BEA 2014: Recap, Reaction and Book Haul Video

Hey everyone!! It took me a few days, but I’m FINALLY writing this post! For those of you who don’t know, BEA (Book Expo America) was held in New York City at the Javits Center, May 28-31, 2014. Hundreds of authors, publishers, publicists, editors, agents, bloggers, librarians, etc, were all hanging out and fangirling/fanboying over books.

This year was my first ever BEA and I’m beyond thrilled that I was able to finally experience it! The only reason I was able to attend was because my awesome blogger friend, Julie from Bloggers[Heart]Books, allowed me to crash at her apartment all week/weekend. So I want to send an epically huge shout-out to her for helping make BEA 2014 a reality for me!

So, I’m going to break this down into day, then talk about my favorite moments and the things I want to work on for next year. At the very end of this post, I’ll have my haul video – Which, I know there’s a LOT of controversy this year over BEA ARCs and those who went to BEA and grabbed ALL THE ARCs. But.. I asked people on Twitter and did an unofficial poll. The majority of people said they really wanted a recap, book pictures (which I posted on Twitter) AND a haul video. So, you guys asked for it! :)

Fair warning: Most of my pictures for BloggerCon came out blurry. UGH. And I didn’t take enough pictures in general, either :(

Anyway, let’s get to it!

Wednesday

I woke up epically early on Wednesday.. Yes, 6am, for me, is epically early. The worst part was I went to bed at 4:30am… Yep. I only got 1.5 hours of sleep. So I was lucky that my neighbor, who works near the Javits, was willing to drive me in to NYC (I live an hour outside, in case you’re curious) – I didn’t have to worry about public transportation with all my luggage. So if you saw me Wednesday and I looked like a zombie, you now know why!

Anyway, I got to the Javits at 8:30am, checked in and made my way down to the room BloggerCon was being held in. It was a huge room with a LOT of people and I was a bit terrified (Remember that time I told you how socially awkward I was?) As I scanned the room for anyone I knew, I was VERY tempted to sit at an empty table. But the table directly in front of me only had one person and I was determined to be social. It turned out the person at the table was Thea from The Book Smugglers . We had a really great time chatting while she finished prepping for a panel she was moderating later in the morning.

The Keynote address was given by YA author Maureen Johnson. If you don’t follow her on Twitter, you need to! She’s even more hilarious in person! I didn’t take notes during the keynote, but she (obviously) discussed books, bloggers and the impact bloggers have had on publishing and how much she values what bloggers do. She also shamelessly showed off a picture of her adorabe puppy, Zelda. She informed us that the coffee in the Javits Center was awful and then she did a small strip-tease.. So yeah, just your run-of-the-mill keynote address! Overall, her speech was amazing and the keynote address was probably my favorite part of BookCon.

Maureen Johnson
 
The first panel I went to was Design 101: Creating a Picture Perfect Blog. The speakers for this panel were Ashley from Nose Graze and Jeremy from Jeremy West Design. I adore Ashley – she’s amazing and patient, despite my nine million emails and DMs, begging her for help! She’s very knowledgeable when it comes to design and I found myself taking a TON of notes. After the panel, I was too nervous to introduce myself (shy, remember?) but got lucky when Ashley walked down the aisle and ended up sitting behind me. I was able to say hello and thank her in person for all her help.

Ashley and Jeremy
 
The next panel was Software 101: Best Blogging Tools. This panel was moderated by Thea and included Sarah from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Stephanie from Cuddlebuggery and Becca from Mad Mimi. This was another interesting panel and I took a lot of notes. But the best part came at the end of the panel, when I went up to introduce myself to Steph. While I was waiting, Kat (Also from Cuddlebuggery) popped in and I started chatting with her. I completely fangirled and told her how much I adore Cuddlebuggery, their hilarious posts and videos and their epic Twitter Presence. When Steph finally walked over, Kat asked her if they could bring me home with them, hehe :) I back-tracked and told Steph everything I told Kat and we ended up in a giant group hug. It was pretty epic!

Thea's Panel
 
After a quick lunch, in which I got to hang out with Keri from Quill Cafe, who I’ve met several times before, (We also sat together during most of the morning panels), I headed to a panel called Beyond the Blog: Introduce Yourself to Vlogging and Podcasting. This was moderated by Pam Margolis at An Unconventional Librarian and the panelists included Christine Riccio from PolandbananasBOOKS, Kat O’Keeffe from Katytastic and Josh Christie from Bookrageous. Honestly, the only vlogging I do is when I do my Stacking the Shelves book haul videos. So I’m terrible at it. For that reason, I found this panel fascinating. I’m always trying to figure out how to do a better job and they had some great tips. But my favorite part of the panel was at the end, when I walked up t say hi to Kat and Christine. Honestly, I had never heard of Christine or her channel before, though she seemed really nice and I definitely want to check out her channel now. But Kat is the only vlogger that I follower on a regular basis. I love her videos and it was so epic getting to meet her!

Vlogging Panel
 
The last panel of the day that I attended was The Publishing Process: How Bloggers Have Changed the Game. This panel included Merrilee Heifetz (Senior Vice President, Writer’s House Literary Agency), Emily Meehan (Editorial Director, Hyperion Teen), Alexandra Bracken (Author of The Darkest Minds), Christine Riccio (Vlogger, Poland Bananas BOOKS) and Andrew Sansone (Online Marketing Manager, Disney Publishing). Now… There was a LOT of controversy over this panel. For one, they did not have a blogger on the panel, despite the panel being named How Bloggers Have Changed the Game. Instead, they had a vlogger, Christine. Then, instead of really chatting about blogging OR vlogging and its effect on publishing, they basically chatted about Christine and her epicness and how she loved The Darkest Minds from very early on.

