ORCHARDS, now available for e-book!

ORCHARDS

a short story from THE WILD DARK

Today is release day for one of my most experimental pieces I’ve ever done. I’ve always been someone who enjoyed poetry but never thought they were any good at it. When the story idea for ORCHARDS presented itself (in the midst of a terrible headache, no less) I wasn’t really sure how I was going to interpret it. All I knew was that, it wasn’t going to come out like a regular story. There was, to use a technical term, some discombobulation to it: a sense of timelessness, a weightlessness and a heaviness at the same time. I wanted to show the gravity of death as well as how time seems to be suspended.

This all came out in the story. It’s a collection of free-form poetry, dark imagery, memories, drabbles, and so on from the POV of Brody Aritza from THE WILD DARK. Mind you, it does take place after the final chapter of the book. I don’t think you need to read THE WILD DARK in order to understand or resonate with the messages that ORCHARDS has to offer. And I don’t think reading it will spoil the experience of TWD for you if you haven’t read it yet.

Most importantly, this piece of me is only 99 cents. I want everyone to experience this story and I believe the best way for that to happen is for it to maintain a low and affordable price-point for everyone. I also want to be able to offer it to any book reviewer, podcaster, booktuber, or booktokker who wants it.

Here’s a little more about the book:

“I am losing all the little things that make me who I am…”

Brody Aritza was lost to the Wild Dark when he was killed in the line of duty. But then something happened. The thin wall between life and death parted and he found his way back, back to the woman he loved. It wasn’t right though: he was dead and she was alive and they couldn’t be together. But he found a way to fix it. He could possess others to keep her safe and maybe…maybe they could be together after all.

Orchards takes place after the shocking conclusion of THE WILD DARK. Thrust into darkness once more, Brody must sift through time and memory as he clings to what little pieces of humanity remain in his ruinous soul. This short story will leave readers hungry for THE WILD FALL: Book Two of The Wild Oblivion, coming in 2023.

Amazon Order

B&N Order

KOBO Order

Release day is the most important day for indie writers like myself. The more purchases made for our books on release day, the more of a chance that other readers might have to find, love, and share our work with others. This is how the algorithms work. Otherwise, things do get submerged. There are so many books vying for attention during this incredible summer. Help me make sure that ORCHARDS has a chance to be seen and grab your copy today.

Thank you!

~KSilva

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July Updates

Hello subscribers old and new! A lot has happened since last month’s newsletter. As we bustle through July, I’d love to let you know what’s been going on the last couple weeks as well as what you can look forward to the rest of this summer and beyond!

The Monstrum Chronicles RE-VAMPED editions launched last month with a lovely day long procession of vampire-themed shenanigans. Each of the three books in the series (and one short story) received new interior layouts, brand new covers, deleted scenes, music playlists, and new forewords. I have copies available for purchase on my website as well as via Amazon for paperback and ebook. Thanks to all who came out and helped celebrate!

Have you heard the news? I have a TikTok account! Well, to be fair, I’ve had one but I just wasn’t posting very often at all. Aiming to change that going forward though. If you are a fellow Tiktokker, follow me @katherinesilvaauthor .

WHAT ‘CHA BEEN READING

I’ve plowed through some extraordinary books in the last month including Samantha Kolesnik’s Waif, Hailey Piper’s The Worm and His Kings, Donnie Goodman’s The Razorblades In My Head, and Eric LaRocca’s You’ve Lost A Lot of Blood. Each one was a unique and terrifying experience in its own right and I definitely recommend them all to you!

Up on the docket next are:

• Beguiled By Night by Nicole Eigener
• Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing by Hailey Piper
• Nightfall: Nightmareland Volume 1 by Daniel Barnett
• Three Days in the Pink Tower by E.V. Knight

This one kind of came out of the blue… At the same time, this is unlike anything I’ve written before. This short story is a combination of prose and poetry and startling black and white imagery with descriptive typography. While it’s a short read (only 38 pages), I’m hoping readers will feel moved, pulled, and changed by the content inside.

The book will only be available via ebook and is only 99 cents. It is currently up for pre-order via Amazon and B&N. Links will be below along with a description of the book.

“I am losing all the little things that make me who I am…”

Brody Aritza was lost to the Wild Dark when he was killed in the line of duty. But then something happened. The thin wall between life and death parted and he found his way back, back to the woman he loved. It wasn’t right though: he was dead and she was alive and they couldn’t be together. But he found a way to fix it. He could possess others to keep her safe and maybe…maybe they could be together after all.

Orchards takes place after the shocking conclusion of THE WILD DARK. Thrust into darkness once more, Brody must sift through time and memory as he clings to what little pieces of humanity remain in his ruinous soul. This short story will leave readers hungry for THE WILD FALL: Book Two of The Wild Oblivion, coming in 2023.

