Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question you don't see answered here? Send me a message.
- Licensing, film, and other rights enquiries
- Speaking engagements including school visits, festivals, and workshops
- Interviews, blurbs, collaborations
Who do I talk to about...
13 Sep 2022
Please email [email protected] for:
Please feel free to reference the media resource centre for promotional images and content if needed.
School Visits, Public Speaking and Teaching
12 Sep 2022
I’m passionate about encouraging, inspiring, and equipping readers and writers of all ages and welcome the opportunity to join events including festivals, conferences, school visits, camps and workshops, and more, schedule permitting.
Experience
I publish short, novelette, novella, and novel-length speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction & horror) for middle grade (=kids), young adult (=teens & up), and adult readers, and have experience in speaking to elementary, middle school/junior high, high school, and adult audiences.
I’m a registered speaker with (and, as of 2021, president of) the Children’s Writers & Illustrators of British Columbia (CWILL BC) Society (CWILL BC speaker’s profile) and a member of The Writers Union of Canada TWUC Speaker’s Profile
I’m also a creative writing coach with Creative Writing for Children Society, and have extensive experience creating curriculum and facilitating seasonal camps and term-length workshops on creativity, storytelling, publishing, and writing themes for ages eight and up.
Previous, one-off, in person and remote festivals, sessions, workshops, panels, and masterclasses have included topics on writing and storytelling including craft, short fiction and/or genre fiction, publishing skills, local-history-in-storytelling, eco-fiction and imagining the future, and motivation and resiliency.
Logistics
I prefer to work collaboratively with you to identify the best topics for your needs and audience. (Though I can certainly suggest topics that have worked well in the past, depending on age and subject.) Climate futurism, fighting the patriarchy, ghosts of the past, and horror-meets-humour are popular “broad-interest” topics for general (non-writing) groups, while creative writing or ELA bookings may focus more on paths to publishing, worldbuilding, descriptive writing, etc.
Please enquire regarding dates, fees, and any other pertinent logistics with as much notice as possible.
Fees are generally in line with local standards, but may be subject to adjustment based on the specific event. Nonprofits should enquire about discounts or alternate arrangements if budget is a barrier. Assistance with grant and funding applications may be available. As a member of The Writer’s Union of Canada, you can seek funding under their programs to work with me, including the Ontario Writers-In-The-Schools and the National Public Readings programs.
Home base is Abbotsford, BC. The nearest airports are Abbotsford (YXX) or Vancouver (YVR). Bookings in Metro Vancouver and/or the Fraser Valley will not incur travel/transit surcharges (happy to drive for day-trips!) Zoom/remote presentations are available.
Testimonials
“Kaie recently joined our Guild of Young Writers program for a virtual Speculative Fiction workshop that exceeded all of our expectations! Kaie provided such an insightful presentation, sharing her own writing process and tidbits about the business of writing itself before diving deep into the elements of speculative fiction.
Her presentation was interactive and engaged the students with specific tips and examples from her own writing, along with suggestions to bring back to their own writing practice. She answered all of their questions with thoughtful and knowledgeable responses and provided the students with such inspiration to move forth with their own writing projects.”
-Rebecca Ruiter, Coordinator & Facilitator, Story Studio Writing Society
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“K.A. Wiggins is an articulate and engaging professional who knows how to bring authors into dynamic conversations meant to inform, entertain and enlighten audiences of all levels. Her ability to seamlessly orchestrate events from beginning to end further demonstrates her passion and care for all that she does.”
-Bonnie Nish, PhD, Executive Director, Word Vancouver and Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia
Resources
I rarely have footage available from events with young audiences (for privacy reasons, as well as technological constraints), but here are two presentations from Word Vancouver Festival 2022:
I also have a couple mini writing tips posted on social: Spooky Middle Grade Openings and Speculative Worldbuilding Skills, and here’s a quick video created by the awesome team at ORCHIDS Childrens Literature Fest (Mumbai, India) with some classroom teaching footage:
Please get in touch directly by email ([email protected]) to discuss your event!
Where can I get hard copies?
21 Mar 2018
I often get asked where readers can find my books IRL, so I keep a running list of bookstores with copies in stock and library networks with lending copies here.
Online shopping options are linked from each title on the Threads of Dreams and Standalones pages.
(With apologies to those who struggle with reading off a screen, it’s usually not feasible to create print versions of the shorter fiction unless they sell as part of an anthology.)
If you’re a library or bookseller interested in carrying one of my paperbacks or hardcovers, feel free to get in touch or reference the linked cut sheets for the relevant work:
Do you offer review copies?
