Tag: birth story

Happy Book Birthday to ELIXIR SAVED by Katie L. Carroll

July 14, 2020 / Katie L. Carroll

Today’s the day…ELIXIR SAVED is out in the world! It’s been quite the journey with this book. It took me a very long time to write (here’s a post I wrote back in 2017 “Why Is It Taking Me So Long To Write The Second Elixir Book?”) and was more work than I anticipated, even though I knew it was going to be a hard book to write.

I’m really proud of it, though. I think it reflects how much I’ve grown as a person and a writer since those long ago days when I wrote ELIXIR BOUND. Most importantly, I think it gives the character based on my sister Kylene the journey I wanted for her, the story I couldn’t give her in the first Elixir book because I wasn’t ready yet. And it has a gorgeous cover thanks to the very talented Susan Tait Porcaro, who has turned from a colleague to a friend.

I decided to roll with the idea of book birthdays and give ELIXIR SAVED its very own birth story. This video was fun (and embarrassing) to make, but I hope it shows how much I love writing and my books, even when they’re difficult…much like having kids. Plus I got to wear the dress I got (pre-pandemic) for book events.

I’m trying to be positive in this release post because I want to send my book baby out into the world with good energy. But I can’t say it’s been easy to release a book during a pandemic. I rely on hand-selling at events to help get the word out and reach new readers. I’m also missing out on an unknown number of opportunities for both Elixir books that may have arisen as a result of ELIXIR BOUND winning an award last year. I’m also aware of the privilege I have of getting to this at all.

There are the usual release day nerves and jitters there, too. This book is long–maybe too long–despite my efforts to trim it as much as possible. Things have been so hectic this year, I ended up doing most of the final edits on my own, so I’m nervous about what I may have missed. After working so long on a book, it’s hard to have any perspective. Way to sell you all on buying the book, right? *insert awkward laughter*

So if I haven’t totally scared you away by now, here are the details on what the book is about and where you can buy it. Thanks so much to each and every one of you for being a part of my author journey!

ELIXIR SAVED by Katie L. Carroll

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. Perfect for fans of the Thrones of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

Buy the book on Bookshop, Amazon, Kobo, IndieBound, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple Books, and Book Depository (for international folks).

Celebrating Book Birthdays and Baby Birthdays All Week Long

July 13, 2020 / Katie L. Carroll

With ELIXIR SAVED releasing tomorrow and three family birthdays this week, it’s all about books and birthdays on the blog (say that three times fast!). Stop by tomorrow for the official ELIXIR SAVED launch video…where I may have taken the idea of a book birthday a little too far.

On Wednesday, I’ll be on author Kai Strand’s blog talking about my biggest challenge in writing book 2 (I cheated a little on this one and wrote about two things that challenged me). Then here on Friday, I have an author interview with Estelle Laure, whose book MAYHEM shares a book birthday with ELIXIR SAVED.

There will more fun on the blog the rest of July. Next week, you can take a quiz (don’t worry, it’s only 7 questions and there are no wrong answers) to find out what element fuels your magic. And then some posts about the process of writing ELIXIR SAVED. If you have any questions about the writing process or any of my books, drop them in the comments and I’ll answer them here on the blog.

Today, though, is all about birth stories. I’ve shared here on the blog the exciting birth stories of my first two kiddos, one of whom was born during a hurricane (check out “A Beautiful Life Is Born”) and the other who was almost born in the car (check out “The Precipitous Birth of Baby Boy #2”). When I went looking for a post about the third kiddo’s birth story, I realized I never wrote it up (such is the way of parenthood after the first couple of kids), all I found was a post called “Summer 2017 in Pictures – All About Adjusting” with me saying his birth story will get up on the blog eventually.

The Gentleman (kiddo #3) came in an equally exciting way as the other two. The only reason we made it in time to the hospital was because we knew from the very quick birth of kiddo #2 to head there at the very first sign of labor. We still never made it to labor and delivery, and he was born in one of the tiny triage rooms before my doctor made it to the hospital. This was despite the several warnings my husband and I gave them about how our previous baby was born in one of those same triage rooms and maybe they should go ahead and send me to labor and delivery. It all worked out in the end, and that’s the important thing.

Turns out my own birth story was rather exciting as well. My dad worked for the local newspaper at the time and wrote about it in his column. My parents didn’t have health insurance, so when my mom went into labor at about 9:00 p.m., she decided to try and labor at home until midnight to avoid the extra night’s charge. The hospital was down the road from our house, so they almost decided to walk but got a ride from my aunt at the last minute. My mom was admitted at 12:01 a.m. (with my dad double-checking the time on the paperwork) and I was born at 1:03 a.m. I guess quick births run in the family!

Anyone else have an exciting birth story? See you all tomorrow where I embarrass myself on video and share ELIXIR SAVED’s birth story!

The Precipitous Birth of Baby Boy #2

June 24, 2014 / Katie L. Carroll

Seems my boys always arrive with excitement. My first son (a.k.a The Boy, who will be three at the end of August) arrived 17 days early in the middle of Hurricane Irene (you can read his birth story here). Baby Boy #2 (which admittedly is not a great nickname…any suggestions on what his Internet name should be?) arrived during storm free weather, but with haste.

The word used by the nurses and doctors was “precipitous” and I was warned that if I should have any more children, everyone should know my last labor was fast. My water broke while we were getting The Boy ready for bed, and since my water had broken (which supposedly only happens to about 15 percent of women before labor starts…but I’m skeptical on this number b/c of my two labor experiences) with the first baby, I actually knew it was my water breaking this time (last time I was kind of hoping it was a bladder control issue!).

So we settled The Boy into bed and called the on-call doctor. Based my my history, which was a 12-hour labor with induction the first time around, she said it was up to me whether or not to labor at home or to come right to the hospital. We had to wait for my mother-in-law to come and to finish up packing the essentials in our bags, so we said we’d head to the hospital soon.

My contractions were steady at about 7 minutes and not too bad. Fast forward an hour or so and they were closer to 4 minutes apart and we were ready to go. Fast forward another few minutes while we were on the way to the hospital and they were coming hard and only 2 minutes apart. Yikes! The hubby picked up the pace and we made it to the hospital (which is several towns away) in 12 minutes, despite getting stuck behind some slooooow construction vehicles.

I had a contraction in the valet parking area and three more on the short trip up to the triage area where they check to see how far along you are. The pain was intense and there was some kind of emergency so the staff was scarce. I could barely stand and couldn’t get on the table, and the hubby was frantically trying to get someone to check me out.

It was a long few minutes until someone came in and when she checked me she was like, “The head is right there.” Then yet another contraction hit and with a panicked face, she was like, “Please, don’t push.” And I was like, “I’m trying not to push.” But this baby was coming!

Then things started happening really fast. My doctor hadn’t arrived at the hospital yet, so a bunch of nurses, a resident, a midwife, and the NICU doctor all squeezed into the tiny triage room with me, my husband, and all our bags. A handful of pushes later and an 8 lb 2 oz, 20.5 inches long baby boy was born, healthy and happy.

My two older sisters were supposed to be there for the birth. One made it in the middle and wasn’t allowed in (and couldn’t fit in the tiny room anyway) and the other arrived shortly after the birth. Needless to say, no one expected our little bundle of joy to arrive so fast. All the staff in the triage agreed it was a very exciting birth and that we certainly spiced up the night for them.

We’re home now and getting used to our new, bigger family. The Boy is such a sweet big brother, and the baby has been great so far too! Loving my time with the family, even with the expected sleep deprivation. Closing out the post with some pics.