Kat Simons's Blog

At least this year, for me, because it's one of the few recent summers when we haven't been traveling through most of the months off school. This means I'm getting to the back pages of the site and updating some things. There are still things in need of updates, but we're getting there.

AND in the meantime, there are books.

RELEASES

First up, GOLDEN FLOWER REEDS is out in the world now! Be sure to check it out.

GOLDEN FLOWER REEDS
An Abrahm Reed Story

OUT EVERYWHERE

The equinox marks a balance of light and dark…and thereturn of the elves.

Abrahm Reed hates the equinoxes with the power of a thousandsuns. Not just because each equinox marks the period when day and night balanceand the gateway between elfland and the human realm opens. Not just because thebeautifully deadly elves should never be allowed around humans. But becauseevery equinox, his father demands his presence.

As a half elf, half human, Abrahm moves between both worldswithout restriction. Yet the alien elf realm has always rubbed him wrong. Hefeels more human and more comfortable in the mundane world. One of the manyreasons his elf father hates him.

But something feels different this equinox. Off. Wrong. Morewrong than usual.

Stepping through the portal into elfland cuts Abrahm offfrom everything safe, everything he knows back in Boston. Trapping him in aland of magic and death. Where even the most beautiful flowers provetreacherous. And survival is never guaranteed.

Enter Kat Simons’ richly disorienting and mysterious urbanfantasy where the portal between realms marks a line between the safe, mundanehuman world and the deadly beauty of elfland. Where not even the son of an elflord is safe.

~

As a reminder, this is part of a larger project, UNCOLLECTED ANTHOLOGY: EQUINOX, and you can get all the stories from that uncollected anthology, collected into a single edition! So if you want them all, that's the best way to go.

~~

Also this month, out on the 18th and up for preorder now, STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME THREE!

If you've missed any of the Cafe stories from the first half of 2026 and want to catch up, this is the way to do it. Also for my print readers, this is your chance to get this book. It's out in eBook, Trade paperback, Large Print paperback, and hardback editions!

STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME THREEA Cafe Collection
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE OUT AUGUST 18th

Meanwhile, back at the café…

From the eclectic pen of acclaimed author Kat Simons comes anotherimmersive collection of stories from the Café.

Where regulars sip richly roasted coffees and delectableteas. Newcomers find a cozy nook to nibble their buttery croissants and gooey chocolatechip cookies. And the witch owner and her cat familiar keep the whole thingrunning smoothly.

Well, smoothly-ish.

Time travelers, mysterious goddesses, vampires, wizards, andoccasionally just mundane people meeting someone new. The café brims with mystery,magic, and romance. Held together by the carefully crafted spells of Nina andBoo. A space for every soul.

Don’t miss this latest collection of Stories from the Café!

~~

Don't forget there's also an Abrahm story at the Cafe until the 15th! So be sure to check that out. And if you missed it, don't worry it'll be in the next collection. Also the second Cafe story this month, out on the 15th is a Nina and Boo story, so don't miss that one either!
~~~

NEWS AND UPDATES

Looking ahead to September, I'll have some individual releases from the last Haunts and Howls collection, if you'd just like those as standalone eBooks. This will include the Destiny Cats novella from that collection. If you are a fan of the Destiny Cats, that's a good way to collect the individual stories!

I'll also have the cover for the next Haunts and Howls coming in October, HAUNTS AND HOWLS THROUGH GHOSTLY VEILS! The ghostly theme lent itself to some very fun stories. I'm a little creeped out by ghosts (not unlike Cary Redmond) so writing about ghosts has been both fun and creepy. More on that next month!

Along with the newest Haunts and Howls collection, of course, I'm hoping to have some other fun stuff for October and spooky season, so be sure to check back!

So until next month, Happy Reading!

So of course I've started reading spooky stuff in anticipation of spooky season LOL. And both of the stories I have to talk about take place in the autumn!

RELEASES

First up this month, the new Cary Redmond novel, THE TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES AND GOBLINS, is out live in the world in paperback, large print paperback, and eBook editions!

TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES AND GOBLINS
A Cary Redmond Novel, Book 9
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE

Trouble meets thefamily…

Back from Scotlandand ready to settle into this new version of her job as a magical Protector,Cary Redmond faces only one big problem. Thanksgiving. More specifically,Thanksgiving with her family of mundane humans and her mate Deacon Jones’sfamily of leopard shifters.

Cary’s parents haveno idea that shapeshifters exist in the world. Deacon’s mother happens to bethe queen of the local leopard shifters. Not just the parents plan to gatherfor dinner, but every single member of each family intends to be there. Andevery single one of these people in one small house for one big meal means…Trouble.

Fine. Good.Manageable. No problem.

Except for thegoblins.

And the mysteriousdog.

And, of course, herformer faery mentor Jaxer.And her sister’spregnancy.

But everything isfine. Cary controls her Protector magic now. Thanksgiving involves lots of foodand drink. All good. No problem. What could go wrong?

Oh boy…

In this return KatSimons’ acclaimed Cary Redmond urban fantasy romance series, Trouble picks afamily holiday to add a little light chaos to Cary’s already chaotic life. Endof the world? Or just a talking-to from her mother? Could go either way. Don’tmiss this latest magical Cary Redmond adventure!

~~

For Cary Redmond lovers, a heads up that Cary and Deacon will have a novella in this year's HAUNTS AND HOWLS collection, due out in October. More about that as we get closer, but the Cary and Deacon novella was super satisfying to write because it did exactly what I wanted it to do and that does not always happen. I can't wait to share it with readers.

