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KATIE KHAN

 

I write books about light and space.

 

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HOLD BACK
THE STARS

'The new One Day' — Stylist
'The most unique love story I've read in years' — Rowan Coleman, author of The Summer of Impossible Things
'Gravity meets The Versions of Us' — Red

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THE LIGHT
BETWEEN US

'A bold new talent' — Matt Haig, author of How to Stop Time
'Katie Khan's tale of time travel and friendship takes you on a "will they, won't they" journey with an ending you'll never predict...' — Grazia

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THE LIGHT BETWEEN US

 

'Pay close attention: this is a will they, won't they tale with a jaw-dropping twist at its heart' — Express

'Sure to have you weeping' — Grazia

'Gripping, fascinating, funny, romantic, exciting, and hopeful with a great cast of women, The Light Between Us
is a cracking good read' — Rowan Coleman, bestselling author of The Summer of Impossible Things

 'This is a love story, but with a great twist that takes it beyond a classic "will they, won’t they?"' — Stylist

 'A remarkable reading experience  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★' — Heat

'After her intriguing debut, Hold Back The Stars, Katie Khan is back with another sci-fi romance,
which will even appeal to readers who don’t normally do the sci-fi thing' — Red

'A bold new talent' — Matt Haig, bestselling author of How to Stop Time

 
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Thea and Isaac first met at university. Theirs was an instant connection but it never went further than friendship.

Because, then and now, Thea only has eyes for her work. Not just her course, but also a private project - Thea is determined to prove that time travel is not just the stuff of science fiction. And she has never told anyone the reason why.

When one of their friends goes missing in an experiment, Isaac and Thea must work together to find her - forcing them to re-examine their own friendship.

Is it really as platonic as they used to think?

The Light Between Us is a story of unrequited love and second chances. It begs the dangerous question that we all ask ourselves - what could have been?

 

Katie Khan's writing...
'Will give you all the feels' Heat
'Breaks your heart then kicks it again for good measure in the most beautiful way possible' The Pool
'Will stay with you long after reading' Image

OWN THE U.K. HARDBACK

Available now
Published by Transworld on Aug 9th, 2018
(Penguin Random House)

 
 
 
 
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HOLD BACK
THE STARS

'The new One Day' — Stylist
'The most unique love story I've read in years' — Rowan Coleman
'Gravity meets The Versions of Us' — Red
'A bold new talent' — Matt Haig

 
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Ninety minutes.

A few years from now,
not too far in the future, two people meet.
It is a classic story of boy meets girl. 
Except that it's not.
When we find them, they have an hour and a half left.
Unless they can save themselves, they won't survive.

The clock is ticking.

Bittersweet and life-affirming,
Hold Back the Stars is the love story of the year.

 

'An edge-of-your-seat tale' — Vogue
'An incredibly imaginative debut' 
— Sunday Mirror
'Prepare to shed tears' — Heat
'Original, surprising and romantic' 
— Woman & Home

 

 
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OWN THE U.K. PAPERBACK

Available now
Published by Transworld on Nov 30th, 2018
(Penguin Random House)

 

OWN THE U.S. PAPERBACK

Available now
Published by Gallery on Feb 18th, 2018
(Simon & Schuster)

 
 
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HARDBACKS

Also available

 
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U.K. HARDBACK

Published by Transworld (Penguin Random House)
Jan 26th, 2017

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U.S. HARDBACK

Published by Gallery (Simon & Schuster)
May 30th, 2017

 
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TRANSLATIONS

Hold Back the Stars is being translated into more than twenty languages around the world.


Head to the INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS page for details including foreign publishers,
international cover designs and publication dates.

