Kat Ellis's Blog, page 9
March 29, 2016
Spring 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt!


Welcome, YA Scavenger Hunters! I'm Kat Ellis, your hostess for this leg of the hunt, and proud member of TEAM PINK.
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!
In this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue to move forward in the hunt. Add up the clues on each blog, 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! 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 hidden my favourite number. Collect the favourite numbers of all the authors on the pink 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 3 April, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.
***
Somewhere on the hunt you will find some cool bonus content connected to my new book, BREAKER - my dream cast and character anthems - but not here! You will need to keep looking through the other pink team blogs to find it.
***

Dorothy has always believed in magic. Born in Angeles City, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and American Father, Dorothy grew up a military brat, living in Massachusetts, South Dakota, Guam, New Jersey, and New York. She now lives in Frankfurt, Germany, with her husband, two teens, and two Siberian huskies. Dorothy not only writes books with some element of magic in them, but has a fondness for reading those kinds of books as well. She also enjoys movies, chocolate, take-out, and spending time with family and friends. She’s known to make a pretty sweet cupcake when she has the time. She also tends to sing sometimes, so keep her away from your Karaoke bars.
[As an aside, did you notice DREYER has 6 letters? I just LOVE that number.]
MY TETHERED SOUL, Book 2 in the Reaper's Rite series, is available to buy now .

It’s been months since Zadie faced her sister’s Reaper, months during which she’s been under her mentor’s magical protection. But now that she’s turning seventeen, that protection is about to run out.
When dark forces lure Zadie to wander at night, she’s manipulated into committing unspeakable acts. With her friends and family at risk, Zadie must try to use her powers to break free from the Reaper’s grasp, or surrender to the Reaper’s Rite, which can only lead to death.
You can find out more about Dorothy and her books on her author website, but here you will find a sneak preview of MY FRAYED ETERNITY (Reaper's Rite book 3). Dorothy is giving away a copy of both MY TETHERED SOUL and MY FRAYED ETERNITY to the lucky winner of the pink team scavenger hunt!
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
Here is a sneak peek at MY FRAYED ETERNITY, book three in the Reaper’s Rite series.
***
A floorboard creaked behind me. I swung around, my hand already sweeping the switchblade from my pocket.
What the—?
There she was again. The girl I kept seeing. She stood between the living room and dining room, staring at me.
It took a moment before I could get my mouth to work. “Who are you? What do you want?”
She eyed the weapon I held. Her chin went up, her jaw set, but she didn’t come closer. I pursed my lips and held the weapon higher. She raised her hands out in front of her, palms facing me. My grip tightened.
Taking a step forward into the light, she said, “I’m not here to hurt you.” Her intense green eyes shocked me almost as much as her Irish accent.
“Why are you following me?”
Her eyes dropped for a split second before meeting mine again. “I have a message from Chase.”
I lowered the switchblade. “Wha—? Chase?”
My head swirled. I hadn’t heard from Chase since he left last summer. I was sure he’d been avoiding contacting me as much as I’d avoided contacting him.
Irish Girl took yet another step closer. “He needs your help. He and his father.”
“Why? What happened?”
“They’ve been taken.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, my heart beating faster. “Taken by whom?”
“The dark faeries of Rostrevor Glen.”
ADD TO GOODREADS

