Rachel Howzell Hall's Blog, page 5

I Wanna Look but I Don't Wanna Look!

So, the wonderful people at Titan Books sent me cover artwork for the U.K. ARC (advanced reading copy) for Land of Shadows and....

WOW.

I'm flattered. And speechless. And excited. And embarrassed. And... wow! It's been a dream of mine since FOREVER to be a novelist. And now, my FACE is on the cover of my NOVEL. I'm so happy that I've imploded and so I'm numb and can't even FEEL anything, y'know?

So here it is:


What do you think?

Little did I know that this picture (taken by my friend Andre Ellis)would double as cover art.

I like the blue tint, and how the 'A' in 'Hall' jabs into the 'W' of 'Howzell.'

So two great covers from Forge and Titan, and incredible publishing support from both fabulous houses.

I'm truly blessed!

Why I Love Second Drafts

My girl is getting her hair did and I'm seated in the waiting room, right near the ladies restroom with its flushing and echoing sounds of... all sorts of things. 
But I'm happy. Know why? Cuz I'm now working the second draft of Number Three of the Elouise Norton series. 
And this is the first page of Chapter 4 which used to be Chapter Three.


That's a wonderful thing about second drafts. That and a few other things:
--using my favorite tools like my Staedtler pencils, stickie notes of every size and color--writing everywhere on the page--name changes cuz you now know the people you're writing about-- research being more direct cuz you know what your story is about--crossing out and stet-ing and lines--new titile cuz again you know what your story is about.
There be monsters off in the second draft -- and here is where you slay them and create your own. 
Second drafts? I feel in control. And as a control freak, I can dig it! 
Even as some woman is peeing in a tiny room three feet away from me.

And In New York...

My friends at Forge are busy, busy, busy! Getting it together for the June publication of Land of Shadows! I'm addicted to page 10 of the Forge Spring Summer 2014 catalog. And here it is!


Can you believe THAT?! Cool, right?!

I hope that I'll get to meet you at a 'Select Event'!! Keep checking here and my official website for tour dates - either real world or on the interwebs! I'll be the one running down the hall, whooping and cartwheeling!

Shadows Over There

So!

Did I tell you that the UK rights to Land of Shadows was purchased by Titan Books?

Yes?

Did I tell you that they are just wonderful and attentive and excited?

No?

Did I tell you that the UK version of Land of Shadows will be May 23rd?

I know I didn't tell you that!

And did I mention that I'm going to the UK to help spread the word about Shadows?

I didn't tell you that until now!

But yes, I will be across the pond in May and I'll be sure to post dates and places in case you want to stop by and say hi. Until then, here's Titan's official press release:


Needless to say that I'm thrilled and... and... I know my 'thing' is words but 'a dream come true' is a total understatement.


So what would you call it?

Land of Shadows Giveaway at Goodreads

.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(https://www.goodreads.com/images/layo... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway



Land of Shadows
by Rachel Howzell Hall

Giveaway ends February 09, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

“Proud non-reader” Kanye West turns author

Submitted without comment:  “Proud non-reader” Kanye West turns author

Okay. One comment:

"I would never want a book's autograph."

Okay. Another one:

"She [his mom Donda] raised me to be the voice to allow people to think for themselves, to find their own way."

Hunh. Huh?

Okay. Last one:

"Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed."

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha - whew - hahahahahahahahaha.

Another Happy Day!

So I pull up in my porch-corchiere (fancy way of saying 'covered driveway') and saw this big box sitting on my porch. The mailing label hailed from New York... the Tor/Forge part of New York. After preliminary squealing, I tore open the box to find these:


The unedited ARCs (advance reading copies) of Land of Shadows! And they're so pretty. And I'm so excited.

Check in for a give-away cuz you may want to read LOS before it hits the shelves in June! Until then, visit my new web page at www.rachelhowzell.com and 'Like' the Lou Norton FB page.

