Meet Katrina Thornley | Poet, Editor, & Novelist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katrina Thornley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katrina, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. My love for literature stemmed from being read to every night as a child. The stories inspired me to start writing my own stories; the first story I wrote had to do with a missing basketball. It was quite the riveting mystery (at least I thought so when I was 8 years old). I continued writing through college and in 2020 I decided I wanted to be able to bounce ideas off of people again. Workshops were my favorite part of college courses at URI. I started a creative writing club at my local library, but Covid eventually got in the way of our meetings. I had been discussing starting a magazine and publishing company with the group, and one of the members, Kassandra Lufkin, decided to undertake the mission with me. It has been amazing working with her. We both believe there are many artists in Rhode Island that need a way to share their voice.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I love what I do. I love being able to read the work of other artists and be able to provide feedback to them. We do receive quite a few submissions, but we take the time to read each individual piece and provide feedback. As a writer, I know how important it is to know the true thoughts behind the person potentially publishing your work. I like to be open with our writers about the entire process and letting them know what is working best for them. Exeter Publishing is run by writers, so we understand the entire creating process. Right now, I’m excited to see where we go. We have a few manuscripts that we are reading through and are currently reading through submissions for our reimagined fairy tale anthology that we will be releasing soon (the deadline is March 26th).
I’m also excited to be releasing my 3rd collection of poetry this summer, as well as my first novel in June (Kings of Millburrow).
Getting to this point has not been easy. I was terrified to publish my first collection of poetry, Arcadians: Lullaby in Nature. I wasn’t sure if people would ‘get it’. The acceptance of the work has been overwhelming and the community seems to enjoy it. It was a poetry collection inspired by rural Rhode Island. It was amazing to see how many people can connect to it.
Starting Exeter Publishing was a risk. It has been a learning process, but it is one I have enjoyed. Using social media to market our work is one of the more challenging aspects because we both work full time jobs outside of Exeter Publishing. We hope to eventually turn Exeter Publishing into our main focus, but right now we both have student loans that we need to cover. In order to overcome our social marketing dilemma we have started planning posts ahead of time and each tackle 1-2 platforms.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would definitely spend quite a lot of time hiking. This is one of the main forms of entertainment in the area and has inspired countless poems. We would have to spend an afternoon at Stepping Stone Falls where we would watch the river for a while before making lunch in the pavilion on Ben Utter Trail. We will spend the next day investigating the historic sites on Barber Trail and in the Arcadia Management Area off of rt 165. There are tons of historic cemeteries strewn throughout the woods and evidence of old homesteads. We would discuss the people that were once there and their connections to the town, most of them still have family members living in town. We would of course have to have at least one meal at The Middle of Nowhere Diner. It is completely unavoidable. It’s a staple in our town and something everyone has to experience. (Their short staffed right now, be patient). Chances are, we will also eat at Little Country Pizza on Friday. You can’t miss their fish and chips! Browning Mill Pond would be another field trip. It’s an easy hike and enjoyable right around sunset. If you time it correctly and finish the loop just as the sun is setting, you can take a moment to enjoy the beautiful sky. At sunset, Browning Mill Pond feels almost magical. There is an energy here unlike any other.
We would spend an afternoon pursuing the shelves of Rarities Books & Bindery and spend some time talking to the lovely owner before grabbing a coffee from the Caf Bar next door. (Of course, I will have to show them my three publications on the shelf as well as Exeter Publishing’s “From the Soil”).
Before my best friend departs, we would have to visit the Hack and Livery gift shop to peruse their shelves and eventually leave with a bag full of candy. From here, we would go to the ocean for a change of scenery.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to thank the teachers at EWG High School for encouraging my love for writing, my parents for providing literature throughout my entire life, and Kassandra Lufkin for joining me on this journey!

Website: www.exeterpublishing.com. www.seekatwrite.com

Instagram: @ExeterPublishing and @seekatwrite

Twitter: @Exetercreates