Giveaway: Moon Dwellers Birthday Party

Today, The Moon Dwellers by David Estes turns 1 year old! It was 1 year ago today (June 30th) that David Estes first published the first book in his first ever YA dystopian series, The Dwellers Saga, and changed his life forever. Since then, The Moon Dwellers has outsold and drawn more hype than any other of his 13 published books, and has risen to the top 10 of many YA dystopian lists on Listopia, finding a place amongst bestselling books such as The Hunger Games, Delirium and Divergent. The birth of The Moon Dwellers also changed David’s life forever. As he’s gone from struggling Indie author to fulltime writer, he’s watched in amazement as his Goodreads fan group has swelled from 300 members to over 1,300. Since writing The Moon Dwellers, David has gone on to write and publish two sequels, The Star Dwellers and The Sun Dwellers, as well as three books in a sister series, The Country Saga (Fire Country, Ice Country, and Water & Storm Country). He plans to release the 7th and final book, The Earth Dwellers, in the combined series on September 5th later this year.

So what did David Estes want to do to celebrate The Moon Dwellers book birthday? His answer: “Give away as many free ebooks of The Moon Dwellers as possible!” So if you’re like so many others who are obsessed with YA dystopian novels like The Hunger Games, Delirium, and Divergent, and haven’t yet read the growing phenomenon that is The Moon Dwellers, now’s your chance to do so FOR FREE.

You can grab your free ebook of The Moon Dwellers from Smashwords.com using the coupon code below. And please feel free to share with your family and friends and pets, the more ebooks are given away the happier David will be. The only thing David asks for in return is that if you enjoy the read and continue on with the series, to please leave a positive review on Amazon.com for each of his books that you read.

Where you can find The Moon Dwellers: SMASHWORDS

Coupon Code: AQ92E

Please note, this code expires on July 31, 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for those of you planning on reading The Dwellers and/or The Country Saga, here’s a special note from the author, David Estes:

The Earth Dwellers will cap off an eighteen month journey that has taken me from unknown Indie author to still-mostly-unknown fulltime Indie author. The change is a subtle one for most people, but for me it’s a dream come true. To the hundreds (and now maybe even thousands!) of readers who have come along for the ride with me, either by reading the Dwellers Saga, the Country Saga, or both, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now down to business. There may be some of you who have only read the three books in the Country Saga or only the three books in the Dwellers Saga, and are now thinking you’ll read The Earth Dwellers, which is supposedly the 4th book in BOTH the Country Saga and the Dwellers Saga. Well, that’s awesome! However, I must highly recommend that before reading The Earth Dwellers that you read the three books in BOTH series. Trust me, doing so will greatly enhance your experience, as The Earth Dwellers will be taking significant characters from both series and crashing them together (yes, like a water country wave) into an action-packed tale of struggle and loss and hope and friendship…and maybe a little love, too.

Anyway, that’s my advice, it’s up to you what to do with it. In any case, thanks for being a part of my own adventure, I’m a better person for having written stories for you!

Recommended Reading prior to The Earth Dwellers

Fire Country

Ice Country

Water & Storm Country

The Moon Dwellers

The Star Dwellers

The Sun Dwellers

Other YA Books by David Estes!

The Evolution Trilogy:

Book 1- Angel Evolution

Book 2- Demon Evolution

Book 3- Archangel Evolution

Children’s Books by David Estes

The Nikki Powergloves Adventures:

Nikki Powergloves- A Hero is Born

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council

Nikki Powergloves and the Power Trappers

Nikki Powergloves and the Great Adventure

Nikki Powergloves vs. the Power Outlaws (Coming soon!)

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. He grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife and soul mate, Adele, who he’s now been happily married to for more than two years.

A reader all his life, David began writing novels for the children’s and YA markets in 2010, and has completed 13 novels, 11 of which have been published.  In June of 2012, David became a fulltime writer and is now travelling the world with his wife while he writes books, and she writes and takes photographs.

