Hi everyone! First things first: it's been a while since we did a giveaway, and I have a few spare copies of some of my books, so let's do it! If you'd like a signed paperback of The Embroidered Book, The Chatelaine, Alice Payne Rides or Assassin's Creed: The Resurrection Plot, shipped anywhere in the world, email me at kateheartfield@gmail.com by noon ET on Nov. 30 and I'll use a random number generator to choose one winner and ship it out. (Note that both AC: TRP and Alice Payne Rides are sequels!) If I choose you, I'll need to know:
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Which book (TEB, The Chatelaine, Alice Payne Rides or AC: TRP)
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Whether you want it personalized to you or as a gift (depending on where you live, I should be able to get it there before Christmas, although I can't guarantee that.)
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Your mailing address
This will be my last newsletter for 2023 (barring any huge news) and I just want to say thanks to everyone who's picked up one of my books this year, or spread the word. It was a big year for publications -- the paperback of The Embroidered Book, The Valkyrie, the reissued version of The Chatelaine, and Assassin's Creed: The Resurrection Plot. I wrote a blog post reflecting on the year in life and writing.
And if you're interested in my three favourite reads from 2023, you can find that here!
At the moment, I'm reading a large stack of books, mostly for research for the Shiny New Novel. Currently in love with Medieval Tastes: Food, Cooking and the Table, by Massimo Montanari. It's a collection of short essays about the ways people thought about food in the High Middle Ages in Europe, with an emphasis on Italy. It's such a useful, clear explanation of some key differences (such as the way medieval recipes tend to value artificiality and synthesis -- creating constructions that combine several different savoury and sweet flavours that tend to be kept for different courses in western European cooking today.)
A few events coming up: This Wednesday evening, Nov. 29, I'm reading at Story Hour (an older story and an unpublished one. On the dark and spooky side.)
On Thursday Nov. 30 at noon ET, I'll be joining Phoenicia Rogerson (author of Herc) and SL Huang (author of The Water Outlaws) for a free online panel about mythological retellings, hosted by the Toronto Public Library. You can save your spot here.
And on Jan. 25 here in Ottawa, I'll be appearing in person at the ALSO fundraiser, highlighting banned books. I'll be reading from, and discussing, Danny Ramadan's wonderful children's book, Salma Writes a Book, which has been subject to restrictions in Ontario school libraries.
In writing news: I finished the revision on the WWII book and sent it off to my editor, and I'm really pleased with how it's shaping up. That was a really hard revision, and I'm proud. There will be more work to do on it, but I'm poking away happily on a Shiny New Novel now while it and some other projects wait in the wings.
All my best to you as 2023 closes out.