Kate Scott's Blog, page 14

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk.  Head over to Jaime's page for links to find out what's up with everyone else. Here's what's up with me.
What I'm Reading


This week I read Blindsided by Natalie Whipple. This is the sequel to Whipple's debut Transparent . I LOVED Transparent, and found myself thinking about the world Whipple created long after I finished it. So I was excited to read her second installment. The invisible girl and her super friends did not disappoint. I still love Whipple's writing and can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

What I'm Writing

Counting to D  comes out in less than a week! Obviously, I finished writing it a long time ago. But I have been very busy writing about writing, and dyslexia, and all sorts of other fun topics for my virtual tour (which started last Monday). Here are the links to all my tour stops, if you feel like reading a few of my eloquations.

2/3/14 - Guest Post "Enjoying the View from Holland" at Books in the Spotlight2/4/14 - Guest Post "Becoming an Illiterate Author" at I Read, Ergo I Write2/4/14 - Guest Post "Real People are Complicated" at Suzy Vitello2/5/14 - Guest Post "Please Write" at In Other Words2/6/14 - Guest Post "Supporting Characters Don't Exist" at The Read Room2/7/14 - Guest Post "Why I Love Not Writing" at Justice Jennifer

2/10/14 - Guest Post "Imaginary Dreams" at The Pen & Muse
2/11/14 - Counting to D goes on sale world wide
2/11/14 - Guest Post "I Should Have Failed" at Sporadic Reads2/12/14 - Interview with Refreshingly Riki2/13/14 - Guest Post "Where to Begin" at Lindzee Armstorn2/14/14 - Interview with Katie's Clean Book Collection
2/17/14 - Interview with Medeia Sharif
2/18/14 - Guest Post "The Inspiration for Counting to D" at Bittersweet Enchantment
2/18/14 (7:00 PM) - Reading and Book Signing at Annie Bloom's Books in Portland, OR
2/19/14 - Guest Post "Writing Into the Void" at The Book Fairy's Haven
2/20/14 - Guest Post "Finding the Contemporary Heroine" at YA Book Addict
2/21/14 - Interview with Crystal Collier

What Inspires Me Right Now

The reviews for Counting to D  are starting to come in faster than I can keep track of them all. It's super exciting knowing that people are reading, and for the most part enjoying, my writing. I know that no book can or should please every reader. But Counting to D is pleasing a lot of readers, and that both pleases and inspires me.

What Else I've Been Up To

I have a cold right now, which is all around way less exciting than celebrating a book birthday. It's sort of funny really. A year and a half ago, I almost died. Literally. I spent months living in the hospital, and the whole time I managed to keep a positive attitude. There is something about being near death that makes simply being alive feel precious and exciting. Now that my worst ailment is a stuffed up nose, I'm way more whiny.

I'll spare you my lamentations and go back to talking about more exciting stuff. Like my book release, which is next week. In honor of this momentous event, I'm giving away for a free autographed copy. Jessie Humphries and Katy Upperman won my last two giveaways, so you girls should step back and give somebody else a turn this time. But everyone else, enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There is a giveaway happen on Goodreads too.

Goodreads Book Giveaway      Counting to Dby Kate ScottGiveaway ends February 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.Enter to win
So what's up with you?

Counting to D - Virtual Tour

The release day for Counting to D  is only a week away! In celebration of this monuments event, I'm traveling all over the inter-web talking about writing, dyslexia, characterization, and any other fun topic my virtual tour hosts could think of to ask me. Here is my blog-hop line up for the next three weeks. Click the links to learn the inside scoop about 2014's greatest new title.


