May Newsletter! 💌
It's been a MONTH...
of Love from Scratch out in the world!!! It feels like it's been out for both a minute and a year. I've had so much fun starting to share this book with the world and celebrating that it's finally here!Â
My launch event was an absolute dream—so many people from all parts of my life were there, as well as plenty of new friends/readers! Around a hundred of us filled up the fiction platform at Joseph-Beth, and I just felt/continue to feel so so lucky to have that kind of support. THANK YOU! <3Â
Other debut updates
Love from Scratch has gotten some fun coverage by various media outlets! A sampling of my favorites:
USA Today named Love from Scratch one of the Best April Rom-Coms!
It appeared in PopSugar’s Best YA Books of 2022!
Goodreads named it one of 54 Buzzy YA Books for Spring!
Frolic shared this Exclusive: Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill Excerpt!
And its first appearance in a magazine as one of Edible Inland Northwest’s Spring 2022 Book Reviews!
Additionally, I wrote an essay on some of the inspiration behind LFS for Underlined — Love from Scratch Author Kaitlyn Hill on Romance and Growing Up!
So much of this positive buzz is due to folks like you buying, reading, and talking about my book baby, so thank you so so much! And if you still haven't gotten your hands on a copy...
Signing my book in bookstores is my new favorite thing. It's mildly awkward every time but in a this-is-still-really-new-and-cool way!
I also got to sign books at my alma mater, Transylvania University, and give a talk about my publishing journey! Some of my old classmates, former professors, and current students were there, and it was so so sweet. I want to go back and do it again every weekend, but something tells me people would lose interest in that real quick.
So what's next?
Let me tell ya, it's some weird emotional whiplash that goes on with releasing your first book (or maybe every book? But I just have experience with the one so far). There's been so much buildup in the 1.5-2 years since you got a book deal, and years of working toward it before then, and when the time finally arrives...it goes by fast! It honestly felt like by the time more books came out the Tuesday after mine, I was old news haha. You're only the freshest thing off the press for a moment, and the first week is such a whirlwind that when things do slow down, I think it's easy to feel like, "okay, is it just over now?" That was kind of jarring for me. But as I've gotten (a little) more distance from it and still see kind words and posts about LFS trickle in, I'm reminded that it's now just out there forever. People can keep picking up this thing I wrote from bookstore/library shelves for a long time to come, and that's nuts! Of all the books out there in the world, readers who don't even know me are choosing to buy and read mine. It's so so cool, and I'm incredibly grateful.
From the start of my writing career, I've said that I just want my books to do well enough that I get to keep writing more books. Of course I have other goals now, more specific, or random, or pie-in-the-sky. But it remains true that I love to write more than anything else in the world and just hope that I can keep this career going far into the future. In that spirit, I've been working on a new book! Cross your fingers for me and my little work-in-progress, as it's not yet under contract. I'm having a lot of fun writing it though and hope to tell you more someday soon!
Reading Stuff is Back
I have been neglectful in providing reading recs recently! But per usual, books keep me (somewhat) sane when life is chaotic, and these are a few I've enjoyed as of late:
The Love Connection by Denise Williams - I'm a known Denise Williams stan, and was so excited to hear she'd be releasing a series of novellas all taking place in/around an airport! Airports are rife with meet-cute and romance potential. I listened to this first one on audio and especially loved that it's in the Atlanta airports, one of my favs that I've flown through approximately a million times. Oh yeah, and it's a very cute, fun story! Check it out here.
The Devil Wears Black by LJ Shen - I'm back on my Kindle Unlimited Free Trial BS (TM). This one has audible narration included (I am up to doing like 95% of my reading on audio) and it was a complete delight! Little bit of second chance romance, little enemies to lovers, little fake engagement - all the hits. Find it here!
One True Loves by Elise Bryant - Elise is simply a YA romance Queen. This book was such a joy! Beautifully authentic teen characters, a fun Mediterranean cruise ship setting, all the I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-my-life, pre-college feelings, and a super sweet love story. I adored it! Get your copy here.
Aaand Miscellaneous Stuff!
Okay, so probably the main thing to note here is that I'm getting married at the end of this month!!! What a time to be alive and mentally ill, am I rite ladies? But really, things are going well, it's gonna happen, it's gonna be beautiful and fun, and then we're going on a honeymoon for about half of June! So I suppose this is also your warning that a June newsletter might be rather delayed. :) But might also have beautiful pictures of my soon-to-be-husband and me on an island in the middle of the ocean! Worth the wait, I bet.Â
Thank you again for all you've done for me and for Love from Scratch <3 eternally grateful!
^ me in a few weeks
xoxo,
Kaitlyn