Sunday, December 16, 2018

Semester Wrap Up!

Portfolios have been submitted. Workshops have been critiqued. So many books have been read, and so many new pieces written. But I still can't believe that my first semester in grad school is nearly over. Just one day left! One third of the way through the year.

I have learned a ridiculous amount in a very short span of time. I've settled on a manuscript for the rest of the year. I've experimented with voice and point of view and age range. I've learned how to question my writing, how to go back and make it the best it can be. I've read so many great books that have helped to further my writing and given me something to aim for in my own writing as well.

Many people say that you don't need to study writing to be a good writer, and that's fine. But writing is like any other profession or talent or skill. To get better at it, you have to be surrounded by it. You have to practice it. You have to breathe it. That's what this year is for. Living and breathing writing, specifically, the writing that I want to do. I can't wait to see what these next two semester's bring!

Here's a recap of the semester!

Favorite Books:
       From my set reading list:
               Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo (a beautiful World War 1 story with a clear voice, an            amazing sense of tension thanks to Timelock, and nostalgic characters)
   
               Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell (a charming middle grade novel that makes the normal world seem magical and has the most adorable, unique voice!)

               Skellig by David Almond (a magical realism novel showing kids how to deal with mourning and their emotions. Absolutely lovely imagery and symbolism with a simple story)

       From my personal reading:
                The Bear and the Nightengale by Katherine Arden (magical realism with a russian setting and playing with russian mythology. Huge and atmospheric with bold characters--so lovely!)
         
                Rosie Loves Jack by Mel Darbon (realistic fiction following a main character with down syndrome who goes to London in search of her boyfriend who's been taken away. Poignant, strong voice, and an absolutely necessary read!)

                Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone (middle grade fantasy. Complex plot with a girl who's voice is being stolen, a boy set in his ways, a fallen goddess trying to take over the world. Beautiful nature imagery and strong friendship).

My Writing Takeaways:


  • Write the book that you want to write, that you don't see on the shelves. Don't think about the industry as you're writing it. 
  • Character questionnaires are extremely helpful. They can be downloaded online and just make you probe your subconscious and figure out things about your character. 
  • The opening of your book must give a preview of what's inside your book. 
  • Influences make you into the writer you're meant to be. So be alert, relaxed, and allow yourself to be surprised by life and how it affects your writing. 
  • TIMELOCK keeps the pace moving forward and adds to the tension of a story. 
  • Endings in all sense of the word are important. Make sure you leave the ends of chapters with a bang, making the reader read on. Don't rush your big ending. What do you want to leave the readers with? 
  • Justifying the rule Show don't Tell: Because showing allows the reader to be active in book and bring their own experiences to the story. 
  • Reading poetry makes your mind think differently and can help spark ideas in your work. Play with words and language. Keep a bag of pretty words (and minuscule words).
  • **End sentences with strong images, not unnecessary words. 
  • Kids and young readers are a lot more sophisticated than we give them credit for, but also know what kids of your age group can handle. 
  • Realistic relationships are created through light and shade in a novel. 
  • Take character temperature at the beginning and end of the scene. If they are the same, the scene is too static. 
  • Antagonists need to be worthy and have reasons, even if they are terrible reasons. 
  • Need some tension? Throw a bomb under the bed
  • Reticular Activating System: as soon as you put a value on something, you'll make connections. 
  • Think about what you're really trying to say, and try your hardest not to say it. 
  • The Story Questions: What readers want answered, drives the story forward, questions are replaced throughout the book. 
  • First draft is telling the story to yourself. You have to do that first. 
It's been a long crazy semester. I've learned a lot. For once in my life, I know that I am a good writer--a good writer with mountains of space to improve. Because isn't that what we're always doing? I've learned that I'm good at voice, at balance of action and dialogue. But I often overwrite because I don't think I'm getting my story across. Sometimes I need to amp up the twists. 
And I'm so excited to start my manuscript, to create the atmosphere that I envision in my head. Stay tuned for what the next semester has in store! 

Happy Holidays, 
      HER 


Sunday, December 2, 2018

Book Review: Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

Okay, so no, this blog is noT turning into a book review site. It's just that heavy reading has been half of my workload for grad school this first semester, and I have read some truly wonderful books! I will do a wrap up of my first semester's learning because my last class is next week. NEXT WEEK! But first, I want to talk to you about Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell because it is just utterly lovely.

Sophie, the girl with hair the color of lightning, was found as a baby floating through the English Channel in a cello case by Charles Maxim, the most charming British academic you will ever have the pleasure of reading. Charles, with the permission of the State, raises Sophie as his charge, but loves her as his daughter. But Sophie's upbringing is unusual, not exactly what a young woman in England "should" be studying--and she most certainly should be not be wearing trousers.

Even though she loves her life with Charles, Sophie is utterly convinced that her mother is still alive, and though she was a baby when she was found, she swears that she has memories of her mother wearing trousers and playing the cello. So when the state decides that Charles is an unfit guardian and plan to take Sophie to an orphanage, Sophie discovers a clue about her mother--a Paris address on the cello case that she was found in twelve years ago. So instead of complying with the law and heartbreak, Charles and Sophie pack a bag and jump a ship across the English Chanel for Paris, on a Mother-hunt.

Instantly, Sophie is convinced that Paris is the right place for her, that it feels like home. However, answers are not coming as easily as she might hope. The Parisians are not as polite as the English, and no one wants to help her find her mother, who most likely died in the shipwreck.

Just when all seems lost, Sophie meets Matteo, a rooftopper--aka an orphan who's made his home out of living on the rooftops of Paris, a magical and dangerous life. Sophie's eyes are opened to this hard, new way of life, but in it, she finds a group of loyal, brave friends and answers to all her prayers. Because from the rooftops, one can hear everything--including the cello music of a woman with lightning colored hair, the same as Sophie's.

I think I can honestly say that, apart from Skellig by David Almond, Rooftoppers is my favorite read of the semester. Sophie is the most unique, odd, charming, utterly herself character
with beautiful ways of seeing the world. I was underlining her thoughts like crazy. I think Charles might be one of my favorite adult characters in a middle grade book, an adult character who both believes in the agency of children and the agency of women. He's a true feminist. The voice of the story is witty and exciting, with unusual, exciting descriptions. I finished this book in two days, and I was sad to finish it.

My favorite quote: "Mothers were a place to put down your heart. They were a resting stop to recover your breath."

This is an absolutely must-read. I'm not kidding. Read it!

