A recent graduate of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program is seeing her dream of being a fantasy novelist become reality.
Tonia Laird (MFA’20), who lives in Saskatoon, has signed a three-book deal with Simon & Schuster Canada for a new supernatural dystopian young adult series titled The Kin Trilogy. The debut book in the series will launch in fall 2026 as one of the first titles from Simon & Schuster’s new children’s publishing program.
“I think mostly I was just really shocked by (the news), but very excited too, because I was just moving out of working in video games and trying to get established as a novelist, and it seemed like perfect timing,” said Laird, who has previously written for video game companies such as BioWare and Thought Pennies.
The first, currently untitled, book in Laird’s new trilogy will follow a young Métis woman on a journey to find answers about her mysterious past. Accompanied by a black dog that only she can see, she travels through a future dystopian version of Saskatchewan in which everything is run by corporations.
The story draws on Laird’s own experiences with reconnecting with her Métis heritage over the past two decades.
“It’s been a very slow process, but I think it’s been the right one,” she said. “Being able to connect with other storytellers was my first big step into Métis culture and now I’m more active in the (Gabriel Dumont) Local #11.”
The Kin Trilogy will be steeped in both Métis and settler folklore. Setting the first book in Saskatchewan was also important to Laird, who is originally from the area of Davidson, Sask.