David gleans inspiration from all sorts of crazy places, like watching random people do entertaining things, dreams (which he jots copious notes about immediately after waking up), and even from thin air sometimes! Recently he’s been inspired by some of his favorite authors, like Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth, and Maggie Stiefvater.

David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, an obsessive Goodreads group member, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.  He loves responding to e-mails, Facebook messages, Tweets, blog comments, and Goodreads comments from his readers, all of whom he considers to be his friends.

Where you can find David Estes hanging out: 
David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite

Blog/website

Facebook page

Goodreads author page

Twitter

Book Review: Killing Sarai by J.A. Redmerski

Title: Killing Sarai

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Blurb: Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story…

My Review: I guess I should start by saying that after reading The Edge of Never I’ve come to have really high expectations for Ms. Redmerski’s work. In hindsight it might appear that I was setting that bar impossibly high except for the fact that this book blew me away and surpassed all of my expectations.

Sarai has been Javier’s prisoner for years. She has survived while always dreaming of surviving. Now, after nine years she finally has the chance in the form of Victor. Victor comes off as cold and unfeeling. I was unsure as to whether he is either closed of to his emotions or is simply unfeeling. At least that’s what he wants us to think. Sarai, however, sees past his walls. As unwilling as he may be to helping her, he keeps finding himself in situations where that’s exactly what’s happening.

After Sarai’s escape, I could see that the story was headed in a certain direction. Kill or be killed. As in Javier is unwilling to allow her to live and it becomes clear that one of them has to die. The story becomes centered around this and is clearly leading to this resolution. Honestly I expected the story to end once it got to this point. Yet, I was very pleasantly surprised when the story continued.

Up until that point, Sarai and Victor had been getting to know each other and accepting each other for who they really are. Past this point in the story, everything changes. They start to bond, walls start coming down, the pace of the story changes and Killing Sarai becomes about them, their development, their relationship and their bond. All in an action packed, suspenseful package.

In conclusion, I loved reading Killing Sarai. It was unexpected but real and romantic and truly an adventure. Redmerski has this talent of drawing her readers in and wrapping them around her fingers and there are so many plot twists laying in wait to keep us readers on our toes that there are no dull moments. All in all, a great read and one I recommend.

*I received a free copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review

Giveaway: If you have not entered the Killing Sarai Blog Tour Giveaway be sure to do so by clicking HERE. It’s a book you won’t regret reading. Good luck!

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Killing Sarai by J.A. Redmerski

Title: Killing Sarai

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Age Group: General adult 17 +

Release date: June 20, 2013

Buy on Amazon |Buy on B&N

From the author of the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling novel, THE EDGE OF NEVER, comes a story of passion and survival…
—
Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.
This is their story…

KILLING SARAI Excerpt

I raise the gun a little higher, settling the barrel at the back of her head, but not touching it. I don’t want her to be afraid before she dies and although I know she fears nothing, death is something we all fear in our final moment even if only the smallest part of us is conscious of it. I don’t want her to fear it at all and she can’t if she doesn’t know that it’s happening.

“How old were you when you became what you are?” she asks.

Caught off guard by the question and maybe more-so by the shifting of the mood, I hesitate before answering.

“I was nine.”

She sniffles and wipes her eyes with the hand near her cheek.

“You were very young,” she goes on. “I guess in a way like me, you never had a chance to live a life of your choosing. I guess maybe we aren’t really so different from each other.” She pauses. “Except I might be more like your brother than I care to admit. He’s as angry as I am.”

I release my finger from the trigger and slowly, so she doesn’t know, move the barrel away from the back of her head.

“It must’ve been hard growing up with Niklas,” she says.

I set the gun back on the bed next to me and before I know what I’m doing I’m cradling the back of her head in my hand again.

Giveaway

For a chance to win an ebook copy of Killing Sarai enter this Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck!

About the Author

J.A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of THE EDGE OF NEVER lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC’s The Walking Dead.

Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Web Site

Book Review + Giveaway: Devoured by Emily Snow

Title: Devoured (Devoured #1)

Author: Emily Snow

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Blurb: Sienna Jensen had no plans to return home when she graduated college last spring—after all, her dreams lie in California. But when she discovers her grandmother’s Nashville home has been foreclosed, and the new owner has started the eviction process, Sienna has no other choice but go back to Music City. And she comes face to face with the flawed, gorgeous man she never thought she’d see again. The man who now holds the deed to her grandma’s estate.

When millionaire rock star Lucas Wolfe finds the outspoken redhead glaring at him from across a courtroom, he’s both infuriated and intrigued. He still can’t get the night Sienna almost spent with him out of his mind, and the chemistry between them is as undeniable as it was two years ago. He craves Sienna more than ever. And just like everything Lucas hungers for, he’s determined to have her.

Now, Lucas will do whatever it takes to lure Sienna into his bed, even if that means making a deal with her: ten days with him, playing by his rules, and he’ll hand over the deed to her grandmother’s home. Though she agrees to the arrangement, Sienna is conflicted. Because of her duty to her family. Because of promises she’s made to herself and a past that still haunts her. And as Lucas’s game of seduction continues, and Sienna is introduced to his dark, erotic world and even darker background, she realizes that at any moment, she could be devoured.

*This novel contains adult situations and content*

My Review: Sienna has a troubled home life and has been all but traumatized by her upbringing. She is pretty timid and although she has strong opinions has trouble standing up for herself. Well to everyone but Lucas. The memory of their last encounter is not easy for her and as much as she is attracted to him, she refuses to allow him the opportunity to humiliate her again. However, this agreement they make- 10 days where she works for him, changes her and opens both of their eyes. That what they share is more than an explosive chemistry, they share the potential to fall in love.

I kind of had a love/hate relationship going on with this book. First off, the first couple of chapters seemed to drag for me. I had trouble connecting to Sienna and that in turn made it difficult for me to connect to the book. But then the romance starts. You guys know how much I love romance right? Well it starts and then I start getting a better understanding of Sienna and her and Lucas’ relationship. Secondly, there were a couple of times when certain actions would just leave my head reeling. Seriously. It’s like Sienna would get from point A to point B without any explanation or transition. It would just happen and I would sit for a second, scratching my head, flipping pages back and forth and absolutely confused as to how this all came to be. And for the record, the second reading did nothing to ease my confusion. Third, this book deals a bit with domination. As in a little Fifty Shades of Grey. As much as I enjoyed Fifty Shades, here it felt at times that that novel was being channelled. You guys know how much I enjoy originality right? Well luckily that channelling did not last long and I was able to enjoy Snow’s writing for what it is. A novel all of her own.

So, yes, I had a few ups and downs with Devoured but my final opinions of it are pretty positive. I loved the romance between these two and watching them help each other grow. They each had to get past some of their personal demons for them to really give their relationship a shot and they got past these with the support of the other. I really enjoyed watching Sienna’s character grow and seeing her get some backbone. And the ending. The ending was pretty amazing to me. It definitely had its bit of sappiness but I loved the happy ending. It was creative and heartwarming and definitely made the read worth it.

Giveaway: Now you get a chance to win a paperback copy of Emily Snow’s Devoured. Remember that it’s not exactly Young Adult and sex is involved. So, for you appropriate audiences hop on over to Rafflecopter for your chance to win a copy. This giveaway is limited to the US. To enter Click Here.

Book Review: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)

Author: Tahereh Mafi

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Blurb:
tick
tick
tick
tick
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it’s almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She’s finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam’s life.

My Review: Beware this “review” contains SPOILERS

Dear Tahereh Mafi,

Once upon a time, I read Shatter Me and fell in love. With its premise, poetic prose, its strong characters and Warner. I’ve been anticipating Unravel Me since then and it somehow managed to sit on my bookshelf collecting dust without my even being aware of it. Well I finally got down to reading it and yes, I have a lot to say about it.

Your beautiful and poetic style of writing that I loved so much in the first go round was a hindrance to me this time around. I mean, how many words, beautiful or not, do I have to read to find out if Juliette is going to end up with Warner? It was a kind of hurry-up-and-get-to-it kind of thing. But then all this action starts up, all this character development, a few plot twists and I was extremely entertained.

