Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Book Sale!!





Woohoo! It's that time of year again. Time for Audrey Press's annual Holiday Kidlit Book Love sale! What does this mean, you may ask? Well, it means that all books published under Audrey Press (which includes the Aletha imprint) are currently on sale on Amazon until December 5th!

So if you haven't gotten your copy of Ascension now is the time! But there are several other wonderful kid lit books that make great holiday presents!







Here's a list of Audrey Press books:

1. The Fox Diaries by Valarie Budayr
2. The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook by Donna Ashton
3. A Year in the Secret Garden by Valarie Budayr
4. Dragons are Real by Valarie Budayr
5. Ascension by Hannah Rials

All of these books are award winning books that will add a lot to any home! So get them now so that you can win at gift-giving.

Happy Book Buying,
    HER

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Election Day

      I know that everyone is probably sick and tired of seeing election junk on social media and literally everywhere on the entire planet. I'm sick of it.
      However, I can't stress it enough, please go vote. This is my first presidential election, and it's extremely disappointing--all the talk of violence and hatred of others with opposing opinions.
I thought about not voting several times throughout this election, but fiction actually convinced me to do other wise.
      As bad as our world might seem right now, as horrible and depressing as the world is portrayed in the media, we still have a voice. We have a choice. Our opinion matters, as much as we might believe differently. And here's the kicker--we have a say. We have freedom of speech. We have a hand in shaping our country, though it is becoming increasingly harder, so it seems.
     Now imagine the worlds in the books that we love so much--the controlling totalitarian regime in The Hunger Games, the corrupt kings and merchants in The Grisha trilogy and Six of Crows. The twisted government system in The Giver. 
      At least we have a choice. At least we can speak freely without being thrown into a deadly game. I know it may seem fruitless to vote. The lines are long, all you get is a sticker, blah blah blah. But this is your right, and if you just sit on your couch, then it's a waste.

      If you can't get behind the two main candidates, there are options. There are several independents (though I can honestly say that I never saw anything about any of them), and you can always write in.

     As bad as you think our country is, go read a fiction book, and you'll be kissing the ground of the world we live in. Voice your choice. Exercise your right. Please--go vote.

Voted,
    HER 

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Having a Writing Schedule

      When I started writing Ascension almost nine years ago, I literally wrote whenever I had a free moment. Sometimes even when I didn't have a free moment. I wrote after homework, in boring classes, occasionally during church (sorry, pastors, you and Jesus were just inspiring). I wrote in the car, on planes, literally all the time. Sometimes, I'd go awhile without writing because I was editing or giving myself Christmas break.
       College life has kind of changed me just a tad. It seems like there is always something to do, even if that is giving myself a mental break (because, y'all, college kids need mental breaks). This has become extremely obvious to me this past semester. At the beginning of the semester, as I was trying to settle into my routine while trying to find time to write, it was basically impossible.
       So I've been making myself wake up an hour earlier than I would normally wake up for class. I make coffee (essential) and breakfast then sit down to write. It's not nearly enough time. I hate getting up and going to class when I'm smack-dab in the middle of a good scene. But I have to do it. Now, as a young adult, I need this set time to sit down, close my door, listen to music, and write.
       That's not to say I don't write any other time of day. Last week, I was super pumped up about getting to the end of Ascension 2.0 (though I didn't), so I wrote for maybe 3 hours one evening because I had an odd lack of homework.
       I'm also not saying that you have to write every single day. Sometimes that's not possible. If Tuesday and Thursdays are the best days for you, make those your writing days. Or just write a heck of a lot during the weekend.
      For all of you young writers and older writers and middle writers, just carve out a little bit of time, consider it like going to the gym for your mind. You need to exercise your skill, practice, hone it. This is just one of many ways to do that.
      Conveniently, a good way to do that started today! NaNoWriMo is an annual event that challenges writers to get the skeleton of a novel onto the page. In 30 days time, you will have written a 50,000 word novel. If you're interested, click here. I wish you all the best of luck in your NaNoWriMo goals!

Get Writing,
     HER