Hello, My Scripturients,
My readers and my writer friends. I haven't done a writing update in well over a year. And that is tragic because I used to honestly love to write these little updates for you. But I got busy, and it was easier to put a two min word vomit clip on youtube than it was to actually sit down and articulate my thoughts. I took a break from this. And a break from youtube. But I am back now and am ready to get back into attempting to put my thoughts down. If you have purchased a copy of Rebellion, you will have the key to knowing what the next book I will be writing is called. If you don't have it yet... I will be at a few book events in the next few weeks or sign up for my mailing list. I will be sharing a lot there and on Patreon. 
But I made a timeline for myself that is quite fast so you won't be waiting too long for a new book from me, don't you worry. I will have a lot more information for you come October 4th. There I said it. The deadline is out there. Anyway, this is just a little post to say that I am extremely happy to be where I am right now. That I am on to the next project but that it is a break from The Fritual Saga. I will be back to that shortly, I just want to take this little side jaunt and refresh my brain before jumping back in. 
With lots of love
Katelyn
​See you soon!

PRE ORDER REBELLION
https://www.katelyncostello.com/rebel... 
Order The Frituals (Amazon)
 https://www.amazon.com/Frituals-Katel... 
My site https://www.katelyncostello.com/the-f... 
Follow me on the interwebs: 
​amazon.com/author/katelyncostello
 https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... 
Twitter @Scripturienting 
IG: @authorkatelyncostello 
Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello 
Youtube: KatelynCostello
www.katelyncostello.com 
https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100...

I started to read books when I was in kindergarten. One of the first series of books I ever read was Redwall by Brian Jacques. The world of Redwall opened my eyes to lands where people weren’t always the nicest, but there were still good people who would fight for what was right. And even if they made mistakes on the way, it was okay. Not long after I learned to read on my own, I would stumble home with my family's canvas library bag (everyone's family has a specific bag for the library right?) that felt like it weighed more than I did. I would devour those books and then return to my little haven for more stories. 
When I was thirteen, I was struck with an idea, the first spark of a story that I painstakingly wrote out by hand and then had my best friend type up for me because I was a slow typer. I remember thinking at the time that the main character, Leona, had to be strong. She had to be fierce; she had to fight. Just like Matthias had. But it was important to me that my main character was a girl. Leona never left the pages of that story, but her essence has grown with me. And what was that exactly? Strong female characters. Women who could lead, who meant business, who didn't have to be pretty little pawns for men's pleasure. Now Young Adult fiction has come a long way since when I first started reading, but maybe I was also looking in the wrong places. Hermione was always in Harry’s shadow, outsmarting him, but never really taking the spotlight. However, I want people to read in the right places. I want young girls to look at a strong leading female character and say "I want to be like her," to be able to slide herself into those shoes and learn to be strong in her own life. I needed more Katniss, more Zélie, more Starr, and more Kady. More women, more people of color, more LBGTQ+, more people. And these people, need to get not just more representation but leading roles, shining for all to see and love. 

Now strength, as we know, doesn't always mean you can lift the heaviest object. Sometimes it is looking fear in the face and not letting it stop you. Sometimes it is being uncomfortable so others don't feel pain; it is leading where others fall. It is listening to what is hard. It is admitting that you need help.
This leads me to my own writing, this Amazon review encapsulates everything I am trying to do:
"Great for young readers!
This is an energizing read for a younger (maybe preteen or early teen) age group. 10-year-old me would have loved this because I think especially younger girl readers can put themselves in the main character’s shoes."
-Amazon Reviewer

Shauna and Taytra Flynn are sister's and are the protagonist's of my series The Frituals Saga (The Frituals #1, Rebellion #2 (available 8/10/2019 now available for preorder.)) These two young women are people I wish I could have read about when I was younger. So how did their story start? 
Each year men and elves are tested to see if the Fritual of their kingdom will be revealed, a powerful person able to control an elemental Magick. Shauna Flynn has always wanted to meet a Fritual, but these Magick users had all but disappeared in the war of men and elves nearly two hundred years before. Shauna has always wanted to meet a Fritual, she never thought she would be the Fritual. Forced from her home by a group of elves known as the Dark Ones who want to control the first human Fritual, Shauna has to find the other Frituals and stop the Dark Ones, to save herself, her family, and the home she has always known...


