It turns out bookshops are happy to have you pop in and sign books! So I got a train to Wynyard Station and began to walk to Newtown, popping into bookshops en route.
First it was Dymocks Sydney - Dymocks was one of my favourite bookstores back when I was a kid.
Second Kinokuniya - where I used to spend a silly amount of my earnings back when I was working in the Sydney CBD.
The first Goodreads review is in and it couldn't be more positive!
Kai Ash writes: This is an absolutely objective and unbiased review of The Boy Maeve, which I wrote: 5 stars. No, 6 stars. Ceud mìle - a hundred thousand - stars. Top notch book. Possibly the best book ever written. Certainly the best book written by me so far.
Look what I found on my doorstep today! 🔥🔥🔥 Seall air seo!
Cover art by the wonderful Janelle Barone. Published by the most supportive crew one could hope for at Hardie Grant Children's Publishing
Have arrived in Naarm Melbourne and am looking forward to an amazing weekend at the Trans Book Festival!
#Naarm #Melbourne #TransLit #TransBooks #AusLit #TransBookFestival
🔥🔥 TWO MONTHS TO GO! 🔥 🔥🔥
The Boy Maeve will be coming out on 26 May 2026
*He only knows two things for sure: his name is Maeve and he’s a boy.*
https://publishing.hardiegrant.com/en-au/books/the-boy-maeve-by-kai-ash/9781761212468
With only two months to go until the official publication date of 26 May 2026, today I got to hold an advanced copy of the finalised book! Hardie Grant Children's Publishing sent it in a very awesome black box, wrapped up in beautiful native flower wrapping. What a joy to receive! And
The Trans Book Festival is returning to Melbourne Friday 17 April to Sunday 19 April 2026 and I am terrifically excited to be a part of it.
Buy festival passes, as well tickets to all other TBF 2026 events, at transbookfestival.org
#TransBookFest2026 #Transgender #Festival #WritersFestival #Neurodivergent #AusLit #TransLit #TransBooks #QueerLit #Melbourne #Naarm
The Trans Book Festival's program is out! You can find me on the Writing the Neuroqueer Experience panel and the evening story event The Book that Made Me Trans, which are both on the Saturday.
Check out the program here: https://www.transbookfestival.org/
#AusLit #OzLit #TransLit #TransBooks #WritingFestival #TransBookFestival #LoveOzYA #Melbourne #Naarm
That's a wrap on GenreCon 2026!
I'm happy to report that I managed to get exactly what I'd hoped: a new lens to help me leap back into my current draft, which has been in the doldrums for some time. I found that new perspective in Geneve Flynn and Lauren Elise Daniels' 2 hour workshop on exploring Eastern and Western narrative worlds.
Kai Ash
