''Newbia'' is a two-part Canadian

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

book series by Chelee Cromwell, released in 2019 by

vanity press A vanity press or vanity publisher, sometimes also subsidy publisher, is a publishing house where anyone can pay to have a book published.. The term "vanity press" is often used pejoratively, implying that an author who uses such a service is pub ...

Tellwell Talent Tellwell Talent (also known as "Tellwell Publishing" or simply "Tellwell") is a Canadian-based vanity press located in Victoria, British Columbia. Founded in 2015 by Tim Lindsay, the company is best-known for its publication and marketing of A ...

. The book follows main character Nyria in a space-set realm connected by sensory abilities.

Background

According to Cromwell, who claims to be "the first

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

woman from Nova Scotia to publish a science fictional, fantasy, romance novel", the idea for her ''Newbia'' books manifested in 2009, during a period in which she was undergoing surgery for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

. She also cited Stephen King's novel '' It'' as an inspiration, having bought it from the

Mic Mac Mall Mic Mac Mall is Atlantic Canada's largest enclosed shopping mall located in the community of Dartmouth, across the harbour from Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is owned and managed by Mic Mac Mall Limited Partnership. With stores on three levels, Mic ...

in the 1990s. She gradually wrote out two books with the support of her husband, Ronnie Merritt, after which she sought a viable publisher, eventually deciding upon Tellwell Talent, a vanity publisher based in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. T ...

Cultural significance

Cromwell's ''Newbia'' series was published as largely unedited, with a number of typos, spelling errors and grammatical issues, but the books gained popularity both for their connection to a local author, and for their status as a mildly successful independent book series in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

. Mayor Ben Cleveland of

Digby, Nova Scotia Digby is an incorporated town in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is in the historical county of Digby and a separate municipality from the Municipality of the District of Digby. The town is situated on the western shore of the Annapolis Bas ...

endorsed the ''Newbia'' books, while provincial-based shops such as Cape & Cowl Comics & Collectibles in

Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia Lower Sackville is a community within the urban area of Halifax Regional Municipality, in Nova Scotia, Canada. History Before the European colonization in 1749, the Mi'kmaq lived in this area for thousands of years. In August 1749, Captain ...

continue to sell autographed paperback copies of both books in the series.

References

{{reflist Black Canadian literature Canadian fantasy novels Canadian science fiction novels 2019 Canadian novels Space opera novels History of Black people in Canada