BEA Blitz: Kat Zhang

Last year Kat Zhang was a debut author promoting copies of What's Left of Me. This year Kat will return to BEA not only promoting the much-anticipated sequel, Once We Were, but also as a kick start for the YAGB Tour. Even if you can't catch Kat at BEA, make sure you see her (and some friends) at one of the tour stops in June.

1.) How many years have you attended BEA?

This will be my second year :)

2.)What was it like being a debut author last year?

It was fantastic! I fell so much in love with BEA--all those writers and readers and publishing people. The book energy was wonderful. It was awesome to meet my agent and editor for the first time, as well as others at HarperCollins. I was amazed every time someone mentioned having read and enjoyed my book (this was just after ARCs first went out!). I was lucky enough to have had WHAT'S LEFT OF ME chosen as a BEA Buzz book, so I got to go hear my editor talk about the book on a panel, as well as do a panel and signing myself. It was the best time, ever :)

3.) When you aren't signing books, are you hopping in line to meet authors? Or passed out in the back from exhaustion?

I definitely went to a few signings, and spent a lot of time just wandering the floor with other authors. I wanted to see everything I could!

4.) What's your favorite BEA memory?

Oooh, I dunno! Probably just getting to hang out with my editor and agent in general :)

5.) This year BEA kicks off the start of the YAGB Tour for you and a few of your friends: Tell everyone a little bit about this tour and where than can catch you if they miss you at BEA.

You can learn more about the tour at our tumblr: http://youngauthorsgiveback.tumblr.com/

Basically, though, it's a ~2.5 week, 7 city tour starting at BEA in NYC and covering NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Grand Rapids, and Chicago. Erin Bowman, Susan Dennard, Sarah Maas, and I will be doing signings (open to everyone!) at each city, as well as organizing free writing workshops for writers aged 13-22! We hope to see many readers there :)

BEA Tips & Tricks: Part 8

Tips & Tricks - 

Part 8: Schedule Mania

The schedule.

THE SCHEDULE.

This is something BEA enthusiasts, book lovers, and attendees have been avidly awaiting. That blessed moment when you realize the author signing schedule has been posted and you can start formulating a plan of action. It’s also the time you feel like your stomach’s going to fall out of your butt because you realize there is no freaking way you can be in 20 places at once.

Everyone has their own way of planning. Their own way of attacking BEA, if you will. Some just go and wander and see what happens. Others plan to the nth degree and wind up having a mental breakdown when their plans get shot to hell. The vast majority of us fall between those two.

Last year I procrastinated and kept saying I had plenty of time and then two weeks before I went to BEA (when I told myself I would start making a legit schedule), my personal life shifted into mega overdrive. I wound up with a new job which meant I had to quit my old job, had my wisdom teeth removed, and my brother opted to get married in a whirlwind flash—we seriously threw a wedding together in 2 ½ weeks the end of May/beginning of June.

I started a schedule and never touched it because my life got so chaotic, there was no way I could take the time to finish. Thankfully someone awesome (Julia) sent me a copy of her schedule which I mooched off of, and I managed to fumble my way through BEA last year.

This year I’ve already started my color-coded schedule that will hopefully help me retain what precious scraps of sanity I have left. Several other bloggers have made awesome schedule tips posts, and I’ll link to those at the end of this. This is my take on the schedule.

1. Booked Solid

It is so easy to look at that glorious BEA schedule in front of you and start happily clicking signings you want to attend. Then you get to the last page and realize you’ve clicked over 100 books you want to get signed.

This is fantastic! You will get 100 books signed by authors you love!

Wait, a second. You want to attend 6 signings from 11:00-11:30 on Thursday. No problem, right? You just can’t hang and chat with the authors for a while. You need to keep jumping from line to line to line to—

Not gonna happen, my friend. It’s not gonna happen. For every signing you want to go to there will be another 50-250 people in line. And did I mention there’s limited copies of these books authors are signing? And that in the autographing area they really do make the author stop signing when their time is up, even if there’s still 100 people in line and more than enough books for everyone?

This is why you need a plan going into BEA and why you need to prioritize.

2.  Check Your Priorities

There are so many incredible authors I want to meet at BEA. Fact is, unless I bring my handy dandy cloning machine, I will not meet all of them. For example, on 5/31 Kat Zhang, Susan Dennard, Erin Bowman, Katie Cotugno, Joelle Charbonneau, Rick Riordan, and Richelle Mead are all signing at 10:30, most of them for only 30 minutes.