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Don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by Dorothy Dreyer, me (Kat Ellis), and more! To enter, add up all the favourite numbers of the authors on the pink team and you'll have the secret code to enter for the grand prize!
CONTINUE THE HUNT
To keep going on your scavenger hunt, you need to check out the next author, CATRINA BURGESS.
SPECIAL BONUS GIVEAWAY
I'm offering an extra giveaway as a thank you for visiting my site, so if you fancy winning the BREAKER swag pictured here, just fill in the rafflecopter below! The pack includes a signed bookplate, brass knuckles pendant and bookmark, and (heart)BREAKER socks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Published on March 29, 2016 11:50
March 24, 2016
Upcoming events - BREAKER launch, giveaways & other cool stuff
Hello!
Some fun shenanigans are afoot - as well as YA Scavenger Hunt (see my last post for deets) I'm busy arranging some fun event-type stuff behind the scenes.
Coming up for definite, I'll be holding a launch event for BREAKER on 15th June at Prestatyn Library+, where the fantastic launch for BLACKFIN SKY was also held. I'm really excited to work with the staff there again to set up an evening of bookish talk and signing. If you'd like to know more/attend the launch for BREAKER, give me a shout on email at katelliswrites@gmail.com
I'm pretty sure I'll be at YALC in London again this year, probably wandering the arena in some kind of non-sweaty cosplay. All being well, there will be samplers of my September release - PURGE - there to pick up for free, and I'll be happy to sign those if you catch me (it's not hard - I'm not a fast runner.)
Some pics from last year's YALC...
Horror panel with Dawn Kurtagich, Darren Shan, Lou Morgan, Will Hill, and Matt Whyman chairing
Agent-Author talk with my wonderful agent, Molly Ker Hawn of The Bent Agency, and me
The Comicon crowd on the floor below
Meeting Costa Winner Frances Hardinge (pre-Costa!)
Authors Moira Fowley-Doyle & Dawn Kurtagich While I'm getting these things and other more tentative stuff sorted out, I'll also be holding a couple of online giveaways in the run up to BREAKER's release on 24th May. Aside from the YA Scavenger Hunt, there will be one pretty cool BREAKER swag pack to win (including my last ARC, *sob*) and some US editions of BLACKFIN SKY up for grabs on Dawn Kurtagich's Youtube channel and on Goodreads. I have some bookplates I'll be signing to send out to those who preorder BREAKER, too. Keep an eye out here if you fancy winning any of those, as I'll be announcing all the details soon.
For now...
Kat out x
Some fun shenanigans are afoot - as well as YA Scavenger Hunt (see my last post for deets) I'm busy arranging some fun event-type stuff behind the scenes.
Coming up for definite, I'll be holding a launch event for BREAKER on 15th June at Prestatyn Library+, where the fantastic launch for BLACKFIN SKY was also held. I'm really excited to work with the staff there again to set up an evening of bookish talk and signing. If you'd like to know more/attend the launch for BREAKER, give me a shout on email at katelliswrites@gmail.com
I'm pretty sure I'll be at YALC in London again this year, probably wandering the arena in some kind of non-sweaty cosplay. All being well, there will be samplers of my September release - PURGE - there to pick up for free, and I'll be happy to sign those if you catch me (it's not hard - I'm not a fast runner.)
Some pics from last year's YALC...





For now...
Kat out x
Published on March 24, 2016 11:22
March 15, 2016
YA Scavenger Hunt & Giveaways
Hello! A couple of fun things I wanted to mention on the ol' blog...
I am officially a part of the pink team of YA Scavenger Hunt Spring 2016, which you can enter to win a whole HEAP of books from a bunch of great authors. Yes, including me. I'll be giving away an ARC of my next book, BREAKER, to the lucky scavenger who wins books from my team. I'll also be giving away some cool BREAKER swag to one lucky visitor to my blog, so there's an extra reason to come back, in case you needed one!
It starts at noon PST on 29 March, and there are 9 different teams this time, so loads of chances to win. You should read this announcement post by organiser Colleen Houck for all the details around how to enter.
***
I also want to thank everyone who entered my Goodreads giveaway for the first ever signed ARC of BREAKER - it closed this morning after receiving almost 1400 entries! It was won by Kira, who will receive the prize very soon.
I'll do a proper update on all things writing soon, but for now...
Kat out x

It starts at noon PST on 29 March, and there are 9 different teams this time, so loads of chances to win. You should read this announcement post by organiser Colleen Houck for all the details around how to enter.
***
I also want to thank everyone who entered my Goodreads giveaway for the first ever signed ARC of BREAKER - it closed this morning after receiving almost 1400 entries! It was won by Kira, who will receive the prize very soon.
I'll do a proper update on all things writing soon, but for now...
Kat out x
Published on March 15, 2016 11:26
March 4, 2016
February Wrap-Up!
As anticipated, I spent all of February neck-deep in edits for my YA sci-fi novel, PURGE. It has a tentative publication date of early September, and I believe I will get to see a draft cover for it soon - HOORAY! And while I'm hooraying, BREAKER got a fantastic review from Kirkus - check it out here.
As I write this, I'm almost done with this round of edits (PHEW!) and starting to think about what to work on next. But while I'm still thinking, here's a wrap-up of what I got up to in February (besides editing in my rabbit poncho.)
My planned reading was supposed to include MG novels and some YA sci-fi, but I didn't manage to fit in as much as I'd hoped. Here's what I read:
I enjoyed them all, and WINDRUNNER'S DAUGHTER was such a fantastic read I gave a quote for Bryony Pearce to use. I was also sent an ARC of Martin Stewart's RIVERKEEP, which doesn't come out until April, and cannot wait to sit down and devour it after my edits are done. I couldn't resist sneaking a look at the first few pages, and I just know I'm going to love it. (Being an author is pretty awesome sometimes. Okay, most of the time.) You should check out any and all of these books if you haven't already.
The weather was actually pretty phenomenal for February, so I did a lot of walking - even managing to briefly acquire an unfortunate sunglasses tan. It gave me the chance to catch up on audiobooks, though (3/5 of the above were audiobooks), and get some nice scenic pics for my Instagram account.
Speaking of which... I took part in an Instagram challenge created by author Dahlia Adler called #AuthorLifeMonth, showcasing fun author-related stuff each day in February. I usually just post random scenic photos from my adventures or (more often) pictures of my cats and bookshelves, so it made a nice change to have themed photos for each day. Here are some of my pics:
As I write this, I'm almost done with this round of edits (PHEW!) and starting to think about what to work on next. But while I'm still thinking, here's a wrap-up of what I got up to in February (besides editing in my rabbit poncho.)
My planned reading was supposed to include MG novels and some YA sci-fi, but I didn't manage to fit in as much as I'd hoped. Here's what I read:

