THE WITCH ROADS is here
THE WITCH ROADS is out today, book one of a fantasy duology. Book two of the duology, THE NAMELESS LAND, follows in November 2025 (this year! not long of a wait!).
Over on Bluesky I called it “My grimsweet fantasy road trip (on foot) lands today w/ a humble deputy courier forced to guide uppity court officials on a back country route that includes a ravenous fungal ghost plague, court intrigue, & a mysterious haunt.”
I’ll add here (since I didn’t have enough room there): AND a realistic teen figuring out the next steps into adulthood (not the MC, who is in her early 30s).
The book is now available worldwide in ebook, and in print in USA/Canada region.
The print version will become available in the UK on July 21st, although people might be able to order internationally now if they wish. The UK version will be the same edition as the USA/Canada edition, with the lovely Raja Nandepu cover. I confess I have been told nothing about print availability in Australia/NZ but the ebook should be available worldwide.
The audiobook (from Tantor Media) will be available 19 August 2025, narrated by Ella Lynch.
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A housekeeping note:
Newsletters are a big deal these days. Many writers use them to publish non fiction essays and reporting, and have monetized their newsletters alongside some free content. I think this is great for those writers who can make it work.
I have chosen a different route. This free newsletter contains news about my work, my career, and what is available to purchase or appearances to listen to or attend, etc.
I do have a Patreon, where I post weekly. I’ve written a great deal of non-fiction work about the craft of writing and related topics, and am currently serializing a off-the-cuff novel chapter by chapter as I write it. This content is available for patrons. I am able to write as much as I do for the Patreon because it helps my income stream, which means I can pay for shelter and food for myself and of course Finn’s breakfast and dinner, grooming, and yearly vet checkups.
For the time being, separating these two elements (career/book news vs non-contracted-novel writing) works best for me. Eventually I would love to consolidate everything in one place, on a platform like Ghost.io, but that’s not going to happen this year.
I’m noting this for people who may have subscribed to this newsletter thinking every installment will offer a smart essay on life or writing, or insightful reviews, or long political analyses. This newsletter is news, about my books and my appearances, etc. For now, that’s what I can manage. If you want more writing by me beyond my commercially sold novels (and occasional short story), check out my Patreon.
Kate Elliott | creating fiction, essays, worlds, adventure. | Patreon
creating fiction, essays, worlds, adventure.
Regardless of how you are imbibing your Kate Elliott writing, my deepest thanks to all of you reading.
Recent online appearances:
Worldbuilding for Masochists: From a Certain Point of View
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-vkrky-18c89b9
Casual Magic: Anatomy of an Elder Dragon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I14LxNgkLrY&t=59s
Niko’s Book Reviews: A Conversation with Kate Elliott
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPEBoRapEcI&t=4s
SFF Addicts: Interview on The Witch Roads, Burnout, Writing, and More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klw1AzhOqFc
or
https://fanfiaddict.com/sff-addicts-ep-158-kate-elliott/
Coming Soon:
SFF Addicts: A craft discussion between Kate, Adrian, and Greta on “infusing politics into stories”
https://www.youtube.com/@FanFiAddict
Lee Reads: Interview and Discussion
https://www.youtube.com/@LeeReads
UpperPen: Discussion of The Witch Roads (spoiler free)
https://www.youtube.com/@UpperPenPodcast
No in-person book signing or appearances are scheduled at the moment.
I had hoped to attend Seattle Worldcon but because of unexpected household expenses I have had to cancel my plans since I now can’t afford it. I will try again next year for LA Worldcon.
I really like conventions because I like to hang out with my friends and acquaintances and because I love getting to meet my readers, but sadly conventions are mostly out of reach for me financially these days. I’m grateful for the online opportunities I have to talk about writing, my work, life, and everything.
Signed copies.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a local indie that can arrange signed copies for people to purchase mail order. I am hoping to see if I can do a signing at Powells Books (Portland, OR) in early November for the release of THE NAMELESS LAND. If that works out, then, after the signing, they would have a stock of signed books available for mail order sale, which is something they are experienced at managing. For the moment that’s the best I can offer in terms of signed books. I wish I had better news about this issue.
My monthly recommendation:
I finally watched The Pitt (HBO/max), a medical drama starring Noah Wyle, and honestly it was great. Its fifteen episodes cover 15 hours of an emergency room shift across one day. Well written, well acted, and well paced. I can’t vouch for the medical accuracy but I’ve seen commentary that it is good and that the showrunners, actors, and writers worked hard to make it as realistic as possible.
The other thing I particularly like is that the hospital in question is also a teaching hospital, so there are three medical students who are getting training on the job, which means the show has a framework for why it can also teach us, the viewer, about what is going on, and that aspect works really well. I can be a bit squeamish about injuries and surgeries, etc, but very quickly I got so interested in how they were explaining, diagnosing, and treating the emergencies that I stopped feeling squeamish and got super interested. Also, there’s an episode in which the viewers get a truly moving piece of history about the early development of EMT (emergency medical techs) in the Pittsburgh area.
The show never overweights drama as against the medicine; the medicine is always foremost, and I really appreciate that. The big ticket disaster item I was bracing myself for was also well handled, imo. I will definitely watch season 2, when it comes, although I have to wonder how they are going to follow this up because it was so clean and well balanced. Highest recommend.
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Finn says hi. Unbeknownst to him, he is going to the groomer tomorrow. Not his favorite activity, although the groomers themselves are very kind and skilled.
As always, thank you. I could not do this without you.
Kate Elliott