Post-Thanksgiving Check-in

 Here we are again. I completely forgot about the blog thing again. It's at the top of my Google Chrome; you'd think I would remember to write more frequently.

I'm currently working on Book 3 - Shadows in the Forest - and my goal is to have it finished by the end of January so my beta readers can read it over the course on February and I can do proper edits and have it published in, hopefully, early March. It would coincide right along with the time I'd be getting out of quarantine, and what better way to end quarantine than to have two books written and published?

Lofty goals, I know. Especially considering how slow this third book is in coming. I'm only just over the 58,000 word mark today and my goal is to at least be 59k words in by the time I wrap up today. I have two scenes I need to get through.

Book 3, Shadows in the Forest, is a more complex story. There are a lot of forces at play in this third installment of the Abernathy Series. Our sarcastic Detective Ali Rivers is forcibly promoted (Jerry, too!) while working to solve two murders. This story is considerably darker than the first two, just to give fair warning. There's a lot more blood and Ali ends up the target of at least one murder attempt. Luckily, she has people watching her back, notably dependable-yet-mysterious Daniel. We get to learn more about his past in this story, albeit most of it still shrouded in secrecy.

As I'm in the middle of this story, it's a bit hard to give much of a synopsis - especially considering I haven't quite figured out the ending just yet. Suffice to say, one man is murdered in a field via a broken neck, and another man gets sliced-and-diced to bits in a cargo container in another field.

I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope everyone took time to remember what we're thankful for this year.

Alas, I've got to get back to writing. I've taken enough time off between Thanksgiving and today. Have a wonderful weekend!

Lessons in Quarantine

 Okay, y'all. I know I've really - reeeeeally - fallen off the blog wagon. There are a multitude of reasons why. One, I genuinely spaced on even having a blog. I know that sounds insane, but it's the truth. I completely forgot about my blog's existence. I know that doesn't sound very good, but if anything, honesty is key.

Two, I've been quarantined since mid-March. See, if I catch this lovely coronavirus, I'm pretty much guaranteed to die (yay, terrible lungs!), so I've been under strict orders to stay the heck at home. Sounds great, I'm sure, but it's been a complete life change for me. I can't go into work to get mail, file paperwork, etc - my husband has to do that for me. I've had to convert my job into a remote position. I've basically been in a weird fight or flight response for the last 6 months. My quarantine has also been extended until - bare minimum - March 2021. A whole year stuck at home.

Three, I've also written and published my second book in my Abernathy series! I worked really hard on it and it was released Labor Day weekend. It's available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, so please feel free to get your copy today! In book 2, Heir Apparent, the town matriarch - Mrs. Abernathy - has been murdered in her own home and it's up to Ali and Jerry to find the murderer. Unfortunately, family secrets are at stake and the family isn't exactly forthcoming. Everyone has secrets, obviously, and secrets aren't secrets if everyone knows about them.

Quarantine has treated a lot of writers differently. Some people have flourished under the lockdowns and limited social gatherings. They've been able to wrangle the time to push out work on their books or art. Other people have completely shut down, their creative processes coming to a halt under the pressure they've been under. And then there are people like me, who've had a mixture of both. My writer's block has definitely been worse - last longer and requiring more forethought - but I've also written and published a book in six months, so obviously I figured stuff out in the end.

So, no matter where on the quarantine creativity scale you find yourself, it doesn't matter in the end. As long as you keep at it and do your best, you shouldn't feel pressure to finish things on the same timeline as you would pre-COVID-19. Things are more challenging and stressful. Things aren't normal and it's okay if that means you're not writing with the same intensity or progress as you were. As long as you try and you keep at it, that's what's important.

I really hope my readers have been well. I really hope everyone's been taking care of themselves. And I'm sorry for falling off the blogging wagon and shirking a responsibility. I'll be more mindful.

 

Heir Apparent is FREE Sept 10-14 2020!! on #Kindlehttps://t.co/Fadc4lqVhU
Follow Detective Ali Rivers in the second installment of the Abernathy Novel Series. Following the trail of a murderer of the matriarch of the Abernathy family and uncovering town secrets! pic.twitter.com/xTur4aqL7p

— Kate Kelly (@Kate_in_KC) September 10, 2020

Heir Apparent : Abernathy Novel 2

 

HEIR APPARENT IS NOW AVAILABLE AT AMAZON.COM

Secrets. Everyone's got them. No one wants them revealed.

My friends have secrets, my blind dates have secrets, and sometimes it feels like I'm the last person to find things out.

My name is Detective Ali Rivers and it is my job to uncover secrets when you're murdered. When my town's "First Family" matriarch is found butchered in the family estate, my partner, Jerry, and I are on the case to find the killer.

Point is, secrets can be deadly, and it's my job to find the truth.