~~~

Also, coming up on August 1st, I have a story that is part of a really cool project called the UNCOLLECTED ANTHOLOGY. UA is an urban fantasy collection, each edition written to a theme, and each edition having a special guest author. Each story is published independently by the various authors (thus the "Uncollected" part of the anthology) and now all the stories are also collected into a single edition available everywhere! So if you want to read just one or two stories, you can. You can buy them all individually. OR, you can pick up the collection.

For more about the anthology and previous issues, visit their website!

I was invited to be a guest author in issue #40, UNCOLLECTED ANTHOLOGY: EQUINOX! I have been reading UA stories for many years now, so being invited to participate has been really thrilling.



My contribution is called GOLDEN FLOWER REEDS , and is out everywhere for preorder now! All the anthology stories, including the collection, will release on August 1st, so be sure to watch for them.

GOLDEN FLOWER REEDS
Uncollected Anthology: EquinoxIssue Forty
AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE

The equinox marks a balance of light and dark…and thereturn of the elves.

Abrahm Reed hates the equinoxes with the power of a thousandsuns. Not just because each equinox marks the period when day and night balanceand the gateway between elfland and the human realm opens. Not just because thebeautifully deadly elves should never be allowed around humans. But becauseevery equinox, his father demands his presence.

As a half elf, half human, Abrahm moves between both worldswithout restriction. Yet the alien elf realm has always rubbed him wrong. Hefeels more human and more comfortable in the mundane world. One of the manyreasons his elf father hates him.

But something feels different this equinox. Off. Wrong. Morewrong than usual.

Stepping through the portal into elfland cuts Abrahm offfrom everything safe, everything he knows back in Boston. Trapping him in aland of magic and death. Where even the most beautiful flowers provetreacherous. And survival is never guaranteed.

Enter Kat Simons’ richly disorienting and mysterious urbanfantasy where the portal between realms marks a line between the safe, mundanehuman world and the deadly beauty of elfland. Where not even the son of an elflord is safe.

