…will you enjoy If the Stars Awaken too?
I made a little graphic comparing my two novels.
In other ways (genre and setting are big ones) they’re very different, but my values and messages hold true throughout both.
So if you’ve read one, you might like the other!
My weekend at the CAPE NM homeschool convention was so lovely!
It was the best booth buddy, book arranger, and supportive husband…
The way I accidentally matched the tablecloth…
My banner miraculously staying up for two days straight…
The helpful and friendly hosts…
My little books and greenery leftover from a previous event coming together in cuteness…
The book I brought to read being so ridiculously good and engrossing…
The one customer whose daughter wanted to be an author…
The teen that bought one of each (except what her sister bought her)…
The mothers of young readers who had me sold out of Arrows and Archers books on the first day…
The Robin Weste character art that made everything that much cooler…
The friendly faces who took a business card…
The teens who stopped by multiple times…
The safe travel I’d prayed for…
And the chance to know my books are going to be read by the real people who my heart wrote them for. ❤
I’m so grateful. ❤
(Thanks for the picture, J!)
He had great ideas to make everything look good. 😉
I ran a book table at a vendor fair this past weekend. 👀 (“For the first time in foreverrrrrrr!” 🎶) And it was pretty fun and went pretty well. 😉
I thought I’d share some pictures under the guise of sharing tips with y’all. 😉 Mwahahaa.
I’ve had a few scary events where my books have arrived literally the day before, and I won’t let that happen again if at all possible. If you’re ordering through KDP, I recommend giving yourself three weeks at minimum for the books to print, ship, and arrive. If you’re ordering during a busy season (mid-summer and holidays seem to be the worst) or this is your first run of this book so it may not go smoothly, go ahead and give yourself even more time. You won’t regret it. 😉
That’s extra change, pens, tape, scissors, granola bars, anything you (or your helpers) are possibly going to need. If this is an all-day event, bring something to do for the slow moments. 😉
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but this will help you keep track of different bills and feel more secure about your earnings.
I like to get mine from the Dollar Store. They literally last forever, and you can buy a large quantity if needed. They add more visual interest to your table, and if you have display copies people can flip through, it’s even better.
Are you going to be signing books? Pick pens that are easy to use, don’t smear, and last for a long time. I love using silver Sharpies for this. Or if you’re not personalizing, you can pre-sign all your books at home.
But they can look extra professional. 😉 This time I went with a picture frame “menu” just for ease and cost reasons. Sometime I’ll get myself some gorgeous reusable stickers. 😉
If this is an all-day or outdoor event, you may want to provide customers with packaging to protect their new book. Whether that’s a bag, tissue paper, Kraft paper, etc…. And cute packaging that shows off your branding is kinda a bonus. 😉 I chose tissue paper which it ended up being wayyy too windy for. 🙈
These are actually pretty easy to make,(especially with templates from Canva) and print at Staples. Don’t include so much info it’s cluttered, just the basics like your name, where to follow you, where to find/buy your other books, etc.
Choose items that add visual interest, practical use, or aesthetic to your brand/books themselves without being cluttered. This can be a huge way to set your booth apart from the others and encourage customers to check it out. 😉 It’s also pretty fun.
And finally, if you’re personalizing books and want to ensure you get the customer’s name right, have them write it on a scrap of paper for you to copy.
I hope you enjoyed seeing a peek into my booth and get to do one of your own sometime! 💖
If I had to choose three words to describe this year, they would be “sorting”, “softness”, and “new” memories. 💙
Year one of marriage has been great! We’ve had so much fun getting settled in our little house, bringing his dog Nugget into the mix, and becoming pros at grocery shopping and communication (almost). Also, hospitality makes us feel like really cool adults. 😎 My favorite new memories have been us sitting on the porch watching it rain and our very bookish vacation this summer.
