Dear ,

Life is like a wave.

Sometimes the wave dips into a deep trough that can come crashing down on you, pinning you to the sea floor. Those are dark and difficult times.

But if you hold your breath long enough and let the wave do its thing, soon enough you'll be lifted up again, all the way to its crest, where you'll ride high and mighty until you feel like you could touch the sky. This is the nature of things, so if you find yourself in a trough right now, be patient and wait for that wave to lift you up again.

I'm on such a crest right now and, believe me, I intend to ride it for as long as I can!

• I am booked for the 2022 Whistler Writers Festival on October 13-16, where I look forward to meeting the organizers and other finalists of the 2022 Whistler Independent Book Awards. I have been invited to read from Ben Archer and the World Beyond.

• Today, I found out that The Knowledge Seeker is a SILVER MEDAL WINNER in the 2022 Readers' Favorite Book Awards - Young Adult Science Fiction Genre!

• The US is sending me a lot of love right now, because Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall is a regular Amazon #1 bestseller in both PAPERBACK and EBOOK formats in the "Children Explore Canada"-categories. Thank you, neighbours!

• I'm ready to dive into a second round of intense editing of EXOSTAR. I've had lots of time over the summer to think about the details of the universe of The Lost Space Treasure Series. I can't wait to jump back in!

• 55.6% of you voted to receive two shorter newsletters per month instead of one long one. I'm still working out the details. I think the 1st of the month will be dedicated to book recommendations and the 15th of the month will be focused on author news. You can still vote here: https://forms.gle/oXHGhaaLFJyg2xkN7

• (Oops! I skipped a newsletter number last time (#42).)

What's up in the neighbourhood?

I was going to post a whole lot of pictures of our trip to Belgium and France this summer, but really, this is the only one that counts: my parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebration! The last time I saw them, my author career was in its infancy, so we had a chance to talk more about it. The result is that they wanted to meet you. So, here they are, saying, "Hi!". :)

(Credit goes to the family member who took this picture

- not sure who it was, though, with all the partying going on.)

September 2022 reading list

The Chronicles of Chaos by Glen Dahlgren

Nothing can break the stranglehold the gods of Order have on the world … except a roll of the dice.

For thousands of years, the gods of Order kept Chaos locked away in a vault, allowing Order’s priests to rule over a stagnant society. But Chaos calls to its followers, waiting for the prophesied Child of Chaos to free it and use its power to either remake or destroy everything.

Galen, his mother Lorre, and his bully Horace all feel Chaos’ call. For most people, the Longing is a death sentence, but for these three, this connection defines their lives. With the power of Chaos—and a roll of the dice—one of them will not only determine the future of this world, but others as well.

This critically-acclaimed series earned the Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for YA Epic Fantasy and the Dante Rossetti Award for YA Fantasy, among other honors. What’s more, New York Times Best-selling Author Piers Anthony dubbed it as “what fantasy fiction should be.”

Did you know you can follow me on BOOKBUB? All you have to do is click on this link and FOLLOW me. 👉 https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rae-knightly

All the best,

Rae