Category: News (Page 12 of 14)

Busy Summer, Busy Fall, & ELIXIR SAVED Cover Sneak Peek

September 23, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

Happy autumn! It’s been so busy here since school started! Summer was busy with fun activities and relaxing with the family, which I loved, but I got so little work done. So I’m happy to have been able to focus more on work this past month.

I’m loving my new schedule with the two bigger boys at school all day and just The Gentleman (who still naps in the afternoon!) home with me. I’ve been able to get a lot done, and I’ve really been pushing myself on the ELIXIR SAVED revision. This is seriously the book where everything has taken forever. Other exciting news for ELIXIR SAVED includes an upcoming cover reveal (sneak peek below)!!!

I’m also gearing up for a long weekend writing retreat at the Highlights Foundation! A writer friend and I are doing an Unworkshop. I’ve heard wonderful things about the Highlights workshops, so I’m excited to experience the place for myself. The idea of the Unworkshop is that you have time to focus on whatever project you’d like; they provide the meals, the lodging, and an inspiring rural setting. The plan is to get some major words written for my witchy middle grade book. Picture MEAN GIRLS meets THE CRUCIBLE!

Indie Author Day at the Norwalk Public Library is also coming up on Saturday, October 12. The full list of authors attending hasn’t been released yet, but based on past years, I’m guessing there will be large number. I’ll be there with ELIXIR BOUND and PIRATE ISLAND.

What are you all up to this fall?

ELIXIR SAVED Is On The Way

August 26, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve lost track of how long I’ve been working on the second Elixir book, ELIXIR SAVED. Looking back over my folders of documents, inspiration pictures, and notes, I see at least one that dates back to 2010! Really, though, this is the book I had the idea for when thinking about writing a book for my sister Kylene (and ending up writing ELIXIR BOUND first). So really I’ve been “working” on this book for many, many, many years.

It’s been a labor of love (and hate). It’s been a hard book to write. I’ve taken many breaks. I still haven’t quite gotten to write “The End” for it yet, though my last round of revisions got me at least in a place where I felt like I can actually write the ending scenes. I had hoped to do that this summer, but life was too busy and my head (and my heart) wasn’t in the right place. Now I think they are.

As a reward for making it through those last revisions, I allowed myself to contact my awesome cover artist Susan Tait Porcaro. She sent me a concept sketch yesterday and it’s looking really good. It’s visual motivation to keep on pushing to get this thing done.

Plus, two of three of the boys will be in school all day starting later this week, so hopefully that will give me the time I need. If any of my novel critique partners are reading this, expect an email from me soon! It’s been so long since I’ve had anything for them to read.

So look for ELIXIR SAVED, coming Winter 2020!

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.