I know it’s usually Christmas in July, but I’m making it Christmas in August this year with a picture book special and a Middle Grade Back to School Bundle.
That’s because my picture book Mommy’s Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Phoebe Cho, is coming to audiobook this holiday season! Even more exciting is that I’ll be doing the narration myself because this book was very much written from personal experience and I’ve always enjoyed reading it aloud.
To keep the celebration going, my upper middle novel Witch Test is in a bundle with five other middle grade novels. From August 11th – 17th, you can get all six books for just $8.00. You can find the Middle Grade Back to School Bundle at this link, but bookmark it because the link won’t be live until the sale starts on the 11th.
Have you noticed I haven’t released any new books yet this year? I’ve been working on a lot of things, including an adult cozy dystopian series that will have four books. Yes, you read that right, an adult series! I’m also working on a few picture book things that I may have news on soon. But maybe nothing brand-new this year, which be the first year I won’t have anything new in many years…since 2020, I think. Wow, that’s a long streak.
It’s been a busy year personally, and this fall is no exception. My oldest kiddo will be starting high school, my middle kiddo will be starting middle school, and my youngest is going into 3rd grade. That’s three different schools with three different start and end times. Plus, they all play soccer in the fall. It’s a much different busy than when they were little and I wrote my silly poem about being a mom on Christmas, but it’s busy all the same.
The hammock is one of my favorite summer reading spots!
How’s your summer reading going? I’m usually a mood reader, meaning I don’t really plan my reading lists ahead, rather I read whatever I’m in the mood for. This summer, however, I’ve decided to make a list and see if I stick to it. No promises!
The month of July is my birthday month, so I’ve decided to celebrate by putting all my novels on sale! ONLY DARK EDGES, my modern-day Hamlet retelling is $1.99 all month long on all ebook platforms, including directly from me on the Purchase Books page. If you’ve been watching the TV show adaptation of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, ONLY DARK EDGES will devastate you in all the same ways.
After finally having conquered the ability to read audiobooks (see “Long-Awaited Update on Training My Brain to Read Audiobooks”), I’m right on track with my reading goals for the year. I’ll be doing a bit of traveling in July, which should give me some time to conquer my summer reading. I’ll also be working on revising my first ever adult novel, a cozy dystopian that I plan on releasing this fall, so keep an eye out for more about that. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ve already gotten a sneak peek at the cover. Busy, busy as always over here!
I’d love to hear what’s on your summer reading list this year, so please feel free to share in the comments.
If you’ve been around here for awhile, you may remember my post “Training My Brain to Read Audiobooks,” written way back in 2019. It’s been a long time, but I’ve finally cracked the code on successfully reading audiobooks! For my brain, at least. No guarantees my strategies will help you if you struggle with audiobooks, but maybe it’ll give you some ideas to try.
Why did it take so long for me to figure out how to read an audiobook? I had to figure out what worked for my brain, and that was hard to do. I tried all kinds of things–like changing playback speeds and listening to shorter form works and podcasts–to try to and get used to listening to stories. But when it came to novels, I just couldn’t pay attention. I would get about 5 minutes into a listening session and then my mind would start to wander.
Enter last Memorial Day weekend! My oldest son and I had a long car ride to a soccer tournament. In an effort to keep him from playing on his phone to entire time, we decided to pass the time with an audiobook. He had recently read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which is one of my favorite books, so we decided to try it out as an audiobook. We didn’t have enough time to listen to the whole thing, but I decided to try and finish it when we got home. And I was finally able to read an entire novel-length audiobook!
Really enjoying walking and reading audiobooks during my kids’ soccer practices. Today, I was listening to Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. #audiobooks#walking#momswhoread#soccermom
Turns out, driving engaged my brain just the right amount to also allow it to pay attention to an audiobook. This keyed me into the fact that I can’t try and be totally engaged in the audiobook; I have to engage my brain/body just enough to keep my mind from wandering. Now I read audiobooks while walking, cooking, doing dishes, gardening, and folding laundry.
It also helped that it was a book I knew well. That way if my mind did wander for a minute, I didn’t have to stop and relisten to what I missed. I could just keep moving forward because there was nothing new for me to miss.
I stuck with rereads for awhile, finishing up the Hunger Games series and moving on to other favorite books. Eventually, I felt comfortable moving into books that were 100% new to me. Now, a year later, I’m pretty much always in the middle of an audiobook. And it’s made cooking dinner each night a lot less tedious, sometimes even to the point where I’m looking forward to my cooking/reading time!
If you have children that love audiobooks, my picture book The Bedtime Knight, illustrated by Erika Baird, is part of an Audiobooks for Children promotion. Here’s the time if reached #1 and earned an orange banner on Amazon! It’s available on all different audiobooks platforms, including many libraries via Hoopla.
I’m participating in the Spring Fling Writing Contest. The rules are simple: write a children’s story of no more than 150 words using a spring-themed gif as inspiration. Post it between April 1st and 3rd and add your post to the entry form. Here is my entry!
Voice of the Wildflowers by Katie L. Carroll
As the mist of night lifted, a voice rose in the distance.
It danced through the meadow, over the hills, up into the puffy white clouds.
All the little blooms in the meadow lifted their sleepy heads.
Their petals opened wide, drinking in the sun and that voice…that beautiful voice!
The flowers had no ears to hear the song, but somehow it flowed into their stems and vibrated right down to their roots.
The voice drew closer and with it came a little girl in a pink polka-dot dress.
She skipped through the meadow, spreading wildflower seeds while she sang.
The flowers had no eyes to see the girl with her dress and her seeds, but somehow they knew her.
For she had been there before, spreading the seeds that would become those flowers.
The flowers had no hearts, but somehow they loved the girl and her voice.
