Ever since Kitra came out, it has been a smash hit. Readers of all ages fell in love with the diverse cast, the riproaring adventure, the stellar setting, and, of course, Pinky’s jokes.

We’ve always been proud of the Kitra Saga, especially since it has been illustrated since the beginning by Lorelei Esther, the youngest Hugo Finalist in history! And while her work has always been great, it has only gotten better over the years.

In fact, she is such a perfectionist, that she decided to redo all of the illustrations for Kitra, as she had always been dissatisfied with how the pencil art reproduced in printing. The new ones are in pen, same as she did for Sirena and Hyvilma.

The new, beautiful illustrations are now included in the latest editions of the book, and if you’ve already bought e-copies, your books will be automatically updated (unless you bought them from the Journey Press store—in which case, just ask for digital replacements!) If you own a physical copy of Kitra, here’s your chance to own both editions. Not only will you have twice the pictures, but those 1st editions are now collector’s copies…

Physical & Digital Editions also available at the following retailers:

But that’s not all…

From the beginning, folks have clamored for audiobook version of Kitra. We get it—folks are on the go, many of our fans have vision impairments, and some people just prefer to read books by listening to them. At long last, we have come out with what you have been waiting for: the Kitra audiobook! It is available both directly from our store and from Google Play.

The coolest part: it’s narrated by none other than Lorelei Esther, herself! We’re sure you’ll agree that she is every bit as fine a voice actress as she is an artist. She is already hard at work on the audio books for Sirena and Hyvilma.

So pick up your copy of the Kitra audio book today! (And if you haven’t got a copy of the illustrated text edition(s), now’s your chance to complete the set!)

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!

Comic artist Lorelei Esther, illustrator for The Kitra Saga, is the youngest Hugo Finalist in the history of the award.  On April 7, 2022, Lorelei was selected for the Fan Artist category for her unpaid works, including her celebratory pictures of DC Comics characters Tim Drake and Jon Kent’s official coming out.

The Hugo Awards are the Oscars of Science Fiction. Regularly since 1955, science fiction fans have cast their votes for their favorite authors and artists in categories like Best Novel, Best Short Story, etc. The Fan Artist category dates back to 1967, when fan/pro artist Jack Gaughan got the first award.

There have been young Hugo Finalists before – Robert Silverberg, who was 20 in 1956 when he was nominated for (and won) Most Promising New Writer, and Ron Smith, who was 19 when he was nominated for Best Fan Writer the same year. For 65 years, their record stood.

But Lorelei has set a new record, one which isn’t likely to be topped any time soon. She just turned 18 last month, which means the work that qualified her for this prestigious honor was all done before she’d even reached majority!

It is perhaps no surprise that she is receiving such laurels so young – Lorelei had an early start. By the time she was 7, she had already composed the comic Blue Bird. This first work impressed the folks at DC so much that Scott Snyder, the writer for Batman, created a superhero named Bluebird in honor of Lorelei’s creation!

Since then, Lorelei has worked tirelessly to improve her skills, even as physical disabilities affecting her hands impaired the creative process. At the age of 15, she embarked on her professional career, illustrating the YA novel, Kitra. Her work can also be found in Sirena and the upcoming Rogues in the House fantasy anthology, as well as the bookplate and shelf talker art that accompanies Journey Press titles.

It is likely that this Hugo nomination will be just the first of many honors. Lorelei has also secured many fans with her singer-songwriting skills as well as her writing. In fact, Lorelei was a co-Hugo Finalist last year in the Best Fanzine category for her work on the 4x Hugo nominee, Galactic Journey. 

We at Journey Press are honored as anything to have Lorelei associated with our publishing house!

Authors Gideon Marcus, Janice L. Newman celebrate 4th Hugo nom

For the fourth time since 2018, the time-travel website Galactic Journey, founded by Gideon Marcus, and edited/contributed to by Janice L. Newman, has been nominated for the Best Fanzine Hugo.

Galactic Journey is a time machine to 55 years ago. Its writers live in the past, day-by-day, writing about science fiction, the space race, and much more. For them, today is April 10, 1967; yesterday was the 9th, tomorrow will be the 11th.

Crammed with entertaining articles written by some of the most knowledgeable folks in the genre, including professional space historian Kerrie Dougherty (Order of Australia), Gwyn Conaway (Design Guild member), Cora Buhlert (three-time Hugo Finalist for Fan Writer), and John Boston (Big Name Fan since the 1960s), Galactic Journey offers an insightful look into the past while shining sidewise a spotlight on issues of the present.

That’s because the website is not just a comprehensive historical archive–its purpose is also to rediscover the forgotten greats of the era who wrote works that still appeal today. It was thanks to the Galactic Journey that Journey Press encountered the great books I Want the Stars and Sibyl Sue Blue, and found the works to publish in Rediscovery: Science Fiction by Women (1958-1963). Journeyers also came together to help curate the selection for Rediscovery, Volume 2.

Gideon and Janice (and Lorelei) previously won the Serling Award for their coverage of The Twilight Zone. They also were awarded the Space Cowboy in 2020 for their work with Galactic Journey.

Congratulations to Gideon at Janice! Good luck at the awards ceremony!