I was taken back to my adolescent years and experiencing those butterflies and pitter-patters of an overexcited heart. I got all the more excited as I saw tell tale signs of Juliette falling in love with Warner. To put it simply, I was ecstatic. When they have their moment, and things start to heat up and she’s in this bubble with him I was so happy. I was finally seeing them be together and was so happy for it. But then, I realized that Juliette is an idiot and I spent hours disappointed before I could pick up the book and finish reading it.

I mean, I seriously don’t get her and Adam. Ok, maybe I do. Childhood friends, rescuer, first touch and first kiss… There are a lot of reasons for her to love him. But it’s just never felt they were right for each other. Then with what was revealed I felt I was getting that confirmation. Yet, the depth of her feelings for him confuses me. You’d think they were soul mates or destined to be together with all the love they share. But then I see her with Warner and I just can’t believe that. So, what if he comes off as evil? Or that his rap sheet could rival that of a madman? He’s love for her is what redeems him. She makes him want to be a better person. And every time he looks at her or talks to her, I would just fall for him all over again.

I was so disappointed with Juliette and saddened for Warner when they were separated. Then they somehow end up reunited and the book ended in that terrible cliff hanger that has left me desperate and in withdrawal. I without a doubt know that book three is going to be amazing but I don’t think I could handle it if she doesn’t end up with Warner.

Signed -Warner’s biggest fan and a seriously obsessed fan and reader-

Pass It Along Giveaway

Recently, I found a 12 book giveaway over at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. While I don’t remember why I decided to enter- It’s not like my TBR shelf needs any fluffing up. Regardless, I won and now have these 12 additional books collecting dust on my bookshelf. If I were any good with animation I would of created a banner :), either way I am dubbing this one the “Pass It Along” Giveaway. To read more on the specifics of this giveaway from I Am A Reader Click Here.

This Rafflecopter giveaway will be limited to the US (Sorry Guys!). That’s 12 books to one winner. To Enter Click Here. Good Luck!

Book Review: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Title: Dare You To (Pushing The Limits #2)

Author: Katie McGarry

Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Blurb: Ryan lowers his lips to my ear. “Dance with me, Beth.”

“No.” I whisper the reply. I hate him and I hate myself for wanting him to touch me again….

“I dare you…”

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk’s home life, they’d send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom’s freedom and her own happiness. That’s how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn’t want her and going to a school that doesn’t understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn’t get her, but does….

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can’t tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn’t be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won’t let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all….

My Review: OK… Well I guess it’s confession time. I never read Pushing The Limits… Yeah, this is my first Katie McGarry novel. So while I read reviews about how awesome it was to see Noah and Echo’s happy ending in this novel, I could only agree on how happy they are and say that they were great supporting characters. The point of this rant is that Dare You To does great as a stand alone novel.

“Her boney fingers relax against my head and I wish she’d tell me she loves me, because I love her. She may be a drug addict and an alcoholic and she’s probably a whore, but she’s my mom. My mom.”

Beth, the protagonist, i just adored. I’m not even sure easy is part of her vocabulary. Since she was in the third grade her life took a turn for the worst. Now a senior in high school she’s still trying to pick up the pieces. Her mom is a mess and Beth tries her best to take care of her. It’s really heartbreaking to see them interact. To see her form of motherhood. But Beth, she deals with it all the only way she knows how. She builds these walls around her made of anger and bitterness. It keeps her from getting hurt. That seems to work most of the time… Until she meets Ryan.

Ryan is his town’s golden boy. All anyone ever sees when they look at him is how perfect his life is. Little do they know just how bad things are. How much his family is tearing at the seams and the facade of perfection is the only thing keeping them together. Losing is a fate he does not accept. Meeting Beth came from a dare and the chemistry between them is undeniable. Beth however, refuses to let him in. This is the start of a beautiful relationship and the beginning of true love.

“Are you scared?” I ask him. Because I am. Terrified. Earlier I was anxious, but not frightened. This isn’t me giving him a memory. This is me giving him my heart.”