I hope my stories will inspire more young women to stand up for what they believe in. To not always worry about being the smartest in the room because no matter what their voice is valid. I hope they can find themselves in my stories. And if not, to pick up a pen, or open a word doc and stare down that blinking line and write it for themselves. That is what I am doing for myself. 

​The Frituals #1, and Rebellion #2 are available from katelyncostello.com or wherever you buy books online. This series is Young Adult fantasy and targeted to children in 7th-12th grade or for whoever loves young adult books in your life. 
Follow my writing and publishing journey or just look at cute photos of my cat at @authorkatelyncostello on Facebook and Instagram or @scripturienting on twitter. For business inquiries please email me at scripturient101@gmail.com

Children of Blood and Bone
(Legacy of Orïsha #1)
by Tomi Adeyemi 
Hardcover, 544 pages
Published March 6th 2018 by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Original Title
Children of Blood and Bone
ISBN
1250170974 

​

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

​THIS BOOK... I still think about it and I read it a while ago at this point, back in march. And I would always give it 5 stars without a thought. Tomi's writing is beautiful. There is no other way to describe it. She is a beautiful writer, the images and feelings that you are left with stay with you, for months. Tomi is the best debut author that I have read in years. The level she is at competes with many other long term authors. As a Nigerian- American woman, the story is laced with beautiful references to African and Nigerian culture: from the creation myths, the tribes, to the beautiful descriptions of the clothing, that made even rags on slaves clear in my mind. It is no wonder the rights were purchased to produce a movie before the book even came out! The episodic arcs of the storyline and constant changing refreshing pace make it in my mind a fantastic candidate for visual media.

Now, like a lot of books I read these days, I start with a print book, and then I read the audiobook. And I NEED to give a shout out to Bahni Turpin. She is an amazing narrator, and I think this is one of the stories you should read both the printed word and the audio version. Each is a different experience. 
What both create is a powerhouse story about children and people of color battling against discrimination and an unjust society in a fantasy setting. Sure you could say you could put any person white, black, or brown, and tell the same story BUT the fact that this story is about POC and that it is such a FANTASTIC book, with influential roles is. Powerful. Is Important. Is beautiful. Is needed. And it is part of the reason I love it so much. Because I don't need to have a white protagonist anymore. I can pick up almost any book on a shelf and feel like I am the character. But not everyone gets that. But while I am not a powerful black woman, Zelie still stuck with me, as a loud, arrogant, boisterous woman. She did what she wanted. She was rash. She didn't always listen. She messed up. She did the things a "good girl" wouldn't do. And that is another reason I loved her. She wasn't pretty pretty perfect. She was raw, and strong, and scared but fights the fear. She is a fighter. I wish more people would read about, and be more like Zeile. 
There is so much more I wish I could tell you, but I am afraid of saying more and spoiling you. So go, buy it, borrow it, use your audible credit, get it now. 
Book #2 Children of Venence and Virtue comes out in December and I am so excited
Also ​#vengeanceontheseheauxes

​​See you soon!

PRE ORDER REBELLION
https://www.katelyncostello.com/rebel... 
Order The Frituals (Amazon)
 https://www.amazon.com/Frituals-Katel... 
My site https://www.katelyncostello.com/the-f... 
Follow me on the interwebs: 
​amazon.com/author/katelyncostello
 https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5... 
Twitter @Scripturienting 
IG: @authorkatelyncostello 
Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello 
Youtube: KatelynCostello
www.katelyncostello.com 
https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100...

