll keep you posted, and people interested in custom artisan small-batch chocolate, drop me a line!</p>
4071
4072<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:200px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTHolLqFcN5/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by K.A. Wiggins | 🇨🇦 bookaholic (@kaie.space_author)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-04-20T19:42:01+00:00">Apr 20, 2017 at 12:42pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
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4074
4075<hr>
4076	  
4077	    	<a href="/news/2017/03/10/Cover-Designer.html" title="Cover Designer"><h3>Cover Designer</h3></a>
4078	    	<span><p><small>10 Mar 2017</small></p></span>
4079	    	<p>Big news! I just hired  a cover designer! There’s a contract signed and everything! Everyone, meet <a href="http://www.maeidesign.com/">Maie I Design</a></p>
4080
4081<p>I’ve got to get some materials over to her next week, and then should see new cover art mid April. Time to start planning the big cover reveal!</p>
4082
4083<p>While I’m proud of what I’ve been able to pull together to market my book, serials and brand so far, part of being a professional is knowing when to bring in appropriate help to do the job right. Plus, I love that I can support other creatives and book lovers in the process.</p>
4084
4085<p>So while it was a hard decision not to do everything myself (because control freak + bootstrap = DIY), I’m incredibly excited to see how far this crazy little dream of mine can make it out into the world.</p>
4086
4087<p>Thanks for reading, following and supporting Indie, friends.</p>
4088<hr>
4089	  
4090	    	<a href="/news/2016/12/09/Current-Projects.html" title="Current Projects"><h3>Current Projects</h3></a>
4091	    	<span><p><small>09 Dec 2016</small></p></span>
4092	    	<p>So, lot’s of big stuff going on:</p>
4093
4094<p>After a few awesome days in London (Camden Blues Kitchen - check it out!), I’m officially back in BC for Christmas… and a couple months thereafter.</p>
4095
4096<p>The first high-level edit of Blind the Eyes is in. I’ve read it and put it away for about a week to… process. Yes, rewrites will be significant - and need to be done for March. The short version is that I’m a better writer than I am storyteller, and it’s a weird little story that breaks all the rules and needs some big shifts to conform. Which I should make it do, but don’t quite know how to without losing things I’m not willing to give up on. Like a protagonist that lacks motivation. Lol… So that’ll be interesting.</p>
4097
4098<p>But in the meantime, I’ve been working on a couple other writing projects. I’m hoping to use web fiction/serialized writing platforms like Wattpad and Jukepop to get a better sense of what connects with readers, build a following and eventually market Blind the Eyes, while at the same time just getting in some more practice at different ways of storytelling. Providing free, value-added content is a major marketing move in self publishing these days, so I’m hoping to dovetail that somehow.</p>
4099
4100<p>So far, I’ve got two chapters each of Flame of the Connarii and Things get out of Hand. FotC actually has a full draft that I wrote as a teen and uni student. It’s terrible, of course, WAY too much sermonizing speeches, but there’s a full cast, a hack-job of a plot and everything. So I’m editing and rewriting that on a chapter-by-chapter basis for Tuesday each week, hoping it’ll come out to something reasonable. At the same time, I’m dealing with my disappointment with the directions things went in Blind the Eyes by relaunching the original story behind the novel and trying to take it in a closer direction to what I originally intended. TgooH is kind of a snarky romance with supernatural stuff in the background (so far), and is a true serial, written day-of for Friday releases.</p>
4101
4102<p>Of course, what I really need to do is sit down and plot out exciting scenes and character motiviations. Lol. Maybe one day.</p>
4103
4104<p>Thinking about a significant website overhaul to zero in on the writing more, since that’s the only thing I’ve been keeping up with. That, or I really need to write a bunch of blogs on all the travel… But I’ve got to dive in to the rewrites for real next week, so we’ll see if any of that actually gets done…</p>
4105
