Lift As You Climb - You Won't Climb Alone.

I love success stories. I especially love success stories that involve people who've overcome tremendous struggles to achieve their goals. In the past few years, I've witnessed fellow authors grow to New York Time bestseller levels and sign movie/TV deals. I've seen many commit to leading their lives in a more health-conscious way, losing 50+ pounds or giving up sugar after years of being a slave to the sweet dictator. Many of my friends have grown spiritually and emotionally, courageously severing ties to toxic people and situations and bravely choosing to step outside their comfort zones in order to find themselves. A few have even gotten to a place of being debt free. And I commend you all.

In the words of E.E. Cummings, "It takes courage to grow up and become who you truly are." You should celebrate your accomplishments! BUT remember your past, where you came from, because you can't help someone up if you're standing over them ... or constantly reveling in your own success.

Thankfully, most of my friends who've overcome their obstacles or who've grown beyond their dreams have used their journey to inspire others. They take opportunities to shine from a place of humble success. There are those on the other side, as well, which is unfortunate considering how far they come to really only celebrate alone. Because how can you help someone grow when you're always focused on your own awesomeness?

As the beautifully-inspiring founder of Utopia Con, Janet Wallace, says, "Lift as you climb." Remember this life isn't about how much you can achieve for yourself. It's how you can use your own life lessons to help others reach their dreams, which in turn, will help you! Nothing motivates you quite like seeing how your own growth/struggles/achievements inspires others. If YOU (vs your process, method, lessons-learned, etc.) are the focus of your "inspirational/motivational" movement, consider why you're telling people what you are. Is it to make yourself feel good about what you've done? Or are you actually showing someone, "Hey, this is what worked for me. It might help someone else."

Humility truly is the most attractive thing you can wear.

Interiew with the Lovely Kallie Ross.

Seventeen year old Ollie Miller is ready to leave all of her hurt feelings behind, but moving on seems impossible while living next door to her ex-best friend, Mateo. When curious earthquakes begin to shake and rip open the foundation of her small town, the ground becomes as unsteady as her feelings for him. When they fall, they fall hard…
Ollie’s disastrous attempt to save Mateo’s brother from falling into a curious chasm results in their descent into a cavernous wonderland. Ollie, Mateo, Jesse, and Alexis search for a way back home, and encounter a mysterious tribe of natives. Gabriel, the next in line to lead his people, is granted permission to guide them to the surface. On their treacherous journey, an overzealous elder threatens all of their lives, because he can’t risk them exposing his people, or the power he wields. The group discovers ancient secrets, unexpected truths, and uncharted feelings. Ollie must find a way out or risk being stuck in the caves forever—or worse, dead.



Today I'm thrilled to be interviewing the beautiful Kallie Ross. I had the honor of meeting Kallie for the first time at UtopYA Con in 2013, and instantly fell in love with her sweet spirit and smiling face. So when her first novel debuted over the summer, to say I was excited is an understatement. And omgosh, don't you adore that cover?

Without further ado, the lovely Kallie... 

* How did you come up with idea for Descent? 

The idea for Descent was unearthed during a hot, dry Texas summer when a natural gas drill was erected in the field behind my former home. Kids ran through sprinklers and picked giant sunflowers for two months before the first earthquake was reported. My first thought was that one of the underground reservoirs would cave in, and our entire neighborhood would be swallowed up in a sink hole... As you can imagine, my mind took and ran with it from there! 

After the local media covered the multiple tremors, the natural gas company put a stop to drilling temporarily. I headed back to the classroom (teaching High School English), and I immediately wondered what a group of my students would do if they fell into an underground world. My imagination got carried away the thought evolved into brainstorming and research. I knew that if there was any believable life found under the surface of the earth it would be in a labyrinth of caves and it would derive from our own documented history. 

* What inspired you to write a novel that takes place primarily underground?

Caves and caverns are fascinating! I remember going to Carlsbad Caverns  in my elementary years, and wishing I could climb in, through, and around all the crevasses and chasms. Growing up, we all have fears. Mine vary (being in an elevator that’s free falling to being eaten while still alive), but being underground is the perfect balance of fear and intrigue for me, so writing about it felt challenging and exhilarating.

When I started working on characters for Descent, I wanted my main character to have the same enthusiasm. Ollie's story unfolded when I decided to base it amongst shadows, a mysterious light, and a ruthless villain. This underground wonderland is where her past, present, and future collide. 

* I'm totally a name person. Some of your characters have unique ones. What factors went into choosing those you did?

