Verse Novel

My “Small Batch” Book and the Driftless Market

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I am thrilled to announce that my book, When to Hold On, can now be purchased at the lovely local corner store, The Driftless Market and Deli, in Platteville, WI! They offer organic produce, a soup deli, other food items, books, art, jewelry, and more!

My kiddo and I love to stop in there whenever we’re in town or even when we’re passing by Platteville on our way to Galena or Dubuque. It’s such a friendly place and perfect for picking up a wholesome snack for the drive.

If the Driftless Market had existed twenty-five years ago, when I was a student at UW-Platteville, I would’ve loved it–it’s just a short walk from where I lived!

On the store’s website, they write, “Our goal is to provide shoppers with one location to buy all of the products they need while maintaining a focus on environentally friendly and sustainable production and consumption. We are passionate about taking care of our planet and want to serve as a resource for those who feel the same way.”

Well, that’s totally me, and that is why I’m so excited to have my book for sale through the store. One of the reasons I chose to self-publish was so that I could do “small batch” book selling. I did not want thousands of books printed only to have them pulped a few months later if they didn’t sell by a certain target date. I wanted to publish my book in the most environmentally-conscious way I could. That means small batches at a time and selecting independent bookstores and shops that share similar sustainability goals.

Making this book is about celebrating the slower and quieter way of life. It’s about connecting deeper with nature and people. It’s an ode to this beautiful corner of our world, the Driftless Region, a geographical area that was left untouched by glaciers and is known for its rolling hills and cold-water streams, rock outcroppings, bluffs, prairies, and oak savannas.

When to Hold On is a girl-meets-girl story that makes space for quiet people, that looks up close at the beauty in the world, that opens a door to feeling grief in order to heal, that celebrates sustainable living, that’s about family relationships, and explores the power of silence.

Read more about the Driftless Market and Deli here and stop in at 95 W Main Street, Platteville, WI.

Join us on Aug. 2!

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Rose Brookins, with her writing partner Mina Petkova, has written two novels, one romance, The Stand-In, and one coming-of-age story, Portrait of a Stranger.

Alby C. Williams’s debut middle-grade novel, Where There Be Monsters, is a queer normative story featuring a nonbinary character.

I’ll be reading from my verse novel, When to Hold On, a young-adult coming-of-age story that takes place in the Driftless Area.

A Q&A session will be after the readings.

I hope you can join us!

Autumn Reading

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I had the pleasure of meeting a lovely book club in California via Zoom this autumn.

Here’s what they’re saying about When to Hold On:

“A Young Adult novel for everyone…It is a coming of age novel written in poignant free verse. Addressing young love, grief, the power of silence, family relationships and social anxiety, it has universal themes that engaged everyone in our club. Get this book in your high school library, now!”

Lauren Rice, CA

“The best thing about When to Hold On is how much the form conveys. It’s in free verse and the unspoken urgency and tenderness of youth are mirrored so seamlessly, and so much information is revealed in so few words. The feelings are ageless. Timeless. Uplifting. Heartbreaking. This is one beautiful book. Read it and read it again.”

Sandra L. Christenson, CA

Long Shadows, Winter Light

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I’ve been watching
long shadows stretch across snowdrifts.
Letting my eyes rest
on sunlit peaks and contours,
feeling the warmth just by looking,
then skating my eyes
up those lines.

There is a feeling of
seeking, reaching, wondering…
…what next?

And yet,
it is in this moment,
this treasure of a moment
that I feel so grateful
to be in.
To truly see
and be a part of.

I do love winter.
At least,
in the beginning.
Ask me again in February,
or especially March,
and I might give you a different answer.

It is through the changes
in the seasons that I find joy.
And there are always, always
changes.

If I keep my focus
on this single moment,
this single day…
appreciate what this one day has to offer…
whether it be the strange, sudden
darkness that washes over me like a wave
in November,
or the shocking sunlight
on rare December mornings
that breaks through tree branches,
or the red bark of dogwood shrubs
growing even brighter late in winter.

Each moment is both long and short.

I like this time of year
when I get to focus in
on both
the darkness and the light.

Also, what better time to cozy up with a book?

If you’re in a cold climate like I am (where it’s only just reached a whopping 1°F) and you perhaps need a reminder of summer, here’s a taste of heat from the first page of my YA book, WHEN TO HOLD ON.

GIRL MEETS GIRL

The only sound
in the public library’s vestibule
comes from the pages I turn
as I sort through discarded magazines
until

a girl crashes into the quiet
like a cold splash in the August heat.
I try to step aside

meet turquoise
burnt sienna
the smell of cinnamon
green eyes that sink deep,
like soft rain soaking parched soil.

My heart skips. It’s a moment
or eons
before that girl moves around me,

swings the second door open,
walks through.

~ Kate McKinney, WHEN TO HOLD ON

IndieBound

Bookshop

Amazon

Barnes&Noble

So wrap up warm
and sink deep
as you follow
the curves
of whatever story
you choose.

Getting Up Close

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When exactly did these
feathery green leaves
of summer
transform into rainbows?

I could get lost
in their colors
crouching low
breathing in
the mix of autumn’s
changes.

What else do we miss
when we simply walk past?

~ Kate McKinney

Birch leaves collect,
curled edges folding into
one another,
light and shadows turning
scattered shapes
into glorious sculptures.

~ Kate McKinney
Autumn Flame Maple



What would it be like
to climb right into
those branches
with all that red and green
so close?
Would it feel like sitting
in the middle of
an orchestra?
Those complementary
colors
sending out
visual vibrations?