 
 
 
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PRESS REVIEWS

“The new One Day”
— Stylist
“An edge-of-your-seat tale”
— British Vogue
“A tense survival story with an unexpected ending ★★★★”
— The Sun
“As thought provoking as it is wrenching, prepare to shed tears ★★★★”
— Heat
“Think Gravity meets The Versions of Us”
— Red
“Original, surprising and romantic”
— Woman & Home
“The ticking clock of the novel will have you tearing through it as quickly as you can, all the while getting caught up in the couple’s beautiful love story”
— Hello!
“An incredibly imaginative debut”
— Sunday Mirror
“Breaks your heart, then kicks it a few more times for good measure in the most beautiful way possible”
— The Pool
“Intriguing and moving, it’s a love story that’s out of this world ★★★★”
— Sunday Express
“This is a stirring, unique and beautifully crafted story on the complexities of first love that will stay with you long after reading. This is going to be huge”
— Image
“A space romance with a political edge”
— Irish Times
“A unique take on the usual dystopian fiction . . . a worthy read which will keep you up past bed time ★★★★ ”
— Sci-Fi Now
“Just the ticket if you’re looking to get lost in a breathless love story”
— Grazia

BOOK TRAILER(S)

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

Nice things some brilliant authors have said about HOLD BACK THE STARS...

“Hold Back the Stars is a rare combination of thrilling action, deep emotional depth and intelligent ideas. The most unique love story I’ve read in years.”
— Rowan Coleman, bestselling author of THE MEMORY BOOK
“Dazzling . . . a truly stellar debut, full of wonder and heart. I’m sure it’s going to be a mega hit.”
— Emma Jane Unsworth, author of ANIMALS
“Terrific . . . a beautiful story.”
— Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of THE BONE SEASON
“Playfully serious, imaginatively assured, Hold Back the Stars packs real emotional punch.”
— Laline Paull, bestselling author of the Baileys Prize nominated THE BEES
“Gorgeous, brilliant, heartbreaking . . . A love story to remember.”
— Debbie Howells, bestselling author of THE BONES OF YOU
“What a shiny jewel of a read! Such heart, such brilliance, such exquisite observation. I envy those who are yet to discover this bold and captivating delight.”
— Caroline Smailes, author of THE DROWNING OF ARTHUR BRAXTON
“A high-stakes, high-concept love story from a bold new talent . . . All of the obvious ‘out of this world’ comments apply.”
— Matt Haig, bestselling author of HOW TO STOP TIME
“Bittersweet and beautiful. An intricate and heart-breaking vision of the future.”
— Lauren James, YA author of THE NEXT TOGETHER
“Beautifully, frustratingly, heart-breaking.”
— Maggie Harcourt, YA author of UNCONVENTIONAL
“A beautiful, moving, truly original tale. I loved this book for taking me by surprise.”
— Renee Knight, bestselling author of DISCLAIMER
“A tense, crisp, edge-of-your-seat love story and a completely unexpected ending, I was gripped from the first line to the last. Hold Back The Stars is out of this world. I loved it.”
— Anna McPartlin, author of THE LAST DAYS OF RABBIT HAYES
“This story is gorgeousness in book form.”
— Miranda Dickinson, bestselling author of FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK

And nice things authors have said (so far) about THE LIGHT BETWEEN US...

““Gripping, fascinating, funny, romantic, exciting, and hopeful with a great cast of women, The Light Between Us is a cracking good read.””
— Rowan Coleman, bestselling author of The Summer of Impossible Things
““Full of friendship, romance and hope, The Light Between Us asks what truly defines who we are... and who we love.” ”
— Maggie Harcourt, author of The Last Summer of Us
““An intriguing and wonderfully told story full of brilliant women, friendship, love, art and time travel. Perfect for fans of The Time Traveller’s Wife and Sliding Doors.” ”
— Lydia Ruffles, author of The Taste of Blue Light
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audioBOOK

Read by Games of Thrones actress Gemma Whelan.

Available on Audible and all good audio sites.

Listen to an extract below.

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about katie

 

 

Katie Khan is a writer from London whose first novel, HOLD BACK THE STARS, is published in twenty-four countries internationally and translated into twenty-one languages. HOLD BACK THE STARS is being adapted into a film by producers Dan Cohen and Shawn Levy (Arrival/Stranger Things), directed by Lee Toland Krieger (The Age of Adaline/Riverdale), and exec produced by Good Universe (The Disaster Artist).

