BEA 2013! (With a butt-load of GIFs and Pictures)

By Nora

Honestly, two years ago, I wouldn't have imagined myself going to Book Expo America, let alone wanting to go. I guess that all changed. My mom took me to BEA this year (for my birthday, which was in February, so this was highly anticipated) for Power Reader's Day on June 1st. It was AMAZINGLY FANTABULOUS. This was pretty much me, the whole time:


I won't give you the full play-by-play, but here was the day:

• Woke up at five to catch the bus to New York City. Surprisingly, I wasn't very affected by that. I just kind of...didn't care. I guess it was just the excitement.
• Took the taxi to the Javits Center.
• Ate breakfast, charged phone. Breakfast was meh. Not the best, but whatever. As we were eating, there was a guy a few tables away from us who looked exactly like John Green. From behind. I looked over and had a mini heart attack before he turned around. And he was wearing a suit. John Green would probably have looked like this: (aha just kidding)
• Noticed blisters from shoes before the floor even opened to the public. That was fun.
• Checked out the Penguin Book Truck. Seriously, this truck is too cool. I want it.
• Saw the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Truck. And did I mention that Jeff Kinney is probably opening a bookstore in a town near us? Like, how cool is that? Hey, Jeff Kinney. I know you want to hire me. *nudge nudge*
• Floor opened.
• Met Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston. Authors of Frozen.
• Met Dan Krokos. Author of False Sight.
• Met Elizabeth Norris. Author of Unraveling.
• Met Kate Brian. Author of Hereafter.
• Met my mom's boss. 
• Met Heather Terrell. Author of Relic.
• SAW TAHEREH MAFI. I'M NOT KIDDING. She wasn't even signing or anything. Okay, there's actually a funny story behind this. So, a few weeks prior to BEA, I told my mom that Ransom Riggs (author of Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children) was going to be there, and I told her that I bet Tahereh Mafi would be there with him. She, of course, shot me down. THEN I SAW HER. OH MY GOD. So, while I was freaking out, my mom decides to tell Tahereh Mafi that I was stalking her.

  Me  

  

 Her

• Met Sean Williams. Author of Twinmaker.
• Met the girls from Tea Time, a weekly video show from Epic Reads (Harper Collins). Spun a wheel (woo!) and got a *book shimmy* shirt.
• Met Laurie Boyle Crompton. Author of Blaze.
• Watched about five seconds of Star Wars Shakespeare. What?! Yes, Star Wars characters reciting Shakespeare. But we could barely hear them, so we left.
• Met Jessica Verdi. Author of My Life After Now.
• Feet killing, tote bags digging into shoulders, we left BEA. Fell asleep on the bus. It was a long day.

 Elizabeth Norris

 Dan Krokos

 Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston

 Waiting in Line... (there was a whole lot of this)

 My Stash of Stuff

 Beautiful Allegiant Poster

-Nora

NYC Teen Author Festival Haul!

by Nora

As you may have noticed, I recently posted about my experience at the NYC Teen Author Festival. Here's what I came out of:

All books purchased (by my grandmother) at Books of Wonder, NYC.

1. Between You and Me: Marisa Calin
2. Reunited: Hilary Weisman Graham
3. The Art of Wishing: Lindsay Ribar
4. Eleanor & Park: Rainbow Rowell
5. Send Me a Sign: Tiffany Schmidt
6. Intentions: Deborah Heiligman

Not Teen Author Fest Related:

1. Shards and Ashes: Various Authors, including Veronica Roth and Beth Revis
2. Catherine: April Lindner
3. Time Between Us: Tamara Ireland Stone
4. Incarnate: Jodi Meadows

Plus, a snazzy Monument 14 rubber bracelet! (I wish I knew what blood type I am!)

New York City Teen Author Festival

By Nora

Dear authors from the NYC Teen Author Festival,
Thanks for taking a look at our blog! I really appreciated your interest at the signing. Also, thank you for your patience with my recovering voice, which I had lost on Friday. It was pretty hard to talk. :)

Looking forward to reading your books!

Nora

Last week was the NYC Teen Author Festival, featuring more than 90 authors.
What? 90 authors? That's crazy talk!
Yes. I know.
Unfortunately, I was only able to go on Saturday and Sunday because of school (school's such a buzzkill). That meant that I had to miss Michelle Hodkin, of all people. MICHELLE FREAKIN' HODKIN.

Anyway, Saturday's event was held at the New York Public Library (which is massive, I might add). A line formed outside the door and everything (we were second)! It consisted of four panels and four readings by debut authors.

