Shelf Candy Saturday (47): Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun


Shelf Candy Saturday is hosted by A Night's Dream of Books


I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last think Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they’ll both be targets.

Ink on Goodreads
Ink on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Shadow (Paper Gods 0.5) is free on Amazon right now

Amanda Sun's website &  Twitter 

I know I usually go for the darker covers but I cannot help but LOVE this cover. I love the lighter colors as well as the artsy aspect to it! And the idea of drawings becoming animated is so interesting! I'm looking forward to reading this one!





Blog Tour: Rise of the Magi by Jocelyn Adams



Rise of the Magi




Rise of the Magi
Series:  Lila Gray, book #3

Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date:  June 4th, 2013
Keywords:  fae, faeries, elves, selkies, fantasy, urban fantasy, romance, romantic, dryads, paranormal.

Description:

In a battle of wills, who is strongest? The one who hates or the one who loves?

In a test of faith, who will fight the hardest? The one who has everything to lose or the one who believes only in herself?

For Lila Gray, the answer is both. For the Magi, the questions are pointless since they can’t lose, and they’ve been waiting since before Lila’s birth for this one moment. Lila only needs to find them to understand her entire purpose in life. This time, though, instead of protecting her people, Lila may be leading them all, including her unborn child and the man she loves, to their deaths — and not by accident.

In the ultimate trial of heart and soul, and the conclusion to the Lila Gray series, Lila will learn that the greatest weapon of war is herself, with one ultimate unknown. For which side will she fight?

Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads



About the Author

Jocelyn Adams grew up on a cattle farm in Lakefield and has remained a resident of Southern Ontario her entire life, most recently in Muskoka. She has worked as a computer geek, a stable hand, a secretary, and spent most of her childhood buried up to the waist in an old car or tractor engine with her mechanically inclined dad. But mostly, she's a dreamer with a vivid imagination and a love for fantasy (and a closet romantic — shhh!). When she isn't shooting her compound bow in competition or writing, she hangs out with her husband and young daughter at their little house in the woods.

Website  | Blog |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  




Guest Post - Jocelyn Adams describes her perfect day

The perfect day

There are many kinds of “perfect days” for me, as I’m sure is true for most of us.  As we grow older, our moods shift and we try new things, our dreams change.  When Jen asked me to describe my perfect day, I tucked the idea into the back of my mind to stew for a while, and after a great deal of thought, I think I’ve got it pegged.  I’m a simple country girl at heart, so it only makes sense that my favorite day is equally simple.

One of the best things about my house is that it’s in the middle of the woods, and it’s always dark at night.  On my perfect day, I wake to the pattering of rain on the roof, the fresh breeze blowing the curtains in across my bed in the grey twilight of early dawn.  My wee turtle will have snuck into my room at some point during the night, and I’m hugging her, breathing in her strawberry shampoo and little girl scent.  My hubby has his arm thrown over both of us, his warm, even breaths on my nape.

This is my quiet time, when most of my creativity happens.  Entire novels have been “mentally” written between that glorious time between waking up and getting out of bed.  Once we’re up, we’ll have breakfast in the screened in porch listening to the birds singing their rain song, me with a Forever Nuts tea in my hand.  The next couple of hours I’ll spend emptying my ideas into the laptop or editing, depending on what stage I’m working on.

When the rain clears up, we’ll take my daughter for a picnic at the park high above our town overlooking the lake, then walk the trail along the river before taking a swim at the beach there.  Back at home, my hubby will fire up the charcoal grill and fill our yard with the scent of smoked ribs or chipotle hamburgers while my girl and I have a swing in the hammock beneath the maples.  After a leisurely supper, we’ll finish off with a hunt for the perfect marshmallow-roasting sticks, and once the campfire is perfectly ablaze, we’ll snuggle together while toasting our treats to the perfect brown above the coals.

Once my wee girl is tucked into bed, I like to read while the damp evening breeze rolls through the house from the open windows, maybe sipping a Bud Light Lime.  Life really doesn’t get much better than that for me.

Tell me about your perfect day.  I’d love to hear from you.