Hello, My Scripturients,
I kinda can't believe that in t-minus 10 days my second book comes out. I wrote the first half of this book for NaNoWriMo in 2016. I spent so many nights looking at my notes, staring into nothing, and drinking way too much apple cider. I felt so creative in that dorm room. It was where this blog started. It was the year I started building the foundation for my business. I put down the draft until well after and began to pick my way through it in October of 2018. Now nearly 9 months later and 40k more words later I await publication.  
I have changed in many ways since writing the first part of this draft, but in many ways, I am the same. I still want to tell stories, I still want to inspire others to read, and to write, and to tell their own stories.
I am so proud of this story in so many ways. The editing, the things that had to change to make sense from the pieces that were left by past me, the fact that it is my longest story to date, and I can't wait to jump into book #3. 
I want to say thank you again, I have said it a million times already and want to say it a million more. You will never know how thankful I am for you. You helped to create this business. It wouldn't be what it is now without you. 
You still have time to pre-order Rebellion from my website or wherever you buy your books online (this includes but is not limited to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Nook, Kobo, Apple iBooks, Scribd, books a million, indigo, and more...)
Thank you so much for this. I can't wait for you to read it.
​Katelyn Costello

Hello, my Scripturients,
Just a quick little update to announce a fun new venture I am going for a new venture. Over the next ten weeks, I will post a ten week series of videos on different aspects of writing fantasy. They are starting Wednesday, May 29th and will run weekly until July 31st!
Some of the topics will include Genre, how to write a fight scene, and more.
If you are as excited about this as I am, make sure you subscribe to my youtube channel and are coming here every Wednesday at 10 am for the next 10 WEEKS.

See you soon!

PRE ORDER REBELLION
https://www.katelyncostello.com/rebel...
Order The Frituals (Amazon) https://www.amazon.com/Frituals-Katel...
My site https://www.katelyncostello.com/the-f...
Follow me on the interwebs:
​amazon.com/author/katelyncostello https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
Twitter @Scripturienting
IG: @authorkatelyncostello Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello
Youtube: KatelynCostello
www.katelyncostello.com https://www.pinterest.com/ladykate100...

So I never finished my blog post, so I am combining these two into one big blog post. Sorry if that makes it confusing. But seriously look at the stats!
Start of Week: 56038
End of Week: 66635
Words Written: 10597
Nano Total: 26846
Goal Words: 30,000
Chapters for the week: 6
Hello My scripturients,
Another week in November down, another nearly 11k written. I don't know how I am pulling this off week to week. Each week so far I have been able to write a little more than the last, and that is with writing on fewer days... I don't really get it either. 
Start of Week: 66635
End of Week: 80,059
Words Written: 13,424
Nano Total: 40,293
Goal Words: 41,666
Chapters for the week: 5?
Scripturients,
It was a tough week. Between rehearsals going late into the night, and my car breaking down for four days, I was not a happy camper this week. Stress and anxiety was through the roof. But somehow I was still able to crank out 13k?  I don’t understand it guys. Like 40% of the time I feel like what I am writing is trash. But I guess we will know for sure in a few weeks when I begin edits. Right now the book is sitting at a whopping 497 pages… IT IS GOING TO BE OVER 500 PAGES. This is also at 5.5x 8.5 which is a bit bigger than my normal paperback, but it is also double spaced… even still it is going to be a HUGE book and I am both so excited and terrified by its size.  I will be doing some quick formatting and ordering a copy the minute I finish the book so I can begin read through and edits at the end of December. 
How big do you think the final copy will be? I keep thinking that not enough is happening?? This book is a learning curve that is for sure!


​Want a chance to see an early rendition of the first part of Rebellion? Want a signed hard back? Have you read The Frituals and left a review?
Well then you should and may have already started to enter this my winter giveaway!

This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway.

Must be 18+ or with Parental approval

11-15-2018 - 12-15-2018

Post a photo on social media of you reading, your reading progress, whatever but mention The Fituals and use #thefrituals

Leave a review on Goodreads and/ or Amazon.com

If you have already reviewed the book than you already have half your entry done! Just post a picture and use the hashtag and you are all set!