4106<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BNz27gHgFSn/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Aaand back in the land of wifi for #Christmas - Before and after: #mallaig to #abbotsford and #sea to #snow 🌊🌨❄️ May do some #latergram of the last month or two in #Scotland - keep an eye out!</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-12-09T20:45:37+00:00">Dec 9, 2016 at 12:45pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote>
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4109<hr>
4110	  
4111	    	<a href="/news/2016/07/11/Why.html" title="Why"><h3>Why</h3></a>
4112	    	<span><p><small>11 Jul 2016</small></p></span>
4113	    	<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50.0% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHDptuAgMaE/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">This is the hats and shoes suitcase. Not to confused with the music, cosmetics and daywear suitcase, or the too-heavy-to-check suitcase. I always think that I&#39;m pretty #minimalist and nonmaterialistic until it comes time to pack... 😱😰 #flyingsucks #londoncalling #digitalnomad #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-06-25T00:18:14+00:00">Jun 24, 2016 at 5:18pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
4114<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
4114
4115
4116<h1 id="why-im-terrified-to-get-on-a-plane-in-7-days-and-why-im-going-anyways">Why I’m terrified to get on a plane in 7 days… and why I’m going anyways.</h1>
4117
4118<p><small>First published on <a href="https://medium.com/@kaie.web/why-im-terrified-to-get-on-a-plane-in-7-days-and-why-i-m-going-anyways-f77e1f32968b#.coyhvz12f" target="_blank">Medium</a></small></p>
4119
4120<p>I relocate from Canada to the UK in 150 hours. I have a work visa for 2 years starting July 28. I’ve been working on this plan for over a year…</p>
4121
4122<p>…and after an uncharacteristically emotional weekend, I’m realizing that it’s probably not hormones making me tear up at every little thing. As it turns out, grand adventure is all very well in theory, and stunningly intimidating from close up.</p>
4123
4124<p>A little background: I’m a compulsive control-freak of a perfectionist.</p>
4125
4126<p>A little more background: Just over a year ago, I’d worked my way up to business analyst in an international engineering firm. After years of scrambling to be taken seriously as a professional and valued for my work (female + working in marketing = basically a secretary, apparently), I was finally on my way to success and enough power to make a difference.</p>
4127
4128<p>Except not. Politics, power struggles, poor communication, burnout… on the verge of finally making it, I walked away. I was done. Done sticking around and trying to make the wrong place be the right one.</p>
4129
4130<p>It had been a decade of trying really hard to do all the right things in Vancouver. Get the education. Get the career. Get the money and the respect and the power. I’d been working away at doing all the right things so long, I’d lost sight of the fact that I’d never cared about any of it. And I was starting to realize that I’d become the sort of corporate drone of a grown-up that my 12-year-old self would have hated.</p>
4131
4132<p>So I decided to do something crazy. I would move to Scotland. Where companies were better run and housing was (hopefully) cheaper. Have adventures. Travel. Be recognized for my skills and stop being punished for being a woman and not a nurturer. Make way more money with less pressure and lower cost of living.</p>
4133
4134<p>And then someone asked me what I actually wanted to do.</p>
4135
4136<p>Want.</p>
4137
4138<p>Not what did I need to do, what did I have to do, what should I do. Not what was the next step on the road to more.</p>
4139
4140<p>And to my horror, I had absolutely no idea. But I did have time to figure it out.</p>
4141
4142<p>So I took a full year off from it all. I wrote a book. I obsessed. I read a lot of other books. I spent time with friends and family. I went for runs in the forest. I started to dream again. I got less desperate.</p>
4143
4144<p>But now, I’m scared.</p>
4145
4146<p>I’m scared to get on that plane next week. I’m scared that the real world, the grown-up, practical world will suck me in again. I’m scared that my book will never make it out into the world, and equally scared that it will have been a terrible waste of a year, and also afraid that I’ll never get to write again. I’m scared that I’ll run out of money and crash and burn. I’m scared to leave the comfortable, convenient little cocoon that I’ve been privileged to live in for the past year.</p>
