I’m thrilled to announce that I recently signed a two-book deal with American publisher Atthis Arts. Our Kickstarter is live right now. Voiceless is the first book in an urban SF duology set in futuristic Timaru. It’s about a mute schoolgirl who cons her way into a virtual psychoreality simulator in order to steal back her voice. I’d love for you to check it out and support it! The campaign runs until September 15 2016. You can find it at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atthisarts/voiceless-duology.
I have to admit, I was a bit worried that the publisher, being American, might want to water down the NZ cultural aspects, like the usage of common Maori words etc. But far from it: they say it’s a real point of difference, and they want me to put as much Kiwi culture as possible into the books. Of course, I have to keep it accessible to a broad audience. And I’m trying to be careful; there’s a point at which simple portrayal crosses the line into romanticisation. But it’s encouraging all the same to work with a publisher who pushes for greater cultural diversity. Makes me wonder if perhaps there’s less of a need for seperate UK/US editions of books than people think…