Kathryn McConaughy's Feast of Adventures

As the summer winds down and I'm getting ready to resume teaching, I'm also trying to squeeze in a bit more writing and revising! Sir Kai's novella is continuing to expand. Every single plot beat is taking twice as many chapters to get through as I expected. At the moment, Kai is lurking in a hole, ready to ambush any powerful Faeries who emerge through a particular Faerie gate... because Reasons. He is also continuing to ignore the advice of his murderous sidekick, which--while very reasonable from his perspective--is going to cause him some Problems. I'm having way too much fun with this story! Sir Guyon's book, which I first wrote and then revised lo these many years ago, is shaping up nicely in final revisions. Guyon has always been one of my favorite characters, and one of the easiest for me to write; so I'm not having to do much with his character arc other than make sure it's clear to the reader. Most revisions involve making sure that I've rememb...

First, the writing update. I've been trying to restrain myself from jumping into the final revisions of the next full-length book in my Faerie Queen series ( Guyon and the Quest for the Golden Mean ) because I'm trying to finish writing some nonfiction for my day job. Of course, that means my creativity has to come out somewhere else...  I've been working on a short (?) story about Arthur's older brother, Sir Kai, which I plan to serialize in my newsletter as soon as I get set up with a newsletter service. But the story just keeps GROWING. Kai has already acquired a raft of personal baggage based on the old Welsh legends about him, plus several Faerie curses and a sidekick who may be trying to kill him. (Kai wouldn't be all surprised about the trying-to-kill-him part. It would be the fact that this individual thinks of themself as his sidekick that he would find puzzling.) I'm guessing the story will be novella-length at least. So Kai the Coldheart , coming soon...

Una's story isn't one I planned to write. Edmund Spenser didn't give her a backstory in the original Faerie Queene , so when I was first writing George's book (lo, those many years ago) I didn't know who she was as a person. My writing group, the Inkhearts, pushed me to find out.  Once I started writing this novella I realized just how amazing Una is. She may not be a warrior like some of the other heroines in the Faerie Queen series (yes, Britomart, I see you), but that makes it all the more impressive that she takes up a quest like this, armed only with her sharp wits, her clear knowledge of truth and lies, and her unstoppable determination.  Part Arthurian adventure and part fairy tale, Una's story releases August 1, 2026 in paperback and ebook format. Ages 10 and up. Find it here:  The Princess Who Knew the Truth And now, for your enjoyment, the first chapter! ***** The queen rubbed her stomach through the thick brocade of her dress and peered around the doo...

George's book has been out for a month, so it's time for the bonus novella ! The Princess Who Knew the Truth is a prequel novella featuring Una, our very own veiled lady. Why did a dragon attack her kingdom? And how did Una make her polite but unstoppably determined way through all the dangers of England and Faerieland, looking for a way to get rid of it? I originally planned to include this story at the back of George, the Shield, and the Veiled Lady , but when I formatted the file for paperback I realized how long George's story was... and how long this story was... So in the interest of not giving anyone arm fatigue from balancing a massive volume, I decided that Una's story needed its own release. It will be available on August 1 ! You can find Una's story on Amazon as an ebook and paperback at this link: The Princess Who Knew the Truth As usual, you can preorder the ebook, but the paperback won't appear until release day (August 1, 2026). Despite the fact ...

George, the Shield, and the Veiled Lady released today in ebook and paperback! I hope everyone will enjoy it! I've always liked hanging out with George--he's straightforward and curious and of course he would keep a promise to a goat, why wouldn't he? You can find George's story on Amazon at this link: George, the Shield, and the Veiled Lady In honor of the book's release, I thought we'd invite the three main characters, George, Una, and Arthur, to answer some questions! ________________ The interviewer, a tall man wearing a close helm, sits in a tall wooden chair, and waves our three heroes toward a bench in front of him. The three of them--a yellow-haired young man, looking rather singed; a small, graceful lady with sharp gray eyes; and a tall young man in half armor with a brown beard--all try to sit down, then realize there isn't enough room. Before Arthur can point this out to the interviewer, yellow-haired George plops down on the floor. He grins at ...

Since George's book is coming out July 1st, I wanted to share the first chapter! How do you think George is going to do against the dragon? Find the book here:  Amazon.com: George, the Shield, and the Veiled Lady (Faerie Queen Book 1) eBook : McConaughy, Kathryn: Kindle Store ***** George was humming a little tune to himself as he cleaned out the goat pen. That’s been sixteen buckets, he thought. Another nine buckets and I’ll be done. Some people might have complained about the smell of goat, but George kind of liked it. Or, at least, he liked the goats, and it would have been rude to like the goats but then to complain about their smell. Friends don’t complain about how friends smell. The oldest goat butted him gently on the hip. “Easy, Nanny!” He reached down to rub the funny little swirl of hair on her neck. Mother called that kind of mark a Faerie kiss, but George wasn’t sure that a Faerie would kiss a goat. The Fae in sister Ivy’s stories sounded much too high-and-mighty. Even...

Perhaps you thought I'd fallen into a hole during an archaeological excavation, or accidentally time-traveled to the past and ended up as a farmer in medieval Ireland or a scribe in ancient Syria. But no! I've just been finishing my dissertation and then getting started with teaching an all-new slate of classes. And, of course, I've been writing! My big project of the last few years has been the tales of the Faerie Queen, a series of middle grade/ young adult adventures inspired by Sir Edmund Spenser's poem, The Faerie Queene . As a huge fan of King Arthur, knights, and magical worlds, I've loved Spenser's work since high school. I'm really looking forward to sharing these stories with everyone! The first book, George, the Shield, and the Veiled Lady , will be available on Amazon on July 1, 2026. The ebook is available for preorder now, but the paperback version won't appear until July 1. Once the book comes out, it will also be available on Kindle Unlim...