K.A. Wiggins's Blog, page 12
June 24, 2019
Two Kinds of Audio
With huge thanks to the Vancouver Public Library���s free creator spaces, I was able to spend a week recording Blind the Eyes in Vancouver. 20 hours later, I have raw files and a mountain of audio editing ahead, but audiobooks are finally underway!
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!
If you���re an event organizer or a reader lobbying local events to bring in more authors you like, here���s my speaker profile on CWILL BC for reference. I���d love to meet you!
June 23, 2019
First Magazine
UPDATED June 24, 2019
Read On the Edge for FREE courtesy of Enchanted Conversation Magazine!
ORIGINAL POST May 5, 2019
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!
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.
Even more excitingly, the story was picked up by the very first place I submitted to! (They called it ���exceptional and lyrically beautiful!!���)
You can read On The Edge in Enchanted Magazine���s June 2019 edition. It���s an NA horror/dark fantasy faery story about walking on water, adulthood & escaping reality in the Scottish Highlands and the ending is possibly my favourite thing written to date.
Hidden paths and ancient ruins! Creatures beneath the waves! ALLLL the millennial angst. Very On Brand #monstersandmagic ���
Also, it���s inspired by my actual adventures in the UK. Up to you to guess which parts~
June 4, 2019
Happy Book Birthday & Giveaway
I can���t believe it���s been a year already!
Blind the Eyes 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 (shock).
To celebrate, here���s a look back at one year of awesome milestones and a fun bookbox giveaway:
May 2018: First Copy Sold!!
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.
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. :)
June 13, 2018: First Press Feature
It was almost two weeks after launch, blogger reviews were slowly filtering in and I was still wrestling with KDP to get the paperbacks posted when I got the email.
BTE was selected to be featured in the Summer 2018 Barnes & Noble Press Presents promotion. In case you���re not up on current trends in bookselling, B&N is one of the curated storefronts where human beings (instead of just algorithms) select books to be featured.
After two weeks of book launch madness, this was definitely a welcome development!
June 19, 2018: Paperbacks
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!
July 2018: Prequel Finished
A second Camp NaNoWriMo saw the end of the first draft of Beneath the Surface���now available to newsletter subscribers as the prequel novella Under.
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)
November 2018: Hardcovers
BTE was finally available in three (out of four) formats���and man, those hardcovers look good. Audiobooks are still to come . . . whenever I get free from this #$%^ sequel, lol.
Also in November, Regina Wamba���s gorgeous cover design for BTE was shortlisted as one of the top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy covers of 2018 by the rad team at Kobo.
December 2018: Best-Of Book
Another best-of list! Just before Christmas the Barnes & Noble Press team let me know they���d selected BTE as one of their ���Top 20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018��� and called 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.���
Thanks so much for the kind words, B&N Press!
January 2019: Paperbacks Part 2
Yes, finally the long-awaited KDP paperbacks finally got unstuck from the bowels of the internet and appeared in stores. Rejoice!
I also kicked off a year of releases with Letter From the End of the World on January 31.
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).
February-March 2019: Releases 2-4
Letter is a super-short epistolary second-person villain origin story in the Threads of Dreams world.
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.
A couple rounds of successful negotiations later and *Lettera dalla fine del mondo��� is now available in Italian from Virgibooks, Inc. First translation deal!
Somewhere in between, the 30,000 word prequel novella Under launched to newsletter subscribers.
The Unsought Light debuted as a Valentines Day free read before getting reworked for KU. First story outside of the Threads of Dreams series!
Also in February: first interview, thanks to Mary Bernal of My Books My World
And ALSO, this funny little email about some event in India . . . which brings us to:
April 2019: My New Favourite Thing!!!
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?
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!
May 2019: More Shorts
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.
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 On the Edge was snapped up the first place I submitted! They called it ���exceptional and lyrically beautiful��� so there���s that.
Look forward to reading that later this week at Enchanted Conversations Magazine!
Celebrate with me!
Looking back, it���s hard to believe all the amazing things that have happened in just one year!
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.
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!
To celebrate, I���ve put together a bookbox inspired by some of the highlights and events of the past year:
Signed paperback of the brilliant Kelley Armstrong���s terrifying YA paranormal thriller The Summoning from Creative Ink Festival
Paperback of local author J.M. Barrie���s faery fantasy Liminal Lights from Creative Ink Festival
Hand-bound copy of The Unsought Light with a matching (unlined) notebook
Gold elephant bookmark and shape notebook from Mumbai
���Read��� pin
One bonus paperback from my collection! Choose from dystopian, dark fantasy, or a copy of Blind the Eyes
Happy Book Birthday
I can���t believe it���s been a year already!
