AT LAST, THE SERIES IS COMPLETE

Torch Rock Teaser - Copy

I sit before my computer in a confusing state of satisfaction and sadness. The earliest files in my hard drive for Reflection Pond date back to early 2012, though I think the actual writing started in 2011. There are dozens and dozens of files, if not hundreds. In the grand scheme of writing, four or five years for three books is not a long time, I realize that, but those years defined who I am as a writer. I began the series scared, uncertain of my own capabilities, and I’ve emerged from the other side more confident, more sure of myself and the risks I’m willing to take in my stories.

Today is the release day for Torch Rock, Book 3 in the Reflection Pond Series, the final installment of Callie and Rowan’s story. Much like me, the characters have gone on a journey to find their strength, to heal, and I’m deeply satisfied with this ending. I hope you, my readers, find it just as enjoyable as I do. I’ve already been asked if I’ll ever return to Callie and Rowan’s world, to expand on the secondary characters in the story, to follow the seeds of possibility I left strewn throughout the final novel. The truth is, I don’t know. I do have some bonus content, deleted scenes and such that may become available at some point. But right now, the end is justified, and I like the idea of readers creating their own possible futures for Rowan and Callie. The characters we love live on inside of us, and I hope some parts of Callie and Rowan live on in each of you.

To celebrate the release, I’ve made Reflection Pond free for today! On May 7th, the series will tour with Brook Cottage Books. You can still sign up for the promo day HERE.

I want to thank everyone who has stood beside me as I completed these books, especially those who encouraged me and listened to my issues (over and over again for weeks, months, and years). You know who you are. Thank you to the bloggers, reviewers, and every fan who has contacted me. Your support and enthusiasm always puts a smile on my face. Huge thank yous to my early readers, ARC reviewers, and everyone who has been cheering on Callie from the beginning. A big thanks to my designer Julia at Bioblossom Creative, who always, always exceeds my expectations with her beautiful covers. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The entire series is available on Amazon. If you want some music to read to, check out the playlists I’ve created for Reflection Pond and Torch Rock. And when you’re done reading, please leave a review, even if it’s just an I liked it!

Reflection Pond

Amazon Goodreads Playlist

Poison Tree

Amazon Goodreads

Torch Rock

Amazon Goodreads Playlist

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STEPPING STONES COVER REVEAL

Stepping Stones - FinalI’m so excited to reveal the cover of Stepping Stones, created by the wonderful Julia at Bioblossom Creative.

Stepping Stones (The Stone Series, Book 1)

Available August 25, 2015

Onnaleigh Moore is part of a plan—and it isn’t hers. When her brother dies in a car accident, Onna is desperate to preserve the tatters of her family. Any hope of finding normalcy vanishes when her mother runs off and her dad turns to booze to numb his pain. Onna’s grief is crippling, but the boy who showed up just when she needed him is helping her cope.

Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she doesn’t say aloud. She pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen, Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of the plan, and some fates are worse than death.  

Add it on Goodreads.

I have so many exciting things planned for this series. I can’t wait to share Onna and Everett’s story with you. What do you think of the new cover and blurb? Leave me a comment below!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY, POISON TREE!

poison-tree-ebook

Book 2 in the Reflection Pond series is finally here! I’m so excited to share the continuation of Callie and Rowan’s story. You can see early reviews of the book at Seeing Double in Neverland and Paradise of Pages. Leave some comments and thank these ladies for being awesome bloggers!

To celebrate, Reflection Pond (Book 1) is on sale for $0.99 this week only!

Be sure to add Torch Rock (Reflection Pond, Book 3) on Goodreads!

Poison Tree (Reflection Pond, Book 2)

by Kacey Vanderkarr

Available Dec. 2, 2014 from Urban Fey Press

Amazon

Goodreads

The road to the City of War is dangerous.

With their home in ruins, Callie and Rowan are Eirensae’s last hope of stealing the cauldron back from Fraeburdh. They must travel into the human world where the Fallen hide. The banished fae wait for Callie, desperate to sacrifice her before she comes of age.

If Callie and Rowan survive the journey, something worse looms in Fraeburdh. Rowan is destined for a dark family legacy too horrifying to accept, and his father is anxious to welcome him home. Once the truth is revealed, will Callie ever look at Rowan the same way?

Trapped between feuding cities lost in a centuries-old war, Callie and Rowan will face their biggest rivals yet, and neither of them will make it out unscathed.

COVER REVEAL: POISON TREE (REFLECTION POND, BOOK 2)

poison-tree-ebookObviously, I’m super excited to reveal this cover. It’s so beautiful that I can’t stop looking at it. This book has been a long, hard road, and I can’t wait to share it with all of you in December! The full print cover is below, this is EXCLUSIVE to my blog, just because I love you!

Poison Tree

Available December 2, 2014 from Urban Fey Press

Cover Design by Julia Gollbach (Gorgon) – Bioblossom Creative

Goodreads

Preorder kindle edition

Buy Reflection Pond (Book 1)

The road to the City of War is dangerous.

With their home in ruins, Callie and Rowan are Eirensae’s last hope of stealing the cauldron back from Fraeburdh. They must travel into the human world where the Fallen hide. The banished fae wait for Callie, desperate to sacrifice her before she comes of age.

