Showing posts with label The Big Love Letter Event 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Big Love Letter Event 2015. Show all posts

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 20, 2015

The Big Love Letter Event: Mindee Arnett


Welcome to week three 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 Anna Banks!), 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!

I have the great pleasure today to welcome young adult author Mindee Arnett back to the blog to share a letter from Eli to his love interest Dusty, two characters from her hugely entertaining Arkwell Academy series. Book one, The Nightmare Affair, is where I first discovered–and fell madly in love with–Mindee, her sense of humor shining through Dusty and endearing her to me forever. People who love to laugh are my kind of people, and, I say this in the least stalkerish way possible, Mindee is someone I consider my people. If you haven't tried the Arkwell books or her amazing Avalon series, then get on it because Mindee's books are the kind it would be a travesty to miss!

Dear Dusty,

Summers shouldn’t be like this. So long, so slow. Before I met you my summer breaks flew by fast as anything, the days blurring into one another. Then again, this one would be flying by too, if you were here. But you’re not. You’re touring Europe with your mother, although we both know the trip is just an excuse to keep us apart. Your mother believes the dream seer curse is true. But we don’t. We know better.

I think. I hope.

I wish you were here. But I’ve been doing my best to stay busy. Some days are better than others. But the nights are the hardest. You’re in my dreams every night. That sounds incredibly sappy, but we both know that our dreams are different, special. Or at least they were when you were here. But all summer my dreams have been my own. Lonely. Empty. The dream you my self-conscious keeps supplying isn’t good enough. She’s not the real thing, but a shadow. Sometimes when I first arrive in my dream and spot her, I think she’s really you, that you’re really here, and for a few minutes everything is right. Then I realize the truth and it’s worse than ever.

Not only that but my dreams lack the substance of the ones we share together. Is it weird that I miss that, too? I know I shouldn’t. Dreams that aren’t fraught with danger and symbols of impending doom should be welcome, but I’d rather face the danger—with you. And there is still danger out there. We need to be together to fight. Apart we’re blind and vulnerable. Why can’t the Magi Senate see it? Why doesn’t your mother understand? I wish we could make them all see the truth. Then again, it’s just a few weeks, right? In reality it’s no time at all, no matter that it feels like eternity.

Honestly, I’m not sure why I’m even writing this letter. It’s not like I can mail it to you. Where would I send it? I don’t even know where you are exactly. And emailing is out of the question since you’re mom confiscated your phone. I know the coverage rates are crazy expensive over there, but it seems a ready-made excuse to keep us apart. I hate it. I guess this means that you probably won’t ever see this letter. But I’m writing it anyway. What does that mean?

I guess it means that…that…I love you. Wow, writing it feels strange like gravity has suddenly become less somehow, like if I jump in the air I might lose my hold on the earth. I’ve never said it before, never admitted it, not even to myself. But it’s true. I love you. Maybe someday, when you’re back, I’ll finally get to tell you.

Love,
Eli

Dammit Eli! Way to make a girl cry ugly tears. *wanders off to call the husband and berate him for not writing me heartfelt and gloriously sappy love letters*

*Book 3, The Nightmare Charade, releases in August from Tor Teen.

 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

THE NIGHTMARE AFFAIR
Arkwell Academy #1


Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Amazon • Goodreads • B&N

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

THE NIGHTMARE DILEMMA
Arkwell Academy #2


Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.



• • • • • • • • • • •

MINDEE ARNETT


Mindee Arnett lives on a horse farm in Ohio with her husband, two kids, a couple of dogs, and an inappropriate number of cats. She’s addicted to jumping horses and telling tales of magic, the macabre, and outer space. She has far more dreams than nightmares. 


• • • • • • • • • • •

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 40 comments
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Friday, February 13, 2015

The Big Love Letter Event: Liza Palmer


Welcome to week two 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 (Danny's post will be up on Saturday this week – hop over there tomorrow for a little something special from Nikki Kelly!), 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 missed them!

Today I'm immensely pleased to welcome author Liza Palmer to the blog with a fun and different kind of love letter. We left the guidelines for these letters wide open, wanting the authors to write whatever made them happy, so it's always an absolute blast to see what they come up with. Below is Liza's letter to the movie Ladyhawke (mentioned in her latest release, Girl Before A Mirror), a film I'm clearly going to have to track down to watch this weekend. Movies from the 1980's for the win, always!

