International Women's Day!

I'm never political in person. I'm not even political in private. I just don't consider myself a political person at all. I like people who are nice to others and that's pretty much the end of the story. However, today is international women's day. And maybe you'll say I'm being political for acknowledging this, but I find absolutely nothing wrong in acknowledging the kind, caring, brilliant, smart, strong, powerful women that have shaped who I am.

Anecdote time: So I have kind of unconventional birthdays. Like this year for instance, the ongoing joke was, "What happens when four girls, a mom, and a pastor walk into a bar?" Because that's literally what my birthday was. Well, on my 18th birthday, apart from my friends, I invited all the influential women in my life--teachers, my unofficial editor Mrs. Pam, my to-be publisher, neighbors, her friends who have all been like aunts to me. And I can tell you the impact that each one of them had on my life, but I don't want to keep you here for ten hours. 

Just as it is so important for young boys to have strong, respectable, caring male role models in their lives, it's equally as important for girls have strong female role models, not only in society but also in their personal spheres. 

The women in my life taught me to be proud and confident, to be strong and independent, to be caring and vulnerable, to cook an omelet the right way (I love breakfast). All of these women are doing what they love, influencing others in so many ways that they can't know. 

However, that's not to say I wasn't shaped by men too. My dad is everything to me. In one of my worst years, my sophomore english teacher told me that I was a good writer, encouraged me. Many other men have influenced me and encouraged me to be my best self. 

But today is about women because we rock, because we are equal, even though not all of the world understands that. God did not create as to be subservient but to serve with, to be equal and paired with. Men and women are meant to move through life together, not separate and unequal. 

Kudos to the amazing women today who are shattering glass ceilings, who are doing what they want to do with their lives for their reasons, for their happiness, for no one else. If all of you are lucky enough to have women in your lives like I have, congratulations. If you don't, it's not too late to find them. It's never too late to learn and change and grow. Again, that's what we were made to do. 

February Book Round Up

Happy Fat Tuesday!! Hope you're all enjoying your last day of indulgence :)

Alright, so my reading was somewhat lacking this month. But, to be fair, it was a crazy busy month. That's no excuse, but the two books I did read were great!!

1. A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern
      So, as is normal, this has been on my shelf for about a year. I met Cammie McGovern at the 2015 Southern Festival of Books, which normally leads me to buy speaker's books if I don't know them already. [Fun Fact: her sister plays lady Cora on Downton Abbey...no, I'm not kidding :D]
       A Step Toward Falling is told from the alternating perspectives of a young girl with a mental disability, Belinda, and another girl, Emily who goes to her high school. One Friday night, these two girls are both at the football game, and when Emily passes to go back to her seat, she spots a guy sexually harassing Belinda. And she doesn't do anything. Well, she does, she goes to find a teacher, and it turns out one of the football players has the exact same reaction. Frozen in fear when we'd like to think we'd do the right thing and act. After the janitor helps Belinda and everything is taken care of, she refuses to go back to school, and her mom and grandma have no problem with that. And as a punishment, Emily and the other passive football player are made to volunteer at an afternoon group for adults with disabilities.
       This story took me a while to get into, to be honest. I was really excited to read it, but the beginning was just a little slow. I couldn't connect to Emily. However, as the story progressed and the characters started to develop, the story started to flow and move. I love the development, the different conflicts. This was a very high school, but in a great way. I think it was an accurate representation of how a high schooler in this situation might react and feel afterward. And McGovern's depiction of Belinda was beautiful and touching.

2. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (3rd in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children)
      It's been a couple years since I read the first two Peculiars books, though I loved them, and the movie that came out the end of last year pulled me back into the world. They did a pretty great job, though they switched the ability of the main female protagonist :/
      I can't really give you a synopsis of this book because it would make no sense if you haven't read the first books. So...go back and read the first books! You'll get to learn about a world of peculiar children and adults with all sorts of unique abilities living in protected time loops that have them repeat the same day over and over again so that they never age and are protected from the normals. The really unique part is that Riggs has included photographs to show off his peculiars and the worlds they live--both creepy and awesome! It's really an intriguing read.
       Again, it took me a long time to get back into this series, but I think that's more because I haven't been in the world for so long. After I'd read about 50 pages, I was fully invested again. There's a dry, morbid humor to this novel, on top of young love challenged by the fact that Emma has been sixteen for hundreds of years and Jacob is really only 16. The innate goodness of humanity is challenged, as well as our perception of looks. It's true, looks can deceive. What we might have considered to be horrid monsters for the first two books might actually be okay creatures under the correct instruction. (read the books and you'll understand).
       All that I have left in this series is the Tales of the Peculiars, which was a book that Riggs created as a history book inside the series, then he actually wrote it for our pleasure reading. Pretty neat extension of the series, if you ask me.

