Kate Avery Ellison's Blog, page 22
January 9, 2012
Author Spotlight: Daniel Koch's DESCENDANT
Hi, everybody!Today as part of my ongoing Author Spotlight series, I'd like to feature author Daniel Koch and his book Descendant: The Protector.
You may remember Daniel already from my Big Awesome YA Giveaway back in December, where he generously donated a print copy to one of the prize packages (and I am hoping to have another one of those pretty soon!).
So without further ado...
*cues music*
~~~~~~~~~~~
Kate: Welcome, Daniel! Tell me a little more about Descendant: The Protector. What's the setting? Who's the main character?
Daniel: The world is in the midst of an apocalyptic event. It's been in the making for thousands of years, but everything is falling into place and it seems that sometime very soon all humans will be wiped out. Jason Hook is just a normal person trying to survive in this world, until the very creatures that threaten to destroy it come directly for him. As the story progresses, he begins to realize he may not be as normal as he once imagined.
Kate: Apocalyptic event? Monstrous creatures? I love it! How would you describe Jason, your main character?
Daniel: Strong-willed, but foolish and stubborn.
Kate: Foolish and stubborn? That sounds a little ominous, at least for for him... Now tell me more about these creatures taking over the world. I was so intrigued that I read a few of the reviews on Amazon looking for more information about them. Are they vampires? They sounded like vampires.
Daniel: The monsters are vampiric in nature, but some are more powerful than others...
Kate: Oooh, sounds interesting.
What inspired you to write Descendant--was it a particular scene, or character, or theme?
Daniel: One day I sat down at my computer and wrote a name: Jason Hook. I had been interested in the vampire and apocalypse genres for a while before, and so I decided to center my character in a world very similar to ours, but broken and plagued by monsters.
Kate: Who in the book (besides your protagonist) is your favorite character?
Daniel: Actually, my protagonist isn't my favorite character. He's a close second, but my favorite character is actually Falko, the villain. Of course, this only really occured while I was writing the second book, where Falko's character becomes much more fleshed out. But ever since then his tragic story has made him my favorite.
Kate: I can understand that. I always end up totally adoring my villains if they are in ANY way sympathetic. I'm such a sucker for a anti-hero.
Do you have any particular writing tricks or habits you'd like to share?
Daniel: I write at night, or really the early morning. I tend to sleep late (very late, actually) and can sometimes stay up writing until the sun rises. For some reason I have trouble writing during the day, even if no one else is home and everything is quiet. There's just something about being up in the dead of night that gets my creative juices flowing and my best work comes out.
Kate: I'm the same way. My most optimal writing time is between midnight and 2 AM, which means I am up late a LOT.
Now when it comes to writing, are you a plotter (planning out the story beforehand) or a pantser (making it up as you go along)?
Daniel: For my first book, I was a pantser. Everything I did was spur of the moment. Once I finished it, though, I realized it would be very difficult to write an entire series like that. Too many things were going on and I couldn't keep it all together in my head, so for the next three books I plotted every little detail. Plotting has now become the norm for me. Although I'm still working on The Descendant Series, I have a few other books that already have character lists and major plot details written down.
Kate: I was the same way. I wrote my first several books completely spur-the-moment, but I find it completely impossible to sustain a series with that style of writing (I also find it faster to plot first). Now I have a notebook full of charts and scribbles.
Are you writing anything else at the moment?
Daniel: I have a few things in the works. I'm nearly complete with book 3 of The Descendant Series, with only one more to go once that is finished. After that, I have a stand alone fantasy story idea that I've been wanting to write for awhile now.
Kate: Sounds great. Good luck with your new projects! Thanks so much for stopping by, Daniel!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can find out more about Daniel Koch and his vampire-apocalyptic YA series here:
Website: www.TheDescendantSeries.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DanielWKoch
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Descendant-Series/135779306448383
January 7, 2012
Versatile Blogger Award!
Back in December, Matthew Cook from The Illiterate Scribe blog gave me the Versatile Blogger award!! Thanks, Matthew!!I was so flattered and pleased, but I was craaaaaazy swamped with Christmas stuff and the Big Awesome YA Giveaway and the smaller Curse Girl-related giveaways I was doing on my blog and on Goodreads. So I neglected to do a follow-up post.
I'm supposed to share seven random bits of information about myself and then share a few blogs I love.
1. I would rather drink food (like smoothies, milkshakes, etc) than eat food (like a steak).
2. I took horseback riding lessons as a child.
3. Despite the purple bow, my favorite color is actually turquoise, and half my closet is probably some shade of it (although I do love purple too).
