Category: Debut Love

Class of 2014: YA Superlatives Blogfest BEST IN SHOW

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The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest (hosted by Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me) runs Monday, December 15th through Thursday, December 18th and will highlight favorite books published in 2014 using a variety of fun superlative categories. The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest is all about promoting the extraordinary young adult books published this year, so if you haven’t already, draft a post and sign up to participate at the end of this post. We can’t wait to see your favorite reads of 2014!

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2014 Reading List (starred = debut): The Winner’s Curse, *Let’s Get Lost, *Loop, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, *17 First Kisses, Ashes to Ashes, *The Secret Sky, *Behind the Scenes, Isla and the Happily Ever After, *The Only Thing To Fear, Bleed Like Me, The Bridge From Me to You, *Creed, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, I’ll Give You the Sun, *One Two Three, *Of Scars and Stardust, We Were Liars, *Wish You Were Italian, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Frozen, What I Thought Was True, *The Eighth Guardian, *Pointe, *Push Girl, *Open Road Summer, *Far From You, *The Symptoms of My Insanity, Panic, *The Truth About Alice, *NIL, Complicit, The Summer I Found You, The Evolution of Emily, Into the Still Blue, Heartbeat, The Killing Woods, Brown Girl Dreaming

Best In Show

Favorite Cover

    
Lots of beautiful covers in 2014… These four stuck out: The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, Pointe by Brandy Colbert, and Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn. All four are excellent reads, as well!

Cutest Couple

  
Gwen and Cassidy from Huntley Fitzpatrick’s What I Thought Was True, and Isla and Josh (despite their drama) from Stephanie Perkins’s Isla and the Happily Ever After — too cute to choose, too cute for words. ❤

Most Likely to Succeed (Pick a Printz)


Not only did Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun hit me harder in the feels than any other book I read this year, it’s also one of the most beautifully written stories I’ve encountered.

Most Likely to Make You Miss Your Bedtime


Could. Not. Put. Down The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski. The romance, the pacing, the twists, the crazy-compelling characters. So, so good!

Best Repeat Performance (Sequel or Follow-Up)


These The Raven Cycle books just keep getting better, don’t they? I adored Maggie Stiefvater’s Blue Lily, Lily Blue, and I can’t wait to see how this series ends when the final novel comes out next year.

Favorite Finale or End of Series Novel

  
I’ve followed Laini Taylor’s and Veronica Rossi’s trilogies since their opening books, and Dreams of Gods and Monsters and Into the Still Blue held up through the end. Love and recommend both of these fantastical series!

Romance Most Worthy of an Ice Bath


Isla and the Happily Ever After‘s Isla and Josh in Spain… Need I say more? Thank you, Stephanie Perkins, for bringing the swoon. (Honorable Mention to Dahlia Adler’s Behind the Scenes — hot, hot, hot!)

Best Breakout Novel (Debut Author) 


This one’s hard because I’ve read some *fantastic* debuts this year, but my love for Adi Alsaid’s Let’s Get Lost knows no bounds. It’s just so charming and and heartwarming and poignant. Plus, hello, adorable cover!

Best Old-Timer (Favorite Novel Pubbed BEFORE 2014)

  
Late to the party on both of these (seriously — what took me so long?!) but Morgan Matson’s Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour and Cristin Terrill’s All Our Yesterdays both lived up to and then completely surpassed their hype. If you’ve put off reading either or both, remedy that soon!

Most Likely to Make a Grown Man Cry

  
We all know I’m not a book crier, but Christa Desir’s Bleed Like Me and Elodie Nowodazkij’s debut One, Two, Three pulled at my heartstrings in major (though very different) ways.

Most Pleasant Surprise


I’m not sure I would have picked up Caroline Tung Richmond’s The Only Thing to Fear if I didn’t know and adore her — the cover doesn’t exactly scream Katy Book. But I’m so glad I gave this debut a go because it’s one of the most unique and creative stories I’ve read. Loved it!

