I have finished writing my latest novel in the SEAMS16 series and it is now in the editing stages. I’ve been using DAYS OF SORROW as the title, but as the story unfolded, and now that it’s complete, I feel that title no longer fits. I chose the title originally because of a reference to it during the Eclosion ceremony in book 4, SEAMS16: FRIENDS AND FOES
The "Days of Sorrow" refers to a time in the history of Prime that occurs after the fall of their civilization. I had every intention of telling a  story about those times, but while attempting to research it, I discovered there are no records from that time. A character from the book best summed it up like this: “Much of what happened during those years is lost to eternity as record keeping fell away to the more important tasks of just finding ways to stay alive, but there are stories of sorrow as well as great bravery told around campfires and dinner tables. Of course, these stories are impossible to prove or disprove. The heroes and villains often go unnamed, or if named, are already dead. And long gone is any evidence that might have supported the claims made by the storytellers. Because of this, most are relegated  to the fantasy genre of children’s stories, not as a means to preserve a  history, but simply to convey a moral or universal truth."
While  I do write children's stories, that was not the intention for this book, so I concentrated on a time immediately following the Days of Sorrow, when civilization was starting to re-emerge. The story of first contact with their nearest planetary neighbor.
The story of THE KLINDORAN WAR.

Coming soon…

At long last, I have finally released the fourth book in the SEAMS16 series,
SEAMS16: Friends and Foes
Strange things are happening on Space Equipment Authority's Maintenance Station  16 (SEAMS16). The new bay supervisor comes with an exemplary record, but he can’t get along with anyone. An abduction where the victims are left unbound and unguarded, no perpetrators claim responsibility, and no  demands are made. The discovery of a bomb with the only evidence
incriminating the most unlikely of perpetrators. These confusing events and more blur the line between good and bad...right and wrong...friend and foe...
Join Charlie and Susan in their search for answers in SEAMS16: Friends and Foes
Now available at the following on-line retailers:
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Print
Smashwords - multiple ebook formats
Barnes & Noble Nook
CreateSpace Print
Apple iTunes iPad/iPhone

I'm pleased to announce a new website dedicated to my children's books. When I created my original website, I had not yet written any children's stories, so naturally I designed it around my Sci-Fi novels. It still serves that purpose well and for now I intend to keep it as it is, however it is not exactly kid friendly. Not that there is inappropriate content, it's just not attractive to kids or parents looking for children’s books. The new site is designed with kids in mind. The colors are bright and cheery, the layout is simple to navigate and the focus is primarily on my guiding aphorism: Read To Your  Children Awaken Their Imagination. You'll find fun activities for the
kids to download and enjoy, on-line samples of the books, links to retailers where the books can be purchased, and more. Visit the new site at http://rtycati.com/.
 Take a look around, peruse a book sample, download a coloring page,
check out the Books in the Wild photos, and most importantly, have fun.

The KART Foundation has released its Kids Books List for 2013. I'm told they had over 2000 entries that they whittled down to just 27 titles. I'm pleased and honored to say that The Wizards of the Body Shop was one of those selected. This is the second time that one of my books has been honored with this award, (the first being Sam and the Dragon in the 2011/2012 list). The Kids Are Readers Too (KART) Foundation is the philanthropy division of PediNatural®, dedicated to promoting children's literacy. They also host an internet radio station broadcasting family friendly programming 24 hours a day. You can learn more about them at www.kartfoundation.org

