Newsletter No.4

It’s been a couple months since my last newsletter post, so I think it’s time for an update. A big welcome to any newcomers! Newsletters 1-3 are posted to my blog, so you can catch up whenever you like. I don’t have a lot to update, which is one of the reasons I’ve gone bimonthly. In this installment, I’ll give the usual progress tracking on the different books in the series and talk about some of the wins I’ve had since book two was published. I don’t think book three is too far off…

If you’re a new subscriber, I’m Katy. I write YA urban fantasy, and my five-book series The Talismans of Teregrin is being published by Future House Publishing. My first book was released in June, and the second came out in September. I’m a former junior high and high school English teacher, English/journalism major, who currently works at home as a full-time caretaker for my son with special needs. I live in Ohio with my wonderful husband and our two adorable boys. I probably don’t get enough sleep, and I drink way too much coffee to compensate.

Updates:

• Book One, The Talismans of Teregrin, is available on Amazon, and can now be ordered to local stores and libraries.

• Book Two, The Firebreather’s Curse, is also available on Amazon and for ordering to local stores and libraries.

• Book Three, The Menace of the Morphers, just finished going through its developmental edits and has been resubmitted for sub editing. I’m expecting to get that back at the very end of November, which means I should be working on sub and copy edits the first two weeks of December. From past experience, I think I’m looking at a January or February publishing date. But don’t quote me on that!

• Book Four, The Door of Hope or Peril, is in its first round of editing. It’s a little slow-going because I’m revising a lot and also editing quite a bit at the sentence level. I had to hit pause to do the developmental edits on book three, so I’m just getting back to it now.

• Book Five, The Trials of Agemo, is the final book in the series and is awaiting editing and revision once I get book four submitted.

News:

Goodreads: My paperback giveaway for The Talismans of Teregrin went really well. At the end of 30 days, about 4,200 people had entered, which was way beyond what I hoped for! I will definitely be doing more of those in the future.

Bookstores/Libraries: After 4-5 months of struggling with Ingram over formatting issues, both of my books finally became available for distribution in October. Getting stores to actually stock them has been another matter entirely because I’m an unknown. My hometown library, where I grew up, ordered some copies, thanks to the request of a family friend, and I did find an indie bookstore that was willing to put them on their local author shelves. So, if you’re ever in the Columbus area and want to support a great little shop (and me), Gramercy Books in Bexley is a wonderful place.

A lot of the bookstores I’ve contacted around here have been initially friendly on the phone, then ghosted me when I supply the requested information over email, but I’ve been told that customers requesting them or ordering them to the store has better results. If anyone is feeling especially generous and would like to add them to your own local store or library, here are the ISBNs:

(The Talismans of Teregrin)

(The Firebreather's Curse)

Website Quiz: My website “designer” (a.k.a. my brother) has been busy with his IRL job, a new position teaching college math. I know, right? This quiz is still in the works, but we’re waiting for some adequate time in his schedule to build it…from scratch. Merch is also still in the works. I’ve delayed working on it because I’d like its availability to coincide with the quiz, but I may start playing around over Christmas break.

Posters: It’s been slow, but I did get to see the posters that will be put up in the schools that volunteered to support me:

Last I heard, these may have gone out earlier this week. I’m hoping they get delivered this month, since it would be great to have them posted in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Book Three Coming Soon!

I’m so unbelievably excited for this installment in my series. If you’ve read books one and two and would like to get an ARC for book three, please let me know! Aside from being familiar with the first two books, the only other thing I ask is that you leave reviews on Amazon (and Goodreads if you have an account.) It may take a couple days for Amazon to post the review since you’re getting the book for free. But that’s okay.

Here are some fun facts about book three:

1.) It’s set in the spring (book one was fall, book two winter)

2.) It’s the only book in the series that doesn’t start with events prior to Gemma and Oliver escaping the lab.

3.) It was the fastest drafted of the five. I wrote it in about a month, whereas the others took at least two.

4.) Quick blurb: Gemma, Oliver, and the rest of the Militia begin their hunt for the Door of Hope or Peril, their one exit off the island. But an unexpected chain of events causes a detour that might undo everything and reminds them that the most dangerous threats come from within.

Thanks, everyone!

Katy