YALLFest 2015 Experience

 

Hey everyone! I know it has literally been forever since I last blogged, but I thought I would try to get back into it!

Something that sparked my determination to go back into blogging was going to YALLFest 2015 this year in Charleston, SC. I don’t know how I have been ignorant of its existence prior to this year (especially since I live in South Carolina)!

It was SUCH a great experience! Everyone should go next year!

There were an insane number of authors there! 63 to be exact. So many that I really had to narrow down my choices, which was difficult. I went with my friend Jessica, and we decided to forgo the panels in order to see all the authors we wanted to see. I think what I have figured out just from going this once is that you should do either panels or author signings. The lines for the different authors can be really crazy long, and so it is easier to jump from one to the next (sometimes ahead or behind schedule) to get a chance to get your book signed. We also decided that our interests were more in meeting the authors and getting books signed than sitting through panels (although many looked very interesting).

So first, let me tell you what I did, and then I will try to dispense any tips I can think of for next year!

First off, we arrived in Charleston too late to take part in the signings that happen on Friday afternoon. Thankfully our favorite authors were all signing on Saturday too.

 

 

We are so pumped to take on our busy day of being awkward in front of authors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our first signing of the day was Rae Carson! She was amazing (in her Hogwarts shirt) and so nice. I was able to get all three of the Girl of Fire and Thorns books signed. This book series is incredibly awesome, if you haven’t read it….go read it now.

 

We thought we were doing excellent on time when we got finished with Rae Carson’s line early, but then we realized that Marissa Meyer’s line was already over 200 people long. I decided I had to go for it anyways, since I am in love with the Cinder series. Jessica decided to go and see Scott Westerfeld and take my books of his along with her (she’s the best!).

So while sadly I missed meeting Scott Westerfeld, I did get my books signed by him. Hopefully one day I can meet him!

 

After waiting 2 hours and 30 minutes, I was one of the last 40 or so people rushed through the line to get signed by Marissa Meyer quickly before she had to leave. I’m very glad I got a chance to meet her (so sweet) and see her lovely signature on three of my books. I love this series so, so much, and I am so glad I got to meet the genius behind it all!

 

 

 

I was just in time to meet up with Jessica in line for Daniel Handler (AKA Lemony Snicket), the man of the hour. The fact that I met him is still astounding to me. He was exactly like I expected him to be: weird, hilarious, and loud. He made jokes with me about the old copy I brought, heartache, and receipts. Such a great guy and wonderful author.

 

 

 

Right after that, we headed over to another area, where Libba Bray and Elizabeth Wein were signing. Thankfully I got a chance to meet them both.

Elizabeth Wein is so cool. I loved talking to her about her book Code Name Verity and how all the technical descriptions came to be. She clearly loves airplanes, and I love how she is able to combine that love with her love for writing. Great, great lady. So glad I met her.

 

I forgot my book at home somehow, so she was gracious enough to sign a sticker for me to place in it when I got home.

 

 

 

Next up was the incomparable Libba Bray! This lady is so awesome. Not only has she written so many great books, but she is so unique and hilarious. I loved getting to meet her! She also took a good amount of time with each person in line, which was really special.

 

Next I got to meet the wonderfully quirky Gail Carriger! I love how she perfectly embodies what she writes. She is so friendly and I loved being able to express my adoration for her books. So many great novels!

 

Finally, Jessica and I got to meet E. Lockhart! She was super cool! I love so many of her books, so it was great to meet her and get my copy of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks signed.

All in all, I got 15 books signed and met 7 of my favorite authors! It was such a great and crazy day!

Okay! So for my YALLFest Tips!

- YALLFest Tips and Tricks:

1. If you are confident enough to sport it, go for rolling luggage to carry your books around. If you are like me and have about 18 books with you all day, a backpack is going to start to KILL. I had to set it down so often, and I thought my shoulders would never be the same.
2. Schedule! Scheduling out our day was the best decision. We didn’t have to sit around thinking about who to go see because we already knew exactly what we were doing.
3. Be flexible! I know this goes against the above tip, but you also need to be ready to change things. Like when Marissa Meyer’s line was crazy long, Jessica decided to go see Scott Westerfeld because she knew we couldn’t both do both.
4. Have a buddy. Whether this be a mom or a friend, having other people to get to some other lines can really help. I saw so many mothers standing in lines while their kids were in other lines. This can really help you get some signatures that you want. Splitting up is wise with the limited time and spread out signing tents. We also had some great friends along who helped save us spots in some lines, and then they would go off and do something else.
5. Be friendly! Those in line beside you for hours can really be great people to talk to. I meet some people around me in Marissa Meyer’s line that were so kind and sweet and really helped the 2+ hours pass quickly.
6. Parking is expensive, expect that and deal with it, haha!
7. Wear good shoes that you can stand in for hours.
8. Know your way around the map! The tents are set up in different (but nearby locations), and you might have to walk back and forth throughout the day (and quickly).
9. Use the volunteers and the knowledge they possess.
10. Carry food and water with you to have in line (in case you are like us and did not have time to eat lunch). Eat a hearty breakfast before coming, so you won’t get as hungry!
11. Be okay with being awkward. Everyone is awkward, including some authors, so just relax and know you aren’t the only one saying dumb stuff.
12. Take plenty of pictures!
13. If you want to eat at one of the great Charleston restaurants for dinner, you might want to make a reservation ahead of time.
14. Get all the free stuff you can.
15. Get to a signing line earlier than time stated, if possible.
16. Bring sunscreen and sunglasses!
17. Bring money to buy already signed books from the authors you didn’t get to see (if you want!)
18. Bring pain medication for headaches or muscle aches during the day.
19. Basically be okay with carrying around a buttload of stuff for the whole day, haha!

YALLFest was SO FUN. I am incredibly glad I went this year, and I hope you all were helped by my tips and tricks! I was in the dark mostly before I went, so maybe we both can be more clued in next year.

Go to yallfest.org for more information on the 2015 festival, and as we get closer to 2016 festival, new information will go up!

Bring it on, YALLFest 2016!

Purple Moon Blog Tour Stop–Austin’s Diary Entry

 

Over the spring, I was given the amazing chance to be a beta reader for a new YA Christian novel. The book, Purple Moon, is now out and everyone should definitely go get it, because it was incredible.

So I now get the chance to be a stop on the Release Tour!

Selena's life isn't turning out to be the fairy tale she imagined as a kid. That hope seemed to vanish long ago when her dad kicked her and her mom out of the house. This summer might finally hold the chance of a new beginning for Selena ... but having to live with her snobby cousin in Lake Lure, NC while waiting for her mom to get out of rehab wasn't how Selena was planning on spending her summer. She soon begins to wonder why she committed to give up her "bad habits" for this.

Things don't seem too bad, though. Especially when Selena gains the attention of the cute neighbor next door. But when her best friend back home in Brooklyn desperately needs her, a secret that's been hidden from Selena for years is revealed, and when she becomes a target for one of her cousin's nasty pranks, she finds herself having to face the scars from her past and the memories that come along with them. Will she follow her mom's example in running away, or trust that God still has a fairy tale life written just for her?

 

Find “Purple Moon” on Amazon

Find “Purple Moon” on Goodreads

Like “Purple Moon” on Facebook

 

My Review:

First Sentence:
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little princess named Selena.” (Prologue)

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I absolutely loved Purple Moon! There truly aren’t enough books written for Christian teens.

This novel is the story of Selena Taylor who has been struggling in life for years. It started when her mom and Selena stopping living with Selena’s dad. But this summer, Selena has to stay at her bratty cousin’s house for the summer while her mom is in rehab. Selena might be completely depressed about the thought of staying with her relatives for the summer, but she initially tries to make the best of the situation. Sadly, it doesn’t take long for Selena to be swept back into the party routine and ignore her problems. The boy next door won’t let her completely forget though. Austin remembers Selena from when they were little and played together. He becomes her friend again and gently tries to witness to this girl who is so lost and determined to avoid God.

Selena’s journey is such a realistic one. She has been through almost all the bad things one can go through. Boyfriend issues, friend problems, drinking, smoking, a disappointing mom, an absent father, etc. She is legitimately messed-up. But God can take even the most beaten, confused, and sad people and turn them into peaceful, joyful, and loving people. I connected to Selena throughout the whole story. Every time she made another mistake or pushed away someone who just wanted to help her, I felt so sad and desperate for her to turn her life around. Whenever she did make good choices, I was so, so happy for her.

Sometimes I feel like Christians are presented as either hypocrites or perfect, and Austin was neither. He made mistakes in his friendship with Selena and he owned up to them. But I admired that he just kept being there for her and forgiving her when she was a complete jerk to him. I quite like him.

The pacing and storyline were excellent. It did not wrap up too quickly and perfectly, like some books. The story was realistic in the timing and in the ending. Also, the ending was not all “la-di-da, everything is perfect.” There were some nice moments of certain mean side characters coming around and becoming better people, but not a completely unrealistic redeeming of all the not-so-nice characters.

If I had to say something I didn’t like so much, it would be that Selena literally had every problem in the book (pun not intended). I felt she had an excessive number of hardships that were almost overwhelming. But that also added to the beautiful ending of moving past all of these troubles that had weighed her down.

Also, the supporting characters were SO amazing!! Audrey, Brooke, Cole, Hayden, Lexie, Selena’s mom, Hilarie, and even the not so wonderful characters were all so fleshed out and entertaining! I especially loved Audrey and Brooke. I could totally read another book about them.

Bottom line: I loved it. It is a fantastically written and inspiring book, and I look forward to more books from Tessa Emily Hall.

Content Warning: Nothing.

Rating:

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Now for the guest post!

 

Austin’s Diary Entry

The previous fact or fiction was TRUE.

In celebration of yesterday being the release day for PURPLE MOON, I’ve decided to give you all a peak into one of the main characters, Austin’s, diary. He wrote this entry at some point during PURPLE MOON. If you can guess at which point of the story that Austin wrote this—and email your answer to me at christiswrite [at] gmail [dot] com—you will receive 10 extra entries for the “Purple Moon” Prize Pack. However, I will need your answer by October 25^th.

(Click the image to make it larger, or simply read the entry underneath if you’d rather.)

I’m beating myself up right now. Why in the world did I say that to Selena? I can’t explain how terrible I feel. She only lives next door, but I don’t even have the courage to go over there and apologize. I wish she understood the reason I feel so protective of her, and jealous of him, is because of how much she means to me. Regardless of what I told her, she’s nothing like other girls. That’s what I regret saying the most. I know it’s not true. It’s funny, how sometimes I judge people based on their behavior, but with Selena…with Selena, all I can see is her heart, and how beautiful she is. I wasn’t playing around when I told her I’ve known there was something about her, ever since we were young. Now she’s probably going to be so upset with me, and I feel horrible about it.

But the weirdest thing is—as much as I want to go over there and apologize to her right now, I’d rather not talk to her for a while. I think maybe is hold just back off and give her space. That’s what she told me to do anyway, right? In the meantime, I don’t care how long it takes, I’m going to pray my heart out for that girl. I’m going to pray until she somehow opens her eyes and sees how absolutely incredible God’s love is, how unending and beautiful his grace is. Guess that’s all I can do at this point: pray for the girl I haven’t been able to get out of my mind all summer.

Austin

Fact or Fiction?:

Guess this fact or fiction, and be sure to stop by the next blog tour stop to see if you guessed correctly! (You’ll also receive one extra entry for the “Purple Moon” Prize Pack if you send me your guess.)

 

Great news!
You can win a copy of this book!

Purple Moon” Prize Pack!

Two people will receive the below prizes-- a Rafflecopter giveaway

   

Definitely go check out the other stops on the tour!

“Purple Moon” Blog Tour Stops:

Wednesday, September 18^th: Purple Moon Blog Tour Launch: The Story Behind the Story: Christ is Write

Thursday, September 19^th: 5 Facts about Purple Moon: Kim Vandel

Friday, September 20^th: Character Sketches + Character Cast Contest: Who YA Reading?

Monday, September 23^rd: Behind the Scenes: Why I Chose Lake Lure: Words to Dreams

Tuesday, September 24^th: Release Day! Selena’s Diary Entry + Creative Photo Contest: Writing for Young Adults

Wednesday, September 25^th: Austin’s Diary Entry: Amy’s Book Blog

Thursday, September 26^th: Q & A: Notebook Sisters

Friday, September 27^th: Purple Moon Playlist: Ashley Carr

Monday, September 30^th: Purple Moon Excerpt: Wooden Swings: Heather Brice

Tuesday, October 1^st: Dealing With Anxiety—The Spiritual IV: The Destiny of One

Wednesday, October 2^nd: Q & A: Saved by Grace

Thursday, October 3^rd: Behind the Scenes: Name Meanings: Labor Not In Vain

Friday, October 4^th: Is It Okay To Be An Introvert?: Alex Inks It

Monday, October 7^th: Story Behind the Cover Art: Candy Apple Books

Tuesday, October 8^th: Purple Moon Excerpt: Cherishing the Sunrise: Author Casey Bond

Wednesday, October 9^th: Q & A: Writing While the Rice Boils

Thursday, October 10^th: Behind the Scenes: Christian Human Videos: Writing in Wonderland

Friday, October 11^th: Teenage Substance Abuse: Emily Rachelle

Monday, October 14^th: Behind the Scenes: Lake Lure Academy of the Arts: Worthy 2 Read

