On Writing Nightflower of Comanche Mound
Nightflower of Comanche Mound is a story for young adults, but, surprisingly, it’s adults who are buying it. I didn’t set out to write the novel that evolved. It started with a girl and a horse on a ranch in West Texas, a girl some younger. Research took me on a very different path as […]
The 2026 Denton READilicious Book Palooza
Following a month of bookishness in Denton’s citywide celebration of literacy, join us for the main event of community fun Saturday, February 28. Find your favorite local authors, and discover new venues as you support local businesses, bookstores and libraries to raise funds for literacy and library non-profits. Proceeds benefit Denton Public School Foundation, Emily Fowler Foundation, and Denton Friends […]
WE TOOK A LITTLE TRIP WEST OF THE MIGHTY MISSISSIP…
Something like that— And discovered Louisiana has a sandy beach! We like to travel on the backroads, an attitude of, “I wonder what’s down that road?” That’s how we discovered Louisiana has a sandy beach! On the prowl for a Louisiana Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary so new it wasn’t even on the hotel’s ‘local attractions’ […]
Big Announcement
Big Announcement March 15, 2025, Tucson AZ — Katlyn Bates’ Nightflower of Comanche Mound Named Western Writers of America 2025 Spur Award Finalist! Nightflower of Comanche Mound, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D836QLVT, a contemporary young adult action-adventure novel set on the hostile plains of the Texas Staked Plains, follows 16-year old Charley Kensey who, seeking a sense of belonging, brashly invites herself […]
2025 World EXCA Coming to Texas in October
Listen up, Texas neighbors and beyond. There’s a different kind of rodeo coming to Texas. From youth to pro, World Extreme Cowboy Association (EXCA) members are tuning up their horses for the 2025 show-me-your-stuff competition October 28 through November 2, in Glen Rose, Tx., hosted by the Somervell County Expo Center. LINK Entrants, ages eight […]
Western Writers of America 72nd Convention in the Rearview Mirror
The 2025 Western Writers of American Convention, held in Amarillo, TX this year, was Western Writers’ 72nd convention, and my first. What an honor it was to attend. An honor and an education to sit among so many polished writers of Western literature, http://WesternWriters.org an honor to hear the excellent and entertaining speakers, such as […]
Big Announcement!
When things change inside a house, they change on the outside, too.
He who lives in a constant state of expectation is frequently disappointed.
KIDS AND WATER
To the waterpark! I took three granddaughters, ages 11, 14, and 17, to a waterpark for a couple days of chill, to escape the Texas heat, a short vacation from parents. It didn’t matter that summer storms followed us there; the resort was an enclosed year-round water park that had three zippy slides, a lazy […]
Texas Hot Tub
Gosh, it ‘s been Hot This Summer!