Page 88 of 142

Blog in Review 2013

January 6, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

I hope the New Year is treating everyone well. I’m coming back to the blog feeling energized and excited about 2014. It’s shaping up to be a busy year and I’ll be sharing why at a later date (nothing like starting the year with a teaser 🙂 ). I’m keeping my writing in the bubble for a little while longer (it seems to be working), but I can tell you I’m making progress on several manuscripts. Yay!

You’re probably sick of all the best of 2013 lists and this is what happened in 2013, but I had a great year on the blog and wanted to share a few tidbits with you. As much as I enjoy my space here on the Observation Desk to share my thoughts, it’s even better when you share as well, whether with a guest post, in the comments, or by helping spread the word on social media. So thanks to all of you, my blog readers, for coming by and joining in the shenanigans.

I was tickled to see the most active day on the blog was April 16th, the anniversary of my sister’s death. It’s always a hard day and I find comfort in sharing a little piece of her with as many people as I can. On that day, I posted Thinking of Kylene and it was among the top view getters in 2014.

The announcement of Elixir Bound coming out in paperback received the most views of all the posts. It has been such a joy to have so many supporters share with me in the good news and milestone mark in my writing career. BTW…Elixir Bound is now out in paperback and ready for purchase (gotta plug my own work here) at the MuseItUp bookstore, IndieBound, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. I’ll hopefully be setting up some local signings in 2014 and will keep you all posted. For you non-locals, I can send personalized bookplates to put in your copies. Just send me a note with the contact me page.

One of the reasons why this year was so successful was because I was more consistent posting content than in any other year, with two posts most weeks. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without guest bloggers. Thanks to all the wonderful guests who shared their stories and wisdom. Among the most viewed guest posts were Scott R. Caseley’s Twice in A Millennium Inspiration post, Anna Staniszewski’s post on writing middle grade, and an interview of Erin Albert on her debut YA fantasy The Prophecy. I’ve already got some great guest posts lined up for this year and am always open to hosting others (contact me here).

I always get a kick out of seeing some of the stranger things people have searched to come up with my site, so I’ll end with my favorites: “am i crazy or in love? how to stay grounded?”, “sweatpants say i’ve given up on life”, “i’m sorry i kicked you lilo and stitch”, “how dare you bind and gag me?”, and “stardust blowing at you”.

Happy writing and living in 2014!

Happy New Year!

December 26, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and spreading the love. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year, from my family to yours!

Looking ahead to 2014, I’ve got a wrap-up of 2013 coming your way, more for the Females in YA series, several guest posts already lined up, and probably more cuteness from The Boy. I’ll be back blogging on January 6th. Hope you too see all then!

Holiday Traditions from Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser

December 20, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Today Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser have asked Josie, the main character in their José Picada, P.I. series, to share some holiday traditions. Let’s give a big welcome to all three!

We’re Heather Fraser Brainerd and David Fraser, a sister-brother writing team. Katie graciously invited us to her blog today to talk about holiday traditions. Since we’re a little too busy getting ready for the holidays to write a guest post, we thought we’d turn it over to our main character, Josie. Hope you enjoy!

Holiday Traditions

By Josie P. Cates

Hi, I’m Josie. You might know me as the main character of Deception Al Dente and The Sound of Sirens. They’re the first two books in the José Picada, P.I. series, which is a total misnomer because the books are about me. I won’t bore you with the details. What I’m really here to talk about is holiday traditions.

So, let’s see… how do I celebrate the holidays? I guess “with family” is the expected answer. I try to avoid not only the expected, but also my family. So that’s a double whammy on that answer. Plus, my mom and stepdad live pretty far away, so it’s kind of a hassle to go there for a holiday visit. For the last several years, my Christmas Eve has been spent eating homemade Christmas cookies (I generally can’t cook worth a darn, but make some mean cookies) and watching It’s a Wonderful Life with my friend, Bobby. Sometimes we bust out the sparkling wine (a little too sweet for my taste, but Bobby likes it) and play the Wonderful Life drinking game. (Take a sip every time an angel gets his wings, etc.) Bobby and I exchange presents, usually one expensive gag gift and one small real gift. Oh, and ever since I moved in with my roommate Lou, she’s brought us leftovers from the restaurant she owns. So now Christmas Eve includes free gourmet creations. It’s pretty awesome.

Christmas morning, I sleep in. Like, till noon. Possibly later. I roll out of bed and grab a cup of coffee. Lou and I sit around and munch on more Christmas cookies and leftovers until it’s time to get ready for our festive holiday meal. Our friend Al (he’s Lou’s chef) and his dad Arthur come over. Al brings the food since, you know, he’s a chef. We supply the eggnog. Not that anyone really likes eggnog, or even drinks it, for that matter, but it’s Christmas. Eggnog is practically law. Kind of like fruitcake, which we also have and which also goes untouched. Bobby drops by after he spends time with his crazy family.

So, in summary, Christmas cookies, Wonderful Life, festive holiday meal that I cook exactly none of. Sounds pretty good, right? What are your holiday traditions like? What is a nog, and why are its eggs so gross?

Thanksgiving dinner with the family can be murder. Especially when someone is actually trying to kill you. Here’s a quick excerpt:

“Wakey wakey!”

Out of pure instinct, I karate-chopped the figure hovering next to me.

“Ouch!”

A loud thud brought me out of my REM cycle. It had been a very nice REM cycle; I’d been lounging on a tropical beach with a hunky, sparkly vampire.

“Wow, Josie, you sure do pack a wallop!” Carrie-Ann said from where she’d landed on her butt on the floor.

“Uh, thanks.” I pulled myself into a sitting position while wishing that my stepsister left me the heck alone. “What’s with the wake-up call?”