Okay… So far, I’ve stayed silent on Twitter regarding this panel. Everyone has pretty much crucified the panel and panelists on Twitter and I didn’t want to be involved in that drama. But I will say this. While I can completely understand why everyone (bloggers especially) were upset and offended, I also feel the whole thing got out of hand. Yes, I was a bit offended. But I never got the impression that the panelists were trying to be offensive on purpose. They weren’t intentionally putting bloggers down. They can’t talk about what they don’t know and they didn’t know, first-hand, about blogging. Christine is a vlogger. She has never been a blogger and couldn’t discuss what being a blogger was. I think the BEA folks messed up the description and panel name and it’s not really fair to take that out on the panelists. I still enjoyed the panel, despite the handful of offensive comments.

There, I said it. If you want to attack me for my opinion, the line forms over to the right, near the yellow tape. Please don’t start lining up until ten minutes before you want to start the attack (And if you went to BEA, you’ll find that last sentence hilarious – since it’s all we heard every day).

Blogging:Vlogging Panel
 
After all the panels, there was an awesome after party, where Tiger Beat (Libba Bray’s band) performed. Sadly, I only got to spend about 15 minutes there before I had to run off for Teen Author Carnival. Before I left the party, I snagged some really epic ARCs/Books they were giving away, then I hurried off to meet Kelly from Effortlessly Reading and Jon from Scott Reads It and we walked to Teen Author Carnival together.

Teen Author Carnival had over twenty (I believe) epic YA authors. There were about four different panels (two of which I attended) and some fun and games. They did Book jeopardy with Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia (Authors of Beautiful Creatures) and gave away gorgeous tote bags filled with (what else?) books! Some were finished copies and some were ARCs. After that, all the authors signed their books for eager readers.

One of the highlights of Teen Author Carnival? I finally met Hafsah from Icey Books!! It was very brief but it was still great! (And I got to see her again the next day at the Harlequin Breakfast).

During the signing portion of the night, I stood off to the side, waiting for Julie (who was volunteering). While waiting, I FINALLY met the amazing Dahlia Adler, who I adore and who recognized me from Twitter! She’s just as sweet in person as she is on Twitter and it was awesome finally getting to meet her!

TAC
 

Thursday

Thursday morning, Julie and I got up bright and early for the Harlequin Teen Breakfast. We arrived just in time and grabbed seats – which had pretty tote bags filled with books from the authors attending the breakfast. This was such a fun event for me! We munched on some food, did a round robin with the Harlequin editors, publicists and authors and got our books signed by them. The round robin was definitely the best part! Getting that one-on-one time to ask questions was really incredible! It was one of my favorite moments of BEA 2014!

Thursday was also the first official day of BEA and, therefore, the first say I was on the trade show floor. The first thing I tried to do was get on the signing line for Lauren Oliver, who was signing ARCs of Rooms. Unfortunately, I got lost finding the autographing area and it took me twenty minutes to figure out where I had to be. I was already late, having left the Harlequin breakfast around 9:05 a.m., so by the time I got on line for Lauren Oliver, I was too late. After about twenty minutes, they cut us off and told us they had run out of ARCs.

I was going to try for Landline by Rainbow Rowell next, but the line was huge and there weren’t many ARCs, so I just wandered around for a bit, which was fun. Wandering around aimlessly ended up scoring me a spot in R.L. Stine’s signing line. Guys, I’ve been reading his books since I was, like, six or seven. I ADORE his books! So I fangirled a lot. I told him meeting him was a childhood dream come true and he told me not to say that because it would make him cry! And, at the insistence of his team, I got a picture with him!!!

RL Stine
 
My most anticipated signing at BEA was Melissa Marr, who was signing ARCs of her new book, Made For You. I adore Melissa Marr to pieces! Wicked Lovely, Carnival of Souls, Graveminder.. The list goes on! So this was my absolute HIGHEST PRIORITY at BEA. I got on her line extra early, waited patiently and then fangirled when I finally met her! Melissa is so, SO nice in person and I’m STILL petting Made For You!

After that, I stopped at the Spencer Hill Press booth and met a BUNCH of my co-workers and the SHP/SHC authors. It was also the end of one of their signings, so I snagged ARCs from Elizabeth Langston and Jennifer Murgia.

Soon after that, I had to line up for Melissa de la Cruz’s signing – another high priority one for me! She was signing The Ring and The Crown, which I own already, so I brought my copy from home with me. I’ve never met Melissa de la Cruz before and I was DYING to, since I’m such a huge Blue Bloods and Witches of East End fan! Her publicist was shocked that I had brought my own book and even said it was the “sign of a true fan” that I brought it from home. That made me fangirl a bit! Melissa is adorable in person and she was so excited when I told her what a big fan I am!

After Melissa’s signing, I went back to the Spencer Hill booth to put my stuff down and crash for a bit. As luck would have it, I arrived just in time to grab signed copies of Kelly Hashway’s new book and Lisa Amowitz’s new book. I’ve met Lisa several times and adore her, so it was awesome being able to see her again!

At some point in all that chaos, I got in two Harper Teen galley drop lines and snagged a bunch of awesome titles – including one of my most anticipated books, Falling into Place by Amy Zhang.

Thursday after BEA, I had a Spencer Hill Press dinner where I got to chat with co-workers and authors alike. We ate at Dallas BBQ on 42nd between 7th and 8th and it was really yummy! After such a long day, it was nice to sit down and chat with friends!

Before I move on, I want to send a huge shout-out to Stacie at A Wonderland of Reading! Stacie acted as my eyes and ears at BEA. She DM’d me every time a publisher tweeted about a signing or a galley drop. Thanks to her, I snagged AT LEAST two ARCs I would have missed out on AND I was able to cross one or two things off my list that I realized weren’t worth attempting (So many things overlapped, I had to prioritize. Example: When I found out Marie Lu was only giving out chapter samplers of The Young Elites, I skipped her line to go on another). So, THANK YOU SO MUCH STACIE! YOU ROCK!

