Hell's Hollow by Summer Stone
When Seraphina was younger, she
healed her best friend's injured hand. Terrified by the inexplicable
cure, the girl shunned her. From that day on, Seraphina found herself
without friends, a freak and an oddity. And so she obeyed her mother’s
rule to refrain from using her innate ability, heeded her mother's
warning that its use could land her in the local mental health facility
alongside her aunt and grandmother.
But when sixteen-year-old Seraphina finds a mysterious, wounded boy hiding in the hollow in the woods behind her house, she can't hold out against the overpowering urge to help him. She is drawn to him each night, and as they come to know one another, their irresistible attraction blooms.
She longs to uncover his secrets — where he comes from and why he's hiding and how he came to be so wounded — and to share her own, though she knows it's forbidden. And while her healing touch seems to be helping him, it's hurting her. When the symptoms of psychosis — experienced by the women in her bloodline who used their powers — begin to plague Seraphina, she is faced with the unbearable choice of saving her sanity or the boy she’s come to love.
But when sixteen-year-old Seraphina finds a mysterious, wounded boy hiding in the hollow in the woods behind her house, she can't hold out against the overpowering urge to help him. She is drawn to him each night, and as they come to know one another, their irresistible attraction blooms.
She longs to uncover his secrets — where he comes from and why he's hiding and how he came to be so wounded — and to share her own, though she knows it's forbidden. And while her healing touch seems to be helping him, it's hurting her. When the symptoms of psychosis — experienced by the women in her bloodline who used their powers — begin to plague Seraphina, she is faced with the unbearable choice of saving her sanity or the boy she’s come to love.
Author Bio:
Summer Stone loves immersing herself in the worlds that live inside her
mind. When she's in the real world, she likes kicking back on the beach,
exploring new places, reading (of course) and eating rich, gooey
chocolate. She loves spending time with her husband and kids, which she
does as much as she can. Summer writes young adult and women's fiction,
both supernatural and contemporary, realistic and looks forward to
sharing her novels with you!
Interview:
What inspired you to write Hell's
Hollow?
It was really the name of the town that
inspired me. For years, my family and I have gone up to the Sierra
Foothills and there's a big street sign in a rural area, much bigger
than most street signs, that says Hell's Hollow. Every time we would
pass that sign, I would think, Someday I'm going to write a book
about a town called Hell's Hollow. I didn't know what it would be
about until I started writing it. I started with the name of the town
and then with the protagonist and just let them lead me into the
story.
What is your writing process like?
I need quiet to really be able to get
to the sweet spot where the writing flows. So I don't listen to music
and I prefer not to be at a noisy café. My best writing comes when I
let the character tell me the story. With Hell's Hollow I was
surprised by many elements of the storyline, none of which would have
happened if I'd really tried to guess at what would come next. So
listening for the voice of the characters and the voice of the story
are key for me.
What were your favorite elements of
Hell's Hollow to write?
I really enjoyed writing the growing
relationship between Seraphina and Zach. I loved the build up from
strangers to friends to something more. And because she isn't sure if
he's real or a figment of her potential loss of sanity, there's an
element of mystery that was fun to play with.
Also, the crazy parts! I loved writing
her psychotic grandmother and also the scenes where Seraphina's own
sanity begins to waver. I actually did quite a bit of research on
different types of psychosis and based much of her aunt and
grandmother's behavior on videos I watched of schizophrenic patients.
Were there parts of the story you
didn't enjoy writing?
I always struggle a bit with writing
the parts when everything is going wrong. I'm impatient to get to the
places where things are working out. So I really have to push myself
to hold out and let things be bad for a while. It makes the payoff of
the happy parts so much richer.
Did you do much research for Hell's
Hollow?
I did! I actually really enjoyed my
research for this book. First, I spent time in the area of the Sierra
Nevada foothills where the story takes place and even went to Big
Trees State Park to get a feel for the giant trees that live in the
Hollow. I spent quite a bit of time online researching psychosis and
schizophrenia. I also did a lot of research on the history of the
area — both of the Native American tribes that lived there and on
the Gold Rush history. Other areas of research included the
serpent-handling religion of West Virginia, alternative forms of
healing, mythology about Hell, diseases caused by wild animals,
baking and a few others I won't mention so as not to give anything
away.
In Hell's Hollow, Seraphina has the
ability to heal. Her grandmother hears people's thoughts. And her
aunt sees the future. If you could have any super power, what would
it be?
Ooh. That is a tough question! I have
secretly always wanted Seraphina's power. But there are others that
would be super cool too. I'd say flying, but I'd probably get motion
sickness :)
Why does Seraphina, who has always
obeyed her mom's rule about not using her special ability, decide to
start trying?
Partly, it's because the tugs from the
Hollow have begun to keep her awake at night and bother her all day.
And partly, it's because of Zach. She wants to help him. There's also
one more piece, which is that she's sixteen and her mom's rule feels
wrong to her, and she's getting brave enough to make up her own mind.
Quick Qs:
Ocean or mountains: ocean
Winter or summer: summer
Chocolate or vanilla: Always, always
chocolate
Movie night or dancing: movie night
Harry Potter or Hunger Games: yes
Favorite type of food: Thai
Favorite rainy day activity: reading,
of course
Favorite recent(ish) movie: Pitch
Perfect
Favorite sound: laughter
Trivia about Hell's Hollow:
Sera's favorite baked good is an ooey
gooey sticky bun.
Zach's favorite candy is a Mars bar.
Sera has 3 older brothers. They were
inspired by the 3 brothers of my best friend from kindergarten. That
friend never hesitated to tell people that her middle brother was her
favorite. It's very clear that Sera's middle brother is her favorite
too. And he's her favorite for the same reason — he's sweet to her.
The Tale of Hell's Hollow, which Sera
tells Zach in the novel, was partly inspired by actual events that
took place in that part of the state during the Gold Rush.
Trivia about Summer Stone:
Believes chocolate and caramel can
solve most problems.
Is terrified of rats... and mice... and
anything in the rodent family.
Was a total book nerd in high school...
and still is.
Tries hard to be brave.
Can be very determined (aka stubborn.)
Believes in magic.
Collects seashells -- but only when
they ask her to.
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