My mental health journey has been a ride. Oh boy. 🥴 Lots of coping with comfort shows, a cute computer game, and amazing naps, lol. I feel like I lost a lot of time this year to survival mode, but I’m so grateful to be six months into treatment and feeling way better. And just this month I got answers and a plan for 3+ years of “mysterious” physical illness. 🙌😍
It’s been an amazing author year in ways I could have never expected when I dove back in! It’s been encouraging and fun to find you all stuck around, and growing my bookish Instagram community has been great too. 💙 I released the special second edition of Kiera, a literal dream come true, published Enjoy the Poodle Skirt in adorable tiny paperback form, and wrote Operation Robin and most of a novella. I’ve also been gaining confidence (and a low-key obsession) with cover design. 😎
So much more reading happened this year! And a huge percentage of it was indie, which makes me ridiculously happy. 😉 From debuts to short stories to years-in-the-making comebacks, I’ve been delighted to support my authors and discover new fictional worlds. I’ve also gotten to experience a couple buddy reads which is always quite fun. Check out my Goodreads “Year in Books” to see what I enjoyed.
My husband and I really bonded over movies while we were dating, and the fun has continued into our marriage. Thanks to him, I’ve seen a TON of really good movies this year, so I had trouble choosing my top 5. (That’s why there are six. 😂👀) If you have any questions about a movie/content, I’m happy to share my thoughts. 😉
I got to bake a lot more this season, and my favorite repeat recipe has got to be these cookies. So delicious and light. 🤤 I had to buy a new computer early this year, and collecting stickers on it makes my nerd heart so happy. 😍 As does my growing Funko Pop family and the book sleeve collection I accidentally started. 😊
It’s been quite a year, and I’m really, really grateful for it. 💚 I’ll be back next week (next year! :O ) with my nebulous goals for 2023.
Thank you for being part of my 2022!
Hey, everyone! I hope you had a Merry Christmas, a happy end of Chanukah, and your New Year is fabulous!
As my end-of-the-year gift to you, I’d love to send you a copy of my teeny tiny Kiera sequel short story “Operation Robin”. I had so much fun revisiting these characters, and I hope you do too. 💙
If you would like a copy, fill out this form with “PEPPERMINT” and your preference of pdf or epub file, and I will send it along to you. 😉
(I will not use your email address for anything else, and if you would like it deleted, let me know. Free ebook available through 12/31)
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a reel where I played “what if Kiera was a movie”, complete with directors, a screenwriter, and an entire main cast. 👀 It was brilliant fun, and I thought I’d share the fancast and my thoughts behind them here.
These people may look nothing like you expect, or you might find them just perfect. I tried my best to find pictures where they looked like *real* people instead of glam headshots, but I could only do so much.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments about what you think/if you would have chosen differently, etc.
Fair warning, this is about to get very nerdy and “Daydreams of Kate On Fully Display”. 😂😂 *adjusts director-style scarf*
Finding someone who looked just right was more to me about spirit than features, and it was pretty hard to find someone who looked young without being a kid and could easily switch between being vulnerable and being strong when she needed to be. I’m actually really happy with this actress, and I think with lighter brown hair, she’d fit the bill. 😉
In some ways I was more intimidated to choose Brennan than I was Kiera, just because I knew it was really important to choose someone I felt worked well opposite her, both in very “normal guy” looks and in age difference. This isn’t my favorite picture of him (there were some that were technically cuter since he’s styled more relaxed), but I thought this one showed his playful side really well.
It was especially important to me that Thorne look like Kiera, but I got even more than I bargained for when I found this actor. I just love his vibe of “yes, I am listening, I feel for you, I have something wise to say”. Perfect big brother and pastor vibes. 👏
I’ve seen all these actors in something before but usually as side characters (I scoured one of my favorite Christian shows for good actors, lol), but she was one I know better as a main character. I immediately thought her good-natured but really decisive personality would be perfect.
