Category: News (Page 11 of 14)

Author Katie L. Carroll Reads From PIRATE ISLAND for Pirate Day

June 8, 2020 / Katie L. Carroll

Sunday was Pirate Day in my hometown, a place with a rich history of pirate lore and the inspiration behind my middle grade adventure PIRATE ISLAND (as I’ve shared on the blog before “The Real Pirate Lore That Inspired PIRATE ISLAND”). I was a featured performer at last year’s Pirate Day where I had games set up for little ones, a photo station where you could take your picture on a “pirate ship,” and I did two talks about the town’s Captain Kidd history.

The harbor was swarmed with people as Captain Kidd, Jack Sparrow, and their troupe of pirates arrived on the ship. Not something that could happen this year, so I decided to hop on my personal pirate ship and do a reading from the first two chapters of PIRATE ISLAND.

If you stick around until the end (it’s only like 11 minutes, so hopefully not too long a time to listen to me!), you’ll get a peek at my first mate, who unfortunately was engaged in mutiny. Also, if you listen closely, you may hear my littlest shipmate playing the ukulele and singing what I can only assume was a sea shanty. It’s all small ship!

About PIRATE ISLAND

A thrice cursed island, a legendary pirate treasure, and one not-so-brave boy. What could possibly go wrong?

For centuries, the whereabouts of Captain William Kidd’s lost pirate treasure has remained a mystery. When Billy’s best friend, Andy, proposes they look for it on nearby Pirate Island, Billy thinks it’s just another one of their crazy adventures. It’s usually Billy who ends up in trouble as a result, but he goes along for the ride…like always. The more he delves into the life and death of Kidd, the more he thinks the treasure is real and that it might be buried on the small island in Long Island Sound. Billy—nope, call him William—becomes obsessed with the captain of the same first name. He even believes he’s possessed by Kidd’s restless soul. Now he and the spirit of a long-dead pirate are leading the crazy adventure on Pirate Island. And what they find is far bigger than the treasure they imagined.

PIRATE ISLAND is available from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, IndieBound, Smashwords, Book Depository (for international folks), and many other of your favorite book sellers! Anyone interested in learning more about the history of Captain William Kidd can check out the free Pirate Island Curriculum Guide or click on #CaptainKiddHistory.

ELIXIR SAVED Available for Pre-order & Writing in the Time of Coronavirus

April 9, 2020 / Katie L. Carroll

I keep seeing all these memes about how famous people made masterpieces while in quarantine, including Shakespeare penning King Lear during a plague outbreak. Meanwhile, I’m trying to manage distance learning with the kiddos, feed these very hungry children, and keep them busy while stuck at home 24/7. Oh, and I have a book coming out in July.

Writing? What is that even?

After finishing ELIXIR SAVED, I was actually planning on taking a break from writing to fill the creative well. But this forced break, where the idea of writing seems foreign and unattainable during a global pandemic, wasn’t what I had in mind. I had been hoping for a minute to breathe, to dig into my to-be-read pile with joy and enthusiasm, and to the take time to enjoy the outdoors in spring.

The other day, I browsed through my notebook for my witchy middle grade WIP. Meaning I stared at my notes and beat sheet somewhat blankly and added a few questions (like what does it even look like to write a contemporary story in the time of coronavirus when you started the story before there was such a thing?), which I have absolutely no answers for. Then I put it away and ran around with the boys in the backyard instead. My brain was so not able to focus on anything creative like that.

C’est la vie! In between all the family stuff (and managing my own anxiety, which has been high lately…to say the least), I’ve squeezed in a few minutes to work on updating my website with a new look and I’ll slowly be updating the pages as well. This kind of work uses a different part of the brain that doesn’t seem so stuck by the current state of events.

In some good news, ELIXIR SAVED has been popping up for pre-order on retail sites, like IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Smashwords, Book Depository, and Kobo. I’d love if you’d add it to your Want to Read list on Goodreads. Oh, and ELIXIR BOUND in ebook is only $0.99 right now! If you haven’t read it, now is a great time to pick it up. If you’ve already read it, I’d love for you to leave a review of it on Goodreads and Amazon or other ebook retail sites.

How is everyone doing? What are you all doing?