Keeping the historical integrity of the backstory of the tribe Ollie encounters was a big part of naming the characters. I knew there needed to be an ancient sound, even if the tribe had evolved from it’s original language and location. I actually studied some Hebrew to make sure that the names of characters, food, and traditions were authentic. 

I love giving my characters names that mean something. It builds them into 3D characters, and pulls them out of the page for me. I chose Olivia (a.k.a. Ollie) because of its correlation to the olive tree, and the uses of an olive branch in Biblical times. Hopefully, she’ll bring some peace and prosperity underground with her. Keren means glorious dignity. She’s the daughter of a leader in the tribe, and while she yearns to know more about the surface she also can’t help but seek the approval of her father. I’m really looking forward to having fun with some new characters in the second novel.

* The idea behind noor (the light certain underground tribal members can produce) and how it's used. How did you come up with that notion?

This one’s easy… The characters had to be able to see underground, and the tribe had to be able to survive underground all of these years. The light in most ‘center of the earth’ novels is made out of the earth’s core, but I wanted the noor to be more than just light. I wanted the tribe to attribute more to the light, like guidance, nourishment, and security. The most interesting truths about the mysterious light are still to come…

* Your characters are so much fun! And I love that your brothers Mateo and Jesse are Latino. Were any of your characters influenced by yourself or people you know?

I’m so glad you asked me this question! I have to give credit to a few of my students for Mateo and Jesse. I taught two brothers (Christian and Edward) a few years back, and their  relationship just stuck with me. They were devoted to their family and it’s Latino heritage, but they also fought with each other about everything. I have a lot of students I’d love to turn into book characters, but it will take a massive amount of time to work them all into a story of their own. 

Alexis is another character that I hold dear. She is loosely based on my sister when she was a teen. My sister is a year younger than me, and while she loved her girl-friends, she always had a boyfriend in tow. Alexis is colorful, sarcastic, and at times self-consumed… And, my sister is still two out of three of those as an adult! ;)

* Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I like to think both, but if we were getting specific I’d have to say I’m more of a plotter. I love working on character building exercises, outlines, and research. There are moments when ideas just come to me, and I have to rearrange the outline, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end. There are some twists and turns I can’t plan for in the plot, they just have to work themselves out while I’m typing. 

* What inspires you?

Courtesy GutterLily10 - DeviantArt

Ooooo… So much! Music is a big one. I have a playlist for Descent, and it contains the songs I listened to most while writing the book. History as a whole inspires me as well. While I’m drawn to the fantasy and science fiction genres, there has to be an element of truth (from our own world) to the story or backstory for it to resonate with me. Nature is a world of inspiration that I like to lose myself in from time to time. Whether it’s hiking or a picnic, there’s something about the bluejay’s song and the wind’s cool caress that removes me from the routine and into the resplendent. Some other inspirations are a great cup of coffee, anything dark chocolate, and visiting museums.

* I know you're a mom and probably don't have a lot of it, but what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Splurging on any of the above inspirations is considered a win on a day that I have laundry, carline, and cooking to do. I think the biggest splurge would be collecting a few days worth of free time and creating a writerly weekend to dive into a few chapters at once. On a selfish note, if writing had nothing to do with the free time, I’d love to travel through Europe. I think I’d take away a lot of inspiration while riding trains from city to city and taking in the culture and art! 

* What awesomeness can we expect from you in the future?

I’m working on the second book in The Lost Tribe Series. Descent is only half of the story. I’m hoping to have Defend finished and released by Summer 2015. I also have a high fantasy novel in the works… Lots of mind games, murder mystery, and otherworldly mayhem happening. I’m not great at multi-tasking, so I only write one novel at a time. My fantasy novel will have to wait a few months for me to jump back into it.

Rapid Fire:

* What 3 things would you take to live on Isle Kallie: A pencil that never grows dull, a journal that always has blank paper, and my husband.

* Favorite book character: Anne of Green Gables & Elinor Dashwood

* Best YA read this year: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers (The most elaborate, breathtaking bow to wrap up His Fair Assassins Trilogy.)

* Top 5 favorite authors: This is so not cool… So, I’m kickin’ it old school. Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Arthur Conan Doyle, William Shakespeare, and J.K. Rowling

* Your life’s theme song: I love music so much, that this seems cruel! With that said, this year I’ve listened to ‘We Come Running’ by Youngblood Hawke a million times! It’s more of a challenge song for me, it reminds me to keep my mind on what’s ahead.

HUGE thanks to Kallie Ross for the interview! 

