Interview with Kelley York, author of HUSHED!

I am super stoked to have author Kelley York on the blog today! Kelley is the author of HUSHED (Entangled, Dec 2011), and has graciously agreed to a mini interview in honor of the cover reveal for her first self-published novel HOLLOWED. The cover will be revealed right here on writers write, right? tomorrow, so be sure to come back and check it out!


Now, on to the interview!

1. Thanks so much for taking my questions, Kelley! HUSHED is your first published novel, and I must say that it's quite a debut! Inquiring minds would love to know...Is HUSHED your first book, or do you, like the rest of us writers, have a couple of manuscripts stuffed in a desk drawer, never to see the light of day? :)
Ha! Good question. HUSHED is the second book I ever wrote. The first one actually falls in line with HOLLOWED. It's a different set of characters elsewhere in the world, but it's the same 'universe'. They're a part of the same series and their stories will gradually meet. I'm in the process of rewriting that first book, so it can be released. 

2. You definitely have a talent for creating vivid, realistic characters that grab readers by the heart and don't let go. How hard was it for you to say goodbye to the HUSHED characters (especially Archer!)?
Thank you! It can be hard. I miss Archer and Evan and now and again I wish I had enough material to give them a sequel. Sadly, their story is mostly told. I've considered revisiting to write a short follow up, just to give everyone a peek at how they're doing after the events of the story. But then I kind of wonder if that would spoil everyone's imaginations.

3. Do you have a process for your writing? Wake at 5am every day? Crank out 10k words before lunch? Eat only M&Ms while creating? 
I write whenever I have time. ;) How's that for process? I find I write best while sitting at my desktop computer (as opposed to my laptop), and in the morning around breakfast time. For some reason, it's harder for me to concentrate in the evenings. I can generally get out 1k-2k in a short sitting, if I'm not interrupted or distracted. Then I take a break, clean something, watch something, and come back to it. Now that I think about it, I never eat while writing. I'll starve myself for hours on end because I forget the existence of food. 

4. Tomorrow is the cover reveal for your newest novel, HOLLOWED (be sure to come back here, readers, to check it out!), which you are self-publishing. Of all the aspects of the self-publishing process, which one has been the most terrifying? :)
ALL OF IT! It's scary to release a book that hasn't been professionally edited, and relying solely on the judgment of yourself and betas. The cover is also terrifying, because while I think it looks nice, what is the rest of the world going to think? Self-pubbing anything require a catchy, professional-looking cover. HOLLOWED also involves paranormal creatures the book market is already saturated with, so I'm hoping against hope what I can provide readers is a unique, fresh experience with them. 

5. Lastly, the question I like to ask all interviewees: If you were stranded on a deserted island, and could only have one book with you, which would it be, and why?
That's hard. The first one that comes to mind is HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE by Diana Wynne Jones. Though maybe I should choose one of the A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE books by George R. R. Martin because they're so huge. More hours of reading entertainment.

Thanks again, Kelley!
Thanks for the questions! :D


 Remember to stop by the blog tomorrow for the first look at the cover of Kelley's latest novel, HOLLOWED!

Review: SUCH A RUSH by Jennifer Echols!

SUCH A RUSH
by Jennifer Echols
pub date: 7/10/2012


product description from goodreads.com


A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly.

My Review:

The above description doesn't even begin to describe the magic that lies within the pages of Jennifer Echols's latest hit, SUCH A RUSH. This book is wrought with love, hate, passion, sexy...all the great adjectives used to describe an Echols book! I read it in one sitting, and for the first time in a long time, I actually wanted to immediately start over from the beginning.

SUCH A RUSH tells the story of Leah Jones, a girl often thought from the "wrong side of the tracks" as we say here in the south, who hops from city to city over the course of her life. Her deadbeat mother constantly follows this boyfriend or that boyfriend, always putting them and herself before her daughter. The result is Leah not feeling like any place is home.

That is, until she strolls onto the tarmac of a tiny airport in Heaven Beach, South Carolina, and instantly falls in love with the entire world of flying. From here, we begin to see Leah come alive. At only 14 (the story progresses to age 17 really quickly), Leah seems to understand and comprehend the world that sits above us all, just waiting to be explored and enjoyed. She gets a job pumping gas and working the desk, but her true want lies in learning to fly. She saves her money (hiding it from her mom) for a flying lesson and approaches the owner of a banner flying company adjacent to the airport. What ensues is one of the most touching relationships in the entire book.

With a non-existent dad and absentee mom, Leah has never had a real parental figure in her life. But when Mr. Hall, the owner of Hall Aviation, agrees to teach Leah to fly, she then learns the truest meaning of the word "father". Mr. Hall takes Leah under his wing, seeing something inside her that can't be taught: Passion. Leah's passion for flying is unsurpassed, maybe even more prominent than the actual pilots of the story, and Mr. Hall is more than happy to teach Leah everything she needs to know about this exciting new world. 