Happy Reading,
    HER 

Friday, October 26, 2018

Book Review: Utterly Me, Clarice Bean by Lauren Child

Utterly Me, Clarice Bean is the 4th book in my set reading for the MA, and it was such a joy! Really, I've enjoyed everything I've read so far (Charlotte's Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Skellig). But I chose to specifically write about the Clarice Bean series (aka the British equivalent of Junie B. Jones) because, as I was reading and presenting on it, I realized how beneficial of a book this would be for children with disabilities that make reading challenging and therefore just don't read.

Clarice Bean is an average girl with one too many siblings and who has a deep love of the Ruby Redfort mystery books. She wishes she had an exciting life like Ruby's spy life, but instead she must deal with a sneaky grandpa, coats being rearranged at school, her siblings, and her best friend Betty Moody.
Clarice is actually quite excited for a school project when the class is assigned to pick their own book to do a book report table on. They must have a display and show what they have learned from the books. The winners will get a secret prize and their names on a gold trophy. Naturally Clarice and Betty choose the Ruby Redfort book to do their report on. But then several mysteries throw their way into Clarice's way to victory.
First of all, there's a mysterious barking coming from her grandpa's room. Then Betty goes missing. And THEN the golden cup that the winners are supposed to get their names on goes missing! It's all just going to the dogs. And Clarice is left on her own to solve all these mysteries, discover what she's learned from the Ruby Redfort books, and deal with everyday problems.

Clarice Bean's voice is established immediately, and this little girl is hilarious and sassy. I love her. I actually wrote "lol" on nearly every page. But Lauren Child is very witty in the way she sets this book up, which I think is just perfect for children with attention struggles. She plays with the size of text to pull kids' attention back in and forms some of the story's words into shapes. She also has installments of the Ruby Redfort books sprinkled throughout Clarice's own story, so it's almost like breaking up the book, keeping it fresh, and holding your child's attention.
Anyone will enjoy this book because the writing is charming and Clarice Bean is hilarious. But if you have a/know of a child who doesn't like reading just because books can't keep their attention, hand them this Utterly Me, Clarice Bean. They might just get sucked in.

**Plus, this book promotes kids reading what they enjoy, rather than what they are required to read, and I think that's incredibly important. Clarice shows that she's able to learn something from a popular fiction book. So all the power! But I'm off my soapbox now.

Happy Reading,
         HER 

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Review: The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler

I started reading the Emily Windsnap series when I was about 10 years old, right when they came into publication. And they were my absolute favorites! So much my favorites that I wrote a letter to the British author, Liz Kessler, a couple years later about how much I loved her books and how I was a writer too and wrote all the time and wanted to be published.
Well, to my 12 year old astonishment, I received a letter back from this amazing author encouraging me to keep writing. I've saved that letter for 10 years now, displaying it proudly on my wall. Never did I think I'd get to the day when I would meet Liz and be able to show her the letter that she sent me all those years ago.
Well, that day did come this past weekend. I finally got to meet Liz at the Bath Children's Literature Festival, listen to her speak, and finally show her the letter she sent me. She was so touched that she nearly cried, came all the way around the table to hug me and take a picture with ME on HER phone, which never happens. I'm so blessed that I was able to share with her how much her letter touched my courage and influenced my writing career. It is one of the highlights of my life, thus far.

But this is a book review. Since my MA Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University starts tomorrow, I thought I'd reread the first The Tail of Emily Windsnap to prepare and also just to reread. Cause why not? I wanted to look at it with the critical eye of an adult and a writing student. I was just as extraordinarily pleased with it as I was when I was a child.
The book instantly hooks readers and really pulls us into the story by having Emily, the first person narrator, address the audience by sharing a secret with us. And we, of course, are the only ones to know. But she doesn't just come right out and say what her secret is; she reveals the secret through scene--the secret that she's a mermaid! But how is this possible? Her mother's afraid of water, and she's never known anything about her dad.
It's not until she meets her first real life mermaid, her new bff Shona, that answers start to fall into place. After a day at mermaid school with Shona, Emily discovers who her father might be--a siren who broke the rules and fell in love with a human. But what's happened to him? Where is he? And how does she get to him?
With the help of her new fin and her loyal, brave best friend, Emily is determined to find the truth and bring her family back together.

Kessler's writing is simple yet beautiful. The dialogue is fast paced and skips through unnecessary bits of the story, that might be important to an older mind but a younger mind would just blitz over anyway. But my favorite part of Kessler's writing is her use of verbs. She utilizes the absolute perfect, imagery-inducing verbs, and I LOVE it. I'm quite jealous in fact. I enjoyed the charming details to create a mermaid culture like siren classes and the word "swishy," which just really makes the book come to life. I might even start using "swishy" again to describe the coolest of cool things.

But as I was reading this, I was trying to remember why I was so in love with it as a kid. I was never really taken to the beach yearly, and I'd never had an obsession with mermaids, even though I did love Ariel. Reading it now, I remember. A--I felt a slight connection to Emily, feeling outside of her school, not really having a place among friends, but just needing one good friend. And B--we'd just moved into a house with a pool, and literally the only thing I wanted to do was play mermaids. I was a mermaid literally every day of the summer. And that was my a-ha moment. Thanks to my pool, Emily Windsnap and I became bffs.

After listening to Liz speak at the Bath Children's Literature festival, I loved hearing her take on how stories come to her. First of all, she advised all young writers to carry a notebook with them everywhere, which I 100% support. Second of all, she said that she doesn't make up characters or put pieces of people together. For her, the story already exists and choose the writers. And again, I have to whole-heartedly agree with this.
I've never had to sit down and think through Cheyenne's character or her story. It's always just come to me, and I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only author who thinks this way.

Apart from this being a review, this is also an encouragement to young readers/writers--write authors! We may not always respond, though some still do (obviously). But we can't tell you how much it touches our hearts that the stories we manage to pen make a difference in our readers' lives the way that Liz Kessler made a difference in mine.

So go read Emily Windsnap! She's on her 9th journey (and still going).

Happy Reading,
      HER 

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Happy Banned Book Week!

