Indie Interview with @KatieLCarroll, author of Elixir Bound



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Conversations with authors and writers from the self-publishing world.


Meet Katie L. Carroll

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Best Known for: Elixir Bound


Katie L. Carroll began writing at a very sad time in her life after her 16-year-old sister, Kylene, unexpectedly passed away. Since then writing has taken her to many wonderful places, real and imagined. She wrote ELIXIR BOUND and the forthcoming ELIXIR SAVED so Kylene could live on in the pages of a book. Katie is also an editor for MuseItUp Publishing. She lives not too far from the beach in a small Connecticut city with her husband and son.

Connect with Katie


Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads 

Thank you for joining us today!

How did you get started writing, and why did you want to write?

When I was 19 and a sophomore in college, my 16-year-old sister unexpectedly passed away. I went through a whole period of reevaluating what I wanted to do with my life and came out the other end wanting to write novels. Writing ELIXIR BOUND was a sort of mourning process for me, and also a way for me to memorialize my sister in a book.

What made you decide to go the "indie" route?

I think the “indie” route chose me. It was a long process to get my first book published, and the publishing landscaped changed drastically from when I sent out my first submission to when I finally landed with the small, digital-first press MuseItUp. I’ve enjoyed how going with a small press has allowed me to have lots of input on the process (like the cover) that many authors with big houses don’t have. Yet, I still have a team behind me and don’t have to rely solely on myself for the whole process.

Tell us about the books you have available now, and about those that you're working on.

In my YA fantasy ELIXIR BOUND, Katora Kase must decide if she will become guardian of a secret healing Elixir and bind herself to its magic. It’s available in paperback and as an ebook. I’m working on a companion novel called ELIXIR SAVED, in which three who have been saved by the Elixir must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice with their second chance at life. I hope to have it ready to send to my publisher later this year.

I also have a picture book app called THE BEDTIME KNIGHT out with a company called MeeGenius. In this story, a young mouse’s imagination runs wild and Daddy Knight charges in to turn the scary sights of the night into fun imaginings.

Of the stories you have out now, which is your favorite? Do you have a favorite scene or character that stands out?

ELIXIR BOUND was such a labor of love and I wasn’t sure if it would ever get published, so I would have to go with it as my favorite. I love all my characters, even the unsavory one. But, of course, Kylene, my sister’s namesake and the character most inspired by her, would be a stand out for me.

What would you like to tell your readers? What would you like to say to potential readers?

To my readers, thank you so much for choosing my book. It’s a leap of faith when a reader picks up a book because you really don’t know whether or not it will fulfill your hopes for it. I can only hope that my books do that.

To potential readers, buy my book! No, seriously, every author just wants their words to be shared. We have stories inside of us that are dying to get out. There is no better feeling than to have a new reader.

There are many, many indie books and authors out there right now. How do you work to stand out?

I just plug away at this whole writing/author thing every day. I do the whole social media thing and my best at marketing, like most authors. I think the most important thing I can do is continue to work at becoming a better writer, so my next book is always offering something my previous book didn’t. I think growing as a writer is the best way I can represent myself.

What's your favorite part about being an author (both as writer and publishing books), and what's your least favorite part?

I love when a new idea hits. The promise, the excitement of that moment. Whether it’s an idea for a new story or a flash of inspiration that makes a story I’m working on better, there’s really nothing quite as thrilling for me as a writer.

Any parting words?

Flibbertigibbet, gobbledygook, and somnambulist. (Strange but real words.)


Thank you, Katie!
Bella