About MeI'm an award-winning speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi & (light) horror) author, speaker, creative writing coach—and the current president of CWILL BC! + read more

I love connecting with audiences of all ages and welcome inquiries from event planners both at home and further afield.

Look for local history and alt-reality/futuristic versions of Metro-Van & other BC locations in most of my work, often with a climate fiction edge or historic flair.

I've written award-winning, translated, indie, and traditionally-published short stories (LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE, FANTASY MAGAZINE, Renaissance Press, Hungry Shadow Press & more...), the celebrated "eco-apocalypse + monsters in dystopian Vancouver" YA Fantasy trilogy THREADS OF DREAMS, and a forthcoming spooky middle-grade novel set in Chilliwack, BC.

When I'm not hard at work on my next release, I teach term-length creative writing workshops and summer camps for grades 4-8 and up with the Creative Writing for Children Society, speak at festivals and conferences, and serve on the board of Word Vancouver Reading & Writing Festival and on the CWILL BC executive as President. Show Less

My Work Speaker Info Contact Me

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You May Know Me For:

Literature Types
• Middle Grade Fiction
• YA Fiction

Published WorksYA Series THREADS OF DREAMS:

1-BLIND THE EYES: A haunted teen finds the strength to fight back. Climate crisis meets folkloric monsters in dystopian future Vancouver.

2022 Whistler Independent Book Awards Shortlisted, Reader Views 2021-2022 Literary Awards Bronze, Page Turner Awards 2020 eBook Award Book Spotlight Prize Winner, Barnes & Noble Press "20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018."

2-BLACK THE TIDES: Dreamwalker teens travel from flooded Vancouver to a utopian eco-city in Northern BC while battling sea monsters and the ghosts that haunt them.

3-BURN THE SKIES: Bodysnatched teen fights the ghost of her former self to save her city, her friends, and her future.

Related (in-series) short fiction:

LETTER FROM THE END OF THE WORLD, also in translation as LETTERA DALLA FINE DEL MONDO (Virgibooks, 2019).

BOY WITH NO NAME: First published in THE DEVIL YOU KNOW: A FICTION-ATLAS PRESS ANTIHERO ANTHOLOGY (Fiction-Atlas Press, 2020)

SPECTRES OF THE OLD WORLD 1-3: A squad of dreamwalker teen ecologists fight sea monsters in post-climate crisis Powell River of the future. (2022)

UNDER: A YA dystopian romance with monsters (2022)

Standalone short fiction:

"Those Who Look at Hidden Things" (LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE, 2024)

"The Pink Slime's Appointment With Destiny" (PULPHOUSE MAGAZINE, 2024)

"Hollow" (THE NOSLEEP PODCAST, 2024)

"The Patron Saint of Flatliners" (MYSTERION, 2024)—18+

"Calloused" (in THERE'S NO PLACE, Renaissance Press/Presses Renaissance, 2023): Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Silver Hon. Mention

"Children of Earth" (FANTASY MAGAZINE, 2023/PULPHOUSE, 2024): Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023 Longlisted, Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Hon. Mention

"Castoffs" (in IT WAS ONLY A DREAM: AN ANTHOLOGY OF BAD HORROR TROPES DONE RIGHT, Hungry Shadows Press, 2022):

"On the Edge" (THE FAIRYTALE MAGAZINE, 2019/FROZEN WAVELETS, 2020)

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Speaking InformationI love speaking to young readers and the next generation of writers and storytellers. Past presentation topics have included:
-Monster Feast: descriptive + read more (sensory) writing topic best for classroom or small group workshops with a craft, can be spun out into a mini-series involving writing all five senses!
-Writing for Youth (how to get started & why everyone's a writer)
-Pathways to Publishing (indies, small-press, big-5 & business tips)
-Ghosts of the Past (exploring local history through creative speculative interpretations and reimaginings)
-Monsters & Magic (speculative fiction, truth & escapism, the comfort of horror)
-Worldbuilding for Writers (how to craft the unknown through strategic questions)
-Ecopunk Futures (Exploring Climate Crisis anxiety, facing fears through horror, and reclaiming the future)

I'm a confident (funny) and engaging speaker with experience in a variety of settings (from one-on-one coaching, small workshops, summer camps and term-length workshops to masterclasses, festivals, conferences, and large-group/auditorium venues).

