Made it down to Chatt

Ascension officially made it down to Chattanooga this afternoon at Star Line Books!!

Every experience with this book brings something new to my life, and it's just so amazing and humbling. During the Maryville Launch, so many people came that night to support me. I honestly could not believe my eyes, and I was so incredibly humbled. I will never be able to forget that night, even though it was such a blur.

All of the kind reviews I'm getting on Amazon and Goodreads touch my heart. I know the bad reviews are going to come. Even the most spectacularly flawless authors like Maggie Stiefvater, Leigh Bardugo, and J.K. Rowling have their critics. But for now, I'll take all of your reviews to heart, treasuring each one, and be so so thankful.

Ni touched my heart with her kindness

Tonight, apart from the new faces and old friends that came out to support me, I met my first, real, non-friend or family related fan. Ni was waiting for me when I got to Starline this afternoon. An English professor at my university mentors her and bought Ascension for her when it launched a month ago. This afternoon, she presented me a rolled, crumpled, folded, bent, well-read, extremely loved copy of Ascension. "How could you do that?" She said to me. My natural reaction, knowing the twists and turns of my book, was to ask her to clarify. "The ending! I threw it across the room several times!!" she said. Guys, I can't tell you exactly how much this means to me. I've been there. I've thrown a Maggie Stiefvater book across the room. And MY book made someone do that...
Ni named her favorite character, her favorite part, and told me that she's shared her copy around her classroom. But the best part? She wrote fan fiction about Rove and Jillian!!! Fan fiction...about MY BOOK! I have to be honest, I kind of fell when she told me that. I was so stunned and touched and humbled and...only big time authors get fan fiction right? This can't possibly be real life, right? Ni just made my entire month.

My friends, my creative writing group, english professors, some city goers, some classmates, and of course my mom, publisher, and book seller made this afternoon absolutely amazing. Tonight is going to be so memorable to me, will always stand out in my mind. Thanks to everybody who was able to come out tonight. You all mean the world to me!

The Best Book Seller on the Block

If you live in Chattanooga and haven't gotten the chance to visit Star at Starline Books on Market Street, please head over there. It's a wonderful bookstore with an amazing collection of books and the best bookseller on the block.

Banned Books Week!

Happy Banned Books Week! Practice your right to Freadom and read a banned book this week!
There are a variety of reasons for why books are banned--racial issues, damaging lifestyles, sacrilegious dialogue, sexual situations, violence, witchcraft, etc. You get the point.

Literature is art. Art is freedom, freedom of expression, freedom of life, freedom of religion. As artists, authors cannot please everybody. Someone will almost always be offended by something written, so we should not attempt to please everyone. It's a ridiculous goal. If something offends you as a reader, you can put the book down and walk away. You don't have to challenge it and ruin reading society for everyone. So just...be considerate. Come on!

Interested in reading a Banned Book (as you rightly should be? Bannedbooksweek.org has this cool list of the most challenged books of 2015:
http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/about

What about classics that have been banned?

1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses, by James Joyce
7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
9. 1984, by George Orwell
11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway

Challenge yourself this week and read a banned book. Practice your freedom to read 'em. Sorry, that was a bad joke. :D Let me know what banned books you're reading this week! 

