Kate McLaughlin is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author, Kathryn Smith. Over the span of almost 25 years in the business, Kate has released approximately 50 works of genre fiction (romance, fantasy, thriller and YA) and has been published by Avon Romance, Avon True Romance, St. Martins, Signet Romance, Harlequin Teen, Orbit, Redhook and Wednesday Books. Her books have received rave reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and other review sites.
She has been nominated for many awards including (but not limited to) YALSA’s Best YA novel, The Ontario Library Association’s White Pine award (2022 and 2023 winner! 2024 nominee.), The Moonbeam Children’s award, Romantic Times best book in category, Romantic Times Scifi/Fantasy Chapter’s best book in YA and in Steampunk. Her books have been published internationally, translated for Brazil, Russia, China, Germany and many more.
Kate has appeared on news programs in Canada as well as Connecticut and was one of three authors featured in the Bravo Canada documentary ‘Who’s Afraid of Happy Endings?’. She has participated in blog tours for previous books, as well as panel appearances, class-room Skype events, book club appearances, and library visits. She has spoken in front of large audiences at BEA, BookCon, DragonCon, NY ComicCon, Thrillerfest, Romantic Times, and Romance Writers of America national conferences. She has also appeared on radio programs and several podcasts.
While not a huge fan of trying to “sell” herself, Kate realizes social media is necessary in a successful writing career and has been growing her platforms at a steady pace. She loves interacting with readers and is constantly striving to improve as both a writer and a person.
Currently, she lives in Connecticut with her husband and four senior cats who don’t realize they’re seniors.
Seeking published books, graphic novels, and short stories for film and TV adaptation. Winner and runner-up receive extensive development with execs and circulation to producers.
Reviewing unpublished manuscripts across multiple categories of fiction and nonfiction. Select publishers and literary agents get first look at the winners and runners-up.
Unpublished finalist (Nonfiction) Kate Evans was introduced by Pipeline to agent Cindy Bullard of Birch Literary in 2023, who soon after signed her. Ditch Your Sh*t!: How to Declutter the Crap Out of Your Life and Home is slated for publication in October 2025 through Turner Books.
The Woman in the Waves by Camille Booker, winner of the 2022 Unpublished season (Mystery/Thriller), released March 2025 from Hawkeye.
Michelle Lerner signed with Veronica Goldstein of UTA (formerly Fletcher & Co) after placing as a finalist in the 2020 Unpublished Outsider category with her experimental novel Ring. The book released in January 2025. Read her interview on Pipeline Artists.