It's almost the end of banned book week, one of my favorite weeks of the year because it celebrates all the most amazing books that have been put out into the world and challenged for the truth and reality that they share. Because that does seem to be the recurring similarities in most banned books, right? That they show the truth of our world, even if those books aren't based in our world? It's very hard to face the truth when it's staring us in the face, and the people who challenge books seem to have trouble allowing young readers access to truth.
I have just finished reading Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult by Bruce Hardy, which was a great introductory book for my MA course. While the book gave a great analysis of some of the most beloved children's books, going all the way back to Little Women, it also shared why they are still beloved today. And the books that are still the most popular, still displayed, in their umpteenth reprinting, are the ones that display truth of what life is really like, deal with topics that children all deal with.
Adults often belittle what a child can handle and understand, but most kids can handle a lot more than we believe. They have their own way of dealing with the hard facts of life. We are doing them no favors by sugarcoating life, avoiding hard topics, and throwing out books that address those hard topics.
The Books that are on the banned book list are the most memorable, the most truthful, and often, the most beloved by their designated readers who appreciate the respect that they are shown.

Here are some of my favorite banned books:
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone
To Kill a Mockingbird
Forever by Judy Blume
Black Beauty
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Prep for England

The day is here! Tomorrow, I leave for Bath (!!!!!!!!!). Unsuprisingly, I've never done anything like this before. I've never packed up my whole life to take it to a whole new life. It's really kind of surreal--that's really the only word I can use to describe that encompasses all the feelings.

But the preparation for this move has been crazy. Extracting myself from my life in Maryville is not an easy thing--mainly because I have a lot of mementos and knick knacks and pictures and BOOKS and clothes and just stuff that I love. It was easy when I went to UTC because I was just two hours down the road and could drive to get whatever I had forgotten. Not exactly feasible with this move. So here's how I'm making this move work:

1. Space Bags: And not the space bags that you roll up, but the space bags that vacuum seal because those things are just plain magic. They decrease to half their size...maybe even more than that. It makes packing so much easier and saves so much space, literally. I wouldn't have been able to make all my luggage work without it.

2. A Good Carry On: I got a lovely carry on bag for Christmas in preparation for my upcoming travels, and let me tell you, I love this bag. It has a nice spacious upper section that will fit several days worth of clothes, and then below it is a section that fits shoes, chargers, all the extra things that wouldn't fit in the top part. For this move, I have clothes that'll last me, some medications, and my cameras.

3. A Backpack: The backpack has your essentials--the things you couldn't live without in the case that something happens to your luggage. A change of clothes, comfy sweater for the airplane, socks for the airplane, travel toiletries, laptop, chargers, book, wallet, whatever else you think you'll need to survive.

4. Charging converters: These are essential to the life of your technology, so I suggest taking them. On any other trip, not a move, I wouldn't recommend bringing laptops. Instead, I would get this awesome Nulaxy keyboard that bluetooth connects to your phone, so you can type on your phone easily. Evernote is a great app if you need to type larger documents.

5. Portable charger: I've never used one before, but on my last trip to DC, I really wished I'd had one of these things. When you take too many pictures or are instagramming a lot or forgot to charger your phone the night before, this little device is a lifesaver.

6. Lists: When that packing anxiety hits and you can't figure out if you have everything that you need, make lists. My friend recommended this when packing three suitcases got overwhelming, and I can't even tell you how much it helped me calm down and keep everything organize. Now, when I go to unpack, I have exactly where everything is.

7. Comfy but cute: For long flights like this, I try to be cute, but comfort comes first. Leggings, fuzzy socks for "sleeping" hours, a cozy sweater are all essentials to me.

What are your travel essentials?

See you across the pond,
      HER 

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Announcement

Hello All! So I mentioned some time ago that I had some new ideas in the works (yes, there is book stuff in the works, but that's not what this is, sorry). As some of you may know, I am moving to Bath, UK to pursue to Master's degree at Bath Spa University. I'll be attending their Master's in Creative Writing for Young People program for the next year, studying the craft of writing great children's and young adult literature. I honestly can't say how very excited I am about this, to be able to study exactly what I want to write.

This is not to say that I don't appreciate my general creative writing education from UT Chattanooga. It's been a great starting base, a wonderful way to grow my writing as a whole, and just a fantastic education. However, general fiction is not what I aspire to write. It's not my niche.

I always knew that I wanted to pursue my masters in writing, and at the time, I understood that that would mean studying more literary fiction and writing literary fiction. Most graduate creative writing programs are geared toward literary fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. There are only a few schools in the world that teach the craft of young adult and children's creative writing. The New School in New York City and Vermont College of Fine Arts, which is only a part time program, are the two schools that I could find that taught creative writing of young adult literature. Bath Spa University is actually one of the leading universities in this new type of program, and I'm so excited that it's coming to be.

That being said, I have decided to start a video series focusing on what I learn in my master's program--highlights on how to craft young adult literature--as well as the travels I take during my time in the UK. I will be posting these videos twice a month. Some will focus more on writing while others will focus more on travel.

When I started writing Ascension, I had no basis to go on other than the books I had read. They were my teachers, as they should be. Reading should always be the basis for how we learn to write. But at the time, there were no tools to help me advance my writing, to develop young characters and shape plot. We talked a lot in my undergraduate studies about how literary fiction is human pain. That is what drives these stories forward. It all starts with some kind of human suffering. My mission for the next year is to answer the question: What is young adult fiction?

**Also to tell you about all the best places I visit and where to eat and drink while in them**

My first post will be purely travel based, as it will be posted right after I settle down in Bath in a few weeks. I'll give you my insiders sneak preview as an American Wanderer.

I hope you'll all be excited about this project. I'm definitely excited about it; it's something that I wished I'd had as a resource when I was a young(er) writer. Here we go, y'all!

Stay tuned,
    HER

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

What I've Learned from the Food Service Industry

As many people can attest, I always said that I would never work in the service industry, specifically food service--mainly for one reason: I'm way too ridiculously clumsy. I knew I'd drop everything, get orders wrong, and spill drinks on people. Surprisingly in three months of being a front waiter, I've only made one of those mistakes.

I now strongly believe that everyone should work in food service at some point. It is by no means a glamorous job (I had no illusions about that), and it is really hard work. It's a challenge in character, in memory, and in thinking on your feet. It's about learning to work as a team, not just with others. I jumped right into the high end food industry, into a restaurant that fancy magazines write about, where the chef combines odd flavors to make an amazing dish. It's been a joy to work there and get to know all of my bosses and coworkers. But there have been serious lessons.