4. I come from a family of creative people. My oldest brother is an amazing photographer who used to travel the world for his job, and my younger sister is a very talented artist who paints and makes jewelry.
5. I love dark chocolate. I rarely like milk chocolate (hershey bars? I won't even eat them).
6. My appendix ruptured when I was 19, resulting in numerous complication for me physically.
7. When I was a kid, I read mostly "adult" books. Now that I'm an adult, I read mostly MG or YA books... funny how that worked out.
Some of the Blogs I Enjoy Reading:
WordPlay ~ This is a GREAT blog for writers, filled with tips and information. KM Weiland has authored several books about writing and craft in addition to her fiction titles.
Emily White: Young Adult Author ~ Author of the upcoming (ELEMENTAL). She posts all kinds of interesting things about authors and book trailers and so forth on her blog, and she's a really kind person as well.
Taherah Mafi's Grab a Pen ~ Taherah Mafi (author of the newly-released SHATTER ME) is funny, insightful, and oh-so honest. Love her blog.
The Chocolate Chip Waffle ~ A poetry blog. Although she hasn't updated it in a loooong time, the archives are incredible. Such inspiration to me every time I visit.
Hairnets and Hopes ~ I met Vic sometime last year, and she is one of the sweetest and most encouraging writers I know! She's also an incredible artist... you should check out her deviantART page.
January 4, 2012
The 5 Minutes A Day Rule
Happy New Year!Well, the dust from all the various holidays and associated craziness--parties, families, cooking, travelling, et cetera--has finally begun to settle, and I'm trying to get back into the groove. Back to reading and tweeting and somewhat-regular blog posting. Back to writing.
But first, I made a few goals and resolutions for the shiny new year!
I wrote a long and detailed list of new year's resolutions with my husband this year, because we're total nerds like that. We write out lists separately and then read and discussed them with each other.
(Note: I think resolutions are one of those things that, if they work for you, awesome! And if they don't... don't worry about them. But I personally LOVE them. Having goals helps me a lot, and I get such a rush when I look back and see that I've met them.)
Most of my resolutions are personal, like giving more to charity this year, and the rest are mostly places I'd like to see myself professionally in a year rather than actual resolutions (although I know what I have to do to get there). But I do have two goals for the year that I thought I'd share.
They're easy to remember because they both have to do with the number 5.
I got the idea for the first one from Alexandra Sokoloff's blog, and it is so simple but so smart that I am totally incorporating it into my goals for the year.
It's this simple:Write at least 5 minutes a day.
Now, for me, the hardest part about writing is actually sitting down and starting to do it. I can find any excuse in the world to not sit down and type at my computer, especially if I feel stuck in a rut or uncertain about where the story is supposed to go. So with this goal, I can promise myself that I only have to do 5 minutes. But HOPEFULLY I'll get sucked in, as often happens, and do much, much more writing that day. But even if I don't, 5 minutes is something, and something is better than nothing.
My second goal is also pretty simple:
Read at least 5 writing books this year.
I made (and met!) this goal last year as well, and it was tremendously helpful to me. I'm trying to always be growing and learning when it comes to my craft, and this is one great way to do it.
Do you guys have any big goals or resolutions for the new year?
December 29, 2011
2011 ~ Best In Books
Since it's almost over, I feel like I can come out and say that this past year has been one of the best of my life so far. So many amazing things have happened to me, and I've experienced so much growth both personally and professionally. It's been such a wonderful journey, and I'm so thankful to have shared pieces of it with you guys!
But enough rambling about me. Since this is a blog about books and writing and the love of reading, I thought I'd take a look back at some of the books that kept me company over the course of 2011, and recommend them.
(NOTE: Since I have a number of younger blog readers, I have a new policy for noting which YA books are more mature in content along with my recommendations. I don't want anybody who is sensitive to reading about frank depictions of sex, violence, or swearing to be blindsided when it comes to something I rec'ed. Obviously the adult books all contain "adult" content, but I feel that is expected.)
Best Overall Read:
While there are a LOT of books that could be considered for this category (I read MANY excellent books this year!), the best book I read this year was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Of course, this one is a modern classic, so... no surprise there. Really, though. Genius book.
Most Life-Changing Read (fiction):
Hate List. This book about the (ex)girlfriend of a high school shooter takes an incredibly nuanced look at tragedy, hatred, and guilt. I read it at a particularly difficult time in which I was dealing with something personal that oddly coincided with the message of the novel, and it hit me hard about how I handle blame when it comes to villainizing others and looking at their mistakes, even when those mistakes are admittedly heinous and worthy of condemnation. This was also one of those rare books where I was deeply invested emotionally without any real love story to speak of in the book, just friendship.