Panel #1: Defying Description: Tackling the Many Facets of Identity in YA
Featuring: Marissa Calin, Aaron Hartzler, A. S. King, and Jaqueline Woodson
Moderator: David Levithan

This panel was mainly about teenage characters in YA facing difficult decisions about their sexuality and discovering who they truly are. I am extremely excited to read David Levithan's book, Two Boys Kissing (to be released on August 27) and give it to some of my friends.

My Opinion About It: The authors were discussing teens being openly gay, at their age, versus being gay in my time. Apparently, it was very difficult for them. I mean, I understand that it is still quite hard, taking bullying into consideration, however, our school is very relaxed. If you go to our school, you won't see bullying. There are at least two openly gay students in our grade alone (I don't even know the exact number) and they don't get any criticism about it. I'm proud of our school and I feel that everyone is accepted here.

Readings: New Voices Spotlight
Featuring: J. J. Howard, Kimberly Sabatini, Tiffany Schmidt, and Greg Takoudes

New Voices Spotlight was a reading from debut authors. The books included That Time I Joined the Circus, Touching the Surface, Send Me a Sign, and When We Wuz Famous. I am really excited to read Send Me a Sign. It seems like my kind of book.

Panel #3: Under Many Influences: Shaping Identity When You're a Teen Girl
Featuring: Jen Calonita, Deborah Heiligman, Hilary Weisman Graham, Kody Keplinger, Amy Spalding, Katie Sise, and Kathryn Williams
Moderator: Terra Elan McVoy

This panel was about teen girls and shaping their identity through friends, family, music, websites, teachers, and more. They talked about what could change the course of a teen girl's life (including friendship breakups).

My Opinion About It: I really hope I don't go through a friendship breakup! Being a teen girl myself, it was extremely interesting to hear what grown women had to say. Now I know what to look forward to. Sadness. Ha! Probably not, though. Hopefully. Also, you may not remember, but a few weeks ago, I posted that I really want to read Katie Sise's Boyfriend App. When I saw she was one of the panelists, I got really, really excited. You don't even know how excited I was. Unfortunately, she did not give away any ARCs. :(

Panel #4: Born This Way: Nature, Nurture, and Paranormaly
Featuring: Jessica Brody, Gina Damico, Maya Gold, Alexandra Monir, Lindsay Ribar, Jerry Smith-Ready, and Jessica Spotswood
Moderator: Adrienne Maria Vrettos

This panel discussed supernatural fiction and the paranormal. They talked about how teen characters in YA deal with these "powers."

My Opinion About It: I love the paranormal. Honestly, I find it fascinating. Also, I've met a few of these ladies previously. I've met Gina Damico once in Boston, and Jessica Spotswood three times, now. I should probably get to reading her book. XD I met her in Boston (with Gina Damico), on the Breathless Reads tour, and now here.

Panel #5: The Next Big Thing
Featuring: Jocelyn Davies, Leanna Renee Hieber, Barry Lyga, and Mayrose Wood

In which they discussed the Next Big Thing.

Ideas Brought Up: Panda Mermaids, Unicorns, something I forgot (silly me!), and, of course, bondage fiction for kids.

My Opinion About It: *facepalm*
David Levithan's Opinion About It: (I was sitting next to him) *dies of laughter*


Sunday was "Our No-Foolin' Mega-Signing" at Books of Wonder. It was considered "organized chaos" by David Levithan. In fact, it was.
There were so many authors signing, that you had to pick and choose. Sadly, I could not get to everyone. 
Here is the full list of authors present:

Jessica Brody (Unremembered)
Marisa Calin (Between You and Me)
Jen Calonita (The Grass is Always Greener)
Caela Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It)
Crissa Chappell (Narc)
Susane Colasanti (Keep Holding On)
Zoraida Cordova (The Vicious Deep)
Gina Damico (Scorch)
Jocelyn Davies (A Fractured Light)
Sarah Beth Durst (Vessel)
Gayle Forman (Just One Day)
Elizabeth Scott (Miracle)
T. M. Goeglein (Cold Fury)
Hilary Weisman Graham (Reunited) 
Alissa Grosso (Ferocity Summer)
Aaron Hartzler (Rapture Practice)
Deborah Heiligman (Intentions)
Leanna Renee Hieber (The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart)
J. J. Howard (That Time I Joined the Circus)
Alaya Johnson (The Summer Prince)
Beth Kephart (Small Damages)
Kody Keplinger (A Midsummer’s Nightmare)
A.S. King (Ask the Passengers)
Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14)
David Levithan (Every Day) 
Barry Lyga (Yesterday Again)
Brian Meehl (Suck it Up and Die)
Alexandra Monir (Timekeeper)
Michael Northrop (Rotten)
Diana Peterfreund (For Darkness Shows the Stars)
Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing)
Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park)
Kimberly Sabatini (Touching the Surface)
Tiffany Schmidt (Send Me a Sign)
Victoria Schwab (The Archived)
Jeri Smith-Ready (Shine)
Amy Spalding (The Reece Malcolm List)
Stephanie Strohm (Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink)
Nova Ren Suma (17 & Gone)
Greg Takoudes (When We Wuz Famous)
Mary Thompson (Wuftoom)
Jess Verdi (My Life After Now)
K.M. Walton (Empty)
Suzanne Weyn (Dr. Frankenstein’s Daughters)
Kathryn Williams (Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous) 