Thank you so much to Katie for inviting me as a guest blogger, I am excited to share with you all about my newest picture book, Chameleon in Training.
Chameleons and Camouflage
The story features two chameleons, Commander Jackson and Edna, who have very different approaches to staying alive. Jackson, the camouflage master, is adamant on teaching Edna the proper blending techniques, but she prefers to do things her own way.
The core concept actually came to me when I was brainstorming for an entirely different book. During my stream of ideas, I drew a small sketch of what ended up becoming the spread “Feet Blue” and Chameleon in Trainingwas born. Like most of my book ideas, I didn’t understand the concept right away, I didn’t know what the final book would look like, whether it would be a character-driven narrative or more of a wordless art book. But from the very beginning, I felt so connected with the concept.
The Struggle with Blending In
A chameleon who doesn’t want to blend in? Story of my life. I remember from a young age not fitting in, at first it was due to gender, not conforming to stereotypical gender preferences as a kid, and then later having mental health issues and sensory sensitivities that made me stick out in school. I wore noise-blocking headphones and felt like a lot of people didn’t understand how uncomfortable I was without sensory accommodations.
I think with Edna’s story, I am in a way reclaiming a lot of hurt I experienced as a child, being ridiculed or reprimanded for not being able to do things in certain ways at school, or not conforming to gender norms.
I hope that, especially for neurodivergent readers out there, Chameleon in Training brings a sense of joy, and also reassurance, that your differences bring positivity into the world.
Diversity in Publishing
There is so much strength in diversity of thought, and I am excited to see so many new titles now featuring autistic characters, and characters with other forms of neurodivergence and/or gender nonconformity.
I’ve noticed as my career has progressed that people have given me feedback, saying they like how I “see the world” or think I have a “unique art style.” I think this distinct perspective people sense is at least in part due to my neurodivergence, and it feels validating to have my differences now celebrated.
Post Meridiem Press
Chameleon in Training and my other recent picture book I Live for the Sun were published by Post Meridiem Press, an independent publishing imprint I started to promote content less represented in the traditional publishing industry.
I tried, very briefly, to get a literary agent in 2021-2022, but didn’t receive much interest from the agencies I queried. I hear a lot from traditionally published authors that it takes a LONG time to get an agent, and it’s important to be persistent. This is true, and for those people who stick with it and land an agent and traditional publishing deal—kudos to you.
But, for me, I just felt like I kept writing new stories and querying new agents, and rejection after rejection, no one was getting to read my stories (save for my critique group and close friends/family—you guys are great!).
With my own independent publishing imprint, I have a professional platform to share my work. I don’t sacrifice the quality of work, I put forth my best effort, conducting thorough research for projects and leaning on my critique group for feedback. But I don’t need a “green light” from a team of traditional publishing professionals approving my ideas.
Confidence through Independent Publishing
I think creating the Post Meridiem Press brand has also given me newfound confidence in the direction of my work. I’ve always enjoyed concept development and experimenting with styles in the process. With independent publishing, I feel empowered to pursue any style I want. I don’t feel restricted to a certain topic, format, or design approach.
For my most recent picture book, Chameleon in Training, I worked in a looser, digital style, which I felt best reflected the protagonist’s free-spirited, nonconforming personality. For my picture book I Live for the Sun I went for a mixed media approach, using lots of materials including acrylic paint, gouache, ink, colored pencils, and digital brushes. And most recently, I’ve been experimenting with ink and nib pens. There are so many techniques I enjoy trying and incorporating into my books, a big part of my process is trying to find styles/formats I feel best convey the concept at hand.
I hope creators whose interests may sway from the mainstream feel reassured that independent publishing is a perfectly valid way to produce professional-level content while retaining your creative vision.
My book I Live for the Sun, for example, features a penguin protagonist who becomes depressed and eventually experiences suicidal ideation after his friend gets eaten by a leopard seal. Through independent publishing, I was able to attempt this difficult topic of suicidal ideation, scarcely found in traditionally published picture books, and share my story with a wider audience through stores and events.
More Indies, More Voices
I really do feel there is room in the publishing industry for these lesser-represented subjects and “indie” leaning styles or approaches, which may be more commonly exhibited by neurodivergent creators. I’ve found success thus far in my career by leaning into myself, and I hope other creators share their distinct perspectives as well, because I think everyone’s unique approach and life experiences are what make for compelling, powerful, books.
Chameleons must camouflage to survive…or must they? Why not have a disco party and snack on some tasty flies instead? Commander Jackson and student Edna duke it out in this fast-paced, witty attempt at Color 101: The Art of Camouflage. Class is in session!
“Chameleon in Training” is a picture book recommended for all ages. The story may especially delight neurodivergent readers through its celebration of nonconformity.
When an Adélie penguin loses his best friend to a leopard seal attack, he becomes distraught and grows increasingly depressed. In the midst of peril, a humpback whale comes to the Adélie penguin’s aid and shows what keeps her going through the toughest of times.
Collage and mixed media painted illustrations depict the beauties of arctic nature in this tale of friendship and perseverance.
Recommended for ages 8 and up. “I Live for the Sun” may be a helpful resource for people struggling with grief and/or depression.
Parker Milgram is an author, illustrator, and fine artist based in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Their debut picture book and art book No Ideas Allowed! and Book of Worlds: An Artistic Representation of Mental Illness were published in 2021; their third and fourth books, I Live for the Sun and Chameleon in Training, were published by Post Meridiem Press in 2023 and 2024.
Parker’s art has been featured in publications such as The Worcester Review, Worcester Magazine, and CM PRIDE and exhibited at venues including ArtsWorcester, Worcester Center for Crafts, and the Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery. Their current creative projects span themes of mental health, friendship, and neurodivergence.
