Khristina Chess's Blog, page 5
May 12, 2018
Crowds at Friday Night Art Walk
Heat didn’t deter visitors from the first Friday Night Art Walk of 2017 in downtown Huntsville last night. Families, dogs, and even a few out-of-town visitors circled the square to check out our vendor tables. One journalist caught me in the photograph of their article; I’m in the crowd in the top center. (http://www.rocketcitynow.com/news/art...)
That’s my corner.
People were in the mood to talk about YA fiction last night. I met several interesting readers and one collector who wanted to know how to identify first editions of print-on-demand books. I didn’t know. One of my dear friends stood by my shoulder and helpfully said, “She’s going to be famous someday. You should buy her books!”
He agreed. He asked me to write the original publication date when I signed them.
One of these days, I hope to be signing a hardcover first edition of a new book with a publication date printed on the copyright page by the publisher.
www.khristinachess.com
That’s my corner.
People were in the mood to talk about YA fiction last night. I met several interesting readers and one collector who wanted to know how to identify first editions of print-on-demand books. I didn’t know. One of my dear friends stood by my shoulder and helpfully said, “She’s going to be famous someday. You should buy her books!”
He agreed. He asked me to write the original publication date when I signed them.
One of these days, I hope to be signing a hardcover first edition of a new book with a publication date printed on the copyright page by the publisher.
www.khristinachess.com
Published on May 12, 2018 06:15
April 29, 2018
Alabama Authors, Literary Festivals, and Catfish
Yesterday felt like the first nice Saturday in 2018. Every weekend forecast since January has been rain, rain, and more rain, but yesterday was gorgeous with sunshine and warm temperatures.
Few people visited the Athens-Limestone Public Library, where a group of Alabama authors (and one Pennsylvania author on book tour) gathered for the Fourth Annual Catfish Literary Festival. While we sat around our book tables and spoke on panel discussions, the public gathered at outdoor events: Panoply in downtown Huntsville and Cars & Bikes on the Square in Athens.
Also, we had no catfish. Or food trucks of any kind.
I met a few people, though. One man wanted to know how I published my books. He’s another aspiring writer who’s thinking about taking the plunge into the world of self-publishing, and I gave him as much advice as I could while two young children circled him.
Another man came around with his daughter. She looked to be someone who was in my target audience, but she wasn’t making eye-contact. She didn’t like my books; she probably thought they were uncool. She probably thought I was uncool. Her discomfort made me uncomfortable. Two introverts sharing the same space are no good. You can practically hear the pop as we snap our heads into our turtle shells. It’s not ideal for selling books.
Another woman asked about my books for her daughters. She described them to me, how old they are, and what kind of grades they get in school. Since my books are about issues, we talked about whether the subjects were appropriate or not.
“Their father would kill me if I brought home a book about that,” she said.
The Future Unborn is about teen pregnancy.
“It happens,” I said. “Even with girls you wouldn’t expect.”
“I know.”
I don’t hold it against the woman for not wanting to talk about teen pregnancy or not wanting to give her daughter a book about the subject. I only find it curious because this happens whenever someone asks about that book at literary festivals. Is it because we’re in Alabama? Or would that happen anywhere? Is it just a parent thing that we don’t want to think about our girls growing up too soon?
Ah, well. Let’s not talk about that. Might as well pack up and go outside. Check out the car show. Eat some barbeque.
Few people visited the Athens-Limestone Public Library, where a group of Alabama authors (and one Pennsylvania author on book tour) gathered for the Fourth Annual Catfish Literary Festival. While we sat around our book tables and spoke on panel discussions, the public gathered at outdoor events: Panoply in downtown Huntsville and Cars & Bikes on the Square in Athens.
Also, we had no catfish. Or food trucks of any kind.
I met a few people, though. One man wanted to know how I published my books. He’s another aspiring writer who’s thinking about taking the plunge into the world of self-publishing, and I gave him as much advice as I could while two young children circled him.
Another man came around with his daughter. She looked to be someone who was in my target audience, but she wasn’t making eye-contact. She didn’t like my books; she probably thought they were uncool. She probably thought I was uncool. Her discomfort made me uncomfortable. Two introverts sharing the same space are no good. You can practically hear the pop as we snap our heads into our turtle shells. It’s not ideal for selling books.
Another woman asked about my books for her daughters. She described them to me, how old they are, and what kind of grades they get in school. Since my books are about issues, we talked about whether the subjects were appropriate or not.
“Their father would kill me if I brought home a book about that,” she said.
The Future Unborn is about teen pregnancy.
“It happens,” I said. “Even with girls you wouldn’t expect.”
“I know.”