Book 2 in the Abernathy Novel Series

Debut Novel Available at The Green Door Book Store & Gift Shoppe

So excited to announce today that my debut novel, Still Waters Run Deep, is now available at The Green Door Book Store & Gift Shoppe, an independent bookstore here in Overland Park, KS/Stillwell, KS. I am beyond excited, frankly, but that also might be the celebratory Mai Tai I had afterwards that's still talking. Either way, today has been a tremendous step forward and I'm lucky to have the support of my community and friends/family to be able to make it this far.

CONTACT INFORMATION

(913)-766-8646

christin@thegreendoorstore.com

Twitter @greendoor_books

A Brief History of Hubble

It is currently almost 4:30 in the morning. I've been awake for three hours. I have to be up in about an hour and a half. I'm trying to get some writing done and pay bills with my internet crapping out every few minutes. Super productive, I know.

My husband has suggested I make a blog post about our cat, Hubble. He says it'll make me more appealing to readers - all none of you, so far.

My cat's name, as you've clearly figured out, is Hubble. We've had her for 7 years. She's a complicated creature, and not just in that cantankerous, difficult attitude cats have. I got her through a friend of a friend and while I regret relying on said friend (former friend, now, for other reasons than this), I do not regret my decision to take Hubble out of that place. Hubble was one of 9 kittens. The mom and dad cats were both indoor and outdoor cats, as were the two giant German Shepherds. They didn't keep the kittens separate from the giant dogs and to my utter horror and disgust, the kittens were covered in fleas. I wasn't sure I wanted any of the kittens - they didn't seem too friendly or outgoing. However, when I saw her covered in fleas, that sealed the deal. One of those kittens was coming home with me, come Hell or high water. I picked one - any one at that point, and asked if we were still good to take her home. The woman said yes and reassured me of her being the proper age to remove her from her family. I delicately asked about flea medication, and the woman hands me some flea medication. Just a stack of those drop packets on her end table, not being used on the kittens. Un-freaking-believable, right? We get her home, give her a flea bath, much to her displeasure. Over the coming weeks, it was apparent Hubble wasn't just the runt of the litter - she was, in fact, a good four weeks younger than what we were told and basically we took her from her mother way too early.

Hubble has issues. She's easily hostile. She likes to bite - a lot. She's not affectionate - at least, she doesn't like snuggles or cuddles when my husband or I initiate. At night, though, she hops up in bed with us and snuggles by my shins for hours.  It's pretty nice. And lately we've been able to get her to like getting good rubs on her back. Progress, folks - it's only taken 7 years.

Hubble, like all cats, has a knack for trolling the one person in the room that doesn't like cats. My mother, in this case. My mom's just not an animal person, but she calls Hubble her "grandcat" and brings treats and packs of toys for Hubble every single time she visits, without fail. And interestingly enough, Hubble's favorite toys are usually the ones my mom gets her (with a few exceptions of the ones I've gotten her). She loves those fuzzy balls that have the tinsel sticking out all over. We call them Fuzzies. She. Loves. Her. Fuzzy.

She has a special meow for "Mama" (me, obviously, as I gloat typing that). I'm her favorite person, in whatever limited capacity she has favorites.

So there you have it. Seven years of drama and insanity in a nutshell with my adorable cat, Hubble.

Minor Characters

Hello again.

I figured I ought to follow up on my first post about the major characters and fill in a little info about the minor characters. It's kind of hard to decide whether they're major or minor characters in the first book because lots of characters get lots of "screen time" (for lack of better phrase).

Daniel - Daniel is...well, he's a mystery. He's a man who is quiet about most of his past. He works as the lead lab tech and there is almost nothing this man cannot do. He's a good friend to Ali and is dating Ali's friend/Elmer's sister by the end of the book, much to Elmer's displeasure. Daniel is a man that many people seem to owe favors. He knows people all over different parts of the government - state and federal (mostly federal). The prevailing part about him is wondering who the hell he is, because no one on Ali's team, nor the lab techs, seem to know anything about his prior work history.

Dr. James Flannigan - Affectionately known as Elmer (Ali's nickname). He's the Medical Examiner that is usually teamed up with Ali. He's insightful, knowledgeable, and a bit stuffy compared to everyone else. He frequently refers to Ali by her rank rather than first name. He means well, occasionally teases her, and is protective and attracted to Ali. They both seem to acknowledge the attraction but also don't really act on it. Think about Booth and Brennan on the show "Bones" before they started the dating/marriage thing. His sister is Chelsea, a baker on the other side of the state and is good friends with Ali and Carrie

Blaze - Richard Wilbur Miller, legally. President of The Saints, a particularly well-known, rather vicious biker gang that happens to be headquartered outside Abernathy's city limits. Blaze is cunning, perceptive, charming, and brutal. He presents a charming facade but underneath is a brutal man who will do anything and everything to protect what he perceives as his. He has the hots for Ali and ignores the fact that she has nothing but disdain for him.

Work calls; I have a pile of work on my desk to get through today.

Signing off, 

Kate