Category: News (Page 12 of 14)

CT Authors Trail Event & Little Free Library Summer Reading Update

July 31, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve been having so much fun stopping by Little Free Libraries all summer long and leaving copies of ELIXIR BOUND with a code for an ARC of the upcoming second book in the Elixir series, ELIXIR SAVED. I have a pictures to share, but first an event announcement!

My stop on the CT Authors Trail is coming up on Monday, August 5 at 6:00 pm at the Voluntown Public Library, which is located at 107 Main Street, Vountown, CT 06384. In addition to learning about the inspiration behind my books, there will be games, writing prompts, signed books, photo ops, and maybe a sneak peek at ELIXIR SAVED (if I’m feeling brave!).

And now for the summer reading fun I’ve been having with Little Free Libraries and the Elixir series. States visited so far include Connecticut (of course), Virginia, and Vermont, with one on the way in New York. I’ve loved checking out the different themes people and organizations have come up with for their little libraries. We’ve encountered The Lorax, space, and a couple of beachy ones.

The boys have enjoyed picking up a book at a few of our stops as well! I think my favorite one so far was a bright yellow one, not because it looked particularly special but because it was at the soccer field dedicated in memory of my sister, Kylene.

I’ve been posting pictures on all my social media accounts (find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), so you can follow along as I drop off the rest. You can also get the latest updates on my progress on ELIXIR SAVED. I finally finished the big revision I was working on (about a month late), and now I’m getting the final scenes written and the three POVs organized so I can send it out to my beta readers. I’ll also be contacted my cover artist soon to get working on that. Yay! I’ve tentatively set a November 2019 release date, so get ready for another journey into the world of the Elixir!

Katie’s 2019 Resolution Word: Community

January 15, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

I know we’re halfway through January already and nobody seems to be talking about resolutions or goals anymore, but I’ve been thinking about my own goals for 2019 and wanted to chime in here. In part to organize my thoughts (because blogging helps me do that) and also to hold myself accountable. There’s something about writing down a goal that makes it feel real to me. (Feel free to bug me throughout the year to see how I’m doing…I’ll do the same for you if you’d like; just let me know a way to contact you.)

I don’t really like New Year’s resolutions because they feel arbitrary to me. I often reevaluate where I’m at and where I want to be and how to get there, and the approach of a new year isn’t necessarily the best time (for me) to set a new goal. But I do like the idea of picking a word to set the tone for the year. Last year, my word was “focus,” which primarily referred to focusing on one particular WIP that I wanted to finish (more about how I did on that goal later). So this year’s word is…drum roll, please…

Community!

Now that my youngest is the ripe old age of 18 months, I have a tiny bit more flexibility in my schedule, which means I’m hoping to be able to connect to my writing community more. Specifically I’d like to attend more nearby writing events at bookstores and libraries in support of my writer friends, I plan on doing a writing retreat at the Highlights Foundation later this year (they call it an Unworkshop), and I’m thinking about starting up an SCBWI meet and greet in my area. And I’d also like to get back to connecting better with my critique partners, both online and in person.

I’ll be honest, having been super focused on raising my kiddos for the last 7-1/2 years makes me feel out of practice with adult interactions. It’s not that I haven’t been going to the occasional writing conference and getting out and spending actual time with adults, but it’s definitely something that has taken a backseat. My social awkwardness feels like it’s at an all-time high, but I’m going to try push through and force myself to do things that maybe feel uncomfortable.

I believe my life and my writing will be more enriched for the trouble of getting out and doing stuff. It’s easy to sit inside on my computer and phone, scrolling through social media, and delude myself into thinking that I’m being sociable. (And there’s certainly great benefits to having an awesome online community.) But I’m craving that face-to-face contact.

So how’d I do with last year’s word of focus? Pretty good actually. The project I really wanted to finish was ELIXIR SAVED, and I got so close to doing it, despite computer issues in December. Close enough to feel confident that I’ll be able to release it later this year. So stay tuned for more news about that!

What are all your resolutions/goals/words for 2019? Who wants to be an accountability buddy with me?

A Fall of Events and Writing in Pictures

December 4, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

Okay, so it’s been a crazy busy fall here. Bookish events abounded; I added over 10,000 words to ELIXIR SAVED in November (so close to finishing this draft finally and really pushing to make my end of year deadline on it); and lots of soccer, school things, and fun stuff with the boys. Now that December is here, the craziness of the holiday season had already started.

