Sirena longlisted for the Lodestar

At the 80th annual Worldcon, held in Chicago, Sirena (Book #2 in the Kitra saga) got 8th place in the Lodestar (YA award) nominations. That means it was just two slots from being on the ballot!

We are infinitely grateful that Sirena has gotten such a positive reception. From a recent review:

“If you enjoyed the pacey mild peril of Kitra, with interpersonal tensions mixed equally with spaceship shenanigans, this will be a similarly satisfying read. Really, I feel like I’m just repeating what I said in my earlier review, but it all still stands, because this is a very consistent sequel in terms of tone and enjoyability! ” _{~Asha – A Cat, A Book, And A Cup Of Tea}

Kitra Illustrator Lorelei Esther made history

Did you see the news? Lorelei Esther, who has drawn the illustrations for all three Kitra novels, was up for a Hugo this year! In case you don’t know, the Hugos are like the Oscars of science fiction. Given out since 1953, they represent the very best our genre has to offer.

This year, Lorelei was nominated in the Best Fan Artist category for her non-professional work. Great pieces like these, drawn in honor of Robin and Superboy coming out as officially queer:

At just 18 years old, Lorelei is the youngest Hugo Finalist in the history of the award. And while she didn’t ultimately win (there was some excellent competition), as they say, it’s an honor to be nominated…and she didn’t come in last!

You can follow Lorelei’s work at her Instagram account.

Kitra, Book 3, is our next release!

If you haven’t read Kitra and Sirena, now is a good time to pick them up, because there will soon be three books in the Kitra saga!

Hyvilma will come out at the end of February 2023, and it’s the most “space-opera” entry in the series. But don’t worry–it’s still got the found family, Pinky jokes, and hard science elements that charmed readers of the first two books. And, of course, Lorelei’s illustrations.

Next up, we’ll be talking about what’s up with the amazing Marie Vibbert. Stay tuned!