kcheld

[kcheld]

And it’s on my birthday, no less! I’m so there!!

Registration is Open

I’ve now published over a dozen novels, and here’s two things that seem true:

1. Gene Wolfe once said, “You never learn how to write a novel. You just learn how to write the novel that you’re writing.” Every time I start a book, I try to convince myself that it’s going to be easier this time because I’ve done it so many times before, and every time I finish a book, I realize how true that wisdom is. There’s no system to getting to “the end,” just a unique problem-solving process that eventually answers all of the questions that specific story is asking.

and

2. The first seven sentences of a well-written novel convey an incredible amount of information about the rest of the book. Tone, setting, character, theme. I’ve been asked many times in my profession to just jot down a page or two so folks know what I’m working on. That’s impossible for me to do quickly. If I’ve figured out enough of my story to be able to write seven killer sentences into a document, I know enough to be able to finish it.

so

These two points combined are what brought me to the idea of the Seven Sentences seminar. Because of the first point, I’m not a huge fan of writing systems. You can plug characters into character sheets and plot points into structure charts all you like, but those only work for a certain kind of novel and only for a certain kind of writer. Anything that limits creativity by imposing too many arbitrary rules makes me wary. It would be better, I thought, to instead learn yourself as a creator — to understand the sorts of things you personally need in order to translate your amorphous idea into a story that others will fall in love with. The problem with that is that it’s daunting. When you take away short cuts and beat sheets and proven rules and pithy methods, writing can seem like a fathomless and impossible enterprise. It’s not difficult to understand why people try to explain it in smaller, more easily chewable pieces.

Which is where the second point comes in. At a workshop in 2016, Court Stevens and I taught a brief session on how to get from idea to actual drafting. Court assigned the students the task of writing the first seven sentences of one of their ideas. In order to make sure it was actually doable in the time allowed, I worked the problem alongside them with a new idea of my own. I already knew from experience that I was going to need to know an incredible amount about this story before I wrote those sentences. What I didn’t know was if I could provoke my brain into generating all of that information in such short a short amount of time. The answer was

yeah totally yeah

I mean, yes, it was a tall order to complete in an hour. But not impossible. It was harder, really, to explain how I got to those seven sentences in that short period of time. So Court and I vowed to tackle the exercise again, only this time, with more time to break down the process. That’s what the Seven Sentences seminar intends to do. We’re going to take 8 hours to teach attendees how to generate an idea and walk it all the way to seven first sentences. To get there, we’ll have to go through idea, tone, setting, character, premise and language.

it’s not a short cut

It’s helping you learn how to organize your creative thoughts and prioritize your writing decisions. It’s a way of getting to the end of a novel faster by learning how to compress doubt and know your story inside and out. We’re hoping to send attendees with seven glittering sentences and a burning desire to write all the sentences that come after them.

the dates & registration links

Sunday, April 2nd - Nashville, Tennessee

Saturday, April 8th - Denver, Colorado

Saturday, May 6th - San Francisco, California

Saturday, May 27th - Richmond, VA

the nitty gritties

$190 tuition, which includes two signed books. 17 and under must attend with an adult (teachers/ parents: groups of 17-&-under only require one adult to attend with them). Registration has been opened to the wait-list already and will open to the general public on 2/27/17.

no pressure but

Registration is limited by the number of seats each venue has (generally around 200 for each), and in 24 hours, the wait-list folks have already filled several hundred of them.

also and

Fountain Bookstore is sponsoring a few seats for those who cannot afford to go to the Richmond venue — we’ll share details when they send them to us. If you would like to sponsor a seat, please email thefirstsevensentences@gmail.com.

[kcheld]

YA Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to the Spring 2016 YA Scavenger Hunt! 

Hello! I’m K.C. Held and I’ll be your host for this leg of the hunt!

You are currently hunting on the

On this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each participating YA author, you also get a secret number. Add up the numbers, and enter the total for a chance to win a major prize–one lucky winner will receive at least one signed book from each author on my team in the hunt! But play fast! This contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online until noon PST on Sunday, April 3rd!

There are nine contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I’m part of the ORANGE TEAM--but there is also a BLUE TEAM, a GOLD TEAM, a GREEN TEAM, a PINK TEAM, a PURPLE TEAM, a RED TEAM, a SILVER TEAM, and a TEAL TEAM! Check out each team for a chance to win nine different set of books!

