Kat Ellis's Blog, page 2
November 5, 2020
#SignForOurBookshops
Happy November!
I've joined over 200 authors for the #SignForOurBookshops campaign, where I'm offering to send a signed/personalised bookplate to anyone who buys a copy of ANY of my books from a bricks-and-mortar bookshop by 2nd December. To claim your bookplate, all you have to do is email your proof of purchase and mailing address (with details of any personalisation you'd like on the bookplate) to katelliswrites [at] gmail [dot] com
UK only, and there are 50 available.
On a complete tangent, I just sent out my November newsletter, so if you missed that and want to catch up, click here. You can subscribe using the handy button at the top right of this blog if you'd like to make sure you don't miss out in future :-)
For now...
Kat out x
October 28, 2020
Creepy Tales Podcast with Melissa de la Cruz and Nina LaCour
Penguin Teen are running a podcast series called Creepy Tales, and each episode features 3 authors who take on the challenge of writing a spooky short story based on a prompt. The first author writes the first 500 words, second author follows on with 500, then the third author finishes off -- and only the final author gets to see the whole thing before recording the podcast!
For my episode with Melissa de la Cruz and Nina LaCour, our prompt was 'The Snake', with Melissa taking the first section, then me, then Nina. Want to hear the story read by all three of us?
October 17, 2020
Spooky Halloween chat with Dawn Kurtagich
In case you missed this live chat on Instagram last night, you can catch up here. We talked about perfect books and films to devour this spooky season, and played a haunting game of 2 Truths and a Lie!
View this post on Instagram
October 10, 2020
#LibrariesWeek interview with Denbighshire Libraries
In case you missed it, here's the interview I did with Lois from Denbighshire Library Service to celebrate #LibrariesWeek -- enjoy!
October 7, 2020
Halloween newsletter
Happy October!
In case you missed it, my Halloween newsletter went out yesterday. It's full of news, spooky season reading recommendations, and a really fun interview with Good Girls Die First author Kathryn Foxfield. Click here to catch up, and don't forget to subscribe -- November's issue will include a giveaway!
September 29, 2020
YA Scavenger Hunt!
Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! This bi-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favourite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are FOUR huge prizes up for grabs, and you can enter to win one or all! I am a part of the PURPLE TEAM--but there is also a red team and a blue team!
If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE
Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favourite number. Collect the favourite numbers of all the authors on the PURPLE TEAM, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator!).
Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.
Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by 4 OCTOBER at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
SCAVENGER HUNT POST
Today, I am hosting Colleen Oakes & Erin Armknecht on my blog for the YA Scavenger Hunt!
Colleen Oakes (below, left) is the bestselling author of books for both teens and adults, including The Black Coats, The Queen of Hearts Series, and The Wendy Darling Saga. She lives in Denver with her husband and son.
Erin Armknecht (below, right) lives in St. Louis with her husband, son and rescue dog. This is her debut novel.
Find out more information by checking out their website or find more about Sister of the Chosen One here!
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Best described as Harry Potter meets Mindy Kaling, Sister of the Chosen One is a darkly funny, female empowered YA epic about siblings struggling to connect with each other, free themselves of labels and save the world in the process.
Colleen and Erin are sharing a ton of fabulous content for the scavenger hunt today! Why not listen to their playlist while you read the wonderful excerpt below, then enjoy the fan casting!
Excerpt from Sister of the Chosen One:
Chapter Two - Grier
In case you were wondering, it sucks to be the sister of the Chosen One.
When most people think about sisters, they picture two girls laughing together, their heads bent in mutual conspiracy, bonded by their shared blood. This is not us. It has never been us. I don’t even have a chance to glance up from my book before it’s ripped from my hands and flung across the room.
“What the hell, Valora?” I squawk, scrambling to my feet as she stands there glowering down at me, one hand outstretched, fingers curled in menace. Even smeared with the blood of whatever now-dead creature lies rotting in the courtyard, my sister still looks amazing. She’s the literal worst. Her royal highness lifts her chin and twists her mouth in a half-snarl before collapsing on her bed. Killing monsters must be exhausting.
Also exhausting? Being a total a-hole.
I consider saying something about the amount of blood she’s going to leave on her ridiculous pile of throw pillows but decide against it. It won’t be her problem to clean up, anyway.
Nothing is ever Valora’s problem.