If Callie and Rowan survive the journey, something worse looms in Fraeburdh. Rowan is destined for a dark family legacy too horrifying to accept, and his father is anxious to welcome him home. Once the truth is revealed, will Callie ever look at Rowan the same way?

Trapped between feuding cities lost in a centuries-old war, Callie and Rowan will face their biggest rivals yet, and neither of them will make it out unscathed.

Poison Tree Print Cover

REFLECTION POND BUZZ

Reflection-Pond-ebook-1-VanReflection Pond

Ebook $2.99 (Kindle, Nook, Kobo)

Paperback $9.99 (Amazon)

Reflection Pond has been out for a little over 2 months now, and I have been crazy busy with promotions and advertising and trying to get Reflection Pond where it belongs, in the hands of readers. The response has been encouragingly positive and I’m so grateful to my readers who have taken the time to write a review – good or bad, authors NEED feedback on their work. How will we ever improve if no one tells us what we’re doing right and wrong?

Yesterday I visited a local bookstore, The Book Shelf in Lapeer, Michigan. Antithesis, Reflection Pond, and Sucker Literary Volume 3 are on their shelves. I’m still amazed at how helpful people can be, even when they get very little out of it in return. It’s one thing that baffles me about the writing world, how helpful, how encouraging authors and other literary peeps can be. I can only hope that in the ever changing publishing world, with its monopolies and divisions and fights for rights, that the people involved can remain true to what’s really important – feeding readers great books, of course.

Behind the scenes, I’ve been hard at work on the sequel to Reflection Pond, Poison Tree (which you can add on Goodreads). I’m about halfway finished with the first draft. It’s starts and stops at this point. Sometimes I feel like a brilliant author, and other times, I’m just a girl hidden in the dark with her laptop. I think we all have those moments – famous, infamous, anonymous. Still, I press on, wanting so badly to bring my words to life.

The main point behind this post is to share some of the incredible reviews Reflection Pond has gotten. I’m grateful, I know I’ve said that before, but I’m also humbled. No matter how many things I create, there’s always a giddy sense of terror waiting for reviews, and when people relate to what I write, find humor, joy, any emotion really, it’s the best feeling. I’ll quit my babbling and get to the goods.

The Reviews- Click the name to read the full review.

Vanderkarr writes with power. Her narrative sucks you in, and doesn’t let you go. Connie J Jasperson, Best in Fantasy

Kacey Vanderkarr may be a young author but has proved herself to be extremely accomplished and I hope to read all her past and future work. If the sequel -‘Poison Tree’- is half as good as this then we are in for a real treat! I would recommend this book to anyone and give it a thoroughly deserved 5/5! Sophie David

“The romance was only a small part in the book, but it was definitely strong. I loved the chemistry between Callie and Rowan. It really came alive and I could just feel the sexual tension between the two. Their witty banter was cute and made the relationship seem more real. And Rowan wasn’t this perfect bad boy. He had his own fears and problems, his own complex past. He certainly wasn’t perfect, but neither was Callie.” -Nikki Austin

“Reflection Pond was wonderfully written with Kacey Vanderkarr detailing a very riveting world with sensational characters. Racing towards an exciting ending that opens up a brand new chapter to the story; I’m beyond excitedly looking forward to the next book to continue Callie and Rowen’s journey!”-Rachel, The Rest is Still UnWritten

“I was pulled in from the very beginning and was glued to my kindle throughout the entire book. As I got closer the end of the book I realized that I didn’t want it to end.” -Shannan Lee Williams

There are lots of reviews on Goodreads and Amazon if you want to read more. This is just a small selection.

So, thanks readers, for being so great and for taking the time to read my words and reviewing them. It means so much to me.

Later this week, as a thanks, I will post an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Poison Tree, which I hope to publish December 2, 2014. Not much longer to wait, friends!

All the best,

Kacey

 

 

 

 

THE REFLECTION POND SOUNDTRACK

This post originally appeared on Zili in the Sky Book Blog as part of the book tour. Because I’m music obsessed, I wanted to make sure it made it to all of you who’ve read Reflection Pond. If you haven’t gotten your copy, you can get it in paperback, for Kindle, for Nook, and for Kobo. Also, check out the reviews on Goodreads. I couldn’t be happier with the response from readers and fans. You guys are so good to me!

Reflection-Pond-ebook-1-VanThe Reflection Pond Soundtrack

I like to consider myself a bit of a music aficionado. I listen to everything. Rock, punk, pop, alternative, classical, metal. You name it, it’s on my playlist. I’m a Spotify snob. It’s probably the best thing to happen to me since being born. Okay, maybe second best, but who’s counting?

I’ve found that my writing really gets into a groove when I have a perfect soundtrack to complement it. When I’m working on a particularly intense scene, be it a fight, a romantic development, or something insanely emotional, I gotta have the right song playing to put me in the state of mind to get it done.