~~

And as a little bonus, Abrahm also visits the Café on August 1st as well! So you can get a little taste of who Abrahm Reed is at the Café and then read his longer story.

~~~

NEWS AND UPDATES

Speaking of the Café, for those of you waiting for the VOLUME THREE collection, that release got a little delayed due to some scheduling conflicts. It's only delayed about three weeks, though and will be out later in August. So please be sure to check back then for updates!
If you're behind on the Cafe stories, all the stories from 2025 are in two collections that are out now , so you can pick those up in the meant time. And VOLUME ONE is currently on sale at KatSimonsBooks!

And finally, a heads up that DRAGON THIEF, book 1 in the Dragon Thief series, will be on sale for a limited time everywhere starting on July 28th, with the sale running through August 18th! If you're an Amazon shopper, you might have to give them a couple of days to price match--or nag them to price match. That usually works too :)

That's all for this month. Until August, I hope you're having a peaceful summer/winter with a lot of good books stacked up on your readers or bedside table just waiting to be read!

Happy Reading!

Summer or winter (and a little late), but welcome to the new season! It's warm and rainy here in NYC, so allergies are bad but the trees are full and pretty.

Last month was wild, and I'm behind because of graduation and little league season, so this will be short and sweet--for me.

Out today! A standalone story from the last Haunts and Howls collection. Print readers, you'll want to pick up the full collection of HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND DRAGON TALES. But if you just wanted to try one or two stories from the collection and this is one of them, it's available everywhere in eBook now!

THE DRAGON DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

Available Everywhere

A stormy afternoon and a rock dragon in a cave…

Growing up, everyone called that pile of rocks in the cave adragon. Kid imaginations, of course. For as long as I could remember, wevisited the “dragon,” played on the rocks, took refuge from the weather, hidfrom our parents. But once I grew up, the cave became a memory. A place Ihadn’t seen in years.

Until a freak rainstorm forces me to take cover in that verycave deep in the woods. Waiting out a storm in the chilly cavern with the rockdragon brings back lots of memories. But… I don’t remember the dragon’s rocksfeeling warm. I don’t remember that hole in the side of the dragon.

I don’t remember that smell.

Revisiting that place of childish imagination might havebeen a bad idea.

Author’s Note: This story is also published in thecollection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND DRAGON TALES, under the title The DragonRedistribution System.

***

Next up, if you didn't get the next Cary Redmond book during the Kickstarter but would still like to enjoy Cary and Deacon's family holiday, the preorder for THE TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES AND GOBLINS is up now! 
This book will be out in eBook, Trade paperback, and Large Print paperback editions. The paperbacks are still working their way through the system so may or may not be available for preorder yet, but should be up soon.

THE TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES AND GOBLINS
Cary Redmond Book 9
Available Everywhere--PREORDER NOW
Out July 7th

Trouble meets thefamily…

Back from Scotlandand ready to settle into this new version of her job as a magical Protector,Cary Redmond faces only one big problem. Thanksgiving. More specifically,Thanksgiving with her family of mundane humans and her mate Deacon Jones’sfamily of leopard shifters.

Cary’s parents haveno idea that shapeshifters exist in the world. Deacon’s mother happens to bethe queen of the local leopard shifters. Not just the parents plan to gatherfor dinner, but every single member of each family intends to be there. Andevery single one of these people in one small house for one big meal means…Trouble.

Fine. Good.Manageable. No problem.

Except for thegoblins.

And the mysteriousdog.

And, of course, herformer faery mentor Jaxer.

And her sister’spregnancy.

But everything isfine. Cary controls her Protector magic now. Thanksgiving involves lots of foodand drink. All good. No problem. What could go wrong?

Oh boy…

In this return KatSimons’ acclaimed Cary Redmond urban fantasy romance series, Trouble picks afamily holiday to add a little light chaos to Cary’s already chaotic life. Endof the world? Or just a talking-to from her mother? Could go either way. Don’tmiss this latest magical Cary Redmond adventure!

***

Later in July, I will also have the next volume of STORIES FROM THE CAFE available, so look out for that news next month.

And in the meantime, The Witches re currently visiting the Cafe, if you'd like to enjoy their story for a few more days. July 1st sees Greta visiting the Cafe trying to be as inconspicuous as a vampire can be... *grin*

And there you go! A quick post from me for the end of June as we roll into summer (or winter), and at least in these parts, graduation seasons! Good stuff :)

Until next month, I hope you find some good reading to keep you company in the coming month.

Happy Reading!

And things are getting hot in my neck of the woods. Actually going outside without a hoodie in tow just in case. At least for the next few days LOL.

So far the Kickstarter is going swimmingly! Thanks everyone. Actually going a little better than I expected since I was sick when I launched it and so couldn't really do all the drum calls and woot announcements. BUT we funded, we reached our first stretch goal, and we're almost to stretch goal two as I write this. So that's fantastic. I'm excited to get Cary's newest book out to readers.

