Kelley York's Blog, page 5
March 9, 2013
Sign up for the MADE OF STARS cover reveal
It's almost that time! The cover reveal for my next Entangled book, MADE OF STARS, is quickly approaching. And let me tell you, this cover is GOOOORGEOUS. I've only seen the mockup and I already know the final product is going to be twenty times as stunning.
SO. That means we need some blogs to help us out in revealing the cover! I don't have a date yet, but it'll be soon and I'll let you know as soon as I do.
In the meantime, if you're interested in taking part of the reveal you can email Britt Marczak (brittany at entangledpublishing.com) at Entangled Publishing for more info, or go straight here to sign up!
SO. That means we need some blogs to help us out in revealing the cover! I don't have a date yet, but it'll be soon and I'll let you know as soon as I do.
In the meantime, if you're interested in taking part of the reveal you can email Britt Marczak (brittany at entangledpublishing.com) at Entangled Publishing for more info, or go straight here to sign up!
February 28, 2013
Cover reveal: OLIVIA TWISTED by @ViviBarnes
I'm super-excited to share this cover. Not only because the book sounds amazing and Vivi herself is an absolute darling, but because...well, it's the first cover I made for Entangled and I'm proud of it. ;)
Olivia
He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.
At least at this moment, I don’t care.
Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…
Z
I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.
It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.
Except that she’s not.
Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.
[GoodReads | Amazon]*
Awesome, right? This is also the first time the blurb has been officially released. There's also a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the author:
Vivi Barnes was raised on a farm in East Texas where her theater-loving mom and cowboy dad gave her a unique perspective on life. Now living in the magic and sunshine of Orlando, Florida, she divides her time writing, working, goofing off with her husband and three kids, and avoiding dirty dishes.
[Blog | Twitter | Facebook]
Olivia
He tilts my chin up so my eyes meet his, his thumb brushing lightly across my lips. I close my eyes. I know Z is trouble. I know that being with him is going to get me into trouble. I don’t care.
At least at this moment, I don’t care.
Tossed from foster home to foster home, Olivia’s seen a lot in her sixteen years. She’s hardened, sure, though mostly just wants to fly under the radar until graduation. But her natural ability with computers catches the eye of Z, a mysterious guy at her new school. Soon, Z has brought Liv into his team of hacker elite—break into a few bank accounts, and voila, he drives a motorcycle. Follow his lead, and Olivia might even be able to escape from her oppressive foster parents. As Olivia and Z grow closer, though, so does the watchful eye of Bill Sykes, Z’s boss. And he’s got bigger plans for Liv…
Z
I can picture Liv’s face: wide-eyed, trusting. Her smooth lips that taste like strawberry Fanta.
It was just a kiss. That’s all. She’s just like any other girl.
Except that she’s not.
Thanks to Z, Olivia’s about to get twisted.
[GoodReads | Amazon]*
Awesome, right? This is also the first time the blurb has been officially released. There's also a giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the author:
Vivi Barnes was raised on a farm in East Texas where her theater-loving mom and cowboy dad gave her a unique perspective on life. Now living in the magic and sunshine of Orlando, Florida, she divides her time writing, working, goofing off with her husband and three kids, and avoiding dirty dishes.
[Blog | Twitter | Facebook]
"Victims" and Mental Health
Borderline Personality Disorder.
Some of you may have heard of it. Others may not. I hadn't, not until my wife was diagnosed with it. And yet the second we began reading up on it we both thought: "Yep, this is absolutely, 100% correct." This Tumblr (which is definitely worth reading through, by the way) describes it efficiently as:
"Borderline personality disorder is a condition in which people have long-term patterns of unstable or turbulent emotions, such as feelings about themselves and others. These inner experiences often cause them to take impulsive actions and have chaotic relationships. The causes of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are unknown. Genetic, family, and social factors are thought to play roles. "
It's come to my attention that a lot of people who have been in friendships and/or relationships with BPD suffers have categorized themselves as "victims."
"I survived being friends with/living with/being married to someone with BPD. I was a victim."
Why? Because being involved with someone who suffers from BPD is not easy.
You know what else isn't easy? Being with someone who suffers from depression. Or an eating disorder. Or Downs. Or anxiety. Or autism/asperger's. Or any other fucking thing you can think of wherein the person has limited or no control over certain actions. I'd love to see someone who was married to a person with PTSD, who maybe lashed out with anger problems or woke up screaming from nightmares, who had problems coping with something or another because of their disorder. I love to see that person leave the relationship and dare say to anyone, "Wow, I finally got away from that person! It was so hard being with them!" See how well-perceived such a statement would be.
To these so-called victims, I say: you weren't forced to be with this person, and you are not a victim. You are not getting any purple hearts or cookies for "surviving" someone with BPD.