~ Kate McKinney
Asters

A painter’s delight—
purple asters in afternoon
sunlight

Asters

When clouds float past,
they add hues
of dusty gray
and deep blue shadows
below.

Clouds over Blue Mounds

A tiny, tattered
oak seedling can withstand
wind
and takes its time
turning red.
Change can take its toll,
but each year,
this little one
grows.

~ Kate McKinney

My Book

WHEN TO HOLD ON is a girl-meets-girl YA verse novel and draws from its setting in the Driftless Area the way roots draw water from the ground.

YA novel-in-verse

Indie Bound // Barnes&Noble // Amazon

Brynn Bailey, a quiet teen, always preferred the sound of the creek over talking, and that becomes even more true as she struggles to accept the recent death of her mother. Then she meets Zoe who seems to have all the words in the world, and Brynn wishes she knew what to say. As long as it’s not about her grief. But unspoken words have a way of stacking up, like bills on a counter. Soon, she is at risk of losing both love and the only place she calls home. To save them, she’ll need to learn when to listen and when to speak up, when to let go and when to hold on.

A Sneak Peek into the Novel

THE PAINTER

“I like to paint,”
she offers

which is just enough
to transform my silence into a question:

“What do you like to paint?”

Thankfully, it gets her talking instead.

She tucks a frizzy curl behind one ear.
“For me…it’s more about the way
I see whatever I’m painting. I try to
get up close
or pick an unusual angle. Try to see
what others might miss.
I use lots of color because
even grass isn’t just green. It’s also
yellow and brown, blue and purple,
even pink.”

~ Kate McKinney, WHEN TO HOLD ON

I’ll leave you with one last image—a river birch with blue sky peeking between yellow leaves.

Happy Autumn!

River Birch

Walking at Twilight

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My eyes seek twilight

Movement in spite of stillness

Hushed breath, wind through grass

— Kate McKinney

Into darkness

I pour myself

Into shadows of blue and deep greens

As though someone

just out of reach

reaches for me

— Kate McKinney

I’ve been sick for almost two weeks, and I’m just beginning to feel better. Early in my illness I took a very slow walk in the twilight just outside my home. A small voice in my head chided me for bringing my camera, saying I wouldn’t get any “good” pictures at this time of day. But I’m glad my curious, creative soul won out because it was one of the most nurturing things I did for myself during this time. To look for the beauty has always been my way of survival. To listen to the quiet, to notice what can so often be missed. It gives back to me—this looking, this noticing. It feeds my being.

It reminds me of a moment that happens in my newly released girl-meets-girl YA verse novel, When to Hold On, when the main characters, Brynn and Zoe, take a walk to the edge of where a restored prairie begins.

It is at the edge of town. A moment on the edge of their relationship. In the darkness, there is light. In the quiet, there are sounds. Brynn shares this with Zoe, and they discover a closeness fragile and new. While the thought of kissing this girl she’s had a crush on does cross Brynn’s mind, it is far more important to make space for Zoe in her world. To invite her into the quiet and very private space she usually keeps. It is that connection in that moment that brings them closer.

I encourage you, dear reader, to stay curious and keep looking, keep listening. May you find something in the twilight that feeds your soul.

You can read more about When to Hold On at this page and can support indie bookstores by ordering a copy through Bookshop.org.

Something New at Kismet Books!

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I’m thrilled to announce that my debut YA verse novel is now at Kismet Books in Verona, WI!

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going to one of my favorite local bookstores, Kismet Books in Verona, Wisconsin. They first opened their doors in November 2020, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that I actually discovered them. Walking into their bookstore for the first time felt like fate. Indeed, Kismet, is the perfect name. My heart was craving this kind of bookstore.

I was blown away by the awesome selection of books and the warm and welcoming atmosphere. They offer books for every kind of reader, but I’m especially partial to their children’s, middle grade, and young adult room, which has an amazing collection.

The last time I wrote, I touched on the need for representation, so I’m extra happy in Kismet Books, where there are so many books by and about queer, POC, and Indigenous folks. This place is truly special.

Kismet Books is on the corner of Main Street and E. Verona Avenue.

So, my kiddo and I stepped out of the heat yesterday, not only to enjoy browsing the titles (which we did!), but also to bring in copies of my debut YA verse novel, When to Hold On, and I’m excited to announce that it is now on their bookshelves!

What’s the book about?

In the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, a quiet teen girl struggles to accept her mother’s death while also trying to date the new girl in town, but she’s about to lose both love and the only place she calls home. To save them, she must learn when to listen and when to speak up, when to let go and when to hold on.

You can find this girl-meets-girl story in two different spots in the store.

#1 The Young Adult Section, which is straight ahead from the front door, and on the shelf to the right.

It’s a special honor for When to Hold On to be among all these amazing books!

#2 The Local Authors section, which is just inside the front door and to the left.

It’s so exciting to see my book on the shelf with so many other books by Wisconsin authors.
When to Hold On is set in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, with its native and restored prairies and oak savannas, limestone rock outcroppings, and cold-water streams.

So, go check out Kismet Books!

I always find something new and interesting to read.

What will you find?

It’s Official—My Book is Out!

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Yesterday was Release Day for my YA coming-of-age verse novel, When to Hold On, a story about two girls falling in love, struggling with grief, and learning when to listen and when to speak up. It’s set in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin, a region I’ve called home for the last 30+ years, a place with many hidden geological and ecological treasures.

This book began as a small, quiet idea many years ago, and after much love and attention, and quite a long labor, it has finally come into the world. I feel like a mother of a newborn again. I am eternally grateful to all the people who helped me on my journey so far, and I look forward to the adventure ahead.

Here’s a peek at the cover. To find out more about the story and where to order a copy, click here.