Kate Kelly's Blog, page 24

Countdown to Publication

There is only one week to go until publication day for Red Rock and there’s so much to do! I’m busy organising a book launch party in my local village hall, so I’m planning activities and a competition, co-ordinating my kind helpers, and trying to work out how much wine to buy and how many cupcakes to bake! I’ve been busy writing guest blog posts, completing book birthday interviews and putting together the talks I will be giving at schools and festivals. Press releases have been se...

Comino Caves

Over at the Allsorts blog we've discussing our favourite character or place from our books, and I've picked Comino - that tiny rocky island in the Malta archipelago, between mainland Malta and Gozo.

That's me in the pink mask at Comino Caves, feeding the fishes.


Ah - but how does Comino feature in Red Rock - and what is the significance of those caves?

You're just going to have to read it to find out!

Festivals and Story Slams

There are a couple of exciting events coming up this autumn, both of which I’m delighted to say I’ll be participating in.

The first of these is the Yeovil Literary Festival which will be taking place from the 19th – 22nd September this year. The brochure has just been made available and there are some very exciting events in the line-up. I’ve already booked my tickets to see Michael Morpurgo and if you are a budding writer yourself I can strongly recommend Margaret Graham’s writing workshops.

I...

Exciting Books Coming in September!

There are some really exciting looking books coming out next month – Books that I might just have to pre-order through my local  branch of Waterstones! Two of them share the same launch date as Red Rock. One of them shares the same publisher, and the third one shares a Cli-Fi theme.  But one thing they all have in common – they all look really really good! Amber by Julie Sykes (Curious Fox 12 September 2013)
How do you live by the rules if you don t know what they are? Ambe...

People of the Green Mounds

We raced to the top of the hill – to be the first to stand on top of the fairy mounds.

They say that if you listen carefully on a calm summer’s evening you can hear the fairy music playing.

They also say that should you fall asleep on the mounds the fairly folk will steal you away and you will never be able to return to your own world.

But we know it’s a tumulus – one of the many Iron Age burial mounds that line the hills in this region; the last resting place of someone who once lived and roame...

The Once and Future Island

I stood, looking up at Glastonbury Tor from the Somerset levels. This flat coastal plain has been drained since the Middle Ages – a patchwork of water meadows and drainage canals, which, before, was a fenland landscape of reed swamp and willow.

Glastonbury itself has been inhabited since the iron age, and the tor is believed by many to be the Isle of Avalon of Arthurian legend, rising from the wetlands in the days before the fenlands were drained.

But being so low lying these meadows are vulner...

Mixing and Mingling

One of the best things about being a writer is all the wonderful people I’m starting to meet – not just in the virtual world – but in the real world too.

Yesterday I headed up to London for the AM Heath summer party. What was so lovely was meeting many of Julia’s other clients – people who I know only via social media or through reading their books – not to mention so many other interesting people!

We sipped champagne in the garden as the sun dropped behind the trees, and talked about books. Wh...

Joining Together

Sometimes bloggers work best as a team. There are a number of really interesting collaborative blogs out there, and being a collective definitely has its advantages.

For instance these blogs are updated regularly – sometimes every day – something which is not possible for a lone blogger – I’m lucky if I manage a post a week – way below what is recommended for a successfully blog. These blogs also have the advantage of being able to reflect a range of perspectives, and to keep themselves fresh...

Guest: Gillian Hamer of Triskele Books

Hello Gillian and welcome to my blog. I’m right in the middle of reading The Charter and I’m loving it, so could you tell us a bit about yourself and your writing?

* Firstly, I'm glad you're enjoying The Charter! I've been writing, seriously, for about fifteen years now. I've always loved reading even as a child and must have gradually moved into story writing. I dabbled in a variety of online writing sites for a few years and seemed to absorb skills like a sponge. Then I got to a stage where...

RED ROCK Cover Reveal

I’m delighted to share the cover for Red Rock with you all today.

I’m absolutely thrilled with it. I love the broad sweep of the sea and the distant shadow of the town, and I love the rock and the way it is held so tenderly. It really captures the essence of my book and I couldn’t be happier.