Showing posts with label Bewitched Bookworms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bewitched Bookworms. Show all posts

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&N • Goodreads

 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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&N • Goodreads

 • • • • • • • • • • •

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:

Posted by Jenny at 12:00 AM 28 comments
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Friday, March 6, 2015

The Big Love Letter Event: Sara Raasch


Welcome to the second to last week of The Big Love Letter Event! For those of you who missed the introductory post several weeks ago, this event will run every Friday through March 13th and will consist of love letters written by some truly amazing authors. Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and I will each be hosting different letters every week (hop over there today for a little something special from Becky Wallace!), so be sure and check out both blogs for a bigger and better celebration of all things swoon-worthy. We'll also be hosting a fantastic giveaway, so don't forget to check the bottom of the post for all the details, as well as links to all the previous love letters in case you didn't get to them!

Today I'm in total fangirl mode as I welcome young adult author Sara Raasch back to the blog to share with us not one, but TWO letters. Yes, two (complete with musical accompaniment!). Because Sara is pretty amazing like that. I don't want to blather on and gush over her and my love for Snow Like Ashes too much as Sara has written her own introduction to these letters, but I just want to state again for the record how highly I recommend this book. Take it away Sara!

There are two equally swoonworthy boys in SNOW LIKE ASHES who have special places in Meira’s heart—Mather, a fellow Winterian refugee and one of her closest friends, and Theron, the son of a potential ally for Winter and someone Meira quickly finds an ally in herself.

#TeamTheron (or “Meiron” as it so fabulously called) is definitely the more popular ship, but there have been a lot of #TeamMather (or “Matheira”) shippers too. But only doing a letter from one boy seemed rather sad, as it meant a whole ship would be neglected, and that’s hardly in the spirit of celebrating love! Therefore, I decided to do TWO letters: one from Mather to Meira and one from Theron to Meira.

Basically: Meira is one lucky girl.

Letter #1: Mather to Meira. Those who have read SNOW LIKE ASHES should be able to guess during what event Mather would have written this. *feeeeeeels*
Song best paired with this letter: “Whispers” by Dave Baxter

Meira,

I’m sure the first reaction you’ll have when you see this letter is shock that I’m writing you at all. You, more than anyone, know that I’ve never been good at expressing myself, especially now, when my trouble voicing how I feel has messed things up so much. Ice above, everything is messed up—and I can actually hear you calling me an idiot to that because everything has been messed up for years.

But it all feels different now. It all feels . . . real. And ice, Meira, I don’t want this to be our reality. I won’t let this be our reality. We got cheated out of the childhood we deserved, and I won’t let this war take our future too. I used to think that future was in Winter, and it is—but it won’t mean a damn thing if you aren’t next to me when we reclaim our kingdom.

I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to tell you. I’m sorry . . . for a lot of things. But I realize now who my future is—and I will do everything I can to make it our reality.

Mather

(I hope you are shocked that I’m writing you, because it won’t be the last time I surprise you.

If you want me to.)


Letter #2: Theron to Meira. Again, it should be fairly easy to tell where this letter fits into SNOW LIKE ASHES!
Song best paired with this letter: “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
Lady Meira, Just Meira,

I doubt I will gather the courage to give this letter to you for many months (or years, more like—golden leaves, can we truly speak of things in such lengthy terms?). Nevertheless, my heart and head are disquieted, and I take comfort in pouring the cacophony out via pen and paper.

In the short time we have had together, I sense in you the same desires I nurture—longings for an accepted existence, free from the expectations placed on us by factors out of our control. The lives we have been given are not without their constraints, and I had every mind to fight my father’s wishes with my dying breath . . .

Until I walked into that library tonight, and I found myself gripped with the most inescapable thought: “This girl is a masterpiece.”

Truly, I do not know what you are. That was merely my initial judgment, one crafted based on appearance and the sheer energy you emit. The only thing I know for certain is that I would very much like to find out what kind of masterpiece you are, Meira. I hope you permit me to do so.

Most Sincerely Yours,
Theron

I WILL PERMIT YOU TO DO SO THERON!!!!! Oh wait, this letter wasn't addressed to me. *scrolls up again just to make sure it doesn't say "Jenny"* As you can probably tell, I'm solidly in Theron's camp (I do very much like you Mather, but you waited too long to open your eyes!), and I can't wait to see how things continue to develop in the next book. And fear not love triangle haters, Meira is not the type of girl to waffle in her feelings or make a whole lot of romantic drama for herself, so I hope you guys all pick this book up immediately!
 

