Beautiful Books 2016 - Introduce Your Novel

   Hissss .... 
   You, the fearless, courageous (and most likely cruel) writer, shiver at the noise. You're frozen with fear. Something is around the corner. It's attack is inevitable.
   It creeps slowly out and then - 
   The NaNoWriMo monster pounces.   

   It's NaNo prep month! Time to get our armor ready to face that horrid NaNo monster - and also the time to join in the epic Beautiful Books linkup.

(Ahem, just sayin', I'm writing two novels for NaNo. Yes, I'm a rebel. I'll be doing Beautiful Books for them both - one that I'm temporarily calling The Game and another that's temporarily called All You Remember)

1. What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had your idea? 
    
   (The Game) 7/04/16  

   I'm very exact sometimes XD. I got the idea while driving home from a parade (no idea what gave me the spark of inspiration, but does it really matter? THE IDEA LIVES), and I was totally unprepared and didn't have a notebook on me. So I had to entrust the idea to my forgetful brain and SOMEHOW it survived the trip home. 

   For All You Remember it was ... uh ... I don't know? I literally can't remember anything about how or when I got this ideas. 

   AND then sometimes I'm not exact at all XD. 

2. Describe what your novel is about! 
   
   ... is this Savannah-gives-out-spoilers day or something? 

   Well I suppose I can generous and give you the synopsis I already posted on the NaNoWrimo site show you a little something about The Game *nods*. 

  A life that was perfect torn to tatters in her dreams. A missing twin sister that she's always hated. Hallucinations mixing with real life. A Bus that's appearance means death.

   Maria's mind has betrayed her. And the Game will change everything she's ever known, whether she wants it to or not.

   But for All You Remember - well, let's just say I really have no idea, something to do with Faeries and magic and stuff my lips are sealed.

3. What is your book's aesthetic? Use words or pictures or whatever you like! 
  
   Hmm. The Game, it's ... very hard to explain. Let's just say that I can explain better with a picture (even if the picture isn't really spot-on, it's the best I've got) ... 

   And there ya go. All You Remember takes place all over the world, so I'll just be lazy and give you another collage show you a collage I made for it (I"M OBSESSED WITH COLLAGES, YOU GUYS) ...

4. Introduce us to each of your characters! 

   UH have I mentioned that I'm going die-hard pantser on this NaNoWriMo novel? 

   I basically know nothing. About either story. IT'S HALF THE FUN. But (since I'm feeling friendly today) I'll let you know a thing or two about the main character of each story. 

   (The Game) Maria is about seventeen or so, tall, blonde, and hazel-eyed. She's been living with her friend's family since her mother died. She hates her sister, Silvia, despite the girl's unfailing sweetness - mostly because Silvia partially caused their mother's death. Other than that, she lives a normal life - does fine in school, hangs out with friends. Until she starts seeing things.
   She calls them hallucinations. Her hallucinations assure her that they're real. She tells them to go away, they're just some weird dream. 
   But then they take her at her word - they infiltrate her dreams and won't let go.
   She refuses to be fazed until she wakes up with wounds that she has acquired in her dream. Things start getting far too real for comfort. 

 

   (ALSO, Maria and Silvia don't have a last name, so any help with that would be appreciated *points down at comment section*.)

   (All You Remember) I .. don't even know the main character's name? I know she's not on the short side, but she's not super tall either. Typically quiet - not really an introvert, she just likes to listen. But she can be awfully feisty when she wants to be.

   GUYS, I'M NOT PLANNING ANYTHING. Enough said XD.

5. How do you prepare to write? (Outline, research, stocking up on chocolate, howling, etc.?) 

   Preparing to write? This is a thing?! 

   I'm a pantser, you guys. Preparing and I are not the best of friends. I don't like preparing. The closest I normally get to preparing is taking all the ideas that have been stewing in the back of my brain and moving them to the front of my brain. And making a picture collage. That's about it XD. 

6. What are you most looking forward to about this novel?  

   Besides writing them and totally acing NaNoWriMo? Probably figuring out all the plot twists I'm going to add. I can't be the only one who internally has a huge party when I figure out THE MOST PERFECT plot twist in the whole wide world. 

   Plot twists give the story its pretty ripples - they are the coolest ever *nods*. 

7. List three things about your novel's setting 
  
   The Game is mostly set in Maria's dreams and - since we all know how dreams go (HA) - that means that the setting changes A LOT. In one scene there's a forest missing half it's color and in another there's a misty scene where you can hardly see a thing and another takes place at the top of a cliff. I think XD.
   
   However, some of it takes place in the real world and looks just about normal (you know, when Maria's not seeing "hallucinations" and all *shrugs*). 

   I'd call that about three things. And I'm not even going to start on All You Remember (that one takes place all over the world, the end.)

8. What's your character's goal and who (or what) stands in their way?

  SO, I'm feeling like I should have just done a post that said I'M PANTSING NANOWRIMO and left it at that.

   I don't know either of my character's goals. I can't tell you what stands in their way. That is all. *takes a bow*. 

9. How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel? 

   *sighs* Ah, finally! A question I can answer! 

   Maria becomes more loving and All You Remember's MC become more outgoing and learns how to stand up for herself (and others).  

    Look! I do know a bit about my novels! XD 

10. What are your book's themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over? 
   
   Not telling, AND not telling. My lips are sealed. 

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   SO ... yup. 

   *crickets* 

   I'm pantsing NaNoWriMo. Over and out. 