Instead, I say nothing and retreat to my side of the suite, the cozy little nook added as an afterthought to Valora’s spacious private quarters. I grab everything off the beloved patchwork quilt my Nan gave me and sweep it neatly into my bag, mourning the loss of what was a wonderfully quiet moment. I love my room, especially when you-know-who isn’t there.
With an annoyed frown, I toss my messenger bag over one shoulder and slip out without saying a word to my sister, who is lying on the bed with her eyes closed. She’s probably replaying the battle, reveling in her fearless badassery. She never thinks about me; this I know for sure. I slam the door with a grunt and make my way to the cafeteria.
The halls of Proctor Moor are wide and full of natural light. Bucking the Connecticut trends of classic architecture, this school’s buildings are sleek and contemporary, spacious structures of steel, glass, and sustainably-sourced wood. It’s hard to mourn the lack of turrets when floor-to-ceiling glass walls show off green hills in the summer and an explosion of reds and golds in the fall. I stop and stare at the hills, wishing for the thousandth time that I could enjoy this school for what it is, and not who it was built for. I put my hand up against the glass, but no one can see me; for our safety, the glass in every building is mirrored, making it impossible for outsiders to see in. It’s sort of a pathetic metaphor for my life really: the invisible girl standing in the wing that bears her family’s name.
Exceptionals had schools before, but only in rinky-dink pockets in the U.S and the U.K. The government, originally very excited about the Exceptional gifts when they first emerged in the 50s, made sure we were protected. Amongst their sock hops and blatant racism, a bunch of nervous old white men, who maybe thought we were witches for awhile, built a system to protect Exceptionals. The world knows about us, but they don’t know many of us - we’re kind of in our own world. They quickly learned that most of us were utterly useless and the funding ran low. Our schools were still funded by the taxes of normal folks, but they were pretty terrible. I get it. I mean, why build something cool for a guy whose gift is that he can inflate balloons just by thinking about it? But then...then came Everett Proctor and scary-as-hell Erys and the prophecy and Valora and whoo boy, another weaponized telekinetic! Hold the phone – this one is hot! Suddenly the government was wetting their pants to throw Department of Defense money at Exceptionals.
Thus, this school. These windows, that bamboo floor, those enormous framed posters of Valora that loom over me as I walk down the hall.
The first one is from the day our family went to Mystic Seaport for my dad’s birthday. We’d been in the museum gift shop, Valora sighing loudly about how bored she was, when a Scaled Gallsoul began to slither in through a floor vent. I’d been flipping through a carousel of postcards when the black smoke billowed up and filled the room. I remember the burning, the thickness that made it impossible to breathe. I opened my eyes just in time to see Valora hurtling herself through the nearest window, somersaulting on the pavement outside before breaking into a dead sprint to lure the creature away from us. When the smoke cleared, my parents found me on the floor, shaking and red-eyed. By the time Valora was found in a nearby cemetery surrounded by a black pool that was once the Gallsoul, our birthday plans were definitely wrecked. Instead of a dinner cruise, we had fast food in the back of a news van while Valora was interviewed. My parents didn’t seem to mind, though. They never do. Especially my father, who basks in her glory like a snake in the sun.
I scan the next poster, my stomach churning slightly at the gory memory of Valora sending a parking sign flying through the air and straight through an Ash Ape’s head as though she were stabbing a ripe melon. The image thankfully didn't include me off to the side, projectile barfing at the sight of it all. The final poster, which I know is secretly Valora’s favorite since she stares at it all the damn time, was a gift from her official fan club, depicting their hero as the world saw her: fierce, fearless, and beautiful. In the glass-covered poster I see the reflection of my own frizzy brown hair, a stark contrast to Valora’s razor-sharp locks. We have the same heavy brows, but hers are flawlessly arched, while mine are straight and unruly. Valora’s cheeks are glowing; I blush easily, turning splotchy and red. I stare into her eyes, the same olive green as mine, then nervously pull at the hem of my long-sleeved t-shirt as I’m aware of my body shape in the glass. I’m sturdy and pear-shaped compared to my lithe, toned sister. Kind people would call me curvy; crueler people would call me…well, other things. We look nothing alike. This seems to be the one thing that surprises people the most when they find out we’re twins.
“Oh!” they’ll exclaim. “You’re…twins! But you…you’re not…” That particular conversation that always ends up making me feeling small. I give the Valoras in the posters a dirty look and head toward the cafeteria. As I pass the crowded foyer outside of the atrium, I catch snippets of excited conversation about the battle.
“Did you see how she strangled the thing with its own tentacles?” a bespectacled freshman boy squawks. “She made it kick its own ass!”