 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SNOW LIKE ASHES
Snow Like Ashes #1


Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now the Winterians' only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter's magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter's defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians' general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend and future king, Mather—she would do anything to help Winter rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore their magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she's scaling towers and fighting enemy soldiers just as she's always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn't go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics—and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

Sara Raasch's debut fantasy is a lightning-fast tale of loyalty, love, and finding one's destiny.

• • • • • • • • • • •

SARA RAASCH


Sara Raasch has known she was destined for bookish things since the age of five, when her friends had a lemonade stand and she tagged along to sell her hand-drawn picture books too. Not much has changed since then — her friends still cock concerned eyebrows when she attempts to draw things and her enthusiasm for the written word still drives her to extreme measures. Her debut YA fantasy, SNOW LIKE ASHES, came out October 14, 2014 from Balzer + Bray, and the sequel, ICE LIKE FIRE, comes out October 13, 2015. Neither features her hand-drawn pictures.


• • • • • • • • • • •

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:

Posted by Jenny at 12:00 AM 19 comments
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Friday, February 27, 2015

The Big Love Letter Event: Melissa Landers


Welcome to week four of The Big Love Letter Event! For those of you who missed the introductory post several weeks ago, this event will run every Friday through March 13th and will consist of love letters written by some truly amazing authors. Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and I will each be hosting different letters every week (hop over there today for a little something special from Paula Stokes!), so be sure and check out both blogs for a bigger and better celebration of all things swoon-worthy. We'll also be hosting a fantastic giveaway, so don't forget to check the bottom of the post for all the details, as well as links to all the previous love letters in case you didn't get to them!

Today I'm thrilled to welcome Melissa Landers back to the blog to share with us a letter from Aelyx (he's a love letter first-timer!) to Cara, the–quite literally–starcrossed couple from her Alienated series. I have a bit of an Ohio theme going on with the event this year, with Kristen, Mindee, Melissa, Emery, and Sara all either currently living in or from Ohio, so I've been lucky enough to fangirl at all of them in person. Melissa was forced to endure my gushing during an interview last year, and thankfully I didn't scare her enough to make her want to run and hide when I approached her about participating. *pats self on back* If you haven't had the chance to read Alienated or Invaded yet, I hope you add them to your lists after reading Aelyx's letter!

Dearest Elire,

You might not believe this—or maybe you will—but I’ve never written a love letter before. Until now, there was no reason to. My heart has only ever belonged to you, and we both know that a pen and paper can’t compete with Silent Speech. But as much as I’d like to look into your eyes and show you how I feel, I can’t do that with multiple galaxies stretched between us. So for now, I suppose a note will have to do.

Gods alive, Cara, I miss you.

I miss the freckles on your cheeks, and the ones sprinkled across the bridge of your nose. I miss the way your eyes crinkle at the edges when you smile at me. I miss the scent of citrus in your hair and the sound of my name on your lips. I swear your presence is like a second sun, and without you, the air actually feels colder. (And trust me—winter in Manhattan is already miserable.) So wherever you are on L’eihr, please know that you are cherished.

I promise to mend this alliance as quickly as I can, and soon we’ll stand together on the shores of our colony and watch the stars, just like we did on board the transport. Our time apart is only a hiccup—you told me that once. I hope you still feel that way, and that you think of me every time you gaze at the night sky. You can’t see me, but I’m here. And I’m yours.

Much love,
Aelyx

These letters are brutal! *pounces on Aelyx and gives him a hug* Hopefully he and Cara find their way back to one another soon before I develop an ulcer from the stress of their separation ;-)


 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

ALIENATED
Alienated #1


Two years ago, the aliens made contact. Now Cara Sweeney is going to be sharing a bathroom with one of them.

Handpicked to host the first-ever L’eihr exchange student, Cara thinks her future is set. Not only does she get a free ride to her dream college, she’ll have inside information about the mysterious L’eihrs that every journalist would kill for. Cara’s blog following is about to skyrocket.

Still, Cara isn’t sure what to think when she meets Aelyx. Humans and L’eihrs have nearly identical DNA, but cold, infuriatingly brilliant Aelyx couldn’t seem more alien. She’s certain about one thing, though: no human boy is this good-looking.