A  little girl tries to climb into her father’s lap as he sits reading in his favorite chair. It’s a big, overstuffed chair with a wide seat, high back, and cushy arms. He pretends to ignore her as she makes the attempt first on one side, then on the other. On many past occasions she has made the climb without hesitation or difficulty, but this day her attempts are thwarted by the book she holds in her hands. Unwilling to let go, and after several attempts, she looks up with pleading eyes.
No longer able to keep up his pretense, he sets his book aside, reaches down and lifts her easily, placing her comfortably on his lap. He takes the book from her hands and examines the cover. Is it an old favorite, read a hundred times? Or something new, as yet unexplored? It matters little, for the importance is in the experience. A bond forms between them, a bond of shared learning, shared exploration, and shared adventure. The kind of bond that lasts a lifetime. He opens the book and  begins the adventure. The two of them gaze intently at the open book, the room around them soon lost to the world contained within the pages.
And yet, not contained. For while each page may contain a static picture and a few sentences, the picture is but a skin, and the words, bone. It is the sights unseen and the words unsaid that are the real meat of the story. The mind fills in the details, enriching the experience, bringing  the story to life in ways sometimes unforeseen by an author and illustrator. This is the real magic of reading to a child. You’re not just spending time, you’re sharing an experience and awakening their imagination.
So, read to your children, and awaken their imagination.
A good start is with my newly released children's book, Yeti In The Freezer. Available in both print and ebook formats.

First let me say thank you to all 264 people that entered to receive one of only two copies of my children's book, The Wizards of the Body Shop. Through Goodreads magical selection process the winners are:
Shana from Bronsen, MO and Sunny from Chesapeake, VA
Congratulations to you both! I mailed out your books a little under an hour ago, so you  should receive them sometime next week. I hope you enjoy the story.

My birthday is coming up and I've decided that the best way to celebrate is a book giveaway! So, from July 1st until my birthday (July 6) you can enter to win one of two print copies of my latest children's book, The Wizards of the Body Shop. Full details are available at Goodreads (Click Here)

The terms of service for the Amazon reader forums forbid authors from promoting their books anywhere but their "Meet The Author" <strike>corral</strike> forum. Unfortunately, many new authors either don't read the terms of service or ignore them. In almost every category, there is one or more discussion threads devoted to reminding authors not to promote their books, yet everyday, self-promotion occurs. This has led to an extreme prejudice against self-published authors, and a hyper-vigilance among the forum members. Even if you’ve never engaged in self-promotion activities, you are still tainted by the actions of others, so following are the Additional Rules for Self-Published Authors who wish to post on Amazon reader forums.

1. You are not a reader, regardless of how many books you've read and plan to read, once you publish a book, you are no longer a reader. Your opinion of someone else's writing is not enhanced by understanding the process. On the contrary, your opinion is now biased by jealousy, hero-worship, or association with other authors and cannot be trusted.

2. Never ever recommend a book by a contemporary author. (See rule 1.) If you want to recommend a book in a reader forum, make sure the book is at  least as old as you are, or that the author is dead, thereby reducing the impression that you have a personal relationship with said author.

3. Your book never, I repeat never, meets the criteria for anyone requesting a suggestion on a book to read. It doesn't matter if your book fits a point-by-point description of what they're looking for, it still doesn't meet the criteria. Don’t mention it.

4. "Recently Published" does not include your book, regardless of when it was released. As an author, you cannot make recommendations in a "recently released" discussion. (See rule 2.)

5. Never mention that you are an author in any discussion. You may only have that information in your profile for anyone interested enough to check.

You may think these additional rules will make it next to impossible to get your book discovered, and you’d be right. Even though Amazon’s KDP Tips For Merchandising  include “post on message boards, join user communities,and promote your  book on sites across the Web”, that doesn’t include their own forums.

All files have been uploaded, converted, and released for publication. My latest children's book, The Wizards of the Body Shop, is immediately available at Smashwords for ebook formats and CreateSpace for print. It should become available at Amazon by the end of the week for both Kindle and Print, and available in other online ebook bookstores in  the coming weeks.
The Wizards of the Body Shop
Repairing a crumpled fender is pure magic. So when Cindy's Daddy's car gets damaged, she goes along as Daddy takes it to...
The Wizards of the Body Shop
CreateSpace - Print
Smashwords - Multiple Ebook Formats
Amazon - Print
Amazon - Kindle

I have the illustrations from my brother and I've been working on formatting my new children's book, The Wizards of the Body Shop. I shared one of the illustrations on Facebook today, and thought I should share a few of them here.

I have to say, I'm really pleased with these and all of the illustrations that Lanin has come up with for this story and the others before it. They really help bring my stories to life.