Tag: Elixir Saved (Page 7 of 9)

So Close to “The End” in the Second Elixir Book

February 27, 2019 / Katie L. Carroll

The cover of Elixir Bound by Katie L. Carroll.

Many of you know that I’ve been working on ELIXIR SAVED, a companion novel to my YA fantasy ELIXIR BOUND. Some of you know I’ve been working on it a very long time (see my blog post from 2017 “Why Is It Taking Me So Long To Write The Second Elixir Book?” for some of the reasons). It’s been so long that I wasn’t even sure when I started it, so I took a look back some of my earliest computer files for SAVED and see at least one dating back to 2010.

That’s just the oldest computer file I have on it. I have no idea how long some of my handwritten notes and ideas go back. The truth is that SAVED is the original book I had in mind when I first conceived of the Elixir world, and that was way back when I was still in college, so we’re talking 2003 probably. So a really (insert swearword here) long time!

The good news is that I have all three (yes, that’s three!) point-of-view characters written right up the to climax of the story. They’ve all been in different places for most the story and now they’re finally coming together for that final battle. I know some of the things that are going to happen, but I’ve left some room open for the characters to surprise me. And it’s so intimidating.

I thought once I got the characters to this point that I’d dive right in to finishing this draft. But I find myself hesitating to put the words down, finding that I need some time to think through more of the details. The vision I have so far for these final scenes is kind of vague and fuzzy in spots and I can’t quite pin down what those parts are going to look like. I might not figure that out until I start writing it, though.

Then I start wondering if it’s really that I’m not sure how to finish off the story or if it’s a matter of cold feet. I’ve been working on this story for so long, it’s weird to think about not working on it. Believe me, I have plenty of other projects that I want to start once this one is done (hello, my pretty middle grade witchy book!). And it’s not like finishing this draft means I’m anywhere close to being done with the story (hello, rewrites, revisions, and edits!). So it’s not that I’m afraid I’ll have nothing to do after. What is it exactly that’s holding me back then?

Part of it is definitely worrying about not doing the story justice, an extra large concern when one of the characters is inspired by my sister Kylene. Like I won’t even be close to bridging that gap between what I’ve envisioned for the story and what ends up on the page, which is always a concern with any creative pursuit. Though, it’s not like I need to have it there with a draft anyway…that’s what all those rewrites, revisions, and edits are for.

So why do I have a nervous bundle of energy in my stomach when I think about writing “The End,” something I’ve been striving for all this time? It makes me think about when I’m getting close to finishing a really good book. There’s that urge to read as fast as I can in order to find out what happens. But there’s also this urge to slow down and take it all in. Because once the book is over, that’s it. Sure, you can reread a book, but it’s never the same as the first time.

The End handwritten on a torn sheet of notebook paper.

Perhaps I’m just needing to be in this moment of almost-finished for a little bit before I get there. To take my time to be in the moment and appreciate it before it’s over…to keep those butterflies of anticipation alive a little longer.

Then I need to finish the book because, damn, that many years of working on it is enough already!

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.

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?

Summer Writing Update: Elixirs, Witches, and Pirates!

June 21, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

The kids have been out of school for a week and summer break is in full swing here! We’ve made out lists of activities we’d like to do and places we’d like to go this summer. Some we’ve already done or have planned (like going to the zoo and strawberry picking), while others are probably not going to happen this year (like visit NASCAR’s Hall of Fame).

As for my writing, I’ve got a couple of things going on. I’m working on getting my YA fantasy Elixir Bound with the new cover back up for sale. Right now you can get the ebook of Elixir Bound from Amazon and that’s it. I’ll post when I get it up in paperback and on ebook for the other vendors. Plus, I finally created a book trailer for it, which was a lot of fun. It was nice to work a different set of creative muscles for it. (The map it features is part of the map of the Great Peninsula, which can be seen in full in the new version of Elixir Bound.)

I’ve been on something of a roll with drafting the companion novel Elixir Saved. I’ve been drafting this novel for years…yes, I said years! So long, in fact, that I’ve been calling it my perpetual WIP (work-in-progress). But I think I’m finally crested the murky middle section and can see the far side of the hill. I’m hoping to keep that momentum going over the summer and get it ready for beta readers before the end of the year. I’d like to publish this one some time next year (fingers crossed!).

Research for my next middle grade book has been going well. I’ve been doing a bunch of reading about the witch trials that took place in Connecticut (mostly before the more famous Salem Witch Trials) and what colonial Connecticut was like. I checked out a local history book from the library and mentioned it to my dad because he’s a history nerd. He was like, “Is that the book where I helped write and edit the updated history in the 1980s?” Turns out it was! And my grandfather, who was there when I mentioned it to my dad, was like, “My father, your great-grandfather, helped with the version that was written in the 1930s.” So that was an interesting serendipitous moment.

The witchy middle grade book–which in my mind is pitched as Mean Girls meets The Crucible–doesn’t take place in history, but it will be a contemporary middle grade that delves into history and ties it to the present, much like Pirate Island does with Captain Kidd’s history being woven into Billy’s story in the present day. I hope to start drafting this story soon, but I need to focus on Elixir for now.

Speaking of Pirate Island, the ebook is on sale for $1.99 for a limited time, so scoop that up if you haven’t already (links for Pirate Island on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo). I’ve also got an exciting announcement coming up for Pirate Island once my local library makes it public…just to give you a little teaser there. 😉

And I always have stuff I’m waiting to hear back about, so there’s always the potential for good news (or devastating rejections!). Thus is the nature of the publishing biz.

Anyway, I’m excited for the summer weather and hanging out with the boys and family day trips. And a certain writer/mama’s birthday is coming a few days before a certain gentleman’s first birthday. Oh, and I’ll be going to the big SCBWI conference in L.A. this summer. I’m so excited (I won the trip, so the airfare, hotel, and conference fee were paid for!), but super nervous about leaving the baby. I keep telling myself it’ll be fine. Busy times, busy times.

What are your summer plans?

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!

Young Kids, Short Attention Span, Short Writing Time

February 20, 2018 / Katie L. Carroll

Babies and young children have short attention spans, but the title of this post doesn’t refer to my kids’ attention spans; it refers to mine. I once read a quote about a mother’s attention span is only as long as that of her youngest child (I tried looking it up to cite it but couldn’t find it and, honestly, didn’t look that long 😉 ). My youngest is 7 months old, so that tells you about how long I can concentrate on any one thing. The shiny hot mess that is social media doesn’t help either!

via GIPHY

Hence why I’ve been focusing a lot of my writing time on picture books. Not easier to write than novels, but easier to feel like I’m actually making some progress on it in the shorter work sessions that fit into my current life. I’ve also been reading a ton of picture books with the kids, so I’m naturally inspired by that form.

Yet that old perpetual WIP (work-in-progress) Elixir Saved is weighing on me. I’m at the point where not working on it is always in the back of my mind. It’s different than when I’ve consciously taken a break from it because I needed to. This time I kind of feel like I’m just avoiding it. I’m in the meaty middle of the draft. I know where the story needs to go and I have a solid idea of how to get it there, but it’s gonna take a lot of work. So, yeah, I should probably make it a priority to work on it, instead of finding new things to work on.

Not that I’m going to stop working on my picture books. I just think I need a better balance. Isn’t is that what it always comes down to in pretty much everything in life: finding the right balance.

One last thing. I’m also in the market for a picture book critique partner. I’ve got plenty of writing buddies to exchange novels with, but not so much when it comes to picture books. I’d like someone with a little bit of experience in the area, but you you certainly don’t have to be an expert. Send me a message if you’re interested in seeing if we’re a good match!