This isn't to say someone with BPD can't do something that hurts you, such as cheating or abuse or whatever. But you know what? Those are things that are not exclusive to people with BPD. It's a human mistake, not a BPD-sufferer's mistake. To throw their mental health into the mix should be a reason to understand their actions, not to persecute them further for it. (Notice I said understand and not justify; everyone should be held accountable for their decisions.)
Things aren't always easy with me and my wife. I acknowledge this. She's opinionated and yet paranoid about the opinion of others. She has a high level of anxiety and can be very co-dependent. She's constantly worried something is physically wrong with her. Sometimes she picks fights over non-existent or small things and finds a way to make them into big deals. She sees things in very black and white terms with little grey area. Either she's fully one side of the spectrum, or she's the other. If she's angry with someone, she can't stand to look at them. If she's happy, she will do anything to please them. Often times she distances and disconnects herself from things and people when she really shouldn't.
What I see when I look at my wife is a person who struggles with these conflicting emotions every day. While it might be hard for me, I can't even imagine what it's like to live inside her head.
I also see someone who is extremely intelligent and sharp-witted. Someone funny, beautiful, and fascinating. She has BPD, yes, and it affects her everyday life, but it is not who she is. She's a wonderful woman who tries her best, who likes Tudor history and video games and true crime novels and learning about religions. She's a wonderful wife who tries to spoil me whether I like it or not, who holds my hand when I'm the one freaking out about something or having a day where all I do is cry because of my depression. I see a person who, at this exact moment in time as I'm writing this, is baby-talking one of the cats cutely while she clips their nails.
My wife has been getting treatment for her BPD for some time now and she's done a lot of research on her own. Because of this, she's become pretty self-aware of the things she does and works very, very hard at trying to discern what is real and what is her BPD. Sometimes she asks my opinion on these things. Sometimes she asks her therapist. "This is how I feel, this is how I see something. Am I overreacting? Am I misinterpreting?" She tries her best. While I don't think she's ever going to shake her BPD completely, I think she's made immense amounts of progress. If she were as she was a few years ago, we wouldn't have made it. It's taken a lot of compromise, communication, and work--on both our parts--to get to where we are today.
But even if we hadn't worked out, I never would have called myself a "victim." Because it always has been my decision to stay, and my decision to try to work through this. As with any mental disorder, you can't expect things to be what you might think of as "normal," no. And trying to fit your significant other into that mold and not accepting anything outside it will not work in your favor. Frankly, in my opinion, trying to fit anyone into what you perceive as a "normal" mold is going to cause stress in a relationship.
Basically this post serves the purpose of me calling out anyone who acts like a holocaust survivor because they were involved with someone who had a disorder: you could have educated yourself in order to help make things work. And, if the person was unwilling to acknowledge they had a problem and seek help for it? You could have left. No one would have faulted you if you simply said, "I understand the effort involved in continuing this to make it work, and it isn't worth it to me," and taken a step back. I would have thought you a better person than to push yourself to the breaking point and then drop to the floor screaming victim.
To say people with BPD are bad people, crazy, psychotic? Not okay. Not cool. If anyone were to tell me I was crazy because I get depressed for months at a time for no logical reason, it would break my heart. We are all people, and some of us simply don't function like everyone else.
Try to keep an open mind when dealing with others. Not just your spouses or boyfriends/girlfriends, but your family, your friends. You don't know what all someone has been through in their life and the scars they carry.
You don't know what it's like to be them.
Some of you may have heard of it. Others may not. I hadn't, not until my wife was diagnosed with it. And yet the second we began reading up on it we both thought: "Yep, this is absolutely, 100% correct." This Tumblr (which is definitely worth reading through, by the way) describes it efficiently as:
"Borderline personality disorder is a condition in which people have long-term patterns of unstable or turbulent emotions, such as feelings about themselves and others. These inner experiences often cause them to take impulsive actions and have chaotic relationships. The causes of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are unknown. Genetic, family, and social factors are thought to play roles. "
It's come to my attention that a lot of people who have been in friendships and/or relationships with BPD suffers have categorized themselves as "victims."
"I survived being friends with/living with/being married to someone with BPD. I was a victim."
Why? Because being involved with someone who suffers from BPD is not easy.
You know what else isn't easy? Being with someone who suffers from depression. Or an eating disorder. Or Downs. Or anxiety. Or autism/asperger's. Or any other fucking thing you can think of wherein the person has limited or no control over certain actions. I'd love to see someone who was married to a person with PTSD, who maybe lashed out with anger problems or woke up screaming from nightmares, who had problems coping with something or another because of their disorder. I love to see that person leave the relationship and dare say to anyone, "Wow, I finally got away from that person! It was so hard being with them!" See how well-perceived such a statement would be.
To these so-called victims, I say: you weren't forced to be with this person, and you are not a victim. You are not getting any purple hearts or cookies for "surviving" someone with BPD.
