AK Small Words | Author of Bright Burning Stars

AUTHOR. CONSULTANT. EDITOR.

I’m A.K., aka Angela, the author of two YA novels, BRIGHT BURNING STARS and IF I PROMISE YOU WINGS. The former was one of BN Teens Most Anticipated Books of 2019 and was recommended by Cosmopolitan magazine and Entertainment Weekly. IF I PROMISE YOU WINGS was rated by Kirkus Reviews as one of ten YA’s to be re-read immediately.

I was also an executive producer for BIRDS OF PARADISE, a 2021 Amazon Prime feature film based on BRIGHT BURNING STARS.

When I am not writing, I am reading and editing. I love helping writers enhance their stories. I also love photography, birds, and the electric guitar!

I grew up in Paris near the Sacré Coeur, graduated from the College of William and Mary, and later received an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’m the mother of three daughters, two of which are identical twins. I met my husband my junior year of college. And I have an old rescue pup named Dallas.

I’m currently pulling my hair on a third novel.

About

BOOKS

NOVEL CONSULTATION

Attention fiction writers: If you're looking to take your novel to the next level, A.K. Small is available for consultation.

A.K. Small's expertise will provide micro and macro edits, as well as character, plot, setting, and most importantly, internal and external struggles within your novel.

Upload your first five pages for a free initial consult!

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FIND YOUR SKY

Tundra Swans

The tundra swans migrate from Alaska to the Chesapeake Bay every year. And every year, I shoot hundreds of shots trying to catch their majesty, the way they move their necks, the ivory of their feathers. The span of their wings. They are elusive creatures when it comes to humans. Which is why I chase them with my lens. Seems catching a sunset with the swans, the slight pink of the waves, their cooing and playfulness with other birds, is a gift from the great beyond. Truly a c

Will Winter Ever End?

I shot this photo during our first snow fall and something about the gate and the lock seemed significant. Yet, as winter persisted, the image seemed to suggest to me that suffering from a chronic illness might resemble being caught behind the gate inside of a forever winter, while the healthy stroll free through eternal spring. At the thought, I shook my head, resentment blooming. I tried to feel and move on. I also recalled sayings from recent podcasts and audio books such

Find Your Sky

Years ago, I volunteered briefly at a women’s shelter. One of the exercises I had the women do was erasure poetry. We took pages from old books and scratched out words until a poem would emerge from the words we kept. FIND YOUR SKY was one of my poems. Or, its title. The three words became a mantra. A way for me to hold onto beauty in the midst of chaos. Little did I know then that a pandemic would hit us, that I would catch Covid in 2023 and battle Long Covid for years. On s

LATEST BOOK REVIEWS

"VERDICT: A charming story of personal growth that glitters with the art and culture of modern Paris."

— School Library Journal