Most Creative Use of a Love Triangle


Sophie from Tess Sharpe’s Far From You is tangled up between a brother and sister and oh my goodness, it’s messy. Plus, there’s a murder mystery and drug addiction and guilt and sadness to contend with. Such an enthralling read.

Sleeper Hit (Novel So Awesome I Wish It’d Been Hyped More)

    
I wouldn’t call Elizabeth Scott’s Heartbeat, Jessica Love & Chelsie Hill’s Push Girl, Lisa Schroeder’s The Bridge From Me to You, or Stephanie Kuehn’s Complicit “under the radar,” but they’re all so good, I wish I was seeing them featured on everyone’s end-of-the-year “Best” lists. If you haven’t read any of the four of these and are a fan of contemporary YA, you MUST check them out!

Favorite Outlier (Best 2014 Picture, MG, NA, or Adult Book)

  
  
Roxane Gay’s An Untamed State, Rebecca Behren’s When Audrey Met Alice, Riley Edgewood’s Rock & Release serial, and Mary Kubica’s The Good Girl are all such different books, but all four are so affecting. They each blew me away with their amazingness.

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Click below to add your name and your Best in Show post link to our sign up so we can hop around and check out your selections. 

This weekend, Jessica, Tracey, Alison, and I will randomly select FOUR Superlative Blogfest participants to win a 2014 YA book of their choice. Make sure to include your post links to all of the linky lists that apply so you’ll be eligible to win… 

And thanks so much to those who participated, commented, and helped spread the word about this blogfest… I’ve had a blast reading all of the posts, and my TBR list has grown by leaps and bounds! ❤

Class of 2014: YA Superlatives Blogfest ELEMENTS OF FICTION

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The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest (hosted by Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me) runs Monday, December 15th through Thursday, December 18th and will highlight favorite books published in 2014 using a variety of fun superlative categories. The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest is all about promoting the extraordinary young adult books published this year, so if you haven’t already, draft a post and sign up to participate at the end of this post. We can’t wait to see your favorite reads of 2014!

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2014 Reading List (starred = debut): The Winner’s Curse, *Let’s Get Lost, *Loop, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, *17 First Kisses, Ashes to Ashes, *The Secret Sky, *Behind the Scenes, Isla and the Happily Ever After, *The Only Thing To Fear, Bleed Like Me, The Bridge From Me to You, *Creed, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, I’ll Give You the Sun, *One Two Three, *Of Scars and Stardust, We Were Liars, *Wish You Were Italian, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Frozen, What I Thought Was True, *The Eighth Guardian, *Pointe, *Push Girl, *Open Road Summer, *Far From You, *The Symptoms of My Insanity, Panic, *The Truth About Alice, *NIL, Complicit, The Summer I Found You, The Evolution of Emily, Into the Still Blue, Heartbeat, The Killing Woods, Brown Girl Dreaming

Elements of Fiction

Most Envy-Inducing Plot


We Were Liars by E. Lockhart kept me guessing (even though there were “hints” about “surprises” all over the Internet), and I thought she pulled off the twists and characterizations beautifully. This one’s one of my favorites of 2014. (Honorable Mention to Caroline Tung Richmond’s debut The Only Thing to Fear — loved her reimagining of the outcome of World War II!)

Most Formidable World


Teenagers get exactly 365 days on Lynne Matson’s Nil, a sort of island paradise that reminded me a little of that Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach. But after those 365 days, you’re out — like, presumably dead. The ticking clock aspect of this book amped the tension to almost unbearable levels.

Most Wanderlust-Inducing


How Kristin Rae’s Wish You Were Italian made me want to travel to Italy! The delectable food, the unparalleled history, the lovely landscapes, and the beautiful boys. I adored this sweet, full-of-voice debut.

Loveliest Prose


Did you have doubts? Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun is gorgeous, full of enchanting imagery and unique metaphors and pretty, pretty prose. I found myself rereading so many passages just to more fully absorb their amazingness.

Best First Line


“She shouldn’t have been tempted.”
Oh, but she was! Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Curse is all about temptation and yearning and torn allegiance. So good!

