Dear Writing Diary Entry #38
In this entry, I talk about my next fantasy book, announce some early Black Friday deals, and share an opportunity to get a discount for Bookshop.org!
I love the vintage clicking sound my typewriter keyboard makes whenever I’m deep into a writing session. There’s just something about it combined with the lights that pulse along its keys in different patterns that calms my mind and wakes my imagination. November 20th, 2025
Dear Writing Diary,
It feels amazing to be working on a new fantasy novel again. In between publishing my other three projects this year, I have been quietly plugging away at the first draft of a novel, and now I am half a chapter away from completing it! I will be making several rounds of revisions before it is professionally edited. But my search for an editor is well underway, and I can’t help but be both nervous and excited to see how the process goes. I revised The Fated approximately 10 times both on my own and with two different literary agents before I ultimately published it. So, I am thrilled to soon finish up the drafting stage and begin diving into the challenging but rewarding process of revisions since I hope to release this novel later in 2026.
While I don’t want to give away too much about it yet, this next novel will center around wishes: specifically the ability to make wishes come true—in exchange for a hefty price.
And with that teaser, I will move on for now, but I look forward to sharing more details about this new fantasy world and the characters who inhabit it in future diary entries.
Nominate The Fated to be listed on Bookshop.org’s Best Gift Book List
As many of you might know, one of the ways to help support your local bookstore (other than buying directly from them) is to make a purchase from that store through Bookshop.org. I specifically made The Fated available on this online bookstore because it supports indie bookstores around the US by sharing a portion of its profits with them. This month, Bookshop.org is compiling a list of the best books to give as gifts for 2025. So, if you read and loved The Fated, I would deeply appreciate it if you could recommend it for the list by filling out this short form HERE. By filling out the form you also get a discount off your next Bookshop.org purchase, and I believe next weekend they will offer free shipping throughout Black Friday/Small Business Saturday.
If you haven’t read The Fated yet, you can grab your physical copy on my own bookish corner of Bookshop.org (this is an affiliate link, and I earn a commission at no extra cost to you) and select whichever bookstore you would like to support through your purchase!
Also, speaking of Black Friday...
Early Black Friday Deals
I am offering the ebook version of The Fated and my novella, The Phoenix & The Neverending Winter for only $0.99 from now through next weekend. Check out my website at Katelynsam.com to see where you can find your copies today in time for the holiday season.
The Phoenix & The Neverending Winter is an enchanting and lyrical tale that serves as an ideal stocking stuffer this holiday and Christmas season for the fantasy lover in your life. Its uplifting themes of hope and good prevailing over evil offer the perfect opportunity to curl up by the fireplace for a cozy, escapist read on a cold winter night, making it a thoughtful and uplifting gift.
The Fated is a brilliant gift this holiday and Christmas season for readers who appreciate an eclectic mix of genres, seamlessly blending fantasy, magical realism, paranormal, and mystery into a single, gripping narrative. The novella’s atmospheric and evocative setting provides the perfect escape for a cold winter night, as readers are drawn into an intriguing tale of dreams, desire, and self-discovery aboard a luxurious yet mysterious ship.
Free Bookish Goodies
Lastly, I also have 2 promos this month to share with you all! I have joined together with some fellow authors to offer you some free e-books, so browse through them to find your next read.
The Fiction Giveaway Extravaganza
Here’s to seeing what the rest of this year holds.
-K
P.S. Whoever’s reading this, if you’ve enjoyed these glimpses into my writing life, could you please hit the subscribe button? I would love to share more of my writing journey with you in the future. :)
