Not every story or book you write can be a banger, but that doesn't mean you stop writing because some had a better reception than others. Art is a journey discovering what makes you tick as a human. I see no point in calling done on writing unless you find something else you prefer doing.

YIKES!!!

Love this reflection of Tempest because both elements are important to the building of the story. The mystery is a driver but so is V’s evolution and her growing sense of self. TY @shelf-awareness.com for your sensitive and perceptive read of Tempest. —K. #tempest #selfdiscovery #danger #suspense

Compliments from readers and reviewers are great, but what's most valuable is when they focus on details that align with my intentions and efforts. I love knowing that all the wordsmithing and structuring and character building hit home. —K. #gold #worththesweat #gratitude #success #tempest #ya

For this month’s microfiction, a fun night leads to deep discovery when Thea recovers something she’s been living without for too long. Read Buried Beneath the Black at flingingfiction.substack.com/p/buried-ben... Leaning into the joy of creativity, —K. #storytelling #microfiction #substack

So lovely to get love notes with appreciation for the characters. Over the drafts, the characters in Tempest became quite real to me. Peep the pressure that comes with reader appreciation. “You are writing the next book, aren’t you?” lol. Yes, dear readers, I am! #tempest #ya #readerappreciation

Prompted by an email from my agency, I finally checked to see if my books were being used in the AI machine. I sent a letter to Meta via the Author’s Guild template (actionnetwork.org/letters/auth...). Participant in systems I did not choose and don't consent to. Sigh. #exhausted #ai #noconsent

The Fantastic Fiction at KGB series has raised $7K, enough for two years. THANK YOU TO ALL DONORS! We'd like to raise another $7K, for a total of four years. Can you reshare to make that happen? Details here: @datlow.bsky.social www.gofundme.com/f/fantastic-...

Book love for Infinite Constellations! Through this anthology, Khadijah Queen and I gathered a wonderful breadth of voices, experiences and awarenesses. It was a joy to spotlight culture and identity. @fictioncollective2.bsky.social #anthology #culture #identity #speculation #ownvoices #multiplicity

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get your copy of Tempest, perhaps your moment has arrived. Barnes and Noble is having a 50% off sale on many hardcovers, including Tempest. If you don’t have your book yet, now may be the time! @epicreads.bsky.social @barnesandnoble.com #ya #booksale

Bookstores create delicious universes where readers can be introduced to many reading adventures. Just learned that the anthology I co-edited with Khadijah Queen, Infinite Constellations, is a bookstore bestseller at @blacksburg_books! Tickled and grateful. #bestseller #bookstores #anthology

So thrilled that Tempest is continue to blow through readers’ lives. Thanks to @pastemagazine for including it on their list of unorthodox summer reads. I hope many more readers get caught up in Tempest’s storms. Onward, —K. #tempest #ya #summerreads #newrelease #elementalpowers

I’m back in the tumble of microfiction. “Beyond the Edge Lies the Verge” combines a dusty road, a cliff cave and an ancient dragon. Go to flingingfiction.substack.com/p/beyond-the... to read this month’s microfiction. On the journey, —K. #road #lake #microfictions #cliff #dragon #flingingfiction

This beautiful description of Tempest reminds me that any quality we have as writers—or as artists in general—can be read as a flaw or gift. Tempest holds both the intimate story of a teen’s coming of age and a big, bold conspiracy saga. It’s not either/or. As my mama likes to say, it’s both/and.

Friday night at Community Book Center was a wonderful New Orleans launch for the book. We talked plots, we discussed character, we talked about New Orleans, and the books deeper themes. My family came out in full force to support and I met some new readers too. #writinglife #booklaunch #newrelease

My nephew was frustrated while trying to make an audio recording sound crisp, but the audio was just a sketch, an example of his work. He’d soon be recording on professional equipment—this sample audio didn’t need to be perfect, it just needed to point the way for the direction he was going in.

As writers we don’t always have the distance to recognize the full scope of the stories we tell, so I love hearing what readers take away from my books. I appreciate this reader's reflections on Tempest—and I salute their tender teenage self. #newrelease #tempest #ya #teens #identity #growth #powers

Saturday afternoon, (7/19) I’ll be hanging out at the Writers Desk @bluecypressbooks.bsky.social. Come by and get your book signed, talk about writing or just say hello to support the hometown celebration of Tempest. #nolalife #nola #tempest #ya #urbanfantasy #elementalpowers

Excited to be in New Orleans to celebrate Tempest. The bookstore featured in the book is patterned after the previous location of Community Book Center on Ursulines in Treme. Hope to see some friendly faces in the house on Friday evening. #booklaunch #newrelease #newnovel #ya #nola #writinglife

When you can’t make it to all the bookstores to sign books, your signatures have to fly without you. Fun fact: My grandfather walked from rural Louisiana to New Orleans to establish a family. Love to all our ancestors who made the necessary moves for our futures #tempest #ya #neworleans #fiction

The main character Veronique travels through many waters, both shallow and deep, to find her purpose and her fight. Warrior vibes may not come overnight, but whenever they arrive, they're right on time! #findyourvoice @epicreads.bsky.social @harperstacks.bsky.social #ya #tempest #fiction #specfic

Thrilled that Tempest is getting so much love. Thank you @shelf-awareness.com for honoring Tempest as one of the Best Books of the Week. I hope this lovely recap helps Tempest find its way to book lovers everywhere. #tempest #ya #explore #newrelease #newbooks #neworleans #fiction #specfic #windpower

A horrific dystopia.

