Read Now Sleep Later

Summer Lovin' Tour 2013 Recap

2013-05-16T00:23:00.001-07:00

Hi, everyone! I just got home from the Summer Lovin' Book Tour at Once Upon A Time and I wanted to see if I could get this post out before all the thoughts fell out of my head. This was the first stop on the tour and it included authors Sarah Ockler (Twenty Boy Summer, Book of Broken Hearts), Suzanne Young ( A Need So Beautiful, The Program), Shannon Messenger (Let The Sky Fall), Jessi Kirby (In Honor, Golden), Morgan Matson (Second Chance Summer) and Kimberly Derting (The Pledge and The Body Finder series). Warning that this post is going to be pretty long, so settle in and get ready for some reading.

I battled traffic after work to get to OUaT and thought that I was going to be super late. Luckily I think a lot of people were caught in similar traffic and I had plenty of time to get there and buy my books beforehand. Crystal from Elegantly Bound Books and Nicole from The Reader's Antidote were also kind enough to save me a seat with them in the front row. The authors arrived soon after and the fun began.

The authors started off with a brief intro about themselves and their books. Suzanne and Morgan probably gave the most concise descriptions of their books while Sarah joked that she was terrible at describing her books and that she tended to ramble. After that, the authors decided to play a fun game with audience where they read a few lines from one of their books and we had to guess whose book it might have come from. Some of the excerpts were surprisingly hard to place but I did manage to guess correctly once. :)

lt r: sarah, suzanne, shannon

l to r: jessi, morgan, kimberly

Then Shannon asked the authors to share a really embarrassing story about themselves. Jessi told a story about how once, when she had been put in charge of the school basketball team, moved them from her classroom to outside because of the hot weather. She then proceeded to tell the team that "it's way hotter in my bedroom than out here" instead of saying "classroom." :) And Kimberly Derting told a story how she accidentally wrote an email to her editor telling her that they should make a long weekend with a winky-face :-) out of her last tour stop in Boston. The text, meant for her husband, confused her editor, who was very good natured about it.

When asked about what they were currently working on, the authors said:

Sarah Ockler is currently working on Love and Other Internet Disasters (to be retitled) which is a book about a girl who is blamed for an internet fiasco and becomes the school pariah. She must figure out who really committed the crime in order to restore her reputation.

Suzanne Young is currently working on the follow up to The Program, titled The Treatment. She is also working on Just Like Fate, a book she is co-authoring with Cat Patrick which was inspired by the film Sliding Doors. The book is about the two paths one young woman's life takes depending on what path she chooses.

Shannon Messenger is supposed to be working on book 3 of her MG novel, which is due in Oct. However, she has been distracted with the sequel to Let The Sky Fall.

Jessi Kirby is currently working on a new book about a girl whose boyfriend passes away and whose organs are all donated to different people. She writes letters to all of them and hears back from all of them save the person who received his heart. She becomes a little obsessed with finding this person and tracks him down. She only means to see him but, of course they meet and he falls for her. But she isn't sure if it's real love of a symptom of her boyfriend's heart. Sounds a bit like Return To Me, which I loved so I am totally in.

Morgan Matson just turned in a book but is also getting ready to start a new series. It's about four best friends whose lives and relationships start to change when the are 16. She anticipates the series being three, maybe 4 books long.

Kimberly Derting is working on the third Pledge novel. She also alluded to the fact that there may be news about the Body Finder series coming out in the next month or so. She is also working on a new YA sci-fi series about a girl who vanishes and goes missing for 5 years, only to return with no memory of the time lost and still at the same age when she left. The life she left behind her is no longer the same, nor are the people she knew. It's called The Taking and it sounds awesome.

cute shoes happening

Then I asked the authors how they chose the names for characters in their book.

Suzanne likes to use vintage baby names books to search for names. She likes unusual but classic names. She says that she likes to have a couple of interesting names and then more common names for her other characters. If they all ha unusual names, it would be too much.

Sarah told an awesome story about how she had a reader write to her saying that her name was Jude Hernandez and that people always had a hard time saying it so she let them call her Jude Henderson. Sarah thought that Jude Hernandez was a great name and it fit into the background of her character in The Book of Broken Hearts. So she named her main character Jude Hernandez as a way to help this girl reclaim her name.

Shannon also uses a baby name book but she went to the new age section for hers. Shannon's MG series is fantasy so characters needed unusual names but not names so unusual as to scare readers. So she chose a new age baby book and chose names with meanings having to do with light, since light has meaning to her book.

Jessi, a school librarian, often finds name inspiration from students at her school. She noted that one of her students who had graduated, ended up in her most recent book.

Morgan told a funny story about how she and her editor are huge Taylor Swift fans and how she started calling the main character in Second Chance Summer Taylor as an inside joke to her editor while she thought of a name. However, the more she wrote, the more she realized that the name Taylor really suited her character and she kept it.

Kimberly said that most of her character names were just named she liked. She said that Violet was the name she would have used had she had another daughter. But the names of the dead bodies are names of her nieces. She asked them if they wanted to be dead bodies in her books and they all eagerly said yes. Her nephew (I think it was her nephew) later said that it was unfair that all the girls got to be bodies and he asked if he could be a serial killer in her next book. Kim agreed.

*Side note that if anyone wants to use Thuy in a book, please go for it. :)

While the entire author line-up was great, I was really looking forward to meeting Sarah Ockler. Sarah and I got to know each other on Twitter about two years ago after I read Twenty Boy Summer while waiting for my dad to get out of a pretty serious surgery. I tweeted about reading it in the waiting room and Sarah responded, sending her well wishes to my dad. She then offered to send me a signed copy of Fixing Delilah, and she did. That was a really hard time for me and I was really touched that a complete stranger would do something so nice for no reason at all. We've kept up with each other on Twitter since then and Sarah is just one of the sweetest people. So we finally met, and it was awesome.

me & sarah

If you have made it this far, I commend you. The tour was super fun and I had a great time meeting these ladies. If you live near one of the Summer Lovin' stops, you should definitely go. Full tour stops are below. Thanks for reading this extra long post. Time to me to get to bed. :)

May 15 at 7:00PM
Once Upon a Time Bookstore
2207 Honolulu Avenue Montrose Shopping Park
Montrose, CA 91020