I have to say I absolutely love this novel. It has the felling of a fairytale in the most realistic way I’ve seen. You know the type that love really does conquer all. I love seeing Ryan tear Beth’s walls done and be completely unforgiving for it. The both help each other face their demons and become better people for it.

Dare You To is a novel that captures your attention and your heart and it is a book that is just painful to put down. It demands your attention and will hold your mind and your heart in a vice until you finish it. As my first McGarry novel, she’s already made a fan out of me. I look forward to reading the next Pushing The Limits which will feature Isiah and I know will be absolutely swoon worthy. 😉

Thank you to Harlequin Teen for providing a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway: Water & Storm Country by David Estes

Title: Water & Storm Country (The Country Saga #3)
Author: David Estes
Release Date: June 5, 2013
Age Group: Young Adult

Blurb: Huck Jones, the son of the admiral of the Soaker fleet, has a legacy to live up to. Haunted by the distorted memories of his mother’s untimely death, he must face his demons and the man who raised him as he strives to take the courageous step forward into manhood. When he’s transferred to the worst-performing ship in the fleet, everything he believes is called into question when he meets a lowly brown-skinned bilge rat girl. Huck walks a deadly rope…

Meanwhile, Sadie, destined to be a Rider in the Stormer army, seeks to avenge her brother’s death at the hands of the Soakers. Trained hard by her mother, an experienced Rider, Sadie knows strength and determination more than most. Her father, a Man of Wisdom, has shown his cowardice more times than she can count. As her world and family fall apart, she must cast aside her anger and focus on the wisdom she’s always brushed off as foolishness.

Amidst everything, a Plague ravages all, discriminating against no one.

When four worlds collide, lines will be drawn, sides will be chosen, victory will be sought. Death will be wrought. The mysteries of the Cure for the deadly Plague will be uncovered. Who will survive? And what will those who do learn about themselves and the ones they love?

Excerpt: When the weight of Gard’s heavy hands lifts from the crown of my head, I look up and the war leader nods. I stand to cheers and thunder from stomping feet, stride toward the stables, invincible, where a horse is being led toward me.

With a sleek, black hide, long, black mane, and fierce brown eyes, she’s everything I always imagined she would be. Stamping her feet, pulling at the ropes, snorting heavy plumes of breath out of her flaring nostrils, she’s unbroken.

It takes four strong men, Riders, to control her, and even then, she’s uncontrollable. Wild. Hungry. Mine.

As I approach, I notice a mar on the complete darkness of her coloring: A single patch of white sits high on her nose, almost between her ears, shaped like a butterfly. White wings.

Can she fly?

I’m still admiring her wild and untamed perfection, wondering where she was found, how hard it was for the Horse Whisperers to lure her close enough to capture her, whether she put up a fight, when one of the ropes are thrust into my hands.

Thankfully, I have enough sense to grab it firmly, to hold on, to remember the words my mother taught me, let them flow freely through my mind. I am yours, you are mine, we are one. A warrior and a steed become a Rider. Fight with me even as I fight with you. Separate, our strength is breakable, matched by many; combined, our power is above all, unstoppable.

The words roll over and over in my mind as I take the second rope, walking my hands up the thick strands, feeling them burn my palms as the horse bucks and strains against the bonds that are so foreign to a creature that has known only complete freedom while roaming wild on the plains.

Freedom is an illusion. I’m surprised to hear my father’s words in my head while I’m so focused on approaching my horse. I shake my head and resume my chant, this time out loud, first as a whisper and then louder and louder as I get closer and closer. The horse isn’t calmed by my words, but I know she hears them, because she’s completely focused on me now, and I’m oblivious to the ceremony that continues behind me.

Passion. The name occurs to me just like my mother said it would, right when one of the Riders are thrown down when the horse charges sharply to one side.
“Passion,” I say, and she stands perfectly still, matching the intensity of my gaze. “Sadie.” She snorts, as if my name is but a cricket under the stomp of her grand feet. And so it is.