4147
4148<p>And I’m scared to leave people behind, because in the end, those connections were the things that mattered out of the last decade, the things that made any and all of that misery worthwhile.</p>
4149
4150<p>But I’m not going to be that control-freak drone that takes all the right steps and hates every minute of it as all her dreams are lost and forgotten. I’m going to be the adventurer and artist and explorer and dreamer that I so admired. I’m going to publish a book and write, and publish more books, and live in beautiful places and take risks.</p>
4151
4152<p>So because I can be brave, and I can be strong, and I can take risks and I can keep dreaming and keep creating, I’ll get on that plane next week. And I’ll be the person that the 12-year-olds in my life can look up to and feel like it’s worth growing up to be.</p>
4153
4154<p>You can follow my journey of travel, writing, angst and indie publishing at kaie.space</p>
4155<hr>
4156	  
4157	    	<a href="/news/2016/07/01/and-the-votes-are-in.html" title="And the Votes Are In"><h3>And the Votes Are In</h3></a>
4158	    	<span><p><small>01 Jul 2016</small></p></span>
4159	    	<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.48% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BHU-5knAyMp/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Thanks for voting! The title, with 71% of the vote, will be &#34;Blind the Eyes&#34;. In other news, launching the first edition of #betareader copies today. I release in 5-chapter segments with limited edition covers. Still looking for a couple more #readers with willingness to give some #feedback to beta read for me. More info at http://kaie.space/gold. #ya #yabooks #dystopia #thriller #supernatural #dark #fantasy #romance #teen #writing #kaiespace</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by Katrina Wiggins (@kaiedesign) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-07-01T17:50:26+00:00">Jul 1, 2016 at 10:50am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
4160<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="49dd3a1cb8012041079ebaf1-text/javascript"></script>
4160
4161
4162<p>Thanks for voting! The results came in with a clear winner at 71.4%, so I’m moving forward with <strong>Blind the Eyes</strong> as the title, but keeping <strong>Gold</strong> as the webpage and series title (possibly ‘Gold &amp; Silver’ as the series).</p>
4163<hr>
4164	  
4165	    	</ul>
4166</div><!--close first col-->
4167<div class="col-sm-3">
4168	<!--lookup linklist of posts-->
4169	<h3>Post Index</h3>
4170	<ul class="posts">
4171	  
4172	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2026/09/19/fall-update.html" title="Fall Update">Fall Update</a>
4173	    	 | <span><small>19 Sep 2026</small></span></font></p>
4174	  
4175	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2026/08/27/back-to-school.html" title="Back to School">Back to School</a>
4176	    	 | <span><small>27 Aug 2026</small></span></font></p>
4177	  
4178	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2026/07/17/summer-update.html" title="Summer Update">Summer Update</a>
4179	    	 | <span><small>17 Jul 2026</small></span></font></p>
4180	  
4181	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2026/05/19/spring-update.html" title="Spring Update">Spring Update</a>
4182	    	 | <span><small>19 May 2026</small></span></font></p>
4183	  
4184	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2026/01/06/winter-update.html" title="Winter Update">Winter Update</a>
4185	    	 | <span><small>06 Jan 2026</small></span></font></p>
4186	  
4187	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2025/09/16/fall-update.html" title="Fall Update">Fall Update</a>
4188	    	 | <span><small>16 Sep 2025</small></span></font></p>
4189	  
4190	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2025/07/09/summer-update-2025.html" title="Summer Update 2025">Summer Update 2025</a>
4191	    	 | <span><small>09 Jul 2025</small></span></font></p>
4192	  
4193	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2025/07/09/Authors-Note-Geosapiology.html" title="Author's Note on Geosapiology">Author's Note on Geosapiology</a>
4194	    	 | <span><small>09 Jul 2025</small></span></font></p>
4195	  
4196	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2025/05/10/teaching-canadian-short-fiction.html" title="Teaching Canadian Short Fiction">Teaching Canadian Short Fiction</a>
4197	    	 | <span><small>10 May 2025</small></span></font></p>
4198	  