Check out her books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and everywhere books are sold.

  

You can find more about Kallie and her books here:

Descent: ~You can read an exclusive excerpt, HERE!~

Website: KallieRoss.com

Facebook: Kallie Ross Facebook Page  

Twitter: @KallieRoss 

Interview with the Freaking Awesome Chelsea Fine

Okay, so y'all know how much I adore Chelsea Fine! She's like the Jennifer Lawrence of Writerdom. You know who I'm talking about, the really cool girl next door who's gorgeous, hilarious, and super down-to-earth. Well today, I have the honor of interviewing her about one of my all-time favorite YA series ev-ah, The Archers of Avalon! If you haven't read my reviews of these epic examples of awesomeness, click on each to find my thoughts on Anew, Awry, and Avow.

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, here's Chelsea...


* How did you come up with idea for the Archers of Avalon series?

The short answer is Vampire Diaries. The long answer is I was watching Vampire Diaries with my sister and we were talking about how sad it is to have a love triangle between two brothers because the brothers love one another and they love the same girl…it’s tragic. And I started thinking of what another spin you could do with two brothers who love the same girl, but something less doom and gloom. Thus was born, my Archers of Avalon series.

* As an avid archer myself, I loved the fact that twins and Scarlet were into shooting. Why did you choose that as a pastime?

First of all, I LOVE THAT YOU’RE AN ARCHER!  Super rad. I chose archery as a pastime because it’s cool! It’s skilled weapon that requires patience and aim, and lots of experience. I like that. I thought it was a good weapon for characters who were going to be 500 years old. It just worked all around. 

* After reading the series, I researched to see if Avalon, Georgia really existed (and YES! it does! I’m SO going one day.) What made that location ideal for the series?

It was sort of an accident. I didn’t know that Avalon, Georgia existed before I wrote the book. The Ponce De Leon Fountain of Youth story was not actually in lower Florida, but northern Florida. That’s where his ship landed; just south of Georgia. So I was thinking, wouldn’t it be neat if the Fountain of Youth was actually in Georgia and all the history books were totally wrong about this myth? So I put it in Georgia with these archers and then I wanted a city that started with an ‘A’ so I chose Avalon. After I wrote the first draft and discovered there was actually a city called Avalon in Georgia, I figured it was just fate. It was an accident, but totally fate.

* The idea behind the curse and the trio’s connection is SO freaking cool and unique. How did you come up with that, and what inspired you to choose The Fountain of Youth as a building block?

I spent months and months of thinking about the story, so the curse was actually different in my head. But that’s the cool thing about writing. While you’re writing a story, you’re also re-writing it as more ideas come to you. I wanted to make sure there was a curse where all three members of it were affected in a unique way; not something where they all had the same issues. And I wanted it to be a curse where finding a cure would be critical to the characters’ happiness. So it was just a matter of a lot of time and thought and trial and error with writing it. I wanted immortality, but not vampires so I decided to go the Fountain of Youth route and explore that. If we could live forever, would that be a good thing or kind of a curse? That’s the question theme in my Archers of Avalon books.

* I absolutely adore your characters!!! Were any of them based on yourself/preferences or people you know?

Oh, that’s a really good question! No. Scarlet is definitely not based on me. You and I have met in person so you know that I’m not very awesome and cool and strong and sassy like Scarlet. Haha. I’m much more like Heather. I think Scarlet is based on who I wish I could be, with lots of strength and attitude. I based Tristan a little bit on my husband who has this very dark and sacrificial side to him in a really beautiful way. And Gabriel…I don’t know. I think I just created a character who would be the opposite of Tristan: a little more selfish and happy and carefree.

* Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a pantser! That’s why it takes me forever to write books, haha. I try to plot, but I can’t seem to follow my own rules. It’s just all bad. Haha.

* What inspires you?

Music. I know there are a lot of other things that inspire me, but music is by far number one. I created the whole first book, Anew, by listening to “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine. I put that song on repeat for three days and mapped out the whole book in my head.

* What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I really like painting and drawing and playing the piano and singing…anything artistic, really. I find art and music really calming and soothing. But I also enjoy watching teenage drama on television. Like, a lot. Haha.  

* What awesomeness can we expect from you in the future?