Last but not least, I wanted to choose someone for Jessica that embodied a very regular but also very powerful woman. I have this whole unused plotline where she’s kind of a super spy, and this actress just really fit that bill for me.
What do you think? Is this how you pictured everyone?
Happy weekend, everyone! I thought this tag might be a fun way to end the week. 😉
This tag was originally created by Savannah at Savannah Grace Writes, and I was tagged by the wonderful E.G. Bella. You can find her post here. Thanks so much for tagging me!
Name: Kate (Willis) Hoppman (there’s also a really pretty middle name in there which I won’t share because privacy 😉 )
Nicknames: I don’t have an official nickname, but my nephews are convinced my name is actually “Cake” which cracks them up because I often make family birthday cakes.
Birthday: Springtime. 😉
Hair color and length: Brown, elbow-length because of how curly it gets, but it’s really a lot longer than that. 😉
Eye color: Also brown
Braces/piercings/tattoos: None of the above
Righty or lefty: I’m right-handed, though I’m somewhat ambidextrous.
Ethnicity: I’m a mix of all things European + Ashkenazi Jew. 😎
First novel written: Kiera. It was a huge milestone for me, and I’m still so grateful I got to write and publish it. 💙
First novel completed: Also Kiera. I have yet to complete a second novel beyond draft one, and the self-doubt feeds off that fact rather well. 😉 😬
Award for writing: I believe I won a short story contest in the past. 🤔
First publication: My middle-grade, summery mystery The Treasure Hunt. My sister Perry helped me get it ready in time for a convention table she was running for Homeschooled Authors, and I got to see my book in person there and sell copies. 😍 One of my favorite author moments.
Conference: I’ve never been to one, but I’d love to attend the Rabbit Room conference, Hutchmoot. Finances and the bundle of anxiety that I am make going to a conference a little bit unrealistic for me right now. 😉
Query/Pitch: Nope.
Novel (that you wrote): The one I’m writing now. 😉 Which currently truly means my fantasy WIP “Awake”, but also I’m generally in love with whatever I’m working on (unless it’s editing time). 😁🤩
Genre: I write mainly contemporary and fantasy (or variation thereupon), but I’m itching to write something sci-fi.
Author: Perry Kirkpatrick, Sarah Holman, and Kim Vogel Sawyer
Writing Music: I don’t listen to music a lot while writing because #distractiblebrain
Time to Write: Midday or middle of the night when I should be sleeping and simply cannot. 🙈
Writing Snack/Drink: Chai tea, something chocolate 😉
Movie: *draws a blank* *literally has 600* I think more people seriously need to see the wonderfulness that is Fast Color.
Writing Memory: When my rewrite of a vital scene in Kiera made my mom cry. 🥰
Childhood Book: The Shield Ring by Rosemary Sutcliffe was exceedingly formative. 👀
Reading: The second Enola Holmes book. 😎 Also, a beta-read for a friend of mine.
Writing: Erm, mostly blog posts.
Listening to: Improbable Things podcast by J. Grace Pennington. She’s a very cool human, and I love her thoughts on life, books, and writing.
Watching: Parks and Rec with my husband. 😉
Learning: Mental health management and how to live life.
Want To Be Published: Yes! That’s the goal with every new project, and I hope to have more books out there to share with you.
Indie or Traditional: I’ll be staying indie for the foreseeable future, but if I got a deal with a small press, I wouldn’t be opposed. 😉
Wildest Goal: To see one of my books made into a movie. 🤩
Thanks for reading, and if you’d like to answer these questions, consider yourself tagged! 😉
I didn’t have Spotify when I first wrote and published, but it’s been fun making a playlist after the fact.
It’s no secret “Sparrows” by Jason Gray is THE Kiera song. It inspired me as I wrote, and the characters listen to it at least twice in the book. 💙
I thought it might be super fun to take this song and a few others and make a Kiera-themed playlist. 😎😎
(There aren’t any spoilers, so if you haven’t read it yet, you can still listen.)
