My Young Adult, eBook is FREE on Smashwords Through January 1

 

Hello, Readers!

I’m excited to announce that my Young Adult Thriller novella, The Unmoving Sky (Second Edition), will be FREE and available as part of a promotion on Smashwords beginning December 15 through January 1, for their 2023 End of Year Sale! 

This is a chance to get my book, along with books from many other great authors, at a discount so you can get right to reading.

You will find the promo here starting on December 15, so save the link:
https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/

Please share with friends and family. 

Thank you for your help and support!

Happy reading!

The Unmoving Sky eBook is FREE ALL SUMMER LONG.

Just head on over to Smashwords and use the coupon 9QHA5 

Or use this direct link!

There is Nothing Darker Than The Woods.

Jackson and his brother Artie are lost. Night creeps in and the rains come fast.

They seek refuge in a cave and find someone else already there.

Written with empathy, compassion and clarity, The Unmoving Sky seizes the reader and pulls him at will along bends and turns, into ravines and out again: in the deep woods at night and in the human psyche. The emotional journey is at times the most terrifying of all, both to the characters involved and to the reader. Bravo.

The Unmoving Sky is Now Available in Paperback (Again)!

 

Just click the book cover and you'll be taken to Barnes & Noble or  HERE for select booksellers and most online libraries. You can also request that your library carry it. 

 Contemporary Young Adult Thriller for Readers 13 - 18.

eBook:  9798201298234   $2.99

 Print:  9798201285258  $9.99 

There's Nothing Darker Than the Woods Until You Meet Your Worst Fear 

Jackson Bower has much on his mind lately. His younger brother hasn't been the same since his mother's death. His father's drinking is out of control. 

Then there's his girlfriend and the grief that ties them together even as it threatens to drive them apart. 

 He distances himself, hoping for a little perspective at the family lodge. 

But when his father gets drunk and dangerous, he and his brother Artie escape into the woods. 

 Night creeps in, and the rains come fast. Artie slips down a ravine. Wounded, Artie and Jackson seek shelter in a cave, only to find someone else already taking refuge there.

 A desperate man with plans to destroy their town. Jackson and his wounded brother must get out of the cave and make it over the mountain in time to warn everyone. Without getting them both killed.

THANK YOU! <3 <3 <3 

The Unmoving Sky Returns!

With a NEW COVER! 

 

It was a heavy blow when my publisher closed in 2019, two years after the print edition of The Unmoving Sky was released into the world. All the momentum was thwarted when people couldn't order my book. I had to loan out my copies. Haha. 

So, I'm happy to report those who wanted to read the story of two young brothers coming to terms with their father's pain and their own can once again! I'm not sure if I'll have copies of print available. I'll have to wait and see. 

The link in my title will take you there. And HERE. Barnes and Noble + iBooks + Kobo & Various other online retailers and LIBRARIES  Overdrive, Hoopla, and Bibliotheca ~ are coming very soon and you'll be able to read my book for FREE!    

Free. 

Free 

Free.    I LOVE the Public Library.   

All the Hearts. 

And thanks to the good people at Draft2Digital for helping to make it so easy to take control of my story once again.    

A link to your favorite online bookstores and libraries:

 Books2Read.com/KLHallam

The Unmoving Sky is on iTunes!

Good day to you!


I've been away and dealing with a death in the family. It's been a difficult start to Summer, but I know through grace and gratitude for the many gifts in my life, a new cycle of growth is ahead. It feels great to get back to writing!

Today, I learned that THE UNMOVING SKY is available to read in iBooks

Young Adult  Suspense for Readers  12 and up! 

Amazon Reviews

"Suspenseful and moody, the stakes just kept being raised!"

"Written with empathy, compassion and clarity, The Unmoving Sky seizes the reader and pulls him at will along bends and turns, into ravines and out again: in the deep woods at night and in the human psyche. The emotional journey is at times the most terrifying of all, both to the characters involved and to the reader.Bravo."