Come Unto Me Indeed

Taken at a church in my neighborhood...

Contain the Brain Drain

Last week, I finished #2 of the Detective Lou Norton series. Yay! And now, I want to start #3. I know the story, I know the characters, I know 68 percent of what I plan to write. But!

I cannot pick up the pen for more than ten minutes without sighing and mentally pushing away.

You know that I write full-time. And that I have a fourth grader. And that I live in Los Angeles. Each of these activities require mental calisthenics. (Arrays and quotients in fourth grade? Really??) And around 2:35 every afternoon, I start going dim.

I guess my brain is saying, 'Basta!" And according to this Scientific American article, Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime, that's a good thing.

"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets," essayist Tim Kreider wrote in The New York Times.

And so, I'm resting some. Playing 'Dishonored.' Doing easy thinking as much as I can. Letting my mind stretch and pick up shells on the beach and eat popcorn and all of that. I'll be a better writer, a better mother, a better citizen for it.

A Girl Like Me... is what?

My family.

We're all quite... something. Very interesting in our own ways. Bright. Insightful. Crazy. Funny. Strange. Competitive. And smart.

The young ones - my nieces and nephews - are carrying the same smart-crazy-insightful banner, and I'm so very proud of them.

Recently, though, as I waited to see 'Gravity' (OMG, see that movie), I read an INCREDIBLE poem penned by my fourteen-year old niece Ryan. And as I read, my jaw dropped, and I held my breath as I read, and then, I jabbed my husband David in the arm for him to read it, to read it now, damn it, I don't care if Passbook isn't working, you gotta read what Ryan wrote RIGHT NOW.

Her piece truly struck me (even after reading it for the sixth time today). As you'll recall, back in August, I posted thoughts about Strong Female Characters.

And as a writer of The Strong Female Character, and as s Strong Female, and always questioning what that means, Ryan's essay completely overwhelmed me. The ease of her language, the sarcasm, the anger, the thoughts behind it, knowing the type of young woman Ryan is today and who she will be in seven years... Right then, I emailed my brother Terry to ask Ryan if she'd let me post and share it with you all. And Ryan agreed.

Background first: Ryan and her classmates have been discussing gender roles, with reference to a piece by Jamaica Kincaid. The kids were told to write in her style.

And here is what Ryan wrote:

Girl by Ryan H.
Don’t scream or play in the mud. This is how to dress up like a princess and like the color pink. This is how to raise your hand enough, but not too much. This is how to think boys have cooties and sit at separate lunch tables. This is how to wear dresses and be a daddy’s girl even though you have shorts underneath. This is how to be a girly girl or a tomboy. Never in between. This is how to have ‘fastest’ always followed by ‘girl.’ This is how to avoid contact and talk behind each other’s backs. This is how to be nice. This is how to smile. Don’t raise your voice or tell people what to do.

You would never want to hurt anyone, would you?

This is how to be a victim. This is how to need saving. This is how to exist for others and make other people feel needed. This is how to need others because I know you will. This is how to define yourself as strong because it isn’t implied. This is how to let others define your worth until you drift into becoming someone else’s. This is how to be his sister, his mother, his wife. This is how to be a mother because I know you will be.

This is how to be pretty and wear makeup. This how to be delicate and soft-spoken. This is how to listen first and pause before you speak. This is how to apologize when you’ve done something wrong. This is how to apologize when someone else has done something wrong. This is how to precede sentences with ‘I’m sorry’ even if nothing is wrong. This is how to use pretty language and giggle and flirt with your eyelashes even though you think it looks foolish.

You want to be ladylike, don’t you?

This is how to pretend you are half the person you are.

People like that.


See?! I told you! It's... DA BOMB, right? Gives you hope for the future.

Smart Girls.

Thinking Girls Who Know Gender-Shenanigans Are Afoot And Cock Their Eyebrows At Your B.S.

I absolutely love it!

Thanks again, Ryan, for letting me share!