If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page.

SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE 

Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've hidden my secret number. Collect the secret numbers of all the authors on the ORANGE TEAM, and then add them up.

Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.

Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by Sunday, April 3rd, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.

Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way I’ll introduce the author I’m hosting on my leg of the hunt!

I’m super excited to be hosting Kathryn Holmes!

BIO: Kathryn Holmes grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, where she was an avid reader and an aspiring writer from an early age. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and piles upon piles of books. A graduate of The New School’s MFA in Creative Writing program, Kathryn works as a freelance dance journalist, among other writing gigs. She is the author of THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LOST AND FOUND and HOW IT FEELS TO FLY.

For the YA Scavenger Hunt Kathryn is offering us a sneak peek at HOW IT FEELS TO FLY!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A struggle with body dysmorphia forces one girl to decide if letting go of her insecurity also means turning her back on her dreams.

Sam has always known she’d be a professional dancer—but that was before her body betrayed her, developing unmanageable curves in all the wrong places. Lately, the girl staring back at Sam in the mirror is unrecognizable. Dieting doesn’t work, ignoring the whispers is pointless, and her overbearing mother just makes it worse.

Following a series of crippling anxiety attacks, Sam is sent to a treatment camp for teens struggling with mental and emotional obstacles. Forced to open up to complete strangers, Sam must get through the program if she wants to attend a crucial ballet intensive later in the summer. It seems hopeless until she starts confiding in a camp counselor who sparks a confidence she was sure she’d never feel again. But when she’s faced with disappointing setbacks, will Sam succumb to the insecurity that imprisons her?

TOP SECRET SNEAK PEEK STRAIGHT AHEAD!

Hello, YASHers!

Since HOW IT FEELS TO FLY is still a few months from release (it comes out June 14), I decided to give you a sneak peek at the opening pages to pique your interest. Enjoy!

~ Kathryn

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I focus on the movement. My arms extending away from my shoulders. My back curving and arcing. My knees bending and straightening. My feet pressing into the floor.

I focus on all that, and for just a moment, I’m able to forget that I’m in a cozy meeting room, not a dance studio. That my ballet slippers are brushing across carpet. That I’m holding the back of a folding chair instead of a barre. That I’m seeing my reflection in a dark window instead of a mirror.

In that window, I’m not much more than a shadow. Ghostly. You can see right through me to the trees outside.

Even transparent, you’re fat. Look at you. You’re disgusting. You’re—

I flinch, turning away from the window. I rearrange my face into its usual pleasant mask. I try to let the choreography distract me.

In front of me, Jenna’s doing the same series of movements. I watch her extend her leg into a high développé and then lower it, with control, back to the floor. Her legs are lean, her muscles streamlined. Her thin arms move through the port de bras like clockwork. She’s a blade slicing the air, petite and precise.

She’s a figure skater, but she clearly has ballet training. Proper training. Russian, maybe. As we turn to do the other side, I tell her, “You’re really good.”

“Thanks,” Jenna answers coolly, giving me a brisk nod as she settles into fifth position. She doesn’t say anything else. Just waits for the music to cue up.

I take my own preparatory position, right hand on my folding chair-barre. Then I unfold my left leg into the air in front of me, pointing my toes as hard as I can. I try to keep my port de bras soft and airy, even as my quad quivers with effort. I carry my leg to the side, then to arabesque. I drop my face toward the floor in a deep penché, my toe pointing straight up to the ceiling.

My muscles feel strong and limber. My form feels perfect. But then I look past my own standing leg at Jenna, behind me.

She’s judging you. Your bubble butt and your thunder thighs and your C cups and the way your stomach pooches out. That’s why she didn’t say anything back when you complimented her earlier. That’s why—

My knee buckles a little as I pull myself upright. I move from arabesque to a back attitude, lifting onto demi-pointe. I bring my arms to fifth position overhead. I balance, and I breathe, and I smile.

Because that’s what I do. I don’t let anyone see what’s happening inside my head. Not my friends, not my classmates, not my mom. It’s a performance that never ends.

Jenna and I move on to battements. I kick my legs up and up and up, punctuating each downbeat in the music with my pointed toe. I try to bring my focus back to the movement. The movement is what matters.