Most Dynamic Main Character


Theo from Brandy Colbert’s debut Pointe is one of my favorite MCs of 2014. She’s struggling with A LOT of trauma, yet she’s amazingly resilient. She’s a perfect example of the “strong female character” we’re always hearing about because she IS strong, but she’s also layered and complex and flawed. (Honorable Mentions to Sophie From Tess Sharpe’s debut Far From You, Kara from Jessica Love & Chelsie Hill’s debut Push Girl, and Reagan from Emery Lord’s debut Open Road Summer for all the same reasons.)

Most Jaw-Dropping Conclusion


In an effort to avoid spoilers, I won’t say why the conclusion to Stephanie Kuehn’s Complicit made my jaw drop, but I will say that you should read it as soon as possible. (Honorable Mention to E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars!)

Best Performance in a Supporting Role


To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han – The whole of Lara Jean’s family, plus Peter. I loved this book’s cast so much!

Best Use of Theme

  
Jessica Love & Chelsie Hill’s Push Girl and Elodie Nowodazkij’s One, Two, Three have similar themes of overcoming the loss of an identifying pursuit due to injury (dance, in both cases). I love that while both protagonists struggled with the unwanted changes to their lives in realistic and complicated ways, neither was weak, and neither gave up.

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Click below to add your name and your Elements of Fiction post link to our sign up so we can hop around and check out your selections. Don’t forget — there will be a new link sign-up each day!

Class of 2014: YA Superlatives Blogfest POPULARITY CONTEST

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The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest (hosted by Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me) runs Monday, December 15th through Thursday, December 18th and will highlight favorite books published in 2014 using a variety of fun superlative categories. The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest is all about promoting the extraordinary young adult books published this year, so if you haven’t already, draft a post and sign up to participate at the end of this post. We can’t wait to see your favorite reads of 2014!

Class of 2014_Banner

2014 Reading List (starred = debut): The Winner’s Curse, *Let’s Get Lost, *Loop, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, *17 First Kisses, Ashes to Ashes, *The Secret Sky, *Behind the Scenes, Isla and the Happily Ever After, *The Only Thing To Fear, Bleed Like Me, The Bridge From Me to You, *Creed, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, I’ll Give You the Sun, *One Two Three, *Of Scars and Stardust, We Were Liars, *Wish You Were Italian, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Frozen, What I Thought Was True, *The Eighth Guardian, *Pointe, *Push Girl, *Open Road Summer, *Far From You, *The Symptoms of My Insanity, Panic, *The Truth About Alice, *NIL, Complicit, The Summer I Found You, The Evolution of Emily, Into the Still Blue, Heartbeat, The Killing Woods, Brown Girl Dreaming

Popularity Contest

Villain I Love to Hate


“Charismatic” Elijah Hawkins, leader of the Purity Springs community featured in Creed by debut authors Lindsay Currie and Trisha Leaver. Yikes.

Most Likely to Become a Rockstar


Adorable, adorable, adorable Matt Finch from Emery Lord’s Open Road Summer. He’s a songwriter and a musician and he’s already on tour. *swoon*

Favorite Parental Figure

   
Emma’s stepfather from Elizabeth Scott’s Heartbeat. He’s just so present and supportive, and his love for Emma and her mom is palpable. Also, Lauren’s aunt and uncle from Lisa Schroeder’s The Bridge From Me to You, for all the same reasons. I love when parental figures are just unwaveringly there.

Most Likely to Start a Riot


Gray and Bree from Erin Bowman’s Frozen. They’re badass, and they’re pretty much leading an entire rebellion.

Biggest Flirt


Lillia from Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, because she consciously and constantly uses her feminine wiles to get what she wants, and she’s scary-good at it.

Coolest Nerd


Noah from Jandy Nelson’s I’ll Give You the Sun. He’s an art nerd, and a very talented one. Plus, he’s just all kinds of awkward and endearing.