I enjoyed them all, and WINDRUNNER'S DAUGHTER was such a fantastic read I gave a quote for Bryony Pearce to use. I was also sent an ARC of Martin Stewart's RIVERKEEP, which doesn't come out until April, and cannot wait to sit down and devour it after my edits are done. I couldn't resist sneaking a look at the first few pages, and I just know I'm going to love it. (Being an author is pretty awesome sometimes. Okay, most of the time.) You should check out any and all of these books if you haven't already.
The weather was actually pretty phenomenal for February, so I did a lot of walking - even managing to briefly acquire an unfortunate sunglasses tan. It gave me the chance to catch up on audiobooks, though (3/5 of the above were audiobooks), and get some nice scenic pics for my Instagram account.
Speaking of which... I took part in an Instagram challenge created by author Dahlia Adler called #AuthorLifeMonth, showcasing fun author-related stuff each day in February. I usually just post random scenic photos from my adventures or (more often) pictures of my cats and bookshelves, so it made a nice change to have themed photos for each day. Here are some of my pics:
Day 27 of #authorlifemonth: Author Signature. This is mine, although I sometimes forget and do the K like my legal signature (a bit curlier), so that'll hopefully confuse some historians in 100 years or so. @missdahlelama created the AuthorLifeMonth challenge. #arc #authorlife #writing #signature #autograph #breakerA photo posted by Kat Ellis (@katelliswrites) on Feb 27, 2016 at 8:13am PST
Day 9 of #authorlifemonth is for a Challenge Overcome. Mine has been finding a way to force my (lazy) self to exercise without feeling guilty for taking time away from writing. I found a solution that suits me perfectly - I got a Fitbit to track my exercise, and started listening to audiobooks while I walk, so I'm catching up on my TBR while I get fitter! I'm lucky to have some amazing coast & countryside to explore nearby, so going out every day isn't exactly a chore
Published on March 04, 2016 07:14
February 14, 2016
Finding Love in Unlikely Places
It's Valentine's Day, and it seems like these two words will either make you smile or hiss like a snake, from what I've observed. But I don't really do much to celebrate it myself (beyond swapping cards with my husband), even though I'm a fan of the ol' romance stories.
I realised recently that some of my favourite literary romances are those you find in other genres, where the romance isn't the main storyline. With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few!
I will never not feel a little bit weird about this one, but Gemma and Ty in Lucy Christopher's
STOLEN
, about a young man who kidnaps a teenage girl and holds her captive in the Australian outback - GAH! The FEELS...they are both strong and weird.
Speaking of weird... there's an amazing step-sibling romance in
THE ACCIDENT SEASON
by Moira Fowley-Doyle. You should pick it up for the wonderful, lyrical writing, and the disturbing (in the best possible way) plot, but trust me - you'll stay for the romance.
Lisa McMann's CRASH (book 1 in her VISIONS series) has a delicious star-crossed lovers romance between Jules and Sawyer, whose families have been feuding since they were little. Add in the psychic visions that provide clues to how nine body bags will end up lying in the snow outside Sawyer's family restaurant, and I was hooked.
I also have some books in my TBR that I've rushed to buy because people were raving over the romance element in them. These are they:
THE WINNER'S CURSE by Marie Rutkowski
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J Maas
LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI by Melina Marchetta
THESE BROKEN STARS by Aimee Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton
Have you read any of these? Any advice for which to read first??
Kat out x
I realised recently that some of my favourite literary romances are those you find in other genres, where the romance isn't the main storyline. With that in mind, I thought I'd share a few!



