Stay Tuned!

Hey Y'all!

I know. Blog posts are sort of sporadic lately. For good reason, though: I'm knee-deep in revisions for the (still Untitled! Grr!) final book in my Guardians series. Just thought I'd throw that out there, since I'm getting more and more "when will the third Guardians book be out?" hits on my sites every week.

Working on it--Cross my heart! ;)

In the meantime, if you're a fan of Seth and Genesis and their story, you might be interested to know that they will make another appearance v. soon. 

Ever wonder what Seth was thinking the night of Genesis and Carter's accident?

The world is dark, shadowed in grays. There's a soft murmuring, a muted glow of light slivering beneath her bedroom door. I search the realm around me, just to be certain, but only Genesis and I remain. We're alone. And so I close my eyes and pull myself into her world. A world where everything is brighter. Clearer. A world that, for some reason, makes sense to me, though it shouldn't. 

"In The Beginning," featured in the anthology In His Eyes, debuts Feb 14, 2012! Stay Tuned!
~KK~

Apple's Announcement

Hi Everyone!

If you were able to stop by the Indelibles' Writer's Chat this past week: thank you so much! We had a really good time. I'm sure there will be more chats in the future, so stay tuned.

Otherwise . . . Big News from Apple this week!

"Apple announced what it's calling 'iBooks 2' during its media event in New York on Thursday, a textbook software program that allows textbook-makers and instructors to create rich, interactive teaching media for the iPad. As we first reported earlier this week, the announcement is akin to 'GarageBand for e-books,' giving authors access to easy-to-use tools on the computer in order to create multimedia content for the iPad."

Go Here To Learn More.

This news arrived on the cusp of the Coliloquy debut, an innovative epublisher with interactive features.

With iBooks Author, there's an easier way to format our content for the iBookstore. This also means enhanced content: music and other audio files (chapter readings?), easier html linking and embedded videos (book trailers!), links to websites and pdfs or other documents, etc. 

JA Konrath predicted this would happen in 2009, you guys. See # 4 on this post.

The Downside? You'll still need a MAC/upgraded MAC software if your machine is older, and to purchase your own ISBNs. Also, it appears that you're limited to iPad users only. (So the enhanced content can't be viewed on a Kindle, for instance.)

This is also a concern: Greedy and Evil Licensing!

(I'm trying to piece together info from various sources, y'all, so if someone wants to correct me, please feel free!)

Full disclosure: I haven't played around with this app, yet, but I've talked to some people who have, and HOLY COW, you guys. It sounds awesome. I do have a MAC. I have my own ISBN. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of going through an aggregator to get to the "i" products. Now that Apple seems more interested in working directly with the author, we shall see.

Also, I read this article earlier in the week, and thought I'd pass it along: OMG They're Going to Kill Us!

They might have to throw Apple into the mix, as well.

Amazon will probably follow Apple's lead on this one, making it easier for its authors to format their content, with other special features "coming soon" (especially since the launch of the Fire). I've noticed a small upswing in sales at BN since Christmas, but they REALLY need to step up their game if they're going to remain competitive. Well, actually get INTO the competition, in some cases.

Let's just say I'm a huge fan of the free market and corporate competition, and I support measures by any company that are taken to keep the power where it belongs: the writer. No monopolies, please. My day job is related to higher education, so I'm excited to see what iBooks Author does for the classroom, too.

That is all!

Enjoy your weekend!

KK

Chat!

Hi Y'all!

FYI-There's a writer's chat happening tonight, hosted by The Indelibles. It's going to last from 8-9pm Eastern time. Barring natural disaster, I will be in attendance. A post should be going up on The Indelibles blog sometime today, so check the link in the sidebar --> for more information. 

If not, I'll be back later with details.

Would love for you to stop by and say hi!

KK

And the Winner Is. . . .

Hi Everyone!

Thank you *SO MUCH* for stopping by the blog hop this week! I had a record number of hits every day, and gained some new followers and friends. You guys are so awesome!

And now, the moment you've been waiting for. . . .

I used random.org to generate a winning number for me based on the number of comments for my blog hop post. And the winner of the free copy of CROSS MY HEART is: Commenter Number 8!!

That's You, Lisa Asanuma! I'm sending you an email!

My weekend is booked solid. I have a short story due for a new anthology (stay tuned for the official announcement!), and I'm editing The Guardian Book Three. It's slow going, but I'm making a dialogue pass right now. Dialogue is my favorite, especially when people are yelling. I love when my characters yell at each other. The words fly from my fingertips. Writer's block? No problem. Just give 'em a reason to fight. :)

Enjoy your weekend!

KK

Introducing the Indelibles!

Welcome to The Indelibles Blog Hop!

In celebration of our official launch, we are giving away a KINDLE FIRE! If you’d like to start at the beginning of the INDELIBLES ON FIRE GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP, then please start here: http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/

If you are already mid-hop, then welcome to your next stop! By following the link at the bottom of this post, you can proceed to the next author (and check out the awesome, individual giveaways we are doing along the way!). If you are entering to win the KINDLE FIRE, don’t forget to make a note of the keyword at the end of every blog post - the words spell out a phrase you will need to enter the contest on the last stop.

Who Are We?

Marketing guru Shelli Johannes Wells has teamed up with twenty-four other indie and small press authors to bring you the Indelibles.

“We are indie authors who write middle grade and young adult fiction.

We are dedicated to leaving a permanent mark on the world with our stories and words.

We are The Indelibles.”

Each week, we’ll explore fun, fabulous, and fierce topics for today’s teens, drawing on pop culture and themes from the books we write. Check out our official launch Monday, January 9th for fun giveaways at http://indeliblewriters.blogspot.com/. We’ll also be having a “blogger” chat on January 11th and a writer/author chat on the 18th to answer questions about self and indie pubbing. See our blog for details.

And now . . . without further ado. . . .

You've reached the blog of Katie Klein!

I'm the author of THE GUARDIAN, VENDETTA, and the YA Contemporary Romance CROSS MY HEART. I was previously published (Epic Fail!) and decided to go indie after 75 agents rejected CMH because the market was "too saturated." My thought? We'll see what the market thinks about that! Since I uploaded my first novel last December, I've sold more than 20k ebooks. In addition, CROSS MY HEART spent more than 140 days on the Amazon Teen Top 100 Bestseller list, and was a finalist in the 2001 Goodreads Reader's Choice Awards for Best YA Fiction.  

The truth? I kind of like what the market had to say. You can read more about my first year as an indie on this blog. I kept track of sales numbers and "indie happenings" along the way, and even spotlighted some other great indie titles.

When I'm not writing or reading, I'm grading papers (Day Job!) and trying to keep up with my six-year-old. I only eat the red and purple Skittles; crush-wise, I gravitate toward emo, angsty boy singers (guyliner optional); and I *still* want to be a ballerina when I grow up. I also want to be a singer, an actress, and an artist.   

Check out my books while you're here, friend me on Facebook, and/or follow me on Twitter (links in the sidebar-->). 

Don't be shy! I'd love to know who you are! Say hello and tell me what you're reading right now (also: if it's a print book or an ebook!). One lucky commenter will be chosen at random to receive a free copy (ebook!) of CROSS MY HEART!

And now, the moment you've been waiting for:

The keyword for this stop on the blog hop is: A

You can find the next Indelibles author here: http://thepunchingbagfightsback.blogspot.com/

Happy Hopping!

KK

**The contest begins at 12:01AM Monday, January 9 and ends at 12:01AM Thursday, January 12**