Dear ,

"Ahem, ahem,"—clears throat before taking the microphone—"Thank you, Canada, thank you, Whistler Writer's Festival, and, thank you, Whistler Independent Book Awards 2022, for making Ben Archer and the World Beyond a gold winner."

Accepts Canada's biggest self-publishing award in front of 250 people (+virtual attendants).

Returns shakily to seat.

Whistler Independent Book Awards 2022 (WIBA)

I mean, I'm STILL shaking! The WIBA winners were announced during a major writing festival in Whistler, British Columbia. It was one of the most humbling experiences ever.

I got to read in front of the crowds, attend workshops, meet the WIBA organizers and the other eight finalists in the fiction, non-fiction and children's categories.

Congratulations to Michael Carin for Churchill at Munich (fiction winner) and Shannon Terrell for The Guest House: Stories of a Nervous Mind (non-fiction winner). Congratulations to my fellow finalists in the children's category: Georgia Hunter for Tabhi by Barbara Wade Rose and Marabel: or, The Great Exception. Thank you to the WIBA judges in the children's category: Arthur Slade and Sarah Leach.

What I've learned from this experience is that good things can come out of the dark. Ben Archer and the World Beyond was written during a difficult time in my family's life but, down the road, positive things have come out of it.

Find out more here:

• Whistler Independent Book Awards 2022 Winners Announced (WIBA)
• Knightly gets Whistler Indie Award (BCBookLook)
• TWITTER: Congratulation to the winners of the 2022 Whistler Independent Book Awards! (Vivalogue and The Writer's Union of Canada)
• INSTAGRAM: Picture of the winners by author Lucien Telford (thank you!)

#SelfPubCon22 First Line Competition

EXOSTAR made it to the top 10 out of nearly 1000 worldwide submissions in the #SelfPubCon22 First Line Competition (for unpublished work). You can read the first line of EXOSTAR on my Facebook feed.

Massive prize bundle on Kingsumo

Enter to win this incredible bundle of books. Only 7 DAYS left! Thank you for organizing, author Kandi J Wyatt.

The Lost Space Treasure

But, really, I know—I KNOW—what you're waiting for! You've been waiting for AGES. And it's finally here: The Lost Space Treasure.

It begins HERE, for FREE, for YOU—exclusively. Merry (early) Christmas!

CLICK TO READ

THE LOST SPACE TREASURE-A NOVELLA

Feel free to leave a review on Goodreads and/or Amazon.

Or let me know what you think: raeknightly@gmail.com

Mark your calendars!

• The Lost Space Treasure Series-A Novella introduces the series.
• Publishing date: November 7, 2022.
• Ebook preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKFXY87S/
• The paperback and hardcovers will be available on Nov. 7, 2022.

• EXOSTAR is book 1 in the series.
• Publishing date: November 23, 2023.
• Ebook preorder link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKFYBP4V
• The cover reveal for EXOSTAR will happen after November 7.

The series is ideal for 10 to 14 year old readers and the space pioneers of tomorrow. It's jam-packed with adventure, humor, aliens, spaceships, planets and cool space facts.

👉 Did you see the stunning Lost Space Treasure worldbuilding images I posted on Facebook and Instagram (there are too many to post here)? 😃

What's up in the neighbourhood?

Whereas September was a lying-in-bed-with-Covid kind of month, October was packed with fun! We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving, travelled to Whistler, and went trick-or-treating for Halloween.

November 2022 reading list

What Happens Next?: Readers Decide Which Story Becomes A Book by Marie-Hélène Lebeault

Paranormal, Steampunk, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi Short Stories!

Twelve young adult short stories compete for the coveted spot: A novel that will tell us What Happens Next!

Readers decide which story becomes a book by filling out a special survey.

Vengeance Lost: Ardent Redux Saga: Episode 1 (A Space Opera Adventure) by J.L. Stowers

When a star blows up, someone's going to pay.

Humanity has been fighting the alien threat for decades, and the war just ratcheted up a notch. Sent to aid a dreadnaught under siege, Dani Devereaux and the crew of Alaska's Vengeance find themselves caught in a trap.

A trap that brings a new ultimate weapon to the battlefield, destroying an entire star system. Narrowly escaping, she returns home to find victory parades turned into lines of questioning reporters all wanting to learn the details of her failure.

But endings can create new beginnings, and when Dani hits rock bottom, she finds a way to regain her pride—and though not her honor, at least she'll have her vengeance.

Micar by Catty Diva

Micar has been assigned to be the first captain in a junior fleet. They will be tested with a trip to see if those so young could even manage to pull this off. They carried cargo, passengers, and possibly a secret that others wanted to steal. Come along and see if these ten teenagers can take on so much responsibility successfully.

Happy reading!

Rae Knightly

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