Nina Gets a Look at Outer Diverse

The universe is a very large place... But if you live in the Outer Diverse, like Galactic Guardian Rhea Hawke, it's even bigger... a lot bigger than she thinks, even... A lot bigger than I think...

I want to share my joy with you today...

I got my first look at Outer Diverse today when my publisher couriered me the proof. It arrived late this morning.

The door bell rang at 11 am and the courier handed me a package. I opened it and stared. The book was beautiful! I knew what it looked like; I'd been confering with the cover illustrator and designer, Costi Gurgu, for months. But I was still unprepared for the real thing. The raw power of the image and how it sat in my hands, soft and sleek and rich with colour.

For a writer, there's nothing quite like it -- seeing your book in its complete form for the first time, the tactile experience of seeing the fruits of your labor of love distilled into this wonderful package. It was a sensual delight that I embraced wholeheartedly. Like giving birth. It really is a lot like giving birth.



I should know. I've published five books. And given birth too. The similarities are, well, pretty similar... hehe... In every case, I felt an overwhelming sense of miraculous accomplishment with the help of very respected and competent individuals, not to say the least a divine hand. I still remember how, after laboring for many hours to deliver my son, I was overcome by such pure joy at seeing him revealed to me for the first time that I wanted 10 more just like him right then and there. As I looked upon the book cradled in my hands I felt the same kind of joy.

A writer writes because she has to. This lovely book in my hands was my reward.


Outer Diverse launches October 15th on Amazon, at Con*Cept and book stores near you. Outer Diverse will be carried by Bakka Phoenix Science Fiction Books in Toronto.

Nina Munteanu is an ecologist and internationally published author of novels, short stories and essays. She coaches writers and teaches writing at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. For more about Nina’s coaching & workshops visit www.ninamunteanu.me. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for more about her writing.