I cannot believe it's already time to start celebrating the book that started it all: The Vow That Twisted Fate!

The Vow That Twisted Fate came out on July 21st, 2021 as my debut epic fantasy novel. While I'd dabbled in self-publishing with a couple other titles, TVTTF was different. 

Under the guidance of an amazing mentor, this was the book I chose to pursue an actual author career with, not just a hobby. I made social media posts, finalized a pen name, built a website, connected with other authors and readers (people who weren't just friends and family in real life), entered it in contests, got editorial reviews, and learned how to do author ads.

All of this hard work paid off in the highest-acclaimed book (critic-wise) that I've released to date:

The original first edition of The Vow That Twisted Fate released in July 2021, and I've unlocked that edition for the fifth book birthday!

You can read the original version as an English-language ebook, audiobook, or paperback HERE.

You can read the original version as a Spanish-language ebook HERE. 

Critic praise for this game-changing dark fantasy debut rocked me to my core.

The first edition garnered much praise across the industry, which I never expected and honestly led to the moment where I realized that this was 'for real': I was really an author. My books were worth reading. This could be my career.

Readers' Favorite gave TVTTF's first edition a five-star review, sharing that it "provides a unique perspective and creates a dark and persuasive fairy story."

IndieReader also awarded a five-star review to the first edition, saying, "THE VOW THAT TWISTED FATE as a whole gives a generous nod to the best fantasy adventures that came before it while twisting around elements of the genre just enough to set it apart as an apt representative of the latest generation of fantasy epic.

With a refreshing new take on the witches and gnomes and days of future past genre, Katherine D. Graham’s THE VOW THAT TWISTED FATE provides a rousing narrative that itself provides the immersive escapism so treasured fans of the genre."

Reedsy Discovery 's reviewer shared that "As an avid reader and general consumer of stories, I can honestly say that I can predict certain outcomes or other characters motives before others. This book threw me for a loop many times and I enjoyed every second of it."

The Vow That Twisted Fate then placed as a fantasy finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. 

And readers blew me away.

The best part of putting The Vow That Twisted Fate out into the world was connecting with readers from around the world. As they read through, they left their reviews on Goodreads, retailers, Bookbub, and other places, and I've treasured them. 

Whether they were positive, on the fence, or negative, I learned so much from my audience in these reviews, and I've been able to make future books better because of YOU, friends.

Then the opportunity arose for the extended edition, thanks to the Self-Publishing With Dale podcast.

Self-Publishing with Dale is a superb free YouTube-based podcast for indie authors. Dale pulls no punches on the pros and cons of the self-publishing industry, and I've followed his channel for quite a while. 

Dale and MiblArt gifted me a refreshed cover for the extended edition of The Vow That Twisted Fate, which combined revised content (bringing in reviewer and reader feedback), deleted scenes that didn't make the original cut, and a more genre-appropriate cover design. 

This new extended edition release on July 9th, 2023 (almost two years after the first edition). This extended edition is the current version available at most bookish retailers online HERE. 

Five years is a perfect time for reflection on the original story (which was a stand-alone novel) and the future of these characters and their worlds.

I never intended for The Vow That Twisted Fate to be more than a single stand-alone novel. The story was wrapped up nice and tidy, and the characters were left to move forward from their one pivotal moment in time. 

With that being said, there have been occassional side-projects (usually short stories) pop up in this world from time to time, and I always look back on this world with fondness.

I appreciate the love you've shared over the years (and continue to share) for Arlena and company, and for my books as a result.

While nothing has changed with The Vow That Twisted Fate's planned future at this time, spin-offs from within their lore are definitely at play in Starfire Express, which comes out in March 2027.