Amazon Pre-order

B&N Pre-order

If you are a book reviewer and you’d like a free digital copy of ORCHARDS (or any other book in my catalog), please email me at strangewildspress@gmail.com to request a copy!

• I’m still at work on This House Will Kill Again. Because ORCHARDS turned into a random (but lovely) necessity this month, I missed time working on this one. For those of you who might not remember, this is my Archive 81/House of Leaves/Downton Abbey mashup novel that I’ve been trying to get out for a couple years.
• THE WILD DARK was featured on reviewer Nisar Sufi’s website, Literary Retreat. View it here.
• I recorded an episode on the Terrifying Tomes of Terror podcast with Chance Forshee. We talk about THE WILD DARK and the upcoming sequel, slated for release next year. (I recorded this before ORCHARDS was even a thing.)
• We watched all kinds of horror last month including the latest season of Stranger Things and The Black Phone. We will be watching NOPE when it premiers in theaters next week as well as the new Netflix adaption of Resident Evil. I just hope it’s better than Welcome to Raccoon City…
• I’m off to a joint birthday party today! Cake and sunshine are in my imminent future and that only makes me more happy.

That’s my June/1st half of July wrap-up! If you want more regular updates about me and my projects, be sure to subscribe to my Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, or whatever else you see my face on!

Until then, enjoy the remainder of July!

~KSilva

March Updates

March is upon us!

Winter has been fairly productive here. I’ve been consuming lots of horror content and have been churning ideas in my ice cream-making brain as I write more short stories and work on getting novels in shape for submission and publication.

THE WILD DARK is currently at 28 brilliant reviews on Goodreads and 13 on Amazon. This might not seem like a lot to most of you but I’m absolutely over the moon. Every person that leaves a review or rating helps me get closer to selling the book to more people. Visibility is everything to indie authors and the more word-of-mouth is spread about the book, the more people will give it a try.

Click on the photo above to get to the online shop!

Holiday Updates and A Look at 2022!

Happy Holidays, my wonderful subscribers! I wanted to pop in and just say a quick thank you to everyone who has supported me on my journey to publish THE WILD DARK this year and get the book out into the world. If you purchased a copy of the book, shared a post, or told a friend about the book, you are a rock star in my mind!

This is my end of the year email, where I’ll go over a few of my favorite things from 2021 and what to look forward to in 2022!

This year, I released my sixth book, THE WILD DARK. So far, this book has been my most successful release and is continuing to get more attention day by day. This book was eight years in the making, a project that I’ve long been passionate about and adore knowing that it has touched people in so many ways. I appreciate all the reviews that have come in and the enthusiasm of those who have gone out of their way to make sure that others know how much they enjoyed it. Thanks again from the bottom of my heart.

Holiday Book Boxes on sale!

HOLIDAY GIFT BOXES ARE NOW AVAILABLE TO ORDER!

Got a book-lover in the family that you’d absolutely love to spoil this holiday season? Consider giving them a curated gift box from an indie business this year! Available now on my website are three different book gift boxes for your perusal. I’m offering THE WILD DARK, The Collection, and Night Time, Dotted Line boxes, complete with small goodies that relate to the stories. Each gift box has 5 or 6 items and a surprise item that will be wrapped for the recipient to open. Scroll to take a look at some of the offerings this year!

THE WILD DARK gift box is for that outdoorsy coffee-lover in your life who may or may not have a penchant for dark fiction. Included in this box are: a signed copy of THE WILD DARK in paperback, a local whole bean bag of coffee, a mug, chocolate-covered cherries in liqueur, stickers, a bookmark, Sno-Seal waterproofing and a mystery item (Emergency Blanket may not be the item everyone gets…). Only ten in stock. Hop over here to make your purchase today!

November Hath Come! Gift Boxes, NaNoWriMo & More!

Hello, my wonderful subscribers!

First of all, I’d love to thank each and every one of you who has purchased a copy of THE WILD DARK. You have instilled such a feeling of triumph in me, that I can’t express with enough love and gratitude as I’d wish. I could seriously hug each and every one of you (or shake your hand if you’re not the hugging type). If you’ve read and reviewed or rated, thank you doubly. Reviews are the lifeblood for an indie author to get their book out into the world and get noticed. Each and every review or rating that comes in, no matter how you felt about the book, is welcomed.

We have some awesome stuff in this month’s newsletter, including the opportunity to purchase a holiday 2021 book gift box early before sales officially open up, news about my books, NaNoWriMo, future releases, and more! Scroll on!

THE WILD DARK – Out Now!

Hello, my wonderful subscribers! The day we’ve been waiting months for has finally arrived! Yesterday, THE WILD DARK was let loose upon the world and is available for purchase in either paperback or e-book. You’ll find some links below as well as some other highlights from the last month.

Release day is a really important day for us indie authors. It’s the day where the book gets established in its best-seller ranking, namely on platforms like Amazon. I know there are people out there who decidedly do not like Amazon and don’t wish to support it. There are plenty of wonderful brick and mortar bookstores who you can order from (check out Indiebound).

