Dear friends,

I wish you a prosperous, joyful and healthy 2022. A special thought goes out to those of you who have had a rough time: may the new year be kinder to you and your family.

The start of a new year is a good moment to reflect on what we could do to make the following 365 days more satisfying - whatever that may mean for each of us. In my family, we start the year by writing a list of the things we are grateful for from the previous year, and a list of the things we wish for, for the new year. It has been fun to read our New Year's resolutions from the past years and discover that most of them have come true!

If you haven't done so yet, try it! It will help you determine what you find important, clarify your life goals and make you aware that the previous year wasn't as bad as you thought.

Before I go on, I would like to give a special thank you to Paul Michael Glaser from the fantastic TV series Starsky & Hutch for providing the details of his middle-grade book Chrystallia And The Source Of Light. Who knew this talented actor was also a talented author? Read on for more details!

I also want to give you all a huge thank you for making the book launch of The Knowledge Seeker my most successful yet, with over 1,500 sales in 6 weeks since its release on November 18, 2021. A big high-five to the ARC-readers who took the time to leave a review, making this YA dystopian novel visible to new readers. The success of The Knowledge Seeker has made me question how to move forward in 2022. You see, The Knowledge Seeker was supposed to be a standalone, but I enjoyed Eodain's world so much that I plotted out a book 2. On the other hand, The Lost Space Treasure is waiting for its time in the limelight...

What do you think? Should I work on The Knowledge Seeker, Book 2 or on The Lost Space Treasure? Let me know at raeknightly@gmail.com.

On December 4th, I hosted a virtual book launch with my editor Cristy Watson. We had a great time and I was thrilled to see people joining in from one end of the planet to the other. A big congratulations to Caellum (UK) for winning a signed copy of The Knowledge Seeker and Stacy (USA) for winning a bookmark.

And, lastly - to the Audible fans out there - keep an eye out for the Ben Archer and the Moon Paradox (The Alien Skill Series, Book 3) audiobook, which should come out this month. I'll post links in my next newsletter.

What's up in the neighbourhood?

I needed to wind down after the excitement of the book launch of The Knowledge Seeker. I was pretty burned-out! Fortunately, we woke up to a real, live WHITE CHRISTMAS. Snow everywhere! We're not very knowledgeable in skiing (yet), but are having a blast, sledding. Check out these cool pics from a snowy Vancouver.

January 2022 reading list

Chrystallia and the Source of Light by P.M. Glaser

"I have always loved storytelling. To me, it is our most sacred way of passing the experience of our human lives to those who will follow.

It is our way of celebrating our indomitable spirit, our quest for knowledge and our pursuit of love.

It ties us together. All of us. It reminds us why we're here.

It reminds us why we are human.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to tell stories as an actor, director, writer, artist and photographer. I have been fortunate to have been able to contribute to the communication that we all so desire. My life has had so much in it, and the best way I know of sharing what I have learned is to tell a story.

Chrystallia And The Source Of Light is that story, and my only hope is that you and yours enjoy discovering and rediscovering it as much as I have enjoyed telling it."

Quote by Paul Michael Glaser

@etnos_unum_sumus

https://www.pmglaserart.com/workszoom/3830021/chrystallia-and-the-source-of-light#/

The Altruism Trial by Christopher Francis

Could crashing a plane fix his problem?

Riley Pickering knows he'll be the next Sidney Crosby so it is expected everyone should cater to him, take care of his needs, and worship the ground he walks on. In addition, he has no patience for school, Science, Mme. Capretta, the French language or following rules. However, when a Science Project goes horribly wrong, Riley finds himself in the middle of the Pacific, stranded on an island scrambling to find ways to survive. When he meets two teenagers who are in a similar predicament, he begins to question whether he accidentally landed on the island, or whether he was intentionally sent there.

Molting of a Queen: A sci-fi novella (Vol'kris Chronicles) by Peter J. Foote

Can a new world heal an old wound?

Nina Carson is a part of a health & safety team and wants nothing more than to curl up with a bottle of wine to drown out the voice of her long-dead twin brother.

But when the team’s helicopter hits a mysterious storm and falls through a hole in the sky, it crashes on an alien world ruled by insects, and everything changes.

Survival in this alien world requires more than finding water & shelter. It also means Nina must learn to trust her own instincts — even when they go against all she’s ever learned. Because something in this strange world is trying to make a mental connection with her, and its intent is unknown.

Shadows & Starstone (The Immortals Part One) by Cheryl S. Mackey

Their world is ruled by life and death. They are the Immortals.

In a world ruled by darkness and deceit, the Immortals are the only ones working to fight an evil set free by petty gods.

Immortal Emaranthe and her found family are given the quest to protect a village. The enemy is coming for the Starstone hidden in their mines. With it, they can power portals to enable them to further spread destruction across the planet and into the universe.

Face to face with a sly Necromancer, they will face the ghosts of their pasts, of mortal lives stolen, along with the undead, and for the first time, they don’t know if they will win.

They sense something odd is lurking and not just the undead. Suspicions arise when their leaders turn a blind eye to the darker danger, disregarding their concerns, to push them into a mysterious quest. They’re hiding something...but what?

The Beat on Ruby's Street by Jenna Zark

Gold Category Winner for the Wishing Shelf Award and Finalist in the 2019 Minnesota Author Project! 

The last thing eleven-year-old Ruby Tabeata expected to happen on her way to a Jack Kerouac reading was to be hauled to the police station.

It’s 1958 and Ruby is the opposite of a 1950s stereotype: fierce, funny and strong willed, she is only just starting to chart her course in a family of Beat Generation artists in Greenwich Village, New York. Ruby dreams of meeting famous poets while becoming one herself; instead, she’s accused of trying to steal fruit from a local vendor and is forced to live in a children’s home.

In this inspiring coming of age story Ruby struggles to return to family and friends, and she learns her only choice is to follow her heart.

Join Ruby on her journey as she finds unexpected friendships, the courage to rebel against unjust authority and the healing power of art in this unique historical middle grade novel by Jenna Zark.

Chase: The Boy Who Hid (the Hide & Seek Chronicles, Teen Sci-Fi Adventure Book 1) by Z Jeffries

A kid inventor. A billion dollar game of hide-and-seek. One chance to save his family.

His engineer grandfather was the only one who really understood fourteen-year-old Chase. When the old man goes missing, Chase discovers his inheritance: futuristic shapeshifting technology beyond his wildest dreams.

Now he must fly, hide, and spy his way into the government’s classified game of high tech hide-and-seek, the last place anyone saw Grandad. Given the chance, he’ll do anything to reunite his family, even risk disappearing himself.

Chase: The Boy Who Hid is the action-packed first book of the Hide & Seek Chronicles, the teen sci-fi adventure series. If you like fast-paced sci-fi, lqbtq representation, and adventure stories for all ages, catch Chase: The Boy Who Hid today!

All the best,

Rae

www.raeknightly.com

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