Tuesday, October 15^th: My Middle & High School Experience: Hello Highlights

Wednesday, October 16^th: Purple Moon Excerpt: Meatless Turkey Sandwich: Diane Estrella

Thursday, October 17^th: Body Image Laurel’s Leaves

Friday, October 18^th: Behind the Scenes: Brewer’s Coffee: A Splash of Ink

Monday, October 21^st: Purple Moon Excerpt: Farkle at the Park: A Slightly Nerdy Bookworm

Tuesday, October 22^nd: Teenage Dating: Tell The World

Wednesday, October 23^rd: Q & A: The YA Book Stack

Thursday, October 24^th: How Much of My Personal Life Did I Put Into “Purple Moon”?: Read For Your Future

Friday, October 25^th: Fairy tales & Happy Endings + Contest Winners!: Inspiring Daring

 

And finally, check out the fabulous author!

Tessa Emily Hall is a 19-year-old author of Purple Moon, her YA Christian fiction novel to be published September 2013 by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. She is also the editor over the faith department for Temperance Magazine, a column writer for Whole Magazine, a contributing writer for More To Be, as well as the PR for God of Moses Entertainment. Other than writing, Tessa enjoys acting, music, Starbucks, and her Teacup Shih Tzu—who is named Brewer after a character in her book, as well as her love for coffee.

Website: www.tessaemilyhall.com
Blog: www.christiswrite.blogspot.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tessaemily
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tessa.h16

 

 

Thank you, Tessa, for letting me read your book and hype it up for you!

Review: City of a Thousand Dolls

 

Title: City of a Thousand Dolls
Author: Miriam Forster
Series: Bhinian Empire #1
Published: 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers
Version: Hardcover
Obtained: Library

An exotic treat set in an entirely original, fantastical world brimming with deadly mystery, forbidden romance, and heart-stopping adventure.
Nisha was abandoned at the gates of the City of a Thousand Dolls when she was just a child. Now sixteen, she lives on the grounds of the isolated estate, where orphan girls apprentice as musicians, healers, courtesans, and, if the rumors are true, assassins. Nisha makes her way as Matron’s assistant, her closest companions the mysterious cats that trail her shadow. Only when she begins a forbidden flirtation with the city’s handsome young courier does she let herself imagine a life outside the walls. Until one by one, girls around her start to die.
Before she becomes the next victim, Nisha decides to uncover the secrets that surround the girls’ deaths. But by getting involved, Nisha jeopardizes not only her own future in the City of a Thousand Dolls—but her own life.

First Sentence:
“’Don’t move, Nisha.’ The words were playful, but the sharp slash of light along the blade of the throwing dagger was not.”

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Oh my goodness. City of a Thousand Dolls blew me away. I absolutely loved everything about this book and I NEED the sequel. Now.

Nisha was abandoned as a child in the City of a Thousand Dolls. Orphan girls are brought up to be great at a particular skill that will make them useful as wives or workers in various fields. Nisha did not get the chance to join one of the groups, so she runs errands and helps out. Suddenly girls are being mysteriously murdered, and Nisha is best placed to gather evidence and quickly try to figure out the connections between the victims, while trying to figure out her own personal life.

Combine murder mystery with fantasy awesomeness and you have this book. I think it is one of the greatest combinations ever. The mystery is complex, perplexing, and unpredictable. I think I only predicted one plot twist in the entire book (and there are quite a few!).

Nisha is a wonderful heroine! She is determined to solve the mystery and stop these killings. Going to the far edges of the City, she does everything she can to figure it out. Many times endangering her own life in the process. Also, this book takes Nisha on a HUGE journey of self-discovery. What is she good at? How can she relate to her friends? Will a boy want to marry her? Why did her parents abandon her? And she is a boss and figuring these out. She never gives up until she has her answers.

Um, so the “talking” cats were just about the coolest part in the whole book. I want one! Also, I could so easily visualize this City and each House and the paths and mazes and walls. The setting had incredible detail and vivid imagery. Perfect.

This book series can go so many places with this amazing world Miriam Forster created. I know she’s writing a sequel and I’m calling it: it’s going to be so amazing that it will blow this book out of the water. She is a creative storyteller and anything she writes, I would read.

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Content Warning: Nothing

Rating:

Update! – Bloglovin’

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Thank you for following me, and I will be updating soon!!

Review: The 5th Wave

Title: The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The Fifth Wave #1
Published: 2013 by Penguin
Version: Hardcover
Obtained: Library

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

First Sentences:
“Aliens are stupid. I’m not talking about real aliens.”