I shouldn’t be this close, not at the first meeting. My mother told me, but it takes Passion to teach me.

She seems calm since I spoke her name. Her head even bows a little, and my mother said a wild horse will never do that. Already, our bond is special.
I reach forward to rub the white butterfly on her nose.

Her drooping eyes suddenly flash with anger and her head bucks as she leaps forward, butting me, throwing me backward, nearly stomping on my leg as I skid across the grass.

Passion.

Giveaway: David Estes is giving away an ebook copy of this novel to two lucky winners. To enter CLICK HERE. Good luck!

BEA Review

Now that BEA is over I thought I’d do an overall review on it and a recap of my past two days. Overall, I just loved my experiences. Meeting all these great authors, editors and bloggers. Seriously an amazing experience.

I have to say, the BEA app made things so easy. You were allowed to browse publishers, book releases, authors and autograph lists. It was easy to set up my agenda. However, I do wish it was updated. There were plenty of authors that did not appear in the app and I only happened to find them by luck.

Tahereh Mafi for example was a last minute addition that I was happy to have seen. She was very friendly and although I made it clear I am so Team Warren she refused to give any hints. 😉 And I gotta say, in those few minutes I tried to pry some info out of her, she says we’ll just have to wait and see.

Julie Kagawa had me reverting right back to groupie mode after having felt desensitized to meeting all these amazing authors. I complimented her on her awesome skills on weaving me around her fingers with her storytelling (in not so many words) and told her what I thought of her ending to The Eternity Cure. Which was pretty desperate to know what happened next. I think what was said after could have been perceived as a threat- that if there was no line I would badger her until she gave me some deets to hold me over. Well she laughed and was a great sport. Definitely pretty memorable for me.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Richelle Mead. She was friendly but didn’t make too much effort to socialize. With the line she had, she might’ve been feeling the pressure so no judgements. Just saying.

Okay, Jim Carey has nothing to do with YA but I was such a fan I couldn’t resist…

Katie McGarry was so great. I loved chatting with her and she was happy to hear what I thought of Dare You To. I should be posting that review anyway now.

Ok. So every time I think of the BEA conference the word that comes to mind is amazing. And while this is absolutely the case I also realize its about that time for me to read the dictionary and find adjectives beside awesome and amazing. 🙂 I had the time of my life and am already looking forward to next year. And I definitely have some great giveaways planned so stay tuned… You know, once I sort through these two suitcases worth of books.

BEA Day 1 (For me)

I gotta say, I had an absolutely amazing day today. Exhausting, but amazing. I meant to post earlier, but knocked out as soon as I got in. So here’s what I got:

I’ll be honest. I went in with a little stash expecting to have to pay for my books and was overly excited when I realized they were free. Seriously guys, I think I went overboard. I came home with a little over 40 books and have no clue what more than half if them are about…

I felt like a total groupie today. I was over excited and begging for extra signed copies and pictures. P.S. Kendare Blake was awesome.

I know I look super dorky, but imagine what Ally Carter thought of me! She was really sweet btw.

Meeting Veronica Rossi was ultimately humiliating for me. She was super sweet and making an attempt to talk and connect with her readers. Well dumb dumb here froze up and her attempt at conversation was met up with, “I just want a signature.” She clearly felt dismissed and I’ve been kicking myself in the butt all day after that. Definitely made an attempt to be friendlier after that.

Well that was until I met Veronica Roth. She was very friendly and definitely was making an attempt to hear my rambling. Well until I told her that I did not enjoy Insurgent. Um… You could see the light leaving her eyes… Yet she was still friendly and nice. She said that she’s excited to see what her readers think of Divergent’s final book.

Lauren Oliver was really cool. There was a “no pictures” policy, I tried to take this one on the sly. Sorry for the bad quality.

After this I stopped taking pictures but also met Lauren Kate, Abbi Glines, Linda Lael Miller and a few others.

So, yeah, I felt like a total groupie but had an amazing time. I am looking forward to tomorrow. I have no clue how I’m going to make it home and travel with all of these books but am loving every minute of it.