A Dream of Home’s opening scene

I was looking through my archives to update my Projects page, and I realized I hadn’t shared an excerpt of my Jewish sci-fi novella with you all yet. *stares in shock* It’s time to fix that…

The first time I was called an “Ashkie” was on the refugee ship taking me away from the only home I’d ever known.

The metal tube full of makeshift seats and brand-new harnesses rattled, bringing breakfast into my throat along with more tears than I was ready to cry. I was glad there were no windows. If I saw the twin planets of Kenaz disappear before my eyes, I’d lose all hope, and hope and the daughter growing in my stomach were all I had left.

I needed to hold on. For her.

“Hey, Ashkie,” a voice said as an arm bumped mine. It was a young man with a gapped smile and a military surplus hat jammed over his hair.

We could have all been wounded soldiers on our way back from battle. A green uniform jacket here, a pair of pants there…. They had spread out spare uniforms to keep us from freezing to death after our ordeal to reach the ship. A small mercy.

I glanced down at the black, laced boots my pregnancy-swollen feet were shoved into. 

“It gets better, you know. This is my second ride,” the man said, stretching his arms up above his head. “Home planet didn’t want me—Kenaz didn’t either. That’s the way it goes.”

The ship shook again and another passenger cried out as the lights dimmed for one endless moment. 

“That would be the ship getting up to speed,” my self-designated tour guide explained, though I already knew.

I forced my lips shut tight and curled my cold fingers around the harness. 

“Y’hi ratzon milfanecha Adoshem Eloheinu ve-lohei avoteinu she-tolichenu l’shalom v’tatz’idenu l’shalom, v’tism’chenu l’shalom.” I whispered the beginning of the Tefilet Haderech, a blessing for travel, before the ship lurched and I lost breakfast and consciousness.

Copyright 2023 Kate Willis

What do you all think? Are you excited to read the rest?

sci-fi novella beta-readers needed!

So, it’s true I’m working on (er, more like procrastinating on) three projects at once, but my sci-fi novella is ready for beta-readers!

Anyone interested in reading my 6,000 word little baby before everyone else?

If ya are, sign up here! I can’t wait to work with you!

draft one, check. title reveal, here.

May I present to you… the-face-of-an-author-who-finished-draft-one.

Behold.

This face, though frightening, is excited to share the Official Title™️ for “Project Elia”.

Ready, set?

(And yes, that’s a projected release date. 🫣🙏🙏)

“Project Elia” is now “A Dream of Flight”. 😍😍

If that wasn’t exciting enough, here’s the title for the surprise prequel novella…

“A Dream of Home” is coming sooner than you think. 🤍🤍

You can now add both books on Goodreads here and here. 🙌

i’m in love with Catching Fire

Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she’s afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she’s not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol’s cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can’t prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Of course my favorite movie is also (for now) my favorite book. I’m so glad to have read this! Truly a modern classic, and something I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Just a quick summary of what I liked since I’m sure most things have been said in other reviews.

More time in District 12 than I was expecting…
Foreshadowing of Peeta’s fate…
Katniss getting moments to be vulnerable (and her mother of all people comforting her?!)…
Less of The Games more of the characters…
Reminders that Katniss is truly a kid…
Everlark sweetness…

I hope to read book three soon. 😉

i wrote more and the mc isn’t behaving

Project Elia is progressing nicely, if sporadically. I broke 15k words yesterday, and I’m a little shocked to be this far! (Outlining works, y’all.)

See what I mean about sporadic? *hides*

I’m having a problem with my characters, though. In a moment of getting unstuck, I added a new character.

And he is absolutely ADORABLE. His name is Gray and he’s slightly neurodivergent and really sweet…

BUT Elia already has a love interest named Chaim?!! Who is also adorable and very important to the story, ahem. 😉

*whispers* What if I’m having more fun writing scenes with Gray, though? And what if my readers will be able to tell? What if Elia accidentally likes him more? *smiles sheepishly*

Oops.

Anyway, here’s an excerpt of an Elia and Gray scene because they have the cutest dynamic…

“Just new work, new school, new breathing apparatus and rules, and the slushy old potatoes.” I set my fork down with a thud. “I don’t even feel like eating. Oh, and Noa’s nowhere to be seen plus I’m too shy to really speak to my crush that much.”

Gray nodded as if taking in a lot of information. 

“Sorry.” I said when he remained speechless.

“How much time left on your lunch break?” were the words he finally managed to say.

“Half an hour, why?”

He took my tray and his and walked over to the trash can, sliding both inside. Then he held out his hand. “We’re getting real food. Come on.”

Do you see what I mean? *screams into the void*

i’m stuck in my wip

I’ve been happily typing along on my Jewish sci-fi novel, codenamed “Project Elia”, with plans to complete a first draft by the end of the year.

I don’t think that’s going to happen…

I’m completely and utterly stuck at a blank space in my outline I foolishly thought I could fill in later. Later is now, and I’m not sure how to stick to my plan without adding some filler in this spot. O.o.

Do I introduce a new character? Do I bore you all with the technical details of Elia learning to be a mechanic? Do I add another POV?

I’ve been letting it sit and stew a little more, but as I haven’t written in over a week, it’s a little disheartening, to be honest. 😉

Where are you at in your story?

i was surprised by The School for Whatnots

No matter what anyone tells you, I’m real.

That’s what the note says that Max finds under his keyboard.

He knows that his best friend, Josie, wrote it. He’d know her handwriting anywhere. But why she wrote it–and what it means–remains a mystery.

