Apparently August is for Catching Up

At least this year, for me, because it's one of the few recent summers when we haven't been traveling through most of the months off school. This means I'm getting to the back pages of the site and updating some things. There are still things in need of updates, but we're getting there.

AND in the meantime, there are books.

RELEASES

First up, GOLDEN FLOWER REEDS is out in the world now! Be sure to check it out.

GOLDEN FLOWER REEDS
An Abrahm Reed Story

OUT EVERYWHERE

The equinox marks a balance of light and dark…and the return of the elves.

Abrahm Reed hates the equinoxes with the power of a thousand suns. Not just because each equinox marks the period when day and night balance and the gateway between elfland and the human realm opens. Not just because the beautifully deadly elves should never be allowed around humans. But because every equinox, his father demands his presence.

As a half elf, half human, Abrahm moves between both worlds without restriction. Yet the alien elf realm has always rubbed him wrong. He feels more human and more comfortable in the mundane world. One of the many reasons his elf father hates him.

But something feels different this equinox. Off. Wrong. More wrong than usual.

Stepping through the portal into elfland cuts Abrahm off from everything safe, everything he knows back in Boston. Trapping him in a land of magic and death. Where even the most beautiful flowers prove treacherous. And survival is never guaranteed.

Enter Kat Simons’ richly disorienting and mysterious urban fantasy where the portal between realms marks a line between the safe, mundane human world and the deadly beauty of elfland. Where not even the son of an elf lord is safe.

~

As a reminder, this is part of a larger project, UNCOLLECTED ANTHOLOGY: EQUINOX, and you can get all the stories from that uncollected anthology, collected into a single edition! So if you want them all, that's the best way to go.

~~

Also this month, out on the 18th and up for preorder now, STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME THREE!

If you've missed any of the Cafe stories from the first half of 2026 and want to catch up, this is the way to do it. Also for my print readers, this is your chance to get this book. It's out in eBook, Trade paperback, Large Print paperback, and hardback editions!

STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME THREE

A Cafe Collection

AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE

OUT AUGUST 18th

Meanwhile, back at the café…

From the eclectic pen of acclaimed author Kat Simons comes another immersive collection of stories from the Café.

Where regulars sip richly roasted coffees and delectable teas. Newcomers find a cozy nook to nibble their buttery croissants and gooey chocolate chip cookies. And the witch owner and her cat familiar keep the whole thing running smoothly.

Well, smoothly-ish.

Time travelers, mysterious goddesses, vampires, wizards, and occasionally just mundane people meeting someone new. The café brims with mystery, magic, and romance. Held together by the carefully crafted spells of Nina and Boo. A space for every soul.

Don’t miss this latest collection of Stories from the Café!

~~

Don't forget there's also an Abrahm story at the Cafe until the 15th! So be sure to check that out. And if you missed it, don't worry it'll be in the next collection. Also the second Cafe story this month, out on the 15th is a Nina and Boo story, so don't miss that one either!

~~~

NEWS AND UPDATES

Looking ahead to September, I'll have some individual releases from the last Haunts and Howls collection, if you'd just like those as standalone eBooks. This will include the Destiny Cats novella from that collection. If you are a fan of the Destiny Cats, that's a good way to collect the individual stories!

I'll also have the cover for the next Haunts and Howls coming in October, HAUNTS AND HOWLS THROUGH GHOSTLY VEILS! The ghostly theme lent itself to some very fun stories. I'm a little creeped out by ghosts (not unlike Cary Redmond) so writing about ghosts has been both fun and creepy. More on that next month!

Along with the newest Haunts and Howls collection, of course, I'm hoping to have some other fun stuff for October and spooky season, so be sure to check back!

So until next month, Happy Reading!

Solidly into 2026

And all I can say is, at least we have books. At least we have books. (I'm in the US and things here are weird and not good. I feel like where I stand on things is obvious in my fiction, but in case it isn't, I'm anti-authoritarian, can't stand the current administration here, and believe in science. Also, PROTECT THE DOLLS. Spend your money wisely.)

Anyway, let's talk about books and take a little respite. This month is all about The Café at KatSimonsBooks. The Café stories continue. Those are free to read for two weeks, so for anyone who's feeling the pinch of higher costs this year, you can read and enjoy each Café story. Be sure to check back in on those on the 1st and 15th of the month, so you don't miss anything you want to read. The Café is a nice place to escape to for an hour or two.

Currently, the resident familiar, Nina's Maine Coon Boo, has a story from his perspective up. A day in the life of Boo. Don't miss it!

Boo at the Café is free to read until February 1st!