1. It's not about the mistake, but how you respond to that mistake: One of my first tables serving by myself, I spilled an entire glass of red wine on a customer. Not white wine--red. Let me tell you folks, if you spill any color wine on someone, you want it to be white. I was extremely embarrassed, nearly to the point of tears, especially because I knew the family that was dining at the table. I felt terrible, which led to me forgetting to bring more napkins and new plates. However, the rest of the evening, after several more apologies, I was able to joke with my table about it. Even if you make a mistake, because those slippery buggers will slip into your day, just bounce back. Remember to smile and make the rest of the day/evening as lovely as possible, both for you and the guests.

2. Working hard never doesn't pay off: I've never worked in the food industry before. I've never served before, not really. I've occasionally assisted with a family friend's catering business, but that's not really the same thing. I'm also not familiar with the etiquette that comes with fine dining. Now, if I ever marry ridiculously rich and have to host a dinner party for the great minds of the future, I'll know which way the dessert fork is supposed to face. However, I like my bosses; I like the place I work, and I want it to succeed. So I worked hard to make sure I was good at my job. And my bosses noticed. They were often surprised by the fact that I've never served before. But I worked hard this summer, learned the ever-changing menu, and remembered to put a smile on my face whenever I served. It most definitely paid off.

3. Balance: Most of the time, I'm pretty good at balancing my life. Sometimes...but it is hard. And serving tables is just a reminder of that. We're not always an extremely ridiculous restaurant, especially on a Monday or Tuesday evening. But there are several nights where I've had three or four tables at the same time. You have to make sure you give each of them enough attention, refill their waters and ask for drink refreshers, be sure to clear in time and announce to chef that they're ready for their food. But you also have to read your table. Are they there to interact? Do they want to talk to you? Or are they deep in their own conversation or business deal and just want you to blend into the background? Then you know whether to be charming or just to make sure their water is magically full all the time.

Weird things I've learned:

  • Martini glasses were invented in hell and are going to spill the contents if you look at them as you walk. 
  • The best way to cook okra is to pan sear it starting with a really hot pan. 
  • Pork Rinds with bearnaise sauce is heaven
  • Make sure tea dispensers always have the handle on them. 
  • Cooks are some of the funniest people 
I know that I most definitely do not want to work in food service. That's a fact. However, I do not at all regret my time in the high end food service industry this summer, and I'm definitely going to miss all the wonderful people that I've gotten to know and call friends. 

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Grand Isle Part 2

 Sometimes we stumble onto the most wonderful of places by chance. Me going to Grand Isle was not by chance; it was very purposeful. However, I had absolutely no idea what type of place I was walking into. I've heard some stories about this tiny little island, been warned to be careful, but now, after spending less than 24 hours there, I can't imagine why. I have never been to a more welcoming, relaxing, charming place in my life. 
I can't name one other place with a tourism director like Louise "Weezy" or a restaurant owner/council woman like Leoda Besson who'll drive you all over the island in her golf cart, the very first golf cart on the island, in fact. She's a trendsetter. I can't name another place where you can stand in the same spot and see both the sunrise and the sunset or a place with wonderful wildflowers that greet you at the entrance to the beach. 
Yesterday was a rough first day of our mini vacation; there's no doubt about that. But today made up for every last bit of wrong turns creaky motel beds or loud AC boxes. We started the day off with breakfast at Yum's (the name says it all). Which might very well be the only breakfast place on the island--also a drive through. I don't think I've ever heard of a drive through breakfast place before. We had some delicious mini beignets and and a full breakfast. Afterward, I was asking our waitress if she was from the island and if she could tell me what life was like. She was a new return, after being gone for many years, and told me the woman I needed to talk to was Yum, the owner of the restaurant, aka Leoda. So Miss Leoda comes up to me asking what I want to know about the island. 
"Anything. I want to know anything you can tell me."
"Well, you got some minutes? I can take you around in my golf cart." I'm sorry, but what other town will you find someone just willing to give you a free tour of their town, taking time out of their sunday morning??
But while she went to go collect her golf cart, we made our way down to the Grand Isle Tourism Center, which is in the middle of town next to the dilapidated butterfly dome (I still find it charming and cute, even if it isn't finished), where we met Mrs. Weezy and her husband Darrell. Weezy and Darrell are raising a daughter who's considered different in their tiny island town because she's uber intelligent and loves to binge read. I told Mrs. Weezy that she's normal in my world--the type of girl I'd definitely be hanging out with! But my mom had talked to Weezy on the phone, told her my story of writing and getting published and my success so far, and this apparently gave Weezy all the hope in the world for her daughter. Thirty seconds after Isidora and I walked through the door, she was hugging us, teary-eyed and stuffing a basket full of goodies for us. 
For the next hour, we just talked and talked. I learned more about the island from Mr. Darrel, who's lived there all his life. They are just some of the warmest, kindest people I have ever met, and I am beyond thankful that my visit could help ease their worry about their daughter in some way. Natalie, if you're reading this, you're awesome. Don't let anybody make you think otherwise. 
After we left the tourism center with our basket stuffed full of goodies, we went back to Yum's and started our golf cart tour with Leoda, and oh my, I've never received such information from a tour guide before! She took us back into the real part of Grand Isle, back where the locals live and where the remaining Acadian built houses are, and through the haunted neighborhood of Grand Isle and then down Post Lane where the ghost of Jean Lafitte is said to roam. We weaved in and out of these wooded areas with great magnolia trees, talking about history, about her childhood on the island, about how many people come here to create new lives for themselves, and it just hit me that this really is the perfect place for the third book of Ascension. You'll see why :) 
But she drove us down the beach, critiquing people who were crabbing incorrectly. We saw a school of dolphins right near the shore, which just absolutely made my morning, as if it wasn't already fantastic enough. It was a beautiful day; there were tons of people out fishing and enjoying the weather and each other's company. 
I just can't imagine a more idyllic day spent with some of the most wonderful people I've ever met in my life. The lesson from all this, I guess, is when you go to new places, don't be afraid to ask questions. My mom asked questions when we were finding a place to stay, which led to a wonderful morning with Mrs. Weezy and Mr. Darrell. And I asked questions at breakfast this morning, which led to a fantastic golf cart ride with about as local a woman as I could find. This has been one of the most wonderful adventures I could've ever asked for. 
So to Isidora, thank you for being my travel buddy and going with the flow. 
To Mrs. Weezy and Mr. Darrell, thank you for being the kindest of humans, giving us hugs and warmth, and absolutely making our morning. 
To Ms. Leoda, thank you for being the most fantastic tour guide we could've asked for. My book research wouldn't be complete without you. 
The people we met on Grand Isle are whole heartedly and unabashedly themselves, and that is something I strive for in the people that I surround myself with. 
Thank you, Grand Isle. I'll definitely be coming back for a second visit! 

