Karly Kirkpatrick (MAWP) recently published her debut young-adult novel, Into the Shadows. Read the press release below for more information on Karly, the book, and where to buy it.
Local Author and Epublishing Expert Debuts Young Adult Novel
When thinking of the best way to reach a young adult audience, Elgin-based author Karly Kirkpatrick decided to dive into the new technology she kept reading about.
“Ebooks are going to be for literature what iTunes has been for music. The younger generation is no longer satisfied with getting their entertainment the way previous generations have. Just like they can download an album in a minute and take it with them everywhere on their phones and MP3 players, people can now download books the same way. With smart devices and ereaders making downloading literature much easier, I thought it was time to try it out,” says Kirkpatrick.
Her first novel, INTO THE SHADOWS, is a young adult paranormal thriller that follows the story of fourteen-year-old Paivi Anderson. Paivi has it all—friends, a spot on the varsity basketball team, wonderful parents and quite possibly, her first boyfriend. It was everything a freshman in high school could ask for. Her perfect life begins to crumble when she discovers her name on a list distributed by a power-hungry presidential candidate. How could anyone think of Paivi as an Enemy of the State? Could it be because of her special powers? No one was supposed to know about them! Maybe she should ask the creepy boy she suspects of sending the messages in her tater tots. In INTO THE SHADOWS, Paivi quickly learns who her friends are and is forced into a reality she didn’t see coming.
As a local author, born and raised in Bartlett, and a graduate of Elgin High School, local landmarks factored into the book’s setting. It is set in fictional St. Andrew, a town Kirkpatrick created to take the place of her two favorite area towns, Elgin and St. Charles. The Fox River runs through St. Andrew and it features Al’s Café and their famous shakes as well. Kirkpatrick thinks it’s a great opportunity to show off the Fox Valley to her readers.
The book is available for all ereaders at Amazon (for the Kindle), Barnes and Noble (for the Nook), and a site called Smashwords.com, which provides the book in all ereader formats. Because of the ease of publishing with the new technology, Kirkpatrick is able to offer INTO THE SHADOWS for $2.99. It is also available from CreateSpace.com and Amazon in paperback format for $11.00.
“I’m also a high school teacher, and even though ebooks are growing in popularity, I’m aware not every teen has one, so I wanted to make sure it would be available in a format all my students could access,” says Kirkpatrick, who teaches German and French at Schaumburg High School.
In addition to writing young adult novels, Kirkpatrick also writes about epublishing on her blog, as well as on FlyoverGeeks.com, a Chicago-based tech news outlet. She plans to release her second young adult novel in 2011.
Karly Kirkpatrick is a YA writer and a high school German and French teacher living in Elgin, Illinois. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is also pursuing a Master’s degree in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University in Chicago. Visit her online at www.karlykirkpatrick.com.
Into the Shadows by Karly Kirkpatrick
US $11.00 | Trade Paperback Original | ISBN 978-1456341039
US $2.99 | Ebook
Pub Date: November 2010 | Ages 10 & up | 278 pp.
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