Here is the full list of authors I met:

Jessica Brody (Unremembered) 

Marisa Calin (Between You and Me) 
Hilary Weisman Graham (Reunited) 
Emmy Laybourne (Monument 14) 
David Levithan (Every Day) 
Lindsay Ribar (The Art of Wishing) 
Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park) 
Tiffany Schmidt (Send Me a Sign)
Victoria Schwab (The Archived) 

Also, Kimberly Sabatini told me she would mug me for my copy of Eleanor & Park (the store had momentairly sold out), and Tiffany Schmidt told me she would mug me for my ARC of Siege and Storm.
Of course, my response was, "You're an author! You can do whatever you want!"


I'm so smart.

-Nora

Jessica Brody

Marissa Calin

Hilary Weisman Graham

Deborah Heiligman

David Levithan

Victoria Schwab

Tiffany Schmidt

Lindsay Ribar

Emily Laybourne

Rainbow Rowell

(Sorry about the formatting. Blogger is a jerk, sometimes.) 

Breathless Reads Tour

by Nora
February 16, 2013; RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison, Connecticut
Authors: Beth Revis (Across the Universe), Fiona Paul (Venom), Jessica Spotswood (Born Wicked), Elizabeth Richards (Black City), and Morgan Rhodes (Falling Kingdoms)
(with surprise audience member Lauren DeStefano!)
2013 Breathless Reads Tour

I just want to start off by saying I love RJ Julia. It's so cozy and comfortable (and the café makes an amazing cupcake ;D) and I could spend hours in there browsing the enormous YA selection.

Anyway, the five fabulous authors started with a question they've all probably answered a hundred times.

Why write YA?

• Jessica Spotswood loved Gone with the Wind. It is one of her greatest inspirations. 
• Elizabeth Richards decided that young adulthood is an "interesting path of life."
• Beth Revis simply decided that adult books are boring.
• Morgan Rhodes declared that being a young adult is a time for self-discovery. It really is. In middle and high school, we're just beginning to realize what kinds of people we are, what kinds of things we truly enjoy doing, and who we would like to be. 

What were the authors currently reading?

• Jessica Spotswood- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
• Elizabeth Richards- Cruel
• Beth Revis- Wither by Lauren DeStefano
• Fiona Paul- Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• Morgan Rhodes- Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

How do you deal with Writer's Block?

• Jessica Spotswood uses a program called Write or Die. This program realizes if you don't write anything for a while, it eats away at your words and makes a terrible noise. I should try it. Also, she awards herself with stickers for every 1,000 words she writes. Another awesome strategy. She recognizes two types of Writer's Block:
• If you take a wrong turn in your story.
• If you're scared

• Elizabeth Richards says to write out of order. The only problem with writing out of order for me is the fact that I won't be able to put the pieces together. I won't beable to link the settings, the charcaters, the ordering of the plot, etc. 
• Beth Revis either kills off a character or blows up everything. Sounds like me.
• Fiona Paul and Morgan Rhodes say to PLOT OUT EVERYTHING. Fiona writes two books at one time. I feel like I'd mix up the two books. My brain would melt into mush. Not the kind of mush people eat, but...yucky mush (Sorry. That didn't make any sense.). And, of course, the thing that didn't even cross my mind, Morgan Rhodes says to eat lots and lots of ice cream. Off to the grocery store!

Favorite Books?

• Morgan Rhodes- Anna and the French Kiss (Stephanie Perkins), Vampire Academy, and any Stephen King.
• Fiona Paul- Along for the Ride (Sarah Dessen)
• Beth Revis- Narnia (C. S. Lewis), and Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling)
• Elizabeth Richards- Harry Potter, The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), and Divergent (Veronica Roth). I was falling in more in love with her as the event went on!
• Jessica Spotswood- Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell), Graceling (Kristen Cashore), and Guilt.

Writing Tips

• Fiona Paul says to read all you can and don't get discouraged by criticism.
• Beth Revis says not to give up.
• Elizabeth Richards says use a separate e-mail when talking with your editor. You could accidentally send them a party invitation.
• Jessica Spotswood tells the crowd not to be in a hurry or rush your writing.
• Morgan Rhodes advises to trust your gut.

(Left to Right) Morgan Rhodes, Fiona Paul, Nora, Beth Revis, Elizabeth Richards, and Jessica Spotswood. (Sorry for the bad quality!)

