Hannah Rials has been part of the Audrey Press family for as long as we can remember. Formerly an intern, young Miss Hannah blessed us all with her debut and smash hit YA thriller book, Ascension at the ripe-old-age of…NINETEEN.
This young woman is not only full of incredible writing talent, she is full of color, light, and gratitude…some of the many things we love about her! So, in honor of the \”birth\” of her second book, Clandestine (which officially launched July 21, 2018) we\’d like to share some Fun Facts about YA Author Hannah Rials.
Fun Facts About Hannah (with a little help from her, of course)
#1- Her dog, Buddy, is the reigning King of the local Corgi Day:
From Hannah: Ha, yes Buddy is. St. Elmo, a historical neighborhood in Chattanooga, hosts a corgi parade every year in October. I’d heard about this parade for the first three years of my time in the city but never had my corgi with me since I lived in the dorms. This past year, I brought him down for the parade and just entered him in. I dressed as Matilda and put him in a red wagon with a bunch of books because he’s not the most cooperative walking partner. Before the parade actually started, they announced the winners of all these different categories like youngest and cutest and smallest and best name. And it gets to King and Queen of the Corgi parade, and Buddy’s name is announced! I literally have no idea what their criteria was for choosing him—I’m convinced it’s his charming smile and weird nub—but he was so excited and I’m convinced knew something was happening for him. All my friends went crazy. So he got a little prize bag and got to lead the parade, but he jumped out of his wagon to greet all of his peasants. Afterward, any time people stopped paying attention to him, he would bark his head off. You could say this might’ve given him a big head.
#2-If she could have any superpower, this is what she would choose…
\”I would want to be able to teleport because then I could go anywhere I wanted in the blink of an eye and avoid security lines in the airport.\”
#3-Hannah will be attending college at Bath Spa University in September
In September, I will be attending graduate school at Bath Spa University in Bath, UK. They have an amazing Masters in Creative Writing for Young People program that just focuses on children’s and young adult literature.
\”After my time spent traveling around England last summer, I knew I had to come back. It wasn’t an option. And it all just kind of fell into place when I came upon this program on the internet, and it turned out that two of my coworkers have friends who attended Bath Spa. So for the next year, I’ll be studying young adult literature (which not many creative writing graduate programs do), traveling as much as I can, and working on a new project. I literally cannot wait!\”
#4-Hannah’s Favorite Music
\”My favorite music really depends on the mood, but in general, I go for indie/folksy music, as you can probably see from the Clandestine playlist.\”
#5-The number of times she’s been to New Orleans (setting for Ascension and Clandestine) and her favorite thing about the city.
\”I have been to New Orleans four times, and I will actually be there in a week to go do research on Grand Isle—a hint to the setting of the third book! \”
#6-Most Grateful For…
\”God, my family, my friends, my publisher and I have the best fans!\”
#7-Her newest venture is Wolfpack Press
\”So Wolfpack Press started with my friend Jacquelyn Scott, who had this idea for a literary magazine completely run by women because there is a gender difference in the literary journal world,\” Hannah revealed. \”Every woman on our team writes different types of literature, but we’re also all super weird and awesome. So Wolfpack Press aims to publish the wild, weird, wonderful, and witty literature that exists out there in the world.
We aim to highlight the best there is, always pay our writers and just show off the awesome power of writers, especially women.\”
#8-Writing awards Hannah has won.
\”Well, when I was in fourth grade, I won a diamond ring for my mom on mother’s day in a writing contest! But Ascension has won the Royal Dragonfly Award, first place in young adult literature and also the Benjamin Franklin Gold Award in New Voice: YA from the Independent Book Publisher’s Association.
I have also won an Author’s and Artists Scholarship from UTC and was the Outstanding Creative Writing Senior this year.\”
#9-The place she would most like to travel (real or mythical
\”The shire. No doubt. It’s so beautiful there, and those hobbits know how to have a good time and throw a party! \”
#10-Just a Random Fun Fact About Hannah
Stephen Chbosky (author/screenwriter/director of Perks of Being a Wallflower, among others) gave me and my friend Dave Connis $100 dollars for drinks at BEA in New York City after so kindly talking to us for half an hour. I bought a very large drink with my half afterward, with the words, “Did that really just happen?” spinning in my head.
One More Thing
It\’s HERE The much-anticipated sequel to, Hannah Rials\’ runaway YA hit, Ascension. Book Two in the Ascension series is Clandestine and its already bringing in raves reviews.
“Gripping until the very end.” – Scott Reintgen, author of Nyxia
“Dark, surprising, and full of twists, the Ascension series is a delectable addition to vampire canon. Rials paints a rich and engrossing world of vampires, half-vampires witches– each with their own agenda. Cheyenne’s struggle to be free is one that every girl will recognize, and I rooted for her as she bristled against the roles cast for her by society. It’s the story of a girl yearning to come into her own powers, powers both frightening and beautiful.” ~Maggie Thrash, author of L.A. Times Book Prize nominee Honor Girl
Cheyenne Lane never believed it could come to this—imprisoned by her own family, who are plotting to overthrow the vampire Council. Ripped away from the happiness of her summer romance and friendship in New Orleans, Cheyenne is forced to begin her education at Clandestine, the secret Deuxsang University, one year early.
She is guarded constantly, separated from her best friend Anne, and desperate for any word from Eli and the witches. Meanwhile, her cousin Lilith has discovered that Cheyenne possesses all four vampiric abilities—unheard of for a Deuxsang—and intends to use her in the Ascending’s rebellious scheme.
At 17, Cheyenne finds herself the center of a centuries-old conspiracy involving the vampires, Deuxsang, and witches, and everyone is telling her who she should trust and what she should do. Her head is too full of voices and opinions, and it’s time for Cheyenne to make up her own mind.
Is she ready to step into the role she was made for? Who can she trust? Who is her friend and who is her enemy? Is she really a born leader? All questions that only she can answer. As the information and scenario gets more confusing, she knows she must listen to her intuition if she is going to shift the truth from all the lies.
Order Clandestine HERE
