Shade of the Poison Tree

WHAT? DECEMBER ALREADY?

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November has come and gone. Thereā€™s something about that month thatā€™s always crazy busy for me. Sure, it contains my birthday. Hello, twenty-seven, youā€™re looking lovely. This age is ironic to me. A long, long time ago (which to people my age means about ten years,) I made a pact with a then-friend that if we reached 27 and werenā€™t married, we would marry each other. Well, as you can see, I hurried and got myself married at 20 so I avoided that disaster. Said friend went on to things I donā€™t particularly agree with (can we say porn?). Friendship dissolved anyway. Canā€™t imagine what wouldā€™ve happened if weā€™d kept that pact.

So yes, I had a birthday that involved a birthday bash that ended eventfully in a way I hope to never experience again. I expect youā€™re already plotting out the lecture in your head. No, no, I donā€™t need a lecture. I wasnā€™t the eventful one. That award goes to a drunken friend.

November was Nano. I didnā€™t participate, couldnā€™t bring myself to devote the time and energy needed to get to 50,000. Knew I couldnā€™t. I clocked in at just fewer than 25,000 words, which is a respectable number for me to write in a month. Iā€™m more than satisfied. The first draft of Shade of the Poison Tree should be finished within the next month or two. Iā€™m at 54,000 dark and delicious words. Where Through the Reflection Pond was light, Shade of the Poison Tree is dark. Iā€™m having a lot of fun creating giant messes and killing characters. Taking chances, exploring things that used to be off-limits.

I saw Breaking Dawn Part 2. Judge me. Go ahead. I liked it. I was a little sad that itā€™s over. But there are bigger and better things around the corner!! City of Bones, for one. Did you all see the trailer? No? Here it is! Iā€™m unbelievably excited for this movie. Itā€™s like crack.

City of Bones Trailer

Thereā€™s a celebration in order for my friend, Stephanie Diaz, who not only got agented this year, but sold a three book deal to St. Martinā€™s. Congrats, Steph, you deserve it! Read all about her deal HERE.

Iā€™m elbows deep in winterguard. That explains where all my time has gone. I have 23 awesome kids on my high school team this year. Weā€™re all working really hard and some of us are losing sleep (read: me) over it. Things are running smoothly, for now. The show is coming along, we have uniforms and flags and rifles, and a mix of attitudes that sometimes gets in the way. But Iā€™ve put on my big girl panties that say COACH across the back and handled it all. Itā€™s epic season or bust around here.

Reflection Pond is still out to betas. Not too worried, got enough on my plate writing Poison Tree. Once thatā€™s done Iā€™ll probably start nagging them to send it back. Iā€™m starting to get behind on my timeline, but thatā€™s okay. Shit happens.

Sadly, because of work, I canā€™t go to writing group anymore. Seriously breaks my heart. Those people helped my writing SO MUCH and now I CANā€™T GO!! Ahhā€¦it kills me. Oh to be a fulltime writer and not conform to the constraints of society (hello, tattoos). One day, one day.

Last on the list of news is vacation. Yes, you read correctly, Iā€™m actually going on vacation. I have no idea what that word even means! Drum roll pleaseā€¦Las Vegas!! One month from today and the time canā€™t go fast enough. Iā€™m already ready for Christmas to be over! Iā€™m counting on some relaxation, writing, and visiting the Hoover Dam (Oh, so scared of this.). At least itā€™s not a cruise ship.

Well friends, thatā€™s all the updates I have.

All the best,

Kacey

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TAG YOU’RE IT

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The wonderful Melissa Keir tagged me in the game, and I thought, why not, I’m always looking for something to blog about and you get interesting little tidbits about the things I’m working on. If you’d like to participate (since I’m not gonna tag anybody) just copy the questions and do your own version.

What is the working title of your book?

Shade of the Poison Tree

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Shade of the Poison Tree is actually the second book in a planned series, with the first book being Through the Reflection Pond. The initial idea started with a girl falling through a reflection pond and ending up in a faerie world.

What genre does your book fall under?

Young Adult Fantasy. My favorite.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

First off, I want all of you to know that I agonized over who to choose for the main characters. I searched and searched and Googled and Googled, but itā€™s SO HARD to choose someone else when you have such a clear image in your mind. Who I found is a close approximation.

Callie: Annasophia Robb

Rowan: Ian Somerhalder Okay- so Ian is a little (forgive me, because heā€™s just SO pretty!) old to be Rowan, but unless you can show me a male actor thatā€™s around 20 and is a mix of Ian and Jared Leto, Ian will have to suffice for now.