As a writerly aside, I made myself laugh while editing. Twice. And while that could just be me and my sense of humor, it was fun to make myself laugh. I love these people and I love playing in their world.

If you haven't checked out the Kickstarter yet, please do!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katsimons/the-trouble-with-families-and-goblins-urban-fantasy-romance
***
In addition to the Kickstarter this month, I also have the first standalone eBook short story from last year's Haunts and Howls collection. 
FOR WANT OF A CONCERT TICKET is a fun urban fantasy set to the backdrop of a Vegas conference room where witches and insurance adjusters are meeting just doors away from each other. And stuff happens.
It's up for preorder now and will publish on May 27th, so if you'd like this one as a standalone, preorder now so you don't miss the launch!

FOR WANT OF A CONCERT TICKET
Available Everywhere -- Preorder Now! Out May 27th

A Concert in Vegas, a Witch Conference in Vegas, aDisaster in Vegas…

All Mary wants from her trip to Las Vegas? One concertticket. The witches conference gives her a perfect excuse to travel. Visitingwith the other like-minded witches never disappoints. But the lure of a concertticket got her to Vegas.

Unfortunately, the magical vortex opening onto a shadowrealm in the middle of a conference meeting room upends all her carefully laidplans.

Especially with mundane humans in danger.

As distractions go, Mary gives this one high marks. Closingthe breach takes concentration, power, and a little luck. But the vortex isn’tthe worst thing to happen. What comes out of the vortex…

That could destroy everything.

Author’s Note: This story is also published in thecollection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND DRAGON TALES.

 ***

For my paperback readers, the best way to get this story is still to just pick up HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND DRAGON TALES in trade paperback or large print editions! You'll get all the stories that way! 

***

Don't forget to check out The Cafe for the cute romance story up for the second half of May! Kara and Eddie at the Cafe is out to read for free until June 1st.

There are also some sales going on at the store to check out! It's my birthday month, so I've got a number of things up for sale that might be of interest!

I'll have one more Kickstarter reminder here next week. The Kickstarter ends on the 28th of May, so if you want an early copy of THE TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES AND GOBLINS, be sure to check that out and back before it ends.

Never fear if you miss it, however. Next month, I'll have details for the preorders for THE TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES AND GOBLINS, which will be available everywhere wide at the end of June/beginning of July. The release date is currently a little wobbly (which is why there's no preorder yet! Sorry about that.) But be sure to check back for the details next month.

And until then, I hope this month is treating you well!

Happy Reading!

 It's officially up and live for all to see! LOL. So if you're a Cary Redmond fan, OR you just want to check out the series for the first time, now's your chance!

THE TROUBLE WITH FAMILIES AND GOBLINS truly a fun Cary Redmond stories. I had a great time writing this one and meshing Cary's mundane life with her supernatural life. And there are just So. Many. Joneses! LOL.

I hope you'll consider supporting the campaign and getting the latest book early!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katsimons/the-trouble-with-families-and-goblins-urban-fantasy-romance

THANKS!!

And not just because I have a dragon shifter book out this month! New York City has decided mid-April is a good time for late spring heat. Close to summer? I do not want to turn the air-conditioners on yet, but it is nice to go outside without a coat.

But the weather isn't the only heat. Dragon Thief 12, THE CHAIN JOB, the last book in Season Two of the series, is out everywhere in eBook now!

THE CHAIN JOBDragon Thief, Book 12
AVAILABLE NOW

How to outsmart a thief who knows all the same tricks…

From beloved author Kat Simons comes the highly anticipatedfinal episode of Season Two in the Dragon Thief series, where magical thiefMyra and her dragon shifter prince Christopher find themselves up against theclock in a race to stop a war.

When an old nemesis pokes his head out of his pub to selltreasure removed from the dragon king’s hoard, Myra and Christopher once againfind themselves embroiled in a scheme to steal back stolen goods. That thethief used Myra to find a way into the hoard leaves a bad taste in Myra’smouth. Making her only too happy to destroy her old acquaintance’s plans.

Especially since the stolen treasure holds dangerous magic,so terrible, it could trigger a dragon war. War among dragon shifters endangerseveryone in New York and beyond.

But to stop a conflict and retrieve the treasure, Myra,Christopher, and the team have to out thief a thief with the same magic asMyra. All before time runs out.

Dive into the exciting series finale to Season Two of theDragon Thief series, where Kat Simons blends unique world building, mystery,romance, and magic into a story impossible to put down, with characters readerswon’t want to miss.

~~

For my print readers. the individual print editions of each book in Season Two will be out later in the year, around August or September. The full omnibus edition of the Season Two, in hardback, paperback, and eBook editions, will be out in November 2026. So look out for those then.
Season Three will start back up again in 2027 (a year that feels very weird to me, like, how did we get to 2027 already? The 80s were only 20 years ago LOL). More on that as the date approaches. but in the meantime, I hope readers enjoy THE CHAIN JOB !