Unless there is a sudden BEA plague and I am the only one there that day, I cannot hit all those signings. Despite my intense love for each and every one of those authors, it won’t happen.

The key is to figure out which one signing I want to hit the most. And then the second most important one, and so on. And there is nothing wrong with having 6 possible signings to go to at one time as long as you realize you can’t make them all.

3. Overschedule Your Heart Out

I habitually overschedule myself at BEA. I have 6-7 signings at the same time. This way if I can’t make one, I have a backup. If I get done a signing, I scope out the others I was interested and hopefully join in on the fun.

There is so much going on at BEA, it is damn near impossible to keep it all straight. Don’t try to make yourself remember everything. Make a schedule and keep it handy.

This is just a quick overview, but check out these awesome schedule posts others have made:

Bewitched Bookworms
Poisoned Rationality

BEA Blitz: Little, Brown & Company

When I was at BEA last year, the first booth I went to (by chance) was the Hatchette Group, specifically the Little, Brown & Co. booth. It quickly became one of my favorite places. They had great signings, a ton of galley drops, and always someone waiting to talk books. I also met Faye, a publicist I had emailed with several times and have continued a relationship with. Faye is fantastic and agree to share some highlights of past BEA's and what you can expect this year.

1.) How many years have you attended BEA?

2013 will be my fourth BEA. Time flies! Back in 2010 I went as a spectator, and in 2011 and 2012 I was with Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

2.) How would you compare BEA to other book conferences/events?

Wow. Well, BEA is the biggest trade marketing conference in publishing, and we see a lot of booksellers, librarians, journalists and (of course!) book bloggers. That's a lot of combined enthusiasm for authors and books! The sheer volume of people gives the conference a great energy – librarian conferences are typically more focused (by geographical region, on educators, on school librarians). At BEA there's something for everyone, and we want attendees to learn and get excited about our upcoming books.

3.) Any suggestions for how bloggers/librarians should approach publishers at BEA? (I will admit I just stood around staring at booths until someone approached me because I was shy about it.)

No need to be shy—the best point of entry is to ask a question or comment on one of the books on display. "What are you most excited about this season?" is always a good one, or "I love Jessica Darling, can you tell me more about these new middle grade books?" We're here to talk! Honestly, the best part about BEA for me is getting to chat with other people who love books. If it's an especially busy time (say, during author signings) you can always come back when it quiets down. 

4.) How much planning goes into an event like this for you and your staff?

It's the biggest single event that we do, and because so many different people attend BEA, pretty much every person is all hands on deck. Marketing takes care of booth experience—layout of the booth, the furniture, swag, timed ARC giveaways, etc.—along with advertising and promotion. Publicity works on author events, like signings in the autographing area or in the booth, as well any off-site entertaining. We start planning as early as January—and maybe a bit before that!

5.) Are there any titles from Little, Brown or the Hachette Book Group you're excited

will be at BEA this year?

I'm always excited about books :) Holly Black's THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN is our big YA book this fall (eep, haven't finished it yet), but I'm really excited about A.S. King's REALITY BOY, which is about a boy who spent his early childhood on a reality TV show like Supernanny or Nanny 911. As you might guess, his already dysfunctional family just gets more dysfunctional. And in true A.S. King fashion, she makes you sad and angry and hopeful all at once. Another is ROOMIES by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando, told from the perspectives of two girls who are assigned to be each other's college roommates. They strike up a correspondence over the summer, and change each other's lives before they even meet! It's a brilliant book about friendship and growing up. 

Review: If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Title: If I Should Die

Author: Amy Plum

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: 5.7.2013

Pages: 405

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Series: Revenants #3

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: A-

Summary (from Goodreads):

I will not lose another person I love. I will not let history repeat itself.

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.

It shouldn’t be possible, none of it should be, but this is my reality. I know Vincent is somewhere out there, I know he’s not completely gone, and I will do anything to save him.

After what we’ve already fought to achieve, a life without Vincent is unimaginable. He once swore to avoid dying—to go against his nature and forsake sacrificing himself for others—so that we could be together. How can I not risk everything to bring my love back to me?