Love,
    HER 

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Book Research: Grand Isle, La

Let the mini vacation/book research begin (and nearly end...I'm on this little slice of land off the coast of New Orleans for less than 24 hours). But here we are, and I've already gotten so much information!
For those of you who have never heard of Grand Isle, Louisiana, it's one of the few coastal islands just off of New Orleans that basically acts as a buffer during hurricane season, which is why all of their houses and buildings are on stilts. This island has a long history with pirates, mainly the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, who you might've heard of in some New Orleans/surrounding area legends. However, some of you English majors might recognize the name of the island from Kate Chopin's classic The Awakening. I can assure you first hand that as an English major who's read The Awakening twice for school, it is nothing like the idyllic, relaxing, upper class island that we've read about. But this is in no way a negative mark on the island's record.
Grand Isle is a charming town filled with local fisherman and laborers all living on houses of stilts. I noticed on the drive in that the majority of the houses have been named with phrases such as "Lit Mama's" and "Weathering Heights," hinting at the locals' fun, playful nature.
We checked into our Sand Dollar Motel room located at the very tip of the island where a fishing rodeo is happening (this is what the island is truly, internationally famous for) and they were hosting live music for some fishermen after a long day. Then we made our way back into the town where all the real action is :)
For those over 21, stop at the Island Daiquiri Drive Through for some excellent mixes to take with you  on your walk to the beach, which is just a short pass across the street (the eastern side is the best beaches, apparently host to several parties throughout the year). You'll walk up through the grassy pass and go through an entrance of a bushel of sunflowers (my favorite!). There's several entrances along the island with free parking, but if you park centrally in the town, it's not a bad walk at all! We spent some time on the beach as the sun was beginning to fall, and the weather was absolutely perfect! We had the heat of the sun on our backs with the cool breeze of the ocean on our faces. The beach proved to be a great stop because we got to talk to some locals about their views of the island (pretty much the point of coming to Grand Isle). They're local construction company owners who talked about how all they want is to get out of Grand Isle, and it just amazes them that so many international folks are traveling all across their world to come to the bottom of the real south. "Why in the heck do they want to come here?" It's just a tiny island town with a slow way of life.
The Starfish Diner has an amazing shrimp po-boy with lots of locals filling the tables. If you listen closely, you can hear the waitresses catching up with their tables that they haven't seen in awhile (bonus, you can bring your unfinished daiquiri in from next door as your drink).
We finished up the evening sitting on the dock of the bay outside of our motel, listening to "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding (hehe), where several guys were still fishing out on the dock, and there were even more boats still out on the water. I'm guessing that this is a 24- hour deal. The weather felt so nice with a cool breeze, almost to the point that I was chilly, but at the same time, my skin was sticky with humidity. When in Louisiana, right? I've pretty much forgotten what it's like to be an LA girl.

And that's day one of book research on Grand Isle. Guess I've given away the location of Book 3. Shhhhh don't tell the vampires!

Cheers,
    HER 

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Clandestine Spotify Playlist

We're gearing up for the Clandestine book launch over here in good old Tennessee, and I honestly could not be more excited! I've been sitting on this book for nearly two years, so I cannot wait to share it with all of you. I know you might be getting a bit antsy worrying about what's going to happen to Cheyenne. Don't worry, she's ready to share the next part of her story!

But the music...you might remember from last go-round that I created an Ascension playlist, along with particular character playlists as well. I've, of course, done the same for Clandestine, which I created after I wrote the first draft. The themes of the songs pretty much go chronologically through the plot of the book, so if you listen to it before you read it, you might get some very obscure hints about what's going to happen in the book :)

I always listened to this playlist when I was editing Clandestine to get me in the mindset and the New Orleans mood, and I honestly love it even better than my Ascension playlist. Give it a listen, get pumped for the book, and enjoy!! July 20th, here we come!!!

1. The City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie
2. broken by lovelytheband
3. Coming of Age by Maddie Medley
4. Black Out Days - Future Islands Remix by Phantogram
5. Hold Ya Head by The Notorious B.I.G. 
6. Please by Josiah and the Bonnevilles
7. Guilty Party by The National 
8. I've Given Up on You by Real Friends
9. Dreaming of You by The Coral
10. Meet Again by Langhorne Slim, The Law
11. Hunting Happiness by W. Darling
12. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free by Nina Simone
13. A closeness by Dermot Kennedy 
14. Disappear Here by Bad Suns
15. Perhaps Vampires is a Bit Strong But... by Arctic Monkeys
16. Cold Little heart by Michael Kiwauka
17. Say It Ain't So by Weezer
18. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by Ella Fitzgerald
19. Run for Cover by The Killers
20. On + Off by Maggie Rogers
21. Basic by Declan McKenna
22. Where Does the Good Go by Tegan and Sara
23. Stranger by Miki Fiki
24. Lil Dead Eye-d by Richard Edwards, Margo & the Nuclear So and So's
25. Under Your Spell by Futurebirds
26. Technicolor Room by Astronomy Club
27. After-hours by TroyBoi, Diplo, Nina Sky
28. Stonecold by machineheart
29. Kill and Run by Sia
30. Bludfire by Eva Simons, Sidney Samson
31. Rollup by Flosstradamus
32. Taste Like by Dan & Drum
33. Lose Feeling by The Copper Children
34. Hold Me to Ya by River Whyless
35. Cold Times by Brent Cowles
36. Ain't no Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant
37. No Good by Kaleo, Vinyl
38. Raise the Dead by Rachel Rabin
39. Wicked Ones by Dorothy
40. Heartbroken, In Disrepair by Dan Auerbach
41. Better Days by Hedley
42. Die Fun by Kacey Musgraves
43. Hallelujah by Pentatonix
44. Winterlong by Neil Young
45. Winter Is All Over You by First Aid Kit
46. Christmas Eve Can Kill You by The Everly Brothers 

