Léa Taranto

DEBUT BOOK ANOUNCEMENT! #YA, #Disabilitylit #ocd In love and awe with this gorgeous cover art done by @fleckcreative and over-the-moon grateful to @arsenalpulp for publishing my YA novel about your friendly neighborhood obsessive compulsive coming of age on a psych ward. Except make it scrupulosity not contamination, and make it Chinese diaspora. Preorder it here at: /Books/A/A-Drop-in-the-Ocean

Thanks to @alimcdme from @5otterliterary and @arsenalpulp , my #yadebut #neurodivergent novel, A Drop in the Ocean, has a phenomenal home! ❤️🎉🔥🌟

The Forest of Reading overflowed my word nerd heart with SO MUCH JOY! Celebrating exceptional books from across Canada by authors @tboteju , @cherylparisienauthor , @emilyvargabooks , @pauljcoccia , @evansvictoria , @cherisaacs has been everything baby writer Léa dreamed of and more. I still can’t believe A Drop in the Ocean was a WHITE PINE HONOUR BOOK 😭🥹🤩🥰🥳in the best of company with The History of Everything by @evansvictoria and well-deserved winning novel For She is Wrath by @emilyvargabooks !!!! Some highlights included getting a handmade angry avocado 🥑 keychain that makes hilarious sense if you read the book, meeting readers who shared that Mira’s story made them feel less alone with their own OCD experiences, listening to my writing prompt presentation attendees’ work (so many future authors are gonna take Canlit by storm in the next generation) meeting @luxmy.quackquack and @cherylparisienauthor who I did the hardship and resilience panel with IRL just as we’d promised, discovering @99.9neo also wore a gorgeous shell necklace like the one I wear to match my book’s ocean theme, having one of my dearest friends, Madelaine come to visit with me and celebrating later via pizza feast with some fellow nominees, Madelaine and my effervescent agent @alimcdme Shout out to all the staff and volunteers who made the festival possible including my guide Kara who has been a white pine volunteer for around 10 years and @m_the_bookdragon for taking such great pics! Image Descriptions in next comment!

Tuesday afternoon students from different high schools of the DCDSB were more patient than I ever was as a teen while we worked out technical difficulties of my presentation. It was freaking awesome to chat with them afterwards and hear their fave writing prompts from the presentation and what they vibed with from A Drop in the Ocean 🌊 ✨📚 Image ID: Next to her presentation projected on a white wall, Léa, a Chinese Jewish Canadian woman with dark curly hair wearing a crimson dress shirt and black pants speaks to a crowd of seated students. The back of one student with long brown hair a blue hoodie and plaid skirt is visible on the bottom lefthand corner.

Sitting next to another spec fic reader on my plane from Vancouver to Toronto for the @forestofreadingwhitepine award ceremony on May 13! The entire Forest of Reading Festival makes my word nerd heart SO happy!!! ✈️🤩📚 Next I’ll be going on a Northern BC tour with fellow @bcyukonbookprizes finalist @mkchibs joined on May 29 by the phenomenal @kimspencerwrites Image ID: Image 1: in the top lefthand corner of an Upcoming Events page Léa, a Chinese Jewish Canadian woman with dark curly hair wearing a white dress with blue marine life designs reads from her novel with bookshelves in the background. The events are May 13, The Forest of Reading Festival, 235 Queens Quay W, Toronto Ontario, May 21, BC & Yukon Book Prize Soirée, Book Warehouse 632 West Broadway, Vancouver BC, May 27, Telling Stories That Matter, Smithers Public Library, 3817 Alfred Ave, Smithers, BC, May 28, Author and Illustrator Talk, Terrace Public Library, 4610 Park Ave, Terrace, BC, May 29 Author Readings Event, Prince Rupert Library, 101 6th Ave, West, Prince Rupert BC Image 2: Bird’s-eye view of snow-capped mountains from airplane window. On my way Toronto!

