Katie Kacvinsky's Blog

2016 has been a year of change. (No, this is not a political speech, stay with me). Let me get you up to speed:

I moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Ashland, Wisconsin, a town situated on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior (I live in walking distance to a beach, coffee shop, bakery,  brewery, and bookstore. What’s not to love??) Seriously, have you guys been to Ashland? You need to come up and visit. Email me and we’ll go out.
I changed publishers. YES. I am now signed with ENTANGLED and their imprint CRUSH (targeted for young adults). This house has been a great fit, and I’m excited to work with them throughout the publishing process.
I have a new name! Sort of. I have a new author name. My next book will be published under the pen name KATIE RAY. It occurred to me that Kacvinsky doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Don’t even bother with its phonetic pronunciation–you’ll butcher it. To make things easier on my readers, I’m changing my pen name to Katie Ray. Ray is my husband’s last name, so it’s a sensible choice. I rarely make sensible choices. I might be growing up?
I wear a lot less gray and have opted for more royal blue in my wardrobe. (Some of my fans know that gray is my favorite color and I  wear it every day, so I felt it was important to update you on this gargantuan change)
Lastly…drum roll…I have a new book coming out! Yes. **will pause for a moment so you can celebrate your overwhelming joy with shrieks and jumping kicks. Don’t hold back. Go for it. **  This book is coming out in 2017.

P.S. I have missed you all!! Cyber high fives. A new book is born. Please, dear readers, stay tuned for more.

February seems to be my sulky month. I think it’s the weather. The world wears this uniform of gray. I prefer colors. The wind and cold bites at your skin. It makes me miss the soft kiss of sunshine. There’s less daylight and my brain seems to shut off—some part of it hibernates, goes on strike, disappears. Instead of living with this gusto of energy, I feel like I’m enduring. Surviving. Going through the motions.

You guys ever get like that?

The other day I was having a ‘poor me’ moment, and a thought grazed my mind. Maybe it was my subconscious kicking me in the butt, telling me to stop feeling sorry for myself. So, being a writer, I opened up my journal (a black journal that boasts Austin Screenplay Festival on the cover that my husband bought me for Christmas. I promised him I wouldn’t use it for grocery lists) and I started writing this memorial to happy thoughts. I drew a tower of stones from the top of the page to the bottom. And next to each stone I wrote down something I was happy about. It could be as simple as taking a walk with a friend, to a major prayer being answered. I sat and stared at that list, that huge list of wonderful things. I meditated on those thoughts. I reminded myself that instead of thinking about what life lacks, think about what it provides. It’s strange how so much of what we see on the outside is really just a reflection of how we feel on the inside.

That simple exercise made me see things so much brighter. Even on this gray, cold, February day.

The other day I took my kids sledding with a handful of friends. We had an epic snowball fight. It was truly blissful, just to watch these kids run until their cheeks flushed as pink as apples, and listen to their laughter rise up to the clouds. These are the moments we’ll remember:  the moments that combine friends, fellowship, nature, and being completely immersed in the moment.

I am watching more and more kids opt for screens over friends these days, over playing outside, over socializing face-to-face. My son is five years old. He has phones, iPads, video games, a Leapfrog, laptops and televisions at his disposal at almost any given time. It’s scary to think how plugged-in his life could be. And that is not the life I want for him. I don’t want him to be plugged-in.

I think, what a lot of people still don’t comprehend, or deny, is that screen time, no matter how beneficial, social, or educational it is, is highly ADDICTIVE. It stimulates chemicals in ours brains. It can actually change our brain composition. There is a reason why rehab is offered to gaming addicts. Kids play games, watch TV, and message each other and it stimulates the same parts of their brains as pulling a slot machine. They don’t know how to turn it off–they don’t want to turn it off, because they like the sensation. You can’t blame them. It’s entertaining.

It’s up to us to moderate their use (and our own use) of these technologies. Let’s get some dialogue going about this very serious movement in our lifestyle and culture. Let’s moderate our use of technology before it’s too late. Let’s get unplugged so we can connect.

(P.S., yes this is my inner Justin speaking out–he will always be in the back of my mind)

I had the really cool opportunity to attend the Austin Film Festival a few weeks ago. Even cooler, my comedy script, A HIGH NOTE, made into the semifinals (top twenty), so I got to sit in on a bunch of writer panels and film discussions. I was able to meet so many amazing script writers, including the writer of TRADING PLACES, one of my favorite comedies of all times. That was euphoric.

