Speaking of those holidays though...Have you started your shopping? I have and man, sticker shock was a real thing this year. Luckily, I've found some good sales. It seems the older my kids have gotten, the more I have to stretch that budget. With that in mind, I wanted to do something for all of you!

From now (November 15th) until the end of the month (November 30th), I have marked down my books from $10 down to $8. These are signed copies that come directly from me. My Amazon prices are set so if you prefer to order from them, know that those copies aren't signed. Signed copies can only be ordered directly from me. Shipping will be $5 for the first book and an additional $2 per book after that. I've included copies of three of the book covers below. I don't have a good image of Tales from the Toy Store. If you'd like more information on each book, head over HERE to read their descriptions. To place your order, message me on Facebook or send an email to Katrina@KatScratchPress.com -- Books will arrive in time for the holidays! 

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How about an update?

For those who were following along or pledged, Return to the Toy Store was a success on Kickstarter. Thank you to all who helped to make that happen! It's now available on Amazon if you missed your chance to get it on pre-order. 

The boys and I tabled at our first comic convention which was fun. We did pretty well and as with most things in life, I learned a few things along the way. I'm not sure what event you'll find us (me) at next, but I'm hopeful to get out there and share my books with more people. It's been suggested that I check out some local craft fairs and that's totally an option that I want to explore.

So, what's in the pipeline? I'm working on a new book called Cobalt's Castaways. It's another book in the cat line series. I have some returning characters, but I'm introducing a lot of new cats as well. I even have the plot of what might be my first comic in there. I have about five more stories to write and as soon as I have the funds, I'll get my artists working on the cover and interior art. I plan on having the book completely finished when I put it up on Kickstarter for pre-orders. With any luck, that will happen in August. 

On a personal note, my mental/physical health hasn't been the greatest as of late, so please keep sending happy thoughts my way. With any luck (and a lot of work), things will start looking up soon. I'm on a new medicine regimen so fingers crossed we found the right blend! 

Take care and feel free to drop me a line anytime!

 


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First and foremost, I've been a mom for the past nearly 22 years. Wow, that seems like a really long time, but like any parent can tell you, that time goes by so fast. One day you're bringing them home from the hospital and what seems like the next, you're helping them move into their first apartment. This happened to me just this past August. My baby (who is now 20) moved into his first apartment and all I could think was, "Is this the same little boy that used to ask me to make up bedtime stories for him?"

That's where I truly got my start as a storyteller. Sure, I've been writing since I was a child, but my true storytelling nature didn't come out until my own children didn't want me to read them stories anymore. They wanted me to tell them stories about their own toys. Tales from the Toy Store and now Return to the Toy Store are merely offshoots of those times. I don't make up stories for my own children anymore, but that doesn't stop me from writing them for everyone else's.

On top of that, or maybe because of my own experiences with my children, I've become a bit of an advocate for early reading. My own children have been read to since they were in the womb. Did this make them smarter or funnier or more creative? Well, I can't really know that because I'm not willing to go back and change what I did. However, I do know that they both have great imaginations and that reading or story time was their favorite part of the day. They were eager to go to bed to hear what their toys had been up to that day while they were at school or just busy playing. 

Reading is important. Let's face it. We all read something every single day. It could be as big as a novel or as small as a road sign. Knowing how to read gets us through life. Maybe even more importantly, reading and storytelling encourages imagination and I can't imagine (haha) life without imagination. It's gotten me through the toughest of times. For children, imagination can teach them life lessons as they play out the stories in their heads. I hope that my stories have that same affect on them. I hope that children hear or read my stories and take them into their dreams and turn them into reality with their own toys.

Right now, I'm raising the funds to get my newest book published. While I do the writing, editing, and formatting myself, I have to pay my amazing artist (Maxx Strain) and cover artist (Eric Cockrell). I also have a blurb writer and artists that do my prints and all of the fun stuff. As much as I wish books were free to make, they just aren't. So, this is where you get to help! If you back the campaign, you can choose which books to get as well as other goodies as we hit new goals. You get to be the first people to get this book. This book will not be published on Amazon or anywhere else until you have this book in your hands. It's also one of the rare times that you can have your book signed.  You could also be making a difference in a child's life because it will be harder to get this book out into the world without your help. 

If you'd like to pre-order Return to the Toy Store and have the opportunity to get my other books, head on over to Kickstarter and pledge today!

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Let's start with the big reveal...the cover! Done once again by Eric Cockrell, I am absolutely in love with it. Ready to see it? Let's go!

Return to the Toy Store is the follow up book to Tales from the Toy Store. It has 100+ pages of stories filled with all of your favorite characters. It will be launching for pre-orders on Kickstarter on October 1st and will be available on Amazon in the future.  If you'd like to check it out, make sure to click on the link above and get notified as soon as it's live!