But when Cara's classmates get swept up by anti-L'eihr paranoia, Midtown High School suddenly isn't safe anymore. Threatening notes appear in Cara's locker, and a police officer has to escort her and Aelyx to class.

Cara finds support in the last person she expected. She realizes that Aelyx isn’t just her only friend; she's fallen hard for him. But Aelyx has been hiding the truth about the purpose of his exchange, and its potentially deadly consequences. Soon Cara will be in for the fight of her life—not just for herself and the boy she loves, but for the future of her planet.

Amazon • Goodreads • B&N

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

INVADED
Alienated #2


Cara always knew life on planet L’eihr would be an adjustment. With Aelyx, her L’eihr boyfriend, back on Earth, working to mend the broken alliance between their two planets, Cara is left to fend for herself at a new school, surrounded by hostile alien clones. Even the weird dorm pet hates her.

Things look up when Cara is appointed as human representative to a panel preparing for a human colony on L’eihr. A society melding their two cultures is a place where Cara and Aelyx could one day make a life together. But with L’eihr leaders balking at granting even the most basic freedoms, Cara begins to wonder if she could ever be happy on this planet, even with Aelyx by her side.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Aelyx, finds himself thrown into a full-scale PR campaign to improve human-L’eihr relations. Humans don’t know that their very survival depends on this alliance: only Aelyx’s people have the technology to fix the deadly contamination in the global water supply that human governments are hiding. Yet despite their upper hand, the leaders of his world suddenly seem desperate to get humans on their side, and hardly bat an eye at extremists’ multiple attempts on Aelyx’s life.

The Way clearly needs humans’ help . . . but with what? And what will they ask for in return?



• • • • • • • • • • •

MELISSA LANDERS

Susan A. Abt Photography

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives just outside Cincinnati and writes adult contemporary romance as Macy Beckett.


• • • • • • • • • • •

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:

Posted by Jenny at 12:00 AM 22 comments
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Friday, February 6, 2015

The Big Love Letter Event 2015: Kristen Simmons


Welcome to day one of The Big Love Letter Event! For those of you who missed the introductory post a couple weeks ago, this event will run every Friday through March 13th and will consist of love letters written by some truly amazing authors. Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and I will each be hosting different letters every week (hop over there today for a little something special from Heather Demetrios!), so be sure and check out both blogs for a bigger and better celebration of all things swoon-worthy. We'll also be hosting a fantastic giveaway, so don't forget to check the bottom of the post for all the details!

I have the pleasure of kicking this event off today with Kristen Simmons, author of the Article 5 series and, more recently, The Glass Arrow which is set to release next week. I read the Article 5 series a while back and fell madly in love with it, and then last year was able to meet Kristen at a group signing in Cincinnati. She is, and I say this with absolutely no exaggeration, one of the sweetest and funniest people I've been lucky enough to cross paths with, and I feel privileged to call her friend.

If you haven't added The Glass Arrow to your must-have lists yet, I hope this letter has you remedying that immediately :-)

(Found in the barn behind The Garden)

Aya,

It’s night in the city, though it hardly looks or sounds it. The sky’s gray as muddy water, and the trash machine behind the barn is grinding something fierce. It’s one of two things that’s kept me awake since I came here.

The other is this lumpy bedroll. (That’s a joke, Aya.)

I can see you from the slatted window in the loft, curled up on the hard ground with your wolf as a pillow. You look like all the things I want to feel. Calm and steady. Still and unburdened. The daylight will change you – but this heavy air doesn’t drag you down. It makes you taller. It makes me taller, watching you.

There are things about me you don’t know. Things I can’t tell you. If you ever found them out, you’d probably beat on me for a good while for lying to you. At least, you’d try. (That’s not an invitation to try.)

There are things I want to tell you, though. More things than there are stars in the sky outside this dirty city. Things like, you’re not as good at throwing a ball as you’d like to think. And that I’m safe, and you and me, we aren’t so different.

There are other things, too. Crazy things I’m only writing now because I know you can’t read them. I know what you sing for. Your voice stays in my head, even in the daytime. You are stronger than iron. I like your ankles, and your wild black hair, and the way you say Kiran.

And if I could talk, Aya, I’d talk to you.