Blind the Eyes 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 (shock).
To celebrate, here���s a look back at one year of awesome milestones and a fun bookbox giveaway:
May 2018: First Copy Sold!!
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.
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. :)
June 13, 2018: First Press Feature
It was almost two weeks after launch, blogger reviews were slowly filtering in and I was still wrestling with KDP to get the paperbacks posted when I got the email.
BTE was selected to be featured in the Summer 2018 Barnes & Noble Press Presents promotion. In case you���re not up on current trends in bookselling, B&N is one of the curated storefronts where human beings (instead of just algorithms) select books to be featured.
After two weeks of book launch madness, this was definitely a welcome development!
June 19, 2018: Paperbacks
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!
July 2018: Prequel Finished
A second Camp NaNoWriMo saw the end of the first draft of Beneath the Surface���now available to newsletter subscribers as the prequel novella Under.
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)
November 2018: Hardcovers
BTE was finally available in three (out of four) formats���and man, those hardcovers look good. Audiobooks are still to come . . . whenever I get free from this #$%^ sequel, lol.
Also in November, Regina Wamba���s gorgeous cover design for BTE was shortlisted as one of the top 10 Science Fiction & Fantasy covers of 2018 by the rad team at Kobo.
December 2018: Best-Of Book
Another best-of list! Just before Christmas the Barnes & Noble Press team let me know they���d selected BTE as one of their ���Top 20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018��� and called 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.���
Thanks so much for the kind words, B&N Press!
January 2019: Paperbacks Part 2
Yes, finally the long-awaited KDP paperbacks finally got unstuck from the bowels of the internet and appeared in stores. Rejoice!
I also kicked off a year of releases with Letter From the End of the World on January 31.
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).
February-March 2019: Releases 2-4
Letter is a super-short epistolary second-person villain origin story in the Threads of Dreams world.
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.
A couple rounds of successful negotiations later and *Lettera dalla fine del mondo��� is now available in Italian from Virgibooks, Inc. First translation deal!
Somewhere in between, the 30,000 word prequel novella Under launched to newsletter subscribers.
The Unsought Light debuted as a Valentines Day free read before getting reworked for KU. First story outside of the Threads of Dreams series!
Also in February: first interview, thanks to Mary Bernal of My Books My World
And ALSO, this funny little email about some event in India . . . which brings us to:
April 2019: My New Favourite Thing!!!
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?
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!
May 2019: More Shorts
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.
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 On the Edge was snapped up the first place I submitted! They called it ���exceptional and lyrically beautiful��� so there���s that.
Look forward to reading that later this week at Enchanted Conversations Magazine!
Celebrate with me!
Looking back, it���s hard to believe all the amazing things that have happened in just one year!
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.
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!
To celebrate, I���ve put together a bookbox inspired by some of the highlights and events of the past year:
Signed paperback of the brilliant Kelley Armstrong���s terrifying YA paranormal thriller The Summoning from Creative Ink Festival
Paperback of local author J.M. Barrie���s faery fantasy Liminal Lights from Creative Ink Festival
Hand-bound copy of The Unsought light with matching notebook
Gold elephant bookmark and shape notebook from Mumbai
One bonus paperback from my collection! Choose from dystopian, dark fantasy, or a copy of Blind the Eyes
May 28, 2019
First Magazine
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!
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.
Even more excitingly, the story was picked up by the very first place I submitted to! (They called it ���exceptional and lyrically beautiful!!���)
You can read On The Edge in Enchanted Magazine���s June 2019 edition. It���s an NA horror/dark fantasy faery story about walking on water, adulthood & escaping reality in the Scottish Highlands and the ending is possibly my favourite thing written to date.
Hidden paths and ancient ruins! Creatures beneath the waves! ALLLL the millennial angst. Very On Brand #monstersandmagic ���
Also, it���s inspired by my actual adventures in the UK. Up to you to guess which parts~
May 6, 2019
Books in the Wild
Looking for my books IRL? Here���s where you can find them:
Stores
Quincy Books (3734 W. Broadway Street, Quincy, IL���1 copy Blind the Eyes, paperback in stock)
Libraries
Fraser Vally Regional Library (locations in BC, Canada���2 copies of Blind the Eyes, paperback)
Patagonia Public Library (346 Duquesne, Patagonia, AZ���1 copy of Blind the Eyes, paperback)
Watch this space; I update as more locations get added! Also, I���d love it if you���d take a moment to let me know if you spot it in any other retail or library locations.)
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.