Movie Review: Warm Bodies vs World War Z

 vs


Just a warning, this posts talks about the types of zombies, etc. in each movie so if you like to be totally surprised when first watching a movie then maybe avoid this post. BUT I won’t list much more than you could find out by looking into the movies or watching the movie trailers.

Also, please note that I have not read either book so this is solely comparing the two movies. To break it down a little I’ll compare the types of zombies, their speed, and their goals. I’ll also look at the genre of each movie as well as my overall thoughts of each.

I'll refer to World War Z as WWZ and Warm Bodies as WB

Type of Zombies

In WB, there are two types of zombies. First are the zombies that still pretty much look like…well they look like vampires almost. They mostly just look like pale humans. The second type of zombies, in the movie, are more skeletal and pretty freaking scary. I would NOT want to meet one in a dark alley…or anywhere for that matter!

The zombies in WWZ are a little closer to the classic zombie. They have the cloudy eyes and stretched and sunken skin. But they’re not the rotting flesh and mangled or missing body parts that you normally associate with zombies.

Zombie Goals

Braaaaaains….

All zombies exist only to eat brains & flesh right?! Nope, this isn’t always the case. Ok ok, it is the case in WB; those zombies need to eat flesh & brains in order to ‘survive’. A man’s zombie’s gotta eat right?! The more skeletal zombies in WB will pretty much hunt down any toasty treats aka warm bodies and beating hearts.

It’s a little different story with WWZ. Sure, the zombies in WWZ bite BUT they don’t bite to eat like the classic zombie. They bite to spread the ‘infection’ far and fast. And boy does it spread!! My husband is into the old fashioned (yet still totally awesome) zombies. You know, the ones that rip apart flesh to get to the gooey insides they love so much. Because of this he had a really hard time with the 'infection' twist. I, on the other hand, didn’t have any problems adjusting to this new aged zombie.

Zombie Speed

The more human zombies in WB are slow and sluggish while the skeletal zombies are speedy buggers!

The zombies in WWZ are ridiculously fast! Seriously, if one has you in its sights you don’t really stand a chance.

Movie Genre

WB is more in the romance genre while WWZ is much more of an action flick.

My Thoughts

WB is a slower paced movie. I enjoyed the uniqueness of zombies ‘thawing’ and becoming more human but I did have a problem adjusting to seeing zombies do some very human things. In my book, zombies just do not know how to or have the ability to operate a record player. It didn’t fit for me. It is an enjoyable movie but I don’t see it becoming one of those favorites that I can watch over and over.

WWZ is a fast paced, suspenseful, and action packed. I loved that it kept me on the edge of my seat and even made me jump a few times. I spotted my fellow movie goer, Krista from Krista’s Dust Jacket, covering her mouth with her hands and even biting her nails throughout the movie (yes, I totally just outted you Krista :) ). You know it’s a good movie when you see people really reacting to it. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be watching this again. I’m even tempted to go see it in the theater for a second time…maybe in 3D this time?

Have you seen either of these movies? Which is your favorite?
 
Other recommendations

If you’re looking for other zombie movies I’d recommend Zombieland and Zombie Apocalypse (the one with Ving Rhames).

Zombieland is more on the lighter side of zombie movies. Sure there’s some gore but the camera looks away for some of the scenes so there’s not as much as you might expect. It’s also fairly humorous. I’ve watched it entirely too many times and I still laugh at a couple scenes.  

If you’re looking for a more serious zombie flick then try Zombie Apocalypse, there’s plenty of action and seriously how can you go wrong with a zombie tiger?!?!

Thanks for reading!
 
 

Cover Re-reveal: Stained by Cheryl Rainfield


Stained
by Cheryl Rainfield

Tagline: Sometimes you have to be your own hero.

About Stained:

Seventeen-year-old Sarah Meadows covers the walls of her bedroom with images of beautiful faces she clips from magazines—and longs for “normal.” Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. Why can’t she be like Diamond, the comic-book hero she created? Diamond would never let the insults in. That’s harder for Sarah.

But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had. Can she look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside, somehow becoming a hero rather than a victim? It’s the only way Sarah will have any chance of escaping the prison—both seen and unseen—that this deranged killer has placed around her.