May 16 at 5:00PM
Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop
1030 Bonita Avenue
La Verne, CA 91750

May 17 at 7:30PM
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, Redondo Beach
2810 Artesia Blvd
Redondo Beach, CA 90278

May 18 at 3:00PM
Event with Whale of a Tale Bookstore
Mission Viejo Library
100 Civic Center
Mission Viejo, CA 92691

May 19 at 3:00PM
Pizza party!
Copperfield’s Montgomery Village
775 Village Court
Santa Rosa, CA 95405

May 20 at 7:00PM
University Bookstore
4326 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105

May 23 at 6:00PM
Changing Hands Bookstore
6428 South McClintock Drive
Tempe, AZ 85283

May 24 at 4:30PM
Summer Lovin’ Panel at the Phoenix Comic-con
Phoenix Convention Center
100 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004

May 24 at 12:00PM
Secret Lives of YA Authors Panel with Aprilynne Pike and Melissa Marr
at the Phoenix Comic-con
Phoenix Convention Center
100 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Book launch event for The Book of Broken Hearts:

June 4 at 7:00PM
Tattered Cover Bookstore
9315 Dorchester Street
Highlands Ranch, CO 80129

say "twee!"

Viral Nation - Giveaway (US ends 6/2)

2013-05-15T00:28:00.002-07:00

Thanks to author Shaunta Grimes for offering up a giveaway copy of her novel

Viral Nation to be released July 2, 2013 from Berkley Trade

About the book:

After a virus claimed nearly the entire global population, the world changed.

The United States splintered into fifty walled cities where the surviving citizens clustered to start over. The Company, which ended the plague by bringing a life-saving vaccine back from the future, controls everything. They ration the scant food and supplies through a lottery system, mandate daily doses of virus suppressant, and even monitor future timelines to stop crimes before they can be committed.

Brilliant but autistic, sixteen-year-old Clover Donovan has always dreamed of studying at the Waverly-Stead Academy. Her brother and caretaker, West, has done everything in his power to make her dream a reality. But Clover’s refusal to part with her beloved service dog denies her entry into the school. Instead, she is drafted into the Time Mariners, a team of Company operatives who travel through time to gather news about the future.

When one of Clover’s missions reveals that West’s life is in danger, the Donovans are shattered. To change West’s fate, they’ll have to take on the mysterious Company. But as its secrets are revealed, they realize that the Company’s rule may not be as benevolent as it seems. In saving her brother, Clover will face a more powerful force than she ever imagined… and will team up with a band of fellow misfits and outsiders to incite a revolution that will change their destinies forever.

Pre-order on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookDepository | Indiebound | Add to Goodreads

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Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop (INTL ends 3/19)

2013-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Children's Book Week Giveaway Hop is hosted by Alyson from Kid Lit Frenzy with Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, and Ella from Mymcbooks.

What is Children's Book Week?

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running literacy initiative in the country. Each year, books for young people and the joy of reading are feted for a full week with author and illustrator appearances, storytelling, parties, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and homes from coast to coast!

www.bookweekonline.com

The theme for this year's Children's Book Week is "books can take you anywhere". I remember my grandpa buying me the first non-picture books that really jump-started my imagination: Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Swiss Family Robinson (hey, what was with the stranded on desert island motif? I may never know), Heidi, Little Women. I lived in a pretty modern but still third-world city on an island, and none of these books had anything to do with that. It's what I loved so much about them! They transported me to times and places I had never been and might never be. I hope you take this week to show a young person in your life how books can take you to worlds far away as well as help you journey into your own soul.

For our giveaway, you can win a picture, juvenile fiction, middle grade, or young adult book of your choice worth up to $15 from bookdepository.com. Good luck, and make sure you hit up all the other awesome blog giveaways!

Giveaway Rules:

Open internationally.
We are not responsible for items lost in the mail.
One set of entries per household, please.
If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address.
Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here.
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find.

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Stacked (8)

2013-05-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

Stacked is our sister site's mailbox sharing weekly feature.

Thanks so much to Courtney Saldana from Ontario's Ovitt Family Community Library for inviting us to their annual Teen Book Fest! My friend David from YABC and I attended yesterday to meet Stephen Chbosky, Andrew Smith, Leigh Bardugo, Ann Stampler, Marie Lu, Gretchen McNeil, Lex Thomas, Morgan Matson, Sara Wilson Etienne, Jessica Brody, Jennifer Bosworth, and Carrie Arcos. Sadly Glenn Olsen could not make it, but he affirms that he'll be there next year! Traditionally published YA authors who are interested in attending next year's event should probably contact Courtney.

I didn't get a lot of photos (the lighting was a bit dark in the auditorium), but David blogged about the event here.

Gretchen McNeil, Jessica Brody, Lex Hrabe and Thomas Voorhies

Andrew Smith, Lex Hrabe, and Thomas Voorhies + moderator :) Just the boys!

I couldn't get the last panel photo with Suzanne Lazear, Jennifer Bosworth, Leigh Bardugo, and Lex Thomas -- the sun kept streaming through the window behind them and I couldn't make out the faces on most of the photos, so I deleted them. Sigh!

I came away with a copy of Winger by Andrew Smith--which won't be released until Tuesday!--Quarantine by writing duo Lex Thomas, and Jessica Brody's Unremembered. I also picked up Jessica's 52 Reasons to Hate My Father. I'm really glad they had the paperback--I hated the hardcover art! The paperback is way cuter... actually all of the new paperbacks of her books have better covers than before! If you're looking for summer beach reads, look no further.

If you had to get just one book, I'd say go with Winger.

Unless you don't like having feelings.

What's in your book stack this week?

Weekend Event: Ontario Teen Book Fest

2013-05-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

Don't forget, everyone, that Saturday May 11, 2013 is the Ontario Teen Book Fest. This is a really awesome FREE event. A huge lineup of authors will be there and you will be able to buy books and get them signed. Lunch will be served so you don't have to worry about that. Again, this is a free event. If you love YA and live in the area, you should definitely go. I can't make it, but @frootjoos will be there. Let us know if you're going to be there!

