CHEESUS IS COMING!

I am insanely excited to announce that my debut novel, CHEESUS WAS HERE, will be published spring 2017 by Sky Pony Press.

But wait, what is this ridiculously titled book about? I'm glad you asked. Sixteen-year-old Delaney Delgado hasn't believed in miracles since her kid sister died. When crazy religious signs begin turning up, bringing a barrage of news vans and people searching for God in the discount aisle of the grocery store, Del is determined prove the so-called miracles are fake. Shenanigans ensue.

Thanks to my amazing agent, Mandy Hubbard, and fab editor, Adrienne Szpyrka, next year I get to live the dream: strolling into a bookstore, finding my book on the shelf and making high-pitched noises loud enough to frighten small dogs living in Canada. My dreams are simple and specific. Apologies to the small dogs living in Canada. But not really.

Stay tuned to my website, and especially the news and events page, for updates, give-aways and enough animated gifs to blow up the internet.

Don't mind me, I'll be over here acting completely calm and professional.

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CHEESUS IS COMING!

Hidden Stories

Research for my next book has me reading a lot about the early days of train travel in the United States. Of all the resource books I pour over, the ones I love the most are the personal accounts of people who worked on the railroad and stories shared by their families. It's these remembered moments that bring the rails to life, that give a face to such an iconic era and industry.

All those memoirs make me nostalgic for my own past and the stories passed down in my family. My grandfather worked on the railroad most of his life as a safety inspector. A taciturn, quiet man, he seldom spoke about his work. My mother and aunts can tell me very little about what he did day to day, or even how he first became involved with the railroad. Those are stories that are lost, hidden words I'll never know. My grandfather died close to twenty years ago and I've yet to find a time machine. His story will stay hidden, unfortunately.

But there are other stories, about my mother growing up in the fifties, about the time my aunts caught wild tortoises in the desert and brought them home, that aren't lost. It's my job now to write down those stories so I can share them with my own kids one day.

As authors, we write many things. Sometimes, the most important, aren't the ones that will be published and shelved in a library, but rather the personal stories of our families and friends. Simple things that capture a life, a time, a moment in history that will never be again. It's important to remember those stories as well and take time to listen to record them just as faithfully as we do the fantasy worlds living in our brains.

Of course, some of those personal stories would make fabulous fiction novels as well.... If you follow the stories and listen very carefully, sometimes they'll whisper a new tale right back.

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Hidden Stories

Happy Christmas from Kate and Winell Road!

 

When Winell Road: Beneath the Surface was released back in April, Kate didn't embark on a great deal of promotion. Because of a lot of 'things'. So, to make up for that and to kick off the festivities for her favourite time of year – Christmas! – she's taken Winell Road on a little tour, hoping to spread the word and introduce lots of new young readers to, what she believes is, a great big dollop of sci-fi fun and adventure.

Here's a little info...
Twelve-year old Jack Mills lives at 5 Winell Road and has probably the world's weirdest neighbours. Like freakishly weird. And to top it off, he lives with Mum: nosy, interfering, a hideous cook, and Dad: unsuccessful inventor of the Camera Belt and Self-Closing Window. All in all, it's a boring, embarrassing, dead-end place to live.

So when Jack arrives home from school one day, a close shave with a UFO is the last thing he expects. But the fact it doesn't abduct him, and that no one else, not even Mum, sees the gigantic flying saucer hovering over the street, adds a whole new layer of strange. Soon after, an alien encounter threatens Jack’s life and he becomes embroiled in a galaxy- saving mission. With the assistance of his new neighbour, frighteningly tall Roxy Fox, he discovers Winell Road is hiding secrets—secrets Jack might wish he'd never uncovered.

REVIEWS!
If you're still not sure, here's a couple of reviews...

'Winell Road: Beneath the Surface is a fast-paced middle-grade adventure story with the feel of Men in Black. Jack is a smart, resourceful boy with more abilities than he’s ever dreamed off, and he finds out that the world is a far stranger place than he imagined. The action is non-stop and will keep readers riveted.' examiner.com

'This book will work wonderfully read aloud in class. There are enough cliff-hanger chapter endings to keep them begging for more. It will also promote discussion about making snap judgments while providing plenty of scope for related art projects.' Buzz Words Magazine

Go to Goodreads to see a few more.

ABOUT KATE!

Kate is an Englishwoman on the Gold Coast in Australia. A middle grade writer, freelance editor, the editorial director at Lakewater Press and all around lover of the written word, she is ruled by her three sons, husband and spoodle pup. Not one to have a quiet day, she spends her free time mentoring new writers in contests like Nest Pitch and Pitch Wars, judging writing contests and helping out at Writers Activation on the Gold Coast. Other than that, she likes laying in bed or by the pool with a book!

GIVEAWAY!
It would make a great stocking filler for children. BUT, if you're feeling particularly lucky, she's giving away three signed copies just in time for Christmas! Yippee!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Winell Road

by Kate Foster

Giveaway ends December 01, 2015.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

GO BUY IT!
If you don't win, then the book is available all over the virtual world.

Amazon UK    Amazon.com    Booktopia    Jet Black Publishing

Thanks for stopping by. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Happy Christmas from Kate and Winell Road!