Thesis Time: When grad school and "Star Wars" collide...

 

Photo credit: Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Time to write the thesis. 

Do you remember that Dunkin Donuts commercial from the 80s? With the sleepy man mumbling the slogan time to make the donuts? I digress. 

Anyway, it’s Thesis Time!

What am I doing for it? That’s a really great question. I have several projects I’d like to finish, but I could end up writing something brand new. It will definitely be fiction. Will I finally actualize my dream of the last thirteen years and write a New York Times bestseller? Or will I end up on a completely new path?

Time will tell, and you'll definitely hear a lot more about it (I assure you), but even more significant is the start date of my thesis: January 12, 2026.

You know, in Star Wars, where Obi-Wan Kenobi dies and becomes more powerful? I didn’t get it, then, and maybe for most of the years afterward. 

And then my Dad died. 

And now the first birthday without him is here. Boom. 

But…

This year, on his birthday, my brother starts a new and very promising job, and I embark on my thesis, culminating with the completion of my MFA.

Whoa.

And wait...was my Dad a Jedi?

Yes. I'm pretty sure this is definitive proof (and also super cool).

So now, we know: Connections transcend time. Tomi-Wan Dadenobi is quite powerful in Death. Great dads never stop looking out for their kids. I lucked out in the Dad department (to an infinite degree). 

What we don’t know: The focus of my thesis. But that will sort itself out with the ticking of time.

Here’s to wherever this adventure leads next. And stay tuned for updates on the thesis. I’m sure you’re as excited as I am. 😉 

Until next time, find your creative, embrace your wild side, stay sane(ish), and be kind to you. 💜

Best, Aspen Hite

Pictured: Tomi-Wan Dadenobi and his two Padawans circa 2016

St. Louis Teen Book Festival

 

St. Louis Teen Book Festival

Two weeks ago, I had the good fortune to attend the STL Teen Book Festival. I planned ahead, taking the day off work and school to play in my Nerd Girl way (and just so we’re clear, being a Nerd Girl is one of my favorite all-time roles in this plane of existence). 

At the festival, I got to meet up with fellow local authors (including my favorite professor), make new acquaintances, and listen to New York Times bestselling novelists share their secrets and promote their latest works, all in a gorgeous library, surrounded by books and bibliophiles as far as the eye could see.

I also spent too much on books, and then chatted (blathered on like a fangirl) with Julie Berry, E. Lockhart, Angeline Boulley, and Britney S. Lewis while they signed their books.

As soon as I finish my current read, I’m sitting down with Julie Berry’s If Looks Could Kill (Medusa meets Jack the Ripper in Manhattan circa 1888…and so much more). And then, one by one, I’ll conquer the rest. I can’t wait.

Such a great day. Check out some of my shots of the panels below. Looking forward to next year!

Until next time, find your creative, embrace your wild side, stay sane(ish), and happy reading!

Best, Aspen Hite

Recent(ish) Reads #2

 

Dear Readers,

Welcome back! A minor title change: Recent(ish) Reads. I love the ish. Plus, "recent" is a relative term, especially the way time moves.

Remember, here on this page, we (me) give stars with grace and compassion because we (I) know how hard it is to write a book.

Rating System*

*I know how hard it is to write a book. We start at three.

⭐⭐⭐ Eh, at best. Proceed with caution.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good, especially if it’s your genre.  Admittedly, a WIDE range.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ FANTASTIC. Read it. For real.

Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo (mid-grade) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FANTASTIC! I love DiCamillo, and she weaves a magnificent modern fairy tale in a touching middle-grade novel of a young girl on her journey to discover life and herself. An MFA for a fairy tales class.  

We Were Liars (YA)* by E. Lockhart ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I read this after hearing good things about it from classmates. And I got it read before it blew up on Hulu. It’s got a fantastic point of view. It’s also twisty and tragic to the nth degree. I will read the next one. 

*Update: I initially rated it four stars because the reader in me hated the ending, but the writer in me knows the ending is brilliant, it’s just tragic, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve since updated the rating to five stars. AND, met E. Lockhart at a Teen Book Fest, had her sign my books, and lost my fangirl mind. 