But everything isn't perfect in Leah's life, as she soon learns when something tragic happens that sends this amazing story spiraling--right along with its characters. Leah's long-time unrequited crush, Grayson Hall, becomes much more present in her daily life, spending every waking minute at Hall Aviation.  Being so close to Grayson, seeing him everyday, watching him grow and suffer like, well, her, makes Leah look at her crush in an entirely different way. She sees him as human, not just some unattainable guy to be watched from afar. Throughout the novel, Leah's feelings for Grayson sit just below the surface, which makes for some very, um...entertaining scenes. ;-P

I really can't say much more for fear of giving away the story (hopefully I haven't done that already, lol), but I will tell you this: You want to read this book, trust me.

My Rating:

I couldn't be happier to give this book 5 stars. A beautiful, touching story of love, loss and flying, SUCH A RUSH makes you want two things: To become a pilot...and to fall in love. This is Echols at her best!

Launch for Jennifer Echols' SUCH A RUSH!

Does anyone else think she looks a bit like JK Rowling here,

or is it just me? :-)

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of taking a little road trip upstate to visit the super-talented and always-delightful Jennifer Echols for the launch of her latest novel, SUCH A RUSH (review to come tomorrow!). 


The event was held at a local Barnes and Noble, and I arrived a bit...early (read: over an hour, lol). But, as I'm sure you all know, it's never a bad thing to have free time in a bookstore. ;-)


I perused the shelves while I waited, enjoying the look and smell of just being inside a bookstore (yes, to those of us who love books more than people, this is Heaven). As I made my way to the front where a table had already been set up for the signing, I caught sight of Jennifer laying out her pens (she color-codes her autographs, people. Yeah, she's that cool.) and getting ready. 


Being the natural extrovert that I am, I politely walked over and struck up a conversation I lurked in the stacks until I built up the nerve to go say hi. Though I have no clue why, because Jennifer Echols is the nicest person you'll ever meet. 


She immediately stood from the table and gave me a hug, remembering me from a previous signing (or from Twitter, where I stalk follow her proudly), and we began talking about the event, books in general, the world of publishing and the like. 

Yep, you read that correctly: I got to hang with Jennifer Echols--for over 2 hours!! Can I just say how awesome the night was? At one point in our multi-layered convo, I even told her that I was gonna leave now, for I felt I was keeping her from chatting with other fans who strolled up and had their favorite Echols books signed. But Jennifer, being the ever-gracious author she is, simply waved me off and said she was having a great time talking with me (yes, I may have smiled ear-to-ear at this). So, I hung around while she greeted other readers like myself, and after each person cleared the table, Jennifer would pick right back up with where our conversation left off. (author's note: I couldn't even remember everything we were talking about, lol)

As the night went on, several ladies came up to the table and began talking with Jennifer as if they knew her, and each time she would introduce me to the ladies of her Southern Magic writer's group. I was super-excited to get to meet them all, enjoying the camaraderie amongst the group of long-time friends. They made jokes and finished each other's sentences, and the whole time I just stood back and had a blast. 

One of my very own critique partners, Jess Leake, also came to the signing (she was late, but I forgave her because she's just too darn cute not to) and we both enjoyed hanging with Jennifer Echols for the rest of the event. In fact, we were having so much fun, that we kept Jennifer there longer than she was scheduled (my deepest apologies, Jennifer!). 


All in all, the SUCH A RUSH launch event was one of the best times ever, and I can't wait till I'm able to take another trip to "hang" with Jennifer Echols!

My BEA/NYC Trip...Finally!

Okay, I must begin this blog post with two apologies.

First, I apologize for neglecting my blog for...well...a bit. (author's note: a bit totally means over a month)

Second, I apologize for this post--because it's a looong one. (author's note: lots of pictures!)

So, as some of you may know, I have had the esteemed honor and privilege of becoming a published author (yes, it is still crazy to say that aloud). And although with that comes much hard work and sacrifice (just ask my friends/family all about that one, lol), it also has a few perks. And one of those perks happened just over a month ago, when I was able to attend the largest book convention in the US, held in the largest city in the US.

That's right, I'm talking BEA in NYC, baby!

I have to say that for a first-timer (both to BEA & NYC), I was a bit nervous. More so for being in NYC than BEA, but nervous nonetheless. After landing and taking a shuttle to my hotel (author's note: 5 hours later!), I met up with some friends at a local eatery and got to actually walk the streets of New York (read: awesome)!

To cut things short, I'm gonna stop rambling and post some pics from my week-long venture into the Big Apple. But rest assured, I had an amazing time at both BEA and in NYC, and I cannot wait to go back!

A few shots of the city:

 Madison Square Garden (bad shot, I know)

 The 3 pics above are from Chelsea (beautiful)

 I just love this building

Our trip to New Jersey:

 NYC from Jersey (that's the new tower being built)

 the Carlo's Bakery (from Cake Boss!)

Night out in Times Square:

 We were just around the corner--love Times Square!

 They have a 5lb Hershey Bar. Um, yeah.

 Newsies is an outstanding show--see it if you can!

(that's Newsies star Jeremy Jordan. Honest.)

BEA 2012

 The lovely Jeri Smith-Ready!

 The awesome Jennifer L. Armentrout!