Ever since they met in kindergarten, Max and Josie have been inseparable. Until the summer after fifth grade, when Josie disappears, leaving only a note, and whispering something about “whatnot rules.”

But why would Max ever think that Josie wasn’t real? And what are whatnots?

As Max sets to uncover what happened to Josie–and what she is or isn’t–little does he know that she’s fighting to find him again, too. But there are forces trying to keep Max and Josie from ever seeing each other again. Because Josie wasn’t supposed to be real. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The more I think about this book, the more I love it and the harder it gets to review. ❤

After finding The Lost Letters to be a disappointment, I was hesitant to pick up another new Haddix book but thanks to a bit of bravery and a Barnes and Noble sale, I found myself in possession of this one, and it blew me away.

Warning–it’s one of those where you have to stop every few chapters and catch your breath. It’s that suspenseful, meaningful, and clever, and I’m very glad I took the time to soak up the story. I can’t say much about what I liked without giving everything away, but let’s just say all is not as it seems and the huge reveals are wonderful. 😉

I also appreciated the steady balance between the sci-fi and social commentary.

I’ll be thinking about this one for a while more…

Fox Hunt is a must-read

You should have stayed on Mars, sweetheart.

The year is 2076. Earth is ruled by a one-world government. In order to maintain unity, all citizens must deny their national, racial, and religious identities—or suffer the consequences.

After a video of her act of insurrection goes viral, seventeen-year-old Philadelphia Smyrna and her family become the government’s most wanted. When she intercepts a radio transmission from her father asking for help, she knows she must find him before the government does. Adopting a fake identity, Philadelphia leaves the safety of Mars and returns to Earth. But the government isn’t the only one looking for her. When her former allies in the underground compromise her position, she realizes she’s become a pawn in a war—and both sides will sacrifice everything, including her family, to find her. (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s a well-known fact I start side-eyeing books when a series begins to get longer than originally planned, but in this case, I’m here for all of them and I trust the author to keep my attention and nail the ending. 👏👏

This book feels like a nice lull, at least to begin with. It’s all about Philly’s continued growth and change as a person, with a nice side of extreme Nic character development. (I almost trust him now…) Speaking of which, the situation he finds himself in is absolutely hilarious, and I love seeing him so grumpy and disgruntled.

Philly, now Andromeda (which is a ridiculously cool name), was such an interesting picture of the pain, fear, and slight excitement of being your own person and being responsible for your own choices. I absolutely loved the inner war she was fighting the whole time, and her reliance on God continues to strengthen.

Okay, but those are some adorable and tragic new side characters. 👏

The end completely picks up and sends everything in a crazy (and somewhat terrifying) direction. I’m excited to see where it all goes next.

CW: description of tattoo parlors, mentions of cosmetic surgery including implied lewd body mods, implied swearing, danger, loss.

convincing you to read Swipe, review style

Swipe by Evan Angler was a great book, and now I must convince you to read it. 😉

Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong?

Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, “Swipe” follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn’t even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.

The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn’t been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back.

When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? (from Goodreads)

My Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You can take the girl out of dystopian, but you can’t take the dystopian out of the girl. I find myself gravitating more and more to the genre of my teens, and this book was another great addition to my favorites.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t this. I thought maybe it would be more explicit with eschatological views, and perhaps it will as the series progresses, but it surprised me with how *normal* everything was. Everything that is, except the Mark and the surveillance state.

Something I loved about this was the chance to focus on the characters, their motives, fears, and personalities. I have a feeling I’ll appreciate this even more when the crazier stuff starts.

And the tech—I am officially a dystopian nerd, did I mention? Especially the powder and gel. *claps*
I was technically buddy-reading this with the Very Awesome Mikayla, though I fell behind due to #life so we finished reading at different times.

CW: implied death, bullies, crushes, sneaking around/lying.

My Top 5 Books for Star Wars Day

Happy 4th of May, aka May the Fourth Be With You, aka Star Wars Day. 😉

My Rose Tico (aka THE COOLEST) Funko pop says hello. 😉

In honor of good sci-fi, I thought I’d share some favorite books that take me to infinity and beyond, both in the galaxy and in their philosophical themes…

Stronger for Language by Perry Kirkpatrick

While this one is a short story, it packs a punch full of heart, cute moments, and some fabulous world-building. Definitely recommended if you need a short read, and the companion story is just as great. 😉

Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer

So… I haven’t actually read the Lunar Chronicles (yet), but this spin-off duology caught my eye, and I fell completely in love. Intriguing storyline, gorgeous illustrations, and questions of humanity that sci-fi is especially qualified to ask… I’m sure I’ll appreciate it even more once I read the rest of the books. 😉

Doctor Who: Engines of War by George Mann

Reading this book was just like watching an episode of my favorite sci-fi show, and I especially enjoyed how much character development and moral dilemmas it sent the Doctor through. *laughs evilly in fan of sci-fi themes*

Andromeda by Rachel Newhouse

Between the main books and the supplemental stories, there are now 8 books in this series, so I had to pick the one that split my brain open the most. Y’ALL. I’ve loved this series from back when it was just going to be the one book, and I’m loving the coming-of-age vibes of the continuing series. Definitely go read these.

Reversal Zone by J. Grace Pennington

Again, another (fabulous–which apparently is my word today) series, so I chose a favorite. (It was hard because there are so many cool ones.) But talk about philosophical themes… O.o. The author uses our love and familiarity with these characters to bring out some really interesting, twisty storylines.

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There you are! Those are just some of my favorite sci-fi books for Star Wars Day. Do you have any recs to share?