Author: Katie L. Carroll (Page 52 of 142)

Busy Times and The Great CT Caper Book Launch

February 22, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

The school visits have all been wonderful so far! (I’ll have some really fun stuff to share from them soon when I get a chance to breathe.) Two more single workshops this week and then I’m done for awhile.

Also, I’ll be attending THE GREAT CT CAPER book launch (registration required, but the event is free) on Monday, February 29, 2016 from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m, hosted by the CT Humanities. The middle grade serialized mystery is now a hardcover book. Meet some of the authors and illustrators, enjoy light refreshments, and snag some Caper goodies.

How Do You Like to Connect With Authors and Readers?

February 17, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Doing a little crowdsourcing here on how readers like to connect with authors, and also how authors are connecting to readers. I’m at a point where I’m looking at marketing and such for my published works and coming up with plans for future works, so I wanted to hear from all of you, both readers and authors.

Any and all answers are much appreciated! And I’d love to hear specifics in the comments if you’ve had a particular successful way you’ve connected to an author or reader.

February Writing Life Update

February 10, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

February has historically been my least favorite month. It’s a low part of the year for me for some reason that I’ve never been able to adequately pinpoint. I think the weather is part of it. Here in southern New England, the days are short and cold and spring feels a long way off. (Although we did have a nice stretch of warmish weather last week.)

This year I think I’m going to be too busy for the late-winter blahs. In addition to reading a lot, I’m deep in querying mode for one project; looking forward to carving out some writing time for a new project that has yet to move out of the “rumination stage,” as I like to call it; and excited (and nervous!) to have a bunch of school visits booked up for the second half of the month. (Not to mention hanging out with the boys!)

The nerves are because I’m feeling a little rusty as I haven’t done any youth writing workshops since last June, and because some of the upcoming workshops are for students that are a little younger than I’ve worked with before, and because it’s a lot of visits in a short amount of time. But I love working with the students, so I know once I practice a few more times and get going with the first one, I’ll be fine.

It’s the change of mentality I think that’s tripping me up. I spent a good deal of the second half of 2015 in writing and then revision mode (very internal acts), so it’s required a brain shift to move into the more external acts of querying and workshop teaching. Both are important parts of my creative life, but as I get older, I feel like the transition from one to the other has gotten harder.

One of these school visits I’ll remember to have someone take a few pictures of me teaching a writing workshop so I can share it here. What’s in store for all of you this month and the rest of winter?

BLUE BONES by Rick Starkey Cover Reveal

February 8, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

Blue Bones

by Rick Starkey

Release Date: March 7, 2016

Thirteen-year-old Rodney Becker has found the perfect cure for stage fright. Voodoo!

Armed with the stolen finger bones of a dead blues guitar player and a mishmash of voodoo spells from the Internet, he and his best friend enter a graveyard at midnight to perform their ritual. Now, all that stands in his way of winning a local guitar competition is the power of RETURN – a side effect of the voodoo that spells disaster for Rodney.

His cure has become a curse. How else can he explain jamming his finger so bad he can’t hold a guitar pick, his part-time dad stealing his guitar, and his mom getting into an accident that could have taken her life?

How much is Rodney willing to risk to achieve his dream of being a guitar legend?

Pre-Order Sale Price of just $2.99 – regular price starting March 7^th.

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About the Author:
Rick-Starkey Rick Starkey is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature. His main interest is writing novels for middle grade. Rick has sold short pieces to Highlights for Children including a game, magic tricks, and a short story. Knowing that most writers often wish that they had started their career earlier in life, Rick teaches a basic course for the Talented and Gifted Program (T.A.G.) at Walter’s State Community College in Morristown Tennessee. Rick’s students learn the basics of magazine submissions including cover and query letters, market research, and manuscript preparation. The T.A.G. program is for students grades 5 – 8 and come from seven counties in East Tennessee.

Rick lives in a 200-year-old log cabin in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where he and his wife, Betty, own and run Make It Magic, a magic shop and craft store. A day in Rick’s life includes recommending and performing magic tricks for customers of all ages, carving a bear from a log with a chainsaw, and working on his next novel.

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February #InkRipples: The Magic of Chocolate

February 1, 2016 / Katie L. Carroll

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Every month when it’s time to start thinking about the new #InkRipples topic, I say to myself, “You are not going to write about books,” and then I end up somehow connecting the topic back to books. And February’s topic of chocolate is no exception.

It’s not my fault. See writers are infamous for turning to chocolate in dark times (say when we’re working through a tough revision, or are facing chocolate-183543_1920 writer’s block, or are afraid to look at our inboxes because of an influx of rejections). It’s bound to turn up in our writing.

Whenever I think of chocolate in books, I think of J.K. Rowling’s masterful use of it in the Harry Potter series (really, is there anything that woman is not masterful at?!). There is no shortage of pieces written about chocolate in Harry Potter, from the Harry Potter Wiki page to the Pottermore website itself. In short, chocolate is used to used to ward off the depressive effects of Dementors. But it’s also used for fun, with the many magical confections Rowling invents for wizards (care for a Chocolate Frog, anyone?).

Chocolate is actually a pretty magical food, even for us muggles. Dark chocolate in particular acts as a mood booster, is an anti-inflammatory, is full of antioxidants, and is fiber-rich (see “10 Ways Giving In To That Chocolate Craving Can Benefit Your Health”).

I guess what I’m trying to say is please send me all the chocolate!

#InkRipplesblueandgreen #InkRipples is a monthly meme created by me, Mary Waibel, andKai Strand. We pick a topic (February is all about chocolate), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. Be sure to check out Kai’s and Mary’s posts this month. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.