My dog ate my pearls, by Deb Katie
The first Debutante book I ever bought was Mia King’s Good Things, back in February 2007. And now here I am, a Deb myself, making my first post on the exact release date of her second novel, Sweet Life. Mia has been knee deep in the crazy/sweet life herself—please drop in and say hi at her beautimous website, MiaKing.com.
Seriously. It’s so surreal that I was a fan of this blog for so long, and now I’m a part of it!
Let’s see. My name is Katie Alender. My book is called Bad Girls Don’t Die, and it releases next April. For all of you who feel guilty about procrastinating in your writing, take heart. I started writing this book in 2002. I’m pretty sure James Joyce wrote several epics in the time it took me to get this one from concept to print. But that’s the way it goes sometimes.
I grew up in Florida, met my husband in film school, and moved to Los Angeles almost exactly ten years ago. After a couple years’ worth of culture shock, I got used to the freeways (you are NOT allowed to call them “highways” here) and perpetually feeling chubby. Now I’m a committed Angeleno—living in one of those houses hanging off the hills, paying more for annual earthquake insurance premiums than my first car cost. We try to buck the stereotype by walking as much as we can, but I must admit that I did actually go blonde for two years.
What else? I’m a hopeless homebody. I always have fun once I get someplace—it’s just the act of leaving my house I dislike. I’m an avid quilter with a taste for delightfully tacky fabrics. Because of this, I mostly make quilts for dogs and babies, who can’t complain. I’ve also been known to create epically strange pieces of clothing, like dresses made out of pineapple fabric, which I never wear and eventually cut into strips and use for quilt fodder.
I write YA, or Young Adult books, but I like to tell myself that the themes are universal and a reader of any age could enjoy my writing. My characters tend to be normal, flawed girls who find themselves in strange situations, forced to dig a little deeper and find strength inside themselves. If someone would just say my writing is “Sarah Dessen meets Stephen King,” I could die happy.
I love writing. I write for a living—if you’re a fan of televised dog shows, you’ve probably heard my work—though if I’ve done my job, you never knew it was written! (Ho ho ho, it can be our little secret.) I love my job. And I really, really love dogs. Most especially, I love my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Winston. Here’s the thing–I know you’re not supposed to blog about pets or children. But Winston is more than a pet, and in many ways is more trouble than a passel of children. His hobby is racking up vet bills for me to pay. In the plus column, he’s as sweet as sugar, he tends to be a good sport, and he’ll do anything for food (pretty sure he learned that from me).
Let’s just say we both put up with a lot… 
I’m looking forward to a wonderful year here with the Debs. I feel so privileged to be a part of this community! I can’t wait to “meet” everybody.
PS – Were you too busy grilling hot dogs and putting away your white loafers yesterday to visit the Ball? If so, check out Deb Kristina’s intro post (click the link or just scroll down two inches!).
Follow the Debutante Ball on Twitter