Triple Threat Recap

On Thursday afternoon (Feb. 28) I received a tweet from the lovely Lady Reader's Bookstuff inquiring if was going to be at that evening's author event at the Barnes and Noble in Alpharetta, GA. In my head I previously decided not to go. I kinda wanted to because I LOVE author events but the location of the signing is about 2 hours from my house. I was just going to sit this one out. Well the more I thought about it and looked at the authors and their books, I made the spontaneous decision to go. 

It's times like these I am so thankful for my loving, encouraging, up for whatever whim suits my fancy, darling husband. He was sick but he went with me without complaint and even took photos for me! When we get books signed we usually have the author make them out to "Allison & Clayton." This usually gives the author pause but I tell them, "The family that reads together stays together." He's the best. That's all I'm sayin'.

The Triple Threat Tour event featured Megan Miranda author of HYSTERIA, Robin Benway author of ALSO KNOWN AS, and Yelena Black author DANCE OF SHADOWS. I didn't have any of their books so I'm the proud new owner of the three books listed above! Yay more books! (Cause I will NEVER have enough books!)

The authors did readings from their current books which really got me hooked. I can't wait to dig into each book! Then they took some audience questions. And finally got to the signing. The event was on the smaller side which provided some nice one on one time with the authors which was awesome. They were all super nice and gracious. 

The following is paraphrased from my notes from the event.

One of audience questions that generated answers I found interesting was, "What started your writing career?"  I love this question/answer because it highlights how no two authors take the same path. And how even the best got rejected once upon a time!

Megan Miranda--Went to school for science. She was home with her small kids and just worn down when her husband made some remark about "When are you going to write that book?" That was the motivation she needed. :) (In another part of the q & a she did mention that she has incorporated her scientific background in her books.)

Yelena Black--Always wanted to be a writer. She majored in English and got her MFA. Although she did think she'd be writing adult fiction rather than YA.

Robin Benway--Said she didn't know how to be a writer. So she worked in publishing which made her want to be a writer more. She applied to different MFA programs and got rejected by the all...on the SAME day. So she quit her job, took a year off, took a lot of wrong turns but got to the right place. (Later in the q & a she mentioned her love of Sociology. She loves writing families and sympathetic parents.)

*Alli's note: I think that's awesome because so many YA main characters have parents that aren't in the picture for whatever reason.

From left to right 

Authors:

Megan Miranda, Yelena Black, & Robin Benway

Yelena Black 

Megan Miranda

Signing and Chatting

Robin Benway & Me

More Signing! 

Me & Megan Miranda

Me & Yelena Black

And perhaps my FAVORITE photo of the evening, me (on the left) and Yelena were nail twins! We nail opposites but we totally matched the book! Nail art and books. Ah! My favorite things in one!

Cover Reveal: Wait for You

It's no secret that Alli's World LOVES Jennifer L. Armentrout' books. See exhibit A, B, and C. That's why I'm thrilled to share with you guys the cover of her newest book Wait for You, written under pen name J. Lynn. Really, there is nothing Jennifer can't write! I can't wait to read this one y'all!

What do early readers have to say about WAIT FOR YOU?

“J. Lynn creates a wonderful cast of characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and cry. Cam stole my heart.” – Cora Carmack, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of LOSING IT

“For the love of all that is Cameron without a shirt on! Wait for You will have you laughing out loud, fanning yourself and anxiously waiting to know what will happen next.” – Molly McAdams, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of FROM ASHES and TAKING CHANCES

“I don't think I have ever read a NA Contemporary novel with as much depth as this one. It really moved me and by the end I was just speechless over how inspirational and uplifting it was as well as being sexy and cute and funny and emotional.” - K Books

“Wait For You is uniquely different from anything else J. Lynn's written but it might possibly be her best work yet.” – Jenuine Cupcakes

“For all of you in love with Aiden and Daemon, PREPARE YOURSELVES! Your heart will have to expand a little more for Cam.” Total Bookaholic

“For the love of all things CAM, this book deserves more than 5 stars.” – Mundie Moms

“I cannot even begin to explain how much I adored this perfectly crafted contemporary.” – Shortie Says

Excited? Ready to see the cover for WAIT FOR YOU? 

Synopsis

Some things are worth waiting for…

Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

Some things are worth experiencing…

Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.

Some things should never be kept quiet…

But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?

And some things are worth fighting for…

WAIT FOR YOU is available now!

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the adult romance Gamble Brothers’ series, the young adult Lux Series and award winning Covenant Series. She pretty much writes everything—contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. All of her books have one thing in common no matter the name or genre: kissing… and stuff. When she’s not busy writing, which is never, she’s usually hanging out with dog Loki, watching reruns of The Walking Dead, or procrastinating on the Internet. You can find out more about Jennifer by visiting the following websites:

Twitter
Facebook
Website

Book Trailer Thursday: Finn Finnegan

The next book in my "to be read" stack is Finn Finnegan by Darby Karchut. I haven't started it yet but it looks like it will be a good read. This is a middle grades YA and I'm looking forward to fighting some monsters with Finn! To help get me in the mind set for Finn Finnegan today I have the book trailer! Hope you all enjoy and add this one to your TBR stack too!

