January Newsletter! ❄⛄
Happy New Year!
Hope yours has started well! 2022 is looking exciting in the Hill house. The fiancé and I have both had a very productive first couple of weeks, have set some ambitious goals for the year, and are so far pretty motivated to achieve them! Knock on wood etc. I've also successfully (re)built my Lego Disney castle and eaten a lot of ice cream and brownies because life is about balance. Shall we dive in to the first newsletter of debut year???
Writing Stuff
Trying out some new section headings here - what do we think? If you follow me on any social media or, you know, see me in real life from time to time, you probably feel more aware than ever of my debut novel LOVE FROM SCRATCH coming out in less than three months. "Yes, I see your constant posts about it," you might be thinking, or perhaps, "why do you always yell the title at me in all-caps?" To which I answer "thank you for putting up with me" and "I don't know, it's how all the other authors write their book titles."
Point here is that we're getting very close to publication day and promo-y things are ramping up! Which is both exciting and highly insecurity-inducing. Am I being annoying? Do all my friends hate me now? Am I developing an addiction to graphic-design-for-dummies website Canva??? So thank you for your patience and continued support on this weird journey!
now have a nice print of this goooorgeous book cover for my office wall :') thank you, Dad and Ginny!!
One of the coolest parts of publishing a book is that other authors you read and admire might end up reading your book and, if you're really lucky, giving you a blurb. Those are the quotes that go on book jackets with other authors endorsing the book! Excited to share this one today from Nina Moreno, a fellow writer of young adult romance. Nina's books are filled with so much heart and humor, and I'm so so honored that she read and enjoyed mine!
While LFS publication draws near, I'm also still working on my second YA novel, the reality show rom-com NOT HERE TO STAY FRIENDS, coming out next spring. Currently awaiting copy edits for that one, and - quite exciting - drafting my first attempt at an adult book! *gasp* The plot of the latter started off so simple in my mind but has devolved into pure chaos the further I've gotten into it. This is kind of standard for my first drafts, but thoughts n prayers that I'll eventually be able to reign her in into something readable.
Reading Stuff
A few of my recent favorite reads:
THE STAND-IN by Lily Chu - completely hilarious and heartwarming romance about a woman who is discovered as a lookalike for a famous movie star and gets paid to pretend to be said star at various red carpets and events, alongside the actress's grumpy hot co-star. Great commentary on heavier themes like workplace harassment and racism. Currently it's only on Audible (narrated by Phillipa Soo from Hamilton!!), but comes out in ebook and paperback later this year! Find it here.
LOVE & OTHER DISASTERS by Anita Kelly - if you're a Book of the Month subscriber, you might've already gotten your hands on a copy, but for the rest of us this comes out Tuesday! A f/nb romance about two contestants on a cooking show, basically the hotter, older sibling to Love from Scratch. Anita is one of my dear writing friends but even if I hated her (impossible) I would be (perhaps grudgingly) obsessed with this book! Get your copy here.
MUST LOVE BOOKS by Shauna Robinson - this one also comes out Tuesday! A book with freakishly accurate representation of what it's like to be in your late twenties and work in publishing l o llll. Such a sweet, heartfelt read about navigating your "dream job" when it's not so dreamy, and balancing mental health & relationships to boot. Check it out here!
Miscellaneous Stuff
Other things occupying the mind of Kaitlyn:
Pre-order goodies FOR REAL THIS TIME! I'm now in possession of the lil treats I will be sending to send to anyone who pre-orders LOVE FROM SCRATCH and submits their receipt to a google form I'll send out in February. These things are cute! And sticky! And may or may not have my mediocre signature on them! WHAT A THRILL!
Ted Lasso, which I almost regret to put here because everyone and their mother who recommended this show to me over the past couple years was right, okay, you were right, we just had to get to it in our own time!!! But now I am in love and lowkey wish I was marrying Roy Kent but alas he is fictional and I have already committed to someone nonfictional.
Tea. For Christmas I got both a tea advent calendar that has let me open one tin of loose leaf tea per day since the 26th and keep the holidays going, AND a tin of 240 English breakfast tea bags. Both so good, both keeping me caffeinated for at least six months! #blessed
Thanks for reading and being cool and lovely! See you next month!
xoxo,
Kaitlyn