2/3/14 - Guest Post "Enjoying the View from Holland" at Books in the Spotlight2/4/14 - Guest Post "Becoming an Illiterate Author" at I Read, Ergo I Write2/4/14 - Guest Post "Real People are Complicated" at Suzy Vitello2/5/14 - Guest Post "Please Write" at In Other Words2/6/14 - Guest Post "Supporting Characters Don't Exist" at The Read Room2/7/14 - Guest Post "Why I Love Not Writing" at Justice Jennifer

2/10/14 - Guest Post "Imaginary Dreams" at The Pen & Muse
2/11/14 - Counting to D goes on sale world wide
2/11/14 - Guest Post "I Should Have Failed" at Sporadic Reads2/12/14 - Interview with Refreshingly Riki2/13/14 - Guest Post "Where to Begin" at Lindzee Armstorn2/14/14 - Interview with Katie's Clean Book Collection
2/17/14 - Interview with Medeia Sharif
2/18/14 - Guest Post "The Inspiration for Counting to D" at Bittersweet Enchantment
2/19/14 - Guest Post "Writing Into the Void" at The Book Fairy's Haven
2/20/14 - Guest Post "Finding the Contemporary Heroine" at YA Book Addict
2/21/14 - Interview with Crystal Collier

I'm also giving away a free autographed copy of Counting to D  to one lucky winner. Enter for your chance to win today.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ari's Story

I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.

This week, I'm talking to aspiring screenwriter Ari Wanless. I'm thrilled she's here to share her story with us today.

Let's get started, Ari, describe yourself in 50 words or less.

AW: I'm bad at brevity.  It's probably what drove me to writing in the first place.  Extrovertedly introspective would probably describe me accurately, and tell you nothing. I also have a thing about wasted space, and I love the beauty of things fitting perfectly into place. Call me obsessive compulsive, heh.
Me: Despite your struggles with brevity, your last answer was 50 words exactly. What do you love most in the world?

AW: There are so many directions to take this question in that I'm finding it difficult to decide.  Most in the world, I like the sensation that I've done above and beyond the thing I set out to do.  Like somehow I've actually over-achieved, rather than simply achieved.  It's not a feeling I get a lot, because over-achieving has become common and expected to me, so it's a rarity.  Although when I set out to tell a story, and I really, really feel like I told the story, not just for me, but for others to have that, and take my imaginary friends with them for the rest of their life as a small voice in their head, or as a friend, or as an example?  That.  That's the feeling I love the most.  That sensation of well and truly touching someone else's mind with my ideas, it's one of the most intimate, and simultaneously impersonal things in the world.  And it's an amazing sensation, when you get to know that it's happened.
Me: I always think of my characters as imaginary friends too. I love that through writing I too can introduce them to the world. What do you fear most?

AW: Doing damage that's beyond my power to repair.  Yeah, it really does extend to all aspects of life.  Breakups?  Ouch, I'm hurting someone and it's not in my power to make it all better.  Dealing with other people's money?  Oh, you better believe that's scary.  I could lose someone else's money, and not be able to fix it.  The worst part about this fear is it's not unreasonable, it's only the strength of my reaction that's unreasonable.  But the bigger problem is that I want to be a show runner, and being in charge means you're empowered to do a lot of good, but always more harm than good.  So good luck to me.  Yikes!
Me: That does sound overwhelming. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to achieve it?

AW: It's a little hard to define it.  If you'd asked me this only a few months ago, I think I wouldn't have been able to answer the question.  Now, it's hard because there are so many different ways for me to interpret the intangible wish I can feel so powerfully.  One way I could say it is that I want to be validated?  I want to feel like I'm actually good at what I want to do?  I should probably specify at this point that this is likely to be one of the longer answers.  I'm the youngest of five children, my next eldest sibling is 5 years my senior.  Among my sisters and brothers is a navy JAG, an Olympic fencer, an interior architect, and a theatre technician.  All of my siblings I look up to immensely, and they do set the bar kinda high.  Part of me wants to stop worrying about whether or not I live up to their expectations of me, and just do what I want, and part of me wants to be able to say "Actually, Ari, you're really a fantastic writer.  Stop doubting that, and do what you love.  That'll soar right over the bar, you know."

