Anjenique Hughes's Blog, page 2
August 1, 2016
Another great review...
This book review by Sally Ann Melia is fab:
"This is a fantastic reimagining of our worlds as a dystopian future where freedom is limited, even nonexistent. Your microchip is implanted at birth that tracks everything you do or see. It all started as a credit card, a payment mechanism, but in this future, the implant has taken over: All that you do is tracked, monitored, considered, controlled.
But who is in control as in George Orwell’s 1984, in this dystopian twenty-third century, the Earth is ruled by a totalitarian world government known as the Sovereign Regime.
The regime determines your life chances, including your education and job. Rules are many and include how you dress and the length of your hair. And the hero Goro does too, until he comes on a secret…. He makes a mistake, and when the crackdown on him and his family comes, he is rescued by the ‘resistance’, and so the adventure begins.
In summary…This is an exciting Young Adult book, which is also a real page-turner. It captures teenagers well, so should be a hit with young men but also with an adult audience as well. If you have a teenager in your family, then buy them a copy. But be sure to read it yourself—I highly recommend it."
July 26, 2016
Amazing Reviews
Check out some of the great reviews SOVEREIGNTY has been getting on Twitter!
Anjenique Hughes
Fans are the most amazing part of this publication journey!!!! You're the best!!!Mwaahhh :)
about 15 hours ago
Anjenique Hughes
Sovereignty by Anjenique Hughes: a book Review a Dystopian Novel - https://t.co/azrVmsKQSf via @bookroomreviews
about a day ago
Anjenique Hughes
RT @banterbooks: #currentlyreading #Sovereignty by @SovereigntyJen. #CCReadathon #CRJuly #CasualReadathonJ2 https://t.co/ACZ3ME0wTh
about a day ago
Anjenique Hughes
My hope with SOVEREIGNTY is to encourage and inspire youth all over the world: Don't give up on your dreams!!!
July 23, 2016
Oh snapchat, you silly mo-fo app...
Navigating social media is one of the most time consuming, but necessary pieces of the book publishing world. Sometimes I'd rather eat dog food than sit on my arse for 6 hours trying to figure out the nuts and bolts of a new site (or new to me lol). My publicist said, "Get over it and get on it! Snapchat, Ay-sap!!" Yes, sir. I spent one Saturday shooting a bunch of ridiculous videos to launch my Snapchat account with, but am so technologically challenged (just like Goro, btw) that I need someone holding my hand pretty much every step of the way -__-. Feeling like an 80-year-old woman doesn't help, as I am not a spring chicken anymore. Keeping up with the YA in the demographic I am reaching can be exhausting! Wish I had their energy! However, buckling down and just doing it, as the saying goes, can pay off huge dividends in the end. I tell my students all the time, "You can dooooooo it!" Doesn't help that I accidently sent the wrong video to my former BOSS on Snapchat, my bad...So here's to learning fluent Snapchat and posting some zany pics and videos! Wish me luck!! :)
July 21, 2016
Villains vs. heroes part 1
Ah...the hero and the villain. Two sides of the same coin? I love a villain with extraordinary powers, seemingly unbeatable. Unless you've been living under a rock, I am sure you are all familiar with Voldemort, Kylo Ren, President Snow, the Winter Soldier...the list goes on. What makes these villains so compelling is despite their cunning nature, they still possess a certain vulnerability, either physical or emotional. One that hopefully evokes some sort of response in readers, be it hate or sympathy. It is also intriguing to have more than one villain, in addition to the main "dark lord." Examples are Dolores Umbridge and Bellatrix LeStrange underneath the overarching rule of Voldemort. Also, great villains juxtapose with remarkable heroes in contrasting sharply against one another. The Joker was just that, a "jokester" to Batman's serial stoicism. President Snow of The Hunger Games had blatantly evil motivations, differing with the values and morals of Katniss Everdeen. In my book Sovereignty, Goro is the obvious hero- rather unwillingly at times in all honesty. He possesses incredible (yet cocky) confidence, but you can't help but love the guy. On the flip side, there is nothing likable about Davio- the brutally diabolical dictator who displays no emotion whatsoever, with Ash Sheitan content on taking a back seat to his master. Upon reading, you have the instant urge to backhand both villains. What do you think? Who is your favorite villain? Comment below :)
July 18, 2016
BOOK RELEASE....AHHHHH!!!!