As a lot of you know who follow this blog, I’ve been spending the last year studying scripts and script writing. Writing a script is something I’ve always wanted to do, and like my inner Dylan, if there’s something I want to pursue, no matter how random or ridiculous, I go for it. Because life is too short to hold back on anything inspiring.

In case you’re wondering what the heck A HIGH NOTE is about, think HIGH FIDELITY meets SAY ANYTHING and you’re on the right track. It’s a story about music, relationships, and how the two tie together. Here is a brief description (aka, logline):

Frank McCabe, a reclusive musician and lyric connoisseur who owns a guitar shop in Los Angeles, is sought out by Luna, a single mom and struggling performer, for music lessons. What Frank doesn’t expect is getting life lessons in return.

Boom. So, that’s my script. I wrote it imagining Jason Segel as playing the lead of Frank, because I love his delivery and it was easier for me to write a script imagining the actors who would play the roles. For the female lead of Luna, I imagined Zooey Deschanel (I know, I aim high).

Since scripts have been on my mind lately, and since mine falls in the vein of romantic comedies (although I would call it more of an anti-romance) I’ve been thinking about some of my own favorite movies that inspired my writing. My favorite romantic comedies  are: WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, ANNIE HALL, KISSING JESSICA STEIN, and TWO DAYS IN PARIS. I love these movies because they are smart, raw, honest, emotional, and, of course, FUNNY.

So, why am I going off on movies? Well, this month I’m taking part in a Readathon hosted by Actin’ Up With Books. Throughout the weekend there will be prizes and giveaways hosted by other authors and bloggers. If you want to hear more about the events, check out the site.

My contribution to the readathon is I will be giving away one autographed hardcover copy of FIRST COMES LOVE. To enter, tell me what your favorite romantic comedy movie is. Tweet your answer to @TheWeirdests with #Readathon any time during the readathon to be entered in the giveaway. The event ends Sunday, at midnight.

Thanks for participating. Oh, and amazing Packer win last night. Rogers completed his first Hail Mary. Oh man, it brought me to my knees.

 

 

Congrats to Mei Chen in Grapevine, Texas. She is the next winner of an autographed hardcover edition of FIRST COMES LOVE. Thanks again to everyone who has reached out! I will be hosting another giveaway soon, so stay tuned.

EVENTS: This SATURDAY I will be speaking at Middleton Public Library, as part of the Read Local Author Series. For more information on the event and the author line-up, you can check out the website. Come down, hear from local writers and get autographed books! Or, just hang out, drink some coffee and chat. I’m always up for talking about writing.

~Katie

Thank you to everyone who emailed me over the week. I am mailing out a copy of First Comes Love to Jill Kiepert! Congrats, Jill! I hope you enjoy getting to know Dylan and Gray and this series.

I am giving away ANOTHER autographed, hardcover copy of FCL next week, Wednesday (September 23rd). If you are interested in receiving a copy the same rule applies, just shoot me an email and I’ll choose one winner next week: [email protected]

Thanks again for your emails! I love hearing from you guys. Keep them coming.

~K

Wow, it’s been so long since I last blogged that I actually forgot how to add a new blog post to my site.

Yeah, technology-savvy I am not.

Let’s get to the exciting news… I’m going to be giving away autographed HARDCOVER (yes, hardcover!) copies of FIRST COMES LOVE, the first book in the three part series following Gray and Dylan’s emotional (and never boring), romantic (and at times anti-romantic), escapades.

My only request to receive a book in the mail is this: tell people about this series. Spread the word. It can be face to face, over the phone, texting, on Facebook, on Youtube, Tumbler, Insta-Whatever, whichever communication style you prefer.

In order to receive a hardcover autographed book, shoot me a quick email telling me how you are spreading the word: [email protected]

That’s it! I will choose ONE winner a week until my supply runs out. US addresses ONLY. Sorry—I can’t do the overseas shipping costs.

If, perchance, you’ve stumbled on this website for the first time and you’ve never read First Comes Love, (gasp!), and you don’t feel credible to spread the word about a book you have never read, I completely understand. I would still send you the book, so you can read it and then spread the word about it’s awesomeness. Just shoot me an email.

This event is also open to any bloggers/reviewers who would like to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This event begins TODAY, September 16th. Next TUESDAY I will announce the first winner on this website. Yes, that means I will be updating my website twice in one week—a tenacious goal, I know.

This is a way of thanking all of my readers for their support, loyalty, and patience for continuing to follow me despite my sluggish process in releasing a new book. You guys rock.

So, start talking up this series.

And…I will have information coming up soon about my next book release. Yes, there is a new book coming your way!