This was definitely a mature YA, with lots of cussing and raw depictions of life.
Most Life-Changing Read (non-fiction):
Half the Sky. Named from the proverb "women hold up half the sky," this book tells shocking, horrifying stories about the violence MILLIONS of women around the world suffer every day, woven through with an inspiring and empowering message about practical things we can do to change this reality. It was so wonderful for me to finally read something that talked about the problem of violence towards women in a problem-solving way instead of a "oh well, isn't that horrible, that's just the world we live in" kind of way, or a "everyone else is doing it wrong and we know all the answers" kind of way. The book approached possible solutions with a balanced, everybody-can-help attitude that isn't specific to a particular ideology or political position (for instance, the book was respectful to both sides of the abortion debate, not something I often see). The research is incredibly thorough, and the writers are forthright and honest about the complexity of the situations (for instance, rescuing a woman from sex slavery isn't always as easy as buying her out of it). If you haven't read this book, you MUST do so. It rocked my world, and gave me tons of great ideas for charities and giving programs that I could get involved with as soon as I finished reading it (my personal favorite is Kiva.org, where you can make small loans to people wanting to start businesses in places like Africa and South America... they talk about how much that sort of thing can help in the book).
Most Surprisingly Enjoyable Read:
The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I wasn't expecting to love this one... I was just reading it because it was a classic, and I am trying to brush up on the ones I've missed. I'd recently finished Love in the Time of Cholera, which, while of course brilliant, was a bit of a chore to read at times, and I was expecting the same with TBoSLR. But I was blown away by the beautiful questions this book asked.
Runner-Up for Most Surprisingly Enjoyable Read:
Cross My Heart. I started reading this on my Kindle out of utter boredom while waiting for my husband in a store. I expected it to be boring (or terribly cliche) for some inane reason I can't remember. Instead, I was up until 3 AM reading frantically to reach the end, and I went back and re-read it the day after I finished it. While the story definitely delivered the mac-and-cheese type of "expected payoff" that I read it for in the first place (you know, bad boy meets good girl, bad boy and good girl fall for each other, encounter problems with her parents, etc), it also went some places I wasn't expecting, and the characters unexpectedly grabbed my heart and didn't let go. I really, really loved the twist ending, too.
This was probably a mature YA book. It got a little steamy! I can't remember the language at all but I'm sure there was some.
Anna and the French Kiss. People were gushing all over the place about this book, talking about how amazing it was. The cover looked cutesy in a way that I normally don't really go for, and I was like, "It will probably be just okay," and then I read it and really enjoyed it. The characters were well-rounded, the writing was sharp and funny, and the story was poignant, romantic, and very satisfying.
I would say this was a mature YA book when it comes to content.
Most Confusing Read:
The Crying of Lot 49. Seriously, WHAT even happened in this book? I'm sure it was clever and funny and oh-so-sharp in its day, and I know it's on the Times' list of 100 most important novels of the 20th century, but... most of the jokes and satirical comments were lost on me, since (duh) I don't get most pop culture references from fifty years ago. Yeahhhhh. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking, "This is what 30 Rock is going to be like for my grandchildren, isn't it?"
Most Original Read:
The Scorpio Races. I'm not sure what I was expecting this book to be--a dystopian, maybe, or a paranormal romance based on the blurb I read. Instead, I found an odd and beautiful hybrid of historical fiction, Scottish (Irish?) mythology, and magical realism, with hints of fantasy hidden amid the mouth-watering literary prose. I especially enjoyed reading a YA book for horse-lovers again (I was a Stephen Farley fanatic as a child); it made me so wildly nostalgic and sappy inside.
Although this one was very grown-up in structure and style, I'd say this is a "for everyone" YA.
Most Anticipated Read:
Mockingjay. Who WASN'T waiting for this book? The end of the Hunger Games trilogy was pretty controversial, but I personally think the book brilliantly achieved its objective and poignantly illustrated the main theme of the series--which was an incredibly complex look at the effects of violence (and subsequently, war) on a society as well as the people in that society. I think a lot of people were wanting a happy-happy yay-yay ending, but that wouldn't have gone with the message of the series. This was a truly dystopian book, wildly depressing ending and all, I for one was pleased (if yes, a little depressed too) with the ending.
Mature YA for violence only, otherwise "for everyone."
Funniest Read:
Bossypants. Great memoir. Tina Fey is hilarious as always. If you're a fan of 30 Rock or SNL, you should definitely check this book out.