Fashion Queens

  
Both Reagan and Dee from Emery Lord’s Open Road Summer, as well as Lillia from Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian. I’d happily raid any of their closets!

Character You’d Most Want For a BFF

   
I can’t choose between Leila from Adi Alsaid’s Let’s Get Lost and Claire from Racheal Allen’s 17 First Kisses, perhaps because they both feel so fully formed and genuine. They each have realistic flaws, yet they’re loyal and kind and full of warmth. I’d be happy to BFFs with them both!

Character You Wish You’d Dated in High School


Arin from Marie Rutkoski’s The Winner’s Curse because… holy hotness. He’s serious and sweet and strong and a little bit broken, and he loves oh-so-deeply. *sigh* (Honorable Mentions to Matt from Open Road Summer (musical!), Peter from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (funny!), Gansey from Blue Lily, Lily Blue (all-American!), and Tonio from One, Two, Three (athletic!).

Most Likely to Become President


Gansey from Maggie Siefvater’s Blue Lily, Lily Blue. He was my pick last year too. I’d TOTALLY vote for him!

Quirkiest Character


Izzy from The Symptoms of My Insanity — she’s a nut! She has the most honest, most hilarious stream-of-conscious inner monologues, and she cracks me up.

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Click the below to add your name and your Popularity Contest post link to our sign up so we can hop around and check out your selections. Don’t forget — there will be a new link sign-up each day!

Class of 2014: YA Superlatives Blogfest HEAD OF THE CLASS

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The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest (hosted by Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and me) runs Monday, December 15th through Thursday, December 18th and will highlight favorite books published in 2014 using a variety of fun superlative categories. The Class of 2014: YA Superlative Blogfest is all about promoting the extraordinary young adult books published this year, so if you haven’t already, draft a post and sign up to participate at the end of this post. We can’t wait to see your favorite reads of 2014!

Class of 2014_Banner

2014 Reading List (starred = debut): The Winner’s Curse, *Let’s Get Lost, *Loop, Blue Lily, Lily Blue, *17 First Kisses, Ashes to Ashes, *The Secret Sky, *Behind the Scenes, Isla and the Happily Ever After, *The Only Thing To Fear, Bleed Like Me, The Bridge From Me to You, *Creed, Dreams of Gods and Monsters, I’ll Give You the Sun, *One Two Three, *Of Scars and Stardust, We Were Liars, *Wish You Were Italian, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Frozen, What I Thought Was True, *The Eighth Guardian, *Pointe, *Push Girl, *Open Road Summer, *Far From You, *The Symptoms of My Insanity, Panic, *The Truth About Alice, *NIL, Complicit, The Summer I Found You, The Evolution of Emily, Into the Still Blue, Heartbeat, The Killing Woods, Brown Girl Dreaming

Head of the Class

Favorite Dystopian


Frozen by Erin Bowman – Loved it even more than its predecessor, Taken! Gray is such a compelling protagonist, and I can’t wait to see how this trilogy wraps up with Forged come spring.

Favorite Science Fiction


Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi – Is this a stretch for the sci-fi category? It’s the only sci-fi-esque 2014 book I read, and it was a fantastic conclusion to a trilogy I’ve followed since its first book. Bravo! (Honorable Mention to These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner, which came out late in 2013 and therefore missed a spot on my Class of 2013 list. It’s so excellent!)

Favorite Fantasy


The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski – Not only my favorite fantasy of 2014, but one of my favorite reads of the year, period. Oh, the glorious world-building and the slow-burn, deliciously forbidden romance…

Favorite Contemporary

   
I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson and Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid – I could not choose between these two! They’re both incredibly moving and gorgeously written, and they both left me feeling just… joyful. New favorites!

Favorite Action/Adventure


Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor – Another trilogy concluded. I love Laini Taylor’s prose, and this book was a true page-turner. Unputdownable!

Favorite Historical


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – Oh my gosh… So gorgeous. I’m such a sucker for verse stories and this one, a chronicle of the author’s childhood in the 1960s and 1970s (so, it’s a little bit middle grade if you want to get technical), is mesmerizing. Plus, that cover… Love.