I don’t hold it against the woman for not wanting to talk about teen pregnancy or not wanting to give her daughter a book about the subject. I only find it curious because this happens whenever someone asks about that book at literary festivals. Is it because we’re in Alabama? Or would that happen anywhere? Is it just a parent thing that we don’t want to think about our girls growing up too soon?
Ah, well. Let’s not talk about that. Might as well pack up and go outside. Check out the car show. Eat some barbeque.
Published on April 29, 2018 04:21
April 21, 2018
Savoring the Binge Bloat: Lost in Space
Danger Will Robinson! Netflix has a new binge-worthy series: Lost In Space. I love the modernization of the classic story, its deeper narratives, the bigger cast of characters, and of course the robot. Some critics have written that Netflix’s reboot of Lost in Space gave up something essential in the serialization of the story. We now consume television series, not in episodes, but in entire series:
Netflix: Are you still watching?
Me: Continue Watching
Yes, continue watching. I must continue until it’s done.
In fact, I would argue that binge-watching series is a new genre and that viewers aren’t really supposed to watch just one episode. You can, but really, why would you? It’s created to be consumed all at once, over a weekend, while consuming unhealthy food.
Writers break novels into chapters, but are you really supposed to stop at each one? No. When the book’s really good, you plow through from front to back without stopping. In fact, that’s why I don’t do well reading books in series either. I wait until the author publishes the whole collection so I can binge all of them in one group.
After the binge comes the bloat. All that television (and perhaps snacking)… and what am I supposed to watch now? Does anyone have any recommendations? Maybe I should do a little writing now. That’s what writers are supposed to do: watch less TV, write more, and read more.
Oh wait, Netflix has a new recommendation for me!
What are your thoughts? Like or share your thoughts. I especially love Netflix recommendations.
Netflix: Are you still watching?
Me: Continue Watching
Yes, continue watching. I must continue until it’s done.
In fact, I would argue that binge-watching series is a new genre and that viewers aren’t really supposed to watch just one episode. You can, but really, why would you? It’s created to be consumed all at once, over a weekend, while consuming unhealthy food.
Writers break novels into chapters, but are you really supposed to stop at each one? No. When the book’s really good, you plow through from front to back without stopping. In fact, that’s why I don’t do well reading books in series either. I wait until the author publishes the whole collection so I can binge all of them in one group.
After the binge comes the bloat. All that television (and perhaps snacking)… and what am I supposed to watch now? Does anyone have any recommendations? Maybe I should do a little writing now. That’s what writers are supposed to do: watch less TV, write more, and read more.
Oh wait, Netflix has a new recommendation for me!
What are your thoughts? Like or share your thoughts. I especially love Netflix recommendations.
Published on April 21, 2018 05:21
April 14, 2018
TWO STORIES OF LIFETIME IMPACTS ON STUDENT LIVES
Teachers matter. They are more than talking heads on a computer screen regurgitating instructional material to memorize for a test. They are Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, the people who inspire and enlighten and change us in a lasting and fundamental way.
My Robin Williams announced his retirement as a classroom teacher. This person came to our school with fresh ideas and taught my English class with props like Weird Al to introduce us to satire. We wrote thought-provoking essays about a wide range of topics, and in the process learned about both the world and how to construct papers. Later he served as the faculty advisor for the writer’s club and gave structure to our meetings, writing prompts, critique groups, and a literary magazine. He invited us to his home at the end of the year for a picnic, and we read our work to his wife. She made burgers for a motley group of poets and prose writers.
During my senior year, my parents split up, and I went through a bad time for awhile. This teacher saw I was in trouble and took me aside for counseling. I don’t remember the words anymore, only the feeling of being seen, of being not alone.
People who know me also know this teacher’s name. He’s an integral part of my story, part of my writing life, part of who I’ve become. We continued to stay in touch during my college years, but I fell away until social media reunited us and others from high school. He blogs wonderful articles about education and other topics.
In my book Straight A's, you see a fictional glimpse of him in this story. The student and teacher have the same relationship through the writer’s club, and ultimately, that teacher has an equally significant and lifelong impact on the student’s life in the book.
Teachers matter beyond the classroom. Teachers like mine give us the self-confidence to use education and move forward into the world, to believe in ourselves, and to be encouraged. When that kind of feedback is missing at home for whatever reason, a charismatic teacher can be the only person who gives it. For the right student, this kind of attention from one caring adult is all it takes to make them soar.
I was one of the lucky kids. I had multiple good teachers in my life. They made a difference in multiple ways—some of which had nothing to do with my GPA—and I’m grateful to every single one.
What about you? Do you have any stories about great teachers in your life? Like or share them in comments.