I also have some books in my TBR that I've rushed to buy because people were raving over the romance element in them. These are they:
THE WINNER'S CURSE by Marie Rutkowski
A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J Maas
LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI by Melina Marchetta
THESE BROKEN STARS by Aimee Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton
Have you read any of these? Any advice for which to read first??
Kat out x
Published on February 14, 2016 03:00
February 4, 2016
January Wrap-up
I planned to have a productive month in January, and to be fair, it was. Well, except on the exercise front -- I was a bit of a slacker there. BUT *quickly distracts you from that little tidbit* I wanted to post a quick wrap-up here because some exciting things happened.
First off, I started the month with some excited squealing when ARCs of my next book, BREAKER, arrived in the mail. If you're not familiar with ARCs, these are Advance Reader Copies that the publisher sends out to trade reviewers, book bloggers, etc. to get early reviews for the book, and generally stir up a bit of hype. I call these 'floppy copies' because they're not in the finished, polished format that will end up in bookshops. They are very gorgeous, though, and infinitely huggable.
I also read and gave a promo quote for a book which came out on Feb 2nd. It's a gripping, kickass YA sci-fi set on a partially terraformed Mars, about a girl named Wren who has to break every rule on the planet to try and save her mother's life. It's called WINDRUNNER'S DAUGHTER by Bryony Pearce, and I've been shouting about it all over the internet since finishing it. Basically, it's ace, and you should definitely read it. Click here to check it out on Amazon UK.
Reading-wise, I'm a little behind where I wanted to be, but the books I've read so far this year have been absolute belters. I started with Neal Shusterman's UNWHOLLY (sequel to UNWIND), and am looking forward to reading the final 2 books in the dystology. I also finally listened to the audiobook of HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, read by Stephen Fry. It was just as amazing as I was expecting. Then I listened to the first in the LOCKWOOD & CO series - THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE, and loved it. I immediately bought the sequel, which says a lot. I'm now listening to the audiobook of the first in the SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT series, which I already know I'm going to love because I burst out laughing when listening to it while walking along the seafront, and accidentally scared a dog walker.
As for the writing side of things, last night I finished the first draft of my new manuscript. It took me about 7 weeks to write, and has been the easiest so far (probably jinxing myself by saying that, but eh). I usually take between 3-6 months to draft a new manuscript, so I'm feeling a teensy bit pleased with myself. Of course it still needs lots of work to revise it and polish it up ready for human eyes, but the bones are there, and the revision part -- which tends to be quite methodical and break-down-into-chunksable for me -- can wait until I've let it sit awhile. Not to mention doing the edits for PURGE, which is coming out this Autumn.
I've been finding plenty of new music to listen to lately, and my latest obsessions have a definite Americana vibe. Here are three of my favourite January Jams (that's not a thing, but go with it).
Lastly, looking ahead to February, I'm taking part in an Instagram challenge started by Dahlia Adler called AuthorLifeMonth, where there are writing-related pictures posted each day focusing on different themes. You can check out my pics here if you like.
Also coming up, I've got a couple of posts going live on Author Allsorts this month -- the first is an interview with Bryony Pearce about WINDRUNNER'S DAUGHTER, and the second is a post offering some insight into why I write thrillers. You can watch out for those here .
Hope you've had a fantastic January!
Kat out x
First off, I started the month with some excited squealing when ARCs of my next book, BREAKER, arrived in the mail. If you're not familiar with ARCs, these are Advance Reader Copies that the publisher sends out to trade reviewers, book bloggers, etc. to get early reviews for the book, and generally stir up a bit of hype. I call these 'floppy copies' because they're not in the finished, polished format that will end up in bookshops. They are very gorgeous, though, and infinitely huggable.
A photo posted by Kat Ellis (@katelliswrites) on Jan 18, 2016 at 2:59am PST