4199	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2025/04/02/weird-redux.html" title="Weird Redux">Weird Redux</a>
4200	    	 | <span><small>02 Apr 2025</small></span></font></p>
4201	  
4202	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2025/04/01/no-joke.html" title="No Joke">No Joke</a>
4203	    	 | <span><small>01 Apr 2025</small></span></font></p>
4204	  
4205	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2025/02/11/winter-update.html" title="Winter Update">Winter Update</a>
4206	    	 | <span><small>11 Feb 2025</small></span></font></p>
4207	  
4208	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2024/08/19/summer-update-2024.html" title="Summer Update 2024">Summer Update 2024</a>
4209	    	 | <span><small>19 Aug 2024</small></span></font></p>
4210	  
4211	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2024/05/30/Nonfiction.html" title="(Non)Fiction">(Non)Fiction</a>
4212	    	 | <span><small>30 May 2024</small></span></font></p>
4213	  
4214	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2024/05/14/content-flags-representation-recommendations-threads-of-dreams.html" title="Content Flags, Representation & Recommendations in Threads of Dreams">Content Flags, Representation & Recommendations in Threads of Dreams</a>
4215	    	 | <span><small>14 May 2024</small></span></font></p>
4216	  
4217	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2024/04/01/Spring-Update-2024.html" title="Spring Update 2024">Spring Update 2024</a>
4218	    	 | <span><small>01 Apr 2024</small></span></font></p>
4219	  
4220	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2024/02/28/authors-note-flatliners.html" title="Author's Note on Flatliners">Author's Note on Flatliners</a>
4221	    	 | <span><small>28 Feb 2024</small></span></font></p>
4222	  
4223	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2024/02/04/twilight-zone-time.html" title="Twilight Zone Time">Twilight Zone Time</a>
4224	    	 | <span><small>04 Feb 2024</small></span></font></p>
4225	  
4226	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/12/14/awards-eligibility-winter-update.html" title="Awards Eligibility & Winter Update">Awards Eligibility & Winter Update</a>
4227	    	 | <span><small>14 Dec 2023</small></span></font></p>
4228	  
4229	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/06/01/summer-news-roundup.html" title="Summer News Roundup">Summer News Roundup</a>
4230	    	 | <span><small>01 Jun 2023</small></span></font></p>
4231	  
4232	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/04/28/read-local-cwill-bc-2023-spring-preview.html" title="Read Local! CWILL BC 2023 Spring Preview">Read Local! CWILL BC 2023 Spring Preview</a>
4233	    	 | <span><small>28 Apr 2023</small></span></font></p>
4234	  
4235	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/04/11/fantasy-magazine.html" title="Fantasy Magazine">
4235Fantasy Magazine</a>
4236	    	 | <span><small>11 Apr 2023</small></span></font></p>
4237	  
4238	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/03/30/zombie-sub.html" title="The Astonishing Case of the Zombie Sub">The Astonishing Case of the Zombie Sub</a>
4239	    	 | <span><small>30 Mar 2023</small></span></font></p>
4240	  
4241	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/01/25/WRAD2023-plus-a-not-announcement.html" title="WRAD2023 Plus A Not-Announcement">WRAD2023 Plus A Not-Announcement</a>
4242	    	 | <span><small>25 Jan 2023</small></span></font></p>
4243	  
4244	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/01/10/want-to-write-a-book-with-me.html" title="Want to Write a Book With Me?">Want to Write a Book With Me?</a>
4245	    	 | <span><small>10 Jan 2023</small></span></font></p>
4246	  
4247	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2023/01/08/birth-of-a-micro-trilogy.html" title="Birth of a Micro-trilogy">Birth of a Micro-trilogy</a>
4248	    	 | <span><small>08 Jan 2023</small></span></font></p>
4249	  
4250	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/12/16/achievement-unlocked.html" title="Achievement Unlocked!">Achievement Unlocked!</a>
4251	    	 | <span><small>16 Dec 2022</small></span></font></p>
4252	  
4253	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/11/28/fall-2022.html" title="Fall 2022">Fall 2022</a>
4254	    	 | <span><small>28 Nov 2022</small></span></font></p>
4255	  
4256	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/09/12/the-horror-anthology-of-2022.html" title="The Horror Anthology of 2022">The Horror Anthology of 2022</a>
