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Cover image courtesy of the author.
Kim Wilkins Kim Wilkins i(A51311 works by)
Also writes as: Kimberley Freeman ; Kimberley Wilkins
Born: Established: 1966 London,
c
England,
c
c
United Kingdom (UK),
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Western Europe, Europe,
;
Gender: Female
Arrived in Australia: ca. 1974
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Works By

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1 y separately published work icon Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] Kim Wilkins (interviewer), Beth Driscoll (interviewer), Lisa Fletcher (interviewer), St Lucia : AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource , 2023 26215462 2023 selected work interview A series of thirty-two interviews conducted with authors and publishing professionals as part of the ARC-funded research project Genre Worlds. The interviews are further analysed in the associated monograph, Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction and Twenty-first-century Book Culture, by Kim Wilkins, Beth Driscoll, and Lisa Fletcher (University of Massachusetts Press, 2022).
1 Australian Fantasy, Crime and Romance Fiction in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries Beth Driscoll , Kim Wilkins , 2023 single work criticism
— Appears in: The Cambridge History of the Australian Novel 2023;
1 Friday Essay : Romance Fiction Rewrites the Rulebook Beth Driscoll , Kim Wilkins , 2022 single work column
— Appears in: The Conversation , 7 October 2022;

'Romance fiction has one of the most recognisable brands in book culture. It is known for a handful of attributes: its happy-ever-after endings, the pocket Mills & Boon and Harlequin editions, the covers featuring Fabio (in the 1990s) or naked male torsos (the hot trend in the 21st century). It is known for being overwhelmingly written and read by women, and for being mass-produced.' (Introduction)

1 3 y separately published work icon Genre Worlds : Popular Fiction and Twenty-first-century Book Culture Kim Wilkins , Beth Driscoll , Lisa Fletcher , Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press , 2022 23592762 2022 multi chapter work criticism

'Works of genre fiction are a source of enjoyment, read during cherished leisure time and in incidental moments of relaxation. This original book takes readers inside popular genres of fiction, including crime, fantasy, and romance, to reveal how personal tastes, social connections, and industry knowledge shape genre worlds. Attuned to both the pleasure and the profession of producing genre fiction, the authors investigate contemporary developments in the field—the rise of Amazon, self-publishing platforms, transmedia storytelling, and growing global publishing conglomerates—and show how these interact with older practices, from fan conventions to writers’ groups.

'Sitting at the intersection of literary studies, genre studies, fan studies, and studies of the book and publishing cultures, Genre Worlds considers how contemporary genre fiction is produced and circulated on a global scale. Its authors propose an innovative theoretical framework that unfolds genre fiction’s most compelling characteristics: its connected social, industrial, and textual practices. As they demonstrate, genre fiction books are not merely texts; they are also nodes of social and industrial activity involving the production, dissemination, and reception of the texts.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 y separately published work icon Wish You Were Here! Postcards from Future Queensland Kim Wilkins , Helen Marshall , St Lucia : The University of Queensland , 2020 19671103 2020 website short story

'Telling stories of a better world...

'The Greek krisis means ‘to decide, a point at which a change must come'. In Queensland, the COVID-19 crisis is altering life in ways that were unimaginable even a few weeks ago. While this is undeniably frightening, as writers we also see it as a moment of possibility.

'We want to inspire you to imagine this as a turning point on the way to a better future. Every two weeks, our UQ writers will reveal a new challenge to help you write a postcard from that future to the world. Then we’ll publish some of our favourites here!'

Source: Project website.

1 Editor Grace Lucas-Pennington Discusses Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman Kim Wilkins (interviewer), 2019 single work interview
— Appears in: Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] 2023;
This conversation took place between Grace and Kim Wilkins on 14th February, 2019.
1 Publisher Robert Watkins Discusses Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman Kim Wilkins (interviewer), 2019 single work interview
— Appears in: Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] 2023;
This conversation took place between Robert and Kim Wilkins on 19th February, 2019.
1 'A Crowd at Your Back' : Fantasy Fandom and Small Press Kim Wilkins , 2019 single work criticism
— Appears in: Media International Australia , February vol. 170 no. 1 2019; (p. 115-125)
'This article presents a study of a model of textual production that situates genre fiction, specifically fantasy fiction, within its community and industry contexts. I argue that Australian fantasy ‘fandom’ operates in some ways like a research and development space for the literature it consumes, through allowing, enabling and enthusiastically supporting – both ethically and materially – a thriving small press culture. Fandom is known for its passionate investments in texts, and those investments are rarely passive. The fantasy genre community is already oriented towards prosumption, and small presses afford specific opportunities for writers to work in specific ways, enriching and developing their individual craft and the genre as a whole.' (Publication abstract)
1 Do the Hustle : Writing in a Post-Digital Publishing World Kim Wilkins , 2019 single work essay
— Appears in: Sydney Review of Books , September 2019;

'Just when you think we have finally killed off the idea that writers need to retire Coleridge-style to a lonely farmhouse on the moors to get anything done, another writer notes on their acknowledgements page how the work would ‘never have been written’ without the generosity of this or that writers retreat, giving them a break from the world to do their work. But this must be an exaggeration. As much as I love writing retreats, the reality of writing a book is that the work is not done in a two-week uninterrupted block in the mountains: it is done around other paid work and domestic life, daily or weekly, iteratively, over long stretches of time. Writers who publish also grapple with deadlines, editorial direction, and the affordances and limitations of their economic status in the industry. These things impact creative practice. Far from being separable from the social and the material, writing is always inflected by these twin forces.' (Introduction)

1 2 y separately published work icon Queens of the Sea Kim Wilkins , Sydney : HQ Fiction , 2019 15933243 2019 single work novel fantasy

'The unthinkable has happened. Warrior queen Bluebell has lost her kingdom to the Crow King, Hakon, and her demented Trimartyr sister, Willow. While Bluebell would like nothing more than to storm the city with her army and crush Willow underfoot, the enemy's threat to burn its inhabitants alive prevents her. Worse, Willow seems to have the terrifying god Maava on her side.

