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.

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:

Bliss. 2011-2025����

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— K.A. Wiggins (Kaie) (@kaiewrites.bsky.social) February 2, 2025 at 8:54 AM

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:

5,300-word Canadian ghost town/cryptid/ecopunk horror ���The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)��� in STRANGE HORIZONS July 1 edition & SF fungal humour ���The Pink Slime���s Appointment With Destiny��� in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 31

550-word slipstream/fantasy-meets-neurodivergence flash ���Mud Maidens Rise��� in LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE Issue 171 (incl. ���audiobook��� version!) and a reprint of Canadian eco-anxiety body horror rom-com ���Children of Earth��� in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 32

3,600-word Commonwealth Short Story Prize longlisted Vancouver opioid poisoning crisis literary ghost story ���The Patron Saint of Flatliners��� in MYSTERION

3,100-word humorous SF-lite adventure about humidfier scum escaping cleaning and the inevitable downfall of all colonial ambitions, ���The Pink Slime���s Appointment With Destiny��� in PULPHOUSE FICTION MAGAZINE Issue 31

1,600-word eerie, anti-capitalist, Twilight Zone-esque horror podcast/audio-adaptation (only) ���Hollow��� on THE NOSLEEP PODCAST Season 20 Episode 17

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.

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!!!)

In the speaking roster (already!)

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 Creative Writing for Children Society 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.

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���

I���ve been remarkably lazy about book promotions lately, given waves hands at various dumpster fires���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! :)