Review:

With If I Should Die Amy Plum puts another of my favorite YA series’ to rest. I first fell in love with these amazingly vibrant and brilliant characters Plum created three years ago and I’m still just as in love with them today. After a shocking twist at the end of book 2, I genuinely worried this book would be a failure for me. I’m so happy that it was everything I wanted and more.

Kate and Vincent still make me swoon. They are still one of my favorite YA romances. This was really Kate’s book to shine though, and while the evolution of her character was completely predictable, I still enjoyed the ride nonetheless. Plum has this fantastic way of writing that makes me nod and happily go along with whatever she throws out. This series also has one of the best supporting cast of characters I’ve read in a long time. They pick up the slack when one of the leads gets to be a little too much.

The end felt a bit rushed to me. I got about 3/4 of the way through this and realized Plum was actually going to try and resolve everything in 50 pages or less. While everything was resolved, I wish there would have been a little more elaboration and time spent. Also, I’m a girl who likes to linger with her favorite characters after the battle is won and everyone is reflecting. It’s my version of post-climax cuddling with my characters. My cuddle time was cut short.

At the end of the day this is another fantastic series I am sad to see come to a close in 2013. I fell in love with Kate, Vincent, the Revenant, and Paris. I think if I ever go to Paris one day I’ll always be looking for these characters that Plum brought to life in my head.

Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository 

Waiting on Wednesday (43)

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly waiting to get into our hands.

This week I'm waiting on....

Wild Cards

By: Simone Elkeles

Summary:
After getting kicked out of boarding school, bad boy Derek Fitzpatrick has no choice but to live with his ditzy stepmother while his military dad is deployed. Things quickly go from bad to worse when he finds out she plans to move them back to her childhood home in Illinois. Derek’s counting the days before he can be on his own, and the last thing he needs is to get involved with someone else’s family drama.

Ashtyn Parker knows one thing for certain--people you care about leave without a backward glance. A football scholarship would finally give her the chance to leave. So she pours everything into winning a state championship, until her boyfriend and star quarterback betrays them all by joining their rival team. Ashtyn needs a new game plan, but it requires trusting Derek—someone she barely knows, someone born to break the rules. Is she willing to put her heart on the line to try and win it all?

Why I Want It:
If you follow me on twitter or Facebook, you know I am obsessed with this book and since the cover reveal was last Friday (seriously - gaze at the gloriousness of it, people!), I've been dying to share this with you.

I'm a huge Simone Elkeles fan. In truth, I don't know that I would even be blogging right now if I hadn't picked up a copy of Perfect Chemistry several years ago. That book totally changed how I reviewed YA books. It's edgy and tough and dark. I loved every second of it.

Ever since I read the synopsis of this book I've wanted it because it combines two things I adore: Simone and football. I am dying to get my hands on a copy of this book and you should be, too!

Review: How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler

Title: How I Lost You

Author: Janet Gurtler

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: 4.23.2013

Pages: 309

Genre: Contemporary

Series: No

Source: eARC from publisher

Rating: A

Summary (from Goodreads):

There are a few things Grace Anderson knows for sure. One is that nothing will ever come between her and her best friend, Kya Kessler. They have a pact. Buds Before Studs. Sisters Before Misters. But in the summer before senior year, life throws out challenges they never expected. And suddenly the person who's always been there starts to need the favor returned. Grace and Kya are forced to question how much a best friend can forgive. And the answer is not what they expected.

Review:

Reading How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler was like that eerie feeling you get when someone crawled into your head and put your own memories to paper. Like Grace, I had my own best friend growing up that I gradually grew estranged from until I could barely see what remained of our friendship in the distance. I learned the hard lesson that sometimes you can do everything right and it still just isn’t enough. Like the journey Grace embarks on in this novel.

Grace is a fantastically bright, vibrant character that I quickly grew to love. She has this energy that is infectious and she’s one of the few YA characters that acted her age without making me furious. She was occasionally whiny and melodramatic, but nothing I wouldn’t expect from a typical teenager. All these flaws made her a stronger, more realistic character.

Kya, on the other hand, grated my nerves almost from the jump. When I understood a bit more of her backstory, I was sympathetic. But there was a point when my sympathy ran out and I just wanted her to accept responsibility for the disasters she had created. Maybe because I lived this life before, I wanted desperately to see the outcome I never got.