I suppose I'm stuck somewhere in remembering them as being so much older than I am, and so much better at everything than I am, that it's hard to believe I'm any good at this thing that I've had as a hobby on and off for most, if not all, of my life.  My biggest unfulfilled goal or dream would be to stop worrying about how it'll look or feel to expose myself as much as it takes to really write; it puts your heart, your soul, and your mind on a page for others to approve of or disapprove of.  And while I don't normally fear disapproval, writing is, well, a delicate thing, isn't it?  I've poured weeks of love into certain scenes, and tons of care and thought and nurturing into the characters I create.  I mean it when I say they're my imaginary friends in some ways.  And while I can handle what a critique group thinks of me and my writing, or what friends and strangers thing, family is another matter, you know?  If I screw everything up and somehow embarrass the crap out of myself, there's no getting around that one, or away from it.  So I guess my biggest unfulfilled dream would be feeling good enough at the skill of writing that I'm not afraid of what my sisters and brothers will thing, moreover, that they'll think well of my pieces.
Me: Validation is a hard dream to strive for, because it's often a moving target. I imagine being the youngest in a successful group of siblings makes it that much more poignant. I hope that you are able to find the acceptance you need no matter what happens with your writing. Finding that place of piece and being happy inside your own life wont be easy though. What is the hardest thing you've ever done?

AW: I really hate that this is the question I've drawn such a blank on, especially after spending so much time on the previous one.  But honestly, I don't know that I've done a lot that's hard.  I do difficult things relatively often, I guess, but nothing that was hard for me to make myself do.  That last sentence has to be wrong, but really, I can't come up with a counter example.  But here's what's muddying the issue; I suffer from anticipation.  The fear of being about to do something is palpable and dreadful.  The actually doing of a thing is totally fine!  Anticipating coming to the critique meeting?  Even though I didn't have anything I was planning to read?  Oh, man, you wouldn't know it from when I was there, but I was a wreck.  Nervous something dreadful, almost didn't go, butterflies all around, I was convinced I was going to get lost, going to show up somehow so early it would embarrass me, or so late I would be in everyone's way or a nuisance, or somehow I would get there, it would be awful, but it would be somehow impossible to leave gracefully...  And then I was there, and I was fine; I gave feedback, I insinuated myself into the group, and I had a really good time, and came back.  So I wouldn't call going to the critique group hard, just like I wouldn't call a lot of the things I do "hard," but talking myself into it, and making sure I stayed talked into it?  That was hard, and there are lots of examples like that, I'm sure, but the only reason I remember this one is because it's recent.
Me: Having met you in person a few times, I never would have guessed you have any insecurity or anxiety at all. You present yourself as very self confident.May that means you could have a future in acting in addition to screenwriting. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?

AW: Let's go with the first time I knew what my writing style was, since I seem to be on a role about writing, I'll keep it on-topic, I guess.

I was reading the Deed of Paksenarrion at the time.  A childhood favourite of mine, and although I can't say it's particularly splendid for well-written, it's still a find read.  I'm going to spoil the plot line here, though, so if you care, you were warned.  Essentially, the books read like this:
Paks leaves her father's farm to join the army, turns into a pretty good soldier, ends up finding religion, starts down the part to becoming a paladin, evil things happen to her and take away her courage, then she has to go and rediscover herself.  She spends some time with some elves, and while she's with them learns how to detect evil, call light from her hands, and a couple of other paladin tricks.  She ends up going on an adventure to put the long lost king on the throne of this elven kingdom, he offers to marry her, she's all "Nah, I'm a paladin, I'mma keep doing cool paladin things.  Bye!"
Well, I was maybe 12 or so, and I remember thinking, wait, the guy who turns out to be the king later is the Duke through most of this story.  The Duke is Paks' boss, and kinda fills the father-figure role for her character.  Also, though, they've talked about how much Paks looks like the Duke's dead wife, and how she's just as old as the Duke's dead daughter would have been, and such...  Also, the Duke, who was half elven, thought he was human, because elves can look pretty darned human sometimes.  And furthermore, I thought to myself, detecting evil, and all of these paladin tricks that Paks learned, are also elven tricks.  Even the paladin-like draw she felt to put the king on the throne could be her being drawn to her homeland, like elves talk about.
So there it was, I had decided that there was so much foreshadowing that Paks HAD to be the Duke's daughter.  And that got me thinking, "Did the author chicken out about the incest of it?"  It made all the characters more rich if this was the case; the Duke, more tortured, but also restored in that this daughter was alive.  Paks, who had been finding herself over the course of the previous book, would have to discover that she found the wrong self and she wasn't who or what she thought she was.  The characters who had supported the Duke's marriage proposal would all feel at least a little awkward about that choice.  Generally, it was an interesting thing to add to the book, that bloody well fit there, now didn't it!  But I could see why the author didn't want to put incest in their book.  Still it was the moment I made a writing promise to myself:
"I will never let the subject matter of a story that wants to be told scare me off of it.  If the characters would do this, no matter how screwed up the thing is, then that's how screwed up these characters are."
As you can imagine, this makes my writing style somewhat dark and dreary, but it also does one unexpected thing.  It makes the characters...  Sweet.  Loving to one another.  When I write characters that care about each other, they really care, because I never told them to, and I never said they had to for the story to work, the story works because they are unfettered.  But that could launch into a whole other set of stories, so I'll call this story finished for now.
Me: Thank you so much for sharing your story, Ari.