Next Up: History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

Reading anything good?
     HER

The Best Readers

Before I actually say what I want to say, I have to just mush about this amazing weather that (at least East TN) we're having today. But on top of that, both of my classes were cancelled today, so here I am, sitting at my favorite coffee shop with a yummy cup of coffee, getting ready to edit--my weekend has begun!! I have been one of the loudest voices in the I-hate-this-unseasonal-weather-it-should-be-cold, but I think I'm coming around. I know I'll regret that statement come TN June, early July, but right now I'll just savor it.

SO...readers! Readers are what make us authors. Our writing makes us writers, but without readers, we'd be selling to no one. And I have to tell you, I have the most amazing readers! I met my first fan at my book launch here in Chattanooga. She'd read and reread Ascension before the launch, was there before I got to the store, and stayed the entire time, showing over her extremely well-loved copy. She made my day/week/month and made me feel like a bona fide author for the first time since publication.  She fits into the age range that Ascension is essentially geared toward.

Then, there's my 90-year-old Swiss friend who, upon discovering that I'd written a book, said she must have it in her lovely accent. And she read it so quickly!! And guess what? A 90 year old Swiss woman, who has never read a vampire book, LOVED Ascension. I'm not bragging, I swear. I think that's just the coolest thing ever.

Upon returning back to school after Christmas, I ran into the head of the Creative Writing department, who had bought my book for her nephew for Christmas. She made my day when she told me that A) He was quite irate at the ending (mwahaha) and B) said it was my favorite book of the year! She told me to take this as a huge compliment because he's a very avid reader. This was a big moment for me because it told me that Ascension would not just be liked by girls, but guys too! Woohoo!

And the most recent reader story I have may be the funniest. So though I am a career woman now (scoff, I'm still a student), I still babysit occasionally for a family friend here in Chattanooga. Their daughter Evie is about the most perfect angel child I have ever met or had the pleasure of babysitting in my entire long life of babysitting children, though I have had some great ones. But Evie came with a group of her close friends to my Chattanooga book launch, and though she's only in 3rd grade, she devoured Ascension and again LOVED IT! A third grader loved my book. Like, what is life? She bombarded me with questions when I came through the front door and showed me a book that she was working on. And when it came time for bed, she said to me, "You know what would be cool, Miss Hannah? If you read your book to me." Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I read Ascension as a bedtime story. It was a fun, happy part, however fleeting those moments are in my book. But she loved it, and it was definitely one of the most memorable Ascension moments for me.

All this is to say that, readers, we writers pay attention to you, treasure you ,need you. You make our day when you buy our books and fall into the worlds we've created. Whenever I start to think about any negative feedback I've gotten, I'll just think about these amazing readers, their dedication and love for reading and for our characters.

Happy Almost Mardi Gras!
       HER 

Hardest Part of My Job

Last Friday, I visited Coulter Grove Intermediate School in Maryville, talking to the 6th and 7th grade classes. In total, that was close to speaking to 400 students. 400!

I like to think that I have my spiel down pat now--I introduce myself and my book, tell them a little bit about my story of starting Ascension at age 12 and the journey from there, read an excerpt from the prologue to peak their interest, then talk about believing in your dreams and making them happen, and end with questions. I have it down, can basically do it in my sleep now. I like to think that maybe they walk away from my talks thinking, "Hey, that author is a pretty cool lady!"

I've had some awesome moments at my school visits over the past five months. My first visit, right when I walked into the classroom, a girl raised her hand and said, "She's really pretty!" At the middle school career day, we had so many people come up to the table telling us that they were writing a book or wanted to be a writer. At the other intermediate school, kids asked so many questions that we ran out of time and a horde approached me afterward.

Most of the questions I get at school visits are the basics--"what's your favorite book?" "How do you write better?" "Do your character names have meaning?" "Is your book going to be made into a movie?"

