Kaylie Smith, the bestselling author behind the fantasy series Wicked Games, is a newly minted San Diego local set to release the second book in the series, Enchantra, on April 8. Her debut novel, Phantasma, became a viral sensation late last year.
Published in September 2024, Phantasma currently boasts more than 140,000 ratings and 22,886 reviews on Goodreads. The book has garnered over 10,000 tags on TikTok and 17,700 on Instagram, and it remains a top 100 bestseller in the Kindle store.
Smith grew up in a small Louisiana town, where novels provided an escape and allowed her to thrive as an introvert. Set in New Orleans, Phantasma is heavily influenced by the city’s atmosphere. “There’s a big community with a very specific Southern hospitality culture to it,” Smith says. “I think there’s just some sort of magic there. It still feels like home to me, even though I moved to the West Coast so my husband and I could be closer to family.” Smith has been visiting San Diego since her teenage years, so when the chance to move to the area came up, it was a “no-brainer,” she adds.
Her writing career began with The Heartless Fates Trilogy, published by Disney Hyperion in 2023. However, it was the Wicked Games series that catapulted her to literary stardom. Phantasma has earned multiple accolades, including the 2024 Goodreads Choice Award and “Best of the Year” titles from Audible and Barnes & Noble.
Smith’s rapid rise to fame was overwhelming. “It felt like an overnight shift that I wasn’t entirely prepared for,” she admits. “It’s such a positive thing in my life, and I never want to seem ungrateful, but it was an adjustment.”
Her popularity became evident at a Barnes & Noble signing in Mira Mesa in October 2024, where the event space overflowed and books sold out before the signing even began. “I remember walking in, and the manager ran up to me in a panic saying, ‘You’re popular. Next time, we’ll do a ticketed event,’” she recalls. “I was in shock—I had no clue either.”
With fame comes both admiration and criticism. “I keep telling my family not to Google me,” Smith says. “They might get upset reading hundreds of Reddit threads from people who dislike me or my books. It has been an interesting experience to adjust to.”
But she delights in seeing readers’ excitement. “A fan got a gorgeous Phantasma tattoo, and I lost my mind,” she adds. “The best part of this job is meeting people who love my books.”
Smith’s creative process evolved after Phantasma. “That book poured out of me. It was the easiest thing I’ve ever written, and I’ve written a YA trilogy that 10 people have read,” she jokes. Writing Enchantra, however, came with pressure. “There’s a burden of anticipation. Some fans told me they’re taking PTO just to read it—it’s their most anticipated book of the year.”
Phantasma follows Ophelia Grimm, a necromancer who seeks help from a dangerous phantom to win a deadly competition, only to risk breaking the game’s most vital rule: Don’t fall in love. Throughout the story, Ophelia hears a shadowy voice warning her to perform obsessive rituals, a manifestation of her obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Smith, who has lived with OCD since childhood, wanted to ensure the representation felt authentic. “Phantasma has a psychological horror element that serves as a metaphor for what it’s like to live with OCD,” she explains.
In Enchantra, Ophelia’s sister, Genevieve Grimm, stumbles upon a cursed palace filled with temptations and illusions. Inside, Rowin Silver is trapped in an eternal game with his family. He strikes a deal with Genevieve: He will help her survive if they pretend to be desperately in love. Genevieve is a plus-sized protagonist. “Growing up, I rarely saw plus-sized main characters in love stories,” Smith says. “I love incorporating representation in my books.”
Beyond romance, Genevieve’s journey explores familial trauma and self-discovery. “She’s a lost girl who has to work through her family’s history,” Smith explains.
Currently, Smith is finishing the third book in the Wicked Games series. “It’s my favorite so far, which is exciting for me,” she says. “I just hope people keep coming back. I love this, and I hope I get to keep telling stories.”
Kaylie Smith will celebrate the release of Enchantra on April 8 at 7 p.m. at Meet Cute Bookshop in La Mesa alongside fellow San Diego–based author Adalyn Grace, known for the Belladonna series. Tickets for the seated conversation and signing sold out in under an hour, but Meet Cute recently opened a ticketed signing line at 8:30 pm for fans to meet both authors and get their books signed.
With Enchantra poised to captivate readers once again, it seems San Diego’s newest literary star is only getting started.
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