This isn't to say someone with BPD can't do something that hurts you, such as cheating or abuse or whatever. But you know what? Those are things that are not exclusive to people with BPD. It's a human mistake, not a BPD-sufferer's mistake. To throw their mental health into the mix should be a reason to understand their actions, not to persecute them further for it. (Notice I said understand and not justify; everyone should be held accountable for their decisions.)
Things aren't always easy with me and my wife. I acknowledge this. She's opinionated and yet paranoid about the opinion of others. She has a high level of anxiety and can be very co-dependent. She's constantly worried something is physically wrong with her. Sometimes she picks fights over non-existent or small things and finds a way to make them into big deals. She sees things in very black and white terms with little grey area. Either she's fully one side of the spectrum, or she's the other. If she's angry with someone, she can't stand to look at them. If she's happy, she will do anything to please them. Often times she distances and disconnects herself from things and people when she really shouldn't.
What I see when I look at my wife is a person who struggles with these conflicting emotions every day. While it might be hard for me, I can't even imagine what it's like to live inside her head.
I also see someone who is extremely intelligent and sharp-witted. Someone funny, beautiful, and fascinating. She has BPD, yes, and it affects her everyday life, but it is not who she is. She's a wonderful woman who tries her best, who likes Tudor history and video games and true crime novels and learning about religions. She's a wonderful wife who tries to spoil me whether I like it or not, who holds my hand when I'm the one freaking out about something or having a day where all I do is cry because of my depression. I see a person who, at this exact moment in time as I'm writing this, is baby-talking one of the cats cutely while she clips their nails.
My wife has been getting treatment for her BPD for some time now and she's done a lot of research on her own. Because of this, she's become pretty self-aware of the things she does and works very, very hard at trying to discern what is real and what is her BPD. Sometimes she asks my opinion on these things. Sometimes she asks her therapist. "This is how I feel, this is how I see something. Am I overreacting? Am I misinterpreting?" She tries her best. While I don't think she's ever going to shake her BPD completely, I think she's made immense amounts of progress. If she were as she was a few years ago, we wouldn't have made it. It's taken a lot of compromise, communication, and work--on both our parts--to get to where we are today.
But even if we hadn't worked out, I never would have called myself a "victim." Because it always has been my decision to stay, and my decision to try to work through this. As with any mental disorder, you can't expect things to be what you might think of as "normal," no. And trying to fit your significant other into that mold and not accepting anything outside it will not work in your favor. Frankly, in my opinion, trying to fit anyone into what you perceive as a "normal" mold is going to cause stress in a relationship.
Basically this post serves the purpose of me calling out anyone who acts like a holocaust survivor because they were involved with someone who had a disorder: you could have educated yourself in order to help make things work. And, if the person was unwilling to acknowledge they had a problem and seek help for it? You could have left. No one would have faulted you if you simply said, "I understand the effort involved in continuing this to make it work, and it isn't worth it to me," and taken a step back. I would have thought you a better person than to push yourself to the breaking point and then drop to the floor screaming victim.
To say people with BPD are bad people, crazy, psychotic? Not okay. Not cool. If anyone were to tell me I was crazy because I get depressed for months at a time for no logical reason, it would break my heart. We are all people, and some of us simply don't function like everyone else.
Try to keep an open mind when dealing with others. Not just your spouses or boyfriends/girlfriends, but your family, your friends. You don't know what all someone has been through in their life and the scars they carry.
You don't know what it's like to be them.
Cover reveal: OUT OF PLAY by Nyrae Dawn & Jolene Perry
Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn't have a problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—deserve to party, right? Wrong. After taking a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.
Hockey player Penny Jones can't imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who'll take care of her absent-minded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered with the new tenants next door.
Penny’s too hung up on another guy to deal with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busysneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time.
I love this book, and I love Bishop and Penny. Plus, Alaska and hockey and rockstars? YES PLEASE. I'm so excited for Nyrae and Jo, and for this book to come out. OUT OF PLAY will be released by Entangled Publishing on August 6th, 2013!
Also, apparently if you pre-order the paperback on Barnes and Noble, you can get 40% off. That's $5.99, guys!
[GoodReads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble]
February 27, 2013
Sorry for the downtime!
What a time to have my website go down, right in the middle of a bloghop/giveaway, huh?
Basically what happened is that back in January, I migrated my hosting from BlueHost back over to blogspot, since...you know, blogspot is free. (More than that, I missed blogspot's editing capabilities for layouts.) I had switched my domain name over to redirect here, and all was working fine.
Until yesterday. My BlueHost hosting expired at the beginning of February, and I guess a task must have run to delete my control panel and blah blah blah. Long story short, I hadn't realized websites consisted of THREE elements: (1) Hosting, (2) domain registration and (3) DNS server (or whatever it's called). Number three I hadn't known about, and had no idea how to get. BlueHost basically said I needed to have my hosting through them if I wanted it to work again, and I was Not Okay with that.
