Category: Picture Book (Page 2 of 7)

SELFIES FROM MARS Release Day!

February 13, 2023 / Katie L. Carroll

Today’s the day! SELFIES FROM MARS: THE TRUE STORY OF MARS ROVER OPPORTUNITY is out in the world. It truly feels like a miracle every time a new book comes out. I also finally have an author newsletter, and you get two free short stories when you sign up!

@katielcarrollauthor
Opportunity was the robot that just kept on roving on Mars! #mars #marsrover #roveropportunity #spacebooks #stembooks #selfiesfrommars #nonfiction #rover #goodnightoppy #robots #spacerobot
♬ Natural Emotions – Muspace

Bringing a nonfiction book into the world was a complicated, wonderful learning experience. There were image credits and song lyrics rights to consider. Many facts to check and double-check. Even the type of paper to use for the print copies proved to be a new challenge to tackle. So many hours went into the design of this book, but I’m so thrilled with how it came out.

In addition to the main narrative for rover Opportunity (with some rover Spirit in there, too), there are so many facts and figures to discover in Selfies From Mars. I can’t wait for young readers to meet little Oppy and read the Fact Files.

I know this is a nonfiction book, but the ending makes me so emotional every time! After all, it was the emotional end of Opportunity’s incredible mission that inspired me to go into a deep dive on this rover and become enamored by it.

Who can forget the poetic interpretation of Opportunity’s last message to Earth? “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.” Or that the rover’s team played a love song, Billie Holiday’s version of “I’ll Be Seeing You,” as a goodbye? Pay particular attention to the last few lines (or read the book to see which lyrics I’m talking about!).

SELFIES FROM MARS blurb:

From evidence of water to stunning images,
Mars rover Opportunity allowed humans to
experience the Red Planet as never before.
Ride along on the 15-year mission
that captured hearts a world away!

Available from Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, or Book Depository (for international folks). Coming soon signed copies from Katie’s bookstore.

Wrapping Up 2022 and What’s to Come in 2023

January 13, 2023 / Katie L. Carroll

Happy New Year! It seems to be flying by already, and I don’t expect it to slow down. According to Goodreads, I read 52 books in 2022, but that doesn’t include the countless picture books I read. I set my usual goal of 50 books for 2023, though reading is off to a bit of a slow start for me. What are your reading goals for this year?

As an author, 2022 was a banner year as it was the first time I released two books in one year. And 2023 is set to be even bigger with five book releases! (Yes, I do sleep, but probably not as much as I should.)

The first of which is my nonfiction book SELFIES FROM MARS: THE TRUE STORY OF MARS ROVER OPPORTUNITY, which comes out February 13 and is up for preorder on most sites! I have some final proofing and uploading to do, but this one is mostly done and ready to meet readers.

From evidence of water to stunning images,
Mars rover Opportunity allowed humans to
experience the Red Planet as never before.
Ride along on the 15-year mission
that captured hearts a world away!

Then I’ve got three YA thrillers, one standalone and a duology, planned for the spring and summer months. Details on titles, covers, release dates, and ARC copies all coming soon. I’m working on getting a monthly newsletter going, so stay tuned for that. It’ll be the best place to get all my book news first.

And finally, another picture book in the Family Christmas Tales series called DADDY’S TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. Phoebe Cho will be illustrating this one, and we will be getting started on that soon. The first in the series was MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, which recently got a lovely 5-star review from Readers’ Favorite, earning it a shiny badge.

For anyone interested in a detailed workshop about self-publishing children’s book (picture books through YA), I’m presenting my 90-minute workshop “What to Expect When You’re Self-Publishing” on Saturday, January 21 at 10:30 a.m. (ET). It’s on Zoom, so you can attend from anywhere and there will be a recording available for 30 days after.

Alrighty, one last question for all of you…is there anything in particular you’d like me to blather on about here on the blog this year?

Signed Books, SELFIES FROM MARS Pre-order, & Self-Publishing Workshop

December 5, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

Since it’s that gift-giving time of year, a reminder that signed copies of my books are available to be shipped right to you on my Purchase Books page. If you want those goodies to arrive by Christmas, you should get your orders in now. And a reminder that you can also purchase them on all the usual online book retailers or order them from your local indie bookstore.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with my books, my award-winning YA fantasies, Elixir Bound and Elixir Saved, are great for teens or adults who love epic fantasy with cozy vibes. Pirate Island and Witch Test are contemporary middle grade with a hint of the supernatural, great for the 8 and up crowd but particularly perfect for 10-14 year-olds.