Expanding Your Reading

    For a long, long time, I read children's books, then middle grade books, and then YA books in segments. I have blocks of my life where I only read that specific genre. In high school (until senior year), I thought it was ridiculous for me to read a middle grade book while I was 16. I was obviously much too mature to read something for a ten year old, and I didn't think I was mature enough to read to Adult books (apart from the classics that were assigned to me in school).
    Over the past three years, my view on this has changed. My senior year of high school when I interned for Audrey Press/ Jump Into a Book, my job was to read children's books and Middle grade fiction. I had to read these books with a critical eye, looking at the different aspects of the books and coming up with crafts. And I love them. Children's books are absolutely beautiful. I don't know when the last time was that you read a picture book, but man! Some of those pictures are just fabulous, and the stories are heart warming.
     Some of my favorite books are Middle Grade books: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan, Holes by Louis Sachar, The Bridge to Terebithia by Katherine Paterson, Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, and the list goes on. Yes, the language is younger, but the themes and issues discussed in Middle grade fiction are universal, something we've all been through or can relate to. And the language can also be very beautiful.
      I've heard recently, since publishing a YA book, that adults think they shouldn't read YA books, that the topics are young, the writing's young, the ideas are below their mental level. But this isn't true: there are some absolutely amazing writers in YA world right now. Adults were once young adults; they can relate to the issues being discussed and maybe can find a character and say "man, I wish I'd been like this as a kid." Even though we mature, every aspect of our lives carry with us to define who we are. We just don't let go of our adolescent mindset. It's still there, just not at the forefront.
       In the past year, I've ventured into the adult genre. My first novel was Life after Life by Kate Atkinson, which I listened to driving back and forth between Maryville and Chattanooga. And it was fabulous. The narrative style is so interesting, and the characters are incredibly compelling. This summer, I experienced Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel. I don't normally go for the post-apocolyptic novels, but Station 11 was spectacular. There are so many strings that all connect at the end, and it's just mind-blowing. When I got the end, I just sat there thinking "Woah!"
     So I guess the point of this book ramble is to not lock yourself into a reading box. It's very easy for me to just stay in my little YA world, especially because there are so many amazing YA books coming out right now to try and fail to keep up with. But try and make an effort to expand your reading circle. If you need any recommendations, I'm HAPPY to give some out. Just let me know.

And if you want to start in YA, Ascension is a great jumping in book :D

Happy Reading,
     HER

Ascension Book Launch!

Woah, baby!! I just launched my first book, after eight years of hard, fun work! I still can't believe this--my book is out there in the world for everyone to read. CRAZY!! But this party wasn't your average book launch. I kind of considered this party a combination of my birthday (book birthday) and my wedding because if you think about it, this was my wedding to the publishing world! If you weren't able to be there, I'll paint you the wonderful picture!

Part of the Aletha Press Team

     Ascension's book launch was hosted by Vienna Coffeehouse in Maryville, TN. Ascension and all it's many drafts were basically written there. All of our publishing meetings took place there. Vienna is Ascension's second home as much as it is mine. They were so gracious to host us, providing us "Blood punch" aka Italian soda and Hibiscus tea. They made sure everything ran smoothly, helped our jazz band settle in, and let us deck out the joint! I cannot thank the guys working that night enough. 

Let the Good Times Roll!

      Our decorator did an absolutely magical job! Our tables were decorated with mason jars filled with Hydrangeas and other purple flowers (my favorite color) as well as adorable yard lights serving as New Orleans street signs. They were so cute!! This lady is obsessed with chalkboard signs right now, so every sign was chalked, which just fit the theme wonderfully! But the coolest part was the big doors on which she blew up antique postcards from New Orleans. She found these from her grandmother, and they just tied everything together and set the scene! 

       A huge thank you goes out to our caterer Peggy Beck of Joyful Palate! She created an array of New Orleans cuisine--Ferdi Special po'boys, chicken and sausage jambalaya, & king cakes that were divine! The food couldn't have been better! 

      However, the music is what really transported us! From 7-9 pm, the UT Jazz symphony played a variety of wonderful jazz music that had my foot tapping the whole night, and of course, they ended with "The Saints Go Marching in." 

      My mother and publisher Valarie Budayr are really the two women who made this all possible! I'm beyond blessed to have them both looking out for me and guiding me through this process and this amazing night! I couldn't have done it without them. 

       But the biggest thank yous go out to everybody who came out to support me on Saturday night! I was extremely humbled and honored by the turnout that we had, especially in light of the week's events in Maryville and the crazy surprise storm that popped up just before the party! You all are the real MVPs--you're making my dream a reality! So thank you!! 

       I just have to say, Saturday night felt so natural. I was nervous to the point of throwing up in the hours leading up to the night. But when I sat down in that chair, with a sharpie in my hand, and a line out the door, I felt calm. I loved seeing each and every one of you there! I could not have asked for a better evening! So thank you so so much to everyone involved! 

     If you weren't able to make it out on Saturday, I'll be selling and signing books at Schriver's on Broadway THIS Sunday from 1-4 pm. Come out to see me, visit this lovely boutique, and check out Lula Roe designs! It's going to be a super fun day celebrating creative women! 