Goodreads Info

Title: Finn Finnegan

Author: Darby Karchut

ISBN: 978-1937053321

Expected publication: March 12th 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

Review: Shades of Earth

Title: Shades of Earth

Series: Across the Universe

Author: Beth Revis

Genre: YA 

Source: Purchased

Fave Quote: 

"Don't you see? Those monsters you've been so worried about. Not aliens. People. The monsters have always been people."

More info on Shades of Earth on Goodreads.

Shades of Earth is the third book in Beth Revis' Across the Universe series. I read the first two books, Across the Universe and A Million Suns, before I started blogging but I REALLY loved them. Which surprised me because before that I'd never thought I'd like a "space book" so much. (Yay for getting out of my reading comfort zone and finding books I really dig!)  The thing about the books in this series that is so awesome to me is not the space element but the relationships and the exploration of what it really means to be human.

I absolutely devoured Shades of Earth. I been wanting to read it since I finished A Million Suns over a year ago. So while I might have wanted to pace myself, I just had to know what was going to happen. Oh. My. Gosh. My first thought upon finishing Shades of Earth was I loved it, hated it and then loved it again. There was just so much going on in this one. I really don't know how I can talk about without being spoilery but y'all...this is a must read series.

The whole series and especially Shade of Earth has this murder, mystery, romance, sci-fi space thing going on. I mean really, it's something for everyone. The mystery will keep you turning the pages and the seemingly ill-fated romance will pull at your heartstrings. Just know that it seems Beth takes pleasure in torturing her characters and readers. Be ready for an amazingly wonderful emotional roller coaster!

I gave Shades of Earth 5 out of 5 stars. You really do need to read the first two books first and they are all so worth it. Shades of Earth ended the way a book and a series should. I still care about the characters but there is an actual ending, there is enough left open that you wonder where the characters now or 10 years from now. But I really appreciate that there is a resolution.

Also, if you haven't read Across the Universe yet, then don't forget to enter this Alli's World giveaway for a signed paperback copy! (Just a few hours left to enter!)

Lastly, just for fun, here's a pic of my nails and shoes that I wore to the Breathless Reads event! (See above link for the giveaway.) By the way,  Beth loved my shoes! :)

Galaxy Shoe Inspiration

Galaxy Nail Inspiration

Teaser Tuesday (Feb 26)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Probes were sent to the planet -- many of them before Godspeed even arrived -- and they all said Centauri-Earth was habitable. But there's a big difference between habitable and home.

Shades of Earth 
by
Beth Reivs

Don't forget to enter this Alli's World giveaway for the first book in this series, Across the Universe, it's signed by the author Beth Revis!!

Teaser Tuesday (Feb 19)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“Kaz lifted his hand to brush to brush a snowflake from her eyelashes. She said, ‘Touch me and you’ll get this coffee in your face.’”

Daughter of Smoke & Bone 

by Laini Taylor

Also, be sure to check out this giveaway right here in Alli's World!

Bloggers Wanted: Snow Bound Book Blast

This is from my blogger buddy Girl Who Reads:

Want to tell your readers about a great new adult urban fantasy novel and offer them an awesome prize? Join Snow Bound's Book Blast on March 7 (click to sign up).

About the Book:

After learning how to use magic and fighting vampires, anyone would be bored going back to normal college life. As if that wasn’t enough, Jen didn’t realize how hard it would be to tiptoe around her non-magic family and friends. She can’t even talk to her familiar, Rak, without making sure no one else is around! Worst of all, Jen misses the friends she made over the summer. Aside from Rak, they’re the only other magics she knows and she hasn’t seen them in almost five months!

Jen is all too happy to accept an invitation to go skiing with the gang. She gears up for two weeks of snow, magic, and fun. Just when everything seems to be going great, an uninvited guest turns up. Soon the skiers aren’t the only things going downhill. Jen thought that vampires were just about the most dangerous thing the magical world could throw at her. Unfortunately, she’s about to learn that people with no magic at all can be just as deadly.

About the Giveaway:

Author Elizabeth Kirke is sponsoring a prize pack worth $50. It includes:

$20 Amazon Gift Card

signed paperback of Semester Abroad

Limited Edition More than Magic calendar 

2 signed bookmarks

Alli's Note:

So sounds like Snow Bound is a good book and there's a sweet giveaway! What's not to like? Working with Girl Who Reads is always a pleasure. Won't you join me in signing up for this book blast? :)