Wednesday, March 11, 2015

March Update!

Here's a quick update on what I've been up to:

I'm smiling because the
filming is over, lol. *shaka*
I was interviewed by my local CBS station. They came to my house and we sat down to talk about everything from writing to Remake to homeschool to Hawaii. Since the reporter and cameraman have ties to Hawaii, we had a great time talking about the islands, making me miss home. :) You can watch the interview here.

REMAKE is a Whitney award finalist in two categories: Best YA Speculative Novel and Best Novel by a New Author. I may have done a fistpump or two upon hearing the news. I'm up against some tough competition, including NYT best selling authors, so I think my chances of winning are slim, but becoming a Whitney finalist is one of my writing bucket-list items, so the fact that I can check that one off makes me absolutely giddy. You can find all the finalists here.

Me, Rachelle Christensen, Shelly Brown,
Josi Kilpack, Sarah Eden

I've updated the events tab above so you can see where I'll be this spring--mostly teaching at several local writing conferences.

My publisher hosted an author appreciation dinner, and it was so much fun enjoying a fancy date night with my husband. We got to rub shoulders with other authors, and I met a ton of people who work behind the scenes in getting my book out in the public. I also learned some incredible news from my editors about REMAKE that I hope to share soon. :)

Playboy roll (my fav) and squid
I also just finished drafting my 9th novel. Woot! I've been working on this one off and on for a long time, and I have to admit it's my favorite story I've written so far. It's another YA sci-fi with themes of virtue and self-worth featuring a mixed-race main character who I absolutely love. I can't wait to dive into revisions. The book takes place in an East-Asian inspired future, so of course we celebrated with sushi. (note: I celebrate everything with sushi, ha) Yum!

Do you like being in front of the camera? What was your favorite novel of 2014? Will I see you at any writing conferences this year? How do you celebrate reaching your writing goals?

'Cause life's for living right.

 

12 comments:

Tammy Theriault said...

Did someone say sushi?? Congrats on the TV spot and a new adventure in writing!

Suzi said...

You've got just as much chance to win that Whitney award.

Cause really, it's just a group with some NYT best selling authors AND a FUTURE NYT best selling author. (That'd be you, by the way. :) )

Donna K. Weaver said...

They came to your house? Wow. Big wow!

But wait a minute. You're writing something besides finishing the Remake series?

Kathryn Purdie said...

You've had some amazing things happen lately! This is nice recap of them all. Congrats, my friend! Also, I love Amber Run!! I bought their first album and didn't realize they had more songs (maybe albums too). I love this song and hadn't heard it until now.

Emily R. King said...

Your interview was great, and that food looks amazing! I look forward to the Whitney's!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Wow, that's a whole lot of good news! Congratulations on making it into two finals. Hey, you could win you know.

Kristin Smith said...

Great interview, Ilima! I'm so impressed that you wrote the first draft of REMAKE in three weeks! Wow!

Did you say sushi? I LOVE sushi!

And congrats on being a finalist for the two awards. That is definitely something to be proud of!

jaybird said...

This just brightened my morning!!What a great update post. You represented yourself and your work so well- what a wonderful interview Ilima. Can't wait to read what's coming up next.

Big congrats on the awards too! The good news keeps on coming. Just amazing. I hope you are taking the time to celebrate and enjoy this success- you deserve it!!

David P. King said...

Such a wild ride you are one. I'm lucky to be at some of these events with you. Must have Remake sequel now! :)

Sheena-kay Graham said...

Write on Ilima and congrats on your latest interview and award nominations.

Stephanie Faris said...

How awesome that you got interviewed by your local TV station. That's on my bucket list. It will probably never happen but it's something I'd love to do!!!

Tonja Drecker said...

Always glad to see how your book is doing. Wonderful interview - I can't imagine how exciting and nerve wracking that would be. Here's crossing my fingers for you...and enjoy the ride!