HOLD BACK THE STARS was a finalist for the Romantic Novel Awards 2018, and shortlisted for Brave New Words, celebrating originality in genre writing. THE LIGHT BETWEEN US is published in August 2018.

A fan of love stories with epic settings both on the page and on screen, Katie spent 10 years working in online editorial and technology, including 4 years as Head of Digital at Paramount Pictures, before joining Warner Bros. in 2017 to work on a major film production. Named in the 40 Under 40 working in European Cinema at CineEurope 2016, and The Drum's Top 50 most influential people in social media marketing in the UK, Katie was also selected as a Rising Star by The Media Eye.

Katie is represented by literary agent Juliet Mushens, and represented for film rights by Howie Sanders at Anonymous Content.

 
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NEWS & Updates

 

INSTAGRAM

Today is grey and rainy in the UK - proper “watch a Spielberg film on the sofa” weather - but this atmospheric foggy photo by @xcrini in Germany is NEXT LEVEL 😻 Autumn is well and truly here! (Though I did eat an ice cream in the sunshine yesterday, so...🤷‍♀️☂️) Have a lovely Sunday 🍂📚☕️☔️🍁 - #repost @xcrini . If you ever want to read a scifi that's not really scifi in the sense of being all about the tech, I HIGHLY recommend Katie Khan's books! . The Light Between Us is her newest and I LOVED it. it's kind of a love story but also not because there is SO much more to it. Also: TIME TRAVEL. Kind of. You gotta find out for yourself :P My favorite aspect of the book is without a doubt the friendship between the girls which is still such a rare thing to find in books, especially adult SFF. . I love me some good time travel stories, especially when they tackle the time paradox. (recs always welcome!) While I usually adore Doctor Who and the like, Katie Khan showed me a different side to it, and once again crushed me with the feels. . I'll never tire of her making me read books/topics (*cough* romance *cough*) that I usually wouldn't even think of touching, and making me fall in love with the story, hard. . #bookreadhappyhour - let's do the time warp again!
Who knew that chihuahuas loved autumn? (They definitely don’t love winter!) 🍂
Book recommendations! If you’re heading out to buy books on #bookshopday today, and if you love fantasy and adult fairytales, pick up these by Naomi Novik. I came to UPROOTED two years late; @mushenska kept telling me to read it so I *finally* bought it at Easter — and could not put it down! I doubt I can explain it well enough and I’d hate to give away spoilers, but it’s dark, and (I hate this word, sorry) sexy, and malevolent... here’s the blurb: 🌲 Agnieszka loves her village, set deep in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest casts a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest's dark magic. However, his help comes at a terrible price. One young village woman must serve him for ten years, leaving all they value behind. Agnieszka fears her dearest friend Kasia will be picked at the next choosing, for she's everything Agnieszka is not - beautiful, graceful and brave. Yet when the Dragon comes, it's not Kasia he takes. 🌲 Meanwhile SPINNING SILVER is a slightly more complex novel — a loose (adult) retelling of Rumpelstiltskin, told from multiple perspectives, and with an interesting take on the inherently anti-Semitic “Jewish money lender” caricature (the author is of Lithuanian-Jewish descent). I took this photo of my ARC then picked up a signed copy of Spinning Silver from @goldsborobooks, woohoo. Happy #nationalbookshopday #bookshopday2018! 📚📚📚 #Uprooted #SpinningSilver
Winter is coming.
I enjoy taking photos so much that I thought it was time I got a proper camera. Cue me walking around the woods snapping one million rubbish photos of my chihuahua in the autumn leaves... and this, captured out my parents’ car window, at traffic lights. “Move forward mum! Just an inch! Back a bit, that’s it! Wait—don’t move off yet!” =beep beep beep beep= “Okay, you can drive now. Sorry. And thank you.” #watchoutworld 💁‍♀️📸
“Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the Earth.” Spending Saturday afternoon with Dr Ellie Sattler (and a live orchestra playing the score). As I get older she’s more and more becoming my role model... “We can discuss the sexism of survival situations when I get back.” Ahh, Ellie. Might buy some safari shorts. And a pink shirt. 💖 #JurassicParkLive (intense goosebumps when they played the theme!) 🦕🦖
mood: smash the patriarchy
Hello, how was your weekend? I continued my year of “booking tickets to things” and “leaving the house” (a novel approach). I went to the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night for Beethoven’s 9th, but I didn’t take a single good picture... I *can* tell you, however, that hearing an orchestra and choir belt out Ode to Joy is quite the uplifting experience! 💫 I love this picture by @bookiemunchie of the #TheLightBetweenUs book proof ✨💖

