Kate the (Almost) Great

Chronic illness blog

Writing

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Writing

I am a contributor for The Blog Guide. You can find my posts here.

I am a contributor for The Huffington Post. You can find my posts here.

I wrote a piece for Sweatpants & Coffee about rheumatoid arthritis.

I wrote a series of posts about self publishing, which is titled Self-Publishing Sunday.

 

I currently have one novel out, Aureole. I am working on my second novel.

 

aureole by kate mitchell

 

Aureole by Kate Mitchell
Available in e-book, as well as in print.
When Jessica Carleton, a shy eleven year old from a poor family in Brooklyn who had their fair share of trouble, goes to live with the wealthy Bishop family on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, she quickly learns that just because you have money does not mean you’re happy. As the years pass, she grows to love the family, and although they never officially consider her to be a member of it, she becomes an important part all the same.
Everything goes well until the Christensons arrive a little over ten years later. A devious, clever, and good-looking brother and sister from Connecticut, individually they stir up trouble, but together they wreak havoc. Soon enough Jess realizes that unless she stands up for herself for the first time in her life, she will lose all that she has come to treasure. She has to make a choice: either lose the family that never really accepted her and try to start over one more time, or take a stand for what she believes in. For the quiet, unassuming young woman, this is no easy decision.

A different kind of coming of age story for anyone who has ever been unsure of themselves, this novel watches over the Bishop family in Manhattan and all of their endeavors. It follows Jess as she makes mistakes, does her best to correct them, and maybe, just maybe, works her way into the hearts of the Bishop family for good using her heart, her mind, and without using money at all.

I wrote a post featuring 10 reasons to buy it. Read that here!


To Buy:

 Kindle – $2.99

Amazon paperback – $9.99
Note that prices for paperback might be different at the actual link, as it depends on seller and can change daily. This is generally what the price is, though.

Check out the book trailer below. 

 

Reviews:

From Madeline Meyers on Amazon –
I read this book as a Kindle freebie, and thought the plotline was interesting. Midway through the book I was comparing the characters and story to something from Dickens or Jane Austen–poor “orphan” trying to fit into “proper” society, etc. Although the heroine at times seemed too good, too patient, I could suspend disbelief because her personality did move much of the action and reactions of the other characters, and provided internal conflicts. For the genre, the book and its characters were engaging and the ending was tidy and satisfying a la Dickens and Austen. Then at the end of the book I read the author’s comment that Austen’s Mansfield Park was one of her inspirations.
Even more impressive is the fact that this was written by a very young author, and I hope she will continue writing more in this genre, and live up to the promise she has shown in this novel.

From MrsWASP on Amazon –
Kate Mitchell has shown Austen like promise with this modern day tale of an orphan looking to find her place among the throes of the wealthy family who foster her, yet merely give her the time of day.

Aureole manages to be reader friendly while still thrusting us into a thought provoking coming of age tale.

From asearchformeaning on Amazon –
While many novels deal with the figure of an orphan/abandoned child who has trouble fitting in with his/her new family, this novel provides a much deeper look into the protagonist’s interpersonal relationships with each member of her adoptive family. Character development was well-done, and I began to care about Jess and her fate as I read more of her story (which doesn’t always happen with fictional characters!). I would have liked some parts to be fleshed out in more detail (the period between Jess’s 11th year and her college years felt a little rushed, for example), but otherwise, it was a good read!