“Well,” she said, picking herself up and perching on the couch next to me. “I just wanted to wish you a happy Thanksgiving!”

“Uh, thanks,” I repeated.

“And the plucky cake is almost ready, so—”

“Plucky cake!?” Now she had my full attention. I’d almost forgotten Mom’s tradition of making this gooey, cinnamony, pull-apart coffee cake on Thanksgiving morning. Now that I thought about it, a hint of cinnamon could be detected in the air.

“Well, of course, plucky cake!” Carrie-Ann was beaming. “I made it myself!”

“Humph,” I humphed, doubtful that it could be as good as Mom’s. Not that Mom was the best cook, but this was one of her specialties.

“And it’s almost ready, so I thought I’d better turn on the parade. We have to watch the parade while we eat our plucky cake!” She picked up the remote and clicked on the huge TV, finding the right channel for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “Ooo! Country-pop crossover superstar Jaycee Day is coming up next! I’d better hurry!”

She bounced off the couch and bounded up the stairs. I groaned and lay back down, longing for just a few more minutes with my vampire dreamboat.

Available on:

MuseItUp: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/the-sound-of-sirens-detail

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Sirens-José-Picada-P-I-ebook/dp/B00GZ43EN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385738485&sr=8-1&keywords=heather+fraser+brainerd

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sound-of-sirens-heather-fraser-brainerd/1117545061?ean=2940148954118

Find Heather and David on:

Blog: http://drivingblindproductions.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrainerdFraser

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HFBrainerd and https://twitter.com/NotDaveFraser

Elixir Bound in the Flesh!

December 18, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Yesterday, a nice surprise came in along with the snow: my paperback copies of Elixir Bound! I feel like it was so long in coming, so it was more with a sigh of relief than a whoop of excitement that I held them in my hands. Not to downplay the awesomeness of it all, but I think I had built the moment up in my head for a little too long to really be in the moment when it happened. But they are here, and they are beautiful! Check out T.B. Markison’s blog post today for a spotlight of Elixir Bound, including an excerpt.

I’m hoping to book some local events in the New Year, and I’ll keep you all updated with what’s happening on that front. If you won a signed copy of Elixir Bound, those went out in the mail this morning, so keep an eye out for them next week…maybe even before Christmas! For anyone who is interested, I have bookplates (little stickers that I can sign and personalize) I can send for you to put in your own copies of Elixir Bound. Just send me your snail mail address and personalization info using the Contact page of my website (don’t worry all personal info only goes to me).

I think the most rewarding part of having the book was to see the dedication I wrote for my sister Kylene. She was the inspiration behind the book and set me on this crazy, wonderful path of being an author. I think I’ll leave you all with that dedication:

To Kylene

In life your were a sister, friend, and confidant.

In death you are a sister, friend, confidant, and muse.

The Dirt Diary Author Anna Staniszewski on Creating Diverse Characters

December 11, 2013 / Katie L. Carroll

Let’s give a big welcome to returning guest blogger Anna Staniszewski, author of the upcoming tween book The Dirt Diary, as she discusses creating a diverse main character. I was very pleased to receive an ARC of this fabulous book and shared my thoughts on it in my 5-star Goodreads review. Welcome, Anna!

When I first began writing The Dirt Diary a few years ago, I knew early on that the main character, Rachel, had a white mom and a Korean-American dad. Perhaps this character detail emerged because the story took place in middle school, a time in my own life that I associate with one of my closest friends (then and now) who is Korean. Or perhaps Rachel appeared in my head that way just because that’s who she is.

For several drafts of the novel, however, I struggled with how overt I should make Rachel’s ethnicity. It didn’t play a large part in the story, but it was part of her character. Also, did I, a Polish-born, American-raised author have a right to write about a character who wasn’t like me?

As I mulled this over, I came to two realizations. First, why couldn’t Rachel’s race be part of her character without it affecting the plot? Rachel being biracial was just as much a part of her as being a girl or an only child. It didn’t guide the story; it just felt like a natural part of her character. And second, I realized that none of the other characters I had written were “like me.” If I stuck to the “like me” criteria then I could only write about characters who had lived in Poland until they were five and then moved to New England. How boring would that be?

So I set out to write Rachel not as a biracial character but as a real character, one whose desires and emotions I could tap into and understand. I realized that my personal experiences did play a part in shaping her character. Not only do I know a thing or two about teen mortification, but having been raised bicultural made it easier for me to imagine how Rachel might feel about being biracial.

Have I made any missteps in depicting a biracial character? Perhaps. And it’s precisely that fear that kept me from acknowledging her ethnicity in early drafts of the book. Ultimately, though, I felt like it would be worse to ignore her true identity than to not try writing it at all.

The Dirt Diary blurb:

Cleaning up after the in-crowd gets Rachel all the best dirt.

Rachel can’t believe she has to give up her Saturdays to scrubbing other people’s toilets. So. Gross. But she kinda, sorta stole $287.22 from her college fund that she’s got to pay back ASAP or her mom will ground her for life. Which is even worse than working for her mother’s new cleaning business. Maybe. After all, becoming a maid is definitely not going to help her already loserish reputation.

But Rachel picks up more than smell socks on the job. As maid to some of the most popular kids in school, Rachel suddenly has all the dirt on the 8th grade in-crowd. Her formerly boring diary is now filled with juicy secrets. And when her crush offers to pay her to spy on his girlfriend, Rachel has to decide if she’s willing to get her hands dirty…

About the Author:

Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was named the 2006-2007 Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the 2009 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time teaching, reading, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of My Very UnFairy Tale Life series, published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. Look for the first book in Anna’s next tween series, The Dirt Diary, in January 2014, and visit her at www.annastan.com.