4257	    	 | <span><small>12 Sep 2022</small></span></font></p>
4258	  
4259	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/06/27/awards-news.html" title="Awards News!">Awards News!</a>
4260	    	 | <span><small>27 Jun 2022</small></span></font></p>
4261	  
4262	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/05/26/celebrating-five-years.html" title="Celebrating Five Years">Celebrating Five Years</a>
4263	    	 | <span><small>26 May 2022</small></span></font></p>
4264	  
4265	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/05/15/surprise-toc-announcement.html" title="Surprise TOC Announcement">Surprise TOC Announcement</a>
4266	    	 | <span><small>15 May 2022</small></span></font></p>
4267	  
4268	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/03/09/Award-Finalist.html" title="Award Finalist">Award Finalist</a>
4269	    	 | <span><small>09 Mar 2022</small></span></font></p>
4270	  
4271	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2022/02/24/Story-Studio.html" title="Story Studio">Story Studio</a>
4272	    	 | <span><small>24 Feb 2022</small></span></font></p>
4273	  
4274	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/10/29/Blog-Tour-NaNoWriMo.html" title="Blog Tour & NaNoWriMo">Blog Tour & NaNoWriMo</a>
4275	    	 | <span><small>29 Oct 2021</small></span></font></p>
4276	  
4277	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/09/27/shop-early.html" title="Shop Early">Shop Early</a>
4278	    	 | <span><small>27 Sep 2021</small></span></font></p>
4279	  
4280	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/09/25/2021-arty-awards.html" title="2021 Arty Awards">2021 Arty Awards</a>
4281	    	 | <span><small>25 Sep 2021</small></span></font></p>
4282	  
4283	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/08/29/news-round-up.html" title="News Round-Up">News Round-Up</a>
4284	    	 | <span><small>29 Aug 2021</small></span></font></p>
4285	  
4286	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/06/30/Preorder-Bonus.html" title="Preorder Bonus">Preorder Bonus</a>
4287	    	 | <span><small>30 Jun 2021</small></span></font></p>
4288	  
4289	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/05/21/Sneak-Peek-and-Series-Wrap-Up-Giveaway.html" title="Sneak Peek and Series Wrap-Up Giveaway">Sneak Peek and Series Wrap-Up Giveaway</a>
4290	    	 | <span><small>21 May 2021</small></span></font></p>
4291	  
4292	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/01/26/Get-Ready-for-IReadCanadian-Day.html" title="Get Ready for IReadCanadian Day">Get Ready for IReadCanadian Day</a>
4293	    	 | <span><small>26 Jan 2021</small></span></font></p>
4294	  
4295	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2021/01/04/Title-Reveal.html" title="Title Reveal">Title Reveal</a>
4296	    	 | <span><small>04 Jan 2021</small></span></font></p>
4297	  
4298	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/10/28/Page-Turner-Awards.html" title="Page Turner Awards!">Page Turner Awards!</a>
4299	    	 | <span><small>28 Oct 2020</small></span></font></p>
4300	  
4301	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/10/26/new-paperbacks.html" title="New Paperbacks!!">New Paperbacks!!</a>
4302	    	 | <span><small>26 Oct 2020</small></span></font></p>
4303	  
4304	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/10/15/Finding-the-Daydreamer.html" title="Finding the Daydreamer">
4304Finding the Daydreamer</a>
4305	    	 | <span><small>15 Oct 2020</small></span></font></p>
4306	  
4307	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/10/14/BookLife-Feature.html" title="BookLife Feature">BookLife Feature</a>
4308	    	 | <span><small>14 Oct 2020</small></span></font></p>
4309	  
4310	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/09/30/Celebrate-The-Devil-You-Know.html" title="Celebrate The Devil You Know">Celebrate The Devil You Know</a>
4311	    	 | <span><small>30 Sep 2020</small></span></font></p>
4312	  
4313	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/09/27/anti-hero-giveaway.html" title="Anti-Hero Giveaway">Anti-Hero Giveaway</a>
4314	    	 | <span><small>27 Sep 2020</small></span></font></p>
4315	  
4316	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/09/14/Release-Blitz.html" title="Release Blitz">Release Blitz</a>
4317	    	 | <span><small>14 Sep 2020</small></span></font></p>
4318	  
4319	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/09/12/Boy-With-No-Name-ARCs.html" title="Boy With No Name ARCs">Boy With No Name ARCs</a>
4320	    	 | <span><small>12 Sep 2020</small></span></font></p>
4321	  
4322	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/08/26/Black-the-Tides-is-Here.html" title="Black the Tides is Here!!">Black the Tides is Here!!</a>
4323	    	 | <span><small>26 Aug 2020</small></span></font></p>
4324	  
4325	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/08/24/surprise-another-new-release.html" title="Surprise! ANOTHER New Release">Surprise! ANOTHER New Release</a>
4326	    	 | <span><small>24 Aug 2020</small></span></font></p>
4327	  
4328	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/08/17/Black-the-Tides-Cover-Reveal-New-Date.html" title="Black the Tides Cover Reveal & New Date">Black the Tides Cover Reveal & New Date</a>
4329	    	 | <span><small>17 Aug 2020</small></span></font></p>
4330	  
4331	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/08/04/ARCs-Are-Here.html" title="ARCs Are Here">ARCs Are Here</a>
4332	    	 | <span><small>04 Aug 2020</small></span></font></p>
4333	  
4334	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/08/01/Books-in-the-Wild.html" title="Books in the Wild">Books in the Wild</a>
4335	    	 | <span><small>01 Aug 2020</small></span></font></p>
4336	  
4337	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/06/12/black-lives-matter-and-so-do-black-stories.html" title="Black Lives Matter and so do Black Stories">Black Lives Matter and so do Black Stories</a>
4338	    	 | <span><small>12 Jun 2020</small></span></font></p>
4339	  
4340	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/05/28/more-book-recs.html" title="MORE Book Recs">MORE Book Recs</a>
4341	    	 | <span><small>28 May 2020</small></span></font></p>
4342	  
4343	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/05/23/a-sequel-is-born.html" title="A Sequel is Born">A Sequel is Born</a>
4344	    	 | <span><small>23 May 2020</small></span></font></p>
4345	  
4346	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/03/27/COVID-19-Response.html" title="COVID-19 Response">COVID-19 Response</a>
4347	    	 | <span><small>27 Mar 2020</small></span></font></p>
4348	  
4349	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/03/20/learning-resources.html" title="Learning Resources">Learning Resources</a>
4350	    	 | <span><small>20 Mar 2020</small></span></font></p>
4351	  
4352	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/02/14/alternate-cover-launch.html" title="Alternate Cover Launch">Alternate Cover Launch</a>
4353	    	 | <span><small>14 Feb 2020</small></span></font></p>
4354	  
4355	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2020/01/09/Kicking-Off-2020.html" title="Kicking Off 2020">Kicking Off 2020</a>
4356	    	 | <span><small>09 Jan 2020</small></span></font></p>
4357	  
4358	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/08/13/first-anthology.html" title="First Anthology">First Anthology</a>
4359	    	 | <span><small>13 Aug 2019</small></span></font></p>
4360	  
4361	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/06/25/Two-Kinds-of-Audio.html" title="Two Kinds of Audio">Two Kinds of Audio</a>
4362	    	 | <span><small>25 Jun 2019</small></span></font></p>
4363	  
4364	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/06/24/first-magazine.html" title="First Magazine">
4364First Magazine</a>
4365	    	 | <span><small>24 Jun 2019</small></span></font></p>
4366	  
4367	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/06/05/Happy-Book-Birthday.html" title="Happy Book Birthday & Giveaway">Happy Book Birthday & Giveaway</a>
4368	    	 | <span><small>05 Jun 2019</small></span></font></p>
4369	  
4370	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/05/02/My-new-favourite-thing.html" title="My new favourite thing">My new favourite thing</a>
4371	    	 | <span><small>02 May 2019</small></span></font></p>
4372	  
4373	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/03/31/a-villain-origin-story-translated.html" title="A Villain Origin Story TRANSLATED">A Villain Origin Story TRANSLATED</a>
4374	    	 | <span><small>31 Mar 2019</small></span></font></p>
4375	  
4376	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/03/28/a-standalone-and-a-prequel.html" title="A Standalone and a Prequel">A Standalone and a Prequel</a>
4377	    	 | <span><small>28 Mar 2019</small></span></font></p>
4378	  
4379	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/02/23/playing-catch-up.html" title="Playing Catch Up">Playing Catch Up</a>
4380	    	 | <span><small>23 Feb 2019</small></span></font></p>
4381	  
