FIRST COMES LOVE

Since the cover of FIRST COMES LOVE has been unveiled and ARC’s are now circulating, I think it’s time to say a few words about this book.







FIRST COMES LOVE started as a creative writing exercise. I wanted to write a love story from the male perspective. What started as ten pages quickly turned into two hundred. I simply fell in love with my characters. I fell in love with their story.

FIRST COMES LOVE flips perspectives between Gray and Dylan, but really, this is Gray’s story. It’s his issues to work through. It’s his perspective on death, friendship, family, love, sex, and his struggle to move on and follow his own path. The chapters are set up as stages that I think are necessary in building a relationship: First Meet, First Try, First Challenge, First Listen…

This book is very setting driven. It could not have been written without Arizona, California and New Mexico (all the places you’ll be taken to). This book also could not have been written without the help of Bob Dylan, The Killers, Counting Crows, U2, and Ryan Adams (all referenced in the story, by Gray).

I need to point out, especially to my current readers, this book is very different from AWAKEN. My agent and editor both finished reading it and said, “We love this! But, where did it come from??” (They were expecting futuristic sci-fi). Well, just as I read many different types of stories and genres, I want to write all different kinds of stories. I want to write realistic fiction, sci-fi, fantasy…any random idea I get in my overly imaginative head.

The publication date for FIRST COMES LOVE is May 8th, 2012.

Performing Surgery

Yesterday I finished my first round of edits for MIDDLE GROUND, and promptly celebrated with a beer at Flat Tail Brewery. How would I describe this book? Intense. Will I give you a sneak peak into the story? Sure. Here are ten words in the book (in this draft, anyway):

Chickens
Sandboarding
Mewling (love that word)
Detox (is that technically a word?)
Anonymous
Scrubs
Cacophony
Ninja
Precarious
Equinox

Have I peaked your curiosity? Now you're going to agonize over how chickens will play a role in this book and let me tell you, they play a HUGE roll.

Can I just say that rewriting is beautiful and wonderful and challenging and painful all at the same time? It's like performing open heart surgery on my characters (and I'm not the most delicate surgeon). There is so much to cut, rework, reconnect, disconnect, clean, swab...and great material can come out of it (fingers crossed). Each word is like a blood vessel, the sentences are veins, the paragraphs are arteries, the chapters are organs. It's bloody intense.

I'm sure I'll have about ten more drafts to go before I'm completely satisfied, but the major surgery is out of the way. Hopefully it's just some nips and tucks after this.

Autographs

I'm getting requests for autographed copies of Awaken. Since I won't be taking an extravagant book tour this year (but hopefully next year), the best way to get an autographed book is through my local bookstore, Grass Roots Books and Music.

Simply order a book through their website and in the "comments" box, as you check out, specify that you want an autographed copy. I can also do personalized copies, just add how you want me to personalize it. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email the bookstore.

~Katie

I Like My Privacy, Thank You

I was really bothered by an article I read recently, in Wired Magazine. It discusses a new social networking site called Hunch. It offers shopping recommendations after you sign in and build a profile and answer a plethora of questions ranging from odd to in-depth.

Here’s what bothered me: Hunch co-founder, CPO Caterina Fake, said that she hopes to use this site to “make technology more human” and it really struck a cord with me (a low cord, like an e minor). I’m sorry, but I find nothing human about sites that ask for personal and private information, then plug that information into an algorithm and turn around and push products on people (as well as probably sell personal information to other businesses and advertisers).

Hunch entices you to share information about your tastes, beliefs and experiences by turning it into a game and you rack up points they call banjos (why banjos?). Fake even admitted in the interview that Hunch will be a place where “You can’t stop and you don’t know why.” You call this humanizing? I call it a clever marketing ploy and it's advertised as "social" so people think they need to be doing it. One of their users apparently has 300,000 banjos. Wow. Wired hailed him like he was some kind of superhero. What is his superpower, lameness? If I met this guy I’d probably ask him how many sores he has from sitting all day long, and tell him he really needs to get out once in a while, maybe get a girlfriend.

I understand it’s fun to be involved in social networks, but it’s also okay to limit what people can learn about you online. It’s okay to limit how many profiles you have. The internet is scary because once it’s out there you can’t get it back.

And, I know this sounds old fashioned, but we don’t have to look online for everything. It can be a great source to turn to, but there are other places we can go for information. People can shop local and put money into their city’s economy (which means more money will be pumped back into their economy, into city parks and schools and libraries).