I went for some thematically accurate “espresso depresso” songs, some encouraging Christian ones, and a couple delightfully hopeful ones. 😁
Just a few highlights are…
This one that gives me strong vibes of a Certain Scene That Shall Not Be Spoiled. Like, if this book were a musical, Kiera would literally be singing it to Brennan. #allthedesperatefeels
This one is the perspective of God singing to His child, and I think no matter where you are in life, it would be comforting, so Kiera especially needs it after what I put her through.
This is a happy, dance-in-your-kitchen-we’re-all-gonna-be-okay song. 💙 Destiny definitely shared this one with Kiera. 😉
I hope you enjoy listening!
Bloggers we’re celebrating with today…
And don’t forget, the giveaway ends tonight, so get your entries in!
I’ve hinted that there were some bigger edits I wanted to make to Kiera that drove this second edition, but I thought I would dive a little deeper into my thoughts behind this.
The problem: I was just learning the importance and beauty of diversity and wanted to reflect this in my novel, but if you blinked and missed it, I don’t blame you. I had very little exposure to people of color growing up in small town PNW and even less knowledge of Black culture. I also had the mistaken idea that any mention of skin color automatically meant racism, so I did a pretty poor job giving my characters full-bodied experiences and identities.
What I changed: While I felt it was too late at this point to give Destiny and Niyanna what I now know they deserve and was worried doing so could feed into some stereotypes (i.e. Destiny’s family), I made sure that any mentions of their race were inoffensive and used some more accurate/specific terms for their hairstyles than just “braids”.
In the future: Before I attempt to write characters of a different culture from mine again, I’m spending some time listening and soaking in. If you have any recommendations for resources (fiction or otherwise), please share them down in the comments.
The problem: In the original edition, I included a scene where Kiera physically disciplines Jade. I had her do it with patience and calmness, which to me was somewhat countercultural to what I was surrounded with. A little while after publication, I heard from a reader or two that they would not be reading the book due to the triggering nature of this scene as it reminded them of child abuse they had witnessed. This really grieved me and got me thinking that maybe this wasn’t the best or only way to raise children.
What I changed: I ended up removing this scene completely as it served no other purpose in the story and detracted from my main message of love.
In the future: I would like to focus on the positive, nurturing but still honest and hard aspects of raising children with gentleness and grace.
The problem: This last one makes me a little bit sad, and I hope my readers will be forgiving. I needed a divisive political issue, something that would wreck the church in this book, so I chose LGBT+ issues, a.k.a. the current “boogeyman” of my church experience. I won’t go into the storyline, but I soon realized this decision and the way I wrote it could be unintentionally villainizing and very hurtful, especially to young readers who may be seeking God on what He says about their sexual orientation.
What I changed: I decided that this book, with very little plot space for nuanced, empathetic discussion and a storyline focused on love not controversy was not the place for me to talk about this. I removed the storyline completely.
In the future: I will not be writing any more stories with LGBT+ identities painted as a divisive issue, as I believe it is much more human than political, personal than dogmatic.
Whether or not you agree with these changes, please know that I felt God’s calling to implement them and did so in good faith with very little meaningful change to the story. I hope to continue to grow in my empathy and knowledge and write more stories showing the love of God. 💙
Bloggers we’re celebrating with today…
IT’S HERE!
KIERA IS HERE, Y’ALL!
🎉🎉💙😭😭🤩😍✨
I think my unofficially official author picture sums up how I’m feeling perfectly.
One eye smiling and the other just a little bit crazy. 😉😉
This book has taken a lot. A lot of time, stamina, criticism, and creativity. But it’s also given me so much, and one of my favorites is you all. 💙
Thank you for all your enthusiasm and support!
Just Kiera chilling with some other real books. 💙
Buy on Amazon // Order hardcover
Bloggers we’re celebrating with today…
Once Upon An Ordinary 