Hey everyone, it's a new week and I've got an exciting event for you! This Saturday, December 5th 2020, at 3:00PM CST, I will be hosting my first featured Indie/Self-Published Author LIVE interview with Clare Kae!

Clare will be joining me live on Instagram to talk about her new release: Daughter of Dreams and Dread. She will also be answering a couple frequently asked questions about herself and why she chose the indie/self-published author journey. 

Can't wait for Saturday to find out more about Daughter of Dreams and Dread? Check out more below:

-Learn more about Daughter of Dreams and Dread and see Clare Kae's character art on my November Featured Author page.
-Buy the book on Amazon HERE and start reading in advance.
-Follow me on Instagram @katherine_d_graham to be notified when the interview starts

Are you an indie/self-published author looking for a chance to be featured/interviewed (for free)? Contact me about your new release and I'll be happy to see if we're a good fit for each other! *YA/New Adult/Adult Fantasy and Sci-Fi Preferred* 

Thanksgiving has come and gone for those of us in the US, and I believe our international friends know how much we Americans tend to love our fall comfort foods on Thanksgiving! Now it's time for something light, healthier, and not quite a salad. I present today's Writing Fuel Recipe: Healthy Chicken Tacos!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken
1 pack taco seasoning mix
8 oz tomato sauce
2 tbl Roasted red pepper hummus
White corn taco shells
Lettuce/tomato optional

Writing Fuel Recipe: Healthy Chicken Tacos Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, cook the chicken until heated to correct temp (refer to package) while chopping often.
Use paper towels to absorb excess grease and discard paper towel.
Add seasoning pack and tomato sauce to the pan. Stir well, cover, and summer over low heat 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Spread 1 tbl hummus per shell (on the inside) to replace cheese/sour cream and make tacos creamy.
Add 1/4 cup taco meat, and top with lettuce/tomato.

Want more Writing Fuel Recipes? Check out the one for Japanese Curry. 
Looking for something to read while you enjoy your Black Friday tacos? Clare Kae's Daughter of Dreams and Dread is out and is making for a really great read! You can grab it on Amazon HERE. 

As I settle into a new writing/editing routine approaching the end of NaNoWriMo, I think it's a wonderful time to share another of my favorite places to write: Miyajima, Japan!

Miyajima is an island off the southern cost of Hirohsima, Japan. Its beauty is serene and its red "floating" tori gate is renowned, with both Japanese and foreign tourists coming all day every day by ferry to see the shrine, the tori gate, and the deer.

Having been to the island a few times now, I find it to be a serene and inspiring place to write. Benches set on the beach not far from the ferry (veer right once you come out of the ferry building), where you can watch the ocean, breathe the clean air, and enjoy the multiple relaxing deer as you write your dreams. It feels like I am in another place while I'm there, which is why it is one of my favorite places to write.

Before you go to Miyajima, here are a few pro tips to keep in mind regarding your visit:

-The JR Ferry from Hiroshima to Miyajima and back is free if you have a Japan Rail Pass 
-The Ferry does not run 24/7. Don't miss the last one back to the mainland! 
-Book a Miyajima Ryokan (Japanese-style Inn) or Hotel if you wish to see the red tori gate like I did when I took the picture above.
-There is a peaceful "cat cafe", "owl cafe" and "shiba-inu cafe" (dog)  where you can unwind while visiting some cute animals not far from the ferry.
-Don't miss the Momiji Manju (maple-leaf shaped fried pastries with custards or red bean paste inside); Miyajima is famous for them.
-Giant oysters are also famous, and can be found at most street venders (just remember to stand still or sit at a bench when you eat, as it's considered rude to eat while you're walking)

Want to come visit one of my favorite places to write: Miyajima, Japan? Check out the Miyajima Seaside Hotel and the Iwaso Ryokan for a couple amazing places to stay! I have stayed at both, and they were both exquisitely unique!

Want to learn more about a novel I worked on during a visit to Miyajima? Check out Kritinia: Shadow Child; a 2022 work in progress.

What is one of your favorite places to write? Let me know in the comments!

Hi guys! Today I'm excited to announce an event on 11/22/2020: NaNoWriMo Write-In with Official Sponsor AutoCrit! I have been invited by AutoCrit (an AMAZING self-editing web-based software), an official sponsor for National Novel Writing Month 2020, to co-host tomorrow morning's write-in!
Write-ins bring us together for support, encouragement, break-throughs, and fun chats with others who are right where we are and pushing toward the same goals.
​

Here are the details:
Date: Sunday, 11/22/2020
Time: 9:00-10:00am CST
Place: YouTube HERE or the NaNoWriMo with Autocrit Facebook group HERE.
Theme: Sunday Funday

Join AutoCrit and I as we write our NaNo novels together, use fun sprints, and enjoy our fun Sunday of writing together! 

Not familiar with NaNoWriMo? Check out their website HERE, and feel free to join us in our pursuit of writing 50,000 new words in the month of November.

Want more informaiton on AutoCrit and the self-editing software they offer? Check out their website HERE. 

Interested in seeing how NaNoWriMo pays off? Check out my page on The Vow That Twisted Fate, my 2016 NaNo Novel due for release in July 2021!

Hello all! A new website page is now up: Featured Indie/Self-Published Author New Releases! I am so excited to be able to announce that beginning this month (November 2020), I have been given the privilege of partnering with some amazing fellow indie/self-published authors as they release their newest works!  November 2020 presents Featured Indie/Self-Published Author New Release: Clare Kae

Clare Kae is a fellow Fantasy author. Her new debut release, Daughter of Dreams and Dread, is a Romantic Fantasy/Dark Fantasy following a strong female heroin (Estelle Verndari) who is pulled from her own world and thrust into a world ravaged by war, reined by the iron fist of a tyrant king, and where use of magic is punishable by death.

Here is the complete description in the author's own words for this month's featured indie/self-published author new release: Clare Kae:

Want to see more about the book and the character/world art? Check out the full feature on my website HERE.
Ready to purchase Clare Kae's work? Grab it on her US Amazon page HERE. (More purchase options are linked on the feature page on this website HERE.)

November 2020's Featured Indie/Self-Published Author: Clare Kae is the first of a series of authors to be featured on my site! 
Fellow Indie/Self-Published Authors: do you want your 2021 new release to be featured? I am looking to feature authors who write:

-Fantasy (YA, New Adult, or Adult)
-Sci-Fi (YA, New Adult, or Adult)
-Clean Romances
-Light-Moderate Swearing/Violence Only
-Preferably Deals with any mix of Good VS Evil, Sword/Sorcery, Science Fantasy, Science Fiction, Vampires/Mythological Creatures, and Court Intrigue (Clean/Light Romances are welcome as well)
-Is a NEW release OR an ABRIDGED First-Time Re-Launch 

If that fits your work, please contact me to talk about being featured!

I must say for kicks and giggles and legal disclaimer stuff that I am NOT being paid to feature ANY of these authors, their books, or their content. I DO have the authors' express permission to feature them, their books, and any images they provided for me to use on this site. They also personally provided me the links to their content. ​

This post is for my fellow food-lovers! Japanese curry is my favorite Japanese food (and yes, I somehow managed to pick a favorite though I love many more!). I'll spare you the long unwanted tale behind why since I know you're here for the recipe! Here it is:. Writing Fuel Recipe: Japanese Curry

Ingredients:
1 baked potato, cubed (pro-tip, peel, wash, and rub your potato in oil before baking. Russet potatoes work great)
1 carrot sliced thinly (or 1/2 bag frozen sliced carrots)
1/2 white onion, peeled and chopped (or 1/2 bag chopped frozen onions)

Optional: 1 boneless skinless chicken breast baked through and chopped in bite-size pieces; preferably baked in chicken broth with 2 tsp soy sauce with a pinch of salt, ground pepper, ground ginger, and curry powder.

1 package Vermont curry OR Golden House curry (in a box, can be found at international markets)

2 tbs oil (preferably olive oil, canola oil, or peanut oil)

Writing Fuel Recipe: Japanese Curry
Directions:

In a large soup pot, add oil, carrots, and onions over medium-high heat. Cook until carrot are tender (you can use a spoon to easily cut them). - May need to reduce heat to medium if you use a non-stick skillet -

Add water, baked potato, and cooked chicken to the pot with the whole curry box (add water as per the directions on the curry box you purchased; usually about 3 cups).

Raise heat to high until boiling. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally (stirring OFTEN for non-stick pans) until curry is the consistency of a thick gravy.

Serving over cooked Japanese sticky rice (sushi-grade is perfect) is recommended.

Like this recipe? Sign up for my e-mail list and be one of the first people to get new writing fuel recipes, sneak peaks of my books, concept art, and more here:

The Vow That Twisted Fate is so close to completion now, guys! I am so excited to finally give you a glimpse of the story you have been waiting to read. After years of revisions and edits, the first and biggest technical edit is almost complete. It should be in my hands by the end of this week, Lord-Willing! And in the meantime, check out the very first glimpse of The Vow that Twisted Fate Concept Art: Arlena and Maevric!

This amazing piece of concept art is one I commissioned from Bihancgraphics on Fiverr.  He did a fantastic job creating this gorgeous image of Arlena ("Arla") and Maevric, the main characters of The Vow that Twisted Fate! As a special sneak peak for you guys, here is some sneak-peak overview information about Arlena:

Arlena the Fair is:
-20 years old
-Human
-Queen of the Human Kingdom
-Has the ability to trade life force for small magical boons by speaking a "Wish"
-Exists in a peaceful world where all evil has been absent for five hundred years. 

Want to see more than just The Vow that Twisted Fate Concept Art? Sign up for the e-mail list to receive frequent e-mails monthly and be the first to receive concept/cover art, advance snippets, virtual party invites, and more here:

​

 If you like the new design, leave me a comment! I can't wait to hear your feedback! Stay tuned for more about Maevric in the next blog post!

My name is Katherine D. Graham, and I am an indie fantasy author from Tennessee in the United States. I love adventures. From new places and cultures to unique food, I am always searching for a new experience! With this blog, indeed with my books themselves, I hope to bring a little of my wanderlust into the hands (and/or phones) of others. 

Born in west TN, I was raised in a large family where I found myself to be the middle-child. My siblings and I passed the time by making up stories, telling each other those stories, and acting out our adventures together. It was my siblings who first inspired me to put my imaginative worlds into words. My siblings continue to inspire me to this day.

I began writing as a child, and self-published my first YA novel before I even started college. I submitted it to Amazon (who had a program called CreateSpace at the time) with my photo, and they put it up for me. Not long after college, I self-published another YA novel.  Both of these books were self-published by a young woman with dreams.

Dreams are wonderful motivators, but they do not replace knowledge of the craft of writing, nor skill. After my second self-published novel flopped due to lack of editing, plot holes, and mediocre characters, I withdrew for several years to practice my craft in private. It has taken me several years, but after many hours of research and even more on re-writes, my debut Fantasy novel (Amazon bestseller and Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2021 Fantasy Finalist: The Vow That Twisted Fate) as a true, much-better-prepared, indie author has now been released. 

Faith and family are the only things more important to me than adventures. I am a Christian, but my novels are NOT Christian fiction; I write Dark and/or Epic Fantasy. My high school sweetheart, now husband of over ten years, is still my best friend and greatest supporter (outside of my mom, but who can replace mom?). We have two sons together, and three kitten fur-daughters. My fur-babies may appear in these blogs from time to time. 

As a Japanese language major who has been tutoring Japanese language to others for 12+ years, Japan is my most common place to travel to  outside of home. However, my husband and I have also enjoyed a trip to a few different countries in Europe, as well as multiple states around the USA. I have also been to Canada. We LOVE to travel, especially on road-trips! 

I also have a love of cooking. NOT baking, that's my mother and one of my younger sisters' field. No, cooking, especially grilling out, is my 'thing'. My godmother taught me to cook in high school, and we catered weddings, graduations, banquets, and cooked Wednesday-night-meals at church together. The skills my godmother taught me taught this indie author from Tennessee a thing or two about 'cooking my way' into people's hearts ('cause you know, that's a thing in the South). Maybe that's why good food plays a role in many of my novels, as well. 

There are so many new adventures coming, that I'm excited to share them all with you! September 8th 2021, I am going to FINALLY announce my super secret project is going to be announced, and you can be the first to see it! Sign up for my newsletter HERE for the notification on September 8th, as well as a free ebook copy of Splitting Dusk: A Splitting Worlds Novella   

So who is Katherine D. Graham, the self-published fantasy author from Tennessee? I am a:

-Lover of Adventure
-Indie Author
-World Traveler
-Wife and Mother
-Tennessee Native
-Editor for AutoCrit
-Reedsy Reviewer
-Chef Wanna-Be
-Founder/Owner of Starry Ink Press LLC

​I look forward to getting to know you! 

*This introduction blog was updated on August 28th 2021.*