“Powerful. I raced through it, wanting to know if Sarah would find a way to escape both her captor and her self-doubts. A real nail-biter! “
 - April Henry, New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
 

“A compelling, gutting, and ultimately triumphant read. You won't want to stop turning pages -- Or blink. Or breathe. -- until you reach the very last one.”
-Jennifer Brown, award-winning author of Hate List


“STAINED is dark, tense and gripping; a triumph of one girl's heart, soul and will to survive. Sarah's strength during her descent into terror kept me reading way past bedtime! “
-Laura Wiess, critically acclaimed author of Such a Pretty Girl


Excerpt:

He plans to keep me here. Something snaps in my mind, and I go at the door like I’m crazed, slamming into it with my body, not caring about the way it jars my teeth, my bones, hurts my shoulder. I batter the door, clawing and kicking and screaming until I’m sobbing with exhaustion.

I sink to the floor, trembling and feeling sick. I hurt all over, I have to pee, and I am intensely thirsty.

Don’t let me die here. Please. I never got to say goodbye. Never got to tell Mom I’m sorry, tell Dad how lucky I am to have him for a father. A whimper wrenches its way out of my throat. . . .

From the author:

Like I did with SCARS and HUNTED, I drew on some of my own experiences of bullying, abuse, and trauma to write STAINED and to give it greater emotional depth. Like Sarah in STAINED, I experienced abduction, imprisonment, periods of forced starvation, mind control, and having my life threatened. And like Sarah, I tried hard to fight against my abuser, keep my own sense of self, and escape. I hope readers will see Sarah's strength and courage, and appreciate her emotional growth as she reclaims herself.

Author Links:

Website
Twitter
Goodreads
Facebook Fan Page

Purchase Links:
Amazon (hardcover)  (you can get an email when available)
Amazon (kindle)

Amazon.ca (hardcover)
Amazon.ca (ebook)

Amazon.co.uk (hardcover)
Amazon.co.uk (ebook) 
Powell's
Books a Million 


I love both this cover and the original one. If you're curious to see the original cover you can check it out here.

Cover Reveal: Darkest Day (The 19th Year #3) by Emi Gayle

Darkest Day
The 19th Year
by Emi Gayle

Release Date: January 6, 2014

Target Reader: Young Adult

Keywords: Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Romance,
Thriller/Suspense,Urban Fantasy, Fairy, Shape-shifter, Vampire


Back of the Book

Mac Thorne’s time as a Changeling is coming to an end.

It may have taken eighteen years, but Mac did finally manage to do what the Council wanted: she chose a teacher and renounced the in-between. 

There’s just one last step. She must say goodbye to her human. Forever.

After being challenged in every way possible, Mac leaves what she thought would be the easiest task for the last possible moment. As midnight on July fourth draws near, though, she hasn’t found a way to give up Winn Thomas.

Nor does she want to.

With time running out, Mac stands at a literal crossroads.

Choose Winn, and she’ll be stripped of the only family she’s ever known—vampires, dragons, and her favorite demon. Even her own mother. Accept her position on the Council and rule as an equal to her twelve peers, and she’ll forget Winn ever existed. 

Independence and freedom have never before been so limiting.

In this final chapter of the 19th Year Trilogy, it’s time for Mac to decide.
Responsibility? Or Love?

Shelf Candy Saturday (46): Mystic (Soul Seekers #3) by Alyson Noël

Shelf Candy Saturday is hosted by A Night's Dream of Books

Blurb:

Since arriving in Enchantment, New Mexico, everything in Daire Santos life has changed. And not all for the better. While she’s come to accept and embrace her new powers as a Soul Seeker, Daire struggles with the responsibility she holds navigating between the worlds of the living and the dead. And with the fate of her boyfriend Dace in the balance, Daire must put aside her personal feelings and focus on defeating Cade, whose evil plans threaten everyone she loves and the world as she knows it.

I love the sea green color offset by the black of the dress. Also the waterfall in the background really caught my eye. I really want to read this series soon!

