Media Kit

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct 7th, 2025

"Thread Traveller" Launches October 14: Kirkus-Praised Debut Offers Literary Take on Midlife Transformation

Victoria B.C. author Annabel Youens Releases Speculative Fiction Novel About Parallel Realities, Fungal Networks, and Finding Yourself

VICTORIA, BC – October 7, 2025 – In a world saturated with distressing headlines, readers are seeking stories that offer both escape and hope. "Thread Traveller," launching October 14, delivers exactly that—a literary speculative fiction novel that Kirkus Reviews called "a strong debut with compelling characters that passionately advocates for community, nature, and found family."

The 210-page novel tells the story of August Monk, whose meticulously organized life implodes during a family trip to England. When she tastes beer at Britain's oldest brewery, August is transported to an alternate reality where mushrooms form society's foundation and women communicate through underground fungal networks—a world that challenges everything she thought she knew about power, community, and her own identity.

"After years of tech entrepreneurship, I followed my creative calling to explore the question: what happens when we choose ourselves over our expected roles?" said Youens, whose own transition from Chief Marketing Officer to published author mirrors her protagonist's transformative journey. "Right now, when the news feels overwhelming and the world seems fractured, Thread Traveller offers readers a different vision—one where connection, collaboration, and choosing authenticity can actually save everyone, not just yourself."

The book emerges from Youens' visit to Shepherd Neame, Britain's oldest brewery, where she learned that women were the original brewers, passing recipes from mother to daughter like bread-making. This historical discovery evolved into a complex alternate world where feminine connection to nature becomes both revolutionary power and existential threat to patriarchal systems.

The Heroine's Journey Framework
"Thread Traveller" deliberately follows what author Gail Carriger identifies as the heroine's journey—a narrative structure that prioritizes collaboration over conquest. Unlike traditional hero stories where protagonists battle alone for personal glory, August's transformation comes through asking for help, building community, and recognizing that true success means everyone succeeds.

"I discovered Gail Carriger's work on the Heroine's Journey and knew immediately this was the story I needed to tell," Youens explains. "Heroines—whether male or female—believe that individual triumph means nothing if the community suffers. August doesn't conquer the alternate world; she learns to work within it, understanding how the fungal network connects all life."

This approach resonates powerfully with contemporary readers seeking stories that validate collaboration over competition, interdependence over isolation.

A Story of Hope When We Need It Most
"Thread Traveller" arrives at a moment when readers are actively seeking stories that acknowledge struggle while offering genuine hope. The novel doesn't shy away from depicting systems in crisis—environmental destruction, patriarchal oppression, community fragmentation—but it presents transformation as possible through collective action rather than individual heroism.

"The response from advance readers has been incredible," Youens notes. "People are telling me 'This book gave me hope' and 'I needed this reminder that we can connect and build community.' In a time when despair feels constant, readers are hungry for stories that show another way forward—not through denial, but through connection and authentic choice."

The novel's innovative world-building centers on mycological networks inspired by real research from scientists like Paul Stamets, who studies how fungi connect and support entire forest ecosystems. In Youens' alternate reality, this natural technology becomes the foundation for both economic systems and spiritual connection—a metaphor for the interdependence that could solve our real-world challenges.

"We're living through a time when everything feels disconnected and broken," Youens reflects. "But nature shows us a different model. Underground, fungi are connecting trees, sharing resources, supporting the weak, creating resilient ecosystems. That's what August discovers in her journey—and it's what readers tell me they're rediscovering in their own lives after reading the book."

Themes That Resonate Today
"Thread Traveller" addresses contemporary concerns while offering escape from daily news cycles:

• Hope through collective action: Real change comes through community, not isolated heroism

• The heroine's journey over hero's journey: Collaboration and community support rather than isolated triumph

• Environmental responsibility: Nature as a communicating partner rather than resource to exploit

• Midlife identity crisis: Validation for women questioning established roles

• Community over competition: The power of asking for help and collaborative success

• Historical feminine wisdom: Recovering practices and knowledge systematically suppressed

• Technology and nature in harmony: Integration rather than opposition

"I wanted to write speculative fiction that lets readers explore 'what if' scenarios that realistic fiction can't touch," explains Youens. "What if abandoning your expected role was actually what saved everyone? What if your deepest authenticity was exactly what the world needed? And what if the path to that authenticity came not through solitary struggle, but through asking for help and building community?" Youens asks. "That's the heroine's journey—and it's the story our world needs right now."

Author's Unique Journey
Youens brings 25+ years of entrepreneurial experience to her literary work. After studying creative writing at the University of Victoria, she joined Abebooks.com as employee #11, eventually co-founding companies in New Zealand and Los Angeles before returning to Victoria to pursue her literary calling.

Her background in technology and community-building informs the novel's exploration of how connections—whether digital or mycological—can transform individual lives and entire societies.

Availability and Community Engagement
"Thread Traveller" launches October 14, 2025, available through all major book retailers and directly from Salt Line Press. The book includes discussion questions designed for book clubs interested in exploring themes of transformation, environmental consciousness, and women's empowerment.

Youens continues building literary community through her Substack newsletter "Saved by the Spell" and actively supports other midlife creatives pursuing long-delayed dreams.

"If there's someone out there who's been thinking about writing, or any creative pursuit they've put aside, I want them to know it's not too late," she reflects. "Sometimes the most interesting chapters of our lives come after we thought the story was already written. And right now, when so much feels uncertain, creating something hopeful feels like the most radical act possible."

"Thread Traveller" officially launches Monday, October 14, 2025. Review copies and author interviews are available upon request.

Media Contact:
Annabel Youens
publicity@annabelyouens.com
250 532 0855

Online Media Kit

About the Author: Annabel Youens is a Victoria, BC-based author and founder of Salt Line Press. After 25 years as a tech entrepreneur, she returned to her creative writing roots with "Thread Traveller." She holds a degree from the University of Victoria and builds literary community through her monthly author newsletter at www.annabelyouens.com.

About Salt Line Press: Salt Line Press is an independent publishing house dedicated to speculative fiction that explores environmental and social themes with literary depth.

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