I also read and gave a promo quote for a book which came out on Feb 2nd. It's a gripping, kickass YA sci-fi set on a partially terraformed Mars, about a girl named Wren who has to break every rule on the planet to try and save her mother's life. It's called WINDRUNNER'S DAUGHTER by Bryony Pearce, and I've been shouting about it all over the internet since finishing it. Basically, it's ace, and you should definitely read it. Click here to check it out on Amazon UK.
Reading-wise, I'm a little behind where I wanted to be, but the books I've read so far this year have been absolute belters. I started with Neal Shusterman's UNWHOLLY (sequel to UNWIND), and am looking forward to reading the final 2 books in the dystology. I also finally listened to the audiobook of HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, read by Stephen Fry. It was just as amazing as I was expecting. Then I listened to the first in the LOCKWOOD & CO series - THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE, and loved it. I immediately bought the sequel, which says a lot. I'm now listening to the audiobook of the first in the SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT series, which I already know I'm going to love because I burst out laughing when listening to it while walking along the seafront, and accidentally scared a dog walker.
As for the writing side of things, last night I finished the first draft of my new manuscript. It took me about 7 weeks to write, and has been the easiest so far (probably jinxing myself by saying that, but eh). I usually take between 3-6 months to draft a new manuscript, so I'm feeling a teensy bit pleased with myself. Of course it still needs lots of work to revise it and polish it up ready for human eyes, but the bones are there, and the revision part -- which tends to be quite methodical and break-down-into-chunksable for me -- can wait until I've let it sit awhile. Not to mention doing the edits for PURGE, which is coming out this Autumn.
I've been finding plenty of new music to listen to lately, and my latest obsessions have a definite Americana vibe. Here are three of my favourite January Jams (that's not a thing, but go with it).
Lastly, looking ahead to February, I'm taking part in an Instagram challenge started by Dahlia Adler called AuthorLifeMonth, where there are writing-related pictures posted each day focusing on different themes. You can check out my pics here if you like.
Also coming up, I've got a couple of posts going live on Author Allsorts this month -- the first is an interview with Bryony Pearce about WINDRUNNER'S DAUGHTER, and the second is a post offering some insight into why I write thrillers. You can watch out for those here .
Hope you've had a fantastic January!
Kat out x
Published on February 04, 2016 09:12
January 23, 2016
Deciding What to Read
I have a habit of staring at my bookshelves and feeling a bit lost as to which book to read next. I love reading a variety of genres and categories, so without a system for choosing my next read, I'd just end up staring forever and not deciding on anything. My husband might wander past occasionally and slip me a Mars bar just to keep me going, maybe shake the dust from my shoulders, but it would basically not be a good way to live. So.
My goal for the year is to read 75-80 books, based on the fact I read 73 last year and wanted to stretch just that little bit further. (You can join in the Goodreads Reading Challenge with me here, if you like.) I have tons of physical books and e-books waiting to be read, so how do I break those down into some kind of order? I could go by genre, or by theme, or age group, or even just read them alphabetically. But as I'll be writing/editing as well, I want to try and keep my reading loosely in the same genre/vibe as what I'm working on. Organised, see? ;-)
For now, this is what I'm planning for the first half of the year.
Jan/early Feb: Middle Grade books. I've been promising myself for ages that I'll binge some great MGs, and now feels like a good time for it. I've just finished the first Harry Potter (I know, I know - I'm so 10 years ago), and I'm now reading THE DREAM SNATCHER. I also have another 10 MGs on my TBR shelf as well as 2 audiobooks I plan on listening to.
Feb: I'll be working on editing my YA sci-fi novel, so I think it's only right I binge some sci-fi. Just quickly scanning my shelves, I see PARTIALS, SKINNED, SLATED, THE LAST SURVIVOR, THESE BROKEN STARS, LEGEND, MOMUMENT 14, UNRAVELLING, ECHO BOY, BZRK, iBOY, BREATHE, EX-HEROES, and THE EYE OF MINDS all waiting for me. I think they're all sci-fi (one or two might be horror?), so I have plenty to be getting stuck into.
March: Any book I have on my TBR that has been sitting there more than a year. If I still don't fancy reading it, it's time for it to go. I have a younger sister who is a keen reader, so anything she doesn't want will go to the library or a charity shop.
April: I've already decided that as UKYA Day is in April, I'm going to spend this month reading UKYA books (either set in the UK or by UK authors) exclusively. One thing I'll be focusing on is finding books with a regional flavour from across the UK. From a tentative Twitter enquiry, it seems people have loads of great recommendations for North England settings, but the non-England ones have mostly been historicals (which are not, generally speaking, my bag). But my pal Tatum Flynn suggested AFTER THE SNOW, a post-apocalypse set in Wales, which I'm especially looking forward to, and I'll be looking for other weird and wonderful YAs set in Scotland and N. Ireland & ROI.