For Blind the Eyes, the ISBNs are:
ISBN 978-1-7751627-3-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-7751627-2-8 (ebook)
ISBN 978-1-7751627-0-4 (hardcover)
May 1, 2019
My new favourite thing
The Children���s Literature Fest in Mumbai was spectacular, guys���I wish you all could have been there!
Huge shoutout to ORCHIDS The International School and the other sponsors, and Rupsa and her team for making it happen.
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!)
The level of production was just unbelievable; they had this thing they called a ���story street��� 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.
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 it���s own theme song (and later, music video!)
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 here.
The team worked so hard���just nonstop running around to make it all happen (one even broke her leg and kept going!!) and it was cool to hear how the whole thing came about because they���re encouraged to come up with creative, ambitious projects.
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.
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 at first, but even the young ones were totally engaged. I wish I���d been half as confident and able to communicate effectively at their age!
Another cool moment: because I mostly sell books online, I���ve only ever personalized books for friends, families, 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 exams! Such a cool moment for me (and I hope for her!)
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.
(I���ll be working on a series to introduce you to some of them in the newsletters and on social in coming weeks.)
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 IRL opportunities as well.
Thanks to everyone who helped put on the event, taught, or attended a session! I can���t wait to do more events like this!
April 9, 2019
Meet me in Mumbai!
Don���t forget to check the schedule for last minute changes and updates.
Here are my sessions for April 18:
11:00-12:00 Getting Started as a Young Writer
Young writers can benefit greatly from sharing their work. Learn about some of the best ways to get started, whether you���re ambitiously building a career, or recreationally enjoying the wonderful community and creativity of writing.
This session will discuss identifying your goals, types of writing you should try or focus on, and where to start sharing your work.
12:20-1:40 Masterclass: From Scribbles to Prints
Getting a book from concept to store shelves is a massive undertaking! Writing is just the beginning: learn about traditional and independent pathways to publishing your work.
This masterclass will discuss choosing your direction, understanding the business of writing, and the practical steps involved in taking a book from concept to completion in a traditional or independent market, as well as introducing some key resources.
2:00-2:30 Worldbuilding for Storytellers
Whether you���re writing magical otherworlds, dystopian futures, or contemporary, realistic fiction, worldbuilding is a key art to master.
This session will offer a quick overview of the role worldbuilding plays in stories, how to craft a compelling story world, and how to integrate worldbuilding into your story without getting overwhelmed.
2:30-3:00 Magic & Monsters
Why do we write fantasies, paranormal, and horror stories? How do stories���especially ���unrealistic��� ones���help us in our own lives?
This session will discuss the role fiction and storytelling has in society and for individuals.
Looking to get a book signed at the festival? Paperback editions of Blind the Eyes are available in India for Rs.650.00+shipping at Pothi.com.
Original Post: March 4, 2019:
I���ve been invited to speak at the Orchids Literary Fest in Mumbai!
It���s being held April 18-20 at Orchids The International School, Malad campus, so if you���re in the area, come say hi. :)
It���s a children���s literature fest, but there will be panels, workshops, and opportunities to connect across various storytelling mediums and for all ages. Plus, it���s free to attend!
I���ll post an update when the full schedule has been pinned down (including which sessions I���m in!), but so far there are local and international actors, dancers, visual artists, and���of course���writers attending.
Take a look for yourself at: orchidsliteraturefest.com
April 4, 2019
Meet me in Mumbai!
I���ve been invited to speak at the Orchids Literary Fest in Mumbai!
It���s being held April 18-20 at Orchids The International School, Malad campus, so if you���re in the area, come say hi. :)
It���s a children���s literature fest, but there will be panels, workshops, and opportunities to connect across various storytelling mediums and for all ages. Plus, it���s free to attend!
I���ll post an update when the full schedule has been pinned down (including which sessions I���m in!), but so far there are local and international actors, dancers, visual artists, and���of course���writers attending.
Check it out: orchidsliteraturefest.com
March 30, 2019
A Villain Origin Story TRANSLATED
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.
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.
In a city overrun by monsters, she���s not the only one who���ll pay the cost.
Discover the unexpected villain origin story of the unearthly Mayor of the Towers of Refuge in this short spinoff to the Threads of Dreams series. Suggested as a companion read, this short story covers events leading up to Blind the Eyes and can also be enjoyed as a standalone.
Letter from the End of the World launched on January 31, 2019 and it is a Kindle Unlimited exclusive short story/flash fiction title, so you can only get it on Amazon (at the moment).
Now Available in Italian
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, Lettera dalla fine del mondo, hits Amazon stores today!
Since this is a short read, print editions are not planned at this time.