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I watched a brilliant TED talk with Vonnegut and wondered why I’d never read any of his books, so I grabbed a few on sale and started with this one. Um, an interesting read, but the part that sticks with me is the detailed descriptions of penises. I’ve never read a book where the male characters are introduced with the length and girth of their penis. Meet Character B, he’s 3 inches long with a girth of 7 inches. Interesting. And that’s what sticks with me, the poor man with a small, wide penis (hahaha). An interesting story.

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good! Psychological thriller with dual POVs. You love them. You hate them. Who is the hero? Who is he villain? A twisted tale. Am I happy with the ending? Yep. Have you recommended it to friends? You betcha. 

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Excellent. Barnes takes the mystery and intrigue of  the first one, ups the stakes and then fills in some of the backstory blanks. Almost as good as the first. Barnes is wicked talented. I already have the third one in the series. Can’t wait to see where she takes it next.

Crave by Tracy Wolff (YA) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Twilight, 20 years later, but better. Pretty, fish-out-of-water gal finds herself in the crosshairs on the warpath, or is it in a love triangle, with a few of the hotties and important people at her new school (psst, a school for supernaturals, with our protagonist not, or is she?). My teenage niece recommended it (and it was free on Prime 🙂).

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow (YA) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tragic and traumatic. And an important read for young adults or parents of young adults. Our teens struggle with real shit. It’s a shame we don’t help them (and all of us) develop better ways to deal with our pain and traumas (we all have them) without self-harm or harming others. Great read. 

What are you reading? What do you recommend? Have you read these? I’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Until next time, find your creative, embrace your wild side, stay sane(ish), and happy reading!

Best, Aspen Hite

 

Setting Inspiration via the Haunted Mansion

Sunlight flittered through the trees as a warm breeze ruffled my hair, sending it in all directions. I pushed my sunglasses to the top of my head to contain my wild tresses and stepped into the shade. The temperature dropped, but it wasn’t just the loss of the sun; it was the house. Inside, my skin prickled under the air heavy with history, reeking from every corner. Bits of plaster and original crown molding hung here and there, and new boards supported the dilapidated, once-condemned building, and people milled about with smiles, like it was just another day, in just another place. But it wasn’t. 

I was standing in the very legendary and very haunted McPike Mansion…

They say to write what you know. The unspoken trick here is to keep fueling the Know Pile. This adventure started as a bit of setting research for my latest novel, and a bona fide interest in hometown history. Once I discovered that one of the most haunted homes in the nation was on the list, I sent out the group text, and, lucky me, I was able to gather a few of my favorite gals (we love hauntings), and we made a day of it. And a great day it was. All around.

There were other houses on the tour, and they were also pretty cool, with all their history and nuances, as well as their restorations, renovations, and modernizations.

Still, weeks later, it's the haunted mansion that sticks with me, not just the known history: Henry McPike, the abolitionist, lived on his 21-acre vineyard, intricately tied to the Underground Railroad, leading a life of mystery and intrigue, followed by a death and legacy shrouded in the supernatural.

But the unspoken history—the stuff only the ghosts know. The unanswered questions underneath the raw reconstruction, or the dark, dank wine cellar, or that mysterious crypt behind the house. What had that wine cellar seen? What secrets were hidden in the home? Who was buried in the mysterious crypt? All the things we don’t know on this plane and beyond.

For now, we know what is known and can speculate about the rest, but perhaps as the owners work through the long, laborious process to restore the home to its original glory, more secrets and unknown histories will be revealed.

Until then, the McPike Mansion has inspired a bevy of ideas. In fact, it might make the perfect backdrop for the Grey Mansion. What if the McPike Mansion had never fallen into ruin, but instead had been lived in by a prestigious Lycan family?

Inspiration is everywhere in everything, all around us. How will you find yours?

Thank so much for tuning in. And a special nod of gratitude to my gals for embarking on this adventure with me. 💜

Until next time, find your creative, embrace you, stay sane(ish)

Best, Aspen Hite

94th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition

Death and Theft

Entering contests has been a thing of mine for a while, and I’ve earned an honorable mention here and there, even had a story (or two) published once upon a time.  I find contests, with their deadline and confines, to be a challenge, an exercise that allows me to hone my craft.

Gotta say, it was super cool to get an email that started with Congratulations!

Read the full announcement: 

94th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition Winner List

Thanks so much for stopping by. Until next time, find your creative, embrace you, stay sane(ish).