Friday

Friday was pretty insane! Originally, I had promised a friend I’d try to get her Heir of Fire, but people were lining up TWO HOURS EARLY and I had three things I really wanted to do in that time period. So I took a huge risk and started out by following my schedule. First up, I finally met the amazing, adorable, wonderful A.G. Howard! She was signing copies of Unhinged and they were giving away posters of Ensnared! She recognized me from Twitter, which had me fangirling. We chatted a bit about Morpheus *Swoons* and how pretty the Ensnared cover is! A random person in line agreed to take pictures of us for me! Anita wasn’t prepared at first, so I have one where she’s making a pretty hilarious face at the camera. She made me promise I wouldn’t blackmail her with it! (But she never said I had to delete it.. Muahaha! Love you, Anita!)

AG Howard
 
After that, I ran to the Spencer Hill Press booth, where the epic Danielle Ellison was signing copies of her debut, Follow Me Through Darkness. The line was insane and I was lucky to snag a ticket! (Yep, no special treatment! I had to get a ticket and stand in line!). Danielle is so awesome, it was great finally meeting her! But it was especially exciting since she was signing her ARCs for the very first time! I also met Megan Whitmer, author of Between, for the first time in person!

After that, I slowly made my way to the Heir of Fire line. I was a bit terrified, but it was about 11:30 and I figured the line would be moving along at that point. So wrong! It was still epically huge and I stood on line for over an hour! But I finally got Heir of Fire and was able to surprise my friend by texting her a picture of the book! Since she assumed I wasn’t getting it, she pretty much flipped out. It was awesome and Sarah J. Maas is so, so sweet!

After that, I kind of just wandered around for a bit. I didn’t really have anything else until three and my feet were HATING me. So I found a table, got a soda and just sat for a while. A few random people joined me and I struck up converations with them. Two really nice women even watched my stuff while I ran for a tote bag line (Yes, I waited in line for a tote bag because it was an EPIC tote bag!)

Unfortunately, relaxing meant I missed out on Megan Whitmer’s signing at Spencer Hill. But I won a pre-order of her book, so I didn’t want to take an ARC from someone who desperately wanted it, anyway. I also missed the unveiling of the cover for Deadly Sweet Lies, the second book in Erica Cameron’s series (book one was Sing Sweet Nightingale). But I saw it the next time I stopped by the table and it was GORGEOUS!

Deadly Sweet Lies
 
At about 2:30, I made my way back to Spencer Hill (I hung out there a LOT). For those who don’t know, I’m a publicist with them. One of my authors, Kelsey Macke, was going to be signing her debut novel, Damsel Distressed, for the FIRST TIME EVER, so you know I high-tailed it over there! Also signing at that time were Dahlia Adler and Rachel Harris. I grabbed my tickets for Kelsey and Dahlia (Again, no special treatment, even with my own author!) and then ran for Rachel’s line first. I had met Rachel a few hours earlier and, once again, I fangirled! I’ve read all her books and I adore her, so it was epic finally meeting her in person! Once I got my copy of The Fine Art of Pretending, I ran back to Kelsey and Dahlia and waited until they were done, but then picked up copies of their books and got them signed. This was also the first time I’ve met Kelsey in real life, so there was a LOT of hugging and squealing!

Kelsey
 
Dahlia and Kelsey
 
After that, I was pretty much done with BEA. I had originally planned to attend Saturday, but I was exhausted and achey and I had more than enough books to bring home with me! So I called my neighbor (we commuted home together) and while I waited, I ran into Erica Cameron! It was the first time meeting in person, so again, all the epicness!

After that, I made my way downstairs, grabbed my bags and headed home!

~*~*~*~*~*~

And there you have it! I’m sure I forgot some things, but that was the basic gist of it! Overall, I had an epic, epic time and even though it was exhausting and my feet still hate me, I enjoyed every single second of it!

Bloggers I met (And didn’t mention above)

Aly from My Heart Hearts Books
April from Good Books and Good Wine
Betty from Book Rock Betty
Cassi from My Thoughts Literally
Jessica from Lovin Los Libros
Kate from Midnight Book Girl
Kate Tilton, author assistant and owner of #k8chat (Thursdays at 9pm EST on Twitter)
Kelly from Have Book Will Read
Nikki from There Were Books Involved
Octavia from Read, Sleep, Repeat
(If I missed anyone, my deepest apologies! Come slap me and remind me to add you to the list!)

Highlights & Favorite Moments

-> Meeting R.L Stine, Melissa Marr and Melissa de la Cruz! Three of my absolute favorite authors, all in one day! Cue the fangirling!

-> Meeting A.G. Howard! Epic, epic, epic! Splintered and Unhinged are two of my favorite books! Anita is awesome and I love chatting with her on Twitter, so meeting her in person was ridiculously awesome!

-> Finally meeting my Spencer Hill Press family!! Seriously, I’ve been working with these wonderful people since mid-January and (with the exception of Brooke, Damaris and Lisa), this was the first time I’ve ever met any of them in real life! Video chats do NOT do them justice! Shout-outs to Cindy, Jenn AP, Vikki, Kelsey, Dahlia, Megan, Erica, Kate, Jessica, Trisha, Patricia, Danielle – Loved meeting all of you! (And so sorry if I missed anyone!).

-> All the epic bloggers I met! It’s one thing to chat with all of you online, it’s another to finally meet you all in person!

-> All the additional events I went to (Teen Author Carnival and Harlequin Teen breakfast). These were so fun! And I met some wonderful people and got some amazing books!

Things I Need to Do Next Time (BEA 2015)

-> Pictures!! I need to take more pictures! Especially pictures with friends and authors! I got the one with Anita and the one with R.L. Stine. And Amalie Howard took a selfie of us! But I didn’t get pictures with anyone else. This is my NUMBER ONE REGRET OF BEA 2014. It was busy and hectic, yes. And I often ran into people while in lines or while running to lines. But still. I met so many epic people, I wish I had the pictures to document it!

