Katie Bartlett, Author

In addition to teaching creative and academic writing, and editing and copywriting other people’s work, I write stories for children and young adults. Below are the titles of some of my most recent works along with a short synopsis. Enjoy!

Daphne Dapple *Hearts* Zombie High – Young Adult Novel

Synopsis:  Daphne Dapple is a YA novel that, it’s true, involves Zombies. But no worries, this novel isn’t about a gory, post-apocalyptic fight for survival. Daphne Dapple is a 15-year old cheerleader who has it all: Barbie-doll body, A-list status, and the attention of the hottest boy in school. Problem is, like all perfect girls before her, Daphne has a flaw: she’s a Zombie-in-hiding and society wants her gone.

Daphne secures a spot at the newly established Zombie High, an elite boarding school for partially-transformed Zombies like her. She believes she’s on a path to reintegration but quickly realizes that she’s only bought herself time. Society hates what they fear, and Daphne Dapple, Zombie Cheerleader, monster-in-spandex, is terrifying. Unless she can change society’s hatred of people who are different, Daphne will never get her old life back.

With the help of her classmates, she hatches a gravity-defying plan using flips, Michael Jackson, and the power of cheer to prove that while Zombies and humans aren’t exactly the same, their differences don’t have to divide them.

The Promise – Middle Grade Novel

Synopsis: Chai, a ten-year-old raised by Granny on stories of The Other Side, is one of the few who believes magic exists. However, she’s spent the past year since Granny died ignoring magic and pretending to be like everyone else so she can fit in. When a stone lion comes to life and reminds her of her promise to Granny – her promise to visit the Land of the Fey – she realizes she can’t pretend any longer. What’s more, it’s revealed that Granny’s spirit is trapped in The Other Side, and Chai is the only one who can save her. 

Hedda Claus Finds Her Talent  – Picture Book

Synopsis: What if Mrs. Claus were more than a secondary character in her own life? In Hedda Claus Finds Her Talent, Hedda finds that her talent isn’t baking cookies in the family bakery, it’s running the business – any business – including Santa’s.

This story was written to fill a hole in the Christmas book marketplace. Not much is published about the wife of Santa Claus. With the hundreds of Christmas books that stack the shelves, there are only twelve with Mrs. Claus as the central figure. Of these, only one addresses Mrs. Claus’s childhood and how she came to meet Mr. Claus. (It was published by a British author in 2003.) Additionally, of the mainstream Christmas books that do mention Mrs. Claus, the majority relegate her to nothing more than a lovable grandmother-type figure with little to offer besides making cocoa and fattening up Santa. I wanted to offer an alternative perspective on Mrs. Claus, one which flushed her out as a three-dimensional, non-trope character who could inspire children.