Books news, Ghost Stories, and a Few Pictures!

Hey witches, werewolves, and plant obsessed daydreamers! I hope you’re well, and finding your way safely through this tough spring!

At the prompting of a friend (Hi, Julie! :waves:) I’ve searched my extremely “lived-in” house high and low for my remaining five brain cells, and with their power combined, they’re composing an update!

New Book coming in 2021!

I’m so excited to announce that I have a ghost story, A TOUCH OF RUCKUS, coming in autumn of 2021 , just in time for Halloween! Here’s the summary: “A peacemaking girl burdened by her prideful family's secrets finds solace in ghost hunting with her non-binary crush inside a nearby forest. But when the ghosts reveal that the forest's existence is threatened, she must find the link between how they died and her own family's secrets.”

Writing it has been special for so many reasons: I adore spooky things, cozy mountain autumns, the woods, and stories about old and new relationships and how they shape us.

Also, A TOUCH OF RUCKUS has a non-binary, or enby (Non-binary = NB = enby, get it? Cool, huh?) character, whose experience of gender identification is very similar to my own! Both characters are strong, kind, and brave, each in their own way, and I can’t wait for you to meet them. <3

You can add it to Goodreads here! Watch for cover reveal and more news in coming months!

Cattywampus News

I’m extremely honored and humbled to be chosen as one of five ABA’s Indies Introduce Summer/Fall 2020 Middle Grade debuts list! Independent bookstores are so vital to promoting diverse and fantastic books across the country (my own local booksellers are my go-to people for chatting and recommending great titles based on my current bookish needs!), so it was deeply touching to know Cattywampus captured their imagination and hearts.

A very heartfelt thanks to Chelsea Bauer at Union Ave Books in Knoxville, and to everyone else for their thoughtful, exciting blurbs!!

Cattywampus, Ash Van Otterloo
“Cattywampus has everything: friendship, enemies, a very charming raccoon, magic, ancient family feuds, and zombies. Set in Appalachia, this is the story of Delpha and Katybird, two girls coming of age in very different situations. Funny, smart, and inclusive, the only way to describe this book is as a good ole’ southern yarn!”
-Chelsea Bauer, Union Avenue Books (Knoxville, TN)

“This is a really funny story about two budding witches from rival Appalachian families who accidentally bring their feuding ancestors back from the dead. But as they rush to send their witch relations back to rest, they discover they have a lot more in common than they thought. This is a great friendship story and I love that it includes an intersex character.”
-Lauren Nopenz Fairley, Curious Iguana (Frederick, MD)
“Two young girls are becoming witches in rival witching families. Delpha McGill and Katybird Hearn are learning forbidden magic when they accidentally awaken a graveyard full of zombies, who all rampage throughout Howlers Hollow, their ancestral home. Now, Delpha and Katybird must combine their inherited and personal magic together to reverse their hex spell. Will their new magic mix be in time and will their powers be enough to save their homes and families? To find out, read this fun, folksy, fantastic, and fable-like debut about friendship against all odds and the power of even the most unlikely connections.”
-Drew Durham, Books Inc. Palo Alto (Palo Alto, CA)

If your family is anything like me, life has probably become a weird balancing act between work, school, and not going catching cabin fever for the last several months! It’s been a tricky and tough (and sad/scary!) time for so many people. In case you’re the sort of person who manages their anxious feelings with pictures of plants, projects, and sunshine, I thought I’d share mine with you, as a small “I love you, and I hope you smile sometime today!”

A giant patch of dead nettle near my house…they’re “weeds,” but they’re PRETTY weeds. I love their green-to-deep-purple gradient! They’re related to stinging nettles (and you can often find stinging nettles near them, since they like the same environment), but these guys are harmless. :)

The art wall that’s been growing at my house during quarantine! Only one of these drawings (a raccoon fella) is mine—the other creations are the folks I live with. <3 It makes me smile every time I pass it to grab another cup of coffee. [Photo: various drawings and paintings, including Bob’s Burgers/Adventure Zone/Steven Universe/Raven Cycle fanart, Breath of the Wild landscapes, and felt flowers] — The art wall that’s been growing at my house during quarantine! Only one of these drawings (a raccoon fella) is mine—the other creations are the folks I live with. <3 It makes me smile every time I pass it to grab another cup of coffee. *[Photo: various drawings and paintings, including Bob’s Burgers/Adventure Zone/Steven Universe/Raven Cycle fanart, Breath of the Wild landscapes, and felt flowers]*