As always I love you and thanks. If you haven't yet please follow my social media links below and see what I am working on.
​Love,
Kate

Be my Writing Buddy
https://nanowrimo.org/participants/katelyn-costello
​
Order my book:
Signed: https://www.katelyncostello.com/store/p1/The_Frituals_%28Book_%231_The_Frituals%29.html
Print:
​https://www.amazon.com/dp/1981463097/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Ebook: \\https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DW8P33P/ref=sr_1_2ie=UTF8&qid=1529540545&sr=8-2&keywords=Katelyn+Costello

Follow me on the interwebs:
amazon.com/author/katelyncostello
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53086148-katelyn-costello
https://www.patreon.com/katelyncostello​

Twitter @Scripturienting
IG: @authorkatelyncostello
Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello
Youtube: The Scripturient 101
www.katelyncostello.com

Hello Bookworms,
How is your week going? I have had had a pretty busy week with work and plays, and as such have been struggling with my writing a bit, but at the same time have made some really good progress. 
Let's take a look at the stats
Start of Week: 46,437
End of Week: 56,038
Total: 9,609
Nano Total: 16,298 
Goal Words: 18,333
Chapters for the week: 8
My chapters this week were a bit shorter, and I did do some bracketing* so I know I will be expanding on those sections at a later time, but the framework for them is there.  I feel really good about where It is right now, and where it will be going.  
A really cool thing did happen this week, I crossed 300,000 words for my lifetime tracking on the NaNoWriMo Website. Knowing I have also written more that that during the off time, makes it a really cool number to see that is ALOT of words. 
As far as the next few weeks go I am about 3k behind over all, or about two days, and that is just from being busy and not being able to hit my daily word count every day. But I have been able to write everyday. I can see where things are headed and am working on getting the characters all lined up for the climax of the book! Only 33,000 words to go! 
I am working on attempting to come up with cover idea and have a general concept! You can see some ideas and the inspiration I take on my pinterest board. And I am hoping I will be able to come up with a synopsis... soonish. I think these are the hardest part for me... how does one some up thousands of words in a few concise paragraphs that will make other people want to enjoy it? Not a clue, not a clue.
Anyway, are you doing Nano? How is your project going? I was going to vlog last week, but really it is just cat videos... if you want to see a weeks worth of cat videos and maybe like a summary of the week let me know I can can try to throw that together by the end of the night.

*Bracketing is where you write yourself a note to remind yourself at a later time that you need to go back and work on this section.

Want a chance to see an early rendition of the first part of Rebellion? Want a signed hard back? Have you read The Frituals and left a review?
Well then you should and may have already started to enter this my winter giveaway!

This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway.

Must be 18+ or with Parental approval

11-15-2018 - 12-15-2018

Post a photo on social media of you reading, your reading progress, whatever but mention The Fituals and use #thefrituals

Leave a review on Goodreads and/ or Amazon.com

If you have already reviewed the book than you already have half your entry done! Just post a picture and use the hashtag and you are all set!


As always I love you and thanks. If you haven't yet please follow my social media links below and see what I am working on.
​Love,
Kate

Be my Writing Buddy
https://nanowrimo.org/participants/katelyn-costello
​
Order my book:
Signed: https://www.katelyncostello.com/store/p1/The_Frituals_%28Book_%231_The_Frituals%29.html
Print:
​https://www.amazon.com/dp/1981463097/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Ebook: \\https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DW8P33P/ref=sr_1_2ie=UTF8&qid=1529540545&sr=8-2&keywords=Katelyn+Costello

Follow me on the interwebs:
amazon.com/author/katelyncostello
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53086148-katelyn-costello
https://www.patreon.com/katelyncostello​

Twitter @Scripturienting
IG: @authorkatelyncostello
Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello
Youtube: The Scripturient 101
www.katelyncostello.com

Start of NaNoWriMo 39,753 
End of Day 4: 46,437
Words Written:  6,684
Chapters Written/ Edited: 6 chapters
Hello Friends,
Well the numbers do the talking. It has been a really really busy weekend.  
I started off with only writing 150 words on Thursday, do to a wee trip to the ER for a sprained ankle. Don't worry I am hobbling around with a crutch or two and am doing pretty good. Friday I caught up and wrote 3k, which burned myself out for Saturday where I only wrote 900 new words. I DID edit two chapters, found that I had copied about 600 words of a chapter into another which I had to delete (SO I probably wrote closer to 1200 words it threw off my count) But don't worry on Sunday I was able to crank out another 2,300 words on Sunday to catch up. 
Things are going really well and I am having a lot of fun being back into the drafting space. I am getting a bit overwhelmed at times but I am breathing. Drafting is my favorite part so I am going to enjoy it. Onward and upward to 90k!
​Katelyn