My Robin Williams announced his retirement as a classroom teacher. This person came to our school with fresh ideas and taught my English class with props like Weird Al to introduce us to satire. We wrote thought-provoking essays about a wide range of topics, and in the process learned about both the world and how to construct papers. Later he served as the faculty advisor for the writer’s club and gave structure to our meetings, writing prompts, critique groups, and a literary magazine. He invited us to his home at the end of the year for a picnic, and we read our work to his wife. She made burgers for a motley group of poets and prose writers.
During my senior year, my parents split up, and I went through a bad time for awhile. This teacher saw I was in trouble and took me aside for counseling. I don’t remember the words anymore, only the feeling of being seen, of being not alone.
People who know me also know this teacher’s name. He’s an integral part of my story, part of my writing life, part of who I’ve become. We continued to stay in touch during my college years, but I fell away until social media reunited us and others from high school. He blogs wonderful articles about education and other topics.
In my book Straight A's, you see a fictional glimpse of him in this story. The student and teacher have the same relationship through the writer’s club, and ultimately, that teacher has an equally significant and lifelong impact on the student’s life in the book.
Teachers matter beyond the classroom. Teachers like mine give us the self-confidence to use education and move forward into the world, to believe in ourselves, and to be encouraged. When that kind of feedback is missing at home for whatever reason, a charismatic teacher can be the only person who gives it. For the right student, this kind of attention from one caring adult is all it takes to make them soar.
I was one of the lucky kids. I had multiple good teachers in my life. They made a difference in multiple ways—some of which had nothing to do with my GPA—and I’m grateful to every single one.
What about you? Do you have any stories about great teachers in your life? Like or share them in comments.
Published on April 14, 2018 04:11
April 7, 2018
3 Young Adult Novels on Depression and Anxiety Struggles
There are dozens of lists of popular YA novels that talk about mental illness, depression, anxiety, and suicide in one or more characters. For various reasons, these kinds of stories have replaced the YA dystopia boom of the early 2010s in our culture.
So in case you haven’t heard, Thirteen Reasons Why is the new The Maze Runner. Here are my top three recommendations in the depression, anxiety, and suicide YA sub-genre, plus a bonus recommendation.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven—This is one of my all-time favorites that combined a love story with depression; it was such a wonderful, heartbreaking, lovely book that I read it twice. And I will probably read it again!
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters—This book is a fast read but hard. The character is so tough, harsh, hard to love, and yet I just wanted to break through her pain and help her.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher—The premise of this book is fantastic. A girl has committed suicide, and she has left behind 13 tapes explaining why she did it. The main character and the reader go on a journey to understand what happened. It’s a little hard to get emotionally close to the girl through this storytelling, but it’s a compelling read.
Bonus round: If you already like these books and these authors, consider picking up my novel Straight A's, which also deals with academic pressure, anxiety, depression, and suicide. The story shows how perfectionism can be taken too far and lead down a dangerous path.
What are your favorite YA novels in this category? I'd love to hear your recommendations.
So in case you haven’t heard, Thirteen Reasons Why is the new The Maze Runner. Here are my top three recommendations in the depression, anxiety, and suicide YA sub-genre, plus a bonus recommendation.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven—This is one of my all-time favorites that combined a love story with depression; it was such a wonderful, heartbreaking, lovely book that I read it twice. And I will probably read it again!
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters—This book is a fast read but hard. The character is so tough, harsh, hard to love, and yet I just wanted to break through her pain and help her.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher—The premise of this book is fantastic. A girl has committed suicide, and she has left behind 13 tapes explaining why she did it. The main character and the reader go on a journey to understand what happened. It’s a little hard to get emotionally close to the girl through this storytelling, but it’s a compelling read.
Bonus round: If you already like these books and these authors, consider picking up my novel Straight A's, which also deals with academic pressure, anxiety, depression, and suicide. The story shows how perfectionism can be taken too far and lead down a dangerous path.
What are your favorite YA novels in this category? I'd love to hear your recommendations.
Published on April 07, 2018 13:31
March 31, 2018
National Poetry Month Begins in April
I watched The Hero last weekend. It’s not often that a movie character reads a beautiful poem in a film, or that the words continue to resonate with me even a week later. The poem was Dirge without Music by Edna St. Vincent Millay.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
It was a perfect moment, a perfect poem, perfect sadness.
Writing novels is my go-to art form, and there’s usually not a lot of room for poetry in novels. Most of the time my poetry is random, personal, and left in a drawer. However, in my YA novel Straight A's, Kim and Elliot exchange sonnets as a flirtation, like this one, called Lawn Cowboy:
Afar, I watch him mount his trusty steed,
A mechanical beast of name John Deere.