@bcyukonbookprizes chose some of my fave local kid and YA authors for 2026’s Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. Including @tboteju whose students I’m low-key jealous of, @rachelmaehartman who I’ve loved since her 2012 debut Seraphina and @kimspencerwrites who presented with friendly, down-to-earth vibes at SiWC in 2024! While I’ve yet to meet @gregorcraigie I’m hoping that will change. Also thrilled to see Buzzkill Clamshell by @amberdawn_mononym up for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, The Hunger we Pass Down by @jensookfonglee up for the Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes, and Searching for Serafim: The Life and Legacy of Serafim “Joe” Fortes by @tierranegra_arts for the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize! 🤩🎉📚✨❤️‍🔥 Image ID: On a white background golden brown text proclaims in all caps “adore this list.” Followed by images of the books Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju, A Drop in the Ocean by Léa Taranto, Saving Wolfgang by Gregor Craigie, Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman, and I Won’t Feel This Way Forever by Kim Spencer. Below the books on the bottom left corner a large golden brown spot has white text that says, “Congrats to the 2026 finalists of the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. On the bottom right corner is the black and white BC and Yukon Book Prizes seal.

#bookreviews #ocdlit #Canlit #YA Can’t get over the eloquence, thoroughness, depth and precision in Madelaine’s review of A Drop in the Ocean published in Vol. 104 No 3. Of @thedalhousiereview As a fellow queer writer with OCD who I greatly admire and share many values with, the fact that she “got” what I was furiously hoping would come across in the novel, character portrayals informed by compassion that hold space for all parts of their humanity, means more than I can adequately convey over social media. If you want an overview of what the book is like that will also make you want to read more of Madelaine’s work too, check out the full review in the autumn 2025 issue of TDR! Image ID: A peach-toned ocean wave background with white text that says: Book Review, Love in the Time of OCD: Léa Taranto’s A Drop in the Ocean followed by the pull quote. “Compassion is a driving force behind the text, and Taranto excels at imbuing even minor characters with depth ... This impetus to recognize the humanity in others, even when one cannot fully enter their experiences, beats at the heart of the book.” -Madelaine Caritas Longman, The Dalhousie Review Vol. 104 No. 3

Just got @mishwillms brilliant debut memoir short story collection, Northern Girls by @barakabooks about the fractured legacy of growing up in rural Northern Ontario. I met Mish in an online poetry class and the lyricism of her writing attests to how she can make words, even in prose, sing. It was my pleasure to cry a bunch while reading an ARC of Northern Girls that I wrote this blurb for: “Weaving exquisite craft with insight and compassion, Willms makes the stark, dangerous beauty of Northern Ontario as much a character in this collection as her beloved cat Britt, Uncle Normand, and childhood friends Molly and Amanda. Her use of figurative language, concrete sensory detail, and at times, epistolary form, evoke an intimacy that is as breathtaking as Lake Nosbonsing frozen over in the winter. And, like the noise of ice groaning beneath the weight of human feet, you will sigh with deep relief as your heart cracks beneath the weight of Willms’ powerful truths. Sometimes heartrending, always tender, I couldn’t put Northern Girls down.” If you’re looking for a reading rec, look no further! Northern Girls is exquisite! Image ID: Against a light beige wall, my copy of the book Northern Girls, which has a coniferous tree line on the left side against a cream yellow sky. Northern is written in large pink font Girls in purple font and below it in grey font the text True Stories Michelle Willms.

Such a pleasure to meet Keiko Honda @myvacs author, scientist, painter and community organizer extraordinaire in person and SFU’s provost Dilson Rassier at SFU’s Celebration of Authors. I learnt of Keiko through the Writer’s Union of Canada’s Creating Mentorship for Deaf and Disabled Writers Program and one of the first things we bonded over was talking about how much our mentees taught us!! Then, of course, we talked shop a bit and now I can’t wait to read Accidental Blooms and Hidden Flowers. Image ID Dilson, a grey-haired Brazilian man in a charcoal grey suit, white shirt and striped blue tie smiles and stands next to Keiko, a smiling Japanese Canadian woman with black shoulder-length hair wearing a light pink blouse, cream sweater and black pants and boots seated in her wheelchair next to Léa, a Chinese Jewish Canadian woman with dark curly hair also smiling and wearing a dark blue blouse and black pants. Keiko holds Léa’s novel A Drop in the Ocean and Léa holds Keiko’s memoir Hidden Flowers.