 The hilarious Jus Accardo!

 The talented Mike Mullin!

 The Pendrell authors who were able to attend

 Friend & fellow Pendrell author Lani Woodland

Yes, that is the Rachael Ray (so pretty)!

Well there you have it, a photo recap of my amazing first trip to NYC and BEA. Like I said, I can't wait to go back!

INDIEpendence Day Indie Author Celebration!

I'm so excited to be a part of the INDIEpendence Day - A Celebration of Indie Authors Blog Hop (holy names, Batman!)!


The lovely ladies at Indelibles blog created this event as a way to acknowledge and celebrate those indie books that we all love, and I can't say thanks to them enough! Indie books (small press, self-pubbed) typically get little to no recognition, so it's awesome that an entire blog event has been created to help spread the word and get those books into the spotlight. Because as we all know, it isn't just "traditional" publishing that's putting out winners anymore--INDIE does, too!


Now, the guideline for today's event was pretty simple: Choose 1 indie book to showcase.


Um, yeah...NOT so simple.


One? I can only choose ONE?!! Herein lies my dilemma, for there are several indie books that I love! But, I somehow managed to choose just one. My decision wasn't an easy one, but I finally had to say to myself "Self, just choose the one that you loved the MOST." 


So that's what I did. And the result is...

EDEN
by Keary Taylor
pub date June 6, 2011


product description from goodreads.com


Eve knew the stories of the Fall, of a time before she wandered into the colony of Eden, unable to recall anything but her name. She's seen the aftermath of the technology that infused human DNA with cybernetic matter, able to grow new organs and limbs, how it evolved out of control. The machine took over and the soul vanished. A world quickly losing its humanity isn't just a story to her though. At eighteen, this world is Eve's reality.

In their Fallen world, love feels like a selfish luxury, but not understanding what it is makes it difficult to choose between West, who makes her feel alive but keeps too many secrets, and Avian, who has always been there for her, but is seven years her senior.

The technology wants to spread and it won't stop until there is no new flesh to assimilate. With only two percent of the human population left, mankind is on the brink of extinction. While fighting to keep Eden alive, Eve will discover that being human is about what you will do for those you love, not what your insides may be made of. And even if it gets you killed, love is always what separates them from the Fallen.

Doesn't that description sound amazing? Well trust me, it is. 

This book is filled with amazing description and world-building, and a couple of oh-so-hot guys--win!

And just to help convince you, here's my review (with pics of said hotties!):

EDEN marks yet another great self-published book by a truly talented author. This book tells the story of Eve and a group of humans struggling to survive in the chaos of a technological outbreak. The human race has been plagued by an Infection of technology, turning almost everyone into The Fallen--cybernetic monsters hell-bent on spreading their "disease".

From the very beginning, Eve is presented as strong, independent and loyal. But as the pages progress (and they do oh-so-well), we learn things about Eve that changes the reader's perception of her (in a good way). I'm not going to give anything away here for the sake of those who have yet to read it, but know that Eve is a brilliantly written character who struggles with the same issues all of us do...even in the midst of unimaginable circumstances. One of the issues she faces? Choosing between Avian and West.

Oh yes, Avian and West. Two guys who love Eve more than anything. One saved her, one is the only connection to her past. Both fill her heart and help her discover things about herself she never knew. Of course there is a love triangle (it's YA!), but please don't let that deter you (I know some people despise them, but I happen to enjoy the triangle!). This one is so touching and realistic that you can't help but feel for both guys and Eve all at once. Which will she choose? The caring, protective Avian, or the vibrant, loyal West? You'll have to read it to find out. And just so you'll have as hard a decision to make as Eve does, here's what the author imagines these two look like.

First up, Avian

Ahem.


And of course, West.


Ahem again.

So, you can clearly see Eve's dilemma, yes? Add into that fighting The Fallen, struggling with her own inner issues, and trying to save the world, and you'll be amazed that Eve has enough sense to wake up in the mornings.


And here's another really cool pic created by the author (she's super-talented at not only writing, but graphics as well. I mean, did you see the book's cover? To. Die. For.) She went so far as to imagine an actual movie poster for EDEN, and I can easily picture it hanging in theaters across the globe. I only hope that someone in Hollywood gets a copy of this book and reads it, because I would love to see this as a movie! (note: EDEN has been optioned for the big screen! fingers crossed!)

Isn't that awesome! Love it.

As I said at the beginning of this review, EDEN is a self-published title by a superbly talented author. But in my opinion, it ranks right up there with other traditionally published YA dystopians like Divergent with it's unique, clever plot, strong female heroine, and swoon-worthy guys--only proving once again that the publishing world is a-changin'. I'm not going to give anything away, but I am beyond happy to give EDEN 4 stars, and I urge you all to order a copy and join Eve in her fight against The Fallen!

As I said before, this book is awesome, and the author is, too! Wanna get a copy for yourself? Well, you can do that right here!


Wanna know more about Keary Taylor? Check out her website, Twitter, Facebook & Goodreads!


And don't forget to follow along on the Indelibles blog hop and check out all the other amazing INDIE authors being featured today!