Instead, thanks to several handy tutorials, I found a free DNS service called ClouDNS. It took me a number of hours to figure out how to set everything up and then...it still wasn't working. It said I might need to wait up to 48 hours for the changes to kick in, which seemed strange because when I did my rerouting stuff before, it took maybe an hour, tops.
Aaaanyway...the point being, the site was down and now it's not, and I'm sorry! There's still a day left in the Crazy Stupid Love bloghop giveaway, so make sure you jump in and enter!
Basically what happened is that back in January, I migrated my hosting from BlueHost back over to blogspot, since...you know, blogspot is free. (More than that, I missed blogspot's editing capabilities for layouts.) I had switched my domain name over to redirect here, and all was working fine.
Until yesterday. My BlueHost hosting expired at the beginning of February, and I guess a task must have run to delete my control panel and blah blah blah. Long story short, I hadn't realized websites consisted of THREE elements: (1) Hosting, (2) domain registration and (3) DNS server (or whatever it's called). Number three I hadn't known about, and had no idea how to get. BlueHost basically said I needed to have my hosting through them if I wanted it to work again, and I was Not Okay with that.
Instead, thanks to several handy tutorials, I found a free DNS service called ClouDNS. It took me a number of hours to figure out how to set everything up and then...it still wasn't working. It said I might need to wait up to 48 hours for the changes to kick in, which seemed strange because when I did my rerouting stuff before, it took maybe an hour, tops.
Aaaanyway...the point being, the site was down and now it's not, and I'm sorry! There's still a day left in the Crazy Stupid Love bloghop giveaway, so make sure you jump in and enter!
February 21, 2013
Crazy Stupid Love: New Adult Blog Hop! WIN!
When friend and fellow dark author, Kate Avelynn, told me about this blog hop, I was all over it. When I first wrote HUSHED, 'new adult' was a category people only murmured about. I think I was ahead of my time. These days, NA is quickly growing in popularity. More publishers and agents are looking for it. But still, I think it's the self-publishing market that is benefiting from this the most.What makes NA? I'm not sure sure it's just the age of the protagonist, because people deal with different things at different ages. I think it's more...the feel of the book. What the characters are going through. I've read some post-high school books that still read like an NA novel, and I've read some YA books that felt more like NA to me because of the more 'grown up' subject matter. Like Kate Avelynn's FLAWED. A YA book...but there was something about it that gave it a more NA feel to me. Maybe it was the focus on college, or the darker subject matter.
To me, a new adult novel features characters that are stepping somehow into the "adult" world. They're looking at/attending/graduating college. They're being more independent. They're likely moving out on their own, learning how to balance work and bills and all those fun things. They aren't settled with a career and they likely have no idea what they want to do with their life. It's an uncertain part of any person's life, and NA books should--in some way or another--explore that.
And, because this blog hop is all about getting some NA books out there, I'm holding a contest. The prizes? A digital copy of one of my NA books (winner's choice of which one). We have SUICIDE WATCH and HOLLOWED, both NA, though both very different. SUICIDE WATCH dealing with...yeah, suicide. But also a boy trying to step into an adult world with zero guidance and struggling to find his way. Then we have HOLLOWED, which is paranormal and isn't focusing so much on the 'becoming an adult' thing, but Briar is instead having to deal with the loss of the life she's managed to build outside of her parent's house. Enter the rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
February 13, 2013
On my to-read list
I had something of a reading slump toward the end of last year. Nothing I saw looked interesting enough to pick up, and anything I tried to start just wasn't doing it for me. Thankfully, that slump seems to have ended, because I'm gobbling up books left and right now.
By Nyrae Dawn's recommendation, I recently finished The Disenchantments. I love boy POV books, even moreso when the boy POV is done well, like in this case. I loved Colby, and I loved his interactions with all three girls. Plus, it has one of those bittersweet endings I'm so fond of!
Now I'm in the middle of Feed by Mira Grant, and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Drastically different books. AAoK is different from the other two Green books I've read. (Looking for Alaska and Will Grayson, Will Grayson.) It doesn't quite have the 'it' factor for me the other two did, but it's an okay read.
Feed, on the other hand...I have such mixed feelings. I love it. I love the intricate, fancy world-building. At the same time, it's moving at a snail's pace and I do wish it had undergone a solid edit to snip out unneeded words and phrases, and to condense unimportant scenes. Over-writing aside, I'm really enjoying it.
I'm also excited to dig into the next few books on my list:
Are you guys reading anything interesting right now?
By Nyrae Dawn's recommendation, I recently finished The Disenchantments. I love boy POV books, even moreso when the boy POV is done well, like in this case. I loved Colby, and I loved his interactions with all three girls. Plus, it has one of those bittersweet endings I'm so fond of!