On my shelves at the moment I have MINTY, THE LAST LEAVES FALLING, MONSTER, several Kevin Brooks novels, 3 Cat Clarkes, NOUGHTS & CROSSES, IN ANOTHER LIFE, THE LIE TREE, WHITE PETALS, GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, and a few others I need to check re. their UK-ness. Suggestions are welcome in the comments, too!
May: This will be a busy month, as I'm going on a writing retreat (yay!) and I have a new book coming out (BREAKER - 24th May). What I read will depend on what I'm working on - hopefully something brand new. If it's one of the ideas I have at the moment, that will either mean sci-fi or magical realism. If it's the latter, I will definitely be reading BONE GAP this month (finally).
June: Summer is always a good time to (weather depending) lie out in the garden and catch up on book series. I have 2 I'm partway through at the moment (Neal Shusterman's brilliant UNWIND series and Beth Revis's ACROSS THE UNIVERSE trilogy), and about 5 new ones I want to start, so I'll use this month as a kind of half-year tidy up/kick starter for awesome new series.
So that should easily take me to the halfway mark of my 75 book target, right? If you have any suggestions to add to any month, or want to urge me to move any of the ones I've mentioned up to the top of the list, please do.
Kat out x
My goal for the year is to read 75-80 books, based on the fact I read 73 last year and wanted to stretch just that little bit further. (You can join in the Goodreads Reading Challenge with me here, if you like.) I have tons of physical books and e-books waiting to be read, so how do I break those down into some kind of order? I could go by genre, or by theme, or age group, or even just read them alphabetically. But as I'll be writing/editing as well, I want to try and keep my reading loosely in the same genre/vibe as what I'm working on. Organised, see? ;-)
For now, this is what I'm planning for the first half of the year.
Jan/early Feb: Middle Grade books. I've been promising myself for ages that I'll binge some great MGs, and now feels like a good time for it. I've just finished the first Harry Potter (I know, I know - I'm so 10 years ago), and I'm now reading THE DREAM SNATCHER. I also have another 10 MGs on my TBR shelf as well as 2 audiobooks I plan on listening to.
Feb: I'll be working on editing my YA sci-fi novel, so I think it's only right I binge some sci-fi. Just quickly scanning my shelves, I see PARTIALS, SKINNED, SLATED, THE LAST SURVIVOR, THESE BROKEN STARS, LEGEND, MOMUMENT 14, UNRAVELLING, ECHO BOY, BZRK, iBOY, BREATHE, EX-HEROES, and THE EYE OF MINDS all waiting for me. I think they're all sci-fi (one or two might be horror?), so I have plenty to be getting stuck into.
March: Any book I have on my TBR that has been sitting there more than a year. If I still don't fancy reading it, it's time for it to go. I have a younger sister who is a keen reader, so anything she doesn't want will go to the library or a charity shop.
April: I've already decided that as UKYA Day is in April, I'm going to spend this month reading UKYA books (either set in the UK or by UK authors) exclusively. One thing I'll be focusing on is finding books with a regional flavour from across the UK. From a tentative Twitter enquiry, it seems people have loads of great recommendations for North England settings, but the non-England ones have mostly been historicals (which are not, generally speaking, my bag). But my pal Tatum Flynn suggested AFTER THE SNOW, a post-apocalypse set in Wales, which I'm especially looking forward to, and I'll be looking for other weird and wonderful YAs set in Scotland and N. Ireland & ROI.
On my shelves at the moment I have MINTY, THE LAST LEAVES FALLING, MONSTER, several Kevin Brooks novels, 3 Cat Clarkes, NOUGHTS & CROSSES, IN ANOTHER LIFE, THE LIE TREE, WHITE PETALS, GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE, and a few others I need to check re. their UK-ness. Suggestions are welcome in the comments, too!
May: This will be a busy month, as I'm going on a writing retreat (yay!) and I have a new book coming out (BREAKER - 24th May). What I read will depend on what I'm working on - hopefully something brand new. If it's one of the ideas I have at the moment, that will either mean sci-fi or magical realism. If it's the latter, I will definitely be reading BONE GAP this month (finally).
June: Summer is always a good time to (weather depending) lie out in the garden and catch up on book series. I have 2 I'm partway through at the moment (Neal Shusterman's brilliant UNWIND series and Beth Revis's ACROSS THE UNIVERSE trilogy), and about 5 new ones I want to start, so I'll use this month as a kind of half-year tidy up/kick starter for awesome new series.
So that should easily take me to the halfway mark of my 75 book target, right? If you have any suggestions to add to any month, or want to urge me to move any of the ones I've mentioned up to the top of the list, please do.
Kat out x
Published on January 23, 2016 05:33
December 30, 2015
Favourite Reads of 2015