Love you all, 

                                   HER

Tea with Jane: Plum Cake

That's right. I did it! I ACTUALLY made Plum Cakes, and not to toot my own horn, but I think they were awesome! They turned out beautifully and were delicious! Though it's kind of funny to me that Plum cakes don't actually have any plums in them. But whatever! They did have currants and raisins soaked in Brandy and Sweet Red Wine (I got the cheap Barefoot kind) as well as almonds.
     The recipe called for one big spring pan with a removable base, but I didn't have one of those. So a family friend lent me four miniature spring pans, and I loved using it this way because it's much easier to give them away! You didn't think I was going to keep all four, did you?
      The baking prep was a little different. I had to butter the inside of the pans then cover the insides with parchment paper (that's key), and once the batter is in, you wrap the outside in two layers of tin foil. It said to tie it with a string, but I just scrunched it together and it worked just fine.
      Little bit of a note: for your cakes to be pretty and not have crusty edges, don't fill up the tin all the way. It bakes over and isn't as pretty. But that's just for aesthetic purposes.
      You can ice these, but I didn't. They were just as good without. With the spices used, I feel like this would be a great fall treat! Sooooo yummy! (And yes, I splurged and ate it)

Tea with Jane: Rout Cakes

This week was by far the easiest week yet! I didn't have to use yeast--thank you, Self-rising flour! I don't really know how to explain Rout Cakes... They are kind of like last week's pastry in that they use currants. But they are much smaller and have much more flavor. I think they called them drop cookies.

However, the unique part of this dish is that it's flavored with Brandy, Rosewater, and Orange flower water. Now, I looked for Orange and rose water, but I'm not quite sure if they exist anymore. If they do, I was not able to find them, so if anyone knows of these antiquated ingredients, please let me know! But let me tell you, the brandy made quite the difference in flavor! It was super yummy. I added a little bit more than the instructed 1 tbls of brandy just because I didn't have the rosewater or Orange flower water. But I don't think it degraded it in anyway.

Apparently, the alcohol and the flower waters are very commonly used in British baking. This week, I'm going to try tackling Plum Cake, which I'm super stoked about, but also super nervous. So try your Rout Cakes! They're delicious!

Keep Baking,
     HER

Book Festivals

    Over the past few years, I have become a book festival junkie! If I were not in school and could travel all the time without money being an obstacle, I would be going to ALL the book festivals. Unfortunately, I'm only able to make it to two in the fall season, but they're a couple of great festivals--The Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN and YALLFEST in Charleston, SC.
     If you're unfamiliar with these festivals, they are a little bit different. SFOB is a broad-reaching festival that covers everything from Kidlit to biographies. This three day festival is filled with panels and activities for kids. The street leading up to the capitol building is lined with book vendors and independent authors that culminates to Parnassus Book's HUGE book tent selling all the authors' books. I love this festival. It's well organized, has great street vendors for food (because a lunch break is necessary), and the authors are always wonderful.
    YALLFEST is a purely young adult/middle grade book festival. And I swear, it's like a rockstar convention. The first day, Friday, has what they call Yallcrawl, where they have different authors positioned in stores and restaurants around King Street, and they just sign books. The lines can become equivalent to amusement park lines. So if you really like that author, get there early! Saturday is a FULL day! You have jam packed panels, signings, giveaways, and so much more! The keynote and closing speakers are always awesome. But be sure to check their website because a few of the panels are ticketed or limited to the number of people they let in. This is something you plan in advance. Okay...this is something that I plan in advance. But I highly suggest it, or else you'll be all stressed out, and that's no fun.
    Book festivals aren't just fun events for readers (because believe me I fan girl. I was basically speechless when I met Richelle Mead--pretty sure I said something embarrassing, but I don't know...I might've blacked out a little bit). They're important networking events for aspiring/self/indie published authors. You can meet readers who may be interested in your work. Go up and talk to authors and make connections. If their agents are there, snag them for quick chat. This is your chance to advertise yourself freely. You don't need to pay hundreds of dollars for a booth that not that many people will visit. Just go up and talk to people. That's the important part.
     Plus, I can't tell you how cool it is to meet your favorite authors and have them sign your books. You get your pictures taken...it's literally so cool! But keep it together. Remember, authors are people too. We love meeting readers, but we also like personal space!

Here is a link to a definitive list of book festivals around the world. Check it out to find one near you!
https://www.everfest.com/book-festivals

Time for some more writing,
     HER