So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.

Win an Autographed Copy of Counting to D

If you didn't win the my last Counting to D giveaway, fear not. It will be on sale on February 11th. You can also enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a FREE Autographed copy! Please note, this is a new contest, so if you entered the last contest, you will have to enter this one again. This contest closes at midnight on February 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also enter to win a copy through a goodreads giveaway.

.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway Counting to D by Kate Scott Giveaway ends February 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk.  Head over to Jaime's page for links to find out what's up with everyone else. Here's What's Up with me.
What I'm Reading

This week I read The Moment Before  by Suzy Vitello. Suzy is another Portland based YA writer, and her debut was just released last month. I found out about The Moment Before, and Suzy, because we are scheduled to do a joint reading together at a local indie bookstore, Annie Blooms, on February 18th. I enjoyed The Moment Before, and it was eerie how much our novels have in common. Plot wise they are very different, hers is about a girl dealing with the aftermath of her older sisters death, caused by a tragic cheer leading accident. But both books are set in Southwest Portland and there are a lot of local landmarks that pop up in both our stories. To make things even weirder, our main characters have the same last name. I've enjoyed getting to know Suzy as we plan our reading together, and I'm excited to bring her into my fold of writer friends. And of course, I liked her book a lot too.

What I'm Writing

I've given myself permission to put off all work on my current WIP until after the release of Counting to D, which is in two weeks! It is crazy to think two weeks from now I will be a published author. All this drafting and rewriting and revising actually leads somewhere. And even though I am a big fan of celebrating every step of the process, this step right now is by far the most exciting.

What Inspires Me Right Now

In case you missed my last two answers. Counting to D is being released on February 11th. And I'm doing a reading/signing with one of my fabulous colleagues on February 18th. Basically, my entire life is inspiring right now.

What Else I've Been Up To

The Oregon Comic Con was last weekend. I took the three crazy teenage girls that I mentor to it on Sunday. They loved it! And I had a good time too. The Oregon Con is a lot smaller than the San Diego one, and Sunday was geared more towards kids so there weren't any big panels or anything going on, but it was still fun.


Also, in the name of shameless self-promotion. I want to remind everyone there are currently two different giveaways going on where you can win a free copy of Counting to D, both shown below. If you haven't signed up yet, it's not to late. Enter now!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Goodreads Book Giveaway      Counting to Dby Kate ScottGiveaway ends February 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.Enter to win
So what's up with you?

Monkey's Story

I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.

This week, I'm talking with one of the kids I mentor. When first met this weeks guest when she was a twelve. Next month, she'll be sixteen. Since my guest this week is a minor, I'm not using her first name or showing her face in the attached photo. She often goes by the nickname Monkey, so I'll call her that. 

Let's get started, Monkey, describe yourself. What do you want people to know about you?

M: Um... I'm a girl who lives in the Portland Metro Area. I don't know what else to say. Everyone views me different, and I kind of like that. I guess I'm hard to define.
Me: There is definitely nothing wrong with being complicated and multifaceted. What do you love most in the world?