Teen Book Fest 2013

Sat May 11 - 9am-5pm (ticketed event - free but RSVP for room capacity)
Door open at 8:30 am, arrive early to purchase your books!
Merton E. Hill Auditorium on the Chaffey High School Campus
211 W Fifth St, Ontario, CA

Carrie Arcos
Leigh Bardugo
Jennifer Bosworth
Jessica Brody
Stephen Chbosky
Sara Wilson Etienne
Marie Lu
Morgan Matson
Gretchen McNeil
Gregg Olsen
Andrew Smith
Ann Stampler
Lex Thomas

Call 909 395 2225 for more info and tickets!

Sponsored by Best Buy Children's Foundation and Friends of Ontario City Library

CRIMINAL Blog Tour - Giveaway (US only ends 6/3)

2013-05-08T03:00:00.000-07:00

Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy

Publication date: 7 May 2013 by Simon Pulse

ISBN: 1442421622 | 9781442421622

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Author Website | Facebook | Twitter @terramcvoy

About CRIMINAL:

Nikki’s life is far from perfect, but at least she has Dee. Her friends tell her that Dee is no good, but Nikki can’t imagine herself without him. He’s hot, he’s dangerous, he has her initials tattooed over his heart, and she loves him more than anything. There’s nothing Nikki wouldn’t do for Dee. Absolutely nothing.

So when Dee pulls Nikki into a crime—a crime that ends in murder—Nikki tells herself that it’s all for true love. Nothing can break them apart. Not the police. Not the arrest that lands Nikki in jail. Not even the investigators who want her to testify against him.

But what if Dee had motives that Nikki knew nothing about? Nikki’s love for Dee is supposed to be unconditional…but even true love has a limit. And Nikki just might have reached hers.

You can enter to win Criminal by Terra Elan McVoy! Just use the Rafflecopter widget below.

Check out the rest of the blogs on the tour schedule, too. Good luck!

May 07 | http://kellyvision.wordpress.com/ | @khager

May 21 | http://ratherbereadingblog.com/ | @readinggals

May 22 | http://thebookcellarx.com | @thebookcellarx
May 23 | http://www.ramblingsofabooknerd.com/ | @sarabooknerd

May 24 | http://thegrownupya.wordpress.com/ | @grownupya

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Author Website | Facebook | Twitter @terramcvoy

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Raising the Bar - Author Event and Giveaway

2013-05-06T02:00:00.000-07:00

Gabrielle Douglas
Raising the Bar

Monday May 06, 2013 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
The Americana at Brand
210 Americana Way
Glendale, CA 91210
event page | purchase from bn.com

Special Instructions
This will be a wristbanded event. Wristbands will be distributed with purchase of Raising the Bar starting on May 6 at 9:00 am. She will not be signing any other memorabilia.

About the author

Gabrielle Douglas is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she made history, becoming the first US gymnast to take home a team and an individual gold medal in the same Olympics.

Gabrielle began her training at age six, and became the Virginia State Champion only two years later. When she was fourteen, she left her family in Virginia Beach to train with coach Liang Chow in Des Moines, Iowa. Under Chow's guidance, and with tremendous faith in God's plan for her, Gabrielle competed in the Olympic Trials and walked away with the only guaranteed spot on the team. Since her Olympic triumph, Gabrielle has used her platform to inspire millions with a powerful message: With hard work and persistence, any dream is possible.

Visit her online at www.gabrielledouglas.com

So I don't know if you know this about me, but I love gymnastics. I don't follow it as closely nowadays (the drama gets to me--ick, drama!) as I used to when I was 12 and still trying to do cartwheels in the back yard. However, I still admire and aspire to the kind of discipline and dedication that gymnasts (like my cousin Tash, who is a member of the cheer team Team Pilipinas Coed) need to keep their minds and bodies in shape.

I'll be giving away a signed copy of Gabby's book to a lucky winner in the US or Canada.

Giveaway Rules:

Open to US/Canada only.
We are not responsible for items lost in the mail.
One set of entries per household, please.
If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address.
Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here.
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May 2013 Events

2013-05-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

Happy May! Apologies for the slightly late posting of this event calendar. All of us have been very busy here at RNSL headquarters. As you can see, May has a lot to offer for author events. The Ontario Teen Book Fest especially looks like it's going to be really fun. Alethea is definitely going and I am a maybe. If you're in the area, you should totally check out the fun, free event.

Gabrielle Douglas
Raising the Bar

Monday May 06, 2013 7:00 PM
Glendale Americana
The Americana at Brand

210 Americana Way

Glendale, CA 91210

event page

Special Instructions
This will be a wristbanded event. Wristbands will be distributed with purchase of Raising the Bar starting on May 6 at 9:00 am. She will not be signing any other memorabilia.

D.J. McHale
Pendragon series, Morpheus Road series
Tuesday, May 7, 2013 4:00PM
Buena Vista Branch Library
300 N. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA
818-238-5630
Open to kids Grade 4-12 only

Ontario Teen Book Fest 2013
This is a HUGE event, people! All day event!

Sat May 11 - 9am-5pm (ticketed event)
Door open at 8:30 am, arrive early to purchase your books!

Merton E. Hill Auditorium on the Chaffey High School Campus
211 W Fifth St, Ontario, CA

Carrie Arcos
Leigh Bardugo
Jennifer Bosworth
Jessica Brody
Stephen Chbosky
Sara Wilson Etienne
Marie Lu
Morgan Matson
Gretchen McNeil
Gregg Olsen
Andrew Smith
Ann Stampler
Lex Thomas

Author panels will be moderated by local area teen librarians.
Lunch is included.
website

Call 909 395 2225 for more info and tickets! Tickets are FREE though you must RSVP due to capacity issues. Sponsored by Best Buy Children's Foundation and Friends of Ontario City Library.

Ahmet Zappa
Because I'm Your Dad

Thursday May 09, 2013 7:00 PM

Barnes & Noble
The Grove at Farmers Market
189 The Grove Drive Suite K 30

Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270

event page

In Ahmet Zappa's first picture book for children, Because I'm Your Dad, a dad like no other promises to give his kid a childhood like no other. Join us tonight at Barnes & Noble at The Grove for a special Storytime and signing with Ahmet Zappa.

Special Instructions
Note: This is a wristbanded event. Wristbands will be available after 9:00 am on May 9 with the purchase of Because I'm Your Dad. Personalization with first names is available and photos are permitted from the signing line. Ahmet Zappa is signing books only. No memorabilia, please.