Favorite Comedy


The Symptoms of My Insanity by Mindy Raf – I’m not big on comedies and this book certainly has plenty of profound moments, but it was also full of genuine, perfectly penned humor. I legit LOLed more than once!

Favorite Mystery

  
Far From You by Tess Sharpe and We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – Again — I could NOT choose! Both of these are gripping, full of beautiful writing, diverse characters, and gut-wrenching twists. So, so good.

Favorite Romance

   
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins and Open Road Summer by Emery Lord – Both of these are lovely romances, but they’re so much more, too — friendship and travel and authentic voice. Love them both! (Honorable mention to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han, which I couldn’t select this year because I *must* read the sequel before deciding if Lara Jean and Peter’s romance is a favorite.)

Favorite Paranormal


Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater – Obviously, right? I am such a fan of this series, and I am already so anxious to see how it concludes next fall. Can I please be Maggie Stiefvater when I grow up?

Favorite Genre Bender


Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian – While I did not love how this trilogy concluded (I want to tear the epilogue out of my copy, quite honestly) there’s no denying that the series, as a whole, is crazy-good. Oh, Reeve. ❤

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Click the graphic below to add your name and your Head of the Class post link to our sign up so we can hop around and check out your selections. Don’t forget — there will be a new link sign-up each day!

What’s Up Wednesday

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“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to. And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski and loved it SO MUCH. Amazing world-building, and a super-swoonworthy slow-burn forbidden romance. I also read Caroline Tung Richmond’s debut, The Only Thing To Fear, a reimagining of the outcome of WW combined with some genetically modified people with X-Men-esue super powers — it was excellent! Now, I’m reading Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson’s National Book Award winning historical verse story. It’s beautiful so far.

  

What I’m Writing: I’ve been revising my road trip book, The Road So Far, according to notes from my amazing CPs. They have helped me SO MUCH and I am endlessly grateful. I sent the manuscript off to my agent yesterday, so we’ll see what she thinks. *crosses fingers* Now, I’m back to drafting the end my NaNo story, Stars Like Dust. Hoping to finish by the end of the month.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: All the holiday prep…

I baked my husband’s favorite Christmas treat, Mexican Wedding Cookies…

  

And made a Christmas craft, Cinnamon Star Garland…

And addressed Christmas cards with my little elf. ❤

What Works For Me: Amazing published novels as inspiration. Luckily, 2014 has been full of exceptional reads! Jessica Love, Tracey Neithercott, Alison Miller, and I are celebrating with our 4th annual YA Superlatives Blogfest, a fun and interactive way to highlight our favorite books published during the last year. The blogfest begins Monday, December 15th and runs through Thursday, December 18th. We hope you’ll join us!

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Tell me… What’s up with you today? 

November Reading Wrap-Up

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So many amazing (and varied) books in November!
Here’s what I read…

(As always, covers link to Goodreads pages.)

When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill – I love this book so much, and I will absolutely read any NA novels Ellie Cahill (Liz Czukas) publishes in the future. When Joss Met Matt is a contemp about a unique and precarious friends-with-benefits situation (sorbet, if you will), set during college and the years just after. The writing is spot-on, the steamy scenes are just the right sort of steamy, and the characters are layered and likable (Joss is delightful and a bit nutty; Matt is so sweet, but a little dense when it comes to romance). When Joss Met Matt is one of those All the Feels books (but without the crazy angst that’s become synonymous with NA), and I can’t remember the last time I rooted for a couple so enthusiastically. It’s out February, 2015, and you should DEFINITELY read it!


Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater – (Minor spoiler-ish comments ahead…) Oh, Maggie. You slay me consistently, and I promise to buy and devour any and every book you write. I adored this third installment (of four) of one of my favorite YA series. I am a Gansey girl through-and-through, and I loved the more vulnerable side we saw of him this time around (his fear in the cave — my heart was pounding!). I love, too, the palpable chemistry he and Blue share. I mean, they’ve yet to so much as kiss, but still… *swoon* Just as captivating as Gansey and Blue are Adam and Ronan. Their bond (for lack of a better word at this point) is enrapturing (the hand cream — good Lord!). And then there’s Maggie’s Stiefvater’s prose, which is gorgeous and evocative and oh-so-enviable. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book this beautifully penned. Incase my fan-girling hasn’t made my feelings clear, BL,LB is amazing and so is its series.


Loop by Karen Akins – Aah! This is a fun, twisty book, and an amazingly unique spin on time travel. Karen Akins’s debut is pretty much a study in how to pull off a feisty, genuinely amusing YA voice. Traveling through time in Bree’s head was a treat, and getting to know irresistibly sweet love interest Finn wasn’t so bad either. I adored the way their interactions played out (thanks to time travel, there’s narrator Bree and future Bree and, well, things can get a little nutty in the romance department when you’re not sure what your future self has done with the boy who claims to have a relationship with you). Needless to say, I found myself laughing out loud more than once. My only issue with Loop? Its crazy cliffhanger ending! I don’t want to have to wait for more Bree and Finn!


On Writing by Stephen King – How have I never read this? I loved it, as many told me I would. On Writing is (obviously) about the craft of writing, but it begins with a brief summary of Stephen King’s defining life moments, which were fascinating. Still, it was the sections on writing (see what I did there?) that captivated me most. King’s advice is so candid and forthright, presented with a touch of humor and plenty of anecdotal evidence, including some self-depreciating examples from his own work. The man is so clever and so prolific, and his suggestions are so smartly presented. This one’s a book I’ll reread from time to time when inspiration is waning.


Losing It by Cora Carmack – Though many, many friends have recommended this author to me, I finally picked up this book because of an odd reverse blurb situation. Its author blurbed When Joss Met Matt (see above) and I loved that book so much, I figured it’d be likely that I’d enjoy the blurber’s writing as well. (Does any of that make sense? I hope so…) Anyway, Losing It was full of fun voice-y bits and some almost slap-stick situations that totally made me laugh. It’s a book that deals with college theatre, which is a world I know very little about, so it certainly held my attention.  My only quibble has to do with the romance, which just didn’t hit me in the feels the way other NAs have. Still, I’ve heard that Cora Carmack’s All Lined Up is excellent, and I look forward to checking it out.


VIP by Riley Edgewood – How I adore this first act in Riley Edgewood’s three-act debut serial, Rock & Release. I’ve read it twice, once as a beta, and once as a fan. VIP is definitely the steamy (sometimes literally!) sort of book NA is known for, but more than that, it’s a gorgeous story. Riley has this lovely way with words that gets under my skin and stays with me. Even her sexiest scenes are written with elegance and nuance, and they read almost like poetry. MC Cassidy is such a fun heroine to get to know. She’s not perfect, but she has the *best* heart, and she’s funny in this endearingly self-depreciating way — so easy to root for. And then there’s Gage, who is one of the most desirable NA guys out there. He’s hot (obviously — look at that cover), and he’s a musician, and he’s goes after what he wants. But he’s also sweet and attentive and truly caring, which makes him impossible not to love. If you’re looking for a read that’s full of emotion and seduction and beautiful, beautiful words, I highly recommend Riley’s VIP.

Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid – All the stars for this book! I finished it the other night and I’m still thinking about, and still smiling from the sheer joy of its reading experience. Let’s Get Lost is a collection of five short stories that have Leila, a girl who’s on an answers-seeking road trip to Alaska, in common. Though we only get to spend a short time with each of the characters (save Leila), I grew to know them all so well. As soon as I pegged one as a favorite, his/her story would conclude and I’d get to begin a whole new adventure with another charming protagonist. Though I loved each character and felt invested in each story, Sonia’s was my absolute favorite because… romance and humor and winsome boy. ❤ Along with Let’s Get Lost‘s characters, I adored Adi Alsaid’s whimsical 3rd-person writing style, and his descriptions of the varied settings. This whole book feels like a John Hughes movie, and I’m a huge fan. 