M: Myself! And opportunities -- you never know when amazing things are going to happen to you. I love that sense of wonder that comes from everyday life.
Me: I can not tell you how much I love the fact that you said yourself. Please never stop feeling that way! What do you fear most?

M: Rejection.And awkward, uncomfortable situations, which often stem from rejection.I hate hurting other peoples feelings. 
Me: Aw, that is such a sweet answer! Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?

M: I want to travel the world! When I grow up, I really want to be a photographer. It would be super cool if I got to travel all over the world taking pictures. But I also want to travel not for work, just for adventure.

Me: I hope you are able to become a photographer and a traveler. Since one of your dreams is to take pictures, I'm going to share one of the MANY pictures you've taken using my phone. I swear Monkey, at least 2/3rd of the pictures on my phone were taken by you. Becoming a professional photographer won't be easy though, what is the hardest thing you've ever done?

M: Moving forward after death. Not any one specific death, just death in general is hard for me. Even when I don't personally know the person, it's always hard for me to deal with the idea of death. Just thinking about mortality makes me really sad.
Me: I always think of you as the crazy girl with purple hair, when did you get so deep and sensitive? Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short, funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?

M: Okay, I've got it. Do you remember that time we went to the beach last fall with K and M? We were walking down the boardwalk in Seaside, and we came across an old lady walking her dog. It was a super cute dog and K asked if we could pet it. While we were focused on her dog, the lady started talking to us. 

She was a total creeper who was clearly drunk and probably high. She started trying to give us dating advice, and sharing stories about what it was like when she was a teenager. It was so creepy, and for some reason we kept on talking to her. She just kept asking us questions and sharing way to much information.

Finally you dragged us away. That was a super fun trip to the beach, but that lady was cray-cray! Once we got away from her, you and M said "she was nuts" at exactly the same time.
Me: She was nuts! I remember that beach adventure, and I sincerely hope you aren't following any of that crazy ladies "advice". Remember Monkey, drugs are bad.

So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk.  Head over to Jaime's page for links to find out what's up with everyone else. Here's What's Up with me.
What I'm Reading


I'm currently reading  Half the Sky  by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.I started this book a week and a half ago, and I'm still only half way through it. This is very slow for me. I picked this book up because my book club is reading it this month. I'm glad we're reading it and look forward to discussing it with my friends, but that doesn't mean I want to stay up late into the night finishing it.

This book is seriously depressing! It's a non-fiction book about the under-appreciation and oppression of women in the developing world. The entire first third of the book was about human trafficking. Not something that makes you want to turn to the next page. I think I might need to take a break and read something cheery and lighthearted before I dive back in and finish this.

What I'm Writing

I didn't make any progress on my WIP this week. But that doesn't mean I haven't been writing. I just haven't been writing fiction. The release date for  Counting to D  is only three weeks away, and publicity has consumed all of my writing time.

You may notice there is now an Events tab on the top banner of my webpage. That's because, I now have events. In addition to a few live events, I'm doing A LOT of interview and guest blog posts for my virtual tour. So this week, I wrote A LOT of interviews and guest blog posts.

Being at this point in my writing life is exciting, and I'm enjoying all the reflection that comes from putting together this type of a virtual tour. But it's still a lot of work. I've accepted that I'm not going to do any new fiction writing until after  Counting to D  is released.

What Inspires Me Right Now

In addition to my Events tab, I also have a new Reviews tab, because I have reviews now too. It's very inspiring seeing good reviews, and I've been lucky enough to get quite a few of them. And my books doesn't even come out for three more weeks.

The most exciting and inspiring thing happening in my PR world has to do with Learning Alley. Learning Alley is a branch of the library of congress funded by the American Disabilities Act. They used to be called "Recordings for the Blind" but are now called Learning Alley, because they service people with a wide variety of print based disabilities, including dyslexics.