Margaret Stohl & Melissa de la Cruz
(Icons & Gates of Paradise)
Saturday, May 11th at 5 p.m.
Dark Delicacies
3512 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505http://www.darkdel.com/

LitFest Pasadena 2.0

Satuday, May 11th 10am - 5pm

Pasadena Central Park
Green/DelMar
Pasadena, California
event page

2nd annual Pasadena LitFest will have some fabulous authors - check out the website and facebook page for the authors (picture book, middle grade and YA) appearing on panels and then signing at ONCE UPON A TIME's booth.

Summer Lovin' Tour
Jessi Kirby, Suzanne Young, Shannon Messenger, Sarah Ockler,Kimberly Derting & Morgan Matson
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 7PM

Once Upon A Time Bookstore

2207 Honolulu Ave
Montrose Shopping Park
Montrose, CA 91020
event page

Rachel Hawkins
School Spirits
Thursday May 16, 2013 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble

Glendale Americana
The Americana at Brand

210 Americana Way

Glendale, CA 91210

event page

Lauren Miller
Parallel
Sunday May 19, 2013 2:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
The Grove at Farmers Market
189 The Grove Drive Suite K 30

Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270

event page

We are pleased to present a panel of great young adult authors featuring Lauren Miller (Parallel), Jordanna Fraiberg (Our Song) and Jay Asher (The Future of Us, Thirteen Reasons Why).

Special Instructions
This event is not wristbanded. Please stay tuned for event guidelines.

Life Actually Tour

Life Actually Tour featuring Lurlene McDaniel (The Year of Luminous Love), Elana Arnold (Sacred), Tom Leveen (manicpixiedreamgirl) and Wendelin van Draanen (The Running Dream).

Monday May 20, 2013 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
The Grove at Farmers Market
189 The Grove Drive Suite K 30

Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270

event page

Life Actually Tour

Life Actually Tour featuring Lurlene McDaniel (The Year of Luminous Love), Elana Arnold (Sacred), Tom Leveen (manicpixiedreamgirl) and Wendelin van Draanen (The Running Dream).

Tuesday, May 21, 2013 7PM

Once Upon A Time Bookstore

2207 Honolulu Ave
Montrose Shopping Park
Montrose, CA 91020\

Cecil Castellucci

Odd Duck

Saturday, May 25, 2013 3PM

Skylight Books
1818 N Vermont Ave

Los Angeles, California90027

event page

Josephine Angelini
Goddess

Tuesday May 28, 2013 7:00 PM
Barnes & Noble
The Grove at Farmers Market
189 The Grove Drive Suite K 30

Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270

event page

Special Instructions
This is not a wristbanded event. Please check back for complete event details.

Uncovered (5): If I Stay

2013-04-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

Hello! Welcome to Uncovered, a weekly cover love post that I usually do on our adult book blog, Nite Lite Book Reviews. I cross post it here if I feature a YA book so that you guys can chime in as well. Let's see what we have this week.

Today on Uncovered, I have an older cover. I had the pleasure of seeing Gayle Forman speak at my local library this week and it reminded me of this awesome cover to If I Stay. Now this is the original hardcover. The paperback edition is very different matches the cover to the sequel, Where She Went. While I like the new paperback cover, I like this one more. There's just something about it. It's so simply and pretty. It doesn't look like your typical YA novel and it stands out on the shelves. There's something lonely looking about it with the single flower, but it's also very beautiful and serene.

That's my pick for this week. Has everyone but me read this book already? I plan to get to it soon, I swear!

Kiki Strike Quickie Giveaway

2013-04-26T01:59:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I know it's been super-quiet here lately. I've been really busy with my kittens and working working working! Now that I've worked a ton of overtime, you can count on lots of giveaways coming soon (though not necessarily a lot of reviews).

This one's not mine, but my good friend Kristen Kittscher's -- author Kirsten Miller blurbed her upcoming book, The Wig in the Window, and to say thank-you Kristen has offered to send someone the Kiki Strike series!

Good luck!

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Upcoming Event: Gayle Forman at Burbank Library

2013-04-20T22:58:00.002-07:00

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Gayle Forman (Just One Day, If I Stay) will be reading and signing at Burbank Library Buena Vista this coming Monday April 22. Sorry for the short notice but I had no idea this was even happening until late last week when I popped into the library to return a few things. Luckily I saw the flier at the checkout desk. Details below.

Gayle Forman

Monday April 22, 2013

7:00PM

Buena Vista Branch Library

300 N Buena Vista St.

Burbank, CA

818.238.5620

event page

I actually haven't read any of Gayle's books yet (for shame, I know) but I may stop by. I literally drive by this library to and from work. There will be books available for purchase as well. If you live nearby, definitely come check it out. I love this library and I hear great things about Gayle. Carry on with your weekend!

Trailer Time!

2013-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi, everyone. It's time for a new batch of book trailers. Most of these are pretty recent though some may be a little older since I don't keep super up to date with book trailers. I have some mixed feelings about them (most are kind of cheesy) though I do like the idea of having a promo for a book. Anyway, here are a few book trailers and a couple of film trailers thrown in for good measure at the end. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Ugh, I am so excited for Siege & Storm! Can someone please lend me their ARC?

Still have not read this series yet though it looks good and I kind of love that each book has a color theme. And emerald is one of my favorite colors.

I really like this whole campaign. The trailers look high quality and they're intriguing. Has anyone read The 5th Wave yet?

I don't have much to say about this one since I haven't read any of the books yet. I don't really love the voice over, but that's just me.

MOVIES

I had no idea they were going through with making another Percy Jackson movie. The first one was so bad. At least Annabeth is blonde in this one. I will probably wait to see this one on video.

Well Katniss doesn't seem too whiny in this trailer. Catching Fire was my least favorite book of the series (sorry - don't hate me!). I totally thought it was a filler book. This trailer makes it seem like it's going to have a lot more going on though so I am optimistic. And Effie promises to have some fantastic outfits.

What did you guys think? Are you looking forward to any of these releases?

Out and About (1)

2013-04-14T21:39:00.002-07:00

Long time no see! Now that the yarn crawl project I was working on is officially over, I'm looking forward to having more time to read, write, and knit :)

Today I was out and about with my friends David and Katie, trying to finish the end of my book club read, Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. I didn't finish (30 pages to go!), but we got some Fanta to go with dinner, which was a yummy Nigerian-style beef stew I made.

Find out more about Out and About at The Windy Pages.

The Fourth Stall - Review

2013-04-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander

Publication date: 08 Feb 2011 by Walden Pond Press

Category: Middle Grade Mystery
Keywords: Middle grade, mystery, friendship, bullying, Mafia
Format: Hardcover, paperback, eBook
Source: Borrowed

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Chris Rylander delivers a funny Ferris Bueler-style middle grade novel with The Fourth Stall.

Do you need something? Mac can get it for you. It's what he does—he and his best friend and business manager, Vince. Their methods might sometimes run afoul of the law, or at least the school code of conduct, but if you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can pay him, Mac is on your side. His office is located in the East Wing boys' bathroom, fourth stall from the high window. And business is booming.

Or at least it was, until one particular Monday. It starts with a third grader in need of protection. And before this ordeal is over, it's going to involve a legendary high school crime boss named Staples, an intramural gambling ring, a graffiti ninja, the nine most dangerous bullies in school, and the first Chicago Cubs World Series game in almost seventy years. And that's just the beginning. Mac and Vince soon realize that the trouble with solving everyone else's problems is that there's no one left to solve yours.

Review:

The Fourth Stall is a hilarious play on The Godfather set in an elementary school. The Godfather
in question is Mac, short for MacGuyver because he’s the guy that can get you anything. And the
fourth stall is and empty bathroom stall where he conducts his business. The empire is run by a
small sixth grader and his best friend who loan out their services helping solve the problems of
their fellow classmates for a small fee. Their business is threatened when the mysterious
kingpin, Staples, starts a gambling ring at their school. Using tough high school kids and bully
tactics, Staples plans on taking Mac and his friends down. Loyalties are tested when Mac finds
out that there’s a mole in his organization. Can Mac hold the business together and flush out the
rat at the same time or is this the end of his career? And will the Cubs make it to the World
series this year?

Each person in Mac’s crew had a distinct personality and I loved reading the bios of the various
school bullies. I am partial to Kitten, the small and polite sociopath, who is ruthless and more
than a little scary. I definitely don’t want to get on his bad side. And it was cool to see Mac band
the bullies together in order to deal with Staples. I had some mixed feelings the violence in this
book. On one hand, it was pretty graphic (especially for the middle grade reader that I think this
book is aimed at) but on the other hand, I think there had to be real consequences to their
actions in order to make the story work. And though Mac ends up using strong arm tactics to aid
his own cause, he doesn't feel good about it. While the book doesn't glorify violence in the
schoolyard, it doesn't shy away from it either.

What drew me in though was the friendship between Mac and his best friend Vince. Their easy
rapport and camaraderie seemed genuine. They were a bit like an old married couple and I was
really worried when their friendship was threatened. Ultimately this is a story about friendship and
family. And though I am not a sports fan, I found their dedication and obsession with The Cubs to be funny and endearing. It almost made to me want to watch a baseball game. ;)

Visit the author online at www.chrisrylander.com and follow him on Twitter @chris_rylander

Please note that this post contains affiliate links. For more details, please see our full disclosure policy here.

The Mortal Instruments at WonderCon

2013-04-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, dear friends. Good to see you again. Today I am doing a brief post about The Mortal Instruments panel that I went to at WonderCon over the weekend. Let me warn you that these pics are alright at best and I took no notes, so I am going to try and remember as best I can some of the fun tidbits that I heard at the panel.

The panel was in the Arena (which is the biggest space I think at the Anaheim Convention Center). We thought we were going to have to get there super early to get seats but it was surprisingly not too full and we were able to grab good seats. The hall started filling in at that point though and, by the time the panel started, it was pretty full.

Panel started off with some questions by the moderator (writer from EW magazine). Cassie talked about how she didn't expect to be consulted about the movie after she sold the rights. But she asked for the casting director's number and they gave it to her. She in the casting director were in close contact over a period of months where she got to weigh in on the casting process which included watching audition tapes. She was also consulted in the look of the film was really involved in helping make the world a reality.

the cast of the mortal instruments

lily collins

Lily Collins was really great. I don't know much about her, having only seen Mirror, Mirror, but she was really well spoken and passionate about the movie and playing Clary. She said that she experienced a lot of emotional growth during the movie and that it will always remain special in her heart because of it. She also said that, while she wanted to be true to the character, she didn't focus too much on thinking about what people's expectations were of how Clary should be because that would only prevent her from being in the moment and really doing Clary justice.

jamie campbell bower

Jamie Campbell Bower was seriously hilarious. He was really fun and just seemed like he was having a good time. He said that his favorite character from the books was probably Isabelle. He thinks she is pretty badass.

kevin zegers

I don't know what rock I have been living under but I had no idea that Kevin Zegers was in this movie. I kind of loved him in The Jane Austen Book Club (yeah I own it). Anyway, Kevin was really cool and he talked about how all of the cast really bonded making this movie. He and Jamie got along really well and the cast was like family. He also talked about how the tattoos were kind of a pain and took several hours to put on each day.

cassie clare

The floor was then opened up to Q&A from the audience. A lot of people asked really specific questions about the book and series. I think some of the questions may have been a bit spoiler-y but Cassie kept it cool and didn't divulge anything. The best part was at the end of the panel when a woman came up and didn't have a question but wanted to introduce the panel to her son, Jace. So cute.

I was kind of on the fence about seeing this movie but, after watching the panel, I really want to see it. It just looks like a lot of fun and the cast and Cassie were so cool. It also makes me want to catch up on the series since I am a few books behind by now. Anyone else excited about The Mortal Instruments? The film hits theaters Aug 23, 2013. And if you're interested, we have a few more pics up on our FB page.

April 2013 Events

2013-04-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

So sorry this is late, everyone. I didn't even realize it was April until yesterday. I mean, I knew, but I was so out of it. Things are crazy lately and this post just slipped my mind. So sorry about that. Hopefully we haven't missed too many events. We will definitely be at the LA Festival of Books this year. The schedule should be fun and I am looking forward to it. I would love to go to the Lemony Snicket/Jon Klassen signing but it's on a weekday so I am sure that's out. Hoping I can catch them at the Festival of Books. Happy April, everyone. Hope to see you out and about!

