Category: Creativity (Page 1 of 20)

Something Wicked This Way Comes with Grammy’s Halloween Scare as an Audiobook!

October 2, 2026 / Katie L. Carroll / 0 Comments

You may have noticed that I like trying new things when it comes to my author career. My published books alone, with their varied age ranges and genres, would clue you in to this. Which brings you my latest endeavor of the audiobook for Grammy’s Halloween Scare!

Listen to the audiobook on Chirp, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Libro.fm, and Google Play, Spotify and more to come. Also, you can check Libby and Hoopla from your local library and request it if they don’t already have it.

Because it’s me, I decided to not only narrate the audiobook myself, but also record a musical version of the book where I sang, played guitar, and mixed in sound effects. Am I good singer? No. Am I a good guitar player? Also, no. Do I know how to produce songs? Again, no.

Did I do all those things anyway? Yes!

Do I think it turned out okay? I think it turned out more than okay. I think it’s a lot of fun! I wasn’t going for perfection, more an experience that was real that kids would like. What’s more fun than having an author sing their book to you while playing guitar? Honestly, it was a lot of fun to make it as well.

That also means that the long-awaited audiobook of Mommy’s Night Before Christmas is also on the way. I know, I promised you that last year, but I didn’t get all my ducks in a row in time for a holiday release. But you’re really getting it this year!

While we’re still in spooky season, my upper middle grade book Witch Test is on sale for the whole month of October! Eighth grade is a bubbling cauldron of rumors in this Mean Girls meets The Craft book for tweens and teens. Get it for just $2.99 at my Purchase Books page (my favorite place for you to buy my books), Bookshop, Amazon, Itch, Kobo, Google Play, Barnes & Noble, and more.

Out with the New; In with the Old!

February 12, 2026 / Katie L. Carroll

The last few years, I’ve come up with a word or phrase for the year instead of a resolution. I know most people do this in January, but last month was really busy, so I’m just getting to it now. This year’s phrase is “out with the new; in with the old!” (And no, I didn’t write that wrong.)

Every January, I do Storystorm, which is a brainstorming activity created by author Tara Lazar. My critique group and I read the daily prompts and type our ideas (not always related to the prompts) into a shared document where we can comment on them. It’s a really fun way to kick off the year with creativity.

Only this year, I was struggling to think of any new ideas. Part of that was because I was deep in revision mode on a novel, so I was singularly focused rather than in brainstorming mode. I also kept thinking about ideas from past years that I haven’t yet pursued. There’s a lot of good stuff in my backlog of ideas!

Finally, I was preoccupied with learning about octopuses (not octopi as I’ve learned). I’ve been working on a new picture book about an octopus and was reading all the books about the cephalopods. One particularly good nonfiction one was Octopus Ocean: Genuises of the Deep by Mark Leiren-Young.

That got me thinking about the phrase, “out with the old; in with the new.” It fits our modern society with our short attention spans, disposability of goods, and a desire for all things new and shiny. But I haven’t been feeling that way, so I decided to flip the phrase.

This year, I’ll be taking a look back at the old things. Old ideas. Old hobbies. Old hopes and dreams. I have lots of good old things that have been waiting in the wings for my attention. This is the year to give them that attention.

And while I may replace things that are truly worn out (I’m looking at you, my old handbag whose strap is about to break), I’m going to be thinking twice before going all-in on anything new. This phrase may also be a reflection on being a middle-aged woman, but that’s a post for another day.

Do you have a word, phrase, goal, or resolution for this year? I’d love to hear it!

Pushing Back Against the Hustle Culture as an Author

November 11, 2025 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s been awhile. I know. I’ve thought about posting, and I have many topics I’d love to write about, but things come up and more things come up…and here we are. Me posting about not posting.

A view of a tree-lined yard from a hammock. The book When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson nestled into the hammock, a thumb just visible from a hand holding the book.