~~~

As a reminder, I'll have the Kickstarter for the next Cary Redmond novel launching in early May! If you don't want to miss out on that, be sure to follow the prelaunch page! That will help the launch too. Appreciate the support!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katsimons/the-trouble-with-families-and-goblins-urban-fantasy-romance

I really think Cary Redmond readers are going to enjoy this book. We're visiting Cary's excessively mundane family, with the entire Jones family of shapeshifters coming along for the ride. While Cary's mom and sister are having issues. Jaxer shows up for the craic because of course he does. And there are goblins. *grin* Lots and lots of Trouble!

And Kickstarter backers will get the eBook early!

~~~

Looking ahead to May, it's all about the Kickstarter, but there will be an individual story from the last Haunts and Howls collection, HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND DRAGONS TALES , releasing in eBook, so I'll talk about that a little next month while I'm posting regular reminders about the Kickstarter.

And be sure to swing by The Café for a fun new story! Raven at the Cafe is available to read until the end of the month. So don't miss out!

That is the big news for April. Be sure to check back in May when I'll be all about Cary Redmond!

And until then, I hope the world is treating you kindly.

Happy reading!

While it was officially a few days ago, it is now officially the change of the seasons, and we are just starting to feel hints of spring here in my neck of the woods.

This month, a new Percy James Mystery is out! And a little update on the Kickstarter and next Dragon Thief story.

First up, Percy and the Azur Regent return with a new mystery to solve. Those of you who enjoy this series and pick up this book, be sure to read the Thank You afterward. I talk about a passing comment in the story that was based on something that really happened. I'll say no more to avoid spoilers.

MATCHES MIGHT MENACE
A Percy James Mystery

AVAILABLE NOW!

Welcome to the Azur Regent

Summer heats up at the Azur Regents. The perfect blend of activityfor front desk clerk, Percy James. She loves this time of year. The busyschedule. The myriad interesting guests. The buzz and life. Not so much theheat and humidity of the heat wave sweeping through the New York City streets.But the Azur Regent keeps the air conditioning on high, and the touristscomfortable.

Most of the tourists anyway.

In the hospitality game, difficult guests and troubledtravelers pop up daily. Part of the life. Until those troubles bring danger. ThenPercy and the staff must confront the heat. Because if things don’t cool down,someone could die.

~~

MATCHES MIGHT MENACE is out everywhere in eBook, and also a print edition is currently available my store and Amazon. I haven't gotten around to releasing them wide yet. HOWEVER, the whole series is in the schedule to make sure they're all available in print from other booksellers. I'll update when they go wide.

***

Quick update on the Kickstarter. Thanks to the usual business of life, I'm moving the launch of the Kickstarter to May. I want to make sure it's fun and fully put together and I'm behind on it because of getting stuck in Ireland after the Olympics in Italy (long story). So the Kickstarter will launch in May now.

For email reminders when it goes live, please follow the prelaunch page and Kickstarter will let you know as soon as it launches. I'll also post about it here.
***
Because I'm moving the Kickstarter around, I will likely be moving the publishing date of the next Dragon Thief story up to the end of April. Originally, it was on the schedule for May 10th, but since I haven't gotten the preorder up yet, it can come out in April without issue. *grin* An early spring surprise.
So! Look out for THE CHAIN JOB, Book 12 in the Dragon Thief series next month! More on that in the next update.

***
Finally, a little reminder to visit the Café at KatSimonsBooks for the latest short story: ANGIE AT THE CAFE ! Where we get to see our favorite Demon Witch just hanging out being a witch, solving witchy problems in uniquely witchy ways. Free to read until the end of March!
***
Until next month, happy reading!~Kat

 

Oh boy was January a busy month down my way, but things are settling out a little on the home front (even if the world is chaos and weirdness F*CK ICE!).

But now we are into February and February sees the return ofthe Dragon Thief, which I'm very excited about! I also have the prelaunch page up for the Cary RedmondKickstarter. More on that below.

~~~

NEW RELEASE

First up, the new Dragon Thief story THE BLACKMAIL JOB is out everywhere now! This is book 11, the penultimate book in Season Two of the series. And things are getting more complicated in the dragon shifter world for Myra and Christopher. Still, there are damsels to save. And the team is ready!

THE BLACKMAIL JOBA Dragon Thief StoryDragon Thief Book 11
OUT EVERYWHERE NOW!

Crushing secrets rise to haunt and devastate… 

Grappling with their discovery of a new and deadly foe, Myraand Christopher struggle to untangle the mess. Political machinations. Dragonshifter politics. Secrets buried so deeply to raise them could provedevastating.

Myra never imagined falling in love with a dragon shifterprince would prove so complicated and dangerous. Yet past secrets and darkplans continue to drag them into someone else’s nefarious plot. Uncovering thetruth takes time. And distressed damsels still need saving from unscrupulous,murderous villains.

With a job to do, Myra and Christopher must put theirprivate struggles to one side. And hope they can rescue their latest clientbefore everything implodes. Because when those long-buried secrets find thelight, Myra knows they’ll change everything.