My New Adult series is coming out this year and I’m really excited about it! New Adult is like Young Adult with a little bit of an edge, and a few more consequences. This is a contemporary series, though, so there’s no Fountain of Youth and no curses or anything like that. Just plain old realistic love and drama. But it’s a sweet series and the first book, Best Kind Of Broken is really special to me, so I’m thrilled to release it this March. J  

Rapid Fire:

* What 3 things would you take to live on Isle Chelsea:

Um, this question is awesome. A toothbrush! I would totally take my toothbrush! I’m obsessed with clean teeth. And maybe The Count of Monte Cristo, my favorite book of all time. And my husband. I would take my husband because he’s my best friend and, really, you can endure anything if you have your best friend with you. ;)

* Favorite book character:

Will Herondale from Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices. He’s my very favorite. He reminds me a lot of Tristan, but he’s a bit more tortured, darker. He’s so broken and he’s such a mess. I just want to mop him up and make out with him. Haha.

* Best YA read this year:

I read The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle and it was probably one of the most moving books I have ever encountered. It was beautiful and broke my heart. Wonderful.

* Top 5 favorite authors:

Veronica Roth

Frankie Rose

Abbi Glines

Cassandra Clare

J.K. Rowling.

* You life’s theme song:

“Heartlines” by Florence and the Machine. 

HUGE thanks to Chelsea Fine for the interview!

Check out her books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and

everywhere books are sold.

This captures Chelsea perfectly...happy and with *sparkling* teeth!

 

You can find more on Chelsea and her books here:

Archers of Avalon: http://www.thearchersofavalon.com/

Chelsea's Website: http://chelseafinebooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChelseaFineBooks

Twitter: @ChelseaFine

Review: ANEW by Chelsea Fine

Two years ago, Scarlet awoke in the forest alone, afraid, and unable to remember anything. Lost and confused, her life was a mystery...until she met a boy with a familiar voice.

Gabriel Archer has a voice from her past, and Scarlet's determined to remember why. She immerses herself in his life only to discover he has a brother he's kept hidden from her: Tristan Archer.

Upon meeting Tristan, Scarlet's world becomes even more muddled. While she's instinctively drawn to Gabriel, she's impossibly drawn to Tristan--and confused out of her mind. As she tries to piece together her history Scarlet realizes her past...might just be the death of her.

Okay, I have to start this post with a fact: Chelsea is one of the sweetest and most hilarious chicks ever. I had the chance to "officially" meet Chelsea and hang out a little at UtopYAcon this past June. If you haven't read about that experience, you can here. Chelsea even shares her own thoughts on What Not to Do at Book Conference. HILARIOUS video. We'd known each other through Twitter for some time, but as most of you have probably experienced, the face-to-face introduction is always more interesting. I mean, you can only say so much in 140 characters, right?

Continuing on, I got a signed copy of the first in her Archers of Avalon series, ANEW. After hearing everyone RAVE about it, and listening to Chelsea's experiences writing the series, working with the models, and various inspirations, made me all the more eager to get started. Thankfully, I had 12 hours worth of flying and layovers to get me started! Yay me!

Needless to say, between dinners, meetings, and changing time zones, I finished ANEW in no time flat ... then proceeded to immediately download the sequel, AWRY. Yeah. It's that awesome.

And here's why:

We begin the story with Scarlett, a teenage girl who lives with her amazing foster mom, Laura. Scarlett came to be under Laura's care when she woke up in the woods with full-blown amnesia wiping her mind of anything about her life leading up to that point. Yeah, talk about freaaaky.

Scarlett is a super down-to-earth girl who cares about her interim family and zealous friend more than fashion and boys, much to her BFF, Heather's disapproval.

They crew of awesome characters live in a small town called Avalon, Georgia. Much to my delight, Avalon is like less vampire-werewolf-doppelganger version of Mystic Falls when it comes to fun activities and festivals. And one of Scarlett's least favorites is The Kissing Festival--that is until she bumps into Gabriel Archer.

Sigh.

Gabriel Archer, that gorgeous, selfless, heartthrob of a guy. Chelsea definitely has the swoon worthy boys in her stories! Why do I say boys as in more than one? Because Gabriel happens to have an identical twin brother named Tristan! ::flatline::

Now, before you go thinking, "Is this going to be YA?" Let me say, yes. Yes it is. ;) Actually one of the things I love most about this series is how Chelsea works the love-triangle-but-not-a-love-triangle ... angle. Stay with me here.

See, Scarlett has ties and emotions and all kinds of stuff going on in her pretty little head, but it isn't because she's wishy-washy or a player. I can't tell you more than that because I don't do spoilers. You're welcome. But throughout the story, you really feel her distress and experience the challenge of the twins as they try to navigate the situation. Chelsea knocks it out of the park when it comes to believable and relatable characters. Their responses and feelings toward things are spot on, and you can't help but sympathize with their tragedy and triumph!