Thursday, June 14, 2018

Staying in Touch

The young adult literature world is an interesting, exciting place to exist in. It's supportive, inclusive, and pushing the boundaries of great literature today. One of the frequently asked questions, since a majority of young adult authors are not actually young adults themselves, is how do you stay in touch with that part of yourself enough to write about it?
To me, that question was never relevant. When I was a teenager writing Ascension, time is frozen. I thought I'd never be older than a teenager...maybe I was in that vampire mindset a little bit too strongly. But at that point in your life, it's just hard to imagine being older than you already are, dealing with what we know call "adulting." I was fully ready to join Cheyenne in aging as slowly as possible, though I had no desire to take on her gargantuan problems.
In college, it wasn't even really that much different. Despite all the growing you do in higher education between the years of 18-22, you're still very connected to your teenage self. I can still feel very clearly the teachers who told me I wasn't reaching my potential, the first time I put myself out there to a guy and was turned down, the first time my friends betrayed me, the first time I really fought with my parents. The young adult years are a time of drama, of heightened emotions.
But even now, barely 22, I'm able to look back and see how absolutely dramatic I was and wonder exactly what I was thinking. So now I have to start asking myself--how do I stay connected to that part of myself to still be able to write young adult fiction?
There's two parts to this answer. First part--Cheyenne's voice lives in my head. I don't plan what she's going to do; she just does it through my keyboard. So she makes it easy.
Second part--so what about all the books that I'm going to write in the future? The ones I'm working on right now? That's where the real question lies, correct? I read. Okay, let me clarify, I read as much as I can get my hands on in as many genres as possible, but specifically, I have to keep up with the young adult literature, to support my community and also to stay in touch. I listen to conversations in coffee shops, or in lines at the store, or at restaurants--sorry guys, yes I am creeping. I talk to teachers to see what their students are like now.
But I realized this past weekend that I have still definitely held onto the child in myself. Yes, I am a young adult who's becoming more of an adult and less young as the days tick by. But my childhood is still fresh, my teenage years are clear. I have no shame in loving disney, in sleeping with a stuffed animal, or enjoy running around blowing bubbles with a giant bubble wand or wearing a paper flower crown on my head.
This is something that everyone should tap into though, every once in awhile at least. Being a kid is wonderful and difficult all at the same time. There's nothing wrong with tapping into that sense of wonder and innocent fun, abandoning your "adulting" abilities one day to fly a kite in the park, re-read your favorite kid's book even if you don't have kids, or just spend a good hour blowing bubbles and trying to catch them. If you need some help tapping into that mindset, just pick up one of the many wonderful children/middle grade/young adult books in the world now. They're totally immersive and will send you reeling back into that dramatic, wonderful time of your life.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

The Memory of Books

Books are memories. I've always heard this and never really though too much about it. But as the stresses of the summer started to set in--figuring out how to move to England, writing book 3, editing another book, and work--I deconstructed my personal library, a therapeutic exercise. I took all my books off their shelves, spreading them out in alphabet piles, which takes up my room and goes into the hallway.

It was slightly stressing me out that my books weren't in alphabetical order and that books from the same author weren't together or that series were split up. This always stresses me out (I'm weird), and now that I have bookshelves in two different rooms, that makes it even worse.

But as I pick up each book to alphabetize it, type into my inventory, and re-shelve it, memories flash back to me of when in my life I was reading each book, where I was, things that were happening around me. And that's kind of amazing to me--the fact that the written word has left that much of an impression on my mind that I can say, yes I was reading this book when I was here, doing this.

My favorite example--I was twelve years old when Twilight hit it big. I read the series in a week, right before the announcement of the movie was made. But I was reading them in Mississippi, while I was staying at my grandmother's house. As many other people probably remember from their time reading Twilight, I could not put them down, could not read them fast enough. I read well into the night, when my grandmother believed I was sleeping.

At this time, there were other people in the house, so I was sleeping in my grandmother's bed with her. I believe I'd just finished the third book, when suddenly I woke up to, "Hannah, Hannah, what are you saying? Why are you standing up?" I had apparently slept walked out of bed, done a loop around the house, and returned to my grandmother's room, saying, "I can't find the sunlight!"

I went peaceably back to sleep, but the next morning, my grandmother said to me, "I don't think you should be reading those scary vampire books anymore." :D I obviously did not follow this advice, quite the opposite actually.

But just going through all these books, it was a lot of fun, thinking, "Oh, I bought this book there," "Oh, this person recommended this book to me," "Oh, I read this book on the plane back from Portland," "Oh, this was the book that I threw against the wall at the end of it!" (PS it was a Maggie Stiefvater book).

Books are a walk through memory lane. I encourage you to go back through your personal library and reminisce with your books. It's a wonderful way to spend time an evening, or in my case, three evenings :)

Happy Reminiscing,
     HER 

Monday, May 14, 2018

Review of The Hidden Worlds by Sandra Ingerman and Katherine Wood

"Inspiring and powerful. The Hidden Worlds is an important, educational, imaginative story that will help all readers walk away with knowledge, caring, empathy, and a sense of purpose that will challenge them to effect a change in the real world." 

-Hannah Rials, author of Ascension -Hannah Rials, author of Ascension 

The primary purpose of reading, apart from enjoyment, is, of course, to learn and expand our world. Sandra Ingerman and Katherine wood's new young adult novel The Hidden Worlds packs a lot of lessons into a short story and explores a world of mysticism--shamanism--that many do not have knowledge of.

Four young students, who are complete opposites, are coincidentally in the same place at the same time and end up being tied together when they discover hundreds of dead birds in the forest just outside of their school, and then notice that all the fish in the pond have died as well.

Later that night, they are joined together in their dreams and discover that they each have their own spirit animals who are meant to guide them through life, especially this transitionary time through puberty and into high school. Once in the dream, they start discussing all of the dead animals they found and decide they have to get to the bottom of the animal murder.

Upon further investigation, the four new friends discover that a building just outside of school bounds has been dumping toxic waste into the pond. The students are enraged that a company could get away with something like this, but they are at a loss of what to do about it.

I really enjoyed the way that Ingerman and Wood worked shamanism into this story by having the students use this form of spirituality and understanding to address problems that they would normally turn to adults for help with. However, they can't do that in this situation since they are in a place they're not supposed to be, messing around with a dangerous company. These four kids have more spiritual understanding than most adults, and are also more moralistically sound--accepting all body types, seeing everyone for what they are good at, dealing with different family issues, puberty, environmental sustainability, saving animals, and shamanism. Really all of the above. These women pack a punch with all of these lessons in just one book.

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Adventure Tourism Round 2 & 3

So because I'm the worst, this is going to contain Adventures 2 & 3. But I'm also excusing myself due to it being the last three weeks of school, and I've gone down the rabbit hole and the burning light is near and all those cliches. So anyway...ADVENTURING!