For #iwd2026 I wanted to highlight these awesome Canadian women authors and an Ally. These books share different stories and perspectives. Agent of Change (Huda Mukbil) ...you want a gripping, firsthand look inside Canada’s spy agency and a fearless story of one woman who refused to stay silent about the racism and misogyny she faced within it. A Drop in the Ocean (Léa Taranto) ...you want a deeply human look at mental illness that refuses to romanticize recovery; raw, funny, and full of heart. In Exile (Sadiya Ansari) ...you’ve ever wondered what secrets your family buried, and what it might cost or heal to uncover them. Fearless Choices (Brandi Leifso) ...you’re standing at a crossroads and need a reminder that your hardest moments can become your greatest power. Say Less, Get More (Fotini Iconomopoulos) ...you want to stop leaving value on the table and finally get what you deserve in the boardroom and in life. - This was a popular book club book. The Working Brain (Dr. Brynn Winegard) ...you’re tired of working harder instead of smarter, and want a science-backed, practical guide to finally get the most out of your most powerful asset; your own brain. Unbroken (Angela Sterritt) ...you believe storytelling can change the world and you need to understand the necessary truth about missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Feel Better (Dr. Shahana Alibhai) ...you’re tired of being swept away by your emotions and want a warm, science-backed guide from a physician who has lived it herself; practical, honest, and full of heart. Restaurant Kid (Rachel Phan) ...you’ve ever felt caught between two worlds, wondering where and who you truly belong to. The Future is Grey (Dan Pontefract) -Ally Author …you want to understand age debt and how older employees are seen and valued (or not) in the workplace

I lucked out in getting to visit the students of Holy Trinity High School virtually on Friday. Teacher librarian Alli was incredibly welcoming, meanwhile some incredibly talented kids shared the work they generated in only five minutes on prompts based on the passage of time and A Drop in the Ocean. I seriously got goosebumps from listening! Image ID: The library at Holy Trinity High School where shelves crammed with books line the walls and 20 or so students sit together at round tables watching a projector screen at the far end of the room. I'm on it, talking their ears off about the importance of self-care for mental health. 🎉✨❤️

You know it’s going to be a good day when you show up to speak and you and the other speaker MATCH, and it wasn’t even planned… The topic was facing our tough stories. The black and blue outfit choices were fitting. 💙💙 It was a seemingly regular Thursday (Feb 26), and (somewhat fittingly) it was also the start of Mercury Retrograde. Including our moderator, there were 4 of us sharing. From one speaker’s story of finding her way to wellness while navigating psychiatric institutions for 6 YEARS in her teens @leatarantowrites …to another speaker’s story (me) of not only surviving a violent crime, but, also carrying its IMPACT…to another speaker’s story of what influenced her to dedicate 25+ years to helping others living with trauma (from breast cancer and MORE) to find confidence in how they physically present themselves to the world.… it was a LOT to take in. @malarys We covered tough topics, but the conversations were ALL positive. …our intimate audience of 25ish totally helped to make it that way. It was mostly women in attendance, and a few men, but all in all it was an EVERYONE event. From aspiring (and published) authors and podcasters… to working professionals… to not for profit leaders… to both retired (and active) politicians and community leaders, everyone attended with an open mind and an interest in being part of understanding the POWER of our tough stories. To me, when we share our stories, collectively, the synergy lies in the impact, not necessarily the details of the story itself. In our discussions, I was reminded that, although we have different stories, we are all saying the SAME thing. There is so much power in sharing, and especially, OWNING our OWN stories. I am told that mercury retrograde is a powerful time for reflection, healing, and emotional clarity….and the universe is simply asking us to pause, realign, and reset. …well, we did just that! A common comment from attendees afterwards was “ I had no idea what to expect, but I am so glad I came.” THE BONUS… everything was recorded. This conversation is coming soon to Stand Up Eight, Season TWO. Feeling SO much gratitude. @jjlee.writer