Kate Sjostrand 10/11/26 Kate Sjostrand 10/11/26

What the Fuck Am I Trying to Say?

I'm finally getting serious about publishing Undertow, my collection of short stories. But somewhere between thinking about cover art and waiting for my fucking omelet, I started questioning what the collection actually says. These stories are fictionalized versions of very real experiences from my life as a transgender woman. They're painful, uncomfortable, and not particularly happy. But does a collection need a happy ending to have meaning? After dying three times in 2022 and nearly dying again in a motorcycle crash in 2025, I've become obsessed with impact and legacy. I'm not writing simply to publish another book. I'm writing because I need my life, and my words, to fucking matter.

Kate Sjostrand 10/7/26 Kate Sjostrand 10/7/26

The Final Chapter

My day job woke me up. My writing career kept me awake. Somewhere between midnight emails, publishing expenses, Undertow, and another book I haven’t fucking written yet, I realized writing isn’t just something I’m doing. It’s what I intend to carry with me to the final door.

Kate Sjostrand 9/27/26 Kate Sjostrand 9/27/26

Apparently, I’m an Author Now

I fucking hate marketing. I hate self-promotion. But apparently, somewhere between making sell sheets, sending books to festivals, volunteering at booths, and planning a motorcycle trip to Tucson around a fucking book festival, something changed. I finally stopped treating writing like something I do and started accepting that being an author is part of who I am.

Kate Sjostrand 9/12/26 Kate Sjostrand 9/12/26

Cosmic Voicemail

I haven’t written much this week, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped. If anything, I’m more convinced than ever that the words matter. I survived cardiac arrests, a motorcycle crash, and enough reminders that tomorrow isn’t fucking promised. So I’m writing like I’m leaving a cosmic voicemail behind.

Kate Sjostrand 8/30/26 Kate Sjostrand 8/30/26

Routine

I fucking hate routine. Five days in the same hotel room had me convinced I was stagnating, until I realized that while I hadn’t been moving much physically, my life, my relationship, and even Undertow had been moving forward the entire fucking time.

Kate Sjostrand 8/29/26 Kate Sjostrand 8/29/26

Show the Fuck Up

Writing is as important to my soul as riding. But if I’m serious about making it as a writer, inspiration isn’t enough. Eventually, I have to quit fucking around, open the manuscript, and do the fucking work.