~Katie

I told you guys I had an event coming up. Well, that event is officially happening this Sunday, March 15th. First, let me give you a bit of back story, because, I love back story.

About three months ago two ex-Barnes and Noble employees (Francisco Torres, and myself) reunited for coffee at Barrique’s Coffee Shop (where we were sadly accosted by a relentless fruit fly and forced to abandon the coffee shop for the much ritzier Cento’s Bistro downtown). Cento’s Bistro is what one might call “fine dining,” a highly unusual experience for me, since my idea of fine dining is Noodles and Company.  We entered the posh atmosphere (think modern style ballroom), and were greeted by an attractive maître d’ who took one unbelieving look at my outfit (stocking cap, ripped jeans and t-shirt that boasted ‘Pull My Finger,’) and nearly showed us the door.  Luckily, Francisco is gifted with both fashion and social charm, so he got us a table.

The art-deco chandeliers, the exposed silver chromed kitchen, the understated techno music, the menu I couldn’t understand, all made me giddy to the point of ridiculous. They had a dessert called flexible chocolate. Seriously. We spent twenty minutes debating over what flexible chocolate could possibly be. Chocolate made in low-grav? Low calorie, high energy chocolate?  Chocolate sponsored by the US Olympic team? WHAT COULD IT BE?? (Turns out, it was just chocolate mousse.) By the end of the night I had started my own dance party in the restaurant, trying to lure old men out of booths to join me. Friends, these are simply experiences you can’t have chatting on Facebook. Or tweeting. This is personal, face-to-face embarrassment at it’s best.

What came of this very random reunion between two old friends was we realized we both love: FILMS, STORIES, and CREATING.

When two creative, easily-excitable, overly motivated people get together, things happen. Thus, the idea for the AWAKEN book trailer was born.

Like the back story? Now let’s get to the good stuff. This Sunday, March 15th, Frozen Stage Films will be revealing the AWAKEN book trailer at Women in Film Wisconsin. For more information on this very cool event to showcase women in film, check out their FACEBOOK page.

If you want to SEE the book trailer,  stay tuned…

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be showing you a few things, leading up to an event that I’m VERY excited for! Check it out:

This is a studio shot from Frozen Stage Films, a company I’m working with on an upcoming project. The photo features Ray Ibsen on camera, Kierstyn Torres acting and Vivian Cruickshank in charge of our post production. Also working on the project are Nella Citino producing, Kenneth Pearsall lending us his music talent, Frost White voiceover talent and director Francisco Torres. Pretty cool?

That was one of my mom’s favorite phrases growing up. God willing. She said it all the time. “God willing, we’ll be able to go on a family trip next summer.” “Grandma will get over this health scare, God willing.” “You’ll move back to Wisconsin one day, God willing.”

This phrase used to annoy the crap out of me. You don’t need God’s will to plan a family trip. You order the plane tickets, you book the hotel and you do it yourself. Doctors are going to help heal Grandma, it’s up to them. If I decide I want to move back to Wisconsin it is MY CHOICE.

Or is it?

The older I get, the more experiences I have, the more I’m starting to understand the phrase God willing, and the more I believe it, the more relief it brings me. I don’t like thinking that I have to do everything myself, that all my choices, my concerns, my duties, are up to me alone. It’s stressful to think that life hangs on my shoulders like that. I like to think that my life, my worries, my issues, my dreams, they all hang on a giant clothesline, these tiny pieces of me, waving somewhere and God sees them and understands. He’ll give me answers in due time. Meanwhile, I can pin up all the questions and concerns I have. The clothesline never sags, it never runs out of room.

I’m in a new season of life. I picked up my life and moved it 2,000 miles to a city I’m trying to reconnect with. I’m trying out different styles and formats of writing, trying to move into unknown territories and so far, only getting rejections. I’m attempting to balance being a calm, patient, loving mom and friend with keeping the window of my career open. My family is struggling with finances since being an “artist” isn’t the most economically wise decision.

But, you know what? I’m okay with all of these unknowns, because I’m learning to believe the phrase God willing. The path I’m meant to follow will open itself up and other paths will have road blocks. It makes the day to day issues suddenly appear less heavy, less intense. I’m learning to turn all of my problems into those tiny images hanging on a clothesline, out of my grasp, out of my concern. I don’t have to worry about them, I just have to trust.

I’m not saying we have no control over our decisions or our choices. We do. But we can take so much of the burden off of ourselves if we’re able to leave the decisions up to faith. Faith is a very strong road map, and if we follow it, we won’t get lost. I believe that.