But just as I’m getting into the zone, the door swings open, slams hard against the wall, and bounces back. Zoe, my roommate for the next three weeks, catches it in one hand. “What are you two losers doing?” She walks over to the stereo and switches it off, midcrescendo.

“We’re exercising,” Jenna says, sounding annoyed. “You might want to try it while you’re here. Twenty-one days is a long time without a consistent training regimen.”

I ask Zoe, “Do you want to join us?”

Zoe barks out a laugh. “Um, no. This”—she rises onto her tiptoes and flutters around, mocking us—“is not exercise. And who says I want to stay in shape while I’m here, anyway?”

“Suit yourself.” Jenna slides into a split on the floor, forehead touching her knee.

I give it one more shot. “Seriously,” I say, making my voice extra enthusiastic, “you’re more than welcome to—”

“Whoa, Ballerina Barbie. What part of ‘no’ do you not understand?” Zoe saunters over to the sofa on the other side of the room and grabs the TV remote. She flips channels, stopping when she comes to a horror film. There’s a skinny blond girl in a torn T-shirt and underwear running from a guy with an axe. The camera cuts in close on the girl’s tear-streaked face as she screams. Zoe turns the volume up. “This won’t mess up your concentration, will it?” she asks, grinning.

I turn around, wanting backup, but Jenna is already standing to leave. “I’ll stretch in my room,” she says, picking up her folding chair and leaning it against the wall.

“Oh. Um, okay.” I’m surprised that she’s giving in so easily.

And now I’m torn. I don’t want to tick Zoe off—she looks like she could break me in half and would enjoy doing it, never mind the whole we-have-to-share-a-bedroom thing. But I’d planned on getting in at least another hour of strength training and light cardio tonight. It’s really important that I stay in shape while I’m here.

In shape. Ha! No such thing.

The panic swirls up. It’s like there’s a tornado brewing in my belly. But I don’t let it show on my face.

I say, “Stay, Jenna, please.”

Jenna looks at me over her shoulder. “Sam, no offense—you seem nice and all—but I’m not really here to make friends.” She pauses. “If you want, we can do barre again tomorrow. Good night.” She glides from the room, leaving me standing there.

“Burn,” Zoe says from the couch. “And props to her for pulling out that line. Welcome to America’s Next Top Neurotic Teenager, the group therapy camp where we are absolutely not here to make friends.” She laughs to herself as, on-screen, the axe murderer finally catches up with his victim.

I consider staying to work out alone, with screeching violins and screams as my soundtrack, but the magic is gone. I used to be able to completely lose myself in dance, no matter where I was or what was happening around me. Ballet was my safest space. Then my body changed. I got curvy, and I got self-conscious. I couldn’t stop thinking about everyone looking at me—what they were seeing. When the comments started coming—both painfully kind and sweetly cruel—I heard them echo inside my head. Before long, my nasty inner voice had more to say about me, and worse, than anyone else ever could.

You’re fat. You’re weak. You’re worthless.

You might as well—

I can do my conditioning exercises upstairs, in the thin strip of space between my bed and Zoe’s. That’ll have to work, despite the storm in my stomach. The only way to kill the panic is to dance through it.

Even that barely helps these days.

But I’m coping. I am.

And Perform at Your Peak, a summer camp/treatment facility for elite teen artists and athletes with anxiety issues, is supposed to give me even more coping mechanisms. That’s what the website says. It’s what Dr. Debra Lancaster, the director here, talked about earlier this evening, at orientation. When she was telling the six of us campers about all the different types of activities we’ll be doing—one-on-one therapy sessions with her, group discussions, simulations of real-life situations we might face—she sounded so confident. She’s sure we’ll get something positive out of this experience.

I want to believe her. It’s just so hard to ignore the voice in my head.

HOW IT FEELS TO FLY is available for preorder here! Find out more by checking out Kathryn’s website!

And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, Kathryn Holmes, and more! Check out all these awesome Team Orange books!

 To enter, you need to know that my secret number is... 

Add up all the secret numbers of the authors on the ORANGE TEAM and you'll have the code to enter for the grand prize!

You can also enter to win my bonus prize: a hungry book bunny stuffed with HOLDING COURT swag!