Doing a little arc welding! We had some spare bits and bobs around from old box springs/etc, so I welded them together to make a base for a movable cinder block firepit for our back yard. Arc welding is a lot like coloring or hot gluing, but with FIRE! (Don’t try it alone without supervision ;) ) [Photo: the author smiling dorkily with an arc welding hat and gloves on, holding a mug with a unicorn on it] — Doing a little arc welding! We had some spare bits and bobs around from old box springs/etc, so I welded them together to make a base for a movable cinder block firepit for our back yard. Arc welding is a lot like coloring or hot gluing, but with FIRE! (Don’t try it alone without supervision ;) ) *[Photo: the author smiling dorkily with an arc welding hat and gloves on, holding a mug with a unicorn on it]*

COOL, right?? The trick is to keep your hand steady, and keep the weld stick the right distance away from the metal so you don’t accidentally melt it into a pile of useless goop! [Photo: arc welding a metal frame] — COOL, right?? The trick is to keep your hand steady, and keep the weld stick the right distance away from the metal so you don’t accidentally melt it into a pile of useless goop! *[Photo: arc welding a metal frame]*

A very smol, stickyboi [Photo: brown garden slug with flowering weeds in background] — A very smol, stickyboi *[Photo: brown garden slug with flowering weeds in background]*

My dear friend Heather sent me her pattern for a nice face mask—too help keep me from breathing on the people around me!—which I used with some leftover fabric to make a new face mask. I feel kind of like Westley from Princess Bride when I wear it, which is an added bonus. Take THAT, virus particles! I’m a community protector AND dashing-looking! When we can put them away (or when we wear holes in them, whichever comes first), my sibling plans to turn all our masks into a nice hiking picnic quilt. [Photo: sewing table with mask pattern and mermaid print fabric] — My dear friend Heather sent me her pattern for a nice face mask—too help keep me from breathing on the people around me!—which I used with some leftover fabric to make a new face mask. I feel kind of like Westley from Princess Bride when I wear it, which is an added bonus. Take THAT, virus particles! I’m a community protector AND dashing-looking! When we can put them away (or when we wear holes in them, whichever comes first), my sibling plans to turn all our masks into a nice hiking picnic quilt. *[Photo: sewing table with mask pattern and mermaid print fabric]*

I can’t say how many comfort pans of buttermilk cornbread I’ve made in the past little bit, but the number is in the “a LOT” range [Photo: yellow cornbread in cast iron skillet next to black eyed peas and rice with pot liquor] — I can’t say how many comfort pans of buttermilk cornbread I’ve made in the past little bit, but the number is in the “a LOT” range *[Photo: yellow cornbread in cast iron skillet next to black eyed peas and rice with pot liquor]*

Sophie Hatter is growing SO MUCH, and is still curious and gentle! She and the dog/cats are spoiled and happy right now, from all the attention they’re getting. [Photo: cute, small wild type ball python wrapped around kid’s shoulder] — Sophie Hatter is growing SO MUCH, and is still curious and gentle! She and the dog/cats are spoiled and happy right now, from all the attention they’re getting. *[Photo: cute, small wild type ball python wrapped around kid’s shoulder]*

While we’re really missing the friends and family we used to play games with, Telestrations and DnD have become a way of LIFE lately. [Photo: pictionary-style game answer that reads “Seagull brings sacricice of lemon to angel mermaid goddess”] — While we’re really missing the friends and family we used to play games with, Telestrations and DnD have become a way of LIFE lately. *[Photo: pictionary-style game answer that reads “Seagull brings sacricice of lemon to angel mermaid goddess”]*

Pajamas my spouse got me for my birthday! [Pic: author making a silly face while wearing ‘Scary Stories to tell in the Dark” print pajamas’]

Parting note:
The virus that’s causing so much stress for all of us is affecting some communities more disproportionately than others, due to long-standing inequality issues. If you’d like to help out, consider giving to places that are doing good work. <3