As such, I have quite the playlist for each of my books, and today, I’m sharing the Reflection Pond Soundtrack. I hope you’ll find it brings the story to life (or at least find it entertaining!). I’d love to hear some speculation about which song goes with which scene—I thought it’d be too spoilery to post my insider opinions. (Remember, all the lyrics are copyrighted and belong to their respective artists. I’m nowhere near brilliant enough to write music. I’ll stick with books!)

Since Reflection Pond went through multiple rewrites to get to the final published version, I actually have multiple playlists on several devices for this book. (Can you say obsession?) Since I’m only spotlighting these fifteen songs, I’m including the entire list, in all its glory, at the end.

Enjoy!

  1. Skinny Love by Birdy

“Who will love you?

Who will fight?

Who will fall far behind?”

  1. Wild by Royal Teeth

“Help me see everything we used to be
We won’t forget
The lives we lived, the loves we chased
We lost the things we can’t replace”

  1. Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons

“When the hour is night
And hopelessness is sinking in
And the wolves all cry
To fill the night with hollering
When your eyes are red
And emptiness is all you know
With the darkness fed
I will be your scarecrow”

  1. Promise by Ben Howard

“Who am I, darling for you?
Who am I?
Gonna be a burden in time, lonely
Who am I, to you?”

  1. This by Ed Sheeran

“Take me home

Watch me fall

Down to earth
Take me back for

This is the start of something beautiful
You are the start of something new”

  1. Walls by The Rocket Summer

    “The story of my life I can’t quite comprehend.
Don’t tell me if you know how it ends.
When everywhere you go feels like a mirror maze,
And you’re not sure how you’re stuck in this place…”

  1. Home by Gabrielle Aplin

“So when I’m ready to be bolder,
And my cuts have healed with time
Comfort will rest on my shoulder
And I’ll bury my future behind
I’ll always keep you with me
You’ll be always on my mind
But there’s a shining in the shadows
I’ll never know unless I try”

  1. Distance by Christina Perri featuring Jason Mraz

*This is Callie and Rowan’s Theme Song. Can we say complicated?

“Please don’t stand so close to me
I’m having trouble breathing
I’m afraid of what you’ll see right now
I give you everything I am
All my broken heart beats
Until I know you’ll understand

And I will make sure to keep my distance
Say, “I love you,” when you’re not listening
And how long can we keep this up, up, up?”

  1. I Need to Know by Kris Allen

“Feel like I’m trying to breathe under water
Trying to climb but I keep falling farther
Will you take my hand?”

  1. Belong by Cary Brothers

“The moon is the only friend I have outside
One more drink and I’ll be healed
I told you the words and then knew it was a lie
I wish I could offer an appeal

You’re wrong
I don’t belong”

  1. Believe by SafetySuit

“Even when you can’t find a light there
Even when you just cry in your bed
Hold on, you’re almost there
Hold on, you’re almost there
Even when you get lost and you’re scared
When you wanna give up I don’t care
Hold on, you’re almost there
Hold on, you’re almost there”

  1. Sinister Kid by The Black Keys

“I got a tortured mind
And my blade is sharp
A bad combination
In the dark”

  1. The Adventure by Angels and Airwaves

“I wanna have the same last dream again,
The one where I wake up and I’m alive.
Just as the four walls close me within,
My eyes are opened up with pure sunlight.
I’m the first to know,
My dearest friends,
Even if your hope has burned with time,
Anything that’s dead shall be re-grown,
And
your vicious pain, your warning sign,
You will be fine.”

  1. Cactus in the Valley (Acoustic) by LIGHTS

“I never meant to wither
I wanted to be tall
Like a fool left the river
And watched my branches fall
Old and thirsty, I longed for the flood
To come back around
To the cactus in the valley
That’s about to crumble down”

  1. The Shade of Poison Trees by Dashboard Confessional

*This song is foreshadowing for the sequel to Reflection Pond, Poison Tree. (You may notice where I got the inspiration for the title.)

“As we lie
In the shade
Of poison trees

Are we as safe

As we let

Ourselves believe?”

Kacey’s All-Out-Insanely-Long-Playlist for Reflection Pond (Minus the songs above because, see above.)

You Don’t See Me by SafetySuit

Be Still by The Fray

One Grain of Sand by Ron Pope

Near to You by A Fine Frenzy

My Skin by Natalie Merchant

Kiss Me Slowly by Parachute

A Drop in the Ocean by Ron Pope

I Can Lift a Car by WALK THE MOON

Never Stop by SafetySuit

Scene One – James Dean & Audrey Hepburn by Sleeping With Sirens

Human by Civil Twilight

Hold on Till May by Pierce the Veil

I Won’t Lie (Acoustic) by Go Radio

Shelter by Birdy

No Envy No Fear by Joshua Radin

I Saw by Matt Nathanson

Bedroom Hymns by Florence + The Machine

Demons by Imagine Dragons

Slow It Down by The Lumineers

Black Flies by Ben Howard

Under The Same Sun by Ben Howard

For the Broken by Social Siberia *This Swedish band is actually so obscure that I couldn’t find a YouTube video for their song. The link goes to their Facebook page. Check them out!

The Storm by The Airborne Toxic Event

Learn to Dance by Andrew McMahon

More by Tyrone Wells

Whew!

All the best,

Kacey