To enter to win the HOLDING COURT Bonus Swag Pack containing a hungry book bunny, magnetic prophecy kit, coloring postcard with rainbow pencil, bookmark, castle pin, and signed bookplate, click on the link below:

 a Rafflecopter giveaway 

CONTINUE THE HUNT!

To keep going on your quest, check out the next author Marieke Nijkamp! 

[kcheld]

Author Top 5

What do castles,

nuns,

tasers,

costumes,

and boys in tights 

have in common?

http://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/top-5-experiences-that-inadvertently-prepared-kc-held-to-write-holding-court 

[kcheld]

HOLDING COURT Launch Party!

I’m not sure I can even express how much yesterday meant to me. There was a moment where I was standing in front of a room full of people who came to celebrate my debut novel and I thought to myself, “Is this really, really happening??? Because who gets a dream come true like this?” 

Answer: THIS GIRL.

The brilliant Katherine Longshore was my MC and I couldn’t be more grateful. Without her there to ground me I’m fairly certain I would’ve floated up into the balcony with the headiness of it all.

We had cookies:

And chocolate:

And BOOKS!

There were knights:

And prophecies:

And author friends galore!

I read a snippet of HOLDING COURT:

Gave a pop quiz:

Made strange faces and talked with my hands:

Awarded some prizes:

And signed some books!

(My daughter let me borrow her barrette. Notice the awesome axe earrings!)

It was the BEST BOOK LAUNCH EVER!!

And to close, I’ll leave you with the best book launch picture ever:

(Huge thanks to my sister, Corinne, for taking so many awesome pics!!)

[kcheld]

Shhh...it’s a secret.

[kcheld]

Book Trailer & Blog Tour!

I’m so excited to share my book trailer for HOLDING COURT! Behold, in all its castle-y glory!

And if you’d like some “behind the scenes” info on HOLDING COURT, join me on my blog tour, starting today, Leap Day!

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/blog-tour-schedule-holding-court-by-k-c-held/

[kcheld]

Meet Grayson Chandler: http://www.entangledteen.com/swoon-sunday-grayson-chandler-from-k-c-helds-holding-court/ 

[kcheld]

A Knight’s Point of View

Check out what jousting looks like from the knight’s POV:

[kcheld]

Because who doesn’t want to get knighted?

[kcheld]

Only one month until HOLDING COURT pubs! Come help me celebrate the big day!!

http://www.avidreaderbooks.com/event/author-event-holding-court-kristen-held-conversation-katherine-longshore

[kcheld]

Today in 1547: Henry VIII dies at Whitehall Palace. Henry VIII died on what would have been Henry VII’s 90th birthday. His last will and testament, drawn up a month before his death, is one of the most intriguing and contested documents in British history. Whilst other kings had spent the majority of their wills apportioning their estates, Henry VIII’s will was quite different…

Discover how in our latest blog: http://bit.ly/1nzZ3yR

[kcheld]

EEP!!

I’m ridiculously excited/terrified.

https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book/82329 

[kcheld]

2016 YA Contemporary Scavenger Hunt Featuring Emily Albright’s THE HEIR AND THE SPARE

I’m thrilled to be participating in the 2nd Annual YA Contemporary Scavenger Hunt, part of the 2016 YA Contemporary Challenge hosted by Jillian from Jillian’s Books and Montana from The Book Belles, and today I get to share my interview with Emily Albright, author of THE HEIR AND THE SPARE.

ABOUT THE HEIR AND THE SPARE:

Family can be complicated. Especially when skeletons from the past pop up unexpectedly. For American Evie Gray, finding out her deceased mother had a secret identity, and not one of the caped crusader variety, was quite the surprise. Evie’s mom had a secret life before she was even born, one that involved tiaras.

In this modern day fairytale, Evie is on a path to figure out who her mom really was, while discovering for herself what the future will hold. Charged with her late mother’s letters, Evie embarks on a quest into her past. The first item on the list is to attend Oxford, her mom’s alma mater. There, Evie stumbles upon a real life prince charming, Edmund Stuart the second Prince of England, who is all too happy to be the counterpart to her damsel in distress.