“The statue was SO gross!” a girl I recognize from my History of Exceptionals class groans. “I thought Miss Flores was going to freak!”
In the cafeteria I grab a tray, my eyes scanning the room for Agnes. We’ve known each other since fourth grade, when we were the last two to be picked for kickball at recess. By the time I have chosen my lunch, I still haven’t spotted her, so I take a seat at our usual spot along a wall of windows that faces a patch of evergreens. I’m watching a pair of squirrels chase each other among the tree branches when a deep, unfamiliar voice breaks my concentration.
“Excuse me, but is anyone sitting here?”
I startle and glance up, my heart thudding up into my throat. It’s the new boy, Leo Something-or-Other. I’d noticed him in the halls over the last few days, carrying a campus map like only new kids do. He looked lost, and he’d asked me for directions to the library. Now he’s standing next to the table, tall and lean, his jet-black hair parted to one side and just the right amount of messy. I blink, running my tongue over my teeth, hoping there are no strawberry seeds stuck anywhere. He must be lost again. Maybe he’s looking for my sister. What does he want? Does he know who I am?
And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of books by me, Colleen Oakes & Erin Armknecht, and more! To enter, you need to know that my favourite number is 7. Add up all the favourite numbers of the authors on the PURPLE TEAM and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
CONTINUE THE HUNT
To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next author!
Tweet #YASH
Good luck!
September 1, 2020
Subscribe to my brand spanking new newsletter!
Happy September! Welcome to spooky season, everyone.
Just popping in to say that my first ever newsletter will be going out to subscribers in a few days, so if you'd like to be in with a chance to win an international giveaway with a mystery prize, and read a fabulous interview with author Dawn Kurtagich, you should probably sign up now.
With that, I'm diving back into my new work-in-progress. Catch you in the newsletter!
Kat x
August 25, 2020
Harrow Lake is out now in the US! PLUS news and online events.
GOOOOOOD MORNING, USA! And to everyone else, of course.
Today my creepy little book-child comes out in the US, which means it's now available across the entire world. And the US edition, with its beautifully sinister cover, is my first ever hardback book. I'm so very proud of it!
YA horror author extraordinaire Mindy McGinnis very kindly interviewed me to mark Harrow Lake's US release, and you can read that here on Mindy's blog.
Sadly, due to the plague and the Atlantic ocean, I won't be having an in-person US book launch, but I will be celebrating in great style with an Instagram Live Chat this coming Friday (28 August) at 6pm EDT with a very special guest, YA horror author Dawn Kurtagich! Come along and ask us about Harrow Lake, horror writing, our cats... anything you like. Follow me @katelliswrites and Dawn @dawnkurtagich to join in.
Me & Dawn (pre-COVID)
After that, I will be live-streaming as part of Penguin Platform's YA Summer Book Club this Sunday (30 August) at 4pm UK time, so come along to that if you'd like to bring some bookish horror into the last week of summer. Find out how to join here.
That's all from me for now! More news coming soon (and hopefully my brand spanking new newsletter, fingers crossed.)
Kat out x
July 28, 2020
Harrow Lake is out there in the world
So, it's been a minute. Since my last update, Harrow Lake has been published in the UK. (I still can't quite believe it's out there -- even though I have seen proof with my own eyes in my local Tesco!)
Me, cheesing with my book on release day
Me, cheesing on release day in Tesco (cheesing hidden by mask)My little monster has also been getting great reviews and features since its release - here are some recent ones:
The Guardian - Young adult books round-up
Her.ie - 14 books you won't be able to put down this summer
Starburst Magazine Review
Interview with Shemazing.net
As of yesterday, Harrow Lake achieved that elusive orange Amazon Bestseller banner in 2 categories: YA Horror and Ghost Stories!
And today, it hit the #1 spot on the Bookworms Wales chart!
THANK YOU to everyone who has read, bought, reviewed, talked about, or generally just been excited for Harrow Lake's release. It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and there's plenty more to come.
Next time I update here, I should have a link ready for you to sign up to my newsletter. The first newsletter will feature a really cool, exclusive giveaway, so I hope you'll sign up.
In the meantime, better get back to my edits on the next book...
Kat out x
May 17, 2020
Harrow Lake: the finished article!
These are the scheduled publication dates (so not long to wait now!):
UK - 9 July
Australia/NZ - 18 August
USA - 25 August
If you feel like pre-ordering, I will love you forever -- buy links are up on the right. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!
Kat out x