For those of you who don’t mind shopping at Amazon, please pick it up as close to release day as you can! The more sales that come through on or near release day, the more opportunities other readers will have to see the book and want to purchase it. The higher up it goes on the best-seller list, the better visibility it gets.

I’ve done most of the work on this book all on my own (cover design and out-reach marketing included) and can say that, as someone who does this because it’s my passion, I am overwhelmingly grateful to everyone who has bought, shared, and reviewed the book so far. Thank you for taking a chance on my book and me. You have my deepest thanks and kindest regards.

Website (Order an autographed copy)

Amazon Kindle

Amazon Paperback

B&N

Bull Moose

We got the grand-dame of reviews with our first official Kirkus Review. Among the lovely things they had to say about THE WILD DARK was “Silva’s prose writhes with angst and urgency…” which has me pretty tickled. If you’re curious about the rest of the review, you can find it here.

I did my first show in over a year at Bangor Comic and Toy Con last week where I sold an incredible number of early editions of THE WILD DARK, met some lovely people (including several of you guys!) and picked up some pretty sweet books to read in return. Thanks to everyone who made it such an incredible weekend and stay tuned for next year’s BCTC! (I’ll definitely be there!) Here are a few photos of the set up and the weekend.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON? We’ve got some events lined up for October and November and I’m super excited to get deeper into them. For more information about each one, please refer to the EVENTS section of the website. Author Reading/Book-Signing with Vose Library in Union, ME – October 20th Halloween Reading with Kevin St. Jarre, Meg North, and E.J. Fechenda at Maine Sport Outfitters – October 23rd NEHW in Salem – October 29th and 30th Freaks & Artists’ Guild Presents LIVING ROOM @ Mr. Kim’s in Portsmouth, NH – November 9th Author Reading/Book-Signing with Toadstool Bookshop in Keene, NH – November 14th

That’s everything for today. If you’ve ordered a copy of THE WILD DARK, I’d love for you to take a seasonally appropriate photo with it and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter! And while you’re at it, if you’re not already following me, please do that, too!

Thank you all for being so supportive and awesome! Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter.

~KSilva

The Wild Dark Gear List

What gear would you want to get through the apocalypse? Today, I’m sharing with you a few of the things that my characters in my upcoming book use to get by. THE WILD DARK releases for pre-order today and I figured what better way to celebrate than share some exclusive details not only from this book but…the next one!

June Happiness (And New Newsletter!)

Welcome, welcome! First off, I’d like to thank all of my long time subscribers here on WordPress. You guys have been through all the iterations of this blog from The Monstrum Chronicles, to Writers’ Abditory, and finally to The Kat At Night. It’s taken some time to finally find a steady pace and rebrand into a place where I feel most comfortable.

That being said, I’m expanding my blog into a new monthly newsletter in anticipation of the fall release of “The Wild Dark”. Said newsletter is being provided through my website and SquareSpace. While I’m going to try and duplicate announcements in both places as best I can, I’d really like to make the newsletter my exclusive place to readers to find upcoming content related to “The Wild Dark” as well as info about upcoming giveaways, pre-order happiness, and sneak peeks.

For those of you who don’t know about “The Wild Dark”, I’ll post the cover below along with a brief synopsis:

Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Raleigh has lost everything in the last few months: her job as a police detective, her partner, her fiancé, and her peace of mind. After a month of solitude at a cabin in the woods, she finally feels as though she’s ready to move on.

But in one terrifying night, everything changes. An unearthly forest realm has begun to creep over the world, swallowing up every sign of human civilization. The woods are fraught with disturbing architecture and monstrous wolves hungry for human souls. In addition, ghosts of loved ones have appeared to select people including Liz’s partner, Brody, who doesn’t remember how he died.

As winter closes in and chaos erupts across New England, Liz fights desolation, resurfacing guilt, and absolute terror as she tries to survive one of the North East’s most brutal winters.

Anyone here fans of survivalism? Winter camping? Apocalypses? Spooky woods? Murder wolves? A strong female protagonist? “The Wild Dark” might be for you! The button below will take you to the website where you’ll have the option to subscribe. (Scroll to the bottom of the main page to find the entry form!) I’ll probably be more diligent with promoting the book there than here. I’d like The Kat at Night to include my writing escapades, but to also be its own entity as well. There will be exclusive content in both places.

Subsribe to the Newsletter!

Again, thanks to all of you who keep me going. You’re amazing!

~KSilva

What’s up, June?

Due to an issue with my previous theme on the blog, I’ve had to revamp everything about it, including the name. We are now The Kat at Night Blog, where we’ll be discussing dark fiction and, really, lots of dark things. I’m hoping to begin book reviews on dark fiction very soon. I’ve been ordering books up the wazoo to fill time during COVID-19 and I have a TON to read! It’s been a while since I’ve been so excited about reading.