Dani Spevak Series (Books 2 & 3) by Amanda Brice


Pointe of No Return (Dani Spevak Mystery #2) by Amanda Brice

When her nemesis Hadley mysteriously disappears, Dani is assigned to dance her role in The Nutcracker. But something doesn’t feel right, so Dani decides to investigate, even if it means she won’t get to perform. Will she find Hadley before the curtain rises?


Pas de Death (Dani Spevak Mystery #3) by Amanda Brice

Pas de deux (NOUN: pl. pas de deux)
1.     A dance for two, especially a dance in ballet consisting of an entrée and adagio, a variation for each dancer, and a coda.
2.     A close relationship between two people or things, as during an activity.
Pas de death (NOUN: yeah…totally made up)
1.     A dance of death.
2.     When Dani Spevak stumbles over a dead body and gets into another crazy situation.

Aspiring ballerina Dania Spevak is back home for the summer, recovering from an injury. What was supposed to be a simple day trip into New York City to visit her friends at the Manhattan Ballet Conservatory turns deadly when Dani discovers that the world of professional ballet can be cutthroat – literally.

My Thoughts on the Series:

See my review of Codename: Dancer (Dani Spevak #1) here

What I said in that review mostly applies to books 2 and 3 in the series as well. The series can be read by anyone but it feels like it’s mostly geared towards the younger end of young adult. All three books in the series are easy and quick reads.

Each book has a bit of a modern Nancy Drew feel to them. Most people would stay as far away from sticky situations as possible but not Dani, the main character, she sleuths her way through them and to the truth. I also think it’s funny (and maybe a tad irresponsible) that Dani’s grandma encourages her.

I enjoyed the dance references in books 1 and 2. The third book steers away from that little and I kind of missed it but I was still able to enjoy the dance aspect that was there.

Overall it’s an enjoyable series and one that I’ll continue to follow as new books are released.

Overall Series Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Dani Spevak books on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Amanda Brice's website

Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1) by Emmy Laybourne

Summary:

Your mother hollers that you’re going to miss the bus. She can see it coming down the street. You don’t stop and hug her and tell her you love her. You don’t thank her for being a good, kind, patient mother. Of course not – you launch yourself down the stairs and make a run for the corner.

Only, if it’s the last time you’ll ever see your mother, you sort of start to wish you’d stopped and did those things. Maybe even missed the bus.

But the bus was barreling down our street, so I ran.

Fourteen kids. One Superstore. A million things that could go wrong.

In Emmy Laybourne’s action-packed debut novel, six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids trapped together in a chain superstore build a refuge for themselves inside. While outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapons spill, seems to be tearing the world – as they know it – apart.

My Thoughts:

You may not remember but I reviewed This is Not a Test a few months ago (my review) and to make a long story short I was very disappointed. It was about a bunch of kids stuck in a building during a zombie apocalypse. I was frustrated because nothing really happened. That is thankfully not the case with Monument 14.

Monument 14 is about a group of kids stuck in a mall and having to survive during what could be called an apocalypse and that’s where the similarities end. Monument 14 has all of the things I was expecting from This is Not a Test. The story progresses, characters grow, and it was hands down written better making for a MUCH more satisfying read. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy reading about natural (and unnatural) disasters and post-apocalypse events.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Monument 14 on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Emmy Laybourne’s website


BEA Days 2 and 3


Definition of BEA: Pure insanity. An exhausting yet thrilling whirlwind that every book lover should experience. Event that requires patience and more importantly acceptance at not being able to be everywhere and accomplish everything.

I’ll admit that seeing everyone’s amazing BEA posts last year made the green eyed monster rear its ugly head but now that I’ve been there I definitely take back any jealousy I may have felt. Why? Because you really WORK for all of those pretty books! It’s exhausting…totally worth every second…but exhausting!

So I’ll apologize in advance if my post has that effect on you! That’s definitely not my intent; I only want to talk about what was a very exciting event in my life.
- - -
If you missed my Day 1 post you can check it out here. There are also a few more days to enter to win an ARC of Storm Watcher by Maria V. Snyder!

Days 2 and 3 of BEA were as much of a whirlwind as Day 1! Here are some of the highlights...