The main character in  Counting to D  is dyslexic, and she listens to enough audiobooks Learning Alley is practically a character. So when Learning Alley decided to record an audiobook of  Counting to D  to include in their catalog, I was excited. Then they decided to interview me for their podcast and feature  Counting to D  on their webpage too, and got even more excited.

Just yesterday, Learning Alley sent me this blurb to include in my PR materials.

“Learning Ally would like to congratulate author Kate Scott on the debut of her first published novel, Counting to D. Scott writes from the heart, opening a window into the tumultuous quest for self-identity that any current or former teenager can relate to. Protagonist Sam Wilson also gives an honest portrayal of dyslexia that is sure to speak to those who are familiar with the learning disability, and provide much-needed illumination on this oft misunderstood subject to those who aren’t.” – Kristin Longmuir, Learning Ally’s Content Acquisition Specialist

I don't think any other paragraph will ever inspire me as much as those words. That is exactly why I wrote this book, and the Content Acquisitions Specialist for the nations number one supplier of literary material to the dyslexic population said it. Okay, once I stop freaking out, I need to write another book.

What Else I've Been Up To

Apparently, everything in my life has to happen at exactly the same time! My debut novel is being released in less than three weeks. And TOMORROW my social worker is coming to my house for our homestudy to certify my husband and I for adoption.

I'm excited about adopting, and I'm excited about releasing my debut novel. But man is my life hectic right now. Adopting foster children will be super hectic too, so I guess this is good training.


Also, in the name of shameless self-promotion. I want to let you all know there are currently two different giveaways going on where you can win a free copy of Counting to D, both shown below. The goodreads giveaway has been up for a while, but worth entering if you haven't yet. I do, however, want to point out that the Rafflecopter is a new giveaway. Jessie Humphries won the Rafflecopter I had going last week. So as long as your name isn't Jessie Humphries, you should definitely sign up for this new giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Goodreads Book Giveaway      Counting to Dby Kate ScottGiveaway ends February 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.Enter to win
So what's up with you?

Rebecca's Story

I love to read, and write, because I love stories. Everyone has a story to tell. That's what makes this crazy world we live in so interesting. Every Monday, I interview a different person here and share their stories. At first glance, my guests may appear ordinary, but I promise they're not. They're people. And all people are fascinating. We all have a story to tell.


This week, I'm talking to Rebecca Lamoreaux. Rebecca's debut novel, Lord Hyacinthe is being released in April 2014. I'm thrilled she's come to share her personal story with us today.


Let's get started, Rebecca, describe yourself in 50 words or less.

RL: I’m outgoing, fun, super excitable, energetic, and creative. My overactive imagination often gets the best of me. I’m a leader, I love to try new things, and enjoy making others smile. I like to sit and observe until someone starts talking to me, then I don’t stop talking.
Me: Thank you for taking the time to join us here today. What do you love most in the world?


RL: .My husband! Absolutely! If I lost everything else in the world but him I’d be ok. But if I lost him and still had everything else in the world, I would be devastated. But closely following him is my computer with all my stories and photos on it.
Me: I'm glad you two found each other then. What do you fear most?

RL: Having someone break into my house when I’m home alone or asleep in bed.
Me: That would be scary. Now I want to know your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?


RL: I want to go to Italy with my Husband. It was supposed to be our honeymoon but we had to cancel it last minute. We have set up a travel fund where we put a small amount of each paycheck into it with the hope that one day we will have enough, again, to fulfill that dream.
Me: I love how you are planning ahead and striving for your dream. I hope you get there! What is the hardest thing you've ever done?

RL: This is a bit personal, but the hardest thing I’ve ever done is agreeing to take care of my mother-in-law for 2 months after she went through Chemo even though she had spent the 2 ½ years before that making my life a living hell in every way she possibly could. But in the end I think that time spent together taught me a lot of patience and taught her to appreciate me more. When she passed away we were on much friendlier terms.
Me: That does sound hard, but it also sounds like a memory you are glad you have. Such is the way of life. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?