Last week was probably the most adventurous, bravest moment of my entire life. Not the hiking part. The hike was beautiful. We traversed 2.5 miles from Rainbow Lake, which is mossy and spectacular, all the way up to Edwards Point, a huge cliff at the tip top of Signal Mountain. The trail up to this place is super rocky and muddy, so I do not recommend for people with bad joints or bad balance (yes, I include myself in that category, which is why my ankle is now slightly messed up). However, the view was absolutely, 100% worth it. We could see into Chattanooga and the river bend. Absolutely lovely. But here comes the adventurous part. I repelled down the cliff. Yep, little old me went over the edge. I don't live life on the edge, guys. I live over it. Ha! I will say, it took me a VERY long time to convince myself to do it, and granted, I did not do it well. I got over the edge just fine. It was the holding onto the rope and controlling my speed that got me. After 3 surgeries on my right wrist, I don't have too much grip strength in my right hand. But here's a tip--lean back more than you think you can. Leaning forward just makes you go free falling down the cliff, which I did. But I did it, and I'm extremely proud of myself. Probably will never do it again. But I recommend doing it at least once in your life time, at the very least for the free falling adrenaline.

Then today, though I thought we were going climbing, we actually ended up canoeing down Nickajack Lake, which is actually not a lake at all but a reservoir with train tracks running through the water. It was quite windy and freezing this morning to be out on the choppy water, but again, it was beautiful and a lot of fun. I sat in the front for the first half of our ride, and believe me, I feel it in my shoulders for sure. But we paddled to these sloping cliffs where people typically Free Solo Climb and then leap into the water safely without fear of hitting any rocks. We would've done it--I would've done it (badly)--but it was ridiculously cold so the class unanimously passed on that opportunity.

On the way back to the dock, in our boat of friends, we competed with the rest of the boats on who was going to win, though they didn't know that. We definitely cut a few people off several times. Even though I was sitting in the middle at this point and wasn't supposed to be paddling, I paddled anyway so that we came in a strong second place in a competition that only existed in our minds. This was probably the best day by far.

(Fun Sidenote, one of the leader's boats started pulling out a net and a life vest, and we are 50% sure that there very well might be a body at the bottom of the lake..............)

So who knows what's going to happen next week! But I hope you continue along for the last two weeks of my adventures (that includes college as a whole...what?!?!)

Happy Trails,
     HER 

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Adventures in Adventure Tourism

My bestie roommate and I are finally getting to take another class together as a last hurrah before we graduate, and even though I am infamously the klutziest person ever, I agreed to the Adventure Tourism class. It wouldn't start until halfway through the semester, which was awesome, and it was designated time for some physical activity while checking off some bucket list items to do in Chattanooga before I leave. Today was our first adventure, and yes, I nearly died.

Mountain Biking. Chattanooga has some amazing mountains. We were voted the number one Outdoor City in America, and all I've really done is hike and paddleboard once, which inevitably ended with me falling in. I'm not a biker...the last time I seriously rode a bike was maybe 10 years ago. So yes, I was terrified. I told my mom, "If I die, tell Buddy (my dog) I love him."

We went to Enterprise South Nature Park, which is technically in Ooltewah, but it had a "nice, easy beginner," bike path. Lies. It might've been easy but not for beginners. So despite falling off several times, crashing into a couple trees, sliding down the mountain for just a slight moment, and wounding myself a couple times, I FINALLY got into a rhythm and was able to ride for a long time and just cruise down the hills and enjoy the natural beauty.

The best image was when we rode into this nice tunnel of pine trees--absolutely gorgeous! I wish I had more balance that I could've taken a picture of it. I even stuck the last cruising hill without crashing! Woo, success.

Then, before we headed back to campus, we walked up to an abandoned bunker where they stored weapons, and it was one of the creepiest, most surreal moments. The echoes in there were absolutely wild! I could see how someone could go insane from the noises reverberating in their brain. My friend stood at one side of the room, while I was at the other, and whispered, and I heard it clear as day!

But yes, mountain biking was quite the adventure. I will be quite sore after the 3 1/2 miles, but I did enjoy the new experience. Stay tuned next week for hiking and repelling...yes, I am also terrified for that.

Go adventure!
      HER

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Book Review: Odd One Out by Nic Stone

A few weeks ago, Star Line received an ARC of Nic Stone's upcoming release, Odd One Out, which will drop on October 9th, 2018. So naturally, I grabbed it first cause I love this mermaid novelist.

I absolutely devoured this book. Stone's first release Dear Martin was a timely novel in reaction to the brutality & stereotyping against African American men, specifically young men. Odd One Out is the novel that Stone wished she'd had when she was a teen as she was figuring out who she was. This story follows the narratives of three friends, two old and one new. Courtney Cooper is a lovable basketball player, who, though he could have any girl he desired, wants his best friend Jupiter Charity-Sanchez, who also happens to like girls. Then Rae Chin moves into town and forms a wedge down through the Jupe-and-Coop duo.
After her parents divorce, her mother choosing to leave, and her older sister abandoning her, Rae is all kinds of messed up, and the only way she can keep it together is to keep on smiling and pleasing everyone. But as she becomes closer to Cooper and Jupiter, they force her to question her people-pleasing tendencies and confront the root of her problems--the day that everything fell to shambles.
Which just happens to be the same day that Cooper's dad was killed in a car accident while Cooper and his mom were at the same famous kid-scientist show in Atlanta.
Through their common connection, Cooper and Rae grow closer as they try to solve a mystery and come to terms with their own traumas. Meanwhile Rae and Jupiter have a hard time ignoring their natural chemistry, which just mixes up everyone's brains. And then there's the undeniable connection between Jupe-and-Coop, which has been building up over a lifetime.
Who loves who? Who's supposed to love who? What if who you thought you were isn't who you are at all, or only a small part of you?

Being a teenager is one of the most confusing times in a person's life, hands down. Yes, we're still figuring it all out when we're in our twenties, sometimes 30s & 40s and so on, and that's okay. But the teen years are when we really start to develop who we are deep down inside. Nic Stone weaves three tales into one with her precise, witty dialogue and unique, lively characters that pull at your heartstrings.

I can't wait to see what Nic does next. If you haven't read Dear Martin yet, be sure to check it out before Odd One Out's release in October!

Happy Reading,
      HER 

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Happy International Women's Day!