Now I'm in the middle of Feed by Mira Grant, and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Drastically different books. AAoK is different from the other two Green books I've read. (Looking for Alaska and Will Grayson, Will Grayson.) It doesn't quite have the 'it' factor for me the other two did, but it's an okay read.
Feed, on the other hand...I have such mixed feelings. I love it. I love the intricate, fancy world-building. At the same time, it's moving at a snail's pace and I do wish it had undergone a solid edit to snip out unneeded words and phrases, and to condense unimportant scenes. Over-writing aside, I'm really enjoying it.
I'm also excited to dig into the next few books on my list:
Are you guys reading anything interesting right now?
February 11, 2013
Mid-manuscript slump
This always happens to me. The first time few times I would have chalked it up to coincidence, but yet again... Sigh.
It never fails: I start a new project. I get into it. I'm enjoying it. Loving my characters and the narration and have at least a general idea of where I want it to go (even if the details are still unclear) and...then it happens. My mid-manuscript slump.
It always occurs around 30,000 words into the story, which is approximately the halfway point for me given that most of my novels end up around 55,000-70,000 words. It happened with Hushed, it happened with Hollowed, it happened with Suicide Watch... All were projects I had good rhythm with, and then--around that halfway mark, I crash and burn and end up having to set the project aside for awhile, sometimes in favor of working on something else.
Now it's happened again. I know I'm going to finish this WIP. (We'll call it DL, yeah?) I know because there is no way I can get over 30,000 words into something and not finish it. I know how it's going to go, and I know how it's going to end! I still love my characters and the story, it's just...ahh. I've lost my drive to work on it. Which makes me feel pretty crummy, especially since I had hoped to finish DL back in December and was knocking out 2k a day for weeks.
Instead of feeling guilty about not being able to focus on DL, though, I've decided to focus on another project for awhile. This project is something both similar and different to what I usually write. At this point, I don't know how it'll turn out or if it'll be a project I can finish...but I've got a fairly thorough outline (gasp!) from beginning to almost-the-end and I've got the first 1,000 words down.
Now it just needs a working title!
My point of this post being: if you're in a slump with a project, don't feel guilty about setting it aside for something else. So long as you're writing, writing, writing and getting those words down somewhere, right?
It never fails: I start a new project. I get into it. I'm enjoying it. Loving my characters and the narration and have at least a general idea of where I want it to go (even if the details are still unclear) and...then it happens. My mid-manuscript slump.
It always occurs around 30,000 words into the story, which is approximately the halfway point for me given that most of my novels end up around 55,000-70,000 words. It happened with Hushed, it happened with Hollowed, it happened with Suicide Watch... All were projects I had good rhythm with, and then--around that halfway mark, I crash and burn and end up having to set the project aside for awhile, sometimes in favor of working on something else.
Now it's happened again. I know I'm going to finish this WIP. (We'll call it DL, yeah?) I know because there is no way I can get over 30,000 words into something and not finish it. I know how it's going to go, and I know how it's going to end! I still love my characters and the story, it's just...ahh. I've lost my drive to work on it. Which makes me feel pretty crummy, especially since I had hoped to finish DL back in December and was knocking out 2k a day for weeks.
Instead of feeling guilty about not being able to focus on DL, though, I've decided to focus on another project for awhile. This project is something both similar and different to what I usually write. At this point, I don't know how it'll turn out or if it'll be a project I can finish...but I've got a fairly thorough outline (gasp!) from beginning to almost-the-end and I've got the first 1,000 words down.
Now it just needs a working title!
My point of this post being: if you're in a slump with a project, don't feel guilty about setting it aside for something else. So long as you're writing, writing, writing and getting those words down somewhere, right?
February 8, 2013
Entangled in Love blog hop!
I joined up for the Entangled Valentine's Day blog hop! It was a great chance to join some of my fellow Entangled authors in talking about all that happy mushy stuff, just in time for Valentine's Day. Not to mention...give away some books. Make sure you check out the rest of the participants. Everyone is giving something away, so BIG chances to win!
For my part, I thought it'd be fun to gather some of my writer buddies and get them to answer some romance questions. With me, I have Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn! Two darling, wonderful ladies and extremely talented writers.
1. Name one of your favorite literary couples of all time, and why?
Jolene: Lola and Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door - several reasons - ONE he FELL TO HIS KNEES when they kissed. I mean. Come ON. And the stars he draws on his hands, and the fact that he's awkwardly tall and lets his pants be too short so you can see his socks ;-) So... I guess mostly because of Cricket, lol.
Nyrae: Jamie and Claire from The Outlander. There are a lot of romances or love stories out there, but it's one of the few EPIC romances, IMO. I'm always on the search for an epic romance.
Kelley: Howl and Sophie from HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE. The fact that Howl--a complete self-absorbed jerk who's constantly going after pretty girls--falls in love with Sophie while she's under a spell that makes her look old... I love that they both become better people with each other.
