The Most Spicy Time of the Year

Ah, October; the spookiest and most spice-filled month of the year and always one of my favourites. Growing up in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, every fall my mom and dad would take me across the Ottawa River to the Gatineau Provincial Park in ‘La Belle Provence’, AKA, Quebec. We would stroll through the trails, the trees all around us resplendent in their marvellous coats of kaleidoscopic colour. Truly gorgeous, to be sure, but the reason I remember them so well was the fallen leaves, so deep they were like snowdrifts, remnants of a summer that was now only a fading memory. Leaves which I, Katie the Kid, delighted in plowing through and scattering all around me in a colourful spray. Not that we didn’t have leaves in Ontario, but the colour change in the Laurentian Mountains was magnificent, and I am sure it still is, though I haven’t seen them in decades. Where I live now in BC’s West Kootenays is gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but there is no seasonal colour change (well, a little). But there are so many fir, pine and spruce trees (which are coniferous and maintain their green colour all year long) that fall isn’t quite the same out west.

I’ve been working hard each day over the past month, still immersed in the production of Book 3 of CLAW Emergence, Return to Darkness. It is going very well, and I believe everyone who has read the first two books will enjoy this action-packed and gripping conclusion to the series. Just a quick aside about hard-working writers, the Hollywood writer’s strike is now over! After 148 days on strike, they have finally signed a new contract that will take them through the next three years. The good news for you and I is that this means CLAW: The Movie is back on the table and hopefully getting pitched to either Steven Spielberg, James Gunn or Greta Gerwig (or another top-tier director who would do it justice).

Regarding CLAW Emergence, there are references and clues scattered across the entire series that set up other events in the ‘Katie Berry Universe’, if I might be so bold as to call it that. So some of the things that were only referred to in the CLAW and ABANDONED stories will now have new meaning once you have read the trilogy. And I know there are some readers who are not as interested in this prequel series, which is fine. But I have to tell you, if you haven’t been reading Emergence, you are missing out on so much of the broader story that interconnects the universe. When the next present-day CLAW novel, CLAW Resurrection, is released in spring 2024, those of you who have read Emergence in addition to CLAW and Resurgence will be well prepared for the monsters and mayhem that are to come (along with a whole lot of surprises, of course).

This does bring me to one small point, and that is, as I always mention, writing is not an exact art, and some projects take a little longer to come together than others. This is the case with CLAW Emergence Book 3: Return to Darkness. I realise I mentioned a possible Halloween release (or so I was hoping), but that has slipped somewhat, and I am now aiming for the end of November. I do so apologise to those of you who already placed an X on your calendar, but I believe the wait will be worth it and I thank you so very much for your patience! Just a quick mention, I will be releasing a cover reveal of Book 3 at some point in October, so that is something to look forward to. But just to satisfy your curiosity, there’s a snippet of the new cover at the top of this paragraph, just to keep you wondering what the rest might look like.

Before I forget, I should mention that CLAW Emergence Book 2: Into Daylight’s audiobook is being released on October 10th on ALL major audiobook platforms. And that is an X you can place on your calendar with confidence.

And now, onto our winners this month! As a thank you for your patience regarding Book 3, I am drawing THREE EXTRA WINNERS this month who will receive an audiobook copy of CLAW Emergence Book 1: From the Shadows. So five winners this month in total! And without further ado, the winner of an audiobook of their choice is reganmacaulay@XXXXXX.com. The winner of the autographed novel of their choice delivered absolutely free to their door is beezer12@XXXXXX.net. And the three winners of CLAW Emergence Book 1: From the Shadows are, in no particular order, harleybardwelldd@XXXXXX.co.uk, patdailey366@XXXXXX.com and jacobcastelhano@XXXXXX.com. Congratulations to you all!

Okay, that’s it for this month. I hope you all have a Happy Halloween and that the Great Pumpkin visits your local patch and brings you plenty of toys, candy and things that go bump in the night

Good health and great reads,

-Katie Berry

P.S. – Like I do every month, I’d like to remind everyone to put my email address, katie@katieberry.ca, on your ‘Safe’ email list to ensure you get notified of a winning prize. Over the last little while, I have had a couple of people who have never responded to their prize-winning notifications. So, if you don’t add me to your list or aren’t sure how, perhaps you should check your trash folder at the beginning of each month to see if you won one of the draws!

And if you’re not a subscriber, for your monthly chances to win, and some great, free short stories, go here: https://katieberry.ca/become-a-katie-berry-books-insider-and-win/