So, what’s the best book you read in November?

What’s Up Wednesday

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“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to. And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Losing It by Cora Carmack and thought it was a fun read. Perhaps not my favorite of all the NA I’ve encountered, but some trusted sources tell me her All Lined Up is excellent, so maybe I’ll try that one sometime. Now, I’m reading Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid, a series of lovely, interconnected short stories about delightful people (so far). This one’s a contemp written in 3rd person which, when done well, I love. Luckily, this one is done VERY well. Plus it’s about a road trip, and road trip books are my jam.

What I’m Writing: Still NaNo-ing, and I’m getting SO CLOSE! Hoping to finish today (before Thanksgiving) so pardon me if WUW comments go unresponded to for now. I will get to them ASAP. Goal: Win NaNoWriMo!

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Other than tons of writing, I’ve been doing Thanksgiving prep. We’re having a quiet meal at home (with Seahawks football!), but the many foods Thanksgiving are my husband’s favorite, so there’s a lot of cooking in my immediate future. He deals with the disgusting turkey carcass, and I do everything else. Fair trade! 🙂

 
This little lovely has had all week off from school, so we’ve been hanging out plenty. Lots of coloring and puzzles and books and shopping.


I received the most EXCELLENT package from my #SipSwap buddy, Sarah Marsh, who is so generous and kind, and obviously has amazing taste in Harry Potter commodities. Plus, Chocolate Strawberry Tea, friends. So yummy!

What Works For Me: I spent all month making my way through Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, and I found it incredibly inspiring — especially in the midst of the all the NaNo craziness. He’s so real and frank about his process and the industry and his past, plus he’s drily funny, which I dig. I highly recommend On Writing if you’ve yet to read it. What’s your favorite craft/writing/creativity-focused book?

What’s up with you today? 

What’s Up Wednesday

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“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to. And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Loop by Karen Akins and enjoyed it so much. I literally laughed out loud several times (a rarity), plus this one had awesome pacing and a super cute boy. Win! Now I’m reading Losing It by Cora Carmack which is funny and sexy and full of sassy voice. I can see why it’s so popular!

What I’m Writing: Oh, hey, remember when I signed up for National Novel Writing Month? No? Well, that’s probably because I joined the fun spur-of-the-moment on November 8th. (That’s right.) I mostly signed up because I was stressed about a lot other stuff, and I figured NaNo would be an awesome way to heap some different stress on my plate, therefore taking my mind off the original stress. See how that works? Anyway. I caught up last week, which was an amazing feeling, and now I’m on track to win and (since I started NaNo-ing with Stars Like Dust, a project I was already about 15K into) finish my first draft around the same time. So, yeah, I’ve been writing A LOT, and it’s so satisfying because even though my story is all kinds of messy at the moment, I love it.

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Uh, freezing my butt off, for starters. Have I mentioned how much I hate being cold? I preheat my bed every night with a super-powered electric blanket, for example, and I complain (a lot) when the temperature dips below fifty-five, which it has often lately. Brrr…


My daughter, on the other hand, is loving the cold because she gets to wear her new “puffer” jacket out and about. Silver lining, I guess. And my silver lining? Chestnut Praline Lattes from Starbucks. Yum!

  
And can we talk about how cute Daphne’s been lately?

What Works For Me: I’ve talked about music before, but not this specific aspect of how I apply it to writing: Often, when I’m trying to draft but feel distracted and/or uninspired, I put on headphones and blast my WiP theme song(s) on repeat. The familiar lyrics and melodies help me find my writing flow (it’s pretty much a Pavlovian response now), and turning it up loud almost makes it white noise, which drowns out all of the nonsense swirling in my head (and house). For my NaNo WiP, my go-to songs are Shakira’s “Empire” and Taylor Swift’s “Out of the Woods.” Do you listen to music when you write? 

Tell me… What’s up with you today? 

Happy VIP Day!

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The first act of one of my very favorite new adult stories is out today!