Ash: Jeremy Sumpter

Iā€™m going to stop with just the three main characters, because as of right now, my character list has 20+ people on it and I already spent at least an hour trying to drum up those three! Oh, the hardships of a writer!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Iā€™m unprepared for this question, so Iā€™m going to skip it. Donā€™t hate meā€”this is just another thing Iā€™ll agonize over. Iā€™ll have a synopsis eventually.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I plan on seeking agency representation for the series.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I think the draft of Through the Reflection Pond took me between three and four months to write. I’ve been working on Shade of the Poison Tree for a two months now and I still have a long way to go.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I really hate these questions. Iā€™d love for people to compare it to anything by Cassandra Clare or Holly Black. Enough said.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

When I started writing Through the Reflection Pond, I hadnā€™t read many books about faeries. Since then, Iā€™ve read a lot, and Iā€™m surprised at how many things Iā€™ve gotten right (or some version of right! Artistic license and all that.). I think I just wanted to try something outside of my comfort zone.

What else about your book might pique the readerā€™s interest?

Itā€™s a series. The most exciting thing, I think, is that the story revolves around three faerie cities, all of which are very different in what they stand for and strive for. Eirensae is a city that is the closest to ā€œhuman.ā€ Fraeburdh is very traditional faerie, dark and scary. MacĆ”ntacht is somewhere in the middle. Traditional faerie, but with higher morals. Then thereā€™s the Fallen, who are excommunicated fae that have been stripped of their powers. Throughout the series, the characters will spend time in each city, so the surroundings will vary drastically depending on where they are. Itā€™s a lot of fun to write.

Now Tag! You’re it!!

All the best,

Kacey

THE QUEEN OF DOING SOMETHING ELSE INSTEAD

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It’s Thursday!!

I’m not really excited that it’s Thursday. I swear. I’m not.

I AM excited that I’ll be promoting fellow authors coming up soon on my blog. That’s one thing I really love about the writing business, you get so much support from your peers. So be sure to watch for interviews and cover reveals, because they’re coming!

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You know the REAL reason why I’m blogging? Because I’m supposed to be picking out an excerpt to read tomorrow at writing group. I am the queen of doing something else instead. Maybe when I’m done blogging, I’ll break out Through the Reflection Pond and do some skimming for something epic. Or MAYBE I’ll read something from Shade of the Poison Tree.

Herein lies the problem. I just can’t decide.

Or MAYBE I’ll read from Chase’s story. It’s only a prologue…but I like it.

I’ve come to a decision! No, no, not about that. About something else. I think I’m going to post little excerpts with all my blog posts. Everyone loves fiction, right? It’s something to look forward to, at least. Though I’ll probably have the same issue with that as I do with choosing stuff to read at club.

Story. Of. My. Life.

In other news, I think I might’ve come out of the depression for real this time. You want proof? I wrote 4,500 words in two days. That’s a DRAMATIC improvement. I’m finally enjoying writing again. That’s the important part.

Still no news on Antithesis. Hopefully soon I will have some details for you. Be patient, my pretties, you’ll be the first to know.

Now, it’s time for the excerpt portion of the show. This comes from the beginning/middle of Through the Reflection Pond.

ā€œThis isnā€™t fair!ā€ I screamed it like a four-year-old, the only thing that couldā€™ve made it worse is if I stomped my foot. To my surprise, Rowan clutched his head and groaned. He doubled over, fingers grasping fistfuls of hair. A guttural sound erupted from his throat, something that I hoped to never hear again; it was that terrifying.
ā€œRowan?ā€ Everything around me snapped into sharp focus. I heard the grass sigh as it grew and a roar of thunder answered by a hissing crackle of lightening and the thrumming of the rain. My own heartbeat thudded in my ears, and galloping along with it, Rowanā€™s. Blood surged through my veins, rocketing into my fingertips. I felt powerful. And then the feeling dissipated like smoke in a breeze.
Rowan stood, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead. A thin stream of blood trickled from his nose and he lifted a shaking hand to it, surprised when it came away smeared with red.
ā€œRowan?ā€ Panic seeped into my voice. He looked at me, puzzled.
ā€œI think you just tried to give me a brain hemorrhage.ā€
ā€œWhat?ā€ I held my hands away from my body like they might suddenly transform into malicious creatures with minds of their own.
He pressed his palm to his forehead. ā€œI have an unbelievable headache.ā€
ā€œI didnā€™tā€¦are you okay?ā€ I reached out a tentative hand, afraid to touch him, worried that what he said was true. But my handā€”it looked ordinary. The nail polish from the welcome ceremony was chipped. Pale scars from when Iā€™d rollerbladed through a glass window dotted the back. I didnā€™t wear ringsā€”Iā€™d never been much for jewelry.
Rowan rubbed his hand on his pants. The sky opened up, rain splattering our faces. ā€œIā€™ll be okay.ā€ He strode to Sapphireā€™s cottage, not looking to see if I followed. I hurried after him, ducking my head against the rain.

And now, I’ll return you to your regularly scheduled program so I can do all the things I’m supposed to be doing.

All the best,

Kacey