'Bluebell's niece Rowan has otherworldly power and can help her unite the warring tribes, but her third sister Rose is in hiding with her son, and her fourth sister Ivy, Queen of Sæcaster is fleeing abuse with her children. Ash, under-magician, is the only sister who might be able to help Bluebell solve the conundrum. Together they must cross the sea to the land of giants, and try to recover Ash's power and save the kingdom and those they love.

'As the sisters' journeys converge, and the terrifying power of Maava threatens all they hold dear, matters come to a head. To survive they must fight the last battle together, but even with the gods and giants on their side, can they overcome the might of Maava and the unending malice of their errant sister Willow?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 Author Claire G. Coleman Discusses Her Novel, Terra Nullius Kim Wilkins (interviewer), 2018 single work interview
— Appears in: Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] 2023;
This conversation took place between Claire and Kim Wilkins on 14th May 2018.
1 The Publishing Ecosystems of Contemporary Australian Genre Fiction Beth Driscoll , Lisa Fletcher , Kim Wilkins , David Carter , 2018 single work
— Appears in: Creative Industries Journal , vol. 11 no. 2 2018; (p. 203-221)

'The cultural and commercial operations of the publishing industry have been dramatically reshaped by digital technologies, yet little is known about how these effects are differentiated across sectors of the industry. This article analyses data about the production of Australian-authored fantasy, romance and crime fiction titles to explore the specific publishing ecosystems of different genres and the roles played by multinational, small press and self-publishing in each. First, we show that there has been across-the-board growth in each genre and for each type of publisher. Second, we argue that multinational publishing activity in these genres has been characterized by broad stability, punctuated by experimentation with genre-specific imprints for romance and fantasy titles. Third, we find that small presses make diverse contributions to genre ecosystems, able to both activate prestige and experiment with formats. Finally, we note the immense growth in self-publishing, particularly in romance, and argue that self-publishing now operates in tandem with traditional publishing to create hybridized publishing ecosystems - with greater potential to transform the traditional publishing model than e-books.' (Publication abstract)

1 1 What is Australian Popular Fiction? Lisa Fletcher , Beth Driscoll , Kim Wilkins , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , December vol. 33 no. 4 2018;

'This brief introductory essay serves two purposes. The first is to introduce the study of contemporary Australian popular fiction with reference to our wider research on ‘genre worlds’. Using a literary sociological approach that draws on Howard S. Becker’s Art Worlds, our research recognises the multiple dimensionality of popular genres: as bodies of texts, collections of social formations that gather around and produce those texts, and sets of industrial practices with various national and transnational orientations. [...] The second purpose of this essay is to introduce a themed cluster of four essays by Australian researchers, each of whom looks to both Australia and the world for examples of the cultural and commercial functions that contemporary popular fiction can perform.'

Source: paragraph two.

1 y separately published work icon Australian Literary Studies Genre Worlds : Popular Fiction in the Twenty-First Century vol. 33 no. 4 December Kim Wilkins (editor), Beth Driscoll (editor), Lisa Fletcher (editor), 2018 15353118 2018 periodical issue

Special edition of Australian Literary Studies, drawing from the research project Genre Worlds: Popular Fiction in the Twenty-First Century.

1 Genre Worlds and Popular Fiction : The Case of Twenty-First-Century Australian Romance Lisa Fletcher , Beth Driscoll , Kim Wilkins , 2018 single work criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Popular Culture , August vol. 51 no. 4 2018; (p. 997-1015)
1 y separately published work icon Odin's Girl Kim Wilkins , Harrogate : PS Publishing , 2018 13183672 2018 single work novel fantasy

'Sara Jones has never been like other girls. On the eve of her wedding, she discovers that the supernatural strength she has been hiding her whole life comes from a father she never knew: the Viking god Odin. His interference derails her closest relationships, and Sara starts to long to be among her own kind. She follows Odin’s ravens into the City, where her father has unleashed seven monsters from Asgard as challenges. As she faces the challenges one by one, she finds allies she never expected. And an enemy she could never have predicted.

'Sara is torn between her old life and her longing for something beyond mortal knowledge, and it will take every ounce of her godlike power to save who she loves and become what she longs to be.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

1 Editor Stephen Jones Discusses Vigil by Angela Slatter Kim Wilkins (interviewer), 2017 single work interview
— Appears in: Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] 2023;
This conversation took place between Stephen and Kim Wilkins at Worldcon Helsinki on 11th August 2017.
1 Publisher Jo Fletcher Discusses Vigil by Angela Slatter Kim Wilkins (interviewer), 2017 single work interview
— Appears in: Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] 2023;
This conversation took place between Jo and Kim Wilkins at Worldcon Helsinki on 10th August, 2017.
1 Author Lisa Hannett Discusses Vigil by Writing Partner Angela Slatter Kim Wilkins (interviewer), 2017 single work interview
— Appears in: Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] 2023;
This conversation took place between Lisa and Kim Wilkins on 10th April 2017.
1 Author Angela Slatter Discusses Her Novel, Vigil Kim Wilkins (interviewer), 2017 single work interview
— Appears in: Genre Worlds : Australian Popular Fiction in the 21st Century [Interviews] 2023;
This conversation took place between Angela and Kim Wilkins on 6th April 2017.
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