Don’t miss this dark, twisty urban fantasy romance adventurethrough the Dragon Thief world, where a magical thief and her dragon princeface enemies old and new. And a future that hangs by a fraying rope.
~~~
THE CAFE AT KATSIMONSBOOKS
As a reminder, the newest Café story is up now! STRANGE THINGS ARE AFOOT AT THE CAFE is free to read until March 1st. And for people of a certain age, you might recognize some of the references to a certain time traveling duo from the late 80s. *grin*

~~~

NEW KICKSTARTER

So far, so good for launching the new Cary Redmond Kickstarter in April. Right now, the prelaunch page is up, and it is currently very basic. But you can follow that page to get notified when the Kickstarter launches.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/katsimons/the-trouble-with-families-and-goblins-urban-fantasy-romance

The more followers on this page, the better the launch usually goes, so if you could follow that page, that'd be great. I will be posting a few things to the page over the course of March, too, so keep checking back!

I'm really excited to get this book into the hands of Cary Redmond fans because introducing Cary's very mundane family with no idea that shapeshifters exist to Deacon's entire shapeshifter family while there are also other shenanigans going on the background was an absolute delight. And I hope readers will enjoy the story too!

~~~

LOOK AHEAD

So as a look ahead to next month, there will be more Café stories, more about the upcoming Kickstarter, and, with the usual caveats because life is weird, I will have a new Percy James Mystery out! Look out for all those details next month.

The next Dragon Thief story is working its way through the process now and is scheduled to release in May. That one is the last story for Season Two. And of course, it's fun and you should read it. LOL. I'll have more about that soon.

As a reminder, if you'd like to keep up on all my news and releases and such, you can always join my Reader Newsletter and get the details directly to your inbox. Subscribers get two free, exclusive stories (one Cary Redmond story and one Tiger Shifters story), as well as news, updates, cover reveals, excerpts, and occasional discount coupons to my store. Also occasional pictures of my baking exploits or travel. The newsletter comes out (for the most part) monthly and is a great way to keep up without putting in any effort at all *grin*



Finally, as I mentioned getting my AI statement up on the site a few months back, you might be able to tell, I haven't yet. So for the record, I am still NOT using AI in any of my marketing, cover art, interior art, and certainly not in my writing (I literally just write all the time so I have a backlog of things that need to be published). And I do still intend on having a formal statement on the sight sometime soon.
With the art, because I use stock photos, I'm doing my best to ensure I don't use AI, but some might slip through. If I'm made aware of that, I will change things. But this is just a reminder before I can get a page up that, to the best of my ability, I am not using AI in my publishing in any capacity. This is not a statement about the us of AI by other authors and publishers. This is just my own personal position on the technology within my personal writing and publishing.
~~~
OKAY SO, that's good for Romance Month, in which I have very little in the way of Romance to talk about! LOL. But since the Dragon Thief series is an urban fantasy romance/paranormal romance series, it counts. Until next month, I hope the world is treating you kindly and gently, and that you are finding very good stories to read!
Happy Reading!

And all I can say is, at least we have books. At least we have books. (I'm in the US and things here are weird and not good. I feel like where I stand on things is obvious in my fiction, but in case it isn't, I'm anti-authoritarian, can't stand the current administration here, and believe in science. Also, PROTECT THE DOLLS. Spend your money wisely.)
Anyway, let's talk about books and take a little respite. This month is all about The Café at KatSimonsBooks. The Café stories continue . Those are free to read for two weeks, so for anyone who's feeling the pinch of higher costs this year, you can read and enjoy each Café story. Be sure to check back in on those on the 1st and 15th of the month, so you don't miss anything you want to read. The Café is a nice place to escape to for an hour or two.
Currently, the resident familiar, Nina's Maine Coon Boo, has a story from his perspective up. A day in the life of Boo. Don't miss it!
Boo at the Café is free to read until February 1st!


~~~
In addition to the free stories, all of the different 2025 stories have been put into two collections now! And STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME TWO is out everywhere today.
This collection has all the Café stories from July through December 2025. If you missed anything in the last six months or just want to have the stories for yourself so you can enjoy them whenever you like, pick up this collection. It's available at KatSimonsBooks as well as everywhere in eBook, Trade paperback, Large Print paperback, and Hardcover editions, to suit your reading needs.
Just a little heads up, if the print editions haven't populated out to your favorite vendors yet, they will be there soon!
STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME TWOA Cafe Collection
Out Everywhere Now

Welcome back to the Café…

Return to the cozy, mysterious, and magical world of the Caféat KatSimonsBooks, where anything can happen. And often does!

Heart-thumping romance. Dangerous mysteries. Otherworldlycreatures. Magic and mayhem. Where ordinary humans sip coffee alongside paranormalcreatures. Gods hang out reading paperbacks and meddling where they please. Therich scent of coffee blends with the yummy smells of fresh pastries and brandnew books.

And at the center of it all, the witch proprietress Nina andher familiar Boo keep everything running smoothly. At least, as smoothly as amagical café can run.

Enter the Café and settle in for a while. Meet old friendsand new. And maybe, just maybe, witness a bit of magic. Don’t miss this latestcollection of Stories from The Café at KatSimonsBook!