1. The Boy Who Drew the Future by Rhian Ivory
Why I loved it: So haunting, with great historical detail woven into the mystery. It sweeps you right along to a powerful ending where the two narratives intersect.
2. The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
Why I loved it: I've never read anything quite as disturbing or unique as this. The characters, the premise, even the format, are so skilfully disjointed that it keeps you guessing and second-guessing everything, right to the last page.

3. The D'Evil Diaries by Tatum Flynn

4. Duplicity by N K Traver
Why I loved it: Duplicity has basically everything you'd want in a YA cyber thriller - great characters, intense plot, high stakes etc. But what really made this stand out was the humour and grit, and the main character was kind of a loveable asshole. It was basically my ideal book.

5. The Accident Season by Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Why I loved it: The voice really hooked me, along with a fairly bizarre plot and rather dreamy cast of characters.

6. Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Why I loved it: The same reasons everyone else on the planet seems to love it - Simon Vs was funny, romantic, and it made my heart happy.

7. When My Heart Was Wicked by Tricia Stirling
Why I loved it: I would compare it to The Accident Season in a lot of ways - the dreamy tone, the lyrical writing and off-beat characters. It's one of those books you think about for a long time after reading.

Why I loved it: Truly, truly creepy, with an extra dollop of creepy on the side.

9. The One Thing by Marci Lyn Curtis
Why I loved it: This was such a great blend of contemporary and magical realism, with characters I fell in love with and a swoony romance.

10. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Why I loved it: This was such old school geeky goodness! I listened to it on audiobook, and Wil Wheaton's reading of it was just perfect.

ETA (because I'm an idiot and just realised I hadn't included one of my definite faves...)
11. The Lost and the Found by Cat Clarke
Why I loved it: Like all of Cat Clarke's books, it was heart-wrenching and gut-clenching and fist-bitey from start to finish, and with twists you'll never see coming.
What were your favourites this year?
Kat x
Published on December 30, 2015 02:00
December 28, 2015
My 2015 in review
January
I started 2015 with some great news: my second book deal! BREAKER was announced as my follow-up to BLACKFIN SKY, with Running Press buying world rights from my marvellous agent, Ms Molly Ker Hawn. There was much excitement, let me tell you. I also joined a great bunch of UK authors blogging over at Author Allsorts.
February
The first ever UKYA Extravaganza event was held in Birmingham, and I was one of the 35 or so YA authors who went along to talk to the readers, bloggers, and aspiring writers who snapped up the tickets. It was such a great success my book sold out in the first few minutes, and I was left signing bookmarks and posters to hand out! I got to meet lots of UK YA authors whose books I love, so I did my share of fangirling while I was there, too.
March
To celebrate World Book Day, I held a couple of international giveaways of BLACKFIN SKY. Apart from that, it was a month where I focused on writing the first draft of a new YA novel, and not much else.
April
Still drafting... still drafting... and I announced my THIRD book deal!!! Yes, that's right, books 2 & 3 will both be out in 2016. The third is called PURGE, and sold to Firefly Press (again, the work of Marvellous Molly).
I also went on my first ever writing retreat to Criccieth in North Wales. It was arranged by the dazzling Dawn Kurtagich, author of THE DEAD HOUSE (which I loved) and THE CREEPER MAN (which I cannot wait to read), and much fun was had. I intended to finish the major edits to that novel I mentioned above, and while I did some, I didn't finish it. In fact, there was just something not quite working with it... so I worked on another project for a little bit, ate ice cream on the beach (it was unseasonably warm in Criccieth) and got to know a great bunch of authors.
May & June
These 2 months were mostly taken up by edits for BREAKER, alternating with revisions for my manuscript-in-progress. Also some sunbathing, which took my skin one shade away from looking like an extra from The Walking Dead for the first time since I was a child. I'm calling that a win.
July
YALC! In London! Where I did an agent-author talk with Marvellous Molly! It was a fantastic weekend full of schmoozing, signing, and star-spotting at London Film & Comic Con.
August
I was lucky enough to be invited to do a panel event with Cat Clarke, who is absolutely lovely as well as being an amazing author. She was promoting her latest novel - THE LOST AND THE FOUND - and I talked about BLACKFIN SKY. It was great fun, and I loved exploring the festival and the city of Edinburgh for the first time.
September
More edits, more drafting, and the cover reveal for BREAKER! I am still in love with it, especially that creepy owl. And the feathery clouds. And the two figures walking across the school roof. FINE, the whole thing.
October
Still revising, editing, drafting, etc. I did some fun Halloween posts, wrote a short story called MOON SEASON for Simon P Clark's 1031 Story Challenge, got dressed up as a witch, and read a few horror novels. I also snuck out to see Nothing But Thieves playing in Manchester, and they were excellent.
I started getting into my exercise/audiobook regime more seriously this month, which saw an increase in my fitness level, and decrease in my writing productivity.
November
This month, I set up a pre-Christmas giveaway of BLACKFIN SKY over on Goodreads, and otherwise holed up in my writing cave to finish BREAKER edits and work on a few other projects. I emerged briefly to celebrate my birthday, then scampered back to the cave with cake around my mouth.
December
I started work on a new project, finished the final FINAL proofing for BREAKER, and generally got quite fat on turkey and sweets. Oh, and my husband gave me a brand new fleece poncho for Christmas. I think it makes me look like a friendlier version of Frank, the rabbit from Donnie Darko. What do you think?
Happy holidays!
Kat x
I started 2015 with some great news: my second book deal! BREAKER was announced as my follow-up to BLACKFIN SKY, with Running Press buying world rights from my marvellous agent, Ms Molly Ker Hawn. There was much excitement, let me tell you. I also joined a great bunch of UK authors blogging over at Author Allsorts.
February
The first ever UKYA Extravaganza event was held in Birmingham, and I was one of the 35 or so YA authors who went along to talk to the readers, bloggers, and aspiring writers who snapped up the tickets. It was such a great success my book sold out in the first few minutes, and I was left signing bookmarks and posters to hand out! I got to meet lots of UK YA authors whose books I love, so I did my share of fangirling while I was there, too.
March
To celebrate World Book Day, I held a couple of international giveaways of BLACKFIN SKY. Apart from that, it was a month where I focused on writing the first draft of a new YA novel, and not much else.
April
Still drafting... still drafting... and I announced my THIRD book deal!!! Yes, that's right, books 2 & 3 will both be out in 2016. The third is called PURGE, and sold to Firefly Press (again, the work of Marvellous Molly).
I also went on my first ever writing retreat to Criccieth in North Wales. It was arranged by the dazzling Dawn Kurtagich, author of THE DEAD HOUSE (which I loved) and THE CREEPER MAN (which I cannot wait to read), and much fun was had. I intended to finish the major edits to that novel I mentioned above, and while I did some, I didn't finish it. In fact, there was just something not quite working with it... so I worked on another project for a little bit, ate ice cream on the beach (it was unseasonably warm in Criccieth) and got to know a great bunch of authors.
May & June
These 2 months were mostly taken up by edits for BREAKER, alternating with revisions for my manuscript-in-progress. Also some sunbathing, which took my skin one shade away from looking like an extra from The Walking Dead for the first time since I was a child. I'm calling that a win.
July
YALC! In London! Where I did an agent-author talk with Marvellous Molly! It was a fantastic weekend full of schmoozing, signing, and star-spotting at London Film & Comic Con.
August
I was lucky enough to be invited to do a panel event with Cat Clarke, who is absolutely lovely as well as being an amazing author. She was promoting her latest novel - THE LOST AND THE FOUND - and I talked about BLACKFIN SKY. It was great fun, and I loved exploring the festival and the city of Edinburgh for the first time.
September
More edits, more drafting, and the cover reveal for BREAKER! I am still in love with it, especially that creepy owl. And the feathery clouds. And the two figures walking across the school roof. FINE, the whole thing.

