Armchair BEA Day 4: Beyond the Blog: Author Events!

Welcome back to Armchair BEA! If you're not sure what it's all about be sure to visit the Armchair BEA headquarters.

I don't have much desire to write outside of my blog & I don't currently monetize, so today's post is going to focus on a fun aspect of my blog.

While I could talk about Nostalgic Fridays (which is something I'm trying to bring back) or how my blog got its name (I love tattoos [I have 3] & books, so kind of not much to talk about there) I'm going to discuss the shenanigans of author events/signings.

I thoroughly enjoy collecting books that have been personalized at an author signing. Over the last 2.5 years I have attending at least a dozen events (some larger than others) & collected several autographed books. Although I am proud of these books & love them to death (they have their very own shelf on one of my bookcases), the most fun are the authors themselves. These people are what make it all worthwhile. Without their hard work & dedication to their craft & their fans' experiences, the book community just wouldn't be as wonderful as it is. On top of responding to comments on their Facebook, Twitter & blogs, these authors hit the road (sometimes in style & sometimes with very little fanfare) to visit with their fans.

For me, it's all about the stories they tell & the relationships that build. Yes it's nice to hear them read from their book or discuss their writing process, but for me the stories behind all that are the most important. Ally Condie remarked that she had a writing epiphany while trying to match up her sons' tiny socks. Any excuse not to do laundry is a good one, right? I have seen Maggie Stiefvater twice (once in Charlottesville, VA & once at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh). As stated in those articles, Maggie is hands down the best live author event ever. Her quirky sense of humor & hilarious tales (TSA woes & real-life wolves licking her face) leave you in awe of her writing talents. Even better was that on Maggie's last trip to Raleigh she was kind enough to take a picture with me and Loki (her gorgeous car) while telling me about all the things that had happened on the tour prior to that stop.

I find that I tend to forget that authors are just people. Incredibly talented & unbelievably kind people, but people none the less. They have this kind of celebrity aura surrounding them & a lot of people feel like they might be unreachable. I go to the author events to meet the real people, not just the feeling you get from blog posts, books, & interviews. In person is where the magic happens & I am drawn to the magic. The authors I have met are some of the most amusing & humble people I've had the pleasure to encounter. If you've never been to an event I highly recommend them!

Matched by Ally Condie review

So apparently I never actually managed to write my review of this one. Not sure how that happened considering I even met Ally Condie at a signing!! I can be such a space cadet sometimes.

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

From Goodreads

Cassia has always been a wonderful citizen. Not a rebellious bone in her body, she finds she prefers the ordered life that the Society provides for her to any alternative they might devise. That's why she finds herself utterly shocked when her faith begins to waiver. Despite trying her very best to be and do just as she is supposed to, she can't get over the feeling that Ky is her real match.

Down the spiral she teeters as she dares to do things that are beyond her normal, straight-laced life. Needless to say she's terrified of what it all means, but at the same time thrilled by the experiences she is having outside of the Society's ordered little world. Or is it really outside the Society's plan?

Matched is lush & poetic, but reminiscent of many other books of the same genre. There was (and still kind of is) a huge upswing in dystopic fiction at the time this was written, so I think I may have overloaded myself with this specific type of book. The mise en scene is one that we are very familiar with, you just have to figure out what "rules" belong to this "society" rather than the ones you finally figured out for the other book. As they go, this one was a bit more bland & less harsh than I have become accustomed to expect, which was refreshing.

The love triangle aspect of the book predominately the storyline, while using the setting as a catalyst for change. It was a bit slow at some points, but I felt that the action really picked up towards the end, leading me to believe that the second book with hit the ground running. I think my favorite aspect of this was the character interaction. Not only was the dialogue unique, but the societal parameters & expectations were quirky as well.

All in all this was an alright novel. While it doesn't make my top 10 dystopian novels list, but I think it still does warrant a read for any fan of the genre. How did you find Matched?

Breathless Reads Author Visit

5 YA Authors, several bloggers & some seriously amazing books!

On Friday, February 25th I was fortunate enough to be in Raleigh at the Breathless Reads book tour stop at the always fabulous Quail Ridge Books & Music. This was the final stop in the tour & as such, several bloggers from all over showed up to attend the fabulous talk & signing. Unfortunately my iPhone didn't seem to record any of the discussion (I am not pleased & have since fixed the bug), so I only have marginal notes.

What I know for certain & don't need a recording to tell me is that these women are fun, creative, disciplined, & inspiring. They ranged from first time authors, to seasoned pros & from school teachers to mothers. They hold many titles & responsibilities, but the main thing they have in common is their incredible ability to spin a magnificent tale.

There was a teacher & assistant from a local school who read off questions that the authors answered in rounds. There were so many things being asked from "how many books did you have to submit before being published & what advice do you have for aspiring writers?" to "what is your main character's favorite book?" Since I don't have all the answers to all the questions, I will highlight some that stood out to me.

• Nightshade's main character Calla's favorite book is Watership Down.
• Beth Revis finds adult books boring & predictable. YA books are so intense & fulfilling because they are filled with the characters' "firsts." First heartbreak, first personal challenge, first kiss, etc.
• All the authors seem to either write what they know (so write characters like themselves) or they write the opposite of what they know (penning characters who are the antithesis of themselves). Not to mention, be wary of having crossed these ladies, you may end up in one of their books & not in a happy way.
• These ladies also enjoy writing their love scenes. Some find that first kiss the hardest thing to write, while others find the tension the best part of writing the love story. They find themselves falling in love with the relationship as it pours out on the pages.
• Author specific information:

1. Andrea Cremer is a jigsaw writer because she writes based on what's inspiring her. There is no real rhyme or reason to the order. She wants to write a classic, noire, detective novel. It's a dream of her's because she just loves the feel of the style.
   
2. Kirsten Miller is a beginning to end writer. She may go back & fix things, but she has to write the story in the order that it happens. Kirsten either loves or hates (my brain is failing me) horror & really wishes she could write a good horror novel. She's currently working on a futuristic/dystopic, noire YA novel.
   
3. Brenna Yovanoff is a jumpy writer. She jumps for scene to scene & even leaves gaps in the middle of sentences so that she can go back & find the perfect word. Brenna always starts out thinking that this novel will finally be the contemporary YA she's been trying to write, yet she always manages to throw in an element of fantasy.
   
4. Ally Condie writes from beginning to end for the most part & what encourages her to continue writing is the daunting task of matching her children's socks. (She has three little boys) She really wants to write a happy, fun book for 7-9 year old boys. There just seems to be a distinct lack of that kind of writing.
5. Beth Revis is a very literal writer in that she has to write the book in the exact, sentence for sentence, order that it will happen & she has no idea where the story will end up until she gets there.

One of the best parts about attending these types of events is getting to really act & listen to the answers to some of your burning questions. I got the answer to, "What's up next for y'all?":

1. From Andrea Cremer: Wolfsbane is the second installment in the Nightshade series & Bloodrose (the third installment) is under edits.
2. From Kirsten Miller: All You Desire is the sequel to The Eternal Ones.
3. From Brenna Yovanoff: The Space Between is the next novel.
4. From Ally Condie: Crossed will be the sequel to Matched.
5. From Beth Revis: A Million Suns is the sequel to Across the Universe & it is currently under heavy rewrites.

I hope this helped y'all kind of feel like you were there. There was so much going on that I really was amazed that it was only 9:30 when I finally got out of there. Since there were five authors & the publisher (Thanks Penguin!!!) gave out bookmarks AND posters, there was a lot of signing going on at that table. That was fine by me because it meant that I got to spend some fabulous time gabbing with Ren from All By My Shelf & Zombie Girrrl (her post here). It was WONDERFUL to get to meet other book bloggers & strange to think that I thought I was the sole one in NC. Huh? Imagine that! It was so great to finally get to meet these wonderful ladies, I really do love their blogs. Good to know I have fun, book-loving neighbors!

P.S. Leave a comment with your e-mail to be entered to win the signed poster from the event. Open to US only. Closes next Friday 3/11.

Waiting on Wednesday: Matched

Waiting on Wednesday recognizes that we as bookies pine for books. This post is about what I am impatiently waiting for right now. It was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

I am practically salivating for the November 30th arrival of Matched by Ally Condie. This book has been on my want list forever & I am stoked to see so much enthusiasm for its debut!

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

From Goodreads

How fabulous does that sound? It sounds a little like star-crossed lovers meeting in a dystopian world. I am so excited to see how Ally Condie makes this all play out. Hopefully my review will fall among the many fans. What are you waiting on this week?