I will caution you now though ... have the second book on hand! OMGosh! I didn't sleep for waaay too long trying to find out what happened after book one ended! Good job, Chelsea!

So, with that, I give ANEW five very enthusiastic top hats! It's a definite must-read!!!

 

Buy. Read. Be happy.

UtopYA: How One Conference Changed Everything

Where do I even begin? I've been home since Sunday, and my mind is still reeling. Was UtopYAcon informative? Absolutely! Did I learn more about the craft of writing, marketing, editing, and such? Without a doubt! But even among the things I took away from an author's perspective, the thing I learned the most about was ME.

I spent an entire weekend with a group of people who, although each person was different, we were all the same. And coming from someone who's never related to other humans, that's seriously saying something!

I think we all have preconceived notions of what to expect out of successful people. It'd be a lie if I
said I didn't walk into this conference (my 1st ever!) without my own ideas. I mean, did you see the list of celebrities there?! There were too many to even name. Like, author goddesses and blogging queens! I figured everyone would stick to their own little niches.

Bloggers, go to one corner. 

Future writers, go the next.

Readers, you're over here.

Authors, you're up front.

Then something amazing happened ... everyone got thrown in together like a big, creative melting pot of awesomesauce!!! It was phenomenal! And I can honestly say, not one person was looking past another, trying to find someone more important to talk to. No one stared down their nose like they were just tolerating your presence. It was the first time in my life I'd been around more than one female in a room and there weren't any underhanded attempts at sabotage. You  know what I'm talking about, ladies. That invisible current that sparks when women enter a room. You can feel it. I imagine that's what it's like right before you get struck by lightning. That ominous sense of your impending demise...

Yeah, none of that crap was there! It was more than a little disconcerting. I was prepared to wade through a herd of smiling velociraptors. Imagine my delight before the conference when NYT bestseller, Addison Moore and Wonder-blogger, SupaGurl sat down at our table and actually talked to us like they were interested in what we had to say.

Enter: The Stumbler.

Then they insisted we go outside to the patio where the massive group of Who's Who had assembled. Seriously? Any of you who know me understand I'm not exactly endearingly awkward--I'm just awkward. But in spite of that, I pushed beyond my comfort zone and followed suit. Again, imagine my relief when all the awesome ladies out there smiled and waved and actually welcomed our little group.

I figured there was a good chance we'd actually fallen

 For real.

Long story relatively short, the entire conference and all the authors, readers, and bloggers there were so excited to be a part of each other's lives and success. They were incredibly supportive and enthusiastic. It wasn't one person using another to get ahead. There was no, "I've made it big, so now I'm too big for you," mentality. It was a common theme of: We all love books. Plain and simple. And when you share something as straightforward but powerful as that, there's no competition. There's no need to one-up or compare. There's just inclusion. 

At the end of the conference, the incredible Janet Wallace (hilarious creator and all-around BA woman) opened the mic to everyone there so we could talk about our experiences. What every person had to say was astounding. It wasn't about schmoozing. It wasn't about bragging. Each individual who stepped up to that podium had something genuinely life-changing to say. It was beautifully heartfelt and courageous! Believe me when I say tears abounded! Chi (aka Beth Isaacs) leaned over,

glossy-eyed, and whispered, "This is like a therapy session!"

It was one of the most moving things I've ever experienced.

I'll never forget Amanda Havard stepping up there and completely changing my outlook on life and writing. She talked about her friends in the room, making note that friends wasn't something she was good at. After years of tactics to avoid people, now she felt like she was home. She said she imagined that feeling must've been what high school and college was for everyone else. That this (this time in  her life) was her youth! And guys, that just totally struck a chord with me. The feeling that Amanda described ... it was me! Who knew anyone else felt that way? It'd only taken me 30 years to find that kind of acceptance, but it was totally worth it.

All that I learned and experienced at UtopYA is way too much to cover in one post, but I'm genuine in saying that it was life changing. If you haven't gone before, 2014 is YOUR YEAR! UtopYA 2013: What You Need to Know and Why You Need to Go in 2014. Every person there said UtopYA is their favorite conference because of the tight-knit community. I couldn't agree more. They're my family. And not even the ones you don't claim ;)

Seriously, consider going! If you want to know what's up, who's there, and what to expect, this is an awesome resource:

So, if I had to sum up my experience at UtopYA in one word, it would be INSPIRED.

Happy (and feeling included) Writing.