Part of that is a deliberate choice, despite the fact that I think of you often. Some of you have been with me from the beginning of my blogging journey. This was the first place on the Internet that I expressed myself in writing. I like keeping in touch with you, albeit in a one-sided kind of way.

Here’s the thing: I’ve grown weary of the hustle. I got my very first job when I was nine, delivering newspapers door-to-door to my neighbors. Then it was baby-sitting, cashier at the local hardware store, physical therapy assistant, puzzle magazine editor, and author. Not to mention parenting three kiddos, which I wouldn’t call a job so much as an all-hands-on-deck contact sport that involves advanced logistics.

I’m at a point in my life where I’m seriously evaluating where my time and energy go. And go they do…at a more rapid rate than I care for. I’ve also come to appreciate the impact of working locally and making a bigger impact there, not only as an author but as an activist.

And it’s not just about time and energy. Pushing back against hustle culture in a world that only seems to value capitalistic ventures feels revolutionary. I don’t make a living on my writing. Most authors don’t make a living off their writing. The system isn’t set up for us to be successful at financially supporting ourselves (see “Authors Guild of America Author Income Survey Seems to confirm ALLi Author Income Findings”).

So I’m writing what I want, on a timeline of my choosing. I’m lucky I get to make this choice, and I’m publicly recognizing my privilege here. I’ll post here when I feel like it, I’ll send off my author newsletter when it feels important to do so, and I’ll post on social media as it suits me. Take that hustle culture!

I’ll also be reading, taking walks, gardening, volunteering in my kids’ schools, fulfilling my role on the Library Board, speaking out against books bans and other injustices. You’ll see some of that online but not most of it.

In the meantime, here are some old posts on topics that are still relevant:
“Heartstopper by Alice Oseman Should Not Be Banned From Middle School Libraries”
“A Guide to Standing Up to Book Bans for Banned Books Weeks”
“Young Adult Literature Should 100% Be For Teens”
“What Nonfiction Picture Books Teach Us About How Rich A Billionaire Is”
“Let’s Stop the Billionaires from Controlling Space Exploration”

Spring Fling Writing Contest “Voice of the Wildflowers”

April 1, 2025 / Katie L. Carroll

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.

“Whatever the [redacted] I Want” for Writing & Life in 2025

January 31, 2025 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s that last day of January 2025. I haven’t written a 2024 writing or reading wrap-up. My partner traveled a lot this month, so that meant lots of solo parenting on my part. We finally took the Christmas tree down this week. The world is a mess, and my brain is feeling that way, too. It’s a chaotic start to the year!

And to throw you all for a loop, my current work-in-progress is a novel for adults. It’s tentatively called Sunflowers at the End of the World and it’s a cozy dystopian novel about joy. Yes, that feels like a contradiction, but it’s all plays into my theme for 2025. Which is…

“Whatever the f%$@ I want!”

That’s not to say I’m shirking my responsibilities or being frivolous. I’m simply choosing to use my precious time and energy on the things I want to do. That means working on writing projects I’m passionate about, even if they deviate from my previous plans. That means leaning into causes that I’m passionate about. That means staying informed but also taking steps to filter out what and how much I consume when it comes to current events.

My work as an author, as a Board Member for my local library, and as a member of Authors Against Book Bans puts me in a position to double-down on protecting access to books and information in the face of a government who is actively trying to dismantle these things. This is one of the foundational principles of U.S. democracy, and I’m ready to fight for it.

There are a lot of other horrific things the U.S. government is trying to do, but I personally can’t fight them all without burning out. I also don’t have the know-how or resources to fight on every front. I’m picking a few and devoting myself to them. I’m also actively letting my Senators and other government officials know how I feel about the many issues plaguing the country. I’m finding 5 Calls a helpful tool for this.

I can’t and won’t try to do all the things. But there is a lot I can and want to do. I’m going all-in on those things and filtering out the rest.

What’s your word, mantra, or theme for this year? What causes are you fighting for?