Dearest Ladyhawke The Movie:

You are the story of the Captain of the Guard and “the face of love.” You are the story of how sometimes even epic love is about making sure your partner has clothes after a day spent being a hawk. You are the story about a man and a woman who had everything taken from them and even though it was revenge and sorrow that may have fueled them in the beginning, it was love and hope they chose in the end. 

“Impossible. Impossible. Nothing is impossible.” 

These are your opening lines. And these opening lines are at the very heart of the tale you tell. That while we’d think the impossible is the fantastical idea that by day she is a hawk and by night he is a wolf, what is truly impossible for the lovers to believe in is the hope that one day they could free themselves from the curse. You are the story of how Navarre and Isabeau, two lovers who are “always together, eternally apart,” learn to trust and forgive. That the Bishops’s dark curse was as burdensome as the grudges they held.   

You taught me what love is, Ladyhawke. You gave me a discerning heroine who never let her sorrow get the best of her and an alpha male who knew that true strength was found in tenderness.  

This isn’t a story of young love. This is a love that has been through the ringer and survived not on drama and adrenaline, but on the daily grind. For two years, Isabeau and Navarre waited for a sign. For two years, they existed out of sight with just the other’s company. For two years they just showed up. 

You taught me that love is not about possession. It is a marriage of equals. You also taught me that true love is more about what one does, and less about what one says. Actions, not words. You protect me during the day and I’ve got your back at night. Theirs is a love beyond words. 

A 1980s time capsule that had its talons in me from the first second of those opening credits. Rocking music playing behind mall glamour shots of a hawk flying past sunsets and sunrises and as a kid I remember being instantly enamored. You were something else. 

You were the first DVD I ever bought, Ladyhawke. Did you know that? That was back before you could just stream movies into your house from space. No, I had to work for you, Ladyhawke. But, you wouldn’t have it any other way.  That’s the only kind of love that you understand. 

Hawks and wolves forever, 
Liza Palmer

 • • • • • • • • • • • • •

GIRL BEFORE A MIRROR


The author of Conversations with a Fat Girl—optioned for HBO—returns with the hilarious and heartfelt story of a woman who must learn how to be the heroine of her own life-a journey that will teach her priceless lessons about love, friendship, family, work, and her own heart.

An account executive in a Mad Men world, Anna Wyatt is at a crossroads. Recently divorced, she’s done a lot of emotional housecleaning, including a self-imposed dating sabbatical. But now that she’s turned forty, she’s struggling to figure out what her life needs. Brainstorming to win over an important new client, she discovers a self-help book—Be the Heroine, Find Your Hero—that offers her unexpected insights and leads her to a most unlikely place: a romance writers’ conference. If she can sign the Romance Cover Model of the Year Pageant winner for her campaign—and meet the author who has inspired her to take control of her life—she’ll win the account.

For Anna, taking control means taking chances, including getting to know Sasha, her pretty young colleague on the project, and indulging in a steamy elevator ride with Lincoln Mallory, a dashing financial consultant she meets in the hotel. When the conference ends, Anna and Lincoln must decide if their intense connection is strong enough to survive outside the romantic fantasy they’ve created. Yet Lincoln is only one of Anna’s dilemmas. Now that her campaign is off the ground, others in the office want to steal her success, and her alcoholic brother, Ferdie, is spiraling out of control.

To have the life she wants-to be happy without guilt, to be accepted for herself, to love and to be loved, to just be—she has to put herself first, accept her imperfections, embrace her passions, and finally be the heroine of her own story.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N 

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

LIZA PALMER


Liza Palmer is the internationally bestselling author of Conversations with the Fat Girl.  Conversations with the Fat Girl became an international bestseller its first week in publication, as well as hitting Number 1 on the Fiction Heatseekers List in the UK the week before the book debuted. Conversations with the Fat Girl has been optioned for series by the producers of Rome, Band of Brothers and Generation Kill.

After earning two Emmy nominations writing for the first season of VH1’s Pop Up Video, she now knows far too much about Fergie.

Palmer’s sixth novel, Girl Before a Mirror, is the story of Anna Wyatt, a driven ad exec who must attend the annual RomanceCon to land the Romance Novel Cover of Model of the year for Luxe Shower Gel’s spokesman.

• • • • • • • • • • •

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 31 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.


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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.


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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:

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