Day 2


Krista, from Krista's Dust Jacket, and I hit the ground running. Our day started off with an author’s breakfast where we heard Octavia Spencer, Mary Pope Osborne, Rick Riordan, and Veronica Roth speak. Each of them had a great speech prepared. Riordan had the crowd laughing many times and Osborne was very inspirational. She has done so many fantastic things for so many people.

Rick Riordan also had a cover reveal for his next book which was a special treat for all of his fans.
 


We also made sure to stalk…erm I mean track down Amie Kauffman and Meagan Spooner so we could say the magic word and get some pretty These Broken Stars necklaces!

Muahahaha, I outsmarted blogger!
It kept distorting this pic but I was the victor!


Later I stood in the very long Holly Black line, where I met the lovely Britt from Not So Teen Reads. I also have to add that I LOVE Holly Black’s very blue hair!




I also met some great people in the very long VE Schwab line!

Tabitha and her sis from My Shelf Confessions
Upcoming Spencer Hill Press author Erica Cameron


Throughout the day I collected some fabulous books.
 


And instead of sitting in NJ rush hour traffic, Krista and I had a nice relaxing dinner at the NJ ferry terminal. I love this view!


Day 3

As Krista and I waited to catch the ferry we were behind someone with a suitcase and a book. Hmmm, could this be a fellow BEA goer? Why yes it was! We had the pleasure of meeting Danielle from Mercurial Musings. And I was floored that she had heard of At Random! Holy Crap!!!

Once at the Javits Center, the first thing I did was go to Harlequin’s signing with twelve authors, yes TWELVE!!! It was so full of awesome and I even had a great line buddy, Jessica from A Midsummer Night's Read, to help pass the time before the signing. We then zoomed through the line to see all of the wonderful authors. I hadn’t planned on attending this event but I’m very glad Krista and Jessica talked me into it, thank you ladies!
  
I didn’t get to snap too many pics but I did get one of Julie Kagawa signing The Eternity Cure.


Later in the day, I also had the chance to see Amy Tintera signing Reboot and Cora Carmack signing Faking It.

I’ve since read Faking It and it was so SO good!! Much love to Cora…and Cade :)

This was me and Faking It spending some quality time together lakeside a few days after BEA ended.


But I digress, let's get back to BEA...

Most of day 3 I was able to just meander around more so I ended up with a few more books than I did on the previous two days. I was also very excited to get a few of the books I didn't think I'd have time to get to!


Then by 1 or 2 pm Krista and I were exhausted so we had lunch and then decided to call it quits. As we were rearranging our checked suitcase we happened upon Hannah from The Girl in the Cafe and author Juliana Haygert, chatted for a quick minute, and then we then finished packing up and started our trek home.

It took a while to come out of the post BEA fog but I'm getting back into the swing of things now. Even though it was hard adjusting back to 'real life' I'm very glad Krista and I made the trip. We've met some amazing people and I hope to see them again in the future...maybe at next year's BEA??

Thanks so much for reading!

Series Reviews: Kate Daniels #5

Goodreads Summary:
Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.


Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she's still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate's mate.


So when Atlanta's premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .


My Thoughts:
Wow! I can't believe how much this series has sucked me in! Each book is just as good if not better than the last. I love how the relationship between Kate and Curran has progressed.
Once again there is no shortage of action and suspense! I am going to be diving into the next in the series right away. It is impossible to wait!
If you haven't started this series yet you simply must, I promise you won't regret it!


Overall Rating: 5*


Add it toGoodreads
Buy it from Amazonor Barnes & Noble


Correct Reading Order:
0.5- "A Questionable Client"*
1- Magic Bites
2- Magic Burns
3- Magic Strikes
3.5- "Magic Mourns"*
4- Magic Bleeds
4.5- "Magic Dreams"*
5- Magic Slays
5.3- "Magic Tests"
5.4- "Magic Gifts"*
5.5- Gunmetal Magic
5.6- "Retribution Clause"*
6- Magic Rises- Release date: 07/30/13


Ilona Andrews on Goodreads and her Website

Losing It (Losing It #1) by Cora Carmack

Summary:

Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible—a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren’t embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She’d left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.