RL: I was a writer before I could write. At the age of 3 or 4 I received a book from my Grandparents for Christmas. Not too long after my mom found me drawing loopy circles around the margins of each page. When she asked me what I was doing, I told her I was writing. My desire to write never stopped. I wrote stories and attended special writing classes all the way through elementary, junior high, and high schools. I wrote everything from poetry to creative non-fiction, working until I got my Bachelor’s Degree in English – Creative Writing. And I’ve never stopped writing since! I love to write, I love to get my ideas out on paper, and I love to see people loving my writing too. My debut novel comes out in April 2014 and I’m still writing.
Me: I can't wait to read your most recent scribbles, thank you for sharing.

So what's your story? If you're interested in participating in a future installment of What's Your Story, please leave your contact information in the comments of this post or email me directly at katherine.elliott.scott(at)gmail.

Counting to D ARC Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS TO JESSIE HUMPHRIES! She was the winner of the last Counting to D ARC giveaway.

If your name isn't Jessie Humphries, fear not. Counting to D will be on sale on February 11th. If you can't wait that long, you have another chance to win an advanced copy. Please note, this is a new contest, so if you entered the last contest, you will have to enter this one again. This contest closes at midnight on February 1st.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also enter to win a copy through a goodreads giveaway.

.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway Counting to D by Kate Scott Giveaway ends February 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win

What's Up Wednesday

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk.  Head over to Jaime's page for links to find out what's up with everyone else. Here's What's Up with me.
What I'm Reading

This week, I finished reading Moonless  by Crystal Collier and started reading Half the Sky  by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Moonless was a bit slow to get into, but once I figured out what was going on, I enjoyed it. I just started Half the Sky, but so far I'm finding it very compelling. It's a non-fiction book that my book club is reading this month. I expect we will have a lot to discuss about it.

What I'm Writing

I wrote this week, which is fabulous. It takes forever and a day to publish a book. People always say that while waiting to release book one, you are supposed to write book too. I've been trying. I just haven't always done a very good job at succeeding.

My debut novel,  Counting to D , comes out next month. My sophomore novel, The Evolution of Emily, is supposed to come out a year from now. Except, it's not done yet. And dealing with promotional stuff for C2D has been eating up a lot of my writing time lately, so I haven't been making the type of progress on EoE that I want. Until this week.

This week, I remembered why I love the characters in The Evolution of Emily so much. It really is a wonderful story, that I need to finish! In an attempt to get back on track, I managed to revise/rewrite seven chapters this week. I still have plenty more work to do, but if I can stay this productive for the next few weeks, The Evolution of Emily should be make it's tentative release date of winter 2015.

And Emily really is a fabulous character, so you want me to make my deadlines.


What Inspires Me Right Now

The reviews for Counting to D  are starting to trickle in, and so far they have all been positive. Earlier this week Lindzee Armstrong gave me a 4 star review. It's definitely inspiring knowing that strangers are reading and actually enjoying my writing. Yet another reason why I really do need to finish my second book.

What Else I've Been Up To

I haven't had much going on in my personal life this week, which is why I was able to find the time to actually write.

I do have something major brewing though. My husband and I decided to adopt out of the foster care system a little over a year ago. Because we knew we only wanted to adopt foster children, we decided to work directly with DHS instead of a private agency. DHS admits up front that they have a limited number of social workers so it is often faster to work with a private agency. They never specifically say how much faster though.

For the past 10 months, we have been patiently waiting for our home study, the next step in the adoption certification process. The home study is a series of interviews, reference checks, and four or five home visits that usually takes a couple months to complete. I know I have a lot longer to wait before anyone is going to call me mom. But, our first home visit in the home study process is happening next week!

I think this may be even more exciting than having a book being published next month. And I'm very excited about having a book published next month, trust me. I knew 2014 was going to be a fabulous year for me, and even though we're only two weeks in, it's already exceeding all my expectations.


Also, in the name of shameless self-promotion. I want to remind everyone that there are currently two different giveaways going on where you can win a free copy of Counting to D. If you haven't entered yet, don't miss out!

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Goodreads Book Giveaway      Counting to Dby Kate ScottGiveaway ends February 10, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.Enter to win
So what's up with you?