Jessica Brody
Unremembered

Barnes & Noble
Saturday April 13, 2013 4:00 PM
3rd Street Promenade
1201 3rd Street

Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-260-9110
event info

Lisa Loeb
Songs for Movin' and Shakin': The Air Band Song and Other Toe-Tapping Tunes
Sunday April 14, 2013 2:00 PM
The Grove at Farmers Market
189 The Grove Drive Suite K 30

Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-525-0270
event info

Hilary Duff

True

Tuesday April 16, 2013 7pm

Mrs. Nelson's Toy & Book Shop
1030 Bonita Avenue
La Verne, CA 91750
(909) 599-4558

Suzanne Selfors &Dan Santat

The Sasquatch Escape
Wed April 17, 2013 5pm
Mrs. Nelson's Toy & Book Shop
1030 Bonita Avenue
La Verne, CA 91750

event info

Support Teen Literature Day!

with Gretchen McNeil, Debra Driza, Shannon Messenger

Thursday April 18, 2013 4:30pm
Poway Library
13137 Poway Rd.
Poway, CA
858-513-2900
Books will be available for purchase from Mysterious Galaxy.

LA Festival of Books

Sat and Sun April 20 - 21, 2013

USC Campus

Lots of fun stuff happening at the festival this year. I am looking forward to Jon Klassen and Lemony Snicket! Full schedule here.

http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/

Gayle Forman

Just One Day

Monday April 22, 2013 7:00PM

Buena Vista Branch Library

300 N Buena Vista St.

Burbank, CA

818.238.5620

event page

Lemony Snicket & Jon Klassen

The Dark
Monday April 22, 2013 7pm

Barnes & Noble
3rd Street Promenade
1201 3rd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401, 310-260-9110
event info

Special Instructions:
This will be a wristband event. Wristbands available with purchase of The Dark only. The authors will sign limited backlist as well. Call the store for details: 310.260.9110.

Spring Into The Future YA Tour
with Tahereh Mafi, Veronica Rossi, Cynthia Hand, Anna Carey & Ransom Riggs
Thursday April 25, 2013 7pm

Mysterious Galaxy San Diego
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Suite #302

San Diego, CA 92111
event info

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop - Ends 4/5 (INTL)

2013-03-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I'm so happy to be co-hosting the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop with Kathy from

I am a Reader, Not a Writer!

Please keep in mind that this post is early and most of the blogs will not have their post up until as late as 12:01 am on March 29 ET/9:01 pm on March 28 PT. Just keep checking the linky.

Today I am giving away up to $20 worth of books from bookdepository.com, which means this giveaway is open internationally! :) You can even put in a pre-order for a book you want that's coming up soon.

How about one of these New Releases?

Or one of these Upcoming books:

You could even order more than one paperback if it's something from last year!

It's up to the winner to decide.

If you won, what book(s) would you choose? Comment below!

Remember to visit all the great blog giveaways on the tour... head down to the linky below our Rafflecopter widget. None of the entries are mandatory but you should pick at least one to join!

Giveaway Rules:

Open anywhere bookdepository.com ships for free. (Internationally!)
We are not responsible for items lost in the mail.
One set of entries per household, please.
If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address.
Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here.
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sit tight!

2013-03-26T21:59:00.001-07:00

We'll be back on Thursday with the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza giveaway hop, but until then I have a super-good reason I'm not busily recapping events and writing reviews.

His name is John Carter!

You can follow him, my girl cat Mars (Marceline the Vampire Queen) and her biological brother (and nemesis, apparently) Barnaby, on Instagram at #marsandbarsandcars (@frootjoos)

For now, I'm off to make him another batch of kitten formula :/ he's so little he can't feed himself yet!

Pause Button

2013-03-20T23:09:00.001-07:00

I am really looking forward to this weekend when I can finally read some books and write some reviews! And maybe catch some shut-eye which has been just so difficult to schedule in this past couple of weeks :( Too much to do!

Tomorrow I'll be at Barnes & Noble at the Grove in Los Angeles for these lovely ladies:

Cassandra Clare with Lily Collins ("Clary Fray")

Maureen Johnson

Sarah Rees Brennan

It's going to be packed! If you're going, please read the Official Event Page for wristband rules.

- - -

Saturday morning, I'll be at Children's Book World for Ann Stampler's launch party for The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street. Don't forget to stop by Nightengail Art and There's a Book for the next two stops on the blog tour! We're also giving away a copy each of Cats and The Wooden Sword.

And *then* I'm cleaning my home office. Ergh.

And *then* I'm going to try to read a book I've been dying to read for a month now. Yikes.

Though I will probably be so worn out from all the excitement that I'll just fall asleep :/

So what are you up to this weekend? Follow my on Twitter & Instagram @frootjoos for books, books, and more books!

The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street - Review and Giveaway (US ends 3/30)

2013-03-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street

by Ann Redisch Stampler

Illustrated by Francesca Carabelli

Publication date: 1 Jan 2013 from Kar-Ben Publishing

ISBN 10/13: 0761381244 | 9780761381242

Join Ann for the launch party at Children's Book World

Saturday, March 23 at 10:30 am

Category: Picture book
Keywords: Cats, neighbors, friends, compassion
Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Source: Finished copy for review

Things are always the same on Ben Yehuda Street--cats, cats, cats everywhere--and boy do they love Mr. Modiano's store, the Tel Aviv Fish Palace! His neighbor, Mrs. Spiegel, loves to knit and spend time with her cat Ketzie. Ketzie shares fish from Mr. Modiano's shop with her friend Gatito. But old Mr. Modiano hates the cats as much as they love his shop. "Lo, lo, lo," he says, always declining Mrs. Spiegel's invitations to tea. All he wants to do is shoo the cats away (who never listen, by the way!) until one day, Ketzie goes missing. Uh oh!

I have to tell you first about how biased I am in reviewing this book. One, I am a cat lover and a knitter like Mrs. Spiegel. I have my own little gray cat (though she has more stripes than Ketzie). Two, I am friends with Ann. I designed her website and I think she is such a fun storyteller! Three, I love fish, of which there is quite a lot in this book. If I were to hold a storytime event for this I would probably serve kippered herring, lox (smoked salmon), and maybe seared garlic tuna, mmmmm! Though all but the most discerning little kids would probably prefer this kind of fish instead:

... not real fish

I loved the story and think it would make a great read-aloud for grandparents and grandkids together. I predict lots of meowing and "Lo, lo, lo"ing! Lots of little clues in the illustrations reveal details about everyday life in Israel, so there's a lot to point out and explain, whether one is familiar with the culture or not. The reader might wonder at Mr. Modiano's mode of transportation, what he's wearing on his head (it took me a couple of reads to figure out it wasn't a beret!), and maybe what Mrs. Spiegel is baking. Most importantly, what could have happened to Ketzie?

Themes like friendship, compassion, and generosity make this a gentle bedtime read. But while I like Carabelli's simple and sweet cat illustrations and painterly backgrounds, there's a certain level of detail I felt was missing. Maybe it's the knitter in me, always trying to spot drawings of yarn and knitted objects, but aside from a couple of balls of yarn, I couldn't really believe Mrs. Spiegel was much of a knitter, and that was a bit disappointing. The colors are also very muted and almost muddy for the most part. But I do like the little fish all over Mr. Modiano's shirt!

Ann is giving away a copy of The Cats of Ben Yehuda and her picture book from last year, The Wooden Sword! To enter, just comment below and answer:

What is your favorite folktale?

This giveaway is open internationally!

We hope you'll join us for the rest of the blog tour as well.

Mon - March 18 - Alyson at Kid Lit Frenzy

Tue - March 19 - Alethea at Read Now Sleep Later

Wed - March 20 - Gail at Nightengail Art

Thu - March 21 - Danielle at There's a Book

Fri - March 22 - Wendy at Noodling with Words

Sat - March 23 - The Cats on Ben Yehuda Launch Party at Children's Book World, Los Angeles

Mon - March 25 - Julie Rowan-Zoch

Tue - March 26 - Joanna at Miss Marple's Musings

Wed - March 27 - Niki at Daydream Reader

Thu - March 28 - Cynthia at Teaching in Cute Shoes

Fri - March 29 - Colby at Sharpread

For more about the author, visit www.annstampler.com/pb and follow her on Twitter @annstampler as well as +Ann Stampler on Google+.

Thanks to all of our lovely tour hosts for taking the time to read and review The Wooden Sword and The Cats on Ben Yehuda!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ann Stampler - Picture Book Blog Tour

2013-03-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! If you love picture books as much as I do, you'll want to tune in for the blog tour that I am hosting for Ann Redisch Stampler to celebrate the release of her latest, The Cats on Ben Yehuda!

A few kidlit bloggers and I will be featuring her books over the next couple of weeks. Aside from her newest title, we will also be featuring The Wooden Sword: A Jewish Folktale from Afghanistan, which debuted last year.

Here's the schedule! Find out what these picture book lovers have to say about Ann's picture books.

Mon - March 18 - Alyson at Kid Lit Frenzy

Tue - March 19 - Alethea at Read Now Sleep Later

Wed - March 20 - Gail at Nightengail Art

Thu - March 21 - Danielle at There's a Book

Fri - March 22 - Wendy at Noodling with Words

Sat - March 23 - The Cats on Ben Yehuda Launch Party at Children's Book World, Los Angeles

Mon - March 25 - Julie Rowan-Zoch

Tue - March 26 - Joanna at Miss Marple's Musings

Wed - March 27 - Niki at Daydream Reader

Thu - March 28 - Cynthia at Teaching in Cute Shoes

Fri - March 29 - Colby at Sharpread

For more about the author, visit www.annstampler.com/pb. Thanks to all of our lovely tour hosts for taking the time to read and review The Wooden Sword and The Cats on Ben Yehuda.

RNSL 2013 Reader Survey - Giveaway (INTL ends 3/27)

2013-03-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Just a quick post to say hey--should we stay on Blogger, or move to Wordpress? It's something Thuy and I have been debating for a long time. This blog would always be available in its entirety (well, until the end of Blogger, anyway, whenever that happens) but new posts would appear at readnowsleeplater.com on Wordpress instead.

Do you care? Does it matter? Now is your chance to weigh in! Of course we would still have reviews, giveaways, interviews, event recaps, and all that jazz... Comments would still use Disqus and it might just look a whole lot snazzier than normal. Mostly it would affect us and not you, but we value your opinions.

Oh! And also, just because you guys are awesome, if you answer the survey you get an extra entry in this giveaway, open Internationally, ending March 27! The prize is $15 worth of books from bookdepository.com.

Giveaway Rules:

Open Internationally.
We are not responsible for items lost in the mail.
One set of entries per household, please.
If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address.
Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here.
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find.

Good luck!

Poll Creator Progreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Surprise! Author Event with Mindee Arnett

2013-03-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone. Today I have a recap of a surprise author event. I say surprise because my friends and I went down to Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach this weekend to do some shopping and realized when we got there that Mindee Arnett, author of The Nightmare Affair, was signing there that afternoon. Awesome surprise since I have been wanting to read her book. Luckily we arrived about 20 minutes before the signing started and had time to grab coffee and books before settling in to hear Mindee talk.

Mindee began by telling us that writing a book is a little bit like having a baby. You give birth to something that you love and it takes quite a long time. Weight gain is acceptable. Mindee said that she thinks the number of people you are eating for as a writer is proportionate to how many characters are in your book. Then she said she was glad she didn't write Game of Thrones, cause you have seen George R.R. Martin lately (total joke)?

Then Mindy read a bit from the first chapter of the book which sounded really fun. After that she opened it up to questions from the audience.

When asked about her inspiration for the book, Mindee said that she had been doing research one day and came across the painting The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli. It depicts a woman laying on a bed (presumably having a nightmare) with a demon figure sitting on her chest as she dreams. Mindee began to wonder what it would be like if, instead of a demon, it was a normal looking girl. Then she thought what a crappy job would be...and Dusty was born.

Last book read? Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (OMG so jealous!)

What is the editing process like for you? Mindee says that she is a natural "taker-outer" writer, meaning she tends to edit and cut a lot of things out herself. So her editing notes usually tell her to expand on an idea or scene more instead of cutting things out. She said that her notes for The Nightmare Affair were short and to the point - more magic and more romance.