My Thoughts:

I tend to limit myself on the amount of New Adult books I read because a lot of them seem so formulaic and predictable and well it annoys me…a lot. A few of my friends enjoyed this book and it was J.A. Belfield who really had me convinced. She said…

There are a lot of New Adult books currently creeping into the market—mostly contemporary—and so far they’ve been full of tortured souls with dark demons to overcome before they can trust enough to find love. After reading a few of those (this isn’t a dig, because I love them), the light tone and amusing entertainment of Losing It was seriously refreshing.”

I added it to my to be read list and my friend gave it to me for my birthday (thanks Anna :)). I jumped right in and was pleasantly surprised. I found that I totally agreed with the wonderful Ms. Belfield. In fact, rather than continue I’m just going to refer you to her review. She described it perfectly!

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Losing It on Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble
Cora Carmack's blog


BEA Recap (Day 1) and a Maria V. Snyder GIVEAWAY!!

Definition of BEA: Pure insanity. An exhausting yet thrilling whirlwind that every book lover should experience. Event that requires patience and more importantly acceptance at not being able to be everywhere and accomplish everything.

I’ll admit that seeing everyone’s amazing BEA posts last year made the green eyed monster rear its ugly head but now that I’ve been there I definitely take back any jealousy I may have felt. Why? Because you really WORK for all of those pretty books! It’s exhausting…totally worth every second…but exhausting!

So I’ll apologize in advance if my post has that effect on you! That’s definitely not my intent; I only want to talk about what was a very exciting event in my life.

Day Before BEA

We registered...



We explored...






We ate cupcakes.



BEA Day 1:

Krista from Krista’s Dust Jacket and I arrived at the Javit’s Center pretty early and waited in what turned out to be a very long line. Luckily we were close to the front. As the minutes ticked closer we were getting antsier and antsier until it was time…time to enter into the unknown. No amount of preparation can fully prepare you for the insanity that lies beyond those doors! It’s a mad rush for those first galley drops and those early morning author signings! And that mad rush continues pretty much the entire three days.

Some highlights from my Day 1...

Meeting some wonderful bloggers
DJ @ DJ's Life in Fiction…well technically it was his mom I kept seeing in lines, shout out to DJ’s mom :)
Chaz & Tashima @ The Bloody Bookaholic

Seeing some great authors

Amie Kauffman & Meagan Spooner signing These Broken Stars

Sarah J. Maas signing Crown of Midnight


R.L. Stine signing A Midsummer Night's Scream.
R.L. Freaking Stine people!!
If that’s not his middle name then it surely should be! Haha! 


And last but certainly not least…Maria V. Snyder was signing her not yet released book, Storm Watcher. I, unfortunately, didn’t take a picture :(
Keep reading for a chance to win a copy of Storm Watcher!!
 


Getting some amazing books



And after fighting NJ rush hour traffic, getting gussied up with Krista to make an appearance at a Kensington gathering.

AGH, Why is blogger distorting the pic?! Sorry I guess I'm not posting a pic afterall.




After all that we were left with blisters, absolutely no energy, sore shoulders, some fantastic books, and great memories…




Now on to the giveaway...

Being the awesome person that she is, Maria V. Snyder has offered up a copy of Storm Watcher to one lucky person!


Luke Riley is lost. His mother's recent death has set Luke and his family adrift. Even though his father, twin brothers, and their three Bloodhounds are search and rescue volunteers, they have been unable to rescue themselves and become a family again. The summer after sixth grade looms in Luke's mind as long, lonely three months where the only thing he can look forward to is watching The Weather Channel. Luke is fascinated with the weather, but since his mother's death in a storm, he is also terrified. Even the promised 13th birthday present of a Bloodhound puppy fails to lift Luke's spirits. He would rather have a different breed - a Papillon, but his father insists he get a Bloodhound.

When Luke decides to get the Bloodhound from Willajean, a dog breeder who owns Storm Watcher Kennel, he works out a deal to help at her kennel in exchange for the expensive dog. Thrilled to have a summer with a purpose, Luke befriends Willajean's daughter, Megan and together they plan how Luke can get a Papillon puppy instead of a Bloodhound.


-Fill out the below form to enter
-Entries must be received by 11:59 pm (EST) on June 15th