I don’t think anyone is prepared for what they just did w/ ICE. This is not a simple budget increase. It is an explosion - making ICE bigger than the FBI, US Bureau of Prisons, DEA,& others combined. It is setting up to make what’s happening now look like child’s play. And people are disappearing.

"So much of fantasy is big bold secondary worlds, but here's a summery Southern Gothic with a relatable family dynamic at the center." Thank you @locusmag.bsky.social for sharing your view on Tempest and honoring its intimate family connections.

The last time a DSA-backed upstart overthrew an establishment Democrat in a NY mayoral primary, what happened next wasn't pretty. India Walton has some hard-won advice for Zohran Mamdani about what to expect, and how to handle it: hellgatenyc.com/india-walton...

Just minutes into the first meeting of scientific advisers appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it was clear that the skeptical panelists intended to upend longstanding vaccine recommendations in the US, particularly those pertaining to children. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/25/h...

Having Tempest emerge into the world makes me feel grateful, joyful, and hopeful. Had a fantastic conversation with @ibizoboi about YA, New Orleans, family, and fantasy. May this book go out and do good work in the world! Onward! @harperstacks.bsky.social #tempest #ya #teen #nola #windpower

We're having a heat wave, it's Election Day for a fierce mayoral race, & the world's in meltdown—so it’s an excellent day for a book launch, no? As the elders say, this is the day the Lord has given us. So I'm headed off to @booksofwonder.bsky.social to celebrate Tempest with @ibizoboi.bsky.social

It's my book birthday!!!!!

📚 Tempest by @kiburabooks.bsky.social

Nobody: Me: Tempest Launches tomorrow!

Fantastic news. Congrats to Eugen and Pedro. @genni.bsky.social reviewed Infinite Constellations and gave it high praise. And @pedroiniguez.bsky.social is one of the authors in the anthology. May they continue to write beautiful words and be honored for their work. www.uapress.ua.edu/978157366198...

They are driving this shit into people’s backyards. Jesus.

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders? Food systems are the #2 contributor to climate change, the #1 driver of deforestation, the #1 driver of biodiversity loss on land, and the #1 user of freshwater. (It follows that food systems contain many solutions to these problems.)

Dive in. Read, share, and engage. The thread 👇🏽is an amazing compendium of transformational research resources.

"A recent Nature survey revealed that approximately 75% of US-based scientists are contemplating relocation, with early-career researchers and PhD students particularly inclined toward opportunities in Canada, Europe and Australia."

Here's a description of my novel crafted from the text of the reviews.

Book babies are the best. Tempest, June 24, 2025.

Countdown to launch! Books of Wonder is hosting me in conversation with Ibi Zoboi. Join me in celebration of this wonderful adventure of family secrets and elemental powers, danger and romance, in a coming-of-age novel exploring identity, personal power, and fate. #booklaunch #ya #novel

Best of the month. Appreciate being included in the line up of all the wonderful and vibrant books coming out this month. June 24 release! Get ready! #bookrelease #booklaunch #toptitle #bestofthemonth #ya

A personable main character? Yes, please. High-concept New Orleans-set YA? Absolutely! A relatable coming-of-age drama? What could be better? The @publisherswkly.bsky.social review is in and they give a thorough plot recap. Countdown: 2 weeks & 3 days to launch #ya #nola #powers #mystery #family

Is there anything more unsettling and beautiful than the eyelids of a red eyed tree frog? They're so ornate and bizarre. I can't think of anything else like them.

Warming up for the debut. Excited to be in conversation with @ibizoboi at @booksofwonder to launch Tempest! June 24 at 6 p.m. New Yorkers, I hope to see you there. New Orleanians, stand by! —K. @epicreads.bsky.social #booklaunch #tempest #ya #elementalpowers #winds

Thank you for the spotlight, @popgoesthereader.bsky.social. Looks like Tempest is in colorful, vibrant company!

Sharing the self-reflection tools that have helped (and continue to help) me along my journey. Spirit Writing is a style of automatic writing that helps you tap into your intuition and inner wisdom. Check out the practice video to give it a try: meetingyourself.substack.com/p/practice-s...

"She was also Gaza’s youngest influencer, offering practical survival tips for daily life under bombardment, such as advice on how to cook with improvised methods when there was no gas. 'I try to bring a bit of joy to the other children so that they can forget the war. '”

The dance of spirit and art. Ritual drew me into nature, where I discovered things to write about… which inspired me to write monthly microfiction. In the latest—“The Jungle Is Yours”—river rafting takes the main character on a journey to meet herself. flingingfiction.substack.com/p/the-jungle...