~~~

In addition to the free stories, all of the different 2025 stories have been put into two collections now! And STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME TWO is out everywhere today.

This collection has all the Café stories from July through December 2025. If you missed anything in the last six months or just want to have the stories for yourself so you can enjoy them whenever you like, pick up this collection. It's available at KatSimonsBooks as well as everywhere in eBook, Trade paperback, Large Print paperback, and Hardcover editions, to suit your reading needs.

Just a little heads up, if the print editions haven't populated out to your favorite vendors yet, they will be there soon!

STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME TWO

A Cafe Collection

Out Everywhere Now

Welcome back to the Café…

Return to the cozy, mysterious, and magical world of the Café at KatSimonsBooks, where anything can happen. And often does!

Heart-thumping romance. Dangerous mysteries. Otherworldly creatures. Magic and mayhem. Where ordinary humans sip coffee alongside paranormal creatures. Gods hang out reading paperbacks and meddling where they please. The rich scent of coffee blends with the yummy smells of fresh pastries and brand new books.

And at the center of it all, the witch proprietress Nina and her familiar Boo keep everything running smoothly. At least, as smoothly as a magical café can run.

Enter the Café and settle in for a while. Meet old friends and new. And maybe, just maybe, witness a bit of magic. Don’t miss this latest collection of Stories from The Café at KatSimonsBook!

~~~

And of course, if you've missed any of the stories from the first half of 2025 and would like your own personal copy of those, STORIES FROM THE CAFE: VOLUME ONE is also available everywhere in eBook, Trade, Large Print, and Hardback editions.

~~~

As a little look ahead to next month, February is supposed to be Romance month. And as long time readers will know, I'm not crazy about Valentine's Day as a holiday. BUT I do have the next Dragon Thief story coming out! Which is exciting and a little overdue. And also qualifies as a romance so I'm not shunning the holiday all together! 

Myra and Christopher have to deal with the revelations from THE GOLDEN CHALICE JOB, and that's really fun. And of course, they have things to steal and damsels in distress to rescue. If you're a bit behind on the series, now's the time to catch up!

Meanwhile, over at the Café, I'll have one of my angry FMCs making an appearance to meet another very angry FMC in the first story of the month. I love angry women characters. They're so cathartic. *grin* Be sure to swing by on the 1st of February so you don't miss them!

And if you're feeling the need for a little angry women doing stuff right now, check out ANGER MANAGEMENT.

Be sure to check back next month for details about the next Dragon Thief book, and more about the goings on at the Café (though be sure to hop over there on the 1st of February if you don't want to wait for reminders!) And I should also have some news about my next Kickstarter by then. Because I have a new Cary Redmond novel coming soon! That needs to be celebrated. The world needs more Protectors.

Until February, I hope the world is treating you kindly, or at least as well as can be expected, and I hope you find respite and joy where you can. And as always, I hope you find some really good reading for the month!

~Kat

Happy 2025!

Happy New Year! I hope the start of this new year is treating you kindly. I know it is not for some people (thinking about the massive wildfires in California as I write this), and my heart goes out to you. I hope you get support and healing, and the rest of the year is kinder.

For my part, January is its usual crazy start to the new year, but it's mostly good stuff, so I will take that!