Runner-Up for Funniest Read:
The Name of the Star. Really, anything written by Maureen Johnson is going to go in this category. This book was also SURPRISINGLY creepy. I read it around Halloween in broad daylight in my own home and got so scared I had to put it down and wait for my hubby to come home to finish reading. So... yeah. Hilariously funny and really honest-to-goodness scary. Only Maureen Johnson could pull that kind of stuff off, kids.
I can never tell if MJ's stuff should be considered mature YA or not, because while she isn't afraid to "go there" she does it in such a funny, innocent kind of way. I'm tempted to call this "for everyone" YA except that it was reeeeally scary, ya'll.
Favorite Book I Wrote/Published:
The Curse Girl (although there aren't much to choose from this year, hopefully that will change in the near future!)
This is an "suitable for everyone" kind of YA. :)
~~~~~~~
There you have it--my year in books, and I have so many books to look forward to in 2012!
What's your favorite thing YOU read this year?
But enough rambling about me. Since this is a blog about books and writing and the love of reading, I thought I'd take a look back at some of the books that kept me company over the course of 2011, and recommend them.
(NOTE: Since I have a number of younger blog readers, I have a new policy for noting which YA books are more mature in content along with my recommendations. I don't want anybody who is sensitive to reading about frank depictions of sex, violence, or swearing to be blindsided when it comes to something I rec'ed. Obviously the adult books all contain "adult" content, but I feel that is expected.)
Best Overall Read:
While there are a LOT of books that could be considered for this category (I read MANY excellent books this year!), the best book I read this year was The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Of course, this one is a modern classic, so... no surprise there. Really, though. Genius book.
Most Life-Changing Read (fiction):
Hate List. This book about the (ex)girlfriend of a high school shooter takes an incredibly nuanced look at tragedy, hatred, and guilt. I read it at a particularly difficult time in which I was dealing with something personal that oddly coincided with the message of the novel, and it hit me hard about how I handle blame when it comes to villainizing others and looking at their mistakes, even when those mistakes are admittedly heinous and worthy of condemnation. This was also one of those rare books where I was deeply invested emotionally without any real love story to speak of in the book, just friendship.
This was definitely a mature YA, with lots of cussing and raw depictions of life.
Most Life-Changing Read (non-fiction):
Half the Sky. Named from the proverb "women hold up half the sky," this book tells shocking, horrifying stories about the violence MILLIONS of women around the world suffer every day, woven through with an inspiring and empowering message about practical things we can do to change this reality. It was so wonderful for me to finally read something that talked about the problem of violence towards women in a problem-solving way instead of a "oh well, isn't that horrible, that's just the world we live in" kind of way, or a "everyone else is doing it wrong and we know all the answers" kind of way. The book approached possible solutions with a balanced, everybody-can-help attitude that isn't specific to a particular ideology or political position (for instance, the book was respectful to both sides of the abortion debate, not something I often see). The research is incredibly thorough, and the writers are forthright and honest about the complexity of the situations (for instance, rescuing a woman from sex slavery isn't always as easy as buying her out of it). If you haven't read this book, you MUST do so. It rocked my world, and gave me tons of great ideas for charities and giving programs that I could get involved with as soon as I finished reading it (my personal favorite is Kiva.org, where you can make small loans to people wanting to start businesses in places like Africa and South America... they talk about how much that sort of thing can help in the book).
Most Surprisingly Enjoyable Read:
The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I wasn't expecting to love this one... I was just reading it because it was a classic, and I am trying to brush up on the ones I've missed. I'd recently finished Love in the Time of Cholera, which, while of course brilliant, was a bit of a chore to read at times, and I was expecting the same with TBoSLR. But I was blown away by the beautiful questions this book asked.
Runner-Up for Most Surprisingly Enjoyable Read:
Cross My Heart. I started reading this on my Kindle out of utter boredom while waiting for my husband in a store. I expected it to be boring (or terribly cliche) for some inane reason I can't remember. Instead, I was up until 3 AM reading frantically to reach the end, and I went back and re-read it the day after I finished it. While the story definitely delivered the mac-and-cheese type of "expected payoff" that I read it for in the first place (you know, bad boy meets good girl, bad boy and good girl fall for each other, encounter problems with her parents, etc), it also went some places I wasn't expecting, and the characters unexpectedly grabbed my heart and didn't let go. I really, really loved the twist ending, too.
This was probably a mature YA book. It got a little steamy! I can't remember the language at all but I'm sure there was some.
