KATIE WILLSON
Where I Publish
I publish with Stag Beetle Books, an independent press committed to thoughtful storytelling and careful craft.
Finished Manuscripts
The Story Keepers is a finished manuscript and the first in an upcoming fantasy series. Publication is planned for July 2026.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Book two of the The Story Keepers is underway. Alongside it, a standalone novel, The Grudgery, is taking shape.
THE STORY KEEPERS
Here stands the gate where the quiet of ink stirs into life; step softly, for stories awake to those who enter here.
A speculative, arcane-academia adventure set within a grounded, low-fantasy world.
42 chapters | 106,037 Words
The Story Keepers is a fantasy novel about hidden libraries, dangerous knowledge, and the people sworn to protect stories from being altered, stolen, or erased. When the boundary between preservation and control begins to fracture, loyalty, memory, and truth are tested in ways that cannot be undone.
WHAT’S COMING UP
In 2026, my focus is on finishing book two of The Story Keepers, deepening the world beyond the first volume, and shaping a standalone project that has been waiting its turn.
The goal is not speed, but cohesion. I’m chasing stories that know what they are before they are released into the world.
Prepare The Story Keepers for its release AND GUIDE IT INTO THE WORLD
Continue expanding the Story Keepers world by COMPLETING THE DRAFT OF BOOK 2
Outline, SHAPE AND BEGIN DRAFTING A standalone novel, The Grudgery
ABOUT KATIE
Katie is a lover of words—especially the ones that fall together just right.
Good words (and good books) have shaped her world and continue to fuel her imagination. She’s always believed that literature and magic belong side by side, and that the best lessons are often hidden inside the best stories.
She believes that character, both on and off the page, is forged in the rise and fall of a well-plotted tale.
By day, she co-owns a boutique marketing agency, where she helps businesses find their voice through branding, web design, and copywriting. By night, and at heart, she’s a storyteller.
Writing isn’t just something she does; it’s how she makes sense of the world. She holds an MFA in creative writing and is now chasing a doctorate in history, blending research with story in ways that surprise even her.
Originally from Utah, Katie and her family have made a home in rural Kentucky, where life is often slowed down by tractors on the road or the occasional rogue farm animal.
It’s humid and green and lovely and she adores every minute.
Her world is anchored by her hero of a husband, followed by her beautiful daughters who have recently stepped into adulthood, leaving her with more time and tenuous emotions, which do seem to transfer well to storytelling.
Outside of work and writing, she is happiest with a good book in hand, a Dr. Pepper within reach, and a British crime show playing in the background. Add in Mexican food or a stop at a quilt shop, and she’s in her element. The order of her favorites might shift with the weather, but some things never change: her love for family, her love for words, and her belief that magic is real—most often found tucked between the pages of a well-told story.
The most exciting book I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot of books. I just love it.
– My mom.
For friends + kindred spirits
Updates, insight, and wordsmithery. Want to know when my book is released? I’d love to tell you.
Expect infrequent emails and no unnecessary noise.