"The author does a great job of creating a sense of foreboding as you follow two boys lost in the woods and their unlikely savior--or is he? It will have you hanging on until the shocking, poignant ending. The relationship/conflict between the boys and their father is also interesting and well-developed. A creepy, enjoyable page-turner!"

"The rural setting rich in sights and smells grows ever darker as the characters come to life in this poignant tale. A coming of age story reveals the bonds between family & friends as the mystery unfolds. This little book is filled with emotion, hope, despair and suspense."

When Your Book is Cancelled.

So I lived through every writer’s nightmare. Hooray, glad that’s over!

I’d hardly realized this until another writer pointed it out. I suppose my rose-colored glasses were tainted pretty heavily.

After a year, nearly to the date, of deep revisions, my middle-grade book, GLITCH and its option book, were canceled by Month9Books/Tantrum. In a statement from Publisher’s Weekly about the company reverting rights to 50 authors across the board due to health problems, lost counsel, and a death within the company. (The perfect storm) I’m devastated, to say the least. 

Last year, I had to tango with writing/revising three books. (While helping my senior with dyslexia prepare for acting conservatory). It was grueling. I stayed in evenings to work on the books, took weekends to write, and woke earlier. All I did all year was work on those three books. Thank the heavens I have a young adult novella out with Leap Books/Shine imprint (May 16, 2016), getting favorable reviews.The bad news about my rights being reverted came two days its release. I had to attend its book party with a heavy heart, forcing myself out there when I was nauseous, sleep deprived, and ill with sadness. I really don’t know how, but I keep reminding myself to get through it, one task at a time. Playing mind games, that this is for the better. It will work out. The next deal will be even better as fellow writers said.

The sighs and heartbreak have lightened up, a little. But today I was reminded at 4am when everything is magnified and strangles me with doubt. I’m reminded of the newest agent rejection on a partial submission, after being so close. I’d joined a debut group, became an administrator, (this is actually the silver lining: meeting The Swanky 17s --friends for life!) They are a most awesome and supportive group.

Nothing is really wasted. I know, the writing is writing.

But this will take some time. And it was time to write about my experience. Way back, during #Pitmad, many were excited for CTRL+ALT+DELETE, the title before it became GLITCH. I had so much enthusiasm and support for this book to be out there for KIDS to read, for it to stimulate their imaginations. My editor at Tantrum Books was lovely and encouraging. I had no idea the bottom would collapse the way it did.

If you’d like to read about what happened to Month9Books and their imprints, the link is here. After I read the article I decided I should be glad, overjoyed to have my rights back, which have yet to arrive since the email announcement on June 8^th.   I'm not.  More information found on Writer Beware. Make sure to read the enlightening comments. 

So, I’m searching once again for an agent; my YA thriller (THE UNMOVING SKY) is getting great reviews. I’m busy rewriting the beginning of a YA historical and writing a fresh draft for July Camp Nano. Taking this one-day at a time, keeping occupied with the writing and trying not to think too much about what was. If there's one thing I've learned, its that I need/want/deserve to have an agent. If not for GLITCH then for the next.  

Onward!   

It's My Book Birthday!

Contest is Over 

Winner of the Amazon Gift Card: Sherry S. 

Two Winners for the Tote with Swag:

Sue G  & Dianna H. 

Look for my email! 

Everyone have a safe and fun-filled weekend -- or quiet reading time! <3 font="" nbsp="">

The Unmoving Sky is loose in this glorious world! 

There is nothing darker than the woods until you meet your worst fear.

Seventeen-year-old, Jackson Bower has a lot on his mind lately. His younger brother hasn’t been the same since his mother’s death. His father’s drinking is out of control. Then there’s Jackson’s girlfriend and the grief that ties them together even as it threatens to drive them apart.

He distances himself, hoping for a little perspective at the family lodge. But when their father gets drunk and dangerous, he and his brother escape into the woods.