~~~

And of course, if you've missed any of the stories from the first half of 2025 and would like your own personal copy of those, STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME ONE is also available everywhere in eBook, Trade, Large Print, and Hardback editions.

~~~

As a little look ahead to next month, February is supposed to be Romance month. And as long time readers will know, I'm not crazy about Valentine's Day as a holiday. BUT I do have the next Dragon Thief story coming out! Which is exciting and a little overdue. And also qualifies as a romance so I'm not shunning the holiday all together! 

Myra and Christopher have to deal with the revelations from THE GOLDEN CHALICE JOB, and that's really fun. And of course, they have things to steal and damsels in distress to rescue. If you're a bit behind on the series, now's the time to catch up!

Meanwhile, over at the Café, I'll have one of my angry FMCs making an appearance to meet another very angry FMC in the first story of the month. I love angry women characters. They're so cathartic. *grin* Be sure to swing by on the 1st of February so you don't miss them!

And if you're feeling the need for a little angry women doing stuff right now, check out ANGER MANAGEMENT.

Be sure to check back next month for details about the next Dragon Thief book, and more about the goings on at the Café (though be sure to hop over there on the 1st of February if you don't want to wait for reminders!) And I should also have some news about my next Kickstarter by then. Because I have a new Cary Redmond novel coming soon! That needs to be celebrated. The world needs more Protectors.

Until February, I hope the world is treating you kindly, or at least as well as can be expected, and I hope you find respite and joy where you can. And as always, I hope you find some really good reading for the month!

~Kat

And boy what a whirlwind of chaos the end of this year has been (also flu sucks!) ANYWAY. I'm going to use the new year to reset a little and get going again with a schedule I hope will be a little less chaotic.

More on the year ahead below. I also have new books out this month to talk about!
~~~

RELEASES

First up, the final Demon Witch series book APOCALYPSE WITCH is officially out everywhere now! The print and hardback editions should be available most places or will be available soon.

APOCALYPSE WITCHA Demon Witch Novel
Demon Witch, Book 5
AVAILABLE NOW

The Apocalypse Witch… A disaster? A warning? Or adestiny…

With this new cursed power dangling a knife over her headand pinning a target to her back, witch Angie Jordan faces one last trial tofind answers. Before the dark magic kills her. A journey that tests hercontrol. Strains her bond with Sebastian. And reveals secrets that coulddevastate her realm. A quest that pits her and Sebastian against an enemyunlike anything they’ve encountered before.

As demons hunt them, and the dangers expand with every step,Angie’s powers grow more erratic. Uncertain who to trust, time becomes theirenemy. Because if they fail, no one will be safe.

From the demons. Or from Angie.

Don’t miss this heart-pounding final book in the acclaimedDemon Witch series. With everything on the line, and the fate of Angie,Sebastian, and the entire human world hanging in the balance.

 ~~

The paperback and hardback editions of the other books in the series with the new covers are available some places but still populating out, so if you want the new covers, you can either order from my store, or give it another week or so for the updates to go through. Careful on Amazon. I've taken down the old versions of the books but the old covers are still showing so you might get directed to those editions.

Large Print editions of all the Demon Witch Books will be updated and rereleased in the new year. Ran out of time to get those sorted. So if you're a Large Print readers, be sure to check back here for updates.

~~

In addition to the new covers, there's also a new duology of the two shorter prequel stories. The eBook of HOWLING DREADFUL ON A MOONLIT STRANGE is only available in a few places so far, including my store. I'll be getting the eBook of the duology out in the new year as well.

But in the meantime, the paperback and hardback of this edition should be working its way out everywhere. And if you have the individual books for MOONLIT STRANGE and HOWLING DREADFUL, there's no big changes in the duology, so you don't need to buy that extra book.

HOWLING DREADFUL ON A MOONLIT STRANGEA Demon Witch Prequel Duology

AVAILABLE NOW

Angela Jordanplanned a future that fell apart one long-ago day in a church parking lot.Though she tries to follow her true path as a witch, fate and the demons pullher away. And when the demon hunter who saved her life knocks on her door, thehunter’s protégé in tow, looking for help, Angie answers the call.