Don’t give up. I won’t give up either.
Kiran

*Jenny dies a little inside*

I love you, Kiran :-)

• • • • • • • • • • • 

THE GLASS ARROW
(releases February 10th from Tor Teen)


Once there was a time when men and women lived as equals, when girl babies were valued, and women could belong only to themselves. But that was ten generations ago. Now women are property, to be sold and owned and bred, while a strict census keeps their numbers manageable and under control. The best any girl can hope for is to end up as some man’s forever wife, but most are simply sold and resold until they’re all used up.

Only in the wilderness, away from the city, can true freedom be found. Aya has spent her whole life in the mountains, looking out for her family and hiding from the world, until the day the Trackers finally catch her.

Stolen from her home, and being groomed for auction, Aya is desperate to escape her fate and return to her family, but her only allies are a loyal wolf she’s raised from a pup and a strange mute boy who may be her best hope for freedom . . . if she can truly trust him.


• • • • • • • • • • • • 

KRISTEN SIMMONS



Kristen Simmons writes young adult fiction - the kind that's dark and scary but generally involves some kissing. She's the author of ARTICLE 5 (2012), BREAKING POINT (2013), and THREE (2014), as well as THE GLASS ARROW (2015), and METALTOWN (2016). Words cannot describe how happy all this makes her.


• • • • • • • • • • •

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:

    Posted by Jenny at 12:00 AM 47 comments
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    Friday, January 23, 2015

    The Big Love Letter Event 2015


    Last year the wonderful Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and I hosted an event that ran the month of February wherein we celebrated our obsession with all things romance, and I'm beyond excited to announce that we're once again hosting the event this year! I think I summed the event up pretty well in last year's introductory post, so instead of reinventing the wheel, I'm just going paste that intro below. Laziness, thy name is Jenny.

    In celebration of Valentine's Day (but really, more in celebration of how much Danny and I love to swoon over sexy bad boys and adorable good guys), we've asked some of our very favorite authors to write love letters that will appear on our blogs every Friday during the month of February. We proposed letters written from one character to another, from author to character, character to readers, or anything else the authors might be inspired to write that would help us honor our love of love, and the result is something truly fantastic.

    Be sure and check both here and Bewitched Bookworms every Friday as we'll be featuring letters from different authors on each blog, and throughout the event we'll also be hosting a fabulous giveaway, so I hope you guys are as excited about this as we are!

    The response we received last year was so enthusiastic that we decided to extend the event from 4 weeks to 6, so every Friday from February 6th to March 13th both Danny and I will be posting various types of love letters on our blogs. We have a truly outstanding lineup this year, so we can't wait to kick things off in a couple weeks! You can expect to see letters from the following:


    Kristen Simmons will get things rolling here at Supernatural Snark on the 6th, so I hope you'll all stop by to see what she has in store! You don't want to miss it:)
    Posted by Jenny at 12:00 AM 23 comments
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    Friday, February 21, 2014

    The Big Love Letter Event + Giveaway: A.C. Gaughen

    It's week three of The Big Love Letter Event, a joint month-long feature hosted by Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and myself, and I hope you guys are having as much fun with these letters as we are. If you haven't yet had the chance, be sure and take a look at the letters from Wendy Higgins, Kasie West and Tiffany Schmidt posted over the past two weeks!

    *A note about Danny's letter: She will be posting her letter from the amazing Gena Showalter tomorrow (Saturday, the 22nd), so be sure and check back at Bewitched Bookworms then because you won't want to miss this one!

    http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-big-love-letter-event.html

    I'm positively giddy today over the fact that I have author A.C. Gaughen stopping by the blog to share a letter between Rob and Scarlet, two of her extraordinary characters from a series that has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. I read Scarlet last year and I couldn't have loved it more if I tried, I was just in awe of Scarlet's strength and determination, and that love only deepened after reading Lady Thief.

    There simply aren't enough positive things I can say about Scarlet herself, she's everything I could ever want in a heroine and I HIGHLY recommend these books to those who have yet to experience them. I'm going to keep this introduction short and sweet because the below letter from Rob truly speaks for itself, and I hope it affects all of you as profoundly as it did me! *starts sobbing*

    My Scarlet—

    I know the moment when I knew for sure that I loved you. 

    It isn’t an easy thing, Scarlet. To know love when your heart is this untrusty object in your chest. My heart went cold and quiet when I was in the war, and I confess I didn’t care much what it had to say. My heart made everything more difficult. 

