Tag: Katie L. Carroll (Page 2 of 8)

Happy Book Birthday ONLY DARK EDGES by Katie L. Carroll

July 25, 2023 / Katie L. Carroll

Today is release day for my YA psychological thriller ONLY DARK EDGES! It’s hard to believe I have now published eight books. Thanks to all of you for sticking with me through all these many genres and age categories. And please consider leaving a review for my books on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or wherever you talk about books (reviews really do help readers find my books).

Only Dark Edges a modern-day, gender-swapped Hamlet retelling that’s about trying to find a way out of grief to what I’ve always called a “new normal.” But things are certainly conspiring against our main character Delta, so she’s having a hard time doing that.

I’ve written about grief before in my books, particularly in WITCH TEST, but Only Dark Edges was a particular challenge for me because it’s about the death of Delta’s sister. Those of you who have followed me for awhile know that it was the death of my own sister, Kylene, that inspired me to begin writing books (see “The Story of How I Became a Writer”). Having Hamlet as something of a framework gave me enough emotional distance from the book to be able to write something so emotionally charged.

I took a bit of an unusual approach to the book trailer with the voice over being a quote from Hamlet. I think it perfectly encapsulates Delta’s state of mind at the beginning of the book.

Hamlet meets You’ve Reached Sam in this YA psychological thriller that is both heart-pounding and heart-wrenching.

Delta’s spent the summer navigating the treacherous waters of losing her older sister, Gemma. Determined to brave junior year of high school without her sister, Delta finds solace in the arms of a new girlfriend. But grief takes a twisted turn when Gemma’s tortured ghost appears with a dire warning.

Beware the storm.

Plagued by the haunting suspicion that Gemma’s death involved foul play, Delta is plunged into a downward spiral of grief and paranoia. No one can be trusted—not her girlfriend, their friends, or her sister’s once-loyal boyfriend. Not even Delta’s own mind.

With a hurricane bearing down, two tempests collide at the abandoned Sea Glass Lodge. Accusations fly. Secrets unravel. And everyone is a target of the storm.

Find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Kobo, Google Play, Apple Books, and Smashwords.

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.

Reintroduction and Updates on Author Katie L. Carroll

October 4, 2021 / Katie L. Carroll

Author Katie L. Carroll at the CT Renaissance Faire, cosplaying as Yeselda, witch of Faway Forest, from the Elixir Chronicles.

Welcome to my blog! I have some new followers that I met at the CT Renaissance Faire, so I thought I’d reintroduce myself and my website. I generally post about twice a month, so you won’t be spammed with a million posts from me. I like to introduce myself by saying I write books for young people and those who are young at heart, and you can visit my Author Bio page to learn more about me.

I would be remiss not to also send a big thanks to all my long-time followers who have stuck with me these many years I’ve been blogging. I checked and discovered that my very first blog post was dated May 26, 2008! Every few years I wonder if I should keep blogging, but it seems that I’ll be continuing this venture of mine for awhile still.

The blog space is where I share updates about anything important going on with my books, like teasers and thoughts about my works-in-progress, any new releases or sale prices on my books (stay tuned in the coming weeks for news on sales), and upcoming events. You can learn more about books by clicking on the Books tab on my website and you can buy signed books directly from me by going to the Purchase Books tab.

I also post about things that are on my mind, often related to what I’ve been writing. I have an ongoing series of posts about space exploration and one of my favorite past series of posts was about females in YA. There is the occasional guest post from a fellow author, artist, or creative type or a post that includes pictures of my kiddos and our adventures.

I love connecting with readers and other writers here and welcome comments, so if there’s something particular you’d like me to write about, please do let me know. My Author Visits page and Events page are good places to check out if you want to connect with me further. For those of you interested in the publishing side of writing, I have Self-Publishing Resources as well.

Getting Back to In-Person Author Events

May 17, 2021 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m very excited, and also a little nervous, to announce that I will be attending my first in-person author event next month! It’s outdoors, everyone will be required to wear a mask, virus numbers are looking good in my state, and I’ll be fully vaccinated, so I think it’s the right time. Though socializing on this scale will definitely take some getting used to.

The event is on Saturday, June 5, 2021 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Granby Public Library. I was pleased to see a couple of familiar names on the list, including Cindy L. Rodriguez and Steve Parlato. I did an event with them way back in 2015 at the Avon Public Library, so it’ll be a fun reunion of sorts.

From left, authors Katie L. Carroll, Steve Parlato, Cindy L. Rodriguez, and Anissa Zucker at the Avon Library YA/Teen Author Night

Getting back into in-person author events has me thinking about past events, so I’ll leave you with a few pictures from those.

Happy Book Birthday to THE BEDTIME KNIGHT by Katie L. Carroll & Illustrated by Erika Baird

January 26, 2021 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m so happy to have THE BEDTIME KNIGHT out in the world today! This book was first released as an ebook for a picture book app way back in 2012 (see “The Bedtime Knight” Is Born”), and it’s exciting to have it out in print for the first time.

Erika Baird, the illustrator, really did an amazing job of using the pictures to tell the story along with the text. And I love the purple color scheme she chose. The original layout was the text on one side and the illustration on the other, much like this page in the version releasing today.

That wasn’t going to work for the entire picture book for a print version. The design would have gotten stale, and the number of pages wouldn’t have worked. When I purchased the illustration rights from Erika, it was for the originals, so I had to bring my own design skills (or lack thereof) to the table.

Wow, did I learn a lot in the process of designing a picture book. If I never hear about adjusting page size for bleed again, I will be a very happy person indeed! One of my favorite spreads is this one with the closeup the young mouse character. It’s hard to see in this screenshot, but the illustration has a white border around it, and it was fun page to design.

This book is all about facing fears, especially the ones in our own heads. The mouse daughter keeps imagining the shadows in her dark room are scary things (like a giant on the ceiling). When Daddy Knight shines the light on them, they discover the shadows are just ordinary objects (like a ceiling fan). Then together, they use their imaginations to turn those everyday things into something else (like a friendly sea creature).

As the story progresses, the young mouse grows more independent in using her imagination, until finally at the end, she is alone in her room (with Daddy watching from the doorway) and reimagines the shadows all by herself.

As a person with a very active imagination, I often see things in the dark that scare me, especially when I was child. I love the way the dad character in the book so lovingly guides his daughter to see things (literally) in a new light and empowers her to reimagine them.

THE BEDTIME KNIGHT is available in print and ebook from Bookshop, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, IndieBound, and other book retailers.

Also a quick reminder that I’m teaching a virtual ShopTalk for the New England SCBWI called “What to Expect When You’re Self-Publishing” this evening, Tuesday, January 26, at 7:00 p.m. (ET). This is going to be packed with information! I’ve also added a Self-Publishing Resources page to my website for anyone interested in exploring more on the topic.