I felt so honored to attend the launch party for Katrina Kittle's fourth novel, The Blessings of the Animals last Friday, which took place at the Books & Company at the Greene in Dayton, Ohio. I met Katrina in 1996 at the Antioch Writer's Workshop in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She is wonderfully happy and such a joy to be around - she's always smiling, and so are the people around her. Katrina is also quite adventurous, having spent a "year as a gypsy" writing in many different locations - from Brooklyn to Portugal. My favorite thing about Katrina is that she is such a huge support to fellow writers, giving time, energy, and excellent advice to those who are on their own path to publication. One of the best pieces of advice Katrina gives to fellow writers, as quoted in the Dayton Daily News, is that "Getting rejected means you are in the game." Having faced much rejection on my writing journey, I must say, I wholeheartedly agree. The coolest part of all, though, is what a talented writer Katrina is. Her books are wonderful, the characters real, and each plot will just suck you in.
If you've never had the pleasure, I gladly introduce you to my good friend, Katrina (and more importantly, her totally awesome books):
Here Katrina is taking a picture of the crowd. And what a crowd it was! Standing room only!
I have to admit, I sat on the floor. You can check out Katrina's view on her blog.
You'll see me in my cozy spot in the last picture.
Side Note: Not sure if you can see those totally-rockin'-cool shoes, but I spent several minutes
contemplating how to snag them from Katrina without making a spectacle of myself.
I came up with nothing. So much for my creative side.
Before the signing, I had a dinner with an old friend from high school, Jessica Stone.
Jessica is a writer too, and has a pretty cool blog everyone should check out. Really. She's hysterical.
While Jessica also coveted the above mentioned shoes, the only thing we could come up with was a
tag-team attack, which would have been so wrong on Katrina's big night.
A very sweet fan showed to support Katrina. Perfect if you ask me.
This four-legged friend gave a few snorts and soft barks during Katrina's Q&A session,
seeming to understand all of what was being said.
And now for the books.
You simply must check them out.
The Blessings of the Animals
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