-> Talk to the publishing people running the booths! It was so hectic, running from line to line, that I really didn’t stop to just chat with the editors and publicists at the publisher booths. I wanted to. I tried to a few times. But I didn’t try hard enough. So next year, I really want to work on this!

-> Meet more people! I can’t count the number of people I missed out on seeing! I found out I was in the SAME ROOM as Kelly Simmon from Inkslinger PR (at Teen Author Carnival) and I still missed getting to say hello! I also failed to see Ksenia from Macmillan. I missed a BUNCH of blogger friends. It’s really hard to find a good time to meet up with everyone, but I definitely need to try harder next year. It’s so rare that we’re all in the same place together like that, especially with so many bloggers living across the country. It’s an opportunity I don’t want to miss out on again!

-> Shyness. I worked really hard on this, actually. I tried to speak up and say hello to people and such. But I definitely missed out on saying hello to certain bloggers because I was too nervous to speak up. I was thisclose to about four bloggers that I really wanted to introduce myself to and I chickened out. Sigh.

~*~*~*~*~*~

And yes, that does mean I’m going to try REALLY HARD to attend BEA 2015. I’ve heard some weirds things, though, so we’ll see how it goes. But I would definitely hate for this to be my first and last BEA! I doubt I’ll be able to get to Chicago in 2016 (though never say never!), so the goal right now is DEFINITELY to attempt BEA 2015!

~*~*~*~*~*~

And now, BEA Book Haul Video! Heads up, I usually write out all the titles and authors and link to Goodreads, but… I have over 30 books to share with you, so I’m not going to do that because it would take me forever. Instead, if you have a question about a specific book, you can leave a comment and I’ll provide more info! Hope that’s okay with you guys! :)

Okay, here we go… Enjoy!

Cover Reveal – The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

The Perilous Journey of the Not-So-Innocuous
Girl by Leigh Statham

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

The Perilous Journey of the Not So Innocuous Girl

Lady Marguerite lives a life most 17th century French girls can only dream of: Money, designer dresses, suitors and a secure future. Except, she suspects her heart may be falling for her best friend Claude, a common smithie in the family’s steam forge. When Claude leaves for New France in search of a better life, Marguerite decides to follow him and test her suspicions of love. Only the trip proves to be more harrowing than she anticipated. Love, adventure and restitution await her, if she can survive the voyage.

add to goodreads

Title: THE PERILOUS JOURNEY OF
THE NOT-SO-INNOCUOUS GIRL
Publication date: 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Leigh Statham

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

L. Statham

Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho, but found her heart in New York City. She worked as a waitress, maid, artist, math teacher, nurse, web designer, art director, thirty-foot inflatable pig and mule wrangler before she settled down in the semi-quiet role of wife, mother and writer. She resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, five chickens and two suspected serial killer cats. If the air is cool and the sun is just coming up over the horizon, you can find her running the streets of her small town, plotting her next novel with the sort of intensity that will one day get her hit by a car.

Connect with the Author: Website |Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

(Winners will receive their book on release day)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Button

Pandora’s Wonderland: Retelling a Classic (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Vivi Barnes, YA author of Olivia Twisted and the upcoming Paper or Plastic (January 2015), here with an epically awesome guest post. I absolutely adore Vivi! Thanks to Dahlia Adler, I had the honor of interviewing Vivi and reading Olivia Twisted before it released. I fell in love with Vivi’s fun plot and realistic characters – I was able to easily follow the story, despite never having read Oliver Twisted (which pulls us nicely into Vivi’s guest post)! I highly recommend her books to everyone and anyone! So, without further adieu, please welcome Vivi!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Retellings can be tricky things—the decision of what to keep and what to change is not easy. OLIVIA TWISTED is a contemporary novel (as was OLIVER TWIST in its day) so I needed to make the obvious updates—changing the workhouse to the foster care system, updating from pickpockets to hackers, etc.

I thought I’d share some of the “fun facts” of incorporating OLIVER TWIST into OLIVIA TWISTED (there are more, but these are some of my favorites).

1) In OLIVER TWIST, Mr. Bumble—the pompous parish beadle—was responsible for moving Oliver to his next home from the workhouse. Though greatly softened, he is reimagined in Julia, the child welfare official, who moves Olivia from home to home without noticing the obvious red flags, such as at her latest home with the Carters.

2) The Sowerberrys with whom Oliver Twist lives before joining Fagin’s gang are mirrored in the Carters, Olivia’s latest foster home. The experience in these homes plays into the decision of the main characters to join the gang of thieves.

3) Z’s real name is the true name of the Artful Dodger in OLIVER TWIST.

4) Charley Bates was the sidekick of the Artful Dodger in OLIVER TWIST. Z’s friend Sam is the equivalent in OLIVIA TWISTED.

5) Mrs. Bedwin is the kind-hearted housekeeper for Mr. Brownlow in both stories.

6) I was always impressed with how Nancy fought against everything society had made her to help Oliver escape from Bill Sykes, so I made her the house “mother” of the Monroe Street Home for Boys & Girls. In keeping with her nature, she is kind and tries to keep the safety and well being of the kids as her priority.

7) And finally, I enjoyed making a few references to the original story in passing conversations—at one point, Z is referenced as “Dodger,” because he “likes the Dodgers.” And in a nod to the original story’s focus, Z tries to justify the “business” of Monroe Street by telling Olivia, “It’s not like we pick pockets.” My friends tried to get me to include the famous line, “Please sir, I want some more,” but, ya know, I just couldn’t make it work without it sounding really weird.

Happy Blogoversary, Meredith and Pandora’s Books!