If people spent half the time volunteering in their own communities as they did browsing the internet, imagine the differences and impact we could make.

I really hope there will be a technology backlash. I don’t think it will happen until a hacker steals all of our identities and credit card numbers, but I think something’s going to happen.

That’s it. I’m done. If I was holding a mic, I’d drop it.

MIDWEST BOOK TOUR

Okay, I need to compress that title a bit--it's actually just a Wisconsin book tour. I'm heading back to my roots in September to do a couple of book signings around the state. I wish I had time to branch out to other areas, but this is a quick trip home to see family, friends and hopefully a fan or two.

I would love to visit some classrooms while I'm home, especially around Wausau, Madison or Milwaukee. I used to teach high school English, and I love talking to students about writing and publishing (I'll probably mention my book as well).

If you happen to be a teacher, librarian, or bookseller interested in signing me up for an event in the last two weeks of September, just shoot me an email through my website.

Peace, love, and corn dogs.

MIDDLE GROUND is on it's way...

Last week I was offered a book deal for Middle Ground, the sequel to Awaken and the offer has officially been accepted so now I can scream it: MIDDLE GROUND IS ON IT'S WAY!! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself to be typing this right now. I wrote the sequel last year and finished it up over the winter. Now it moves on to the editing stage. I'll have more news about the publication date soon, but for now I'm so excited to say that Maddie and Justin's story will continue.


Oh yeah, and I have to add, awesome win last night Mavs. I love seeing the underdogs rise to the top. DIRK, you are 7'2" of solid German awesomeness.

Interview with my Editor: Julia Richardson

I've always been fascinated with what happens behind the scenes...whether it's with movies or music or even sports. A lot of people contribute to a book and I interviewed a couple people that have played a huge role in the publishing process of Awaken. Here's an interview with my editor, Julia Richardson, from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.


1. How did you land a job working at one of the top publishing houses in the country?

The story actually begins about twelve years ago, when I worked at Disney/Hyperion. There, I met Mary Wilcox, another editor. Eventually, I went from Disney to HarperCollins. There, a job opened up that I thought Mary would be perfect for, so I suggested her for it. She took the job, and once again we were working together.

Fast forward a few years and now she’s working at Houghton Mifflin and I’m at Simon & Schuster. (People move around a lot in publishing.) In 2006, she called me to say a job was opening up at HM. They were looking for someone to launch a children’s paperback program. I had been working in paperbacks for many years at S&S under the tutelage of Ellen Krieger. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for me. So I went for it and here I am now.

2. What is a typical work day like for you?

I’m editorial director of the paperbacks group, so that means I spend a lot of time at my desk answering emails. Each one tends to be a problem that needs to be solved, so I’m consistently working with people to find solutions to whatever needs to be fixed. Once a week, though, I work at home. Here I try to stay away from email for chunks of time, so I can read manuscripts or edit or do whatever else needs to be done that takes my full concentration.

3. How many manuscripts do you read in a typical week?

Not as many as I used to. Probably one or two.

4. What makes you pass on a book?

If the voice doesn’t grab me in the first few pages, I’ll put the manuscript down. Or if I like a manuscript, but it’s too similar to something we’ve already got on the list.

5. What makes a book stand out to you?

An original voice. Plot points and grammar can be fixed. But the voice of an author has to come from inside him or her. So if a person’s writing voice doesn’t touch me emotionally in some way, there’s not much I can do about it. It’s like the “it” factor the judges always talk about on American Idol. You either have it or you don’t.

6. When did you know Awaken was something special?

As I read the first paragraph. It’s so evocative and thoughtful. I knew this book was going to be beautifully written and make me think.

7. How often do you take on debut authors? Is this a risky endeavor, or do you enjoy discovering new talent?

I tend to work with quite a few debut authors. Yes, it can be risky, but there are ways to mitigate the risk. And the potential is so great, it’s completely worth it. I love it!

8. You work in the children’s department at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. What makes you prefer this genre over other kinds of books?

I initially got into children’s books, because of how much I loved books as a kid. I wanted to pass that on to the next generation. But also, I really love kid’s books. I love reading about characters who are just spreading their wings, trying to find their place in the world.

9. Any advice for aspiring writers trying to get published?

Write! Writing is an art form just like dancing, music, singing, or any other art form. It takes practice! Remember the old joke: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice! It’s the same with writing. How do you get published? Practice, practice, practice!