4382	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2019/02/18/more-than-you-ever-wanted-to-know.html" title="More Than You Ever Wanted to Know">More Than You Ever Wanted to Know</a>
4383	    	 | <span><small>18 Feb 2019</small></span></font></p>
4384	  
4385	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/12/21/Wishing-you-hope-this-Christmas.html" title="Wishing you hope this Christmas">Wishing you hope this Christmas</a>
4386	    	 | <span><small>21 Dec 2018</small></span></font></p>
4387	  
4388	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/12/18/BTE-is-a-2018-fave.html" title="BTE is a 2018 fave!">BTE is a 2018 fave!</a>
4389	    	 | <span><small>18 Dec 2018</small></span></font></p>
4390	  
4391	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/11/27/All-About-Covers-Part-3.html" title="All About Covers Part 3">All About Covers Part 3</a>
4392	    	 | <span><small>27 Nov 2018</small></span></font></p>
4393	  
4394	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/11/24/All-About-Covers-Part-2.html" title="All About Covers Part 2">All About Covers Part 2</a>
4395	    	 | <span><small>24 Nov 2018</small></span></font></p>
4396	  
4397	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/11/23/All-About-Covers-Part-1.html" title="All About Covers Part 1">All About Covers Part 1</a>
4398	    	 | <span><small>23 Nov 2018</small></span></font></p>
4399	  
4400	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/11/22/Overdue-Update.html" title="Overdue Update">Overdue Update</a>
4401	    	 | <span><small>22 Nov 2018</small></span></font></p>
4402	  
4403	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/06/19/Paperback-Proofs-are-HERE.html" title="Paperback Proofs are HERE">Paperback Proofs are HERE</a>
4404	    	 | <span><small>19 Jun 2018</small></span></font></p>
4405	  
4406	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/06/13/Achievement-Unlocked.html" title="Achievement Unlocked!!">Achievement Unlocked!!</a>
4407	    	 | <span><small>13 Jun 2018</small></span></font></p>
4408	  
4409	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/06/12/So-Many-Giveaways.html" title="So Many Giveaways">So Many Giveaways</a>
4410	    	 | <span><small>12 Jun 2018</small></span></font></p>
4411	  
4412	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/06/01/Launch-Day.html" title="Launch Day">Launch Day</a>
4413	    	 | <span><small>01 Jun 2018</small></span></font></p>
4414	  
4415	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/04/23/Updates-ARCS-and-Giveaways.html" title="Updates, ARCs, and Giveaways!">Updates, ARCs, and Giveaways!</a>
4416	    	 | <span><small>23 Apr 2018</small></span></font></p>
4417	  
4418	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/03/29/Camp-NaNoWriMo.html" title="Camp NaNoWriMo">Camp NaNoWriMo</a>
4419	    	 | <span><small>29 Mar 2018</small></span></font></p>
4420	  
4421	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/03/22/One-Week-Left.html" title="One Week Left">One Week Left</a>
4422	    	 | <span><small>22 Mar 2018</small></span></font></p>
4423	  
4424	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/03/07/Cover-Reveal.html" title="Cover Reveal">Cover Reveal</a>
4425	    	 | <span><small>07 Mar 2018</small></span></font></p>
4426	  
4427	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2018/02/06/Turtletime.html" title="Turtletime">Turtletime</a>
4428	    	 | <span><small>06 Feb 2018</small></span></font></p>
4429	  
4430	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/12/20/Booktree-2017.html" title="Booktree 2017">Booktree 2017</a>
4431	    	 | <span><small>20 Dec 2017</small></span></font></p>
4432	  
4433	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/12/04/Books-to-check-out-NL3.html" title="Books to check out NL3">Books to check out NL3</a>
4434	    	 | <span><small>04 Dec 2017</small></span></font></p>
4435	  
4436	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/11/27/Books-to-check-out-NL2.html" title="Books to check out NL2">Books to check out NL2</a>
4437	    	 | <span><small>27 Nov 2017</small></span></font></p>
4438	  
4439	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/11/20/Books-to-check-out-NL1.html" title="Books to check out NL1">Books to check out NL1</a>
4440	    	 | <span><small>20 Nov 2017</small></span></font></p>
4441	  
4442	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/11/13/Book-blog.html" title="Book blog">Book blog</a>
4443	    	 | <span><small>13 Nov 2017</small></span></font></p>
4444	  