    You, of course, were no exception. I shouldn’t expect anything to ever be easy with you.  My love—my hard-won love. 

    It was our first winter together. We’d been living in the tree, and then it got cold, and we found the cave. Then the snow came, and the cave wasn’t warm enough. John never seemed bothered by it—why would he, he’s made in the image of a horse—but you shivered cold every night. You shivered so hard you rattled the hay, and I’d stay awake, listening to the sound, wondering what I was meant to do about it. I tried to leave warm things—cloaks, a blanket—near your pallet but you’d never touch them. I practiced, whispering to the night, what I might say to you—    here, take my blanket. Here, you look cold. Or more likely, Just use the damn blanket, Scarlet. And each attempt I made in my mind you pulled away from me, horrified that I knew you were cold, mortified that somehow you’d let it slip that you might need something from anyone, and I stayed quiet, because I wanted anything but you farther away from me.

    Which made me feel like a proper idiot, even in my mind.  More than that—a moony idiot. And an unchivalrous idiot, that I had no idea how to help you.  And a guilty idiot, that I’d dragged you all up to Nottinghamshire and never thought of the damn winter snows. 

    But one night when the fire went out and the cold had gotten so bad your teeth were chattering, you were quiet as a mouse as you rolled out of bed and took one of your blankets with you. Silent and still like the thief you are you went over to Much—he was so small back then—and you put your blanket on him. 

    And I realized he wasn’t just cold—he was so cold he wouldn’t last many more nights. And I got everyone up and took us to the monastery—thinking it would just be for the night—and they took us in for the winter. 

    And I stayed up many more nights, waiting for Much to sleep better, waiting for his chest to clear of the cough he’d gotten, and hating myself with every breath. Hating you, because you’d made me blind. You had filled up so much of my heart I couldn’t see him anymore, and I hadn’t seen his suffering.

    I know I was mean to you. Cruel at times—those where the times when I hated myself the most, and it was easy to tell my heart that it was only full of darkness, that any feelings it might offer would only bring pain about in the world. I didn’t know how to love you and have it mean something good. 

    And now we’re back in the cave. In a few weeks you’ll begin to shiver and I’ll move us to the monastery, and instead of hating myself, I hate that gold band on your finger. I hate the man who put it there. I hate the dreams that haunt me at night, of every pain and betrayal my heart has seen, and I wonder, Scarlet, if I will ever be free to love you without hate in my heart.

    I can’t promise you that. I’m too afraid I’d break that promise—but every day when your gaze catches mine and I remember that I’m the one you love, that your pure heart chose my dark one, you give me hope. 

    And hope is all I need to live another day. 
    - Rob
    *sobbing intensifies*

    Do you see why you must read this series now? YOU MUST! I think I just died a little inside reading that and knowing I have to wait a full year before I can find out how things end for the two of them.

    *leaves to go eat large amounts of chocolate*

     • • • • • • • • • • 

    LADY THIEF


    Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.


    • • • • • • • • • • • 

    A.C. GAUGHEN


    I’ve been madly in love with writing since I was in kindergarten. Not kidding–some of my earliest memories revolve around books and writing, like reading in front of the class, reading with my mother, and writing a story in first grade that was so funny (it dealt with a gorilla finding someone naked in the shower, and was, sadly, the culmination of my humor writing skills) it got me kicked out of class. Which was also the first and last time for that.
     
    No that’s a lie. In third grade I got detention for ripping bark off a tree.
     
    I know, I’m a rebel.
     
    From there, it was a long road. I wrote all through middle school and starting submitting novels (I hope I still have those very kind, gentle rejection letters somewhere) when I was thirteen. ACK you have no idea how bad those novels looked. All through high school I was writing in a notebook instead of taking class notes (explaining the less than perfect GPA). It was always novels for me–the first time I seriously wrote short stories was at the end of my college career, to get into my graduate program, and it felt awkward and weird.
     
    But I got in to grad school, wrote like a fiend, and when I graduated I spent three miserable years as a freelance writer while working on several different novels. I wrote them, prepped them, submitted them, and kept on working, because as far as I can tell, the actual writing is the only thing that I can control, and it’s the part that really makes me happy.


    • • • • • • • • • • • 

    GIVEAWAY

    Danny and I have an amazing giveaway to share with you all, one that will have 14 winners in total!
    • Winners 1 and 2: Each will get a book of their choice from one of the authors featured during the event (open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you!)
    • Winner 3 : Signed Copy of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (open US/CAN only) – Prize is provided by the author – A huge thank you to Katie!
    • Winners 4- 14: Sweet Trilogy swag packs from Wendy Higgins (open internationally) - Prize is provided by the author – Thank you so much Wendy!
    The giveaway will run until March 7th and you can enter via the Rafflecopter form below!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    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:

    •      Wendy Higgins (Sweet Reckoning)
    •      Katie McGarry (Crash Into You)
    •      Kasie West (Split Second)
    •      Sara B. Larson (Defy)
    •      A.C. Gaughen (Lady Thief)
    •      Tiffany Schmidt (Bright Before Sunrise)
    •      Gena Showalter (The Queen of Zombie Hearts)
    •      Nichole Chase (Recklessly Royal)
    •      Lorraine Heath (When the Duke Was Wicked)
    •      Lynne Matson (Nil)
    •      Danielle Paige (Dorothy Must Die)
    Posted by Jenny at 12:00 AM 45 comments
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    Friday, February 14, 2014

    The Big Love Letter Event + Giveaway: Kasie West + Tiffany Schmidt

    Today marks week two of The Big Love Letter Event, a joint month-long feature hosted by Danny from Bewitched Bookworms and myself, and I hope you guys are having as much fun with these letters as we are. If you didn't get a chance, be sure and check out last week's love song from Kaidan Rowe and Wendy Higgins!

    http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-big-love-letter-event.html

    First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day is a bit of a polarizing holiday, with some people expressing enthusiasm for a day celebrating love in all its various forms and others not feeling it so much, but for me any holiday that encourages the consumption of large quantities of chocolate is epic and earns my wholehearted approval. I'm looking at you too, Halloween ;-)

    As a result of the aforementioned polarizing effect Valentine's Day has on the masses, I thought it might be fun to acknowledge the myriad of emotional reactions to this holiday with not just one love letter today, but two. The first is from Kasie West, an author who rocketed onto my radar with last year's Pivot Point (I LOVE YOU TREVOR!) and has continued to impress me with her extraordinary sense of humor and her engaging, witty characters. She was nice enough to share a letter from Caymen from The Distance Between Us to her boyfriend Xander, giving all of us a sweet look at their relationship.

    • • • • • CAYMEN'S LOVE LETTER • • • • •


    Dearest Dollface,

    This being our very first Valentine’s Day together, I expect a big gift. Maybe a small jet or a tropical island. See, doesn’t it sound ridiculous when you read it? So please don’t buy me a gift that you know I can’t come anywhere close to reciprocating. I’m thinking something like a pre-sipped beverage or a movie in your fancy theater room will be perfect. As for my gift to you, I was thinking of buying you a porcelain doll. I know how much you love them. I found one that looks a lot like you, well, I might have to add a pinky ring, but then it will be spot on.
     
    But in all seriousness (because I can hear you saying, ‘now your real answer’), I adore you, Xander. The last few months have been the best of my life. It’s been amazing touring some of your hotels with you and I can’t wait to see more. Mainly because I like hanging out with you, not necessarily because your hotels are all that interesting. And thank you for pretending that hanging out in my tiny apartment is the highlight of your day. It makes my mom feel good. Okay, it makes me happy too.
     
    Don’t ever leave me or I’ll have to kill you. And I don’t want to dig your grave alone. It would be very very shallow. Oh wait…they have machines for that. Never mind. I love you, babe. Happy Valentine’s Day. Now look up from this letter, give me one of your heart-stopping smiles, and kiss me.

    - Caymen 
    • • • • • • • • • • • 

    THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US
    (Available Now)


    Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers studies the rich like her own personal science experiment, and after years of observation she’s pretty sure they’re only good for one thing—spending money on useless stuff, like the porcelain dolls in her mother’s shop.

    So when Xander Spence walks into the store to pick up a doll for his grandmother, it only takes one glance for Caymen to figure out he’s oozing rich. Despite his charming ways and that he’s one of the first people who actually gets her, she’s smart enough to know his interest won’t last. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother’s warnings, it’s that the rich have a short attention span. But Xander keeps coming around, despite her best efforts to scare him off. And much to her dismay, she's beginning to enjoy his company.

    She knows her mom can’t find out—she wouldn’t approve. She’d much rather Caymen hang out with the local rocker who hasn’t been raised by money. But just when Xander’s attention and loyalty are about to convince Caymen that being rich isn’t a character flaw, she finds out that money is a much bigger part of their relationship than she’d ever realized. And that Xander’s not the only one she should’ve been worried about.

    Find Kasie



    • • • • • JONAH'S ANTI-LOVE LETTER • • • • •

    The second letter today is a bit of an anti-love letter written by Jonah from Tiffany Schmidt's upcoming contemporary young adult release, Bright Before Sunrise. In her email to me, Tiffany wrote "...my characters don't like each other that much early in the book"; a statement that had me pre-ordering it immediately because I'm a MASSIVE sucker for antagonistic relationships. Yes, please and thank you! I thought it was the perfect addition to this event and today's post in particular, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I did!


    From Tiffany:

    This letter is written from Jonah’s point of view and takes place during chapter five (“How Do You Say ’50 Minutes of Torture’ in Spanish”) of BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE. If anyone wants to read those chapters (and a few beyond) they’re available on Wattpad.

    Brighton-

    I slash her name across the top of the back of an extra worksheet then glance around and fold that part under. I know what I’m doing is ridiculous, and it’s not like I’d ever actually give this to her, but maybe if I write it out, I’ll be a little less pissed.

    And the only other thing I have to do until the bell rings is check my phone under my desk and wonder why Carly’s not texting back.
     
    Get a clue. The fact that you’re hot doesn’t mean you get whatever you want. And I guess I’m a minority of one, because I don’t want you.
     
    Not that I think you want me. I’d probably have to go through a 50-step background check before I was allowed to kiss you. And I’d never pass.
     
    But I need you to leave me alone. I don’t want to volunteer on any of your stupid projects. I don’t want you to fix my locker. I don’t want you to say hi to me in the hallway and flash me that smile. The one that—for just a second—makes me forget why I hate you.
        
    Everyone else ignores me. Why can’t you?

    - Jonah
    • • • • • • • • • • • 

    BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE
    (releases February 18th from Walker Children's


    When Jonah is forced to move from Hamilton to Cross Pointe for the second half of his senior year, "miserable" doesn't even begin to cover it. He feels like the doggy-bag from his mother's first marriage and everything else about her new life—with a new husband, new home and a new baby—is an upgrade. The people at Cross Pointe High School are pretentious and privileged—and worst of all is Brighton Waterford, the embodiment of all things superficial and popular. Jonah’s girlfriend, Carly, is his last tie to what feels real... until she breaks up with him.

    For Brighton, every day is a gauntlet of demands and expectations. Since her father died, she’s relied on one coping method: smile big and pretend to be fine. It may have kept her family together, but she has no clue how to handle how she's really feeling. Today is the anniversary of his death and cracks are beginning to show. The last thing she needs is the new kid telling her how much he dislikes her for no reason she can understand. She's determined to change his mind, and when they're stuck together for the night, she finally gets her chance.

    Jonah hates her at 3p.m., but how will he feel at 3 a.m.?

    One night can change how you see the world. One night can change how you see yourself.

    Find Tiffany


    • • • • • • • • • • • 

    GIVEAWAY

    Danny and I have an amazing giveaway to share with you all, one that will have 14 winners in total!
    • Winners 1 and 2: Each will get a book of their choice from one of the authors featured during the event (open internationally as long as Book Depository ships to you!)
    • Winner 3 : Signed Copy of Crash Into You by Katie McGarry (open US/CAN only) – Prize is provided by the author – A huge thank you to Katie!
    • Winners 4- 14: Sweet Trilogy swag packs from Wendy Higgins (open internationally) - Prize is provided by the author – Thank you so much Wendy!
    The giveaway will run until March 7th and you can enter via the Rafflecopter form below!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

    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:

    •      Wendy Higgins (Sweet Reckoning)
    •      Katie McGarry (Crash Into You)
    •      Kasie West (Split Second)
    •      Sara B. Larson (Defy)
    •      A.C. Gaughen (Lady Thief)
    •      Tiffany Schmidt (Bright Before Sunrise)
    •      Gena Showalter (The Queen of Zombie Hearts)
    •      Nichole Chase (Recklessly Royal)
    •      Lorraine Heath (When the Duke Was Wicked)
    •      Lynne Matson (Nil)
    Posted by Jenny at 12:00 AM 44 comments
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