TWO new projects!
Welcome back! Or, if you’re new, I’m happy you’re here!
Smoke is now back on track to be released on April 1st, 2026. If this changes at any time, I will keep you posted here! In other writing news, I’ve started outlining my next novel! The working title is Counting Shards, and it will be a mystery/thriller/whodunnit that I think all of my fellow Criminal Minds lovers will enjoy. Once I’ve finished drafting Smoke, it will go to my editors’ hands, and I’ll start working on Counting Shards. Alongside CS, I want to put together a short story collection of stories from Alis’s childhood/teenage years with Liam and Jackson. I’ve named it Spark, and it has a tentative release date of December 15th, 2026. You can see the status of each of these projects on my Works in Progress page!
In personal news, I just had my birthday! I took some time off from work around it, so I’ve had more time to focus on writing, crafting, and relaxing. I had a great time on my birthday surrounded by my family. My mom and I went out for the day, and we were done, my husband took me to Barnes & Noble. There, I picked up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and Incidents Around the House. Both of these have mysterious/spooky vibes that I thought would be perfect to read this spooky season.
I’ve also been crocheting a lot to prep for a market I plan on doing in May, and I’ve been working on a semi-large cross stitch piece that will be my little sister’s Christmas present! I also just got a commission to do a blanket, so as soon as the yarn for that order comes in, I’ll be pretty busy with that.
In related reading news, I’ve recently finished Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. Both of these were AMAZING novels that I read in preparation for outlining Counting Shards. I’m now reading the sequel to Good Girl, Bad Blood, which is the sequel to AGGGTM. Also, Spotify Premium includes 15 free audiobook hours per month, so make sure you’re using them! I upgraded my plan to include 30 hours per month, and I love listening to books while I’m working. I recently did a re-listen of Twisted Love by Ana Huang, and I’m currently listening to Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.
Socials below, if you want to follow :)
StoryGraph: stardustdruid
Instagram: kaylacowartauthor
Still working… I promise!
If you’ve been following my updates on the Works in Progress page, you may have noticed that it looks like I’ve forgotten to update it. I wish that were the case. I’m not yet in a position to be able to write full time, so progress on Smoke has slowed to something a little worse than a crawl… but it hasn’t stopped! I am still fleshing out the bulk of the plot, and I plan to have progress and updates sometime in the coming weeks! I have some time off planned for October that I’m hoping will be full of wordy progress in the form of novel content instead of lengthy and disappointing blog posts.
Socials below, if you want to follow :)
StoryGraph: stardustdruid
Instagram: kaylacowartauthor
Flame is available!
Ten days ago, Flame hit the digital shelves! It is available for purchase in print or on Kindle. It’s also available for free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited!
Flame is my first full-length novel since Sophie in Siloam is more of a novella. I hold it very near and dear to my heart, and I am so excited to share it with everyone! Since it’s a war-time romance, it’s a good deal darker than SiS, but I think it’s worth the mild trauma.
Smoke has a tentative release date of April 1st, 2026. This date may vary depending on the speed of my beta readers, how much time I get to write, and how many writing road blocks I run into. At this moment, I’m about 1/3 of the way through the first draft. That does put me a little bit behind the schedule I set for myself, but I have a good deal of time off coming up that I think will help me—at the very least—get back on track.
In personal news, my mom recently got me a “small” surprise in the form of a Woobles collector’s box. I’ve been crocheting for years, so I didn’t need the “beginner friendly” aspects of the box, but I have to say, the box was worth it for the themed hooks alone. They are ADORABLE, and I am in love with them. Also, they send you enough yarn to make each of the characters two, maybe three times. It’s a wonderful set, and I’ll likely end up buying more in the future. This isn’t sponsored in any way; I just genuinely love them.
In reading news, I’ve recently finished Twisted Lies by Ana Huang and Caught Up by Navessa Allen. These were both amazing reads, and I could not get enough of them. I’ve been needing something light and happy since writing Flame and Smoke put me in kind of a dark place, so I listened to the audiobooks of The C*ck Down the Block, The Wiener Across the Way, and The P*ssy Next Door by Amy Award. These books are cute, happy, and fluffy, and I am saving the rest of the series for the next time I need a pick-me-up after sloughing through the trenches of Alis’s enlistment.
Socials below, if you want to follow :)
StoryGraph: stardustdruid
Instagram: kaylacowartauthor
Welcome!
I made a website!
As you may have guessed by it being plastered all over the site, my name is Kayla Cowart, and I am an author. I’ve written two books so far, and I am currently working on my third. I have entirely too many new works planned to go into them all, so I’ll just say that you can expect content to be coming out of me for many years to come.
I am still in the process of setting up the website, so if you see anything that looks weird or out of place, just know that it bugs me too. I plan on having everything put together and in semi-decent looking shape by the end of the month! I’m also hoping to add a work in progress page to keep you informed of all upcoming and planned projects.