Kitemaster Day
I know Kitemaster was showing up in the dealer’s room at Balticon this past weekend, but as of today, it’s officially out in the world. If you pre-ordered the e-book, it should have appeared on your device of choice. Print copies should be arriving momentarily.
I’ll try to keep this short and sweet. I’ve spent longer on this story than any other book I’ve written, and I’m thrilled to finally see it out in the world. Obviously, I’d love for everyone to run out and buy it and for Studio Ghibli to snatch it up and turn it into a movie. But I also know it’s a rough year, and there are a lot of great books competing for your attention.
(On that note, happy book day to Caitlin Rozakis! The Grimoire Grammar School Parent Teacher Association is out today too. I blurbed this one, saying, “As a fantasy fan, I found it delightful. As a parent, Vivian’s struggles and anxieties as a mother and partner made me feel seen.”)
Anyway, back to my book. If you’d like to check out the first chapter, you can read it in the format of your preference: PDF | EPUB
Or we could go straight to the bookstore links:
If you’re in the Michigan area, I’ll be at Schuler Books tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. to read and sign copies. Then on June 7 at 1 p.m. I’ll be at Kazoo Books in Kalamazoo.
It’s been more than twenty years since I wrote the short story that would eventually become this book. I’m so happy to finally be able to share it with you all.
Allison
May 28, 2025 @ 8:19 am
I’ve been looking at the cover art, and I’m having a hard time figuring out how the ship and/or its kites stay aloft. Normal kites stay aloft because of the kite string, providing a force to oppose the wind, the way airplanes have propellors (or jet engines) to force them against the air. But I don’t see anything in the picture that would force the ship or its kites against the wind (which appears to be blowing towards the sea.)
Gliders work because gravity pulls them down against the air which isn’t blowing downwards; they have to get pulled up into the air by something, or use updrafts to get up.
There’s also the way the sail billows in the opposite direction from the wind (i.e., from the sea), and the character’s clothing and hair are being blown in a wind from the sea.
Of course, cover artists don’t always worry about whether the cover picture fits in with the story. Maybe I’ll just have to buy or borrow a copy of the book to see if any of my questions get answered there.