Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, Vermont is exclusively offering signed pre-orders of my new novel in verse, What If It Wasn’t My Fault! I will personalize the book in any way you like. Pre-orders are so important to authors, they help the book get seen by more people and show the publisher and booksellers that the book and message matters!
Thank you for considering! Together we can create a safer, better more just world. One story at a time. 💕
What a difficult, disorienting, and upsetting time in America (this is an understatment).
Sometimes poetry is the only way to move through and to process difficult emotions and situations. In a devastating time like now in America, poetry, and poets seem to cut to the heart of the moment.
And sometimes, it can heal, inspire, or guide us. That is my deepest hope for my upcoming book, What If It Wasn’t My Fault, with Rootstock Publishing, out on April 10th, 2026. Pre-orders are open now and make a huge difference for small town authors (like me). 
This story is about a seventeen-year-old soccer star, Indie Watson, who loves her team and her family. At home, she is the glue—the one who holds her family together. But when Indie wakes up sore and foggy after a party, unsure of exactly what happened, she knows one thing: she didn’t consent.
As her classmates post about her on social media, assigning judgment and blame, she falls into a spiral of self doubt and denial and can’t hold it all together anymore. Instead of facing the truth, she runs away. It is through music, memory, and the kindness of strangers that Indie learns to face what happened, and to redefine who she is now: a survivor who won’t be silenced.
I am so grateful for this review, which names two of my greatest inspirations, Laurie Halse Anderson and Chanel Miller.
“Katy Farber’s What If It Wasn’t My Fault is a blazing act of courage. I read it with my heart in my throat, captivated by 17-year-old Indie and her transformation from a ‘ghost girl’ trying to be ‘everything/ everyone wants’ to a ‘survivor-warrior’ speaking out for justice. Farber has crafted an urgent account of the aftermath of sexual violence in a small town, where sports are worshipped, girls are expected to be ‘perfect little dolls,’ and those who speak the truth about assault are accused of seeking attention. Told in verse both tender and fiercely embodied, the novel weaves a page-turning narrative with moments of lyrical beauty. In the tradition of Laurie Halse Anderson and Chanel Miller, What If It Wasn’t My Fault refuses shame and invisibility and affirms the healing power of sharing your story.
An essential read for survivors and those who love them– and for all teens who need to know they are not alone.”
—Diana Whitney, author of Girl Trouble
And this one, naming two of my favorite books and authors Elizabeth Acevedo and Jacqueline Woodson.
I love the line “It’s alive with the raw moment of becoming someone else, of standing on the other side of what happens to us.”
“What if it wasn’t my Fault immediately brings to mind poetic narratives like Poet X and Brown Girl Dreaming. It’s alive with the raw moment of becoming someone else, of standing on the other side of what happens to us. Stitched together like a quilt of spoken healing, the story of Indie tugs at the heart, and no doubt will stir the memories of those who lost their young girl selves at the moment a man took what was not his. Indie says, ‘this is not my obligation / what does my body / have to do with gratitude?’ and it is a question that unfortunately echoes through generations. But Indie also has hope, bubbling up through the process of running—first away from, and then toward—ourselves. Indie gives us permission to tell our stories, to heal, and to put down the burden.”
—Kim Ward, author of Fire on a Circle
This story, ultimately, is one of hope, triumph, of refusing to be silent. I hope you will consider pre-ordering this book (Rootstock, Bear Pond, Bridgeside Books, your local bookstore, or (last choice) Amazon) for yourself or a special teenager in your life. Pre-orders are incredibly helpful for authors, showing both an interest in the book and its success. Thank you for considering. 💕
What a week! After months (actually years!) of waiting, THE BOARD was released by Blackstone Publishing on Tuesday September 9th and is available at all places books are sold!
First, I treated myself to a pub day latte at the beloved Red Hen Bakery, in Middlesex, Vermont. That was a LOT of revision, I deserved it.
That afternoon I swung by the beautiful Bridgeside Books in Waterbury, Vermont to sign their stack of books on a gorgeous Vermont fall day.
The official Book Launch Party was Thursday night at Camp Meade in Middlesex, Vermont. After some cake drama, friends, neighbors, community members and colleagues gathered for conversation and tasty treats, then a reading of chapter one and a lively Q and A, then look at this cake (thank you Shaws!).
We had coffee in mugs like Liv drinks throughout THE BOARD, and beautiful fall flower bouquets from Dog River Farm. Jane Knight from Bear Pond Books was on hand to sell freshly published books. I signed many of them, especially for my former students!
I made these character donuts and hid them all over the gallery space. The one who found Till won a book!
We also gave away a fall photography print from Kurt Budliger Photography, whose gallery is around the corner.
We even made the front page of the local newspaper, the Times Argus!
It was an incredible night. I am deeply grateful for everyone who showed up, cheered me on, ready early drafts and supported me in numerous ways. Publishing a book is a community effort!