2. What is your favorite kind of romance to write? A slow-burning, subtle sort? Or are you more into the love-at-first-sight?
Jolene: I LOVE friends to more. That's my favorite kind of romance to write. Like suddenly you can't live without this person you've had right in front of you for SO long.
Nyrae: Definitely a slow-burning romance. I definitely like my romances intense and heartfelt and I feel that I express that better with couples who slowly find themselves falling in love rather than the love-at-first-sight thing.
Kelley: I'm a slow-burn romance kind of girl. I like the build up. I like the tension and will-they/won't-they. I find myself very bored with (most) books who present to me a pairing that I instantly know will be what the entire story revolves around. Then again, I'm a fan of romance that revolves around a solid storyline. Not a storyline that revolves around the romance.
3. In terms of romance in books, what sort of things do you think are overdone? What sort of things would you like to read (or write!) more of?
Jolene: Asshole men are overdone. I want more nerdy guys and sensitive guys. I'm getting so bored with the alpha male thing. I love writing quirky, interesting or broken people.
Nyrae: Keep in mind these are just my personal preferences. There are some great books out there who work these plots in well, but for me, I'm over the love triangle thing. I'm definitely over the love triangle coming in a book two. And like I said in the first question, I'd love more deep, passionate, EPIC romances.
Kelley: Love triangles, like Nyrae said! Better yet, give me a GOOD love triangle. I rarely see triangles that are actual triangles. They're usually a girl and two guys, and although the girl has feelings for them both, you KNOW which one she's going to choose... BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE has a kind-of triangle in it that really, really surprised me--pleasantly so!
4. Last but not least, seeing as this is for Valentine's Day...what's the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for you?
Jolene: My husband - it's the little every day things, and the fact that when he buys me something, it's not just to buy something, it shows he knows what I want and what I'm into. He knows the books on my TBR pile, and he knew what kind of sewing machine I wanted, and that I needed a new laptop for my writing... Down to the simple things like picking me up funky pens and cute notebooks randomly. It's really all those little things that add up to him being amazing, and the gestures being romantic.
Nyrae: *sigh*. I have a couple I could choose from. One day when my husband and I were still teenagers, I made an offhand comment about how it's funny how much women love roses because all they do is die. A few months later when it was Valentines he got me a gold-plated rose so it would never die (I still have it). Another time I was bummed because I had to work on Valentines day. I got off work at like midnight and went to my car and he had come and decorated it while I was working. He wrote all sorts of sweet things on it and left me like, a three foot card inside.
Kelley: It's the little things my wife does. Despite not caring to get flowers, she can never bring herself to throw them out. We have a huge vase full of dried flowers she's saved that I've given her. I also discovered she kept a really old letter I'd written to her from before we got together. Also, when we went to Point Reyes for a weekend last year, I was really disappointed we couldn't find any of the seals on the beaches. On one of the hiking trails, she crawled to the edge of a very, very high cliff and got pictures of the only seals we could find on the beach below because I was too scared to do it.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
February 1, 2013
FLAWED Blog Tour! Interview + Giveaway
I've been super fortunate to know Kate for awhile, and not only is she an absolute doll, but she's an amazing writer and someone I feel a kinship with due to our mutual love of writing dark fiction. So doing a double-interview with her was a lot of fun and seeing how our answers compared! Enjoy the interview, and enter below to win an e-copy of FLAWED and HUSHED!
Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.
Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.
Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realizes James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact . . .
*
1. Why write dark YA? Part two of this question: How do you categorize dark YA? If you were to fit it into a box, how would you classify it, or can it be classified?
Kate: I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision to write dark YA. The first stories I wrote were darker than what my classmates were writing, and I think it kind of stuck from there. I think of dark YA as a subgenre of stories that deal with the darker parts of life—the tough, taboo situations that people don’t like to talk about—and generally do so in an emotional manner. I generally think of it as contemporary, but I’m sure plenty of readers lump the darker paranormal and fantasy books into the genre as well.
Kelley: Personally, it's an interested and love for the psychology of it all. I've always been fascinated by how the human minds works. How it copes with abnormal' situations, how we deal with trauma, stress, depression, anxiety, disaster. Our brains are these highly durable yet malleable things; we can survive so much, but can become a bit warped in the process. As for a category...I'm not sure how else to categorize it beyond 'dark.' Deep? Eerie? Complex?
2. What about dark YA makes it so unique and different from other YA genres?
Kate: The realism, I think. Light contemporary romance can be realistic, but rarely do people actually live in such bright, sterile environments, where the right decision is obvious, and resolution is just one apology or selfless act away. Life is messy. I think dark YA is uniquely qualified to express that.
Kelley: Unpredictability, maybe. Dark fiction tends to be less predictable. Most standard genres, you have a pretty good idea how it's going to end. (MOST of the time.) Boy gets the girl. Good guys win. Happily ever after. Dark fiction...the good guys might not always come out on top. The couple might not always end up together. A lot more tends to be sacrificed in order to achieve a 'happy ending.'
