- September 30th, 2010 at
12:08 pm by --KALEB NATION-- -
I just woke up to the wonderful news that an article I wrote for NPR has been published to their front page. The article is about my experiences reading IF I STAY, the masterpiece of a novel by Gayle Forman. You can read my article on the NPR website.
The story behind me reading this book was quite a long one. I’d gotten a copy from Gayle’s film producers soon after Catherine Hardwicke had signed on, so I could blog about it. I was still in college at the time and I loved the cover, but (foolishly) managed to put off reading. Months later, I’m living in California and going through my pile of unread books, and I find this one with the pretty cover. I open it up, planning to read the first, last and page 250 of it (as I always do to preview books) but hours later, found myself already at the end.
You should read my article for more about my experiences and what I learned from Gayle Forman’s writing. Also, be sure to check out her book — it is certainly one of my favorite reads.
- September 28th, 2010 at
3:19 pm by --KALEB NATION-- -
Just a quick update – the Changing Hands bookstore, who will be handling all signed copies of my books to be shipped worldwide, has fixed the price for BRAN HAMBRIC: THE SPECTER KEY. It is now the correct price of $7.99.
If you live out of the country and do not want to call in for a signed (and personalized, if before Oct. 7, 2010) copy of the book because of international call fees, simply order the book from the Changing Hands website and put in the comment box that you want it signed, and who it should be made to. You might want to do it quickly as it appears they’ve already sold much of their stock in the past few days!
This video was originally written as a blog post, but I adapted it for video. I thought it would have a better effect if it showed me in the process of writing a book while talking about it. I had a lot of fun filming in the dark and getting creative with my lights — it’s my first low light video and all the shots were done with my Canon T1i and a variety of lenses (mostly my Canon EF 50mm 1.8).
Here’s the shortened blog:
One of the questions I probably get asked most often is How Do I Write A Book, and that’s a pretty much impossible question to answer. There’s not really an easy way to explain how anyone writes a book. It’s like trying to explain how to fall in love, you can’t really put it into words or instructions well.
A book usually just starts off with you wandering around in a mess of potential ideas in your head and, picking one to go with, then deciding that one isn’t right, then chasing after another one and finding out that one’s not right either.
And then suddenly, from nowhere, comes this idea that you didn’t expect at all, and it just hits you like a train, and suddenly you’re obsessed with writing it down, and going into the backstories of ever tiny character and planning out histories and futures and worlds and every aspect of these character’s lives. That’s when you know you’ve found The Idea. That’s the start.
Then, where you were once struggling to push out a thousand or a hundred or even 5 words a day, now you’re writing five thousand or ten thousand or fifteen thousand because you can’t pull yourself from writing this story. My writing tends to start at 5 in the evening and go to two or three AM but that’s because I entirely lose track of time when I’m writing. It pretty much becomes your life. You only fall deeper into the story the more you get to know it.
For example when I had the idea for Bran Hambric, it came to me late at night, and it just hit me with this image of two people on a rooftop, and suddenly I became obsessed with finding out every detail behind the how’s and who’s and why’s of this image.
And after the initial buzz that I got from writing on this new idea, the freshness of it wore off, and it’s then that a writer gets to find out if it’s the real thing or just another idea that’ll end up stuffed in a box somewhere.
That’s where things start to get a bit difficult, you have to plot out chapters, change things, revise it, then change it again and revise it again. That’s when some people just give up – it’s difficult to go on and it’s easy to stop and look for something newer and more temporarily interesting. Some people leave their stories orphaned like that. But some people press on through the hard times because they really, truly love this idea. They keep it up until they reach the end, and write that last word. And those are the people who become authors.
So I’d have to say that the way to write a book is to fall in love with an idea so much that you’re willing to stick out five or six years or however long it’ll take writing it and then finding an agent and a publisher and all the ridiculous hoops you have to jump through.
Because the only way anyone would be mad enough to do all that work with no real promise of any tangible reward at the end is if you truly love it. And if you love it enough, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to make it work, and turn that idea into a book.
- September 25th, 2010 at
11:56 pm by --KALEB NATION-- -
The first Nationeer has reported in with her copy of Bran Hambric: The Specter Key!
In tomorrow’s video I’ll explain WHY some copies are getting shipped out so early! Basically — people who preorder get special surprises like books long before the release date!
- September 25th, 2010 at
12:07 pm by --KALEB NATION-- -
Even though I’d love to go to every city and state in the world, a lot of times book tours leave giant spaces that I miss. Book tours are planned based on a lot of factors, but in the end I have little control over where I go — it’s up to my publishers and your local bookstores and schools.
Still, a lot of you have been asking how to get signed copies of the Bran Hambric books. If you’re near a store on my tour, I would really like to meet you at a signing. However, if I’m not coming anywhere near you, there is now a way to order hand-signed copies of Bran Hambric: The Farfield Curse or Bran Hambric: The Specter Key through Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona.
Changing Hands is a wonderful indie bookstore that I’ve visited before and is always packed with good books. I will be signing books there on my 2010 book tour on October 7. They will have signed copies on hand afterward, but if you’d like your book personalized, your order should be in before October 7, 2010.
You can order hand-signed copies of either book by calling 480-730-0205 and requesting a signed book. During my book tour, these copies won’t cost more than the unsigned book (generally $7.99, plus shipping based on your location).
If you are out of the country and don’t want an international call, you will also be able to order signed copies of Bran Hambric: The Specter Key online in a few days (currently, their website is showing an incorrect price, but will be fixed this week – I will update via Twitter). Be sure to note in the order comment box that you want your book signed and personalized, and who to sign it to.
Please check the Changing Hands website for store hours. You can also visit the store in person:
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 S McClintock Dr
Tempe, AZ 85283
Hope this helps spread the joy around to places I don’t get to visit, and hopefully next year I’ll get to meet you in person!