I have instant answers to these questions. Then at this past school visit, apart from the other fantastic questions the students had, one boy asked me, "What's the hardest part of your job?" This question shocked me and also made me smile. So far, the only people that have referred to my writing as my job are me, my publishing team, and my mom. Not my friends. Not my students. So I guess I just made me smile to hear that. But I also knew my response: "Talking to you guys." The writing is not so hard, though it can get frustrating. Editing can be heart breaking or tedious. But this part, selling yourself, seeing yourself as a product that needs to be pitched, a public figure, is so difficult. Now, I'm not just talking to my friends or family. I'm imparting "wisdom" on kids who I hope will eventually read my book.

Plus, speaking to that many people is just exhausting. I got in the car afterward and slumped into my seat, totally ready for a nap.

But despite the nerves that rush through my body, make my hands shake imperceptibly, I'm beginning to love talking to students. They always have great questions, and it's so encouraging to hear all these students with writing aspirations. Even if they aren't interested in my book, I hope that they hear me when I talk about believing in themselves first, that they are the ones who are going to make their dreams come true. I'm living proof of it.

But then, there are the moments that I'll always remember, like a 7th grade boy coming up to me after my talk and asking me to sign his shirt then hearing him on the way out, "Dude, she signed my shirt!" I think I reached a new level of ultra cool at that point.

Until My Next Thought,
              HER

21 Baby!!

It's weird to think that I started my semi-consistent blog posts this time last year with notes of what I'd learned by 20. And now it's a whole year later, and I'm 21. And it's amazing to think about all of the things that have happened in the past year and thinking about everything that's to come in the future.

I guess I've learned a few more things in the past year :) I've learned that I don't need to have a million + 1 friends. I'm really satisfied with having a small group of close friends who are kind, caring, funny, and adventurous. And I'm lucky that I'm able to keep up relationships over long distances and still be super close. That's amazing to me.

I've learned that going with the flow is the key to success. If you are so stuck in your plans, your ways, disappointment will constantly be the name of the game. The road to a final published copy of Ascension was a definite roller coaster of changed dates, late edits, plot holes, and all sorts of things. And I was very blessed to have my superwoman mother, my fantastic editor, and my indescribable publisher/mentor who taught me to be flexible. That's how you succeed not only in the book world, but also life in general.

I've also realized the importance of taking time for yourself. Even if you're an extrovert, you still need time to destress from the stress of work and people and school and just society. I used to feel guilty for being alone and not spending all my time with my friends. Don't get me wrong, putting effort into your friendships is so important. My friends are invaluable to me. They make my life so much fun and are helping me get through this craziness called college. But I need alone time. I need to read books, jam out to music, or just lay down on my bed for awhile and let the stress seep out of my pores.

I used to think I was a pretty good person, but over the past few months, I've realized that there's a lot to improve about myself. And thinking about all I want to change is super overwhelming and stressful. But now, I'm taking it one day at a time--complaining less, trying to smile at people everyday so they know I'm not a grump, texting friends I haven't talked to in awhile just to check in. One day at a time.

Right now, at a time when my future is pretty ambiguous, I'm trying to stay in the day. And today is my birthday! And guess what? Because I love celebrating stuff, I'm gonna celebrate all week long! I mean, you only turn 21 once, right?

One more year older,
HER 

January Book Round Up

I've decided to start a new monthly post this year, beginning today, where I round up all the books I read that month instead of randomly telling you what I think about the absolutely outstanding books that I read. Some months might have more material than others (keep in mind, folks, I'm a junior in college), but I think this is going to be fun! It'll be a way to keep up with my own reading apart from the journal I keep. So here we go: January Book Round up!

1. Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen
      First off, woah, talk about heart wrenching. A boy separated from his pet fox Pax during a time of war. Except Peter knows that they are not meant to be separated, and in order to be with Pax, this young boy begins hiking through the woods, trying to retrace his trail back to Pax, and overcoming horrible struggles.
      This story is unique in the fact that it's told from the alternating perspectives of Peter AND Pax, with the fox's POV standing out completely, mixing in the feelings that we imagine our pets to have along with the natural instincts of a fox.
      This book definitely pulls at the heartstrings for any animal lover, though I challenge anyone to get through this book without grabbing at their chest at least once.

2. Dark Tides by Jennifer Donnely (3rd in the Waterfire Saga)
        I read the first two books of this series a year ago and was really intrigued by the world that Donnely created, especially because mermaid stories aren't quite as popular as I might wish for them to be (The Tale of Emily Windsnap was one of my favorite books when I was younger). However, something about this third book was lacking. I don't know if there were too many characters to keep up with, but I just could not be pulled through the entirety of the story.
        However, I know that Donnely has a retelling of Beauty and the Beast coming out, and because that is the story of my heart, I'm definitely going to give it a read!

3. Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey
        My sister from another mister sent me this book for Christmas, and since I am becoming more open toward creative nonfiction, I was not opposed to reading it, especially since I identify with that title. It was very interesting, thought provoking, and she backed up her claim of finding feminism in Christianity with Biblical evidence that I can go back to. She did give a lot of personal anecdotes, which were interesting, but I'd have liked a little more discussion of the actual topic.
        Sarah Bessey also has a blog, which apparently discusses most of what she has in her book, if you are interested in reading some of her work.
       Overall, I was glad I read this book. It made me question my own beliefs in a meaningful way and gave evidence to how I believe my God actually respects all human life.

4. The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd

"True friends turn a bad day into something wonderful faster than a pancake flip." 

         HOLLA for an awesomely charming middle grade fiction that I devoured. I mean, I love middle grade anyway. But Natalie Lloyd just like stepped up the cuteness/seriousness game with this book. It's based in a fictional town in the mountains of Tennessee (whoop whoop!) and is filled with fantastical magic. The narrator, Emma, is spunky, faithful, loyal, and all around adorable. Though she is a confidently mature kiddo, she is self conscious of the scar from her cleft lip, but I appreciate the nod to diversity of all kinds, the movement that allows every child to see themselves in literature.
         This is an absolute must read. I do not care how old you are. Read it with your kid or the kid you babysit if you're embarrassed to read it yourself (which you shouldn't be because middle grade rocks and carries weight no matter how old you are). You might also check out A Snicker of Magic, if you like this book.

5. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

"I would come for you. And if I couldn't' walk, I'd crawl to you." 

        Y'all. Y'all. Y'all. I know I've talked about Leigh on here before, but Y'all. If you haven't listened to me yet and read something of hers, you have no idea how deprived your life is.
        Crooked Kingdom is the second installment of the Six of Crows Duology (so, tear that it's over), and it's placed in the same world as the Grisha Trilogy, with some overlapping character appearances. This is a magical high fantasy novel that reflects our own world, but with a more antiquated sense. Bardugo deals with real world issues, such as politics, racism, bigotry, rape, human trafficking in beautiful, heartbreaking, tasteful ways. Her characters are full, rich, three-dimensional humans that will ensnare any reader. The way she builds backstory makes me want to dive into this book and literally never come out. I'm not kidding.
         Yes, it's a vicious world, but I love the people in it. I want to be their friends. Really, I want to be Leigh Bardugo's friend because she is my writing idol. Ask me about the first time I met her some other time. But seriously, read this book.
          She is writing a Wonder Woman: Warbringer book, which comes out this August (so pumped), and I just saw that she's releasing a collection of short stories! Woohoo!!

Next up: A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern (real life sister to Lady Cora from Downton Abbey)

What are you reading?
HER 

Kirkus Reviews!!!

It's here! It's actually here! And it's wonderful!!

I have been waiting for months for Ascension's review from Kirkus to be published. I was informed that it been read and reviewed near the beginning of December, but we made the executive decision to wait to have it published until January. So I had to sit there, knowing that it was reviewed, that it could be horrible, that they hated it, that they ripped it apart for a month and a half! A wait like that can make a person go mad. Which it almost did.

BUT IT'S HERE AND IT'S WONDERFUL! "...visit to New Orleans. Rials' tale is an exciting and fast-paced YA paranormal romance with an intriguing plot, well-drawn setting, and solid character development." WOAH BABY! Such a huge compliment from the biggest, most well-known, oldest book reviewer in the country that every library and bookstore looks at. This feels like we're hitting the big times, folks, and I couldn't be more star struck or humbled or honored. Check out the full review here

People are actually liking my words, my story that I bled over for eight years of my life, and I just can't believe it. Thank you all so much for all your wonderful support!

Those of you who have burned through Ascension will be happy to know that the second installment is with my fantastic editor right now, and she's so excited about this new manuscript. I am anxiously awaiting my edits and revisions to be completed so that we can get the next book out to you as soon as possible.

On a side note, I am so very impressed by the show of support during the Women's Marches that have happened all over the country--actually all over the world today. Feminism is for everyone. Feminism is about equality. God made us all equal, it says so in the bible. No one is less than. And today has been so inspiring. Thanks to everyone who stands up for what they believe in, no matter your vote.

But again...KIRKUS!!!!!

Until something else cool happens,
HER