3. Do you think writing dark YA you dig deeper to the character’s emotions than you would with say a contemporary YA?
Kate: I think they have more issues to dig into than a less-troubled character, so it definitely feels deeper!
Kelley: Maybe not necessarily deeper, but accessing different sections of a person's emotional bank. Good dark fiction isn't afraid to look at the emotions that are more painful and raw, and really bringing them to the center of the story.
4. Is it harder or easier to write romantic scenes in dark YA?
Kate: I might approach this different than other authors, but for me, there is no difference between writing a romantic scene in a dark book vs. a light contemporary. I often use the romantic relationships in my books as the “ray of light” in my characters’ otherwise dark existences. That keeps the feel similar.
Kelley: I'm not always the best person for romantic scenes no matter what I'm writing! I tend to write very slow-burning, subtle romances. But I think in my darker fiction, it's a lot easier. (Surprisingly!) In 'lighter' stories, I feel sort of like, "Am I overdoing the romance? Is this too sappy?" But in dark fiction, I can get away with those sappy moments because everything surrounding it is so bleak and depressing in contrast, haha.
5. Do you dig into your own personal experiences to write YA?
Kate: Sometimes, but I’m more likely to notice an interesting person walking down the street and come up with a story based on them than write about my own life. Personal experience shapes how a person looks at the world, though, so I guess there’s a part of me in everything I write whether I want there to be or not.
Kelley: I do, yes. For SUICIDE WATCH, especially, I dug into a lot of my high school emotions. It was painful but so very therapeutic. But I think for all of my characters, there is a piece of myself and my experiences there.
6. This question is for both of you. Both of the main characters in Hushed and Flawed have been in toxic relationships and survived somehow. How much research went into that? Did you know people who had gone through similar situations?
Kate: I’ve survived several toxic relationships, as have people I’m close to, so the subject is close to my heart. It’s hard to recognize a toxic relationship when you’re the person in it—and even harder to recognize when you are the toxic element. Someday I’d like to write about that!
Kelley: I knew plenty of people who went through this in high school. Girls, mainly, who were used and spit out by the same guys over and over again, and they kept going back for more! I had similar friendships wherein I was only the "backup friend." The one people went to when they needed something, but ditched me any time something better came along.
7. I’m going to stop at seven, because seven is always a lucky number. If you could write anything other than gritty, truthful YA, would you? Do you have any other releases coming out in the next year and if so, could you tell us a little bit about them?
Kate: I like the genre I write in and will probably always stick pretty close to it. I’m planning to co-write a slightly less gritty book with Jus Accardo this year that’s a bit out of the genre, though. It’s super secret so I can’t say much about it, but there’s definitely a “truthful” feel to it. Beyond that, I’m working on a companion book to FLAWED as well as another dark YA.
Kelley: I've always wanted to write fantasy, but I don't think I have the creativity for world-building, nor the patience! My next book with Entangled is MADE OF STARS and will be out in 2013. It's another dark contemporary YA/bordering on NA. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I can't wait to see what people think. I have another contemporary in the works that I'll be self-publishing in 2013, as well.
Spitfire round:
Coffee or tea?
Kate: Neither!
Kelley: ICK. I guess tea, if it has a lot of sugar. I never, ever drink coffee.
Metallica or Imagine Dragons?
Kate: My mom raised me on Metallica, so I’m a rocker chick.
Kelley: Imagine Dragons! I just discovered them a few weeks ago, actually, and LOVE them.
Finding a silver-lining or caving to your emotions?
Kate: I’m all about the silver lining!
Kelley: Silver-lining.
Top or bottom?
Kate: No comment
Kelley: This could be taken so many ways. Uh. Bottom??
Paris or Cancun?
Kate: Cancun. I crave sunshine like oxygen.
Kelley: Paris. Cancun looks beautiful, but me and sun don't mix.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you, Kate, for stopping by. Isn't she awesome? You can check out the rest of the tour stops here, and make sure you enter to win a copy of FLAWED and HUSHED!
Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.
Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realizes James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact . . .
*
1. Why write dark YA? Part two of this question: How do you categorize dark YA? If you were to fit it into a box, how would you classify it, or can it be classified?
Kate: I don’t think it was ever a conscious decision to write dark YA. The first stories I wrote were darker than what my classmates were writing, and I think it kind of stuck from there. I think of dark YA as a subgenre of stories that deal with the darker parts of life—the tough, taboo situations that people don’t like to talk about—and generally do so in an emotional manner. I generally think of it as contemporary, but I’m sure plenty of readers lump the darker paranormal and fantasy books into the genre as well.