October
Still revising, editing, drafting, etc. I did some fun Halloween posts, wrote a short story called MOON SEASON for Simon P Clark's 1031 Story Challenge, got dressed up as a witch, and read a few horror novels. I also snuck out to see Nothing But Thieves playing in Manchester, and they were excellent.
I started getting into my exercise/audiobook regime more seriously this month, which saw an increase in my fitness level, and decrease in my writing productivity.
November
This month, I set up a pre-Christmas giveaway of BLACKFIN SKY over on Goodreads, and otherwise holed up in my writing cave to finish BREAKER edits and work on a few other projects. I emerged briefly to celebrate my birthday, then scampered back to the cave with cake around my mouth.
December
I started work on a new project, finished the final FINAL proofing for BREAKER, and generally got quite fat on turkey and sweets. Oh, and my husband gave me a brand new fleece poncho for Christmas. I think it makes me look like a friendlier version of Frank, the rabbit from Donnie Darko. What do you think?

Happy holidays!
Kat x
Published on December 28, 2015 07:59
November 24, 2015
Win one of 5 signed copies of BLACKFIN SKY, and get it in time for the holidays!
Why yes, I am subtly hinting that you could give a signed copy of my book to a loved one this December. Maybe that loved one is yourself, that's cool.
To be in with a chance to win one of 5 signed copies of BLACKFIN SKY (US edition), simply enter this here Goodreads giveaway before 5th December:
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Blackfin Sky by Kat Ellis Giveaway ends December 05, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway
Good luck!
Kat out x
To be in with a chance to win one of 5 signed copies of BLACKFIN SKY (US edition), simply enter this here Goodreads giveaway before 5th December:
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: inline-block; color: #181818; background-color: #F6F6EE; border: 1px solid #9D8A78; border-radius: 3px; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-size: 13px; padding: 8px 12px; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { color: #181818; background-color: #F7F2ED; border: 1px solid #AFAFAF; text-decoration: none; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway

See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway
Good luck!
Kat out x
Published on November 24, 2015 07:28