Ta-da! Done!

Hi everyone!

Exciting news. I finished a first draft of BLACK ICE this week. Since then, I've been walking around with my shoulders set a little straighter, and I've had a goofy grin pasted on my face. I've also started going to the gym again, ha!  I know there's a lot of work ahead before BLACK ICE's publication, but I've just hit the first major milestone, and that is cause for celebration, yes?

Next week I'll send the manuscript to my editor, Zareen, and we will commence the editorial process, which lasts for several months.  She'll send me her feedback, including lots of questions about the characters, their motivations, and the story world, all of which will help me flesh out the story and make it more vivid. This is my first time working with Zareen, so I'm a little nervous--I don't want to disappoint her.  I think most authors feel this way.  We want to give our readers (editors included!) the best story we possibly can.  

Ironically, I brainstormed the climax, which takes place during a treacherous snowstorm, on my plane ride home from the Dominican Republic, where the weather was deliciously tropical.  But, lucky me, I got to write the final chapters at home here in Colorado, where my city finally got our first decent snowfall of the winter.  As the snow was coming down, I stood in my driveway letting the wind buffet my face, so I could get my story descriptions just right.  All in the name of research. 

I'll leave you with a few pics from my trip to the DR.
xo
Becca

Valentine's Day Surprise!

As promised, here is a little something romantic to kick-start your Valentine's Day...a lost love letter from Patch to Nora. It isn't often we get to see the softer side of Patch, which makes this letter particularly memorable and significant. The letter tugs at my heart, especially when Patch confesses the truth about the girl he originally fell from heaven to be with. Many of you have asked about her, wanting to know her side of the story, and now you hopefully understand why her side of the story isn't necessary. Patch's destiny was never leading him to her. Patch was always moving closer to Nora.

Happy Valentine's Day...and happy reading!

xo
Becca

Click to enlarge.

Valentine's Day Surprise

So, yesterday on Twitter I posed the question, "Do you love or hate Valentine's Day?" The overwhelming majority of my followers are not fans. Especially if they are single. I get it. It's not nearly as fun to celebrate love when you're not, well, in love. (Actually, it's probably worse if you are in love with someone, and they're not in love with you.)

In the spirit of romance, I'm going to share something special here on my blog on Valentine's Day that celebrates the love between my favorite fictional couple. Yes, that would be Patch and Nora. How did you guess? Whether you love or hate Valentine's Day, if you're a fan of the Hush, Hush series, be sure to stop by here on February 14th!

 

Black Ice Backstory

Hi everyone,

I've been getting a lot of questions about my new YA book, Black Ice. I'm so glad you're looking forward to it! This will be my first published book not set in the Hush, Hush world, and while both stories have many similarities, I've enjoyed trying something new and giving these characters, Jude and Britt, a chance to have their story told.

I had the idea to write Black Ice while I was on tour for Crescendo, but I knew it would take time to get to it—I had to finish writing the Hush, Hush series first.

Black Ice is about a girl, Britt, who backpacks the Teton Range over spring break of her senior year of high school, but things go terribly wrong. My own family moved to Pocatello, Idaho my senior year, where it was tradition to go on a big senior trip with friends over spring break. Most of these trips were planned a year in advance. Since I was the new girl, I got stuck planning a spring break vacation to Targhee National Forest with my family. As you can imagine, at eighteen, I was thrilled about this. 

For better or worse, I came down with an illness at the last minute and had to stay home alone, where I watched a marathon of horror movies. One in particular was about a woman who is abducted by a man and taken to a cabin in the woods. Actually, it's worse than that. The woman must seduce her captor to win her freedom--and he's not just any man, he has a part-robotic face, which, as I recall, he acquired after an accident when doctors tried to repair his damaged facial structure. I think I saw the movie on Lifetime, if that sheds any light.  Anyway, the robot-man is is afraid of the water, and in the end, the woman has to fake her own drowning to escape. Yikes! 

As you can imagine, watching this movie while I was home alone was quite terrifying. I've never forgotten it, and still occasionally have nightmares about it. I'm hoping to recapture that creepy, unsettling mood in Black Ice, while also weaving in an intriguing romance. So, yes. There will be one very scary man, and one man who makes our blood race...

Like Hush, Hush, the inspiration behind Black Ice comes from my own experiences during my teen years.

xo
Becca

January 2013 Updates

Happy New Year!

I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season. I had a quiet and wonderful Christmas at home in Colorado, and I think the best present was the snow that started falling on Christmas Eve. I have always lived in cold climates, so more often than not, my Christmases are white, but one year during college I spent Christmas at my grandparents in L.A., and I have never forgotten how strange it felt to stand outside on Christmas day in a tee and shorts.

A few updates:

I am hard at work on the first draft of Black Ice, my new YA thriller.  I'm hoping to finish the draft by the end of January, which is a lofty goal, but I'm determined to do it.  We writers under contract are constantly dealing with deadlines, and while mine isn't until May, I'm hoping to impress my new editor by turning my manuscript in early. If I make a good impression now, maybe she'll cut me some slack later on! Several of you have asked me to reveal the characters' names in Black Ice, but I'm reluctant to do that until I know for certain that I won't be making any changes. At present, the most up-to-date information I have about Black Ice can be found here.

The Silence paperback was released last week. So exciting! If you're a fan of Scott Parnell, you'll want to take a peek at the bonus content provided at the back of the book. I included an entry from the diary Scott kept while he was hiding out in a cave near Delphic Seaport. This is your chance to glimpse at the inner-workings of Scott's mind.

I finally watched the BBC's 2009 Emma TV mini-series. I can't believe how perfectly Ramola Garai portrays Emma. I kept thinking, "This is what I pictured in my head when I read the book!" And while I was watching for pure enjoyment, I couldn't help but study Mr. Knightley's character. Goodness, but Jane Austen knows how to create a hero. For your viewing pleasure, I've included one of my favorite exchanges below.

Have a blessed 2013!

Becca