~ Savannah Grace 

   Are you pantsing, plantsing, or plotting NaNoWriMo? I must know *nods*.  

Interview With Authoress Tessa Emily Hall

   I've got a treat for you guys today - an interview with authoress Tessa Emily Hall! I met her through her blog, Christ Is Write, and she's a wonderful Christian gal with a passion for God, teaching, and writing (and what's more, she writes beautifully!).

   So let's get right to it, shall we?

      How did you come up with the title for Purple Moon?

   Originally, Purple Moon was going to be titled Unwritten Melody, and Selena (my protagonist) was going to be a musician rather than an artist. However, while I was writing the book, another book – written by a popular best-selling author – was released and had a similar title and similar story. I didn’t want to take the chances of having others assume I was heavily inspired by that author’s work. Thus, Selena became an artist, and I mentally filed away the title Unwritten Melody to use for a future book. (Now, Unwritten Melody is my second novel and will be releasing with Clean Reads on Nov. 10th!)

   The title Purple Moon was actually one of the first title ideas that came to mind before Unwritten Melody. It was derived from a memory in Selena’s past, and the color purple sparked simply from the color of notebook that I used to brainstorm the story.:)

Did you learn any lessons through writing Purple Moon?

   I believe God is always working on my heart as he helps me write stories. Although I can’t think of anything specific that I learned through writing Purple Moon, there was a particular scene near the end of the book that God used to help me find healing in certain areas of my life. Because of that, I feel like I was able to write the ending from an authentic and heartfelt standpoint.
 

How did you get published?

My mom and I at my first writing conference, which is where I met my publisher at 16-years-old. =) 

  
  I attended Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference when I was 16-years-old, which is where I met my future publisher. During our meeting, he requested that I send him my full manuscript when I arrived home from the conference. A few years later, my book, Purple Moon, was published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. You can read more about my journey to publication here. =)

What message do you want people to take away from Purple Moon?

   The heart of the story is this: You can never be too “messed up” to receive a chance to start over and live the life you’ve always dreamt of.

What writing project are you working on right now?

   I’m actually writing the sequel to Purple Moon. =) I’ve worked on it on and off over the past few years. I wanted to finish my standalone novel, Unwritten Melody, before I completed the sequel, though. That book is scheduled to release in November, so now I can give the sequel my undivided attention. (Well, not entirely undivided. I still have marketing tasks and all that other non-writing, author-related fun stuff.)

Where do you hope to be with your writing in ten years?

   Great question! I have no idea what God could have in store for me in the next ten years. I like to keep my plans flexible, available for Him to change if necessary, and my heart set on following His will rather than my own. But I do believe that I will still be in the writing industry in 10 years. Writing is my calling. Right now, my heart’s desire is to continue this writing ministry in multiple areas – writing YA books for teens, MG books, devotionals, articles, speaking, and teaching. I have a passion for all of this, and I love how writing enables one to reach potentially thousands of readers and touch them at their core. Words have the power to speak life into the hearts of others. Books can be transformational.

   Although God is the Ultimate Author of my future, I always ask Him to give me the desires He wants me to have. And right now, my burning desire is this: To write books that transform lives—stories that portray the power of God’s steadfast love and His unending grace.

I've heard that you're also an actress - when did you become interesting in acting, and how did you become an actress?

   I’ve taken several acting classes and have been apart of theater productions since I was seven-years-old.  But I’ve always been more interested in film acting than stage acting. When I was in high school, I landed a small role in a short film that was produced by a local film school. I also worked on set as an extra for a couple of large productions. Those jobs increased my on-camera acting desire even more! However, it was during this time that I began to pursue my writing dream. Although acting is a huge interest of mine, I’ve always viewed it more as a hobby rather than a calling or a gift. So I’ve put it on the back burner for the past several years while I focused on my writing dream.

   But the acting bug kept biting. So, late 2014, I began searching for casting calls in the Christian film industry. I auditioned for Providence – a full-length Christian film produced by Mainstreet Productions – and landed a small role. I also had the chance to work on set as a PA. That movie came out in theaters February 2016 and is now available at Lifeway. (You can view the trailer here!)

   I also landed a supporting role in A Beautiful Life, a 30-minute Christian short film produced by Grace Like Rain Entertainment. This project was tons of fun to work on! I had the opportunity to play the role of a gothic girl, which is a far stretch from who I am in real life. Haha! The film is scheduled to release fall 2016. You can view its trailer here. =)  

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   Tessa Emily Hall spent her teen years writing about an imaginary girl whose life was far more interesting than her own. This resulted in PURPLE MOON (LPC), a 2014 Selah finalist. She is also the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of PursueMagazine.net, a magazine that inspires teens to embrace their God-given potential. 

Tessa's work has been published in various publications, including Devozine, Guide Magazine, Whole Magazine, and Temperance Magazine. She is a contributing writer to AlmostAnAuthor.com and has served on the Teen Advisory Board for Devozine, an imprint of Upper Room Ministries. Other than writing, Tessa enjoys making homemade lattes, cuddling with her Teacup Shih-Tzu, and acting in Christian films. She's passionate about writing inspirational yet authentic YA fiction and speaking to teens, encouraging them to pursue their dreams. You can find her on her website and blog.






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   Isn’t Tessa great? Now, (like she said) Tessa has a new book coming out in November – so you should go buy Purple Moon so that you can read the sequel when it comes out! It sounds like it's going to be pretty cool *nods*.

~ Savannah Grace

   Go ahead and chat with Tessa in the comments - and don't forget to check out her corner of the internet! *points to links above*