TWITTER

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THE LIGHT BETWEEN US: BLOG TOUR

To celebrate the publication of my new novel, The Light Between Us, we're having a blog tour! These are all the places where you can read reviews and bits about the book every day across the next 2 weeks. Exciting! ✨I'll add the links to the blogposts below, so they're all collected in one handy place.

COVER REVEAL! THE LIGHT BETWEEN US
COVER REVEAL! THE LIGHT BETWEEN US

Introducing the cover for my second novel, THE LIGHT BETWEEN US, coming August 9th.

It’s a novel featuring light and time, dusk and dawn, day and night... summed up so beautifully in this cover! (Imagine those gold sparkles on a shelf!) Designed by Beci Kelly at Transworld, who also designed the HOLD BACK THE STARS paperback.

ANNOUNCING THE TITLE OF MY SECOND NOVEL
ANNOUNCING THE TITLE OF MY SECOND NOVEL

It's a story about light and time.

A girl and a boy.

The grey area between platonic friendship and unrequited love...

Oh, and time travel.

The alchemy of reading the right book at the right time
The alchemy of reading the right book at the right time

There is some kind of alchemy involved in finding the right book at the right time. I truly believe there is a specific and perfect time in anyone’s life to read a story—you just have to cross your fingers and hope that you’ll cross paths with it, or have the book pressed into your hands by a loved one, precisely when you need it the most.

I wrote about reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger exactly as I went through my own personal heartbreak - and how cathartic that was.

Hold Back the Stars shortlisted for Romantic Novel Awards 2018
Hold Back the Stars shortlisted for Romantic Novel Awards 2018

A big week for my little book.

First shortlisted for Starburst Magazine's Brave New Words, an award recognising original genre writing, today Hold Back the Stars was announced as a finalist for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Eeeee!

Run by the Romantic Novelists' Association, the awards -- called the RoNAs -- are fascinating in that they celebrate the best in romantic fiction each year, honouring works in Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Epic Romantic Fiction, Historical Romance, Romantic Comedy, Paranormal and Speculative Romance, Young Adult Romance and Shorter Romantic Fiction (with the RoNA Rose Award). It's fantastic to see an award recognise so many genres and facets a love story can take.

Hold Back the Stars is a finalist for Brave New Words
Hold Back the Stars is a finalist for Brave New Words

Now, this is a cool thing. An award for genre writing that considers novels, blog posts, short stories, screenplays, poetry, and anthologies. Run by Starburst Magazine, 'Brave New Words' boasts not only an impressive spread of different mediums, but the perfect sci-fi play-on-words title.

I'm so thrilled to be shortlisted - alongside some properly great genre writers, too! Here is the shortlist:

Hold Back the Stars: Music Playlist
Hold Back the Stars: Music Playlist

Every writer has a music playlist for their book. Don't they?

At the very least a brain trailer reel - the music you imagine the scenes of your book set to.
I, personally, use music as a way to transition from my day job back into the world of the novel each evening; I listen to a varied playlist as I drive home from work, letting the music lead my imagination away from Microsoft Outlook and office politics, and back towards the meteor showers, light-up dance floors, and first dates in abandoned observatories of the story I'll be writing when I get back home.