September Newsletter! 🎂
Happy 2 days before my birthday!
It's always been a fun little identity crisis of a day - technically summer, but with school starting in August, it feels like fall. But I'd also never been in school for long enough to really know who my best friends were gonna be that year (this was more of an elementary school Kaitlyn problem), so the invitation list for my birthday parties felt fraught. I probably should've been diagnosed with my anxiety disorder way earlier in life than I was.
ANYWAY, hope you're having a great September! Here are a few updates on my end...
Writing Stuff
Events!
I'm lucky to be part of a few exciting, writing-related events on the horizon, and I hope to see you at any and all of them!
Tuesday September 20th, 6 pm PST - Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, CA - Susan Lee's SEOULMATES launch! Susan will be in conversation with Christina Lauren celebrating the launch of her amazing debut, and afterward, I get to join 20ish other authors in her big book signing party! Register for the event and buy Susan's book here, and you're welcome to bring a copy of Love from Scratch (or any of the other attending authors' books!) to get signed along with it! There will be a limited number of LFS copies for sale in-store, too. I'M SO EXCITED. SUSAN IS THE BEST!
Thursday September 29th, 7 pm EST - Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY - Chloe Gong's FOUL LADY FORTUNE launch! I am SO honored and excited to be Chloe's conversation partner for this tour stop! Now I have two weeks to figure out what a conversation partner does :) hey siri how does one 'converse' :) Anyway, it's going to be awesome!! Chloe is as wonderful as her books. You can order FLF here to attend the event!
Saturday October 29th, 9 am to 4 pm EST - Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY - KENTUCKY BOOK FESTIVAL! With a huge lineup of cool authors from far and wide, I'll be at a table at the KBF signing books all day! Baby's first book festival as an author!! It wasn't that long ago that I was at KBF as a reader thinking it would be sooo great to be on the other side of the signing tables one day, so let's shed a sentimental tear over that together. I hope to see you there, and you can find more info about the festival line-up and schedule here!
Other Writing Updates
In near-ish future release news, the paperback edition of Love from Scratch comes out January 3rd! Is it too cheap/narcissistic of me to give my husband a copy for his January 1st birthday? Got some time to weigh it against other options. But if you're a paperback fan holding out for your preferred format or wanting LFS at a lower price than ever, you can pre-order the paperback now from the same handy landing page where the hardcover, ebook, and audio live!
I would so so appreciate it!! Pre-orders are an author's best friend! Speaking of which...
My second book, the reality dating show YA rom-com NOT HERE TO STAY FRIENDS, is also available for pre-order! It comes out April 4, 2023 in paperback, ebook, and audio, and I'm SO excited to share it with you. If you do pre-order this one, hang on to your receipt! There could be some treats in it for you closer to the book's release!
I did my best to make those proportions look right but life and graphic design are both hard.
Lastly, I'm still working away on book 3, Wild About You, in all my free and not-especially-free time! For the most part, it's been really fun for me. I feel like I have a good sense of who the characters are and what I want their story to be, I just have to get it down on paper. It feels way more similar to writing LFS than to the, errr, slog that was NHTSF :') for which I am grateful!! The hardest part has honestly been finding the time and brain space to write in what continues to be a really busy year for my fam. A lot of Fun-Busy! And Travel-Busy! Which makes me feel so lucky and privileged, but has also been a lesson in treating writing like a real job in which I can't give myself unlimited days off. Apologies to the family and friends I sometimes have to neglect to go hang out with the fictional people who live in my head! I'll see you again on the other side of my deadline! But really, super pumped about where this book is going and hopeful it could be the best yet as I keep evolving as a writer. I looove this work!
Exhibit A of learning to get stuff done away from my office/writing cave (and finding that I usually like it more than anticipated)!
Reading Stuff
Lots of amazing books out this month that I'm excited to tell you about!!
SEOULMATES by Susan Lee - obvi I'm obsessed with this book/person, and you should be too! YA romance about a hilarious, prickly girl and her softy childhood best friend who's now a K-drama star. A warm, lovely delight of a story! Get your copy here.
FUNERAL GIRL by Emma K. Ohland - a little bit of a departure from my normal fluffy romance fare lol, but this book is so, so beautiful. It follows a girl who lives in her family's funeral home and finds that she can talk to the dead, and tries to use this power to help them carry out their last wishes. The depictions of grief, mortality, and fear of dying were so moving and relatable, and I just loved it so much. Find your copy here!
MONSTERS BORN AND MADE by Tanvi Berwah - the book recommendation prompt in my giveaway form from last newsletter showed me that I have a lot of fantasy fans here, so this one's for youuu! Hunger Games vibes but with South Asian inspiration and sea monsters!! Buy your copy and generally admire Tanvi's cool website here.
Miscellaneous Stuff
Other things occupying the mind of Kaitlyn:
The ~wild west~! After the Seoulmates launch next week, husband and I are meeting some friends for other adventures out west, including the Grand Canyon and my first time in Las Vegas. Pre-emptively laughing at myself because there are few places that sound less Kaitlyn-y than Vegas. Can I bring my kindle to the casino?
Bb nephew's bb-day! That's right, it's been almost two years since the World-Famous Bar Exam Baby was born (I will never miss an excuse to share this story and embarrass my sister all over again). Baby Cass and I are sharing a family birthday party this weekend and something tells me one of us (him) is going to get more presents than the other.
I want a dog! Husband is also closer to wanting a dog than I've ever seen him. Please join me in the #GetKaitlynADog campaign, petition coming soon.
My beloved family dog, Lilly Hill, who is perfect and will never be replaced. But wouldn't she be sooo cute with a perfect fur baby cousin? (idk where she fits in the family tree but you get the point)
^ me traveling this month. Thanks for reading, and see you next month!
xoxo,
Kaitlyn