Category: Uncategorized

A while back, I spent a semester as a Writer-In-Residence at Irmo High School in Irmo, South Carolina, which is a school of the arts, just brimming with talented young adults. I worked with roughly 250 students on a publication project. The idea was simple and beautiful: Each student would write and submit one short…

My fourth novel, THE BAKERSVILLE DOZEN, hit shelves on August 8th. It was an exciting day, but also difficult, as this would be the first release I’d celebrate without my father by my side. The first of my novels that he would never have the chance to read. (See the post from August 1 for…

On December 9th of 2016, I lost my father. It was fast. And brutal. We thought he had an ear infection. But it was cancer, so far advanced, it had reached his brain, spinal fluid, bones, and lymph nodes. He passed a mere 12 days after diagnosis. (12 days. It still doesn’t seem real.)   Dad’s house…

When I write a book, I always have cover design ideas lingering in the back of my mind. But the story takes precedence. Always. So those cover thoughts flicker in and out as plot lines are tweaked and character motivation is deepened, all through revisions and beyond, until that magical day when I open my Inbox and find…

Are you, or do you know, a Young Writer in the greater Dayton, Ohio area who is 15-18?   The Young Writers’ program at the 32nd Annual Summer Workshop (July 8-14) would be the perfect fit! The program is held at University of Dayton in Dayton, Oho. This opportunity is open to Young Writers who…

Here’s a little something I wish we could all commit to, right here, right now, no matter how we feel about the outcome of this election. My first peaceful action will be to close out the internet and take a walk outside. When I pay attention, there is such beauty. Life is filled with grace,…

On October 24, Thurber House hosted an event featuring Jodi Picoult. She didn’t want to be interviewed. Rather, she requested to have a conversation with a local author. (How cool is she?!) Thurber House made the perfect choice, inviting Katrina Kittle to sit alongside Jodi onstage. Guests flooded the King Art Complex in Columbus, Ohio, learning what it…

I love a good book festival. I mean, Book + Festival = Fun, right? Books by the Banks in Cincinnati, Ohio is one of my favorite annual events. This year was no exception. At least a hundred authors attended. Thousands of book-buyers wandered through the convention center throughout the day. There’s so much to do! Shop, hit…

I was scrolling through my newsfeed recently and caught an article about gymnast Gabby Douglas. She’s a beautiful example to so many young women in our world—at twenty-years-old, she’s barely out of her teens, yet she’s an Olympic hero. Which means she’s in the limelight. This is a cause for celebration, but it’s also a…

My second title, ONE MOMENT, died in 2015. Due to unforeseen events, the book went out of print and has been unavailable to readers ever since. It was one of many sad events that left a whole slew of authors and their books homeless when my former publisher closed doors last year. The good thing about…