Best, Aspen Hite

Out With the Old; In With the New

📷credit: Mohamed_hassan 

Out With the Old; In With the New

Time is a funny, fickle thing. In some moments, I feel silly and young and alive, like I’m 17, and in other moments, I’m tired, like I’ve lived 117 years and a thousand lifetimes. Somehow, in a way I don’t really understand, this year flashed in the blink of an eye. As 2023 ends, I like to reflect on how I spent the year. 

What have I been doing? My knee-jerk response is to shrug and say, “I don’t know. Nothing.” But in truth, I’ve been busy working, teaching, reading, resting, letting go of all that no longer serves, and easing into all that is meant for me. Some of it’s heavy stuff. 

But I’ve also been writing. In fact, I spent a good chunk of the year tuning out the world and writing. I am beyond grateful for that opportunity because the grown-up outside world can come knocking, like a wise guy barging in to break your legs. So, I am humbled and thankful for that time.

At the beginning of the year, I tried hard to have an online presence. However, convincing strangers I'm a writer takes a lot of work. It worked for a while (welcome to the odd time in the 21st century, where we talk more than we do). One day, I had nothing left to post on my blog, and I’d spent too much time focusing on social media. It was the literal antithesis of where I wanted to be. 

I needed a kick in the pants, so I got out of my comfort zone and went to a writers' conference. Not only were there some great workshops, but I also got feedback from industry professionals and pitched to an agent who asked to see the first 50 pages of my novel! It was an INVALUABLE experience. 

After some polish and shine, I sent the pages to the agent and waited, checking my email every ten minutes while simultaneously planning the agent’s delighted response. (Ever see A Christmas Story where Ralphie envisions his teacher’s joy at reading his essay? It was a bit like that.) She was going to love it. I was on Cloud Nine. This was it; my time had come. 

But I also had a genuine problem. I had embellished (it’s what writers do) the completion level of the novel. I was only about halfway through and still needed a middle, a climax, and an ending (roughly 30,000 words). I DID have an outline and an idea (or two). So I wrote. Tuned out the world, and spun a tale.

I put all my energy into finishing that novel. Short stories and blogs sat incomplete and unfinished. The online posts stopped. My reading slowed, and I almost forgot about my word game. The only thing in my crosshairs was telling that story. 

One day in mid-June, I finished. It wasn’t shiny and polished, but I’d told the tale. With nothing but radio silence from the agent, I let the first book simmer and immediately got to work on the second one. I was on a roll.

Finally, a response from the agent came. I was giddy until I opened the email. 

The agent passed on the story. To her credit, she was kind and even offered specific areas of improvement. And she was right, but now what? My dream of a smooth path to publication (after ten years) was just gone. Poof. Snap of the fingers. In one email. Gone. 

It took a hot second to allow the disappointment to fade, but then things became clearer: 

1. I’d made writing a priority, and I had two new novels and a third in rough outline form. All of it had been to show myself I could do it. 

2. It was time to stop fucking around. Stumbling around aimlessly, trying to be a writer was over.  I didn’t need any more ways to NOT write a bestseller. I needed to learn—the tricks of the trade, the ins and outs. 

So, after jumping through several flaming hoops and almost getting lost in paperwork, I’ve been accepted into a Master of Fine Arts in Writing program. 

Brand new story beginning January 2024. Is it going to lead me to a life of best-selling novels (and that private island I’m always going on about)? Probably not, but as I learn from local industry professionals, I’m open to discovering my niche to see where it leads. Hopefully, to a revenue-generating career where I can entertain people with stories and positively impact the lives of readers of all ages. Perhaps I wind up back in a classroom or write a Kids' Yoga book (better yet, the next bestseller turned Netflix series). Maybe self-publishing, editing, or freelance writing will fit my lifestyle better. Time will tell. 

For now, I’m embracing the present, celebrating the lessons of 2023, and having faith in the ebb and flow of the journey.

Endless possibilities loom on the horizon, each filled with challenges and lessons, all filled with learning and laughter (to keep me balanced). 

Wishing you a wonderful New Year. May 2024 bring you peace, joy, and blessings. 💜

Until next time… 

Be creative. Find your wild side. Stay sane(ish). 

Aspen Hite ✌️