đKylaâs 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!
Canât believe itâs already been a year since my book came out :â) If you havenât read it, itâs like a family-friendly Queenâs Gambitâa 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 Iâm so excited for everything thatâs still ahead.
Iâve been quiet lately because there hasnât been much new to shareâjust 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!
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At my publisher, thatâs a real milestone tied to contractual terms. âAcceptanceâ 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 copyeditsâgrammar, 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, Iâm always wondering what details may have slipped through. It wasnât until Draft 3 that I realized words like âewâ and ânerdâ arenât common in 1949, and it was only while working on Draft 4 that I realized a key locationâwhere my main characters first meetâdidnât even exist until 1951.
Someday Iâll 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 itâs 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. :â)
Book cover!
Other exciting news: the cover design process for Heirs has begun!!! Itâs my first Young Adult historical novel, so the vibes are wildly different from my previous books. Lately, Iâve 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 whiplashâin the best way.
And Iâm so thrilled with the artist my publisher chose. She has a background in fashion artâwhich, if you know me, you know feels like the perfect fit.
Upcoming event!
In events news: Iâll be a featured author at the South Dakota Festival of Books, where Iâll be speaking on STEM and storytelling. Itâs my first book festival in a while so Iâm really psyched. If youâre local, Iâd love to see you there!
Some recent highlights
May the Best Player Win was selected for the New York Public Libraryâs Vibrant Voices list:
So psyched it will be appearing in classrooms and getting discussed by young readersđ
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):
Iâve 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 câmon⌠is this not my book in a dress?
Thatâs all for now, friends. The next few months are going to be busy-busy, but Iâm so happy fall is here, the weather is cooler, and itâs getting dark earlier. My favorite season, hands down.
Kyla xx













Such awesome news all around, Kyla! You are absolutely smashing it đđ
Omg that dress is SO valley verified, congrats on turning in heirs of infamy!