VIP, Act 1 of Riley Edgewood‘s sexy NA serial Rock & Release, is available for eBook purchase RIGHT NOW, and you should hurry, hurry, hurry to Amazon or B&N or iBooks and order it this very second. It’s only $.99, and it’s so, so good!

Here are the details…

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When Cassidy Evans scores VIP tickets to a concert, she decides to use them for one carefree night before beginning a summer internship at her father’s Fortune 500 company. But one carefree night turns into a few too many martinis—with two unexpected twists: A steamy encounter with Gage Logan, sexy singer and guitarist, and a tempting job offer from Gage’s boss to work at the concert venue she now knows quite intimately. 

She can’t take the job. Her internship is an opportunity any business major would kill for. But the thought of working with her father, a man furious with grief over a family tragedy that struck six months ago, fills her with dread.  

Then there’s Gage. Working with him all summer could be hot. Cassidy can’t stop flashing back to their night together. Molten kisses. His hands smoothing across the skin of her belly. The weight of his body above her own…  

And suddenly the decision about how to spend her summer is much, much harder to make.

VIP is the first act of the three part sexy romance serial, Rock & Release. The final two acts, Starstruck and Show Stopper, will release on December 1 and December 15 respectively, and you won’t want to miss those either — trust me!

A teaser (borrowed from Riley’s blog) to get you — ahem — excited. 😉

Congrats, Riley! ❤ ❤ ❤

What’s Up Wednesday

31 Comments

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“What’s Up Wednesday” is a fun weekly meme started by my friends Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. From Jaime: It’s similar in some respects to the Currently… post, but it’s been whittled down to only four headings to make it quicker and more manageable on a weekly basis. You’re invited to join us if you’re looking for something to blog about, a way to let your blog friends know what’s been going on with you. If you’re participating, make sure to link your What’s Up Wednesday posts to the list on Jaime’s blog each week. That way, others can visit your post and check out what you’ve been up to. And now, here’s what’s up with me this week…

What I’m Reading: I finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, and it was predictably awesome. I have such a book crush on Gansey, and I love that we saw a more vulnerable side of him in this installment. I adore these characters and this world (man… it is so deep), and I cannot wait to read the fourth and final book! Now, I’m reading Loop by Karen Akins, which is a super fun time-travel novel. It’s making my morning elliptical workouts fly by.

What I’m Writing: I’ve cleared 31K on my WiP, which is sort of exciting and sort of scary. I have a basic idea of how the story is going to end, but I still haven’t done much plotting or mapping of how I’m going to get there. Yikes. But… I *think* things are moving along okay. I’ve got a protagonist who I adore. I’ve got a cute, swoony boy. I’ve got a lovely setting. I’ve got tension. And, I’ve got kissing (finally!). What more does a story need? 😉

What Else I’ve Been Up To: Over the weekend we went horseback riding and it was so much fun! I love horses (not horse books, though — go figure) and we got to explore some gorgeous trails. Cannot wait to do it again!

  
My horse’s name was Thriller, my girl rode Dusty, and my husband rode a badass black war horse named HoHo.


Last week I made Stromboli, which was much easier than it looks, and very tasty. We ate the whole thing in one sitting — yum!


I’ve been making all kinds of WiP notes in the gorgeous journal my CP, Alison, sent me. The title of the manuscript I’m working on (Stars Like Dust) is borrowed from a Rumi poem, and he’s significant to the story for lots of other reasons. So, new journal = most thoughtful gift EVER. ❤

What Works For Me: Inspiration in its many forms. The Rumi journal I mentioned above. The lyrics of Taylor Swift’s Out of the Woods, which play into my WiP pretty damn perfectly (I’ve been listening to it on repeat while I draft), and this excerpt from Stephen King’s On Writing…

Who doesn’t want to be emotionally flattened by an amazing book? That’s why I read, and it’s my goal when I write. Curious: What’s the last story to sweep you away? (For me, Blue Lily, Lily Blue and When Joss Met Matt — recommend!)

So… What’s up with you today?