I'm best with upper-elementary, middle school/jr high, and teen through to adult audiences. Willing to travel, schedule permitting, and happy to work with organizers to create a custom presentation, workshop, masterclass, author-in-residence project, etc. based on the themes and needs of your event. I prefer to offer dynamic, flexible/topical presentations or workshops with direct audience engagement where possible (vs. a static reading or "book talk"), but large-group presentations with or without display graphics are also available.

Notes:
-I often incorporate BC/Canadian books into workshops/presentations for kids especially when presenting to audiences younger than I write for
-short fiction is great for middle/secondary groups—it's not only more accessible, it's weirder than most novels! Happy to champion that cause anytime :)

See CWILL-BC guidelines for fees ("Tips" tab above)—also open to working with custom budgets. Show Less

I will visit:
• Vancouver
• Coast
• Lower Mainland
• Gulf and Vancouver Islands
• Thompson Okanagan
• Northern British Columbia
• Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
• Kootenay Rockies
• The Territories
• Canada - beyond BC
• USA
• International
• Virtually

I Present to Age Groups:
• Grades 4-6
• Grades 7-8
• High School
• College / University / Adult

Request Booking Info

Testimonials"Kaie recently joined our Guild of Young Writers program for a virtual Speculative Fiction workshop + read more that exceeded all of our expectations!

Kaie provided such an insightful presentation, sharing her own writing process and tidbits about the business of writing itself before diving deep into the elements of speculative fiction.

Her presentation was interactive and engaged the students with specific tips and examples from her own writing, along with suggestions to bring back to their own writing practice.

She answered all of their questions with thoughtful and knowledgeable responses and provided the students with such inspiration to move forth with their own writing projects."

-Rebecca Ruiter
Coordinator & Facilitator | Story Studio Writing Society
storystudio.ca Show Less "K.A. Wiggins is an articulate and engaging professional who knows how to bring authors into + read more dynamic conversations meant to inform, entertain and enlighten audiences of all levels.

Her ability to seamlessly orchestrate events from beginning to end further demonstrates her passion and care for all that she does."

-Bonnie Nish, PhD
Executive Director | Word Vancouver
Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education | University of British Columbia Show Less

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Awards and Recognition:Abbotsford Arts Council 2021 Arty Awards: Literary Arts Award Winner

BLIND THE EYES + show more (Threads of Dreams, 1)
-Whistler Independent Book Awards 2022 Shortlist
-Reader Views 2021-2022 Literary Awards: Bronze in Children's Books Classics (pre-2021 releases)
-Page Turner Awards 2020: Book Spotlight Prize
-Page Turner Awards Shortlisted: 2020 eBook Awards
-Barnes & Noble Press "20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018"
-2018 KWL cover contest, SciFi/Fantasy category shortlist
-NetGalley Most Requested fantasy
-B&N Press pick for 25 Beach Reads for Your Summer Holiday
-Handpicked as a Summer 2018 B&N Press Presents title

"Swallow Down the Notes"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2024 Q1: Honorable Mention

"Simone's Stakeouts and the Case of the Speakeasy Arsonist"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q4: Silver Honorable Mention

"The Patron Saint of Flatliners"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q2: Semi-Finalist

"The Pink Slime's Appointment With Destiny"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q1: Honorable Mention

"Children of Earth"
-Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023: Longlisted
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q1: Honorable Mention

"Calloused"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Q3: Silver Honorable Mention

"Hiding A Pearl"
-First, Law Week Short Story Contest 2004

"Incognito"
-First (Regional) & Second (Overall), "It's Happening Here" FVRL Teen Writing Contest 2004 Show Less