Hello and Welcome my Scripturients to another writing update.
If you are new here Hello! My name is Kayelyn Costello. I am the author of the Young Adult Fantasy novel The Frituals. This is the blog I started nearly two years ago for me post writing updates, book reviews and the occasional educational piece. We are headed into my favorite time of year. It is a combination of the holidays (happy Hallothankmas) and writing. This time every year for the past 8 years I have dedicated my November yo creativity. Through high school and college I dedicated myself to writing at least once a day with the goal of 1,667 words a day for 30 days. And this year will be no different.
For the past month or so I've been combing through my Nano document from 2016. From these plot lines I started to develop then I will write an additional 50k and finish the second book in my series, Rebellion.
A tip for Nanowrimo. Set clear goals. I am telling you all I am going to do this. Even though I am working every day, co directing my first play which comes out this month, and managing my author business. But by telling you all I am holding myself accountable. Tell people what you are doing. Have a public play you post word counts. You will be surprised by how invested people will get in your journey.
I will be doing weekly nanovlogs again this year over on my YouTube channel but I am also going to try to post blog posts here with number updates weekly. So today as of 12:03 Am my word count is 39,753 only 50,247 words to go.
I also have some news!
On November 15th 2018 I will be releasing to new versions of The Frituals! I plan on releasing a hardback of the first book! The Hardback will retail for $17 or $20 for signed. I have signed editions available for preorder on my website and there are copies for pre order on amazon.

BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE!

Starting on November 15th I will be holding a giveaway!!

Reviews are a huge part of the writing industry in that they help to promote our sales, so I want to educate the reading community on it! Keep an eye out for that content!

I want a way to give back to my community and educate people on the benefit of reviews.


Anyone who leaves a review on either amazon or goodreads will be entered into a contest for a signed hardback, and 6 chapters of Rebellion. This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway.

Must be 18+ or with Parental approval

11-15-2018 - 12-15-2018

Post a photo on social media of you reading, your reading progress, whatever but mention the frituals and use #thefrituals

Leave a review on Goodreads and/ or Amazon.com

If you have already reviewed the book than you already have half your entry done! Just post a picture and use the hashtag and you are all set!

I'm really excited for the beginning of NaNoWriMo and the continued growth of The Frituals.
As always I love you and thanks. If you haven't yet please follow my social media links below and see what I am working on.
​Love,
Kate

Be my Writing Buddy
https://nanowrimo.org/participants/katelyn-costello
​
Order my book:
Signed: https://www.katelyncostello.com/store/p1/The_Frituals_%28Book_%231_The_Frituals%29.html
Print:
​https://www.amazon.com/dp/1981463097/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Ebook: \\https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DW8P33P/ref=sr_1_2ie=UTF8&qid=1529540545&sr=8-2&keywords=Katelyn+Costello

Follow me on the interwebs:
amazon.com/author/katelyncostello
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53086148-katelyn-costello
https://www.patreon.com/katelyncostello​

Twitter @Scripturienting
IG: @authorkatelyncostello
Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello
Youtube: The Scripturient 101
www.katelyncostello.com

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
Print:
​https://www.amazon.com/dp/1981463097/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Ebook: \https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DW8P33P/ref=sr_1_2ie=UTF8&qid=1529540545&sr=8-2&keywords=Katelyn+Costello

Follow me on the interwebs:
amazon.com/author/katelyncostello
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53086148-katelyn-costello
https://www.patreon.com/katelyncostello​

Twitter @Scripturienting
IG: @authorkatelyncostello
Facebook: Author Katelyn Costello
Youtube: The Scripturient 101
www.katelyncostello.com