Starting her down apath through a demonic world she hates. The only light…meeting the love of herlife. But being in Sebastian’s world takes a toll on Angie. Forces her into herworst nightmares. Death always one mistake away.

To hold ontoSebastian, Angie lives and fights beside him. But the cost she pays might betoo high. Even to keep the love of her life.

This prequelduology to the Demon Witch series takes readers on a dangerous meet cute, abeginning to a deep love, that could lead Angie and Sebastian into a brightfuture, or devastate them both. Don’t miss these darkly magical prequel storiesto the Demon Witch series!

~~

AND in addition to the new Demon Witch books and editions, I'm SO excited to have out the latest HAUNTS AND HOWLS book! I'm kind of kicking myself for getting this one out so late in the year. I really do prefer to release the Haunts and Howls collections in October. But the last half of this year has just been crazy. BUT, it's out now! Available in eBook, Trade paperback, and Large Print editions!

HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND DRAGON TALESA Haunts and Howls Collection
AVAILABLE NOW  

Follow, mere mortals, for here there be dragons…

Beyond the mists of time. Through the thin veil betweenrealms. Enter a world of dragons both old and new. Mystic beings of power andmagic. Danger and strength. Wisdom and violence.

Here, intrepid heroes venture into uncharted waters.Encountering creatures so powerful their legends span all of human history.Tread cautiously. For here there be dragons…

In this latest Haunts and Howls collection of seven newcontemporary fantasy stories, bestselling author Kat Simons delivers dragontales from the quiet to the epic. From the truly deadly, to the sublime. Don’tmiss every delicious, dangerous adventure into the realms of dragons. Includinga brand new Destiny Cats novella!

~~

I'm REALLY excited about this edition of the Haunts and Howls books. If you haven't guessed, I love dragons and have since I was a kid. My gateway into reading science fiction and fantasy was Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. So this collection is near and dear to me. And I just love the stories in it. I hope readers will enjoy it too!

~~~

SALES

There are all sorts of seasonal sales going on this month as well, so be sure to check those out. I have a bunch of things on sale over at KatSimonsBooks.


AND most of my catalogue is in the Smashwords Annual Winter Sale! So be sure to check that out too. Lots of good books involved.

~~~

NEWS AND A LOOK-AHEAD

So, as I mentioned above, the last part of the year got away from me and I feel like I'm ending on a chaotic note. I'm hoping to corral all that chaos going into the new year and settle on a more reasonable schedule given the stuff going on in my personal life in the upcoming year (all good stuff! Just a lot of Big Events that I want to make sure I'm present for and not stressed about the publishing stuff around those things).

I will continue with the twice a month Stories from the Cafe at KatSimonsBooks . Those will still
come out every 1st and 15th of the month for readers to enjoy for free, with collections of the previous six months of stories coming out...well, every six months. VOLUME TWO of the STORIES FROM THE CAFE will be out in January toward the end of the month. You can preorder the eBook from KatSimonsBooks now if you want to make sure to get it!

The next two installments of the Dragon Thief series are written and just waiting on edits and cover art. Those will be released early in the new year. I was hoping for January and February or March release, but at this stage, it's looking more like February and March or April. If things go better than I anticipate, I'll be sure to update here! But yeah, looking like February and April will be more reasonable release times.

I also have book 9 of the Cary Redmond series just waiting in the wings! That one does have a cover--or at least it's almost finished. Still working through edits--but there's still editing. So for this book, I'm going to celebrate a little by doing a Kickstarter for it! That will be either March or April and I will definitely update here as it approaches and the prelaunch page goes live.

I will also have a new Haunts and Howls Collection out in October 2026, this one with a ghost theme!! Perfect for spooky season. So look out for that one. (I may launch it with a Kickstarter!) It will have a new Cary Redmond novella in it, and I have a story about writing that story. But I'll talk more about that closer to the time. (tease LOL)

Around all of this, I have a few Percy James Mysteries releasing and a couple more collections to put together that I've had on the backburner for entirely too long now. Time to get them out! I also have a really fun collaborative thing I'm doing in August, but I'll tell you more about that in the new year.

Because 2026 is for catching up a little, I will have Dragon Thief on hiatus after the twelfth book comes out, but only for a short time. Except the new season of Dragon Thief to start up again in 2027!

So big plans for the upcoming year, but hopefully a more reasonable work schedule for me. LOL. Wish me luck!

And until next month, may your holiday season be lovely and full of light and peace and warmth and love. Happy Holidays!

Kat