~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Along with Vivi’s’s wonderful post, we have an epic prize to give away! One lucky winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Olivia Twisted! This giveaway is US only, but fear not! We have INT giveaways going on in our Grand Prize Giveaway which you can enter here! We also have several International giveaways going on, which you can find listed here!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is US Only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: My Last Kiss by Bethany Neal

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: My Last Kiss by Bethany NealMy Last Kiss by Bethany Neal
Published by Farrar Straus and Giroux on June 10, 2014
Pages: 358
Format: ARC
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-stars

What if your last kiss was with the wrong boy?

Cassidy Haines remembers her first kiss vividly. It was on the old covered bridge the summer before her freshman year with her boyfriend of three years, Ethan Keys. But her last kiss--the one she shared with someone at her seventeenth birthday party the night she died--is a blur. Cassidy is trapped in the living world, not only mourning the loss of her human body, but left with the grim suspicion that her untimely death wasn't a suicide as everyone assumes. She can't remember anything from the weeks leading up to her birthday and she's worried that she may have betrayed her boyfriend.

If Cassidy is to uncover the truth about that fateful night and make amends with the only boy she'll ever love, she must face her past and all the decisions she made--good and bad--that led to her last kiss.

Bethany Neal's suspenseful debut novel is about the power of first love and the haunting lies that threaten to tear it apart.

My Last Kiss was a twisty mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. Bethany Neal wrote a story with an intriguing plot and likable characters that I grew to truly care for. The mystery in this book was so intense, I was literally screaming at my book in frustration, trying to figure out who the “culprit” was! I had 19 Goodreads status updates for this book and 11 of them were “I don’t trust that person…. No, now I don’t trust THAT person!”

I really enjoyed Cassidy’s story and being on this journey with her. There were moments where I felt very disconnected from her, but I think that’s because she was so disconnected from herself. With chunks missing from her memory, she didn’t know who she was, who to trust, who was telling the truth, etc. So as the reader, we didn’t know either. It was really interesting to see how this played out and it made it even more satisfying when Cassidy remembered things; it was like an “Aha!” moment.

I adored Aimee. She was an amazing friend, loyal and kind. She loved Cassidy so much, she refused to believe the “truth” given to her and she sought answers. Her investigation effected everyone involved and changed a lot of lives – some for the better and some… not so much. Madison was an awful friend and I wanted to slap her for pretty much the entire book.

Ethan and Caleb… The “love interests.” I would love to discuss these two guys at length but I don’t want to risk spoilers so all I’m going to say is this: I liked Ethan a lot, but didn’t like him with Cassidy. I absolutely loved Caleb, but I don’t think he ever could have fit into Cassidy’s life. I went back and forth a LOT on which of these two guys I distrusted more for a good portion of the book!

Mica and Drew… Ugh. I thought both of them were slimy and sleezy right from the beginning. I never liked them and never trusted them. And the way their story lines played out… It definitely wasn’t what I expected!

There was a HUGE ensemble of characters in this book, some in Cassidy’s group of friends, some who hung on the edges of her clique. It would be almost impossible to name them all and discuss them without spoilers. However, I commend Neal for writing such amazing secondary – and even tertiary – characters. Some authors are great with their main characters, but don’t develop their secondary characters enough. Yet Neal was able to create an entire group of people and make them feel alive and real. I felt like each character was given their own unique background and no one (not even the tertiary characters) was forgotten.

The one thing with ghost stories that gets to me, though, is that the main character can grow so much from beginning to end – especially in this kind of situation where they don’t remember anything and slowly realize what they did and where they went wrong – but… They can’t really do anything with this knowledge. Cause.. they’re dead. I’m a big fan of character development, so this kind of irks me. I do feel like their lessons typically rub off on their friends and family, who then become better for it. So I think this was the one down-side to My Last Kiss – with where the story ends, we really don’t see what the big reveal means for everyone, or how anyone grows as a result of the things they went through and learned. I would have loved an epilogue or even just one more chapter, something so we could have gotten more of a resolution.

Overall, I absolutely LOVED My Last Kiss. I feel like we don’t have a lot of amazing ghost stories in YA, so when I come across one, I get really excited! My Last Kiss is definitely going to the top of the “Amazing Ghost Stories in YA” list. I definitely feel like this was a strong debut for Bethany Neal and I’m VERY excited to see what she comes up with next! I highly recommend this book for fans of ghost stories, as well as for fans of books like Tara Hudson’s Hereafter trilogy!

four-stars

Pandora’s Wonderland: The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris (Except + Giveaway)

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Rachel Harris here with an epically awesome excerpt from her new book, The Fine Art of Pretending (TFAoP) (September 2014, Spencer Hill Contemporary). I’ve been a HUGE fan of Rachel ever since I read Taste the Heat (almost a year ago)! She writes amazing stories with fun plots, lovable characters and swoon-worthy boys! So, without further adieu, please enjoy this super fun exceprt!!

~*~*~*~*~*~

TFAoP Teaser 2

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8th


7 weeks and 6 days until Homecoming

• ALY •

ALY’S HOUSE, 5:45 p.m.

I sit at my vanity, staring at the free gift-with-purchase bag stuffed with makeup, and try to remember which products Kara used yesterday. The idea of a beauty regime is as foreign to me as losing a volleyball match, but desperate times call for desperate measures. After applying the coral blush to the “apples” of my cheeks (another new term for my vocabulary), I grab the berry-stained lip gloss I’m almost certain is right. I unscrew the cap, pump the wand, and raise it to my mouth.

A sudden rap on the door makes the wand skitter across my cheek, leaving a zigzag stripe of Blackberry Bloom in its wake.

“Lovely,” I mutter, yanking a handful of tissues out of a crochet-covered box. Regardless of how often I’ve watched Gabi and Kara do this, obviously makeup application skills cannot be obtained through osmosis. I toss the balled-up Kleenex into the waste bin and bellow, “Come in, Kaitie!”

Instead of my younger sister, Brandon lets himself in, a notebook with sketched-out game plans tucked under his arm. When he spots me in the corner, he does a double-take, eyebrows shooting up over his jade-colored eyes. “I see Kara got to you. Should I even ask why?”

Well, at least he noticed.

In reply, I walk to the huge mirror over my bed that acts as a massive picture frame for my ultimate Wall of Shame. My feet sink into the plush yellow comforter, and I point to the latest entry.

“Exhibit A,” I tell him. “Junior Prom.”

Brandon hops up beside me, leans in to inspect the picture, and nods. “I don’t get it.”

I exhale and stare at the picture taken three months ago—two weeks after Adam and I had broken up. Adam was my first boyfriend. My only boyfriend. And up until our breakup, I assumed things were going great. We’d been going out for four months, and I’d foolishly thought he could be the one. Maybe not the forever one, but the one for a good while. The one to see me as desirable.

The one to break my curse.

“When I added this picture the other night,” I say, “I had an epiphany.”

Brandon scratches the back of his neck and squints. “An epiphany?”

“Yes, an epiphany. Look again. Do you not notice a demoralizing theme to the dance pictures?” I pause for him to inspect the evidence and sigh when he shrugs. “All my dates are friends, Brandon. Every Homecoming, Winter Formal, and Spring Fling picture shows me with a bunch of girlfriends, an ex-boyfriend pity date, or a just-a-friend guy date. Starting with you.”

TFAoP Teaser 1
 
~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Thanks to Rachel, along with this epic excerpt, we have a swag pack for ONE of you lucky readers! The swag pack will include a Brandon Trading Card (pictured below!), a TFAoP teaser card and a bookmark. Plus, this is an international giveaway!

collectorcard-2.5inx3.5in-h-front
 
So, the rules:

-Giveaway is International

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pandora’s Wonderland: Why Dating is More Fun in the Future (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Jamie Grey, YA author of Ultraviolet Catastrophe and The Star Thief, here with an epically awesome guest post. I absolutely adore Jamie! Thanks to Dahlia Adler, I had the honor of interviewing Jamie and reading Ultraviolet Catastrophe before it released. I fell in love with Jamie’s unique plot and realistic characters. I highly recommend her books to everyone and anyone! So, without further adieu, please welcome Jamie!

~*~*~*~*~*~

I think most of us have been there: You’ve been on 23 dates this year and you still can’t find a good guy (or girl) to settle down with. Or, you’re on yet another awkward first date, trapped in a restaurant with yet another person you know isn’t a good match. Or, even worse, a few dates in and you can’t think of a damn thing to do with that person and you end up staring at each other, bored out of your minds.

Well, have no fear, in the future, those problems will be gone and romance will be a breeze! (Or so we hope.)

Getting tired of the same old guys you’ve been meeting? The ones with crappy jobs, or the ones who don’t seem to realize how awesome you are? In the future, you can find your dates cross species! That REALLY opens up the dating prospects. Hate the way that human guy’s been treating you? Try a Martian. Or an Ileth. Or those hot Klingons across the star system. I hear they’re pretty good in bed.

What happens if you just don’t click with that hunky guy from the planet Antivia Nine and he won’t stop calling? “I’m busy on another planet” is a totally legitimate excuse to turn down a date. Nothing like a few million light years between you to get the point across.

Or how about that sixth date slog? You’re totally into Mr. Perfect Alien, but you’re bored with sitting around watching holo-vid movies? Hop a starship for a date in Saturn’s Rings. Who wouldn’t find dining in an asteroid belt romantic? Or try the newest dish from the recently-discovered planet in the next galaxy. I hear it’s an aphrodisiac.

Finally ready to take that next step in your relationship? How about flowers from a distant planet to set the scene, and light from the actual stars to make the room glow? And once the details are right, turn off the gravity dampeners and float. Making love in zero-gravity is definitely something new and different! Talk about a date to remember!

In the future, the romantic possibilities are endless!

~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Thanks to Jamie, we have an epic prize to give away! One INTERNATIONAL winner will receive an eBook of Jamie’s NA novel, The Star Thief! This book was crazy good, so you definitely don’t want to miss out on entering this giveaway!!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is INT

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Hexed by Michelle Krys (Blog Tour)

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Hexed by Michelle Krys (Blog Tour)Hexed by Michelle Krys
Series: Hexed #1
Published by Delacorte Press on June 10, 2014
Pages: 384
Source: the publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
four-half-stars

If high school is all about social status, Indigo Blackwood has it made. Sure, her quirky mom owns an occult shop, and a nerd just won’t stop trying to be her friend, but Indie is a popular cheerleader with a football-star boyfriend and a social circle powerful enough to ruin everyone at school. Who wouldn’t want to be her?

Then a guy dies right before her eyes. And the dusty old family Bible her mom is freakishly possessive of is stolen. But it’s when a frustratingly sexy stranger named Bishop enters Indie’s world that she learns her destiny involves a lot more than pom-poms and parties. If she doesn’t get the Bible back, every witch on the planet will die. And that’s seriously bad news for Indie, because according to Bishop, she’s a witch too.

Suddenly forced into a centuries-old war between witches and sorcerers, Indie’s about to uncover the many dark truths about her life—and a future unlike any she ever imagined on top of the cheer pyramid.

Hexed_TourBannerMedium

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Hexed blog tour! I’m very excited to be a part of this blog tour! I first heard about Hexed back in December of 2013 and I’ve been excited to read it ever since. And let me tell you, it was just as epic as it sounded!! I hope you enjoy my review!

Hexed was an amazing, amazing book and I adored it to pieces! I felt satisfied with the ending, yet was desperate for more! I don’t know how I’ll survive until 2015 when book two comes out! Fair warning, I loved this book so much, I was barely able to put it into words.. So this review is pretty much me just babbling about how awesome it is in the vaguest way so I don’t spoil anything! You have been warned…! :)

I loved Indie (aka, Indigo, the main character). She was pretty innocent and slightly helpless in the beginning, but she didn’t stay that way for long. She did what she had to in order to survive and, when she grew tired of constantly being in danger, she stepped up and fought to learn who she was and what being a witch meant. She definitely went through a lot throughout the book and she matured a lot, especially near the end, when she took charge of the situation.

Bishop was… Whoa. I adored him more than words can ever describe! I’m adding him to the Book Boyfriend List! He’s right up there with Morpheus and Matt Finch as far as being swoon-worthy! He had a sarcastic sense of humor and some hilariously evil one-liners, not to mention his physical description. Basically, he had everything a swoon-worthy YA book boy needs to be, well, swoon-worthy! The tension between him and Indie was hilarious and when they finally gave in, it was epic!

Paige was an awesome friend. Indie was so horrible to her for so long, Paige had no obligation to stick by Indie, yet she did. I really felt like Paige was a relatable character and I would have loved to see more of her in the story. Although, that ending… I have a feeling we WILL see more of her in book two. But.. Well.. It may.. *Bites tongue* You guys need to read this book so we can discuss this!!!

Jezebel was horribly bitchy, but I loved her anyway. There was just something about her that made me want to like her. She was hilarious and badass! Though, at the same time, I was a little nervous about trusting her at certain points throughout for the book. Bianca, on the other-hand, was horrible and I wanted to punch her! She was hilarious in the beginning, but she turned out to be an awful friend and a horrible person.

Now, Aunt Penny… I really can’t say much about her without spoiling things. But first, let me say her name called to mind Charmed and Grams. So I automatically loved her. But then, near the end… I had this weird, gut feeling that she knew more than she was letting on… And I’m anxious to see what her role is in the second book. I’m really hoping she plays a bigger part in the plot for book two than she did in Hexed!

There were some pretty heart-wrenching moments in this book, as well as some major heart-stopping moments. One thing in particular that happened.. I kept hoping it was a joke or reversible or… something, anything! I refused to believe it had actually happened. But unfortunately, it wasn’t a joke and it wasn’t reversed and, not gonna lie, I teared up a bit!

The ending had me on the edge of my seat! Every time I thought one thing was going to happen, something else entirely happened! I thought I knew where it was going and I was partly right, but mostly wrong! I had a weird feeling about one thing, though, and I was mostly right! Sorry for the vagueness – This is the hardest non-spoiler review I’ve ever had to write! I just want to discuss ALL THE THINGS WITH YOU GUYS! But I can’t cause then I’d spoil it for you… Please read this book ASAP so we can discuss!

Bottom line, Michelle Krys is an amazing storyteller. She crafted a wonderful world, amazing characters and a terrific plot that makes me beyond happy witch books are becoming a thing again. Not only am I already desperate for book two, but I’m desperate for whatever else Krys writes outside the Hexed world. She’s definitely a debut author to watch out for!

four-half-stars

Pandora’s Wonderland: The Reality of Being an Author (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Robin Constantine, YA author of The Promise of Amazing, here with an epically awesome guest post. I absolutely adore Robin. Before blogging, I read very little YA contemporary fiction. It just wasn’t my thing. I preferred Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Paranormal, etc. But through the recommendation of Dahlia Adler and OneFour KidLit, I gave The Promise of Amazing a chance, plus scored an interview with Robin. Let me tell you, if you haven’t read this book… DO IT! (Psst, there’s a giveaway for one copy of The Promise of Amazing at the end of this post.. So get on that! You WANT to read this book!) So when Robin brought this guest post topic to me, I totally loved the idea! It’s a different side of publishing that reader’s don’t see as often. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did! So, without further adieu, please welcome Robin!

~*~*~*~*~*~

When Meredith asked if I’d like to participate in her blogoversary bash, I was thrilled! Not only because it’s been wonderful to see her blog thrive, but also because it’s been about a year and a half since I signed my book contract and am only just starting to reflect on this wild and amazing journey I’ve been on during my debut year. One of the questions I’m frequently asked is “Does the reality of being an author match your expectations?” and I usually answer something along the lines of “It’s everything I hoped it would be and nothing like I expected it to be.” Doesn’t make much sense, right? Here are some of the situations where my expectations and my reality were sometimes at odds:

Signing my Book Deal

I think every writer has a dream about getting “the call.” And it was awesome.


 
…but after the champagne was popped and the confetti swept away, I woke up at 3:00AM feeling much like this:


 
As much as you want your work ‘out there’ when it suddenly becomes a reality, it’s kind of terrifying.

Visiting my publisher for the first time

This is one where the reality totally exceeded my expectations. It was overwhelming to see how many people work on a book!

The Month Leading up to Launch

Fantasy – I’ll be calm, cool, collected and ready to party.


 
Reality – There’s no turning back now.


 
I was writing another book, doing guest posts, getting reviews and dealing with the holidays – and in my spare time just trying to embrace the chaos. By the time my book was out there, I needed a nap!

Seeing My Book in the Bookstore

How I thought I’d be:


 
The reality:


 
You know, because they usually look down on back-flipping down the aisle. (And also, I just wanted to use a Joseph Morgan .gif)

Now that I’m published writing will be easy

All authors must go to their desk divinely inspired everyday, right?


 
Ha! Eeek…in reality it’s still like this:


 
And this:


 
And sometimes even this:


 
But in the end, even with all the craziness, this debut year has mostly been like this:


 
 
Happy Blogoversary Pandora’s Books! Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebration, Meredith! And thank you to all you lovely readers for making my job a dream come true!!

~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Along with Robin’s amazing, gif-tastic post, we have an epic prize to give away! A finished copy of The Promise of Amazing! This giveaway is US only, but fear not! We have INT giveaways going on in our Grand Prize Giveaway which you can enter here! We also have an international giveaway going on here and here!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is US Only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: The Three Thorns by Michael Gibney

 

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

The Three Thorns (The Brotherhood and The Shield #1)
by Michael Gibney

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

MG_TTT_Revision4_preview

Three brothers born to a once powerful King were abandoned at birth and cast out into the old world as orphans – alone and unaware of the other’s existence or their royal heritage.

In the new world, by order of the false King, three of the most lethal assassins are sent to kill the children before they come of age and avenge their father’s throne.

But when the brothers find one another, Benjamin, Tommy and Sebastian must resist the temptation of magic and power if they are to defeat the unspeakable evil that has threatened them since birth.

The Three Thorns is book one in an exciting children’s fantasy series called The Brotherhood and the Shield from debut author Michael Gibney.

add to goodreads

Title: THE THREE THORNS
(THE BROTHERHOOD AND THE SHIELD #1)
Publication date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Michael Gibney

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Michael GibneyMichael Gibney began working in restaurants at the age of sixteen and assumed his first sous chef position at twenty-two. He ascended to executive sous chef at Tavern on the Green, where he managed an eighty-person staff. He has worked in the kitchens of Morgans Hotel Group, 10 Downing in Manhattan, and Governor in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, among many others. Over the course of his career, he has had the opportunity to work alongside cooks and chefs from many of the nation’s best restaurants, including Alinea, Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Daniel, Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Bouley, Ducasse, Corton, wd~50, and Momofuku.

In addition to his experience in the food service industry, Gibney also holds a BFA in painting from Pratt Institute and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Connect with the Author: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

(Winners will receive their book on release day)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Button

Pandora’s Wonderland: Epic Bookish Fan Art (Guest Post + Giveaway)

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING INCREDIBLE WONDERFUL Kayla from A Wonderland of Reading here with an epically awesome guest post. Kayla is my blogging BFF, my partner in crime and an all-around, wonderfully bookish person. Hosting this event together, along with the equally epic Stacie, has been beyond fun! So, without further adieu, please welcome Kayla!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hi everyone, Kayla here! I’m here to talk about something that has always really fascinated me, which is (fan)art inspired by books and/or their covers. There are some covers out there that are beautiful masterpieces all by themselves. Examples being:

splintered book cover2 TBS Beware the Wild Burning SKy

Now, I don’t know about you but covers can really make it or break it for me, especially if I’m just browsing for new books. Covers themselves are a form of art. They can be very simple, very elegant, beautiful and eye catching, or sometimes dull. Like with all forms of art, people have many different tastes and takes and it goes right along with covers as well. A cover that might look dumb to me may be absolutely stunning to you. Or in case like The Burning Sky, I see a phoenix on the cover but someone out there may say they see a dragon or something.

There’s no right or wrong interpretation when it comes to art, which is one of the reasons I love fanart so much. It’s really someone’s interpretation of a cover or a book or a person. How they see it, how they like it, what they want to see it as, etc. A cute example would be Sara from Forever 17 Books‘ feature, A Kid’s Perspective. Sara has her son look at a cover of a book and then draw it out for himself and then tell what the book is about based on the cover. An example being:

Cinder Cinder KId

It catches the major essence of the cover but Shawn added his own spin. While I think the cover of Cinder is really supposed to focus more on the shoe and Cinderella, he focuses more on the metal in her leg.

There’s the method of viewing someone else’s (young or old) interpretation and having them draw what they see and think, or you can go the more technological way for fan art. Another feature I just find adorable is Becca from Pivot Book Reviews‘ feature Cover Puppies. She takes gorgeous covers and redoes them with her dogs! Absolutely adore! Here’s an example:

Infinite Infinite Puppy

She’s also drawn them:

EP EP Puppy

Both are down right adorable yet still capture the cover! I love how she’s incorporated her dogs into books like this!

Denise from Dandelionn Wine Book Blog, who actually designed the Dream Team buttons for Erica Cameron’s Street Team (and I have one on my blog!), goes the more interesting route! Case in point:

Denise
 
While she herself didn’t draw any of this, she combined several pictures, from the covers of the series to pictures that I assume either are scenes from the books or have meaning in them (still have to read Bloodlines myself), to form her own unique interpretation of things! Another example that shows there’s no right or wrong way to do fanart or express your love for a book/series!

Stephanie from Ohana Reads shows off her love for books in a couple of ways! She does excellent photography and, my personal favorite, designs these awesome book charms of books she likes! Examples being:

Pile O Pendants 4
 
(Ugh I would kill to have one of those book charms!!)

She’s taken her love, and talent, for photography and included books into it as well as crafted these charms for books. While these include the exact books and covers, she’s still able to place her own spin and personality into it which is one of the things fanart is made for!

Finally, you could even go the route I went. I discovered I have a talent for stippling, so I draw/paint/color/design/etc a cover. I recently did the cover for Splintered by A.G. Howard. Here’s the result of that:

Splintered Kayla
 
And I think I did pretty well if I do say so myself! After I realized that it’s fun, I’m good at it, you can tell what it is and what it’s from, and the author (and readers) like it I decided I’d continue to do it! I already plan on doing Unhinged and Ensnared by Anita as well as Fallen or Torment by Lauren Kate! Hopefully they turn out as well as this piece did!

Books are amazing, and their covers sometimes breathtaking, but the best part about them is they aren’t just for reading. They can inspire people far beyond that. To do art that they never would’ve tried before (like me) or sometime fun to do to express their love for a book. It’s amazing to see what people can come up with, especially when it comes to fan art!

~*~*~*~*~*~
 
Along with Kayla’s wonderful post, we have an epic prize to give away – a $5 gift card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is INT (Since I can email the gift card to the winner)

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway