Friday, March 13, 2015

The Big Love Letter Event: Emery Lord


It's the last week of The Big Love Letter Event! *sobs* Fear not though, I'm wrapping things up in epic fashion today with a little something special from Emery Lord. I devoured Emery's debut novel Open Road Summer last year and then pounced on her upcoming release, The Start of Me and You (releases March 31st!) with an embarrassing level of enthusiasm when it became available for review. It's safe to say I'm a fan of her storytelling. The Start of Me and You absolutely blew me away, cementing the fact that I will forever read anything and everything Emery decides to write. Even if she decides to do a retelling of Crime and Punishment (that book scarred me for life in high school, my friends. It was so long. With so many Russian names. And it resulted in my one and only F on a test. It haunts me still ;-)

But I digress. All you really need to know is Emery's characters are utterly genuine and a joy to read about, and I can't recommend her enough if you've yet to give her a try! She's here today to share a letter to all the kids out there (and those of us who are still kids at heart) who love to read:

To the kids who always have books stashed in their backpack,
stacked on their nightstands, piled high at library checkout-
To the kids whose characters are dear friends, kids who
would rather be in Narnia than at a sleepover-
To the kids who feel things more deeply than other kids seem to,
I want to tell you: you will find your people.

They may not be in your third-grade classroom, but someday
I promise, you will find us. We reread Harry Pottery every
few autumns, we broke into the Met with Claudia Kincaid,
we traveled by tesseract with Meg Murry and mixed up
raspberry cordial and currant wine with Anne Shirley.
Perhaps you'll be at the library or online or in college and you'll
grumble about homework like "I'd rather dig holes with Stanley Yelnats IV,"
and we'll snort with bits of laughter and you'll realize:
Other people speak the language that you thought you invented,
the language you thought only you could speak.
It will be like Jonas seeing color for the first time. (We loved that one too.)

So hang on, little reader, if you feel you don't belong.
When all the other lights in the neighborhood turn off,
your bedroom light remains aglow as you sneak one more chapter.
If only you could see what the moon sees from the heavens:
the late-night lights of little readers everywhere, glimmering around the world.
And you belong with us- the readers, the feel-too-much, made-up-land dwellers.
Our lights are still on too. You just can't see them yet.

Love,
Emery, whose light was on till 2AM last night. Oops!


*Jenny dies*

If that isn't the perfect ending to this event, I don't know what is. Thank you Emery, for so eloquently summing up what it is to love books and to take comfort in the stories that may only exist in black ink on white pages, but that sometimes feel even more real and vibrant than the world around us.


Book people are my people, and I couldn't be more grateful for all of you!
 

 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

OPEN ROAD SUMMER


After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. 

But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking.

Amazon • B&NGoodreads

 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

THE START OF ME AND YOU
(releases March 31st from Bloomsbury)


Brimming with heartfelt relationships and authentic high-school dynamics The Start of Me and You proves that it’s never too late for second chances.

It’s been a year since it happened—when Paige Hancock’s first boyfriend died in an accident. After shutting out the world for two years, Paige is finally ready for a second chance at high school . . . and she has a plan. First: Get her old crush, Ryan Chase, to date her—the perfect way to convince everyone she’s back to normal. Next: Join a club—simple, it’s high school after all. But when Ryan’s sweet, nerdy cousin, Max, moves to town and recruits Paige for the Quiz Bowl team (of all things!) her perfect plan is thrown for a serious loop. Will Paige be able to face her fears and finally open herself up to the life she was meant to live?


Amazon • B&NGoodreads

 • • • • • • • • • • •

EMERY LORD



Emery Lord is a 20-something Midwestern girl who writes stories about high school and best friends and weird families and the crushes that make you feel combustibly alive and also more awkward than you thought was possible. If you're not sure how to pronounce Emery, try slurring the name "Emily," and that will get you really close.

She lives in Cincinnati in a 100 year-old pink row house with her BFF/husband, a closet full of dresses, and lots of books. If karaoke-ing in grocery store aisles or guzzling coffee while impulse shopping were illegal, Emery would be writing her overemotional YA books from jail. Also, she makes up words sometimes. Like combustibly.

Open Road Summer, her first YA novel, is out now with Bloomsbury. Her second, The Start of Me & You, will be released March 31, 2015.


• • • • • • • • • • •

GIVEAWAY

Danny and I have (what we think) is a pretty fabulous giveaway that will run for the entirety of this event with 5 winners in total when all is said and done:

  • Winners 1-4: Each will get a book of your choice from one of the participating authors. (Open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you! )
  • Winner 5  : Hardcover copy of LAILAH by Nikki Kelley plus some awesomely cute swag (international ). Prize is provided by author - thank you so much!

Don't forget to check back both here and at Bewitched Bookworms every Friday in February for more letters and a whole lot more love from these fantastic authors:

28 comments:

  1. Wow ... that is a gorgeous letter. It should be on something and given to all little readers. :) I have The Start of Me and You to read very soon. I can't wait!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome letter :D I can see myself there

    ReplyDelete
  3. What an amazing amazing letter! *sniffles* Book people are the best kind of people and it's fantastic that we can find each other!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jenny this letter is absolutely sweet and wonderful and i may have teared up at the end. This letter is ANOTHER reason why I love Emery Lord.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I am so sad this is the last week, :( *sobs with you*
    I have loved this and what a great way to finish it too because I loved Emery! I really need to read Open Road Summer because The Start of Me and You was fabulous, I adored Max!
    Have a wonderful weekend Jenny and truly, thank you for doing this super fun event!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Aw, what an awesome letter! You know that Emery is mixing up raspberry cordial and currant wine ON PURPOSE these days, that rascal. I love how funny and sincere she is on Twitter, and I love this letter. Thanks for the smile this morning, both of you.


    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is the perfect way to end this series. And book people are special and I am so blessed to have you, Pam and Tracy in my book loving circle 😘

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aw, I love that letter to all book lovers. I think we all can definitely relate. Such a perfect ending to this awesome feature.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What an amazing letter for readers! This is making the little bookworm inside me SO HAPPY. :-) This has been a fab event, and I can't think of a better end. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. So sad this event is over. It was so much fun. I read Open Road Summer last year and really liked it. I need to read this one as well. I didn't know it was a retelling of Crime and Punishment!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Loved that letter! It seems especially poignant now especially when it feels as if knowledge (even just reading) seems to be on attack. Perhaps every generation felt this way, but it is good to know that their are others out there that love to read as much or more than I do!

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is such a beautiful letter Emery, I certainly wish that I had this sort of letter to read when I was growing up, so I didn't feel ashamed about reading, as that's all I wanted to do. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post with us Jenny! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, wow! I love that so much. I seriously want to frame that letter….brilliant! I can't wait to read Emery Lord's next novel. This has been a great event, Jenny!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Normally, books like Open Road Summer wouldn't really grab my attention. But on a whim, I brought it home with me from the library.... and proceeded to DEVOUR it! I feel in love with the story, and the amazing characters. The Start of You and Me is sitting on my Kindle, and because of the author, I am genuinely hyped about reading it. Even more so, after reading her letter to baby readers. It is so incredibly true, in such a huge way. I didn't meet my "person" until 4 years ago, at 28 years old. It seemed like the longest wait, but man, was it ever worth it. Best post of the Love Letter Event!

    ReplyDelete
  15. The letter was beautiful I so hope he gets to tell and show how he loves her.

    ReplyDelete
  16. The letter was beautiful I so hope he gets to tell and show how he loves her.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love it. Recently finished Open Road Summer and need to read Emery's next book ASAP! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  18. lovely letter as always Jenny :) I have never read anything by this author, guess I will try to read something very soon :D

    ReplyDelete
  19. What an inspiring, necessary, hopeful open letter to everyone! I love how it's about kids who feel more than others, who don't fit in, who fit in with characters and not school friends.

    She's such a wonderful author and person!!

    Lovely letter!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love love love that she took an unconventional turn with this, Jenny! Her letter is so endearing! I love her so much!
    This just makes my heart so happy.

    ReplyDelete
  21. The letter is swoon-worthy, but ... poor Jenny!!! I hope death was not PERMANENT...?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh this is so amazing!! I love the way it's written! And words are so powerful. I didn't have a chance to read these books yet but I really want to. Thank you so much for sharing, Jenny :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Love your letter to readers! Cannot wait to start reading your books!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Would it be weird if I tell you that the letter made me cry? Especially the last verses... it really reminded me of the time during my high school days when it felt like I was alone in my enthusiasm for books, when it felt like I could read between the lines the books in our literature class and have no one to talk about them with. I'm just so glad that I've discovered the internet and the book blogging community, as I was able to find kindred spirits who understand my love for books and who understand the deep connection I have with fictional characters. Amazing, amazing!

    Faye at The Social Potato

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wow...that letter literally had me in tears. I don't normally pick up contemporaries like this but after reading this letter I need to check Emory out!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh wow..I think this is my favorite letter..you made me cry. It appeals to the mother in me and the little girl in me who loved books.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh my goodness. I just teared up there. What a gorgeous letter! I always wondered where my people were until I started blogging and found you all right here. LOVE LOVE LOVE this event and this post. xo

    ReplyDelete