Cat Johnston | Updates

The Underground Book Fair

Cat Johnston — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Meet and shop with local authors, booksellers, vinyl and collectible pop-up shops, artists, organizations and more.

Meet and shop with local authors, booksellers, vinyl and collectible pop-up shops, artists, organizations and more while hanging out in Jack Kerouac's St. Petersburg home.

Authors will read from and discuss their works, and shops will talk about what they do. Drinks will be available for a donation.

Entry is a suggested donation of $5, which goes to the Kerouac House, a local nonprofit.

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Marketing Woes

Cat Johnston — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I hate social media. I just do.

Being a self-published author seems to mean that one has to self-promote — a lot. Obviously, I knew this was a reality I would have to face, but I simply do not enjoy posting and sharing regularly.

I like to write.

I love to write.

That's why I write...

Not to spend time thinking about what to post. Which images? Which quotes? Story or post? Facebook or Instagram? And don't even mention TikTok. I don't even have a TikTok account.

I met a local author at a book signing nearby last week. He had tons of great advice, but it always boils down to marketing yourself.

I'm a relatively humble person. I know most people who say they're humble aren't, but I don't like marketing myself. I don't like drawing extra attention to myself.

I wrote a book. I think it's good. I've been told it's good by others. I'm writing a second book. I'm enjoying it. I want people to read it, but I really really hate marketing.

Alas, I shall overcome.

Anyone have any advice on how to do that?

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Editing, Editing, Editing

Cat Johnston — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I've been writing Shifting Loyalties for about four months now. I'm 41 chapters in with 98,341 words written.

Today, I didn't have time to write because I needed to take my eldest to the dentist. She's 21 and can technically take herself, but when you have three children with narcolepsy and POTS, sometimes it doesn't matter how old they get. Being a mom comes first.

So, I took a printed copy of my draft in progress, hole-punched it, and tossed it into a binder.

While she got her teeth cleaned, my manuscript got a good cleaning.

How many times can a character shrug? Apparently, far too many.

It was time well spent, though. I managed to read through four chapters with a red pen in hand.

And trust me... there was a lot of red ink on those pages.

Reading my manuscript this way reminded me how grateful I am for the time I spent in graduate school at USF. Being part of Papercut and Sigma Tau Delta taught me more than I can express. Add in countless roundtable critiques and workshop reviews, and I received an education that went far beyond lesson planning and classroom management.

My degrees were meant to prepare me to become an English teacher.

And they absolutely did.

What I didn't fully appreciate back then was how much they were also preparing me to write—and edit—my own novels.

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Shifting Destiny: Audiobook Available Now

Cat Johnston — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The fabulous Chelsea Louise from Chelsea Louise Media (look her up on Instagram) has brought Aurelia's story to life!

You can find the audiobook on Apple Books and Audible. I've listened to it and I'm thrilled with the result.

I always wanted to write. I was terrified that my health and life would be too hectic and I'd never get the chance.

Now, I have a published book available through Amazon and Ingram and an Audiobook!

How crazy is that?

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Surprised by My Own Characters

Cat Johnston — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Before I started writing Shifting Destiny, I never realized how much my own characters could surprise me. I don't know how any other writers feel about it, since I haven't sat down to speak to many fiction authors, but the characters seem to take on a mind of their own as my fingers fly across the keyboard.

Shifting Loyalties is surprising me even more! When I finished put the final period on the draft of chapter three, I was shocked by Andrew's actions, Jeremy's vulnerability, and Aurelia's no nonsense approach to everything.

While I have a general idea of how the overall plot will unfold, it's fascinating to see how the characters make it come to life with each word typed and conversation had among them.

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Too Much Life to Find Time for Writing

Cat Johnston — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been wanting to work on Shifting Loyalties for the past couple of weeks, but I just haven’t been able to find the time.

My husband, the kids, and I all caught the flu, which led to a solid four or five days in bed.

One of the many things my children and I have experienced while living with narcolepsy is that every illness seems to hit so much harder — and the flu was already intense. To top it off, my narcolepsy medication was delayed in delivery. That meant I had already spent days without my medication before getting sick with the virus.

Once I recovered, I rushed back into teaching. Because of being sick, there was housework, grading, lesson planning, and just everyday life to catch up on. So Shifting Loyalties got put on hold for a little while.

It’s really quite frustrating to love writing and not be able to find time for it. I was truly beginning to enjoy fleshing out the next parts of the story before all the health problems hit our house. If I didn’t have so much practice putting my plans on hold because of health issues, I’d probably feel disheartened — but I’m not. I know I’ll find the time to bring Aurelia’s journey to life again.

I’m hoping things will calm down and I’ll have more time in the coming weeks. What I’m really hoping is that I can dedicate more time to writing over spring break.

Christmas break was perfect for finalizing Shifting Destiny.

This summer, I’m planning to focus on researching and marketing Shifting Destiny while continuing to write Shifting Loyalties.

I’m also working on a realistic fiction novel. I’m not actually drafting it yet — one book at a time is more than enough — but I’ve been planning and brainstorming. The working title is currently My Crazy Busy, Sleepy, Dizzy, Totally Happy Life.

For now, though, my focus is on the Aconite Hollow series — at least when I’m not teaching, parenting, or simply living life.

While I continue working on everything, I hope those who have purchased a copy of my first book are enjoying it.

Thank you for sharing your time with me and my stories.

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Shifting Destiny is Published

Cat Johnston — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

After writing, reading, editing, rereading, reediting, updating the cover, and reupdating the cover, Shifting Destiny: An Aconite Hollow Novel, Book One is live and purchasable on Amazon. The novel was a labor of love that I'd always wanted to tackle, but never thought I'd accomplish.

I've always loved reading and writing, but didn't realize how much I'd enjoy writing a fiction novel of my own. I'm so grateful to my family, who continuously encouraged me throughout the process. My test readers and loved ones were so enthusiastic that it kept me engaged and determined.

Now that Shifting Destiny is out there in the universe, I've started writing the sequel to Rel's story, Shifting Loyalties. Who knew I'd go from never writing a book to excited to be diving into book two so quickly?

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