Today I have Kelley York talking about her book Hollowed.
Kelley York
Kelley writes anything from dark to light, contemporary to paranormal. She was born and raised in central California where she still resides with her lovely wife, daughter, and an abundance of pets. (Although she does fantasize about moving across the globe to Ireland.) She adores all things furry, be them squeaky, barky or meow-y, is a lover of video games, and likes to pretend she's a decent photographer and artist. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or to at least write about them. So...what can you tell me about your new book, Hollowed?
HOLLOWED is a story about Briar Greyson. She's living with a roommate, has recently attempted (and failed) with community college, and is chugging along day to day with a job at a family bar. She isn't unhappy, but her life is pretty stagnant and not going anywhere. Then she and her roommate/best friend are attacked by vampires on their way home from work one night. Briar doesn't know why, but it's one question of many she has to find the answer to. Including finding out why people are looking for her sister when her sister supposedly died several years ago.
Ok, Kelley sup?
Everything! I've been a busy girl, working on a lot of things at once. Editing. Rewriting. Revisions. Plotting. All on different projects.
Your favorite character in this book, and why?
Briar would be my favorite because I'm closest to her. She deals with things emotionally a bit like I do in the sense that she tries to rationalize everything, and brushes off how deeply certain things hurt her.
Can you tell us a little about the main characters in Hollowed?
I think I just did. ;) But have a few random facts: Briar loves animals, and she's always wanted to travel. She's still a sucker for 'kids' movies. The Little Mermaid was probably her favorite growing up. She's a natural blonde, but dyes her hair red or black depending on her mood. Sherry is actually the one who got her started on the red.
Tell us five interesting things about your book.
(1) Vampirism in The Half Light Saga began as a virus that was magically mutated.
(2) Witches in The Half Light Saga have to do all their spells in writing. The same spell will vary from witch to witch, though. Some witches have a specialty magic they excel in.
(3) The city Hollowed takes place in was based on my own city, Sacramento, including Old Town. The underground tunnels in the book are actual, real tunnels in Old Town Sac. The story Briar tells Daniel about the city being raised up because of flooding is true.
(4) Howell's Family Bar was named after Howl from Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle. Wizard Howl—also known as Howell Jenkins—is one of my favorite book characters of all time.
(5) The original title of Hollowed was Lavender, referencing the flowers Noah used to give Briar. Not enough people picked up on that little detail, though, and it was suggested I change it. "Hollowed" refers to how Briar feels while making the transformation from human to vampire.
What's your favourite scene/line from the book?
I don't want to quote it directly because it's a definite spoiler...but the scene with Briar and Joel on the roof of the apartment building was my favorite.
What would you do If you could rewind time?I'd go to a Beatles concert. One of their early shows, around the Help! era.
What's the last book you've read?
What's next?
For writing? I'm working on Shadow Voices, the second book in the Half Light series. I also have a contemporary novel I just started, and I'm revising another finished book. I'm definitely busy.
How is your heroine, Briar different from normal heroines in YA novels?
She's older, for one. I tend to lean more toward "new adult" stories, wherein the characters are a bit older than typical YA, but not old enough to fit into the "adult" category. Briar is still a teenager, but she's living away from her parents, has a job, pays bills, etc. She's trying to learn how to function in society.
Where did you come up with the name Briar and Noah from?
Briar's name means, unsurprisingly, 'thorny plant," like a briar patch, which brings to mind something painful and prickly. Also, Sleeping Beauty's real name is Briar Rose, which brings to mind something beautiful and loving and pure. Briar is a loyal, sweet, big-hearted girl, but she can be extremely prickly when dealing with her own emotions and pain. I liked the combination of images one gets when they hear the name.
Noah's didn't come from anything in particular. (Which is rare for me.) I loved the name, and wanted to use it, and he fit the part perfectly.
Why vampires?
Why not? ;) Truthfully, the series didn't start with vampires. It started with ghosts and witches as a part of the very first book I ever wrote—which is Shadow Voices. I decided to publish Hollowed first because it takes place first. I'm in the process of rewriting SV, and it will be book 2 in the series.
Do you there are too many vampires in YA fiction nowadays?
I don't think there are too many vampires so much as too many vampires that are written well. So many vampire stories feel cookie-cutter and it makes readers biased against them. I gave up reading 90% of paranormal because it all felt the same.
If you had to write about a supernatural creature, which DIFFERENT supernatural/paranormal creature would you write about
UNICORNS! I would love to write something with unicorns. The Half Light Saga has one unicorn in it, but you won't see her until way, way down the line.
Rapid Fire
Twilight: Sparkly.
Black: Bruised.
Harry Potter: Regulus!
Hot: Summer.
Wings: Hungry. (...You put "hot wings" on top of each other. Now I want them.)
Coffee: Ickygross.
T.V.: Time for video games!
Magic: ...Disneyland.
Vampire: "Oh, Louis, always whining."
ABOUT THE BOOK
Hollowed
Blurb:
All 18-year-old Briar Greyson wanted was to figure out this whole living-away-from-your-parents thing. Apartment, steady job, cool roommate? Check. Noah, her adorable (albeit elusive) boyfriend? Check. Everything in the life of Briar was pretty good.
Then she and her roommate are attacked on their way home one night. Briar wasn't supposed to survive.
Instead, according to the two guys who saved her, she's turning into the things that attacked her: a vampire. Totally crazy and Not Okay. Now Noah's secrets are coming to light, and he wants Briar dead. Then there are the vampires who attacked Briar to lure out her sister.
Her sister...who died years ago.
(Didn't she?)
The city's body count is rising, and Briar wants to help put a stop to it. But first, she has to figure out who the real enemy is: the vampires, the boy she loves, or the sister she thought she'd lost.
Then she and her roommate are attacked on their way home one night. Briar wasn't supposed to survive.
Instead, according to the two guys who saved her, she's turning into the things that attacked her: a vampire. Totally crazy and Not Okay. Now Noah's secrets are coming to light, and he wants Briar dead. Then there are the vampires who attacked Briar to lure out her sister.
Her sister...who died years ago.
(Didn't she?)
The city's body count is rising, and Briar wants to help put a stop to it. But first, she has to figure out who the real enemy is: the vampires, the boy she loves, or the sister she thought she'd lost.
GIVEAWAY
fun interview. i lov hushed
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