ELIXIR SAVED Cover Reveal (Finally!!!)

March 11, 2020 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve been promising the cover reveal for ELIXIR SAVED, and that day has finally arrived!!! I was hoping to have it up for pre-order before I revealed the cover, but I’m not quite there yet and thought we could all use some beauty in our lives right now. Plus I’ve been sitting on this cover for months and decided it was time all ready.

Please feel free to share the cover image or the video reveal (seriously, let’s paint the Internet with this gorgeous cover). And, of course, send all the props and love to my amazingly talented cover artist Susan Tait Porcaro.

Drum roll…

Three lives saved by the Elixir; three lives bound by it.
The Elixir entwines the lives of those it touches. Once upon a time, Kylene, Zelenka, and Devon tasted it and escaped death. None were left without scars. Now, a shocking message from the Ice Queen—one of Mother Nature’s higher beings—sends each survivor on a quest. Kylene travels to the frozen depths of Blanchardwood, Zelenka heads back to the wilds of Faway Forest, and Devon journeys to a reclusive mountain temple. The three paths converge in a war against an ancient and tricky foe. And even the Elixir cannot save everyone. The fate of the world balances on the edge of a sword, and the outcome depends on whether the survivors will sacrifice their second chances.
Escape back into the world of the Great Peninsula in this much-anticipated sequel to the award-winning ELIXIR BOUND.

And here it is in all its snowy glory!!!

ELIXIR BOUND Wins the 2019 Connecticut Author Project for YA Fiction

November 25, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

Updated to add that here is the official announcement for the winners of the 2019 Indie Author Project awards.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email that at first had me skeptical and then had me speechless. As someone who lists their email address directly on their website, usually when an email hits my inbox with a subject line referencing one of my books or being an author, they’re trying to sell me something. I tolerate those in order to keep communication channels open for readers, educators, and reviewers.

So when I saw on my phone this particular email from an address I didn’t know, I had the usual thoughts of it being a sales pitch. Then I actually read the email and I felt a strange buzzing sensation overcome me and render me speechless. ELIXIR BOUND, my YA fantasy that I self-published last year (after getting my rights back from the original publisher) had been selected by the Connecticut Indie Author Project as the winner in the YA fiction category!

The email went on to ask for a headshot and the book cover and explain that I would be getting badges to put on the cover. And it asked where to send the prize money! That’s when I started to get kind of light-headed and I called my husband to tell him the good news, all the while still kind of a in state of shock.

When I made the move to self-publishing, it was with a lot of excitement but also with a lot of trepidation. Would people think I was self-publishing because my books weren’t good enough to be traditionally published? Was I reducing my chances of ever getting traditionally published? Would I ever find an audience doing this myself? Some days it’s hard not to think I’m toiling away in obscurity, putting hours and hours and hours of energy and heart into these books with very little external validation.

That’s not to say I don’t recognize the wonderful support I’ve gotten from readers who have found my books, from local libraries and organizations, and from my family and friends. I appreciate every single person who has played some part in my journey as an author. But, yeah, those darker thoughts creep up and make me wonder if I’m wasting my time.

So to have an organization like the Indie Author Project, whose goal is to connect indie authors to libraries and readers, in conjunction with BiblioBoard and Library Journal recognize my work…well, that just helps to quiet all those doubts and let the good thoughts shine through. That what I do matters, that being in this for the long haul will hopefully pay off, that I am putting out quality work.

It looks like the winners haven’t been announced on the website yet, but my local librarian congratulated me when I stopped by the library last week, so I figure that makes it official enough to announce it here.

Critique Contest for Picture Book Authors & Author/Illustrators #PBCritiqueFest

October 17, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

So I’m still working on getting a post put together about my writing retreat at the Highlights Foundation. In the meantime, any picture book authors or author/illustrators should check out the #PBCritiqueFest contest, hosted by Picture Book Spotlight. There’s an amazing line up of authors, author/illustrators, and agents offering up critiques for the lucky winners!

This is an area of writing where I still consider myself a newbie, so I’m certainly throwing my hat in the ring. September and October (so far) have been super busy months both in my personal and writing life, so I’m hoping to catch up with all you lovely blog readers soon!