Saturday, August 23, 2014

ENVIOUS reviewed by Kelly Smith Reviews

Kelly Smith Reviews recently gave ENVIOUS five stars!

For me, writing is easy, formatting is exhausting, and publishing is nerve-wracking. But, when a review is posted, I love to read it, because I know what I think about my book, but it's exciting to see what other people take from it. How they see it. What their favorite parts were. How they liked or didn't like the characters. It thrills me when someone is so engaged in my book that they have thoughts and questions that they want to share. I think it means I'm doing something right.

Well, Kelly Smith Reviews recently featured my book, Envious. Five stars is amazing! And the interview that followed had me giddy.

Here's two quotes from the review:

"Every so often, you come across a book whose story is so enveloping that you look up from reading to see that hours have passed without your knowledge.Envious, by Katie Keller-Neiman, is that book."

"...this is no story of simple schoolgirl crushes and jealousies."

Thank you Kelly!
Read the full review here:
Kelly Smith Reviews: Envious Review

Interview from Kelly Smith Reviews

I was recently lucky enough to be interviewed! My first interview! It was a very exciting and rewarding experience. I have to admit, I've never been so stumped by questions that I have unending answers to. Read a question...mind goes blank. It took a while, but I eventually managed to climb out of my hermit shell, cast aside my heavy cloak of shyness and answer the questions that I was so thrilled to be asked.

Here's some of my favorites:

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel Envious?

Envious happened so spontaneously, it was like magic. I can’t say precisely what inspired me, but one day, I just started to write it. I had no outline, no ending planned, no character bios. All that I had was a title, a “what if” statement, and an overactive muse. I had a very loose idea of what it was going to be, and the book grew from there as I wrote. I was just as surprised by the course it takes as anyone who reads it. 

4. Why decide to mix fantasy and psychology? That’s an unusual mix.

I have a deep love of and interest in psychology. The human mind is full of twists, turns and mystery. It’s like a puzzle. And fantasy amazes me. It’s a world without limits, where anything is possible. Whenever I reach for a book, it’s either fantasy or psychological. I love both genres, so it just seemed natural to combine them.  

6. Will we see these characters any more in future stories?

Absolutely. Sandy’s story is far from over. The next book, Envious Obsession, will be released in late fall.

8. What do you want young readers to take from the story?

Life is about change, making mistakes and learning from them. We all do it. Sandy does it too.

Thank you very much for the interview, Kelly!

Read the full interview here:
Kelly Smith Reviews Interviews Katie Keller-Nieman

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Sugar Ninjas 4 Released

Sugar Ninjas Book 4 has been released!

For those of you who don't know, Sugar Ninjas is an all female comic book anthology. Years ago, the great Bob Pendarvis realized the struggle that female artists face when breaking into the sequential art industry, and set out to do something about it. Thus, Sugar Ninjas was born!

Sugar Ninjas is comprised of illustrations, sequential art and prose. All female creators, and their contact info. The books are created not for the purpose of making wads of cash profits. It's intentions are to introduce the world to that vast talents possessed by female artists. We exist, and we are capable, creative, and inspired. And the book is super inexpensive. Book 4 is huge! I just got my copy in the mail today. It is a beautiful beast of a book. The art is stunning, the stories are great, and the variety is unmatched.

I am proud to say that I am a Sugar Ninja. My art and story "Serpent Cove" was included in Sugar Ninjas Sweet 3. And in Sweet and Spicy 4, I have various art illustrations and a sequential art story titled, "Precious Things."

Sugar Ninjas Sweet and Spicy 4 is available in paperback on amazon.com. Discover your new favorite artist and storyteller!
Find it on Amazon.com