The Bedtime Knight is an imaginative, interactive picture book that’s a fun read aloud. And finally, Mommy’s Night Before Christmas is a modern take on the classic Christmas poem that is just as much for the adults as it is for the kids. This one is a great stocking stuffer for all the moms in your life.

Speaking of books (as if I talk about so many other things here!), I have a new one coming your way February 13, 2023, and it’s up for pre-order now. Meet Selfies From Mars: The True Story of Mars Rover Opportunity! It’s STEM with heart. This has been a passion project of mine that I’m so excited to bring to readers. It’s my first nonfiction children’s book, and I have loved working on it, particularly using all the amazing NASA images from Opportunity’s mission. I also navigated the tricky world of music licensing for this book.

At Indie Author Day at the Norwalk Public Library, there was a lot of interest from other authors to learn more about self-publishing children’s books. So I’ve been convinced to offer up my self-publishing workshop “What to Expect When Self-Publishing” in January. This is digital workshop, so you can attend from anywhere (details and sign up here)!

Yes, I’ve been very busy! I wouldn’t want it any other way. What have you all been up to this fall?

MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Katie L. Carroll, illustrated by Phoebe Cho, Releases!

October 25, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m so excited (and only a little bit exhausted) to celebrate another book release. Welcome to the world MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS! This began as a spark of an idea in this tired mom’s brain one night shortly before Christmas. It lived for many years as an annual post on my blog until I finally decided to make it into an actual book.

The process of looking for an illustrator, landing with the amazing Phoebe Cho, and having the story illustrated was so rewarding. Phoebe’s style has just the right amount of nostalgia for a retelling of a classic but also the modern take I was searching for. And the way she brought the characters to life is truly magical!

I’m going live today at noon (ET) on Tiktok for a reading of the book. In the meantime, here’s a peek at a few of the pages.

I’ve mentioned how I believe adults should read picture books whether or not they have children to read them to (see my post “Picture Book Recommendations for Adults”), and MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS is definitely a picture book that is as much for adults as it is for the kids.

Buy signed copies on the Purchase Books page, or find it at Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Kobo, or Book Depository (for international folks), and more!

‘Twas the night before Christmas…

In this humorous take on the classic Christmas poem by Clement C. Moore, the concept of the serene night before Christmas is turned on its head. Instead of visions of sugar plums, the children are teething and playing loudly. There are presents to be wrapped and ornaments to be mended. Just when Mommy and Daddy take a moment to relax, a noise outside alerts them to a surprise visitor. But Mommy’s determined not to let anyone–not even Santa Claus himself–disturb the sleeping children on Christmas Eve.

Children and parents alike will be entertained and delighted by this new classic Christmas story! The perfect gift for all the moms who make Christmas so special.

When a Writer Doesn’t Have Time for Writing and New Books from Katie L. Carroll

October 13, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

I have been longing to get back into creative mode. I’ve got a revision of my YA psychological thriller Hamlet retelling that has been inching along so very slowly. NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts in a few weeks, and I really want to draft my next YA during November.

However, with two book releases this fall (and approximately a thousand soccer games for my kids), there’s been little time for the actual book writing and revising. It’s a case of the writer not getting to actually write. The fact is being an author means marketing our books, and being an indie author means producing our books as well. I’ll get back into the fun stuff eventually.

The good news is that WITCH TEST is out in the world and spreading all kinds witchy, crow, Halloween vibes. It recently hit #1 in all its categories on Kobo, so that was super exciting! Thank you so much to all who have read, reviewed it, or shared it. Posting reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other book retailers is so helpful to authors because it increases the chance of new readers finding it.

MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS comes out in 12 days! It’s available for pre-order at all the usual places, like Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Kobo. I’ll soon be getting the listing up on my Purchase Books page for those of you who are interested in signed copies. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS makes for a great Christmas gift for any moms you know. I still can’t get over the beautiful illustrations by Phoebe Cho.

Here’s a little video I created for it. How’s your fall going?

@katielcarrollauthor
Mommy’s Night Before Christmas by Katie L. Carrol with illustrations by Phoebe Cho is the perfect gift for all the moms (and the kids). #mommysnightbeforechristmas #picturebook #christmasbooks #giftsforher #booktok
♬ We Wish You a Merry Christmas (music box) – yostimar