Category: WIP (Page 2 of 16)

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?

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

MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS Cover Reveal

July 8, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

There’s so much going on right now as I prepare for my two fall releases and work on revisions for my Hamlet-inspired YA psychological thriller that’s coming out next year! Plus, it’s summer, so that means adventures and vacations with the family.

Today, though, I’m focusing on my upcoming picture book MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Consider this a reason to have a Christmas in July celebration because I’m revealing the gorgeous cover and one of my favorite spreads in the book. There is something so magical about seeing the words come to life through illustrations!

I was so happy to work with illustrator Phoebe Cho. Her vision for the characters and setting matched up with mine and more. She brought a really beautiful mix of classic Christmas nostalgia and a modern, realistic twist. So here it is!

Do you love it as much as I do?

Some of you long-time readers may remember my take on Clement C. Moore’s classic poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” that I shared each year at Christmastime. This version is quite similar (I did make a few edits to the text), but the illustrations take it to a whole new level.

It definitely can be read to kids (I’ve read it to mine a bunch of times and it always makes them laugh), but it’s truly a picture book for parents. One of my favorite spreads really demonstrates the kind of humor I was going for and shows you Santa himself!

I hissed, “Get off my roof, your reindeer too.”
With a shake of my hands, waved off his crew.
He grinned. “Don’t end up on my naughty list.”
Clearly this guy wasn’t getting my gist.
Mommy’s night before christmas

I can’t wait for you to meet the rest of the family! The book comes out October 25 and is starting to pop up on retailers for pre-order. I’m working with a marketing firm and am looking for a few published picture book authors to read it early and provide blurbs. If that’s you and you’re interested in MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, let me know at katielcarroll @ yahoo.com.

About MOMMY’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS:

‘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.

Pre-order now from Bookshop, Amazon (hardcover or ebook), Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, or Book Depository (for international folks).

Still Mourning Kylene 20 Years Later

April 18, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

This weekend marked the 20th anniversary of my sister’s death. I’ve written a lot about Kylene, her life and mourning her. On the 8th anniversary of her death, I shared a poem she wrote. A year later, in my post “A Lonely Anniversary,” I expressed having a feeling of loneliness that I could place…until finally realizing I was missing my sister. And I shared another one of her poems.

On the 11th anniversary of her death, I was once again “Thinking of Kylene” while reading through one of her journals. One of my favorite posts about her is “No Matter How You Do The Math, Death Death Just Doesn’t Add Up,” where I memorialized her life and tried to make sense of her death. And, of course, there is “The Story of How I Became A Writer.”

Mourning is a life-long process, and something that often weaves its way into the stories I write. In my upcoming middle grade novel WITCH TEST, I once again explore this concept. The main character, Liza, was only three when her mother died in a car crash. Now 13 and friendless because her ex-best friend, Abby, has turned on her, Liza finds herself thinking of her mother. New and confusing feelings surface.

An ache settles in my chest, strong enough to make me groan out loud.
I think I miss my mom. Maybe that’s what’s been causing this feeling of loneliness that has been overwhelming me all afternoon. I think somewhere deep inside of me I’ve been missing her a long time, but this whole Abby thing has finally made me realize how much I lost when I lost my mom.
I never thought of it like that because it’s weird to miss someone you can’t remember.
Witch TEst

I think about the complicated feelings of losing someone young. As time passes, you change and the person you are mourning would have changed. I’m no longer the person my sister knew, and she would no longer be the person I knew. I miss who she was, and I miss who she would have been, even without knowing who exactly that person would have been. I also miss who I would have become if Kylene had lived.

Like Liza, I wonder if “miss” is the right word. In her case, she wonders if she can miss someone she doesn’t remember. In my case, I wonder if I can miss the versions of my sister and myself that never existed. All the while knowing I miss who she was.

I’ve come to call this complicated set of feelings “long mourning.” When the sharpness of new grief has faded away, you’re left with a longer pain — an ache that never really goes away, occasionally punctuated by a sharper pain.

So I guess that’s my convoluted way of saying I still miss my sister — in all the many ways you can miss someone who died young — 20 years after her death. I’ll suppose I’ll continue exploring those feelings in the stories I write, and in my own way, celebrating and mourning my little sister, Kylene.

WITCH TEST Book Announcement & ARC Reader Search

March 29, 2022 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m very excited to announce that my middle grade novel WITCH TEST will be coming out later this year! I don’t have an exact release date, but look for it in September. Of course, I’ll have all the details here on the blog as things move forward. You can make sure you’re subscribed to the blog by entering your email address on my website homepage https://katielcarroll.com.

I talked a little about this book in my post “WIP Update: Witchy Middle Grade & a Fear of Asking for Help.” Think of it as an upper middle grade Mean Girls meets The Craft.

Not the real cover…just something I was playing around with.

Liza thought her summer fight with her ex-best friend, Abby, would blow over, but a month into eighth grade and the rumor firestorm has reach a whole new level of awful. And everyone believes that Liza is a witch! Even as a rekindled passion for art leads to new friends, Liza retreats into a bubble of depression. All these feelings get tied up in the never-ending grief of having lost her mom at a young age.

A glimmer of hope arrives when she finds her mother’s diary…until she actually reads it. Before Liza was born, her mom and aunt performed a ritual to conjure an ancestor persecuted in the town’s witch trials. So much for the witch stuff being rumors! As Liza digs into her witchy ancestry, everyone else is making plans for the Halloween night corn maze. If Liza can channel her inner witch on Halloween, maybe she can find the strength to stand up to Abby. If not, she risks losing not only her new friends but also a piece of herself to the growing depression.

I’m currently working on edits and developing a cover with the cover artist (not the real cover above, just a fun visual I put together myself). Some of my favorite things about this novel are the crows, the Halloween night corn maze, Liza’s aunts, her aunt’s shop Mother Goose Apothecary, and all the tea drinking! And the ending of this story never fails to get me all choked up, no matter how many times I read it.

I’ll be looking for ARC (advanced reader copy) readers soon, so let me know in the comments if that’s something that interests you. What is an ARC reader? That’s someone who gets an early copy of the book (these will be in ebook form) in exchange for a honest review.