Easy on the eyes is this guy indeed,
Shirtless and muscled, no bees doth he fear.
I long to draw his attentions to me.
Instead, his mind focuses on one track:
The perfect straight line, across yard, to tree.
Naught else, not even sunscreen on his back.
One day those six-pack abs will be beer gut,
And hair will sprout in all manner of place.
Trusty green steed will become rust bucket.
Still my true love will shine upon his face.
If only he would ask me, I’d say yes,
To join the cowboy journey, heading west.
There are silly poems as well:
Floozy
Betty Sue lost her red bootie
beside the red tattooed
man when she left the Jacuzzi.
You can bet your sweet patootie
she also forgot to
inform him about her cooties.
The climactic romantic moment comes with a brief four-liner:
I wrote this sappy love poem for you.
Please excuse the rhyme,
Infused with copious words to woo.
Won’t you please be mine?
But as any reader knows, the road to love is never straight or easy, especially for poet
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
It was a perfect moment, a perfect poem, perfect sadness.
Writing novels is my go-to art form, and there’s usually not a lot of room for poetry in novels. Most of the time my poetry is random, personal, and left in a drawer. However, in my YA novel Straight A's, Kim and Elliot exchange sonnets as a flirtation, like this one, called Lawn Cowboy:
Afar, I watch him mount his trusty steed,
A mechanical beast of name John Deere.
Easy on the eyes is this guy indeed,
Shirtless and muscled, no bees doth he fear.
I long to draw his attentions to me.
Instead, his mind focuses on one track:
The perfect straight line, across yard, to tree.
Naught else, not even sunscreen on his back.
One day those six-pack abs will be beer gut,
And hair will sprout in all manner of place.
Trusty green steed will become rust bucket.
Still my true love will shine upon his face.
If only he would ask me, I’d say yes,
To join the cowboy journey, heading west.
There are silly poems as well:
Floozy
Betty Sue lost her red bootie
beside the red tattooed
man when she left the Jacuzzi.
You can bet your sweet patootie
she also forgot to
inform him about her cooties.
The climactic romantic moment comes with a brief four-liner:
I wrote this sappy love poem for you.
Please excuse the rhyme,
Infused with copious words to woo.
Won’t you please be mine?
But as any reader knows, the road to love is never straight or easy, especially for poet
Published on March 31, 2018 07:46
March 24, 2018
Writing about Suicide
One of the big issues in the new novel I’m writing is mental illness in teens. For some reason I’m especially heartbroken by the vulnerability of these sick kids in our society today and the missed opportunities to help them. All the warnings that go dismissed, ignored, and misunderstood are leading to higher and higher rates of suicide among our youth—and school violence.
More teens harm themselves than harm others. That’s depression. It is when the pain turns inward. Depression says:
· Everything seems hopeless. It just goes on and on.
· Everything is falling apart.
· I am not enough.
· Who I am on the inside doesn’t match the outside.
· I feel empty and alone.
· No one can see me.
Straight A's is about a girl who feels that everything is falling apart, and there is no way out. Stress and perfectionism push her into a corner. Her cries for help are seen by friends and recognized, but for many in our world today, this isn’t true.
When I talk about my book, it makes people squeamish. SUICIDE! Ugh. What a nasty topic. Can’t you write about something nice like romance? Why would you write about something horrible like that?
Because it’s important.
Because it’s real.
Because it hurts a lot of people. Because it’s killing them. Literally.
Talking really does help. Writing in journals helps. Sharing with friends, making art, talking to a counselor, and lots of things like that helps. It’s important that feelings of hopelessness and despair do not stay bottled on the inside. Terrible things grow in that darkness.
Healing happens in the light.
More teens harm themselves than harm others. That’s depression. It is when the pain turns inward. Depression says:
· Everything seems hopeless. It just goes on and on.
· Everything is falling apart.
· I am not enough.
· Who I am on the inside doesn’t match the outside.
· I feel empty and alone.
· No one can see me.
Straight A's is about a girl who feels that everything is falling apart, and there is no way out. Stress and perfectionism push her into a corner. Her cries for help are seen by friends and recognized, but for many in our world today, this isn’t true.
When I talk about my book, it makes people squeamish. SUICIDE! Ugh. What a nasty topic. Can’t you write about something nice like romance? Why would you write about something horrible like that?
Because it’s important.
Because it’s real.
Because it hurts a lot of people. Because it’s killing them. Literally.
Talking really does help. Writing in journals helps. Sharing with friends, making art, talking to a counselor, and lots of things like that helps. It’s important that feelings of hopelessness and despair do not stay bottled on the inside. Terrible things grow in that darkness.