Night creeps in, and the rains come fast. Artie slips down a ravine. He’s wounded and the brothers seek shelter in a cave, only to find someone else already taking refuge there.

A desperate man with plans to destroy their town.

Jackson must get him and his wounded brother out of the cave and over the mountain to warn everyone in time. Without getting them both killed first.

 ... And it can be yours to read.   $1.99   Novella.

Two winners will receive
 one of each shown. 

On Amazon 


B&N 

Smashwords

coming to iTunes.

Leap Books, Shine Website.


I'm so excited. This is my first book publication. Hope you like it.


And if you like SCHWAG 
... I have some for you!


#Giveaway for this AWESOME swag (Plus $10 Amazon gift card) is happening on several blogs. Today, on Jessica Bayliss' blog, where she interviews me about writing motivation. Sign up to WIN!!! #rafflecopter

And today on Writer's Alley
And fellow, Swanky 17's author, TE Cater's blog.   
Bookish Youth Blog Tour     
Rafflecopter on Rick Starkey's Blog
Friday: Manga Maniac Cafe

Bower Boys Survival Tips: Pine (Nut) Trees.

In The Unmoving Sky, Jackson Bower while lost in the woods, looks around for what he and his brother might eat nearby. He sees many pine trees, but it’s April and they're no pine nuts in the cones this time of year.

However, the pine bristle is high in Vitamin C. Which the boys could grind, or chew and add to a bottle of water for nourishment. You can make a tea with the bristles. Chop and boil for a couple of minutes. The water should turn light yellow. Add honey.

But Jackson and Artie are without a bottle of water. There’s water running everywhere. There’s a torrential, constant downpour, and streams flowing underfoot. Jackson’s primary focus is shelter, and the mighty pine tree shelters them, but in the morning … a stranger finds them. He takes the brothers back to his cave.  

Here’s a great resource for learning more about eating pine trees! 

 How to Eat a Pine Tree.  

Apparently, you can also eat the bark.  Enjoy!

The Unmoving Sky    Coming Soon!  pub's May 16, 2016.  

BookHounds Interviewed Me on their Blog This Week!

Do you obsessively plot out each point or just go with the flow? 

I go with the flow for the most part. When I get stuck, or the tension slows, I break and make an outline of possible worst case scenarios and head down that path, until I get stuck again and repeat the process.


Read more.     

Tacho and Coco came with me. 

Bower Boys Survival Tips: Rose Hips.

The Bower Boys from my YA novella, THE UNMOVING SKY, publishes with Leap Books, is about two brothers, 17 and 15, lost in the woods, who are found by a stranger with destructive plans. The "Bower Boys Survival Tips" are some of what they might find in the woods and could consume for energy (food), and, or medicine. 

   

They'd find the red berries in the late autumn, and the petals during June, which can be eaten too. 

I'm updating this post from a couple years ago, and you'll have plenty of time for preparations. I bet you can find a few dried red berry still on the vine. 

After they bloom, do not deadhead your roses and you'll have rose-hips for teas, jellies, and tarts come  fall and winter.

Wild roses are abundant here in the northeast. In June, plumes of intoxicating fragrance linger throughout my yard. Their heady fragrance overflows the parkway, intoxicating my drive North from NYC.

If you don't pick the flowers, (their kind of small) and allow them to seed, you'll have delicious, nutritious rose hip tea any time of the year. The rose hip has more vitamin C than citrus.

After the first frost they turn orangey-red (see above photo) Pick and dry out, either in sun or a dehydrator.  That's it, use as you please.

Remember, of course, never pick where you suspect any pesticide runoff. 

 After you dry the rose hip completely, you can seal in an air tight jar and save for the long winter months, though this collection won't last very long.

I'll be making high in vitamin C, and bioflavonoid, tea for a few weeks with these lovelies.

You can make jams. 

Or anything your heart desires.

ENJOY.