Dear ,

I had a reassuring experience last month.

You see, life, work, social media, the news... can get overwhelming at times. I've been struggling with this in the past 2-3 months and it has disrupted my concentration and writing time. I'm not referring to the dreaded writer's block because I wasn't procrastinating or feeling fear of the white page. Rather, with everything going on in the world, my mind got clogged up with worried thoughts.

Fortunately, I am happy to say that I have managed to get over these hurdles.

I sat down, took a deep breath, identified the things that were burdening my mind and focused on finding a way to solve them.

For example, I felt like my overall health was taking a dive, so I acted on this by spending more time cooking healthy food. I felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness towards distant wars, so I tried to act on that feeling by donating and offering help in whatever way I can. These are breadcrumbs compared to what is needed, of course, but acting on fear instead of feeling crushed under its weight has been liberating. I guess that, if we all act in small, positive ways, we can make a difference as a whole.

Nothing is solved in the world, but I've decided to solve what I can within my world.

Do you have ways to overcome fear? Let me know: raeknightly@gmail.com

Books and writing

In the past week, I had fun going over my books on the different Amazon platforms and it turns out that they are ranking #1 in 11 different categories in the US, Canada, UK and Australia! I'm thrilled and honoured to still be ranking as an Amazon international bestseller and couldn't do it without you! Thank you! (Sorry the image is so small, but those were a lot of Best Seller lists to fit in one image!)

Writing-wise, things are going well. One of the most fun things as an author is to watch a whole universe take shape on paper, with characters and places and objects that have never existed before.

I can't say more (yet) so, in the meantime, I'd like to invite you to head over to TikTok and discover the MOST AMAZING, MOST INCREDIBLE BOOK I HAVE EVER READ!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZML9GfsHY/

The 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards Winner - Teen Category

A big congratulations to fellow author Tamara Hart Heiner for winning GOLD in The 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards - Teenager Category! What an amazing achievement!

You can find a full list of winners here:

https://www.thewsa.co.uk/winners2021/

What's up in the neighbourhood?

My family and I had a fun time on a snowy British Columbia mountain over the Spring Break. Here's a video of me skiing. Check it out, it was fun!

https://youtu.be/BlbUZxh0kaM

At the bottom of the mountain - in the middle of nowhere - I met a skier who used to live in my grandparents' street in Belgium (located 10,000km away). How does that happen??? Have you ever randomly met someone miles away from home only to discover that they are close neighbours, the brother of a long lost friend, or friends of friends? I would love to hear about it: raeknightly@gmail.com .

April 2022 reading list

Ayesha Dean Novelette - The High School Heist (Ayesha Dean Mysteries) by Melati Lum

Read how it all began in this sweet Ayesha Dean short story!

Ayesha Dean has recently started wearing hijab and on top of that is going to a new high school. She thinks this gives her more than enough reason to lie low. But when things keep going missing from the Year Eight students’ lockers, Ayesha is determined to find the culprit. Can she overcome her fears and embrace a new role as a kickass teen sleuth?

Fans of Nancy Drew and The Famous Five will love this thrilling mystery series!

Dreamland Part 1: The Fabric of Dreams: A fantasy adventure novel (The Dreamland Trilogy) by Barry Brunswick

A world of imagination. A child of prophecy. With evil on the horizon, can he save a wondrous land?

For as long as he can remember, Eric has always had vivid dreams. When the lines start to blur between sleep and reality, he and his parents begin a desperate hunt for answers. But after he slips into a coma, Eric enters an amazing enchanted dimension where he’s forced to fulfil an ancient destiny and defeat a nightmarish enemy.

Discovering he possesses incredible powers, Eric begins a punishing training schedule with an eccentric queen to ready himself for battle against his dangerous foe. Faced with aliens, dinosaurs, and vicious gargoyles, this young hero must master his gift quickly if he’s to defend the realm from a terrible fate.

Can Eric destroy the coming doom and rescue a kingdom of magic?

Dreamland Part 1: The Fabric of Dreams is the first awesome instalment in the Dreamland children’s chapter-book fantasy trilogy. If you or your child like memorable creatures, loveable protagonists, and imaginative settings, then you’ll love Barry S. Brunswick’s fun-filled tale.

Molly's Spy Mission by Carmen Allen

Would you be brave enough to go on a special mission to stop the King’s enemy?

Molly is comfortable living in the royal palace with her friends and the kind King. But all of that is about to change.

The King’s evil enemy, a team of Treasure Trickers, has invaded the Kingdom and stolen valuable treasures from the “Otherlands”. Only a royal child has the power to defeat them.

Molly is that child.

Equipped with a magical coat, Princess Molly ventures out on a secret mission - to find and capture the Trickers.

Molly’s friends, Suzie, Rich and Walter Jackson join her on a magical train ride through time and space to the “Otherlands”.

The Trickers secretly track Molly’s every move and are determined to stop her at all costs. They do not want to be caught. Molly will need to outsmart them by using the King’s magic wisely.

Time is running out. The Trickers have already overtaken three of the four “Otherlands”.

Can Molly catch the Trickers before they invade the fourth land? If not, the Trickers will control all the lands, and the valuable treasures will be lost forever.

The World inside my Plastic Mirror by Christopher Francis

She didn't expect to like him so much.

A coming of age, sci-fi middle-grade story about a twelve-year-old girl who discovers a boy sending cosmic video transmissions from the mirror inside her locker.

After hearing curious voices in her head, twelve-year-old Aubrey discovers a boy sending cosmic video transmissions from the mirror inside her locker. She quickly learns his world is collapsing and desperately needs her help. Aubrey heroically jumps at the opportunity but quickly faces the harsh realities of the seventh-grade: bullying, trumpet-solo-band-anxiety, zits, peer-pressure, and the Othello-3 Dark Matter Beast. Will Aubrey be able to save the intergalactic boy from his crumbling planet before it’s too late?

Stratton by Edita A. Petrick

Old conflict, old players...new victims

Twenty-six years ago, the Allied President and his entourage of galactic movers and shakers, had tried to sign a treaty with a world that was slowly being swallowed by the pirates and warlords of New Hebrides. That attempt ended in horrendous tragedy. It seems that the Federation wants to try again to do what they failed to accomplish, in such spectacular fashion—sign the hugely significant treaty on a totally insignificant space post, Stratton. Once again the conditions are just right…for those who want to see this event succeed and for those who want to see it fail.

All the best,

Rae Knightly

PS. Happy April Fool's Day! LOL! ;)

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