I'm writing with some great news!
For the past two weeks, The Bond Trilogy has been on a blog and Insta tour. I couldn't be happier with the positive reviews, especially with The Mother's Wheel releasing next week.
Books, Bones & Buffy said, "The Bond Trilogy should be required reading for all speculative fiction fans who are looking for something special... From the very first words of The Bond to the last sentence of The Mother’s Wheel, Kirk has brought her story to life with a fascinating futuristic world, beloved characters and hard-hitting themes, making this one of my all time favorite series. I won’t lie: I sobbed during parts of The Mother’s Wheel, not only because the characters go through some very tough trials, but the culmination of three books’ worth of growth and change simply did me in."
Kevin's Corner loved all three books, but singled out The Mother's Wheel for praise. "The book is probably my favorite of the series. I loved how introspective and contemplative the story is. In Sil, we find a reluctant leader who doubts her place and worries for the family she has found herself in and the many burdens that loving them brings her. Her perspective has been the most insightful in the series, and it has been the most moving as well."
Kevin also put together a fabulous collage of the three covers:
Both Books, Bones & Buffy and Kevin’s Corner do great reviews of sci fi and fantasy books, so I highly recommend a follow.
Smashwords is running a presale special on The Mother's Wheel e-book if you want to recommend it to other fantasy fans. As always, online reviews, recommendations to your local library, and word-of-mouth to friends really help get the story into the hands of people who will love it!
The Bond and The Hive Queen are currently available as paperbacks and e-books. The Bond is also available as an audiobook, performed by the wonderful Alexa Elmy.
Other news
I often get inspiration from art exhibits. Now that COVID is receding and museums are open again, I’ve been fortunate to see several provocative exhibits. One artist who seems to be everywhere right now is Chicagoan Nick Cave (NOT the musician). He has a great Instagram here.
At his current show, “Forothermore,” at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, I saw dozens of his “sound suits.” Cave made his first suit out of twigs he collected in a Chicago park. Others are made from beads, toys, plastic flowers, globes—anything that strikes his imagination.
The purpose, if I can paraphrase Cave, is to both mask his identity as a gay Black man who is at risk of violence; and demonstrate that our bodies don’t confine or limit our spirits or other identities. That theme of many identities and many ways of being is at the core of The Bond Trilogy.
I also love his creatures: a reminder that there is beauty and fantasy and imagination everywhere, even in plastic Dollar Store foliage. It’s not just the act of creating but the seeing he invites us to do of his art.
Cave also creates dance with the sound suits, something I’d love to see. In lieu of that, here’s a great video of some of the sound suits in action.
That’s it for now—thank you for reading!