What a wonderful day! I'm extremely grateful for all the women who have played a direct role in  my life. My mother, of course, is a superstar after raising me on top of all she does for her community. My mom's friends who have been my adopted aunts and loved me and been there for-- I appreciate you all. My real aunts who are all superstars, beautiful, loving, hilarious, and educated--I'm beyond thankful for them.
I have a group of kickbutt powerful friends who are all going to do some amazing things in the future, if they haven't already done so now (which many of them have).
But this blog is about books and bookish things. I have been greatly influenced over the years by the women authors whose books I have devoured. They are my inspiration, my goals, my dreams in every way, and if I hadn't seen them doing it in such an amazing way, I wouldn't have had the courage to do it myself. And I of course, wouldn't have my sanity right now if it weren't for Star Line Books, which is only here because of the stupendous owner Star. She's a flurry of energy, and I love her with all my heart.
I also got this courage through my awesome Ascension team. My publisher, Valarie Budayr, I don't even know how to fully describe because she is just full of wonderful surprises with all her many talents. She inspires me every day and keeps me going in this world. My editor Mallory is another superwoman warrior who does amazing work on my book and makes them sparkle and shine.

These are some of the female writers who have influenced my writing:

Maggie Stiefvater: The Raven Cycle
                               Shiver series
                               All the Crooked Saints 
                             
Richelle Mead:      Vampire Academy series

Cornelia Funke:     Inkheart Trilogy

Karen Russell:       Vampires in the Lemon Grove

Nic Stone:              Dear Martin

Ruta Sepetys:         Out of the Easy 
                               Salt to the Sea 

Jamie Quatro:         Fire Sermon 

Courtney Stevens:  Dress Codes for Small Towns

Sybil Baker:           Immigration Essays (and a professor of mine)

Natalie Lloyd:        The Problim Children 
                                The Key to Extraordinary

Bren McLain:         One Good Mama Bone

Libba Bray:            The Diviners series

Jane Austen:           Pride & Prejudice

Margaret Stohl:      Beautiful Creatures (and Kami Garcia)
                               Black Widow 
                               Royce Rolls

Emily Mandel:       Station 11

Leigh Bardugo:      Grisha trilogy
                               Six of Crows Duology 
                               Wonder Woman: Warbringer

Julie Murphy:        Ramona Blue
                               Dumplin'

Melissa Marr:        Wicked Lovely series

Julie Kagawa:        Iron Fey series 

Thanks to all these amazing women for shaping my writing! Now go read their work so they can write more :)

Love,
   HER 

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Magical Realism and Why I Love It

So if you've read Ascension, you have read magical realism in a way. Constance Grady's article out today in Vox Magazine about Gabriel Garcia Marquez defines magical realism as, "a literary genre that’s grounded in reality but in which miraculous and magical things may happen at any moment." So the fact that a whole community of vampires, Deuxsang, and witches live among humans in the real world in real time is absolutely magical realism. 
Now, magical realism, as with all genres, can be done in different ways. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who is one of the most influential magical realism writers from Colombia, takes magical realism in a slightly different direction. If he were to have written a vampire novel during his lifetime, the vampires would not have been hidden, as they are in nearly every vampire novel. They would've been part of life as we know it and something fantastical, like them having the ability to will blood out of their victims and travel to them rather than them actually having to dirty their own hands--I imagine that's how he would write his vampires. 
I didn't realize that I was writing magical realism until I got to college and really until a couple years ago. I learned the term and read a Marquez story, and I was discussing it with my publisher when she said, "Well, yeah, that's where your niche is, I think." And after she said that, it was like the world opened up. It's true. While I love reading realistic fiction because there's some amazing work out there right now, I love magic and fantasy even more--but to work it into our world in a way that's completely normal and acceptable is amazing to me. Because if you think about it, the world is magical and full of phenomenons--we just don't always take time to notice them. 
Magical realism is no easy task. As Gabriel Marquez said, "A novelist can do anything he wants so long as he makes people believe in it.” Some people are hard to convince, but that's not to say we who love magical realism aren't going to try our hardest to convince you that yes it is totally normal that a half-breed vampire school exists under the city of New Orleans so that they could receive higher education safely. (Yes, that is a hint at book 2 for those of you reading closely). 
Here are a few of my favorite magical realism writers and their works: 

  • Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell 
  • One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  • Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
  • The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
  • A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
  • The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater *****
  • All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater *****
  • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
  • The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Find the magic,
     HER 

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Yes, Hello there, I'm Still Here

I'M ALIVE! I apologize for my complete absence on the inter webs for the past couple months. It has been a long, rollercoaster of a road since December, but I'm here; I'm back; I'm trying to keep everything rolling! So here's a cap of everything that's been going on in Hannahland:

1. GRAD SCHOOL!!
       I will officially be attending Bath Spa University's MA Writing for Young People masters program starting THIS September. I am beyond terrified and excited for this wild journey in the UK, in the land of Jane Austen. I still can't believe I was accepted, but I'm excited for this new leg in my journey and to start studying the craft of literature for young people.

2. HAWAII!!
      Yes, don't hate me, but I went to Hawaii! I took the first week off my last semester of undergraduate to explore with my parents (thanks to Dad's job) Oahu and The Big Island (aka Hawaii). I ate garlic shrimp on the North Shore, swam with dolphins (not ride dolphins), chilled with a sea turtle, hiked to a green sand beach, stared into the face of an active volcano, survived the Missile Threat, and got smashed under some massive waves. Overall, it was an amazing adventure (and much needed rest).

3. INTERNING!!
       This semester, as part of my last semester in college, I signed up for the internship class, and can you guess where I asked to intern? Of course, Star Line Books! Which just means I get to be here even more than I usually would be and help out! These are the best days of the week!

4. ASCENSION SEQUEL!!
        Yes, it's still coming, I promise! We have an expected release of this June. So keep your eyes peeled for more information concerning such exciting news :)

5. WORK IN PROGRESS!!
       Last semester, I might've mentioned that I took a Novel Writing course and started something completely different from the Ascension trilogy. I finished my first draft over the holidays (actually on the plane to Hawaii), and I'm in the early self-editing stages. I don't really have a good description pinned down yet, but think 1800s Scotland-Scottish Travellers-talking animals-an anti-hero and some other pretty funky stuff. It's different, but I kind of love it. I hope all of you will eventually too!

That's all I've got for you right now. I'm going to do my best to be constant with the blog, but I'll be honest, this is a crazy busy semester. But I hope you're still following along and getting pumped for Ascension Part 2!!

Love,
   HER