-Nora

Dark Days Tour: Winter 2013

On Thursday, February 7, I got a chance to meet one of my top five authors of all time. Which author? The one, the only, Tahereh Mafi!

Unravel Me (the second book in the Shatter Me series) had came out on the 5th (review to come, probably on Thursday) and I finished it the next day. On Twitter, Tahereh Mafi posted that she was on tour. Oh. My. God. I frantically searched online to see if she would be coming to my area, and I finally found it on the Harper Collins website. She (along with Veronica Rossi, Brodi Ashton, and Cynthia Hand) was going to be about an hour from me the next day. WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! Excitement was overwhelming me (and, of course, I had to brag to Kristen and my other friend that I was going to meet her ^^). The only concern about the event was that a blizzard was coming the next day.

FYI: We got about 3 feet of snow here, and I survived!

Anyway, while we were eating dinner, I was all hyper and frantic to get to the event to get good seats.

Mom: There won't be that many people there. You'll get great seats.
Me: Mom! It's Tahereh Mafi!

When we finally got to the event, we found that I was right. From my seat, I could only see the right side of Veronica Rossi's head. Perfect view, right? Before the event started, I was literally shaking with excitement. I'm not kidding!

Also, stupid Nora was stupid and only bought the latest books from each of the authors. I've only read Tahereh Mafi's series. *sigh* Now I need to get the other ones UNSIGNED. I'm kicking myself so hard.

The event started with the authors describing themselves and their latest books. Brodi Ashton talked about Everbound, Cynthia Hand talked about Boundless, Tahereh Mafi talked about Unravel Me, and Veronica Rossi talked about Through the Ever Night. I'm very excited to read each of them.

• Tahereh Mafi explained how some people think that she is male. Why?? I get that her name is different, but it still sounds like a female name.

Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi

Starting to Write:

• Veronica Rossi used to be an oil painter. I can see how painting could help her visualize her stories.
• Tahereh Mafi studied humanities in college and was 22 when she got her book deal. She was one of those kids who read A LOT (What? Kristen and I aren't like that! What are you talking about? .........). She was too busy in college to read, then picked up a book again. In less than a year, she fell in love with reading again. That's how she started writing. Such a nice story.

Cynthia Hand and Brodi Ashton got...interesting. Brodi explained Cynthia's story while Cynthia acted her story out (then they swapped roles). It was quite amusing.

• Cynthia started writing fanfic, which almost never had an ending, went to law school, which didn't work out, and was clueless when she got her MFA. Great story, Cynthia! xD
• Brodi Ashton hated writing as a child (I used to as well). When she grew up, she was scared of her baby, still lived with her dad, and still had a curfew at age 26. 

"I put the baby in the corner."

-Brodi Ashton

Wow. Authors have...interesting lives.

Social Media and Writing

I was very excited when this topic came up and was immediately forced upon Tahereh. As a loyal Twitter follower of hers, I know that she constantly Tweets during revision time. She is (she said this, not me!) obsessed with the internet. My gut hurt from laughing. Veronica Rossi also enjoys the internet. Cynthia Hand, on the other...hand (no pun intended), wrote in a notebook to get away from her laptop--a strategy I should consider.

"Guard your writing time."

-Cynthia Hand

Also, I'm not sure how this came up on this topic, but Brodi Ashton was straightening her hair when her iron exploded and burned her hair. 

Cynthia: What's that smell?

Brodi said it was her "Little Women Moment." 

Favorite Scene to Write

Oh, Chapter 62, Chapter 62. I thought this would be Tahereh's answer, seeing as it was ALL SHE TWEETED ABOUT for a while. Actually, she enjoyed writing the "shower scenes" and the scene when Juliette saw Adam's tattoo for the first time. Adam's tattoo is a bird, as some of you may know, and her brother "just so happens" to have one, as well. This brother is the only brother who has actually read Shatter Me, so it was an "awkward Thanksgiving."

Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and some random guy in the background

Tahereh Mafi also mentioned that she likes reading picture books. So do I. Picture books just have "brillianter" morals (blame Brodi Ashton for making up the word "brillianter") For example, in the book, I Want my Hat Back, the innocent moral is "KILL THE RABBIT." 

In the signing line, I got a chance to talk to each of the authors. They are all so sweet and funny and I even got a chance to discuss The Hunger Games  (mainly Mockingjay) with Veronica Rossi and Tahereh Mafi. 

Tahereh's Thoughts: Noo! Peeta!

Veronica's Thoughts: Noo! Finnick!

My Thoughts: ...

I had a lot of fun, laughed my butt off, and actually got a chance to meet one of my favorite authors ever. I'd say the event was a success. Wouldn't you?

-Nora