This month, I have a new Joan of Kerry story out! And a short story from the last Haunts and Howls collection has released as a standalone story. The third Stories from the Café story is up at The Café now as well!

~~~

JOAN AND THE GOBLINS is available now at my store and will be available at other vendors on March 18th. The preorder for wide purchases is up now, or you can pick the book up at KatSimonsBooks.com now, if you're the impatient type.

Also, for my print readers, I have enough Joan or Kerry stories now to put together a nice print collection, so look for that later in 2025.

JOAN AND THE GOBLINS

A Joan of Kerry Story

Buy Direct | AVAILABLE NOW
All other eBook vendors | PREORDER. OUT March 18th

Bogs, goblins, and a monster more ancient than a dragon…

Joan and her dragon companion Rory find themselves on the hunt. For goblins. A group of annoying goblins who have stolen something they shouldn’t have touched. Something that could raise a monster so deadly and so ancient, even Rory doesn’t have a name for the creature.

Goblins without a king are goblins causing trouble. Goblins trying to be the king cause chaos that could get the entire island of Ireland destroyed. Joan and Rory must stop the would-be king and his companions before it’s too late. Before the deadly monster comes looking for its stolen treasure.

Because even a hero, her dragon, and her legendary sword might not be enough to stop this ancient threat.

~~

Also new this month is the standalone eBook of Black Water Hawthorns, a creepy, weird fairy story from the 2024 Haunts and Howls collection HAUNTS AND HOWLS AND FAIRY DALES. If you're a print reader, I recommend picking up the collection, but if you'd just like one or two of the individual eBook stories from the collection, those are rolling out this year.

Black Water Hawthorns is available wherever eBooks are sold!

BLACK WATER HAWTHORNS

Buy Direct 

All Other eBook Vendors 

Beware the darkest waters, for monsters lurk in their depths…

Ph.D. student Deirdre’s late nights of study have left her exhausted and punch drunk. But she’s so close to the end, so close to finishing her thesis she can taste it. Even the stories of missing people around the Dublin campus can’t deter her. Especially when those tales all have logical explanations. The nervous, jumpy energy on campus worries her a little. But she’s got too much to do to think about the mysteries.

Until a strange dizzy spell bends her world. When she recovers, everything still mostly looks like her college campus in Dublin Ireland. But everything has shifted a bit sideways. Everything looks a little strange. Threatening. And when the red-eyed creature out of myth and legend appears, Deirdre knows she’s either lost it…

Or she is no longer in the ordinary world.

Following a strange creature into a strange realm never ends well for hapless humans. Yet Deirdre finds herself doing just that. Hoping she can find her way home. Before the black water monster lurking among the hawthorns catches her. And traps her forever.

~~

Finally, be sure to check in at THE CAFE at KatSimonsBooks for the latest free reads! From the 15th, Agnes at the Café is available. And a new story will post on February 1st.

For those who'd like to catch up, I've decided (thanks to a recommendation by some fellow publishers) to make the individual stories available for sale from KatSimonsBooks. The full collection of short Café stories will still come out every six months with the previous six months worth of stories. And that collected edition will be available in eBook and Print editions. But if you've missed a story and don't want to wait, or prefer reading on a device of your choice rather than off the blog, or just like a particular story and want your own copy, you can purchase individual eBooks of the stories once they go live in The Café. 

~~~

Next month, be sure to look out for another standalone eBook from last year's Haunts and Howls collection, as well as a new Dragon Thief story! AND news on the upcoming Dragon Thief Kickstarter!

More on all that in February.

Until then, Happy Reading!

Almost the New Year!

Hope you picked up as many free books as you could for the Stuff Your eReader event!

I'll be back in January with a full update on news and releases, but this is just a little reminder that, until January 1st, you can still read BOO AND THE WITCH AT THE CAFE for free at KatSimonsBooks!

On January 1st, I'll have the next story up, but BOO AND THE WITCH will disappear. So be sure to catch that opening story at The Cafe now! 

Visit https://www.TheCafeatKatSimonsBooks.com every 1st and 15th of the month for a new story.

Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!!