Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

I'm super excited to share my good writing buddies new book cover for her upcoming middle grade novel, Pirate Island. I met Katie through MuseItUp Publishing. She edited my middle grade, Beware of the White. I LOVED working with her. Then her book, Elixir Bound came out and I loved it too. I've had the privilege of critiquing a version of another young adult novel she currently has out on submission - that I STILL think about more than a year later. She's that good. In other words, put Pirate Island high up on your to-read list. I am! PIRATE ISLAND by Katie L. Carroll ( katielcarroll.com ) Cover Illustration by Susan Tait Porcaro ( susantaitporcaro.com ) Coming October 2017! PIRATE ISLAND blurb: A thrice cursed island, a legendary pirate treasure, and one not-so-brave boy. What could possibly go wrong? For centuries, the whereabouts of Captain William Kidd’s lost pirate treasure has remained a mystery. When Billy’s best friend, Andy, proposes they...

I'd like to share all the fun surrounding Katie L. Carroll's young adult fantasy, ELIXIR BOUND (a great book, by the way.) Please take the time to see all that she's offering and we'd love if you share the news as well. Thanks! ELIXIR BOUND YA fantasy by Katie L. Carroll Katora Kase is next in line to take over as guardian to a secret and powerful healing Elixir. Now she must journey into the wilds of Faway Forest to find the ingredient that gives the Elixir its potency. Even though she has her sister and brother, an old family friend, and the handsome son of a mapmaker as companions, she feels alone. It is her decision alone whether or not to bind herself to the Elixir to serve and protect it until it chooses a new guardian. The forest hosts many dangers, including wicked beings that will stop at nothing to gain power, but the biggest danger Katora may face is whether or not to open up her heart to love. Ebook on sale for $.99 until September ...

Welcome to Three Times A Charm. I love meeting new authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the children’s publishing industry and sharing their careers with my readers. Today’s guest is young adult author, Katie Carroll. Katie is visiting as part of her blog tour to announce the paperback version of her book! Welcome to Strands of Thought, Katie. Tell us a little about you, please. I’m a mom, author of books for teens and kids, and editor (in that order!). My journey to becoming a published author began after my little sister, Kylene, unexpectedly passed away at the age of 16. I wanted to write a fantasy adventure for her, and this book eventually became Elixir Bound. Being a writer has taken me many wonderful places, real and imagined. I also play soccer, read a lot, and get lost in the infinite loop of the Internet. I live in a small CT city, not too far from the beach, with my husband and 2-year-old son. I’ve read and truly enjoyed Elixir...

Welcome to my blog feature, Building Character in which you get to meet a character from a book. Talking to a character outside of their book is fun! Huge. Amounts. Of fun.  This week Strands of Thought is host to Katora from Elixir Bound. Welcome to Strands of Thought, Katora. Tell us a little about yourself and what your life is like. My name is Katora Kase, third in line of the five Kase siblings, but first in line to take over the family farm. We grow tiny fruit called essenberries, ferment them, and turn them it into essence, a popular but rare beverage in the Greater Peninsula. Each vintage of essences captures the mood of the growing season in a bottle. I love a good adventure, and am about to embark on the biggest one of my life. Ooo, an adventure! Why and where are you going? I thought essence was all we produced on the farm, but it turns out that Pop, my father, is the guardian of a secret healing Elixir. He called it the greatest healing Elixir ever a...