Evie can’t resist her growing attraction to Edmund as they spend more time together trying to unravel the clues her mother left behind. But, when doubts arise as to whether or not Edmund could ever be with an untitled American, what really ends up unraveling is Evie’s heart. When Evie uncovers all the facts about her mom’s former life, she realizes her mom’s past can open doors she never dreamed possible, doors that can help her be with Edmund. But, with everything now unveiled, Evie starts to crack under the pressure of new family responsibilities and the realization that her perfect prince may want her for all the wrong reasons.

INTERVIEW:

1. Congratulations on your debut novel! How does it feel to have your book baby out in the world? 

E.A.: Incredible! I always dreamed **one** day I’d be published, but to actually see it happen is amazing. But, I can’t lie, it’s also a little terrifying and a lot nerve-wracking. ;)

2. What was your inspiration for writing THE HEIR AND THE SPARE? 

E.A.: When Prince William married Kate Middleton it started me thinking about Prince Harry. All the craziness and press coverage surrounding the wedding made me wonder how Harry’s life might differ from his brother's. With that seed planted everything else just fell into place.

3. Who’s your favorite royal and why? 

E.A.: Ah, that’s so hard! Favorite all time, Princess Diana. My mom has always been fascinated with her so, I think that’s where my interest stems from. But current day, probably Will and Kate or Harry. They seem more down-to-earth and more approachable than the older generation of royals.

4. I love the idea of receiving letters from the past! If you could receive a letter from anyone, past or present, who would it be from and where would you find it? 

E.A.: I’d love to find a letter from my grandmother on my dad’s side. She died suddenly when he was two. Everyone says she was a remarkably kind woman. She had two boys, and always wanted a daughter. I would’ve been her only granddaughter, and I’d like to imagine we’d have been close. So, it’d be pretty wonderful to find a letter from her. I could see myself finding it in a trunk of her things. Tucked inside there’d be a letter she’d written to her future granddaughter. That’d be pretty cool.  

5. I spy some awesome locations on your Pinterest board for THATS, what was your research like for this book? 

E.A.: I had so much fun researching this book. I did a lot of research about Oxford, which only some got used due to word counts and plot pacing. So my version of Oxford is more an amalgamation of the real deal and my imagination. I studied the different aristocratic titles and their proper address, which is kind of confusing. I got to research London and a bit of Paris which was fun. I actually have a file of interesting British historical tidbits that I only used a small portion of. Overall, it was just a blast to work on.  

6. Evie uncovers a big secret involving her mother, do you ever hide Easter eggs/secrets for readers in your stories (names of friends, inside jokes, things only some people will get)? 

E.A.: Sometimes. And it’s usually birthdays or middle names that I’ll sneak in. Mostly little things for my kidlet to eventually find.

7. Can you tell us what you’re working on next? 

E.A.: I’ve just wrapped up a sequel to THATS, it’s Preston’s story. I don’t know yet if it’ll ever see the light of day, but I’m hopeful. :) Right now I’m working on a standalone YA about a couple of competitive musicians.

ABOUT EMILY:

Emily Albright's debut novel, THE HEIR AND THE SPARE, is releasing January 18, 2016 from Merit Press.

She's a writer, a major bookworm, a lover of romantic movies, a wife, a mother, an owner of one adorable (yet slightly insane) cockapoo, and uses way too many :).

Good luck on the Hunt, everyone! (Psst! Did you spot the **code word**?)

The way the scavenger hunt works is, each post will feature a code word (it'll be fairly obvious what the code word is). Write down or remember the words, you’ll need to put them all together to enter the main giveaway where you can win an amazing grand prize that includes the HOLDING COURT swag pack pictured below!

Be sure to check out the other posts for a chance to win even more prizes!   

[kcheld]

Getting crafty

Finally transferring some craft pics to my computer! These bits eventually became two Christmas presents. Guess what they turned into?

And voila! You totally guessed Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf/Grandmother, right?

Little Red’s cape is the best part. It’s made from a red cashmere sweater I found at a local thrift store. Felting it was not so fun for my washing machine, but the end result is the softest thing ever!

[kcheld]

Typewriter purse alert!

https://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/betsey-johnson-fuchsia-typewriter-purse.html

[kcheld]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69B7DWEKANY)

Jules’s job could have been much, much worse: 

“These are just some of the worst jobs of Tudor times.”