4445	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/11/04/BTE-Targeting-2018.html" title="BTE Targeting 2018">BTE Targeting 2018</a>
4446	    	 | <span><small>04 Nov 2017</small></span></font></p>
4447	  
4448	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/09/21/Almost-there.html" title="Almost there">
4448Almost there</a>
4449	    	 | <span><small>21 Sep 2017</small></span></font></p>
4450	  
4451	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/08/27/Confessions-retractions-and-other-wafflings.html" title="Confessions, retractions and other wafflings">Confessions, retractions and other wafflings</a>
4452	    	 | <span><small>27 Aug 2017</small></span></font></p>
4453	  
4454	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/08/26/On-Monsters-Boundaries-and-Inspiration.html" title="On Monsters, Boundaries and Inspiration">On Monsters, Boundaries and Inspiration</a>
4455	    	 | <span><small>26 Aug 2017</small></span></font></p>
4456	  
4457	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/08/20/Fresh-Newsletter-and-New-Freebies.html" title="Fresh Newsletter and New Freebies">Fresh Newsletter and New Freebies</a>
4458	    	 | <span><small>20 Aug 2017</small></span></font></p>
4459	  
4460	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/08/05/Book-Geek-Time-Queries-Round-2.html" title="Book Geek Time - Queries Round 3">Book Geek Time - Queries Round 3</a>
4461	    	 | <span><small>05 Aug 2017</small></span></font></p>
4462	  
4463	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/08/04/Book-Geek-Time-Queries-Round-2.html" title="Book Geek Time - Queries Round 2">Book Geek Time - Queries Round 2</a>
4464	    	 | <span><small>04 Aug 2017</small></span></font></p>
4465	  
4466	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/07/29/Switching-features.html" title="Switching features">Switching features</a>
4467	    	 | <span><small>29 Jul 2017</small></span></font></p>
4468	  
4469	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/07/23/Pitch-Wars-Pimp-My-Bio.html" title="Pitch Wars Pimp My Bio">Pitch Wars Pimp My Bio</a>
4470	    	 | <span><small>23 Jul 2017</small></span></font></p>
4471	  
4472	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/07/21/Book-Geek-Time-aka-Queries-Round-1.html" title="Book Geek Time aka Queries Round 1">Book Geek Time aka Queries Round 1</a>
4473	    	 | <span><small>21 Jul 2017</small></span></font></p>
4474	  
4475	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/07/19/Pitchwars-2017.html" title="Pitchwars 2017">Pitchwars 2017</a>
4476	    	 | <span><small>19 Jul 2017</small></span></font></p>
4477	  
4478	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/06/28/Pick-a-Story.html" title="Pick a Story">Pick a Story</a>
4479	    	 | <span><small>28 Jun 2017</small></span></font></p>
4480	  
4481	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/06/26/Ebook-Freebies.html" title="Ebook Freebies">Ebook Freebies</a>
4482	    	 | <span><small>26 Jun 2017</small></span></font></p>
4483	  
4484	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/06/25/Taking-Over-the-Nets.html" title="Taking Over the 'Nets!">Taking Over the 'Nets!</a>
4485	    	 | <span><small>25 Jun 2017</small></span></font></p>
4486	  
4487	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/05/25/Kids-Fantasy-Audiobooks-Live.html" title="Kids' Fantasy Audiobooks Live">Kids' Fantasy Audiobooks Live</a>
4488	    	 | <span><small>25 May 2017</small></span></font></p>
4489	  
4490	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/04/20/Recording-for-Conor-Kostick.html" title="Recording for Conor Kostick">Recording for Conor Kostick</a>
4491	    	 | <span><small>20 Apr 2017</small></span></font></p>
4492	  
4493	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2017/03/10/Cover-Designer.html" title="Cover Designer">Cover Designer</a>
4494	    	 | <span><small>10 Mar 2017</small></span></font></p>
4495	  
4496	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2016/12/09/Current-Projects.html" title="Current Projects">Current Projects</a>
4497	    	 | <span><small>09 Dec 2016</small></span></font></p>
4498	  
4499	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2016/07/11/Why.html" title="Why">Why</a>
4500	    	 | <span><small>11 Jul 2016</small></span></font></p>
4501	  
4502	    	<p><font size=2><a href="/news/2016/07/01/and-the-votes-are-in.html" title="And the Votes Are In">And the Votes Are In</a>
4503	    	 | <span><small>01 Jul 2016</small></span></font></p>
4504	  
4505</ul>
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