There is nothing more surreal than walking into your favorite bookstore and seeing YOUR BOOK on the New and Noteworthy Young Adult book table! I immediately signed the copies in the store, enabling them to be specially labeled as "author autographed." Nevertheless, my book will be released tomorrow, July 19th, and I am stoked!! The amount of encouragement and positive feedback has been phenomenal. Check out the Goodreads Giveaway if you have a chance, which runs through July 23rd!
July 5, 2016
Finding Dory...
There are hilarious animated movies, and then there are the folks you are seeing the hilarious animated movies with, who are more hilarious than the movie! Case in point: I went to see Finding Dory with my bff and her four children (yes, four) and her youngest is 4-years-old and smart as a whip. "Sit next to me! Sit next to me!" She yelled upon entering the massive empty theater (it was 5 in the afternoon. I dutifully sat next to her in the theater along with her three older brothers. She is one of those adorable children who holds your hand and looks up at you smiling with, "I love you the bestest." Well, I'm thinking this movie is pretty safe, no scary parts, but needless to say, there is a harrowing car chase scene near the end of the film. Cars driven by animals. Sea creatures. My bff's daughter was so distressed at the driving skills of the ocean vermin, she freaks out at the danger involved in putting sea life at risk in a speeding vehicle, bemoaning their fate. "That Octopus is a terrible driver!!" She squawked. I laughed so hard I was crying. Leave it to the young ones to create more hilarious entertainment than the movie itself! :)
June 30, 2016
The nuts and bolts about writing for YA
I particularly love writing for YA, because they are the future. Young Adults can be some of the most hilarious and fun people to hang around. They keeps things real. Therefore, books written for this population need to be relevant to their lives. When writing for the young adult population, it’s best to keep the conversations and dialogue interesting and realistic for this age group. With technology and video games constantly competing for their attention, a book really needs to be an exciting ride. If the book doesn’t take off with action from the get-go, they’ll be tossing it out the window in no time. I like to include nuances, witty cliché’s, and balance the humor with the serious. Developing strong characters and character relationships are important, as well as having a smooth, flowing plot. I have found that teens hate it when loose ends are not tied up in the end. We underestimate the intelligence of YA a lot of times; they are plenty smart and can spot a phony a mile away. I also like to include a character that is somewhat rough around the edges, but who learns a valuable lesson in the end and concluding with their maturing and changing for the better. Of course, hidden positive messages and subliminal moral values never hurts!
May 24, 2016
Street Cred....
Oh man, do I ever boast Krav Maga war wounds! Not everyone likes martial arts and it can be a brutal form of calisthenics, no doubt. As much as I love Krav, I don't always perfect the technique that my instructor drills into my head- hence, injuries. It could be a kick to the abs, the delayed ducking to avoid a swing, forgetting to wear a mouth guard, you name it. Wednesday was uneventful, till I requested that my Krav partner provide resistance against a rifle deflection, and with one slip of my hand, the barrel of the rifle snapped back to clock me in the nose. Cue gushing blood and instant inflammation. The first (and hopefully ever) black eye I have sustained in Krav. My students think someone "put me down." Haha. My genes have lent me a high threshold for pain, so no problems over hurr, just a narly shiner until the next time I get my ass whooped....Bring it ON :)
April 20, 2016
To travel or not to travel...
Every summer I whisk off to an exotic land, whether it be to Russia, Morocco, Israel, or Brazil- I've had my share of experiences traveling the globe, some amazing, some freakin scary. Si, I have climbed through ancient pyramids in Egypt and hiked the Great Wall of China (Good). But on the flip side, I have taken terrifying taxi rides in the middle of the night in Dubai and also been detained and interrogated for seven hours by the Israeli Mossad (Bad). Some crazy adventure always awaits me whenever I embark on that long international plane flight. The biggest adventure now, however, will be kicking off a book tour this summer! Let the signings begin...
March 6, 2016
Relationships...
I have found that building a bridge with my teenaged students is paramount to helping them achieve success. When someone other than a family member genuinely cares about their lives and what goes on with them, it makes a difference- even if it's just a brief smile in their direction. I'm not all that, believe me, but I have an innate ability to connect with youth- prolly was born with it! I want my students to know that I am there for them. I want them to be able to look back to their high school years and say, "That Hughes teacher was always in my business, (they don't really say this, lol) but no really, it was cool of her. She made an impact on my life." THAT is the ultimate high five- when a student comes up to you years later and thanks you, saying they appreciated you being there for them. It's a marathon, not a sprint and it's not always easy to build relationships, but it is ultimately rewarding in the long run. My students are ROCK STARS!!!! :)