Anna and the French Kiss. People were gushing all over the place about this book, talking about how amazing it was. The cover looked cutesy in a way that I normally don't really go for, and I was like, "It will probably be just okay," and then I read it and really enjoyed it. The characters were well-rounded, the writing was sharp and funny, and the story was poignant, romantic, and very satisfying.
I would say this was a mature YA book when it comes to content.
Most Confusing Read:
The Crying of Lot 49. Seriously, WHAT even happened in this book? I'm sure it was clever and funny and oh-so-sharp in its day, and I know it's on the Times' list of 100 most important novels of the 20th century, but... most of the jokes and satirical comments were lost on me, since (duh) I don't get most pop culture references from fifty years ago. Yeahhhhh. The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking, "This is what 30 Rock is going to be like for my grandchildren, isn't it?"
Most Original Read:
The Scorpio Races. I'm not sure what I was expecting this book to be--a dystopian, maybe, or a paranormal romance based on the blurb I read. Instead, I found an odd and beautiful hybrid of historical fiction, Scottish (Irish?) mythology, and magical realism, with hints of fantasy hidden amid the mouth-watering literary prose. I especially enjoyed reading a YA book for horse-lovers again (I was a Stephen Farley fanatic as a child); it made me so wildly nostalgic and sappy inside.
Although this one was very grown-up in structure and style, I'd say this is a "for everyone" YA.
Most Anticipated Read:
Mockingjay. Who WASN'T waiting for this book? The end of the Hunger Games trilogy was pretty controversial, but I personally think the book brilliantly achieved its objective and poignantly illustrated the main theme of the series--which was an incredibly complex look at the effects of violence (and subsequently, war) on a society as well as the people in that society. I think a lot of people were wanting a happy-happy yay-yay ending, but that wouldn't have gone with the message of the series. This was a truly dystopian book, wildly depressing ending and all, I for one was pleased (if yes, a little depressed too) with the ending.
Mature YA for violence only, otherwise "for everyone."
Funniest Read:
Bossypants. Great memoir. Tina Fey is hilarious as always. If you're a fan of 30 Rock or SNL, you should definitely check this book out.
Runner-Up for Funniest Read:
The Name of the Star. Really, anything written by Maureen Johnson is going to go in this category. This book was also SURPRISINGLY creepy. I read it around Halloween in broad daylight in my own home and got so scared I had to put it down and wait for my hubby to come home to finish reading. So... yeah. Hilariously funny and really honest-to-goodness scary. Only Maureen Johnson could pull that kind of stuff off, kids.
I can never tell if MJ's stuff should be considered mature YA or not, because while she isn't afraid to "go there" she does it in such a funny, innocent kind of way. I'm tempted to call this "for everyone" YA except that it was reeeeally scary, ya'll.
Favorite Book I Wrote/Published:
The Curse Girl (although there aren't much to choose from this year, hopefully that will change in the near future!)
This is an "suitable for everyone" kind of YA. :)
~~~~~~~
There you have it--my year in books, and I have so many books to look forward to in 2012!
What's your favorite thing YOU read this year?
December 21, 2011
And the winners are....!!
Folks, it is that time.
The time in which we find out who has won the BIG AWESOME YA GIVEAWAY 2011 (hopefully the first of many)!
*drum roll*
*more drum roll*
And the winner of the print package is...
Nastassia D!!!
Congrats, Nastassia :)
And the winners of ten randomly chosen books each from the ebook prize packages are...
Kristen Heyl!!!
Trupti!!!
Michael Byers!!!
Congratulations to all the winners, and a big fat THANK YOU to everyone who entered. If you didn't win, don't worry. I'm hoping to have another giveaway soon, with more awesome prizes.
**BY THE WAY, Trupti's winning entry was her bonus entry because she was already a newsletter subscriber. So sign up for that newsletter, folks. It could win you an awesome prize**
The time in which we find out who has won the BIG AWESOME YA GIVEAWAY 2011 (hopefully the first of many)!
*drum roll*
*more drum roll*
And the winner of the print package is...
Nastassia D!!!
Congrats, Nastassia :)
And the winners of ten randomly chosen books each from the ebook prize packages are...
Kristen Heyl!!!
Trupti!!!
Michael Byers!!!
Congratulations to all the winners, and a big fat THANK YOU to everyone who entered. If you didn't win, don't worry. I'm hoping to have another giveaway soon, with more awesome prizes.
**BY THE WAY, Trupti's winning entry was her bonus entry because she was already a newsletter subscriber. So sign up for that newsletter, folks. It could win you an awesome prize**