21 Mar 2018
If you’re a book blogger, reviewer, or bookstagrammer, first of all, you rock & I wish I could take photos even half as well as you. :D
Review Policy
On Reviews
I believe reviews are for readers, not authors!
On a practical level, by the time reviews are being left, it’s really too late to make changes and the author has moved on—sometimes by a matter of months or years.
On a creative level, one of the things new creators have to learn is that it’s very important not to let too many voices into your creative process and to understand the perspectives, qualifications, and purposes of those voices you do let in, which is why I work with experienced professionals and a few trusted first readers when it comes to shaping my stories.
Besides, there is no one right way to tell a story or shape a book, and feedback only really gives insight into individual reviewers’ tastes. ;)
What to Expect
I generally make an effort to avoid reading reviews entirely (occasionally I stumble across them by accident or sift through looking for great blurb inspiration or ad-copy) because it’s very important to me that you feel comfortable leaving an honest, unbiased review.
I never follow-up on store (or Goodreads) reviews in any way.
Social (Instagram, mostly) and blog posts will probably get a like/repost/boost/comment if I’m tagged, but I will never follow up on a negative review in any way.
(I mean, I hope you all love my stories, but even if that’s not the case, you never need to be scared of being honest!)
How to Request an ARC
The best time to request a review copy (/ARC) is up to two months before an upcoming new release, but I will consider all review copy requests and can add you to a list of interested reviewers at any time. A larger number of ebook review copies will be available compared to paperback, given cost, time, and technical constraints, but paperback ARCs are occasionally available.
If you would like to review one of my books, please email the details of your blog or other online presence and the book and format you are requesting.
I use BookSprout and StoryOrigin to coordinate pre-release ARCs when a new book is coming out, and you can also just follow me on BookSprout to get an automatic notification whenever a new review edition is available.
Unfortunately, I do have limits on my marketing budget and I also have to screen for book pirates, so not every applicant will be accepted, but do feel free to get in touch even if you’re a smaller/newbie/international reviewer—I want to support those starting out, too!
I welcome bloggers and reviewers from all countries; however, the ability to read and communicate in written English is a necessary requirement. (Reviewers interested in my translated works should contact the publisher directly to enquire about a review copy.)
Who's your publisher?
20 Mar 2018
Snowmelt & Stumps is an independent single-author imprint with no formal business status. It’s used as a matter of convenience in lieu of author name if/when a publisher or imprint field is required.
Blind the Eyes and all other in-progress and completed works on this site are copyrighted by K.A. Wiggins, unless otherwise marked.
Italian language ebook rights to Letter From the End of the World have been licensed to Virgibooks, Inc. The translated edition is Lettera dalla fine del mondo.
Other short fiction has appeared in anthologies by Hungry Shadow Press, Fiction-Atlas Press, and Worldsmyths Publishing, and in Enchanted Conversation: A Fairytale Magazine and Frozen Wavelets by The Earthian Hivemind.
For all rights and licensing enquiries, please email [email protected].
Blind the Eyes is a 100% indie title written and produced with independent or hybrid publishing in mind.
Though I’ve sinced also worked with small presses as a hybrid-published author, I’ve found independent publishing to be a great option. Going indie means operating your own micro-sized publishing company, and I’ve had the great fortune to work with awesome professionals on every stage of bringing Blind the Eyes to life. If you’re looking for support with your own ventures, I highly recommend every name on this list.
Developmental Editing Round 1 on Blind the Eyes
Developmental Editing Round 2 on Blind the Eyes
Substantive/Line Edit on Blind the Eyes
Plot Accelerator on Black the Tides
Plot Accelerator on Burn the Skies
Proofread on Blind the Eyes
Copy Edit with Developmental Notes on Black the Tides
Copy Edit with Developmental Notes on Burn the Skies
First Edition Cover Design (“Tower” variant) of Blind the Eyes
Christian Bentulan of Covers by Christian
Digital and Print Cover Design on the Second Edition (2020 update/”Girl” variant) of Blind the Eyes
Digital and Print Cover Design on the First Edition of Black the Tides
Digital and Print Cover Design on the First Edition of Burn the Skies
Modifications have since been made to all three designs. Third edition of book 1/second editions of book 2 were done in house.
Cover animations for Blind the Eyes, Black the Tides & Burn the Skies
Post Index
Who do I talk to about... | 13 Sep 2022
School Visits, Public Speaking and Teaching | 12 Sep 2022
Where can I get hard copies? | 21 Mar 2018
Do you offer review copies? | 21 Mar 2018
Who's your publisher? | 20 Mar 2018