📚Kyla’s Musings: HEIRS OF INFAMY is done!!

Well, almost. And the cover design has started!

Hi friends!

First things first… Happy 1st birthday to May the Best Player Win!
Can’t believe it’s already been a year since my book came out :’) If you haven’t read it, it’s like a family-friendly Queen’s Gambit—a story about performance anxiety and the pressure to succeed, told through the eyes of a chess prodigy. This past year has been filled with so many wonderful memories of sharing the book and meeting readers, and I’m so excited for everything that’s still ahead.

Taken at the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books this year, with Jen, my lovely event moderator!

I’ve been quiet lately because there hasn’t been much new to share—just me, tucked away in my writing cave, steadily working on Heirs of Infamy (coming Fall 2026). And now, at last, I can say: my editor has officially accepted my manuscript!

🥳🎊🎁🎀👏🏻📣🎉🤸🏼‍♀️

At my publisher, that’s a real milestone tied to contractual terms. “Acceptance” happens after both developmental and line edits are complete. Which is to say, big plot and character edits are behind me, and what remains is copyedits—grammar, punctuation, continuity, anachronisms (since this is historical fiction).

I did a ton of research to ground this book in 1949 San Francisco Chinatown, and the longer I lived in the story, the more I absorbed the rhythms and language of the time. Still, I’m always wondering what details may have slipped through. It wasn’t until Draft 3 that I realized words like “ew” and “nerd” aren’t common in 1949, and it was only while working on Draft 4 that I realized a key location—where my main characters first meet—didn’t even exist until 1951.

Someday I’ll write a full post about the research rabbit holes I went down and the surprising discoveries along the way.

I also added my dedication and acknowledgements during line edits, which made the whole process feel even more real.

Quick summary:

• Draft 1: earliest version of the manuscript

• Draft 2: first round of developmental edits

• Draft 3: second round of developmental edits

• Draft 4: line edits + adding dedication and acknowledgements

So now it’s fingers crossed for smooth copyedits! This is the last hurdle before production (a whole new adventure), and after four drafts, the finish line is finally in sight. :’)

Book cover!

Other exciting news: the cover design process for Heirs has begun!!! It’s my first Young Adult historical novel, so the vibes are wildly different from my previous books. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of events for May the Best Player Win and its bright, contemporary cover of a young girl is seared into my brain. So when I saw the first art concepts for Heirs, the switch gave me total whiplash—in the best way.

And I’m so thrilled with the artist my publisher chose. She has a background in fashion art—which, if you know me, you know feels like the perfect fit.

Upcoming event!

In events news: I’ll be a featured author at the South Dakota Festival of Books, where I’ll be speaking on STEM and storytelling. It’s my first book festival in a while so I’m really psyched. If you’re local, I’d love to see you there!

Some recent highlights

• May the Best Player Win was selected for the New York Public Library’s Vibrant Voices list:

  

  So psyched it will be appearing in classrooms and getting discussed by young readers😊

  

• The New York Liberty mascot picked Valley Verified for its recommended books list:

  

• The voice actress behind the Squid Game doll gave my book the sweetest shoutout on Instagram (and big thanks to my friend Avi for introducing the book to her):

  

• I’ve been doing a bunch of talks lately, such as for the American Bankers Association, who gave me this lovely testimonial:

  

Also, my friend sent me a photo of this dress, and c’mon… is this not my book in a dress?

That’s all for now, friends. The next few months are going to be busy-busy, but I’m so happy fall is here, the weather is cooler, and it’s getting dark earlier. My favorite season, hands down.

Kyla xx