Kelley: Personally, it's an interested and love for the psychology of it all. I've always been fascinated by how the human minds works. How it copes with abnormal' situations, how we deal with trauma, stress, depression, anxiety, disaster. Our brains are these highly durable yet malleable things; we can survive so much, but can become a bit warped in the process. As for a category...I'm not sure how else to categorize it beyond 'dark.' Deep? Eerie? Complex?
2. What about dark YA makes it so unique and different from other YA genres?
Kate: The realism, I think. Light contemporary romance can be realistic, but rarely do people actually live in such bright, sterile environments, where the right decision is obvious, and resolution is just one apology or selfless act away. Life is messy. I think dark YA is uniquely qualified to express that.
Kelley: Unpredictability, maybe. Dark fiction tends to be less predictable. Most standard genres, you have a pretty good idea how it's going to end. (MOST of the time.) Boy gets the girl. Good guys win. Happily ever after. Dark fiction...the good guys might not always come out on top. The couple might not always end up together. A lot more tends to be sacrificed in order to achieve a 'happy ending.'
3. Do you think writing dark YA you dig deeper to the character’s emotions than you would with say a contemporary YA?
Kate: I think they have more issues to dig into than a less-troubled character, so it definitely feels deeper!
Kelley: Maybe not necessarily deeper, but accessing different sections of a person's emotional bank. Good dark fiction isn't afraid to look at the emotions that are more painful and raw, and really bringing them to the center of the story.
4. Is it harder or easier to write romantic scenes in dark YA?
Kate: I might approach this different than other authors, but for me, there is no difference between writing a romantic scene in a dark book vs. a light contemporary. I often use the romantic relationships in my books as the “ray of light” in my characters’ otherwise dark existences. That keeps the feel similar.
Kelley: I'm not always the best person for romantic scenes no matter what I'm writing! I tend to write very slow-burning, subtle romances. But I think in my darker fiction, it's a lot easier. (Surprisingly!) In 'lighter' stories, I feel sort of like, "Am I overdoing the romance? Is this too sappy?" But in dark fiction, I can get away with those sappy moments because everything surrounding it is so bleak and depressing in contrast, haha.
5. Do you dig into your own personal experiences to write YA?
Kate: Sometimes, but I’m more likely to notice an interesting person walking down the street and come up with a story based on them than write about my own life. Personal experience shapes how a person looks at the world, though, so I guess there’s a part of me in everything I write whether I want there to be or not.
Kelley: I do, yes. For SUICIDE WATCH, especially, I dug into a lot of my high school emotions. It was painful but so very therapeutic. But I think for all of my characters, there is a piece of myself and my experiences there.
6. This question is for both of you. Both of the main characters in Hushed and Flawed have been in toxic relationships and survived somehow. How much research went into that? Did you know people who had gone through similar situations?
Kate: I’ve survived several toxic relationships, as have people I’m close to, so the subject is close to my heart. It’s hard to recognize a toxic relationship when you’re the person in it—and even harder to recognize when you are the toxic element. Someday I’d like to write about that!
Kelley: I knew plenty of people who went through this in high school. Girls, mainly, who were used and spit out by the same guys over and over again, and they kept going back for more! I had similar friendships wherein I was only the "backup friend." The one people went to when they needed something, but ditched me any time something better came along.
7. I’m going to stop at seven, because seven is always a lucky number. If you could write anything other than gritty, truthful YA, would you? Do you have any other releases coming out in the next year and if so, could you tell us a little bit about them?
Kate: I like the genre I write in and will probably always stick pretty close to it. I’m planning to co-write a slightly less gritty book with Jus Accardo this year that’s a bit out of the genre, though. It’s super secret so I can’t say much about it, but there’s definitely a “truthful” feel to it. Beyond that, I’m working on a companion book to FLAWED as well as another dark YA.
Kelley: I've always wanted to write fantasy, but I don't think I have the creativity for world-building, nor the patience! My next book with Entangled is MADE OF STARS and will be out in 2013. It's another dark contemporary YA/bordering on NA. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I can't wait to see what people think. I have another contemporary in the works that I'll be self-publishing in 2013, as well.
Spitfire round:
Coffee or tea?
Kate: Neither!
Kelley: ICK. I guess tea, if it has a lot of sugar. I never, ever drink coffee.
Metallica or Imagine Dragons?
Kate: My mom raised me on Metallica, so I’m a rocker chick.
Kelley: Imagine Dragons! I just discovered them a few weeks ago, actually, and LOVE them.
Finding a silver-lining or caving to your emotions?
Kate: I’m all about the silver lining!
Kelley: Silver-lining.
Top or bottom?
Kate: No comment
Kelley: This could be taken so many ways. Uh. Bottom??
Paris or Cancun?
Kate: Cancun. I crave sunshine like oxygen.
Kelley: Paris. Cancun looks beautiful, but me and sun don't mix.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you, Kate, for stopping by. Isn't she awesome? You can check out the rest of the tour stops here, and make sure you enter to win a copy of FLAWED and HUSHED!
