New Release! Guest Post by Going Places Author, Kathryn Berla ***Giveaway***
Going PlacesKathryn Berla
Published by: Amberjack Publishing
Publication date: March 20th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Everyone had high expectations for Hudson Wheeler. His fourth grade teacher even wrote to his parents that Hudson was “going places.” But everything went downhill after his father died on the battlefield of Iraq one year later. Now facing his senior year of high school without his two best friends by his side and with his teacher’s letter still haunting him, Hudson seizes homeschooling as an opportunity to retreat from the world.
What happens during this year will prove to be anything but a retreat, as Hudson experiences love and rejection for the first time and solves the painful mystery of the “girl in the window”—an apparition seen only by the WWII vet whose poignant plight forces Hudson out of the comfort zone of boyhood.
Going Places is a peek into what male adolescence looks like today for those who don’t follow traditional paths as they strive to find themselves.
Guest Post
A Question for Author Katheryn Berla
How applicable are he themes in Going Places, and are they personally special in your own life.
The themes of my books usually have to do with figuring out who you are and making peace with that instead of trying to be someone you’re not. I also like to write about the imperfections of people. I know that some readers don’t ever want a character in a book to make a wrong step, a bad decision, or mess up in any way. That will never be what I write about because, personally, I’ve never met a perfect person and I’m far from being perfect myself. I write about what I like to read, which is the struggle of self-discovery and how effectively we incorporate what we learn into our lives. It’s also about accepting our flaws and weaknesses and rejoicing in our victories, no matter how small they might be.
Going Places is no different in that respect. Hudson Wheeler is an average guy, although he’s pretty special in that he’s willing to take a hard look at himself and admit when he’s wrong or when he’s acted foolishly. He’s willing to take those lessons and use them going forward. He’s willing to open himself up to the people in his life. And he’s willing to trust and keep trusting, even when he’s been hurt in the past.
Another theme in Going Places, and also in my pervious novel The House at 758, is that we live in a multi-generational world. Even though I’m writing a young adult novel, young adults don’t live in a vacuum. They live with people both younger and far older. If they stop and listen, there’s a great deal they can learn, not only from parents, but from grandparents as well. It goes both ways because there’s much that the older generation can re-learn from young men like Hudson. There’s a spontaneity that one loses as one ages. To be reminded of it, to learn how to live in the moment again, is the greatest gift the young can give to the old.
Finally, it was important for me to write about a friendship between a guy and a girl that doesn’t necessarily evolve into romance. Friendships are important at any age and, arguably, even more important than romance. So why not celebrate that fact and recognize that friendship doesn’t have to lead to love?
Great post by Kathryn Berla. Have any thoughts? Share them in the comments below.
About the Author
Kathryn Berla likes to write in a variety of genres including light fantasy, contemporary literary fiction, and even horror. She is the author of the young adult novels: 12 Hours in Paradise, Dream Me, The House at 758, and Going Places. The Kitty Committee is her first novel written for adult readers.
Kathryn grew up in India, Syria, Europe, and Africa. Her love for experiencing new cultures runs deep, and she gives into it whenever she can. She has been an avid movie buff since childhood, and often sees the movie in her head before she writes the book.
Kathryn graduated from the University of California in Berkeley with a degree in English. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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