So it’s a picture post! (From top to bottom: A book signing event at Barnes & Noble, the boys playing in the driveway, Halloween cookies, Halloween night, writing workshop for kids at the Norwalk Public Library, voting on Election Day, One City One Story event at the Milford Public Library, the two older boys reading PIRATE ISLAND in the green screen pirate ship at the One City One Story event, and a snowy Mark Twain House for the New England SCBWI Day of Craft.) Pop down to the comments and share what you all have been up to.

PIRATE ISLAND Event Pictures and News

September 26, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s been a whirlwind this past week with two book events (plus all the usual shenanigans that go on around here with the kiddos and such)! The PIRATE ISLAND One City, One Story event at the library was so much fun. I always enjoy talking about Charles Island, the real island that inspired Pirate Island, and the legends of Captain William Kidd’s lost pirate treasure that may be buried there.

Since I’ve talked about this topic at the library once before I hit some of the old favorite facts and legends but also mixed in some new ones. Then we had cookies, a writing prompt, and pictures…lots of pictures. A photographer from the Connecticut Post stopped by and took a bunch of pictures and put a nice little write up about the event in the newspaper with a slideshow. The librarian also set up the green screen and the kids hammed it up. Here are a couple of shots from her.

Then on Saturday I was at the Milford Barnes & Noble signing books and helping raise funds for the Friends of the Milford Public Library. You can shop online at BN.com/bookfairs through Friday, September 28 with bookfair code 12394516 to help out the Friends! If you’re local, the are probably still some signed copies of PIRATE ISLAND at the bookstore as well.

I’ve got one more event coming up on Saturday, October 13 at the Norwalk Public Library for their Indie Author Day. They don’t have a lot of details listed on their website yet, but I can tell you that it’s an all day event with a ton of authors of all age groups and genres. I’ll be reading in the Children’s Room in the morning and selling copies of PIRATE ISLAND and ELIXIR BOUND (with the new cover!) all day. And hopefully catching up with a few of my author friends that I think are going.

I’ve been slowly but steadily pecking away at the second Elixir book, ELIXIR SAVED. I’ve finally passed that muddy middle and have tipped over into the second half with THE END in sight! I’m hoping to have a good draft done by the end of the year to send out to beta readers for feedback. This in anticipation of releasing it some time next year!!!

My reading goals have been going well this year. I actually bumped up my number goal recently, and I feel like I’ve been doing well mixing in lots of books from underrepresented communities and indie authors as well. So what have you all been up to? Reading, writing, and otherwise?

ELIXIR BOUND Is Getting a Makeover

May 28, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

It’s finally time to reveal the big ELIXIR BOUND news that I’ve been teasing about for the past few weeks: it’s getting a makeover! Susan Tait Porcaro, the super talented illustrator behind the PIRATE ISLAND cover, created a brand-new cover for my YA fantasy ELIXIR BOUND! (Check out her website http://susantaitporcaro.com/ to fall in love with all her work.)

I truly loved the old cover, but this one with the bottle and vines and the forest is exactly what I wanted for the new cover (scroll down to see the full paperback cover below). It conveys the magic and atmosphere of ELIXIR BOUND perfectly. And when ELIXIR SAVED, a companion novel, comes out (I think I’m going to actually pull off having it ready for a 2019 release!), it will have a cover with a similar feel.

So what does it mean when a book gets a new cover? Well, for those of you who already have the old version, it’s still the same book inside, so that’s not gonna change. For anyone who decides to get the new version, it will include a map of the Great Peninsula and an expanded blurb.

Katora Kase isn’t the firstborn son nor does she possess the type of magic that can conjure spells or bewitch others.

In the land of the Great Peninsula—an epic fantasy world ruled by the Great Mother Nature and her offspring—those things aren’t a measure of one’s worth. And what Katora does possess is the subtle magic running through her blood that marks her as the next guardian of a secret healing Elixir that is her family’s legacy. It is such a highly guarded secret that Katora doesn’t know of its existence until a rare snowstorm blows through with a message for her father, the current guardian.

Katora sets off on a quest into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the flowers that give the Elixir its potency. Even though she is accompanied by her sister, her brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker, she feels alone. For it is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir’s magic to serve and protect it until a new guardian is chosen. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love.

The new cover also means that ELIXIR BOUND isn’t currently available for purchase, but I’ll update you all once it’s back up for sale. (FYI, I still have a few paperbacks of the old cover kicking around, so it you really wanted that version, email me at katielcarroll(at)yahoo(dot)com (replace the “(at)” with “@” and the “(dot)” with “.”) and we’ll work something out.

The best places to get the latest information about me and my books is to subscribe to the blog over on the sidebar there (mobile users, scroll all the way down and click on Desktop to view the sidebar) or follow me on Facebook and Twitter (@KatieLCarroll). Here’s the full paperback version of the cover!