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Oh. My. Gosh. I totally understand the hype now!!
I requested this because I’d heard such good things, but when I read the synopsis it sounded like just another futuristic story with a mysterious boy and a quest. But oh my goodness is it original!

First off, I have not read many, if any, alien stories. I’ve seen the movies (that were so appropriately mentioned in the book) that portray alien attacks as “Rock on humans! These aliens are stupid to attack our might and power!” This is a more “realistic” (because how realistic can it really be?) story of how it would all go down. It has heart and humanity and emotion, because most of it is narrated by people who remember what they JUST lost a few months ago, that normal life that is now gone. They remember all the friends who are probably dead and they can’t trust anyone new. They’re in this alone and for the long haul fighting against something that seems unbeatable.

Cassie’s story starts with her living in a forest alone and unable to trust anyone. She recounts how all of this came to be by explaining the alien attack, sharing stories of her family and friends, and expressing her thoughts on the whole situation. Anyways, after you learn the whole story, the present action starts. She meets a guy named Evan Walker who might be a bit untrustworthy and she sticks to her plan of finding her younger brother. Interspersing Cassie’s narrative are other narratives by other characters which can be a bit confusing at first but overall really add to the story.

Cassie is amazing and realistic and brave and scared and strong. She doesn’t let this whole crazy world that now exists bring her down. She knows what she’s lost but she also knows what she has left to gain if she keeps pressing on. Sure, there are quite a few times where she feels really depressed. It does seem like nothing good will ever happen again. Seems like there is nothing to do to fight against these superior creatures. But that doesn’t mean giving up, it means making each moment count and thinking about those humans who are still left.

I’m not going to discuss the other characters because they are meant to be surprises and plot twists. But every one of the characters is complex with many facets to their personality and motivations. It’s a truly fascinating book that sometimes feels like a character study in the face of chaos. SO GOOD!!

I guess I’m just used to these futuristic books that say, “This is the way life is (blank) years in the future.” But Yancey wrote this like it will happen tomorrow. There are no dates except one in the very beginning that doesn’t do much except tell you that the setting of the book is around now. And that’s not something I’m used to seeing in apocalyptical books. It’s contemporary! But with aliens! It’s basically awesome! Also, it’s pretty long, which I always love.

So, if Rick Yancey could come out with the sequel as quickly as possible (but with enough time to make it perfect) that’d be great. :)

BOTTOM LINE: GO READ THIS. NOW.

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Content Warning: Some profanity, including about four “f” words, kissing.

Rating:

Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Author: Patrick Ness
Series: Chaos Walking #1
Published: 2008 by Candlewick Press
Version: Paperback
Obtained: Purchased

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

 

 

First Sentence:
“The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. About anything.”

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I think I need to read this again right away to understand everything that was thrown at me. I just…loved so much about this book. It’s excellent, and I need to work on getting the sequels really soon!

So here we are in a New World. It takes some reading to learn all there is to know about this place, and I think that’s partially what makes this such a great read. It’s not like some dystopians where the first few chapters are dedicated to explaining all there is to know. Ness takes his time in explaining his world and that makes it feel very thought out and intricate (which it is). Anyways, New World isn’t like anything you’ve read of before. It’s a pretty crazy place that got pretty messed up real fast. Todd is just a twelve-year-old about to be a man at thirteen and he’s almost as naïve as the reader.

But it doesn’t take long for reality to catch up to Todd as he gets shoved out into the world he knows nothing about. He slowly learns secrets about his world that change everything he has been raised to believe. Something very bad is happening in New World and it centers around him, the last boy in Prentisstown. Todd is the perfect narrator for this story and mainly the reason The Knife of Never Letting Go is so incredibly fantastic. He makes it what it is and it is stunning. He is reluctant to change his perceptions even when he knows he must. He has a hard time trusting other people. He has human, normal flaws that create the best narrators. I cannot wait to see where his journey will take him and how he will change.

This whole concept of Noise kind of freaks me out. I couldn’t stand to hear everyone’s thoughts or have people hear mine. It’s just such an original concept and it works in scaring the reader. I’m very interested in learning more about this Noise in the other two books.

I always love books more when they’re not afraid to change up the fonts. It’s just something stupid that I like, but I think it makes the reading experience more fun! I enjoy a change up. The parts that were other people’s Noise was always in a different font depending on the person. And the full pages of it were also great.

Anyways, so I will definitely continue reading this series because Todd is an incredibly relatable narrator and the other evil characters are so evil I just…I hate them. Also, it ended with a cliffhanger!! Time to go out and buy the two sequels!

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Content Warning: Occasional curse words including one use of the “f” word.

Rating: