MISTRESS IN THE MIRROR: FULL STEAM AHEAD
Updated: Jan 16, 2022
I am SO pleased to announce my debut novella Mistress in the Mirror, which is a short & steamy sci-fi monster romance.
JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THIS PAPERBACK COVER BY FABLED BEAST DESIGN:
I know what you’re thinking…
“Katrina, I thought you only write horror and fantasy?!”
Well, dear readers, here’s the thing…
I write whatever the fuck I want I want to write.
Which, I suppose, for a long while was primarily horror and fantasy, with a few odd ball stories here and there that couldn’t really find a home in one particular genre box (and, unfortunately, haven’t found a home at all).
In an earlier post, I explained that 2021 was sort of a “yes” year for me, and during one of the summer months I engaged in elicit conversations about a monster romance anthology and decided I would take a stab at contributing…for a few reasons:
1. I already had a story in mind that’s been stewing for well over 3 years.
2. I really enjoy pushing myself out of my usual writer comfort zone.
3. The other stories being thrown around were so interesting and fun and I couldn’t help but want to be part of it.
4. The best outcome would be that I learn a lot about self-publishing while putting something out into the world that I ENJOYED writing.
5. The worst outcome would be that I end up hating the story I’m writing, back out of the anthology, and root for the other stories from the sidelines.
Win. Win. Win. Win. Win. (IMO)
This doesn’t mean that my journey writing this story was without panic (and bracing for ultimate failure that would prevent me from ever writing anything again).
Because I usually write horror and fantasy, I got trapped in the “well if you put something out there that isn’t horror or fantasy you’re going to have to keep writing this same thing forever or your fans won’t know what to do with you” and “your other books don’t have this so you can’t add heavy steam to it” and blah blah blah, you know the others.
I was torturing myself.
Nothing felt right.
In a world of beat sheets, writing rules, “readers want this” and “you have to do it this way”, it can be difficult to trust my own imagination. I knew what the story was and how I wanted to tell it, but what the world has to say about genre and “author brand” really fucked with my process.
While I was in the throes of this mental Rubik’s cube, I scheduled a much-needed zoom chat with my very dear friend, Coralie Moss.
While explaining my frustrations with the level of steam in my story—both regarding my comfort level and what felt honest to my characters and their story—she reminded me that it’s okay to focus on what makes sense for THIS story, not every story I’ve ever written.
MIND BLOWN.
I know it sounds silly. Like, of course! But it's kind of fascinating to me that we expect writers to fit into a specific box and then stay there, regardless of the direction their imagination or story wants them to go.
Not every story I write will have steamy sex scenes, because not every story I write will need them. But, with a story that's centered around vulnerability and intimacy, yes, it makes sense to have it. Now that it's there, I can't imagine removing it.
In the world of writing, publishing, & marketing rules, I think I'm going to take my chances with telling my stories the way I want to tell them and see what happens. The worst case scenario is that I end up with a bunch of stories I had a whole lot of fun writing.
Best case scenario is that I find readers who become smitten with my voice and buckle up for a wild ride on this chaos train.
My next project is a cosmic horror starring a retired photographer in need of adventure so...stay tuned.
Until then, you can check out Mistress in the Mirror Feb 2nd on Amazon AND keep an eye on my Instagram account @katrinacarruthauthor for a seriously cool giveaway I'm doing on release day. Check out this SWAG!
Bookmark and bookplate designed by @nw.reader (Instagram/Twitter)/ Truborn Design (Etsy).
THEY ARE GORGEOUS AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEND THEM TO 30 (YOU READ THAT RIGHT) PEOPLE!!!
Giveaway items are eligible for Ebook PRE-ORDERS and paperback purchases.
You can find the Ebook on Amazon with this absolutely stunning cover created by Coralie Moss:
Feel free to DM/Email me if you have any questions.
Have a happy day!