Kate Padilla's Blog
June 3, 2019
WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I WROTE 'SAVE ME, SAN FRANCISCO'
It has now been almost five years since I published my debut book, a short-story collection titled Save Me, San Francisco. I knew, even when I was publishing it, that this was a "learning experience" book. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. And it showed: to date I have sold under 10 books.
And yet, since publishing I've become much more knowledgeable about self-publishing and all it entails. The benefit of self-publishing is that anyone can do it. The downside to self-publishing is al...
And yet, since publishing I've become much more knowledgeable about self-publishing and all it entails. The benefit of self-publishing is that anyone can do it. The downside to self-publishing is al...
May 31, 2019
NEW RELEASES: JUNE 2-8
JUNE 4 AYESHA AT LAST, BY UZMA JALALUDDIN
Fiction. Berkley. 368 pp.
A modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice for a new generation of love. THE BEYOND, BY CHLOE NEILL
Fiction: Fantasy. Berkley. 352 pp.
Sensitive Claire Connolly must journey to another world in the electrifying fourth installment of Chloe Neill's post-apocalyptic urban fantasy. DEATH IN KEW GARDENS, BY JENNIFER ASHLEY
Fiction: Mystery. Berkley. 320 pp.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Scandal Above Stairs. Kat Holloway st...
Fiction. Berkley. 368 pp.
A modern-day Muslim Pride and Prejudice for a new generation of love. THE BEYOND, BY CHLOE NEILL
Fiction: Fantasy. Berkley. 352 pp.
Sensitive Claire Connolly must journey to another world in the electrifying fourth installment of Chloe Neill's post-apocalyptic urban fantasy. DEATH IN KEW GARDENS, BY JENNIFER ASHLEY
Fiction: Mystery. Berkley. 320 pp.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Scandal Above Stairs. Kat Holloway st...
May 29, 2019
REVIEW: THE DEVIL ASPECT
THE DEVIL ASPECT, BY CRAIG RUSSELL
Fiction: Thriller. Doubleday. 432 pp.
THE STORY [image error] [image error]Viktor Kosarek, a psychiatrist who has trained under Carl Jung, arrives at the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The state-of-the-art facility is located in a medieval mountaintop castle outside of Prague, though the site is well-known for concealing dark secrets going back many centuries. The asylum houses the county's six most treacherous killers--known to the staff as the Woodcutter, the Clow...
Fiction: Thriller. Doubleday. 432 pp.
THE STORY [image error] [image error]Viktor Kosarek, a psychiatrist who has trained under Carl Jung, arrives at the infamous Hrad Orlu Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The state-of-the-art facility is located in a medieval mountaintop castle outside of Prague, though the site is well-known for concealing dark secrets going back many centuries. The asylum houses the county's six most treacherous killers--known to the staff as the Woodcutter, the Clow...
April 19, 2019
NEW RELEASES: APRIL 21-27
APRIL 23 Soul Remains (Terribly Serious Darkness, 2), by Sam Hooker
Fiction: Fantasy. Black Spot Books. 366 pp.
APRIL 25 Five Hundred Feet Above Alaska, by Robert M. Brantner
Fiction.
Fiction: Fantasy. Black Spot Books. 366 pp.
Where do goblins come from? Why do they only turn up in the Old Country, and why do they like swearing so much? In the second book of Terribly Serious Darkness, Sloot Peril--a "hero" who's staunchly averse to heroics--goes searching for answers. Much to his chagrin, he finds them.
APRIL 25 Five Hundred Feet Above Alaska, by Robert M. BrantnerFiction.
500 Feet Above Alaska...
February 23, 2019
NEW RELEASES: FEBRUARY 24-MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 26 WHAT THE PARROT SAW, BY DARLENE MARSHALL
Fiction: Romance. Eve D. Ackerman. 360 pp.
Fiction: Romance. Eve D. Ackerman. 360 pp.
Hijacking an Englishman from a brothel is all in a day's work for Captain Mattie St. Armand. She needs protective coloration, and a naïve (and expendable) white man will keep the eyes of the authorities off her as she smuggles slaves from the Florida Territory to freedom in the Bahamas.
January 29, 2019
ROULETTE: FORGOTTEN FIRE
FORGOTTEN FIRE, BY ADAM BAGDASARIAN
Fiction: Historical. Laurel Leaf (2002). 304 pp.I remember reading this book when I was much younger -- middle school, perhaps. And I remember really enjoying it then, enough that I've kept it on hand all this time. But one of two things happens when I go back and reread old treasures -- either the magic is completely broken or it is reinforced.
With this one, the magic was reinforced.Here's the synopsis:
Fiction: Historical. Laurel Leaf (2002). 304 pp.I remember reading this book when I was much younger -- middle school, perhaps. And I remember really enjoying it then, enough that I've kept it on hand all this time. But one of two things happens when I go back and reread old treasures -- either the magic is completely broken or it is reinforced.
With this one, the magic was reinforced.Here's the synopsis:
In 1915, Vahan Kenderian is living a life of privilege...
January 27, 2019
20 CHARACTER-BASED PROMPTS FOR YOUR NEXT STORY
Sometimes, a story comes to us completely out of thin air. Other times, we're inspired by books we read, movies and TV we watch, or music we listen to. And yet, there are times when we're consuming as much as we can to fuel our creativity, and nothing is coming out. In those times, it's helpful to have a little boost. Last year, I posted 28 location-based story prompts. Now, I'm following it up with 20 more, but these are character-based. Hopefully one can spark your next project.1. Rachel S...
January 23, 2019
SETTING MY INTENTION FOR 2019
Beginning in December, I start gearing up for what I hope the next year will bring. In the past, I would make a list of all of the goals I wanted to keep, all of the resolutions I wanted to accomplish. I'm a firm believer in self-development, in constantly trying to be a better version of you.
And, like just about everyone else -- every year those goals and resolutions pass unmet.
Until 2016. From then on, I've been focusing on one word. One. My intention for the year, which I reflect in as man...
And, like just about everyone else -- every year those goals and resolutions pass unmet.
Until 2016. From then on, I've been focusing on one word. One. My intention for the year, which I reflect in as man...
REVIEW: THE SIDE JOB
THE SIDE JOB, BY DON LUBOV
Fiction. Self-published. 126 pp.THE STORYThis is the story of Maggie Gomez -- an unwed, unskilled mother of a sickly daughter. She lives a hardscrabble life on the underside of Las Vegas. As her daughter's health deteriorates, Maggie's need for money for an operation skyrockets. Maggie was vulnerable and defeated early in life. Her long-suppressed strength blossoms and Maggie becomes "La Femme Nikita." As Maggie gets more involved with her loan shark boss and his cre...
Fiction. Self-published. 126 pp.THE STORYThis is the story of Maggie Gomez -- an unwed, unskilled mother of a sickly daughter. She lives a hardscrabble life on the underside of Las Vegas. As her daughter's health deteriorates, Maggie's need for money for an operation skyrockets. Maggie was vulnerable and defeated early in life. Her long-suppressed strength blossoms and Maggie becomes "La Femme Nikita." As Maggie gets more involved with her loan shark boss and his cre...
January 21, 2019
6 COSTS OF SELF-PUBLISHING (And how to stay cost-efficient)
When we're eyebrows deep in our first draft, it may seem like publishing the damn thing exists in an entirely different world. And while yes, in a way it does, that world will come sooner than you think. Nicholas Sparks has said, "writing is an art, but publishing is a business," and I wholeheartedly agree. When we're writing, our creative side is firing. We're in the zone; we're knocking out characters and plot arcs (or maybe we're staring at a blank screen, we've all been there). But when...
