If You Told Me a Year Ago Today I Would Publish A Book I Would Call You a Liar.

To My Scripturients,
I want you to know that whatever project you are working on. Whatever art you are trying to create. Whatever you are passionate about. You can create it, there will be people that will appricieate it. 
It is worth it.
I want to take a few moments as the hours wind down before The Frituals goes live, to reflect on the last year. On September 23rd of last year I posted a thesis update to my youtube channel. I made the video at 11:45 at night. I was stressed, tired, mentally drained, and wasn't feeling very creative. I had decided to scrap my original thesis project and to write something new. I wasn't really happy making the change, but I wasn't happy with what I had written. 
That was the theme for my senior year. I was creating work I wasn't happy with. 
I promised myself when I was done with my thesis I could work on whatever projects I wanted. They would be mine, and I didn't have to let other people's feedback change my ideas. 
I had been considering self publishing for about a year at this point. I had been researching the publishing industry and what it was like to be a writer outside of school since my sophomore year of college (Shout out to the Creative Penn, Authortube, and The Dead Robots Society for giving me a good foundation.) So with that decision made, I knew I needed to start to create. 
So I turned back to my first full length novel. The Frituals, then called Cabineral Lake. I had started and stopped this story since 9th grade. Having written bits and pieces of the tale for years, and being in the same world as both parts of my thesis kept, and trashed, I felt I was ready. I formated and ordered a proof and the week before Christmas it arrived. 
Since December I have felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows as a creative. I have hated and loved my work. Gone through the stages of grief over it. But with the support of a great group of friends and a loving and growing community The Frituals has come together. I really couldn't have done it without you. Even if all you did was like the instagram posts or if you were one of my regular commentators on youtube. You helped fuel me. Thank you.
Making this book has been one of the hardest, most rewarding, and happiest things I have ever done. I am sure I am going to cry tomorrow. I am sure I am going to cry on Thursday at the Launch party. To be able to say that I have created this book, this piece of art, this product that people can buy. That people have bought and that are already enjoying or read in its various stages is mind blowing. I set a goal to publish this book by 2020. And man I smashed this goal. If you told me a year ago when I cried in the basement of Wells' Library about my thesis, that just 364 day later I would be publishing my first book. I probably would have cursed you out and cried harder. Because I am a wimp. But this wimp wrote a book. And so far, everyone has absolutely loved it. 
Please pick up a copy if you wanna give it a try. I would really appreciate it. Book 2 is in it's outlining stages slowly. Since Ethan won't let me work on it for a few more weeks :P but you can find out the title and a excerpt at the end of book 1. I love you all and thank you for helping a little nerd's dreams come true.

​Katelyn Costello

​Order my book:
Signed: https://www.katelyncostello.com/store/p1/The_Frituals_%28Book_%231_The_Frituals%29.html
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​https://www.amazon.com/dp/1981463097/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
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