Mindee believes that editing is a collaborative process and doesn't mind when she's asked to make changes. The editor is the outside view and, unless the changes are really against what she believes is right for the book, she will usually make them. She then told a funny story about how her (young) editor thought that she should remove a reference to Freddy Kreuger and A Nightmare on Elm Street since she had not heard of it and thought other readers might not be familiar with the reference either. However, after speaking with a few other editors and friends, was told that the Freddy reference was totally relevant and would be a cool addition. (Side note to say that Freddy used to scare the crap out of me as a kid. I mean, you can't sleep or he'll get you. Terrifying.)

Did you do any research on dreams or nightmares when writing this book? Mindee says that she loves research. While she did not to a lot of specific research on nightmares, she did research the meanings of names and a lot of folklore and legends. Each book in the Arkwell Academy series will be based on a folk tale.

Why do you think series are so popular, particularly in YA? Mindee said she wasn't sure why series were so popular and prevalent in YA. But she did have a theory that maybe teens are more obsessive in nature, which is why they are more attracted to series. They want more of what they love. Sci fi and fantasy also tend to go the series route. She thinks this is because the writer takes so much time building a world and they just want to live in it for a while.

Favorite and/or authors who influenced you? Laini Taylor, Maggie Stiefvater, Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, Frank L Baum, Stephen King, Jennifer Roberson, Mercedes Lackey

Are those streaks in your hair? (asked by an adorable teen) Yes! The streaks are fake and removable, which you can have with long hair. Mindee had in reddish streaks but noted that her press pic has blue streaks.

Mindee is super fun so definitely go see her if you can. Thanks to Mindee and Mysterious Galaxy for turning our trip to the bookstore into a special event. Sweet dreams (or nightmares), everyone!

The Fellowship for Alien Detection - Interview with Kevin Emerson

2013-03-09T03:00:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Walden Pond Press for including us in the blog tour for The Fellowship for Alien Detection by Kevin Emerson. Click the widget below to listen to our interview*!

*Apologies in advance for the sound quality going in and out--I blame Skype :P

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Order The Fellowship for Alien Detection on Amazon

Barnes & Noble | Bookdepository | Indiebound | Add to Goodreads

Kevin's Bio:

Kevin Emerson has never been abducted by aliens, at least not that he remembers. He has been to Roswell, but all he found there was a cool key chain. Kevin is the author of a number of books for young readers, including the Oliver Nocturne series, Carlos Is Gonna Get It, and The Lost Code, the first book in the Atlanteans series. Kevin is also a musician. His current project is the brainiac kids’ pop band the Board of Education. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two children. You can visit him online at www.kevinemerson.net or tweet with him at @kcemerson.

Check out all the blog tour stops below! (Some are not up yet as of publication time, so check the dates!)

Monday, March 4th - Fat Girl Reading - Review, Author Interview & Giveaway

Tuesday, March 5th - Icey Books - Review & Giveaway

Tuesday, March 5th - Jenn's Bookshelves - Review & Giveaway

Wednesday, March 6th - Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers - Review & Giveaway

Thursday, March 7th - Candace's Book Blog - Review & Giveaway

Friday, March 8th - Bumbles and Fairy Tales - Review, Giveaway & Author Guest Post

Saturday, March 9th - Read Now Sleep Later - Podcast Author Interview

Sunday, March 10th - Milk & Cookies: Comfort Reading - Author Guest Post: Food from Fiction

Monday, March 11th - The Write Path - Review & Giveaway

Monday, March 11th - Word Spelunking - Review, Giveaway & Video Interview with Author

Tuesday, March 12th - Buried in Books - Interview with the Characters of Alien Detection

Wednesday, March 13th - There's a Book - Turkeybird Interview with Author

Wednesday, March 13th - The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow - Review & Giveaway

Thursday, March 14th - Novel Novice - Author Guest Post: Kevin Emerson's Writing Playlist

Friday, March 15th - Jean Book Nerd - Review & Giveaway

Friday, March 15th - The Secret DMS Files of Fairday Morrow - Author Interview

Saturday, March 16th - Alison's Book Marks - Giveaway

Not Reading - Tiny Rant (2) and Giveaway (US ends 3/17)

2013-03-08T00:28:00.000-08:00

So it's not often that I find myself not-reading. I almost always am reading except when I'm too busy writing/listening/typing... I can't process words incoming and outgoing at the same time. It's just too confusing! No reading makes me pretty crabby.

The last couple of weeks, in all of my spare time I have been designing websites, which was... a lot of hours. Really a lot. I'm torn between sleeping (I've been averaging two hours a night) and prying my eyes awake to get through another 30 pages of print, a battle I have lost more often than I have won. Ah well! It's not a total loss, and the things I have been doing other than reading have been fullfilling too.

Tonight, for example, I'm staying up late to edit the podcast I recorded with Kevin Emerson. (It'll go live on Saturday morning for the Fellowship for Alien Detection Blog Tour! Some of the tour stops are already open, so check them out if you love road trips, aliens, and middle grade books!

In the mornings I've been listening to this year's Printz award winner, In Darkness by Nick Lake, which is a great, well-written book but very ummmm... dark? (Sorry, I'm very tired obviously.) It's a grim tale of a boy growing up as a gangster in Haiti, with his story linked to that of rebel leader Toussaint Louverture. It's just as well my commute is only 40 minutes long or I'd probably be a crying, sloppy mess from all the emotion in this book. And I know it's a form of "reading" or rather, being read to, but it's not quite the same as sticking your nose in a book.

Anyway.

Instead of reading Siege & Storm as I SO want to do, I have been working on yarncrawlla.com and misstammywrites.com. Click through to check them out! Especially Miss Tammy Blackwell's site, because she's the author of the paranormal YA Timber Wolves series, and Victoria Faye just made her some super-cool swag!

Before:

Don't look too closely!

After:

Ok, now you can look!

I'm so happy with the way it turned out that I'm doing a giveaway!

The winner gets to choose one of these possible prizes:

A complete print set of the Timber Wolves trilogy OR
A Timber Wolves shirt OR
A Timber Wolves tote bag OR
A Timber Wolves 8"x8" art print and all 4 Tammy Blackwell eBooks.

That's the shirt. You get to pick the color!

Giveaway Rules:

Open to US only.
We are not responsible for items lost in the mail.
One set of entries per household, please.
If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address.
Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here.
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find.

Good luck!

Which prize would you choose if you won? Tell me what and why in the comments!

a Rafflecopter giveaway