Healing happens in the light.
Published on March 24, 2018 10:21
March 18, 2018
Sharing the Road
Yesterday I spent an hour with a group of students at Sparkman High School’s Creative Writing / Literary Magazine class for a talk on writing novels. The group was a mixed range of artists, writers, photographers, dancers, graphic designers, actors, and even a talented programmer who enjoys creative writing.
Would I have any message to engage such a diverse group of teens? Could we connect?
After introducing myself, I launched into my journey and described my passion for writing stories since elementary school. These students created the literary magazine for their school, and I also worked on a writing club and literary magazine: an initial connection.
The writers were fully in from the beginning. The artists were in. Most of the others were in too. We took the journey together. When I began talking about the steps for self-publishing on Amazon, they finally stopped me.
“This sounds like running a business,” one of them said.
“It’s exactly like a business,” I said. “As an indie author, you’re creating a product, manufacturing, selling, marketing, publicity, everything. End-to-end. Amazon handles distribution.”
This generated a flurry of questions about traditional publishing versus independent publishing. What was my literary agent doing for me? What was that experience like? Why was it so hard for independent authors? What would make it easier? They asked so many insightful business questions and grasped the complexities of the problem with selling on a platform like Amazon (search and discoverability) versus a bookstore and why distribution into wider channels is vital.
They let me continue through the rest of my deck but asked more questions along the way. We were comfortable with each other now, and the conversation was easy. What did you do in your other job as a technical writer? I explained that I’ve been a manager for a long time now, but when I was a technical writer, I wrote software manuals to describe how to install and use products.
Who are your favorite authors? What kind of books do you like to read? How do you build realistic characters? What are your books about? What was your favorite book to write and why? You write about difficult issues. Do you know that they’re starting to censor books now? They’re trying to censor classics like To Kill a Mockingbird. How do you feel about that?
Uh, well... I think censorship is bad.
Goodness! That was a lot of fun. The students were full of enthusiasm, interest, and challenging questions, and we had a great discussion about writing, which is always my favorite subject. I'm so grateful that they invited me to their class.
Would I have any message to engage such a diverse group of teens? Could we connect?
After introducing myself, I launched into my journey and described my passion for writing stories since elementary school. These students created the literary magazine for their school, and I also worked on a writing club and literary magazine: an initial connection.
The writers were fully in from the beginning. The artists were in. Most of the others were in too. We took the journey together. When I began talking about the steps for self-publishing on Amazon, they finally stopped me.
“This sounds like running a business,” one of them said.
“It’s exactly like a business,” I said. “As an indie author, you’re creating a product, manufacturing, selling, marketing, publicity, everything. End-to-end. Amazon handles distribution.”
This generated a flurry of questions about traditional publishing versus independent publishing. What was my literary agent doing for me? What was that experience like? Why was it so hard for independent authors? What would make it easier? They asked so many insightful business questions and grasped the complexities of the problem with selling on a platform like Amazon (search and discoverability) versus a bookstore and why distribution into wider channels is vital.
They let me continue through the rest of my deck but asked more questions along the way. We were comfortable with each other now, and the conversation was easy. What did you do in your other job as a technical writer? I explained that I’ve been a manager for a long time now, but when I was a technical writer, I wrote software manuals to describe how to install and use products.
Who are your favorite authors? What kind of books do you like to read? How do you build realistic characters? What are your books about? What was your favorite book to write and why? You write about difficult issues. Do you know that they’re starting to censor books now? They’re trying to censor classics like To Kill a Mockingbird. How do you feel about that?
Uh, well... I think censorship is bad.
Goodness! That was a lot of fun. The students were full of enthusiasm, interest, and challenging questions, and we had a great discussion about writing, which is always my favorite subject. I'm so grateful that they invited me to their class.
Published on March 18, 2018 14:01
October 15, 2017
"The Future Unborn" Awarded Runner-Up at 2017 RONE Awards
From the 2017 In'DScribe Conference and Book Festival last night, my book "The Future Unborn" was awarded Runner-Up in the New Adult category!
https://twitter.com/InDScribeCon/stat...
https://twitter.com/InDScribeCon/stat...
Published on October 15, 2017 04:35
"The Future Unborn" Awarded Runner-Up at 2017 RONE Awards
From the 2017 In'DScribe Conference and Book Festival last night, my book "The Future Unborn" was awarded Runner-Up in the New Adult category!
https://twitter.com/InDScribeCon/stat...
https://twitter.com/InDScribeCon/stat...
Published on October 15, 2017 04:35