The friend I mentioned earlier and I never reconciled. Our relationship simply couldn’t survive the strains it underwent and as a teenager I didn’t know how to fix what was broken. I won’t say how things turn out for Grace and Kya—you’ll have to discover that for yourself. What I can say is that How I Lost You was my first Gurtler book, but I can assure you it won’t be my last. Gurtler has a beautiful way of telling a story that breaks your heart and pieces it back together again. It’s easy to see why Gurtler is a darling on the YA world. She’s certainly made a fan out of me.

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository

BEA Blitz: Sourcebooks

Everywhere I went in the Javits Center last year, I saw the Sourcebooks sign. Big, bright, and orange, it hung form the ceiling like a beacon that constantly called to me. I loved popping by their booth to see what they had in store and today Derry, an amazing publicist you need to say hi to, gave me the inside scoop on what the Sourcebooks booth has coming this year!

1.) How many years have you attended BEA?

This will be my seventh year at BEA to represent a publisher, and my third year with Sourcebooks!  Of course, when I was a publicity assistant, I managed to “attend” BEA by helping to set up the booth.  Actually, the very first time I visited the conference, a friend from another publishing house snuck me in by giving me the already-used badge of one of her authors.  So, for about an hour or two,  I got to be some PhD who had written a sex guide!

2.) How would you compare BEA to other book conferences/events?

What I truly love about BEA is the absolute enthusiasm you see for books. Everyone you meet has a bit of a live wire inside them, and you can hear that excitement when they talk about the people they’ve met or the books and authors they’ve been introduced to.  It’s not that the excitement is any less at other conferences – it’s just seems a lot bigger at BEA. Plus, this is the one tradeshow where publishers bring out all the stops – so you have really big names in the industry appearing practically every single hour of the show.

3.) Any suggestions for how bloggers/librarians should approach publishers at BEA? (I will admit I just stood around staring at booths until someone approached me because I was shy about it.)

My best advice is to just say “hi!”  When you approach someone working at the booth, it’s best to come prepared with an introduction (I’m an online reviewer of YA books; I’m a children’s librarian, etc.) and a specific question (Do you have a schedule of author signings?  Can I talk with someone about getting on a review list? Where can I get a copy of (Title)?)  That way they know if they can answer your question, or if they should ask for your card because the person who can answer your question is out of the booth/busy with meeting.  And yes, please have some sort of business card that you can leave that has your name, email address, your business (Library, Blog with URL), and your mailing address. 

4.) How much planning goes into an event like this for you and your staff?

Our tradeshow team spends an entire year planning for BEA!  It starts right after the previous tradeshow ends, where our employees offer feedback on what worked at the show, what didn’t, and what new things we could be doing.  After that, you have budget planning, an enormous amount of time spent on creating the designs for the booth, the marketing items that will be given away – catalogs, postcards, bookmarks, magnets, pitching authors for events, planning for signings, scheduling the ARCs we need printed to be available for giveaways.  It’s a full-time job!

5.) Are there any titles from Sourcebooks you're excited will be at BEA this year?

I am in fangirl-heaven about the authors and books we’ll have at BEA this year.  You MUST COME by to grab an ARC and totebag for The Snatchabookby Helen Docherty and Thomas Docherty, a heartwarming picture book about an elusive creature is snatching all the books from Burrow Down because he has no one to read to him.  We got all teary-eyed when the editor, Steve Geck, read it to us.

  

I’m so excited that award-winning actress Jessica Lange will be signing at our booth; we are publishing a beautiful picture book with Ms. Lange’s very own photographs called It Is About A Little Bird this fall. David Adler, everyone’s favorite author of the Cam Jansen series, will be introducing his first new children’s book character in almost a DECADE; he’s signing ARCs of Danny’s Doodles: The Jelly Bean Experience.  We also have New York Times and USA Today bestselling author CJ Lyons who makes her YA debut this fall with Broken, a fast-paced thriller about a terminally ill teenager whose first week in a normal school might be more dangerous than her illness. Another signer will be Mari Mancusi, the award-winning author of the Blood Coven vampires series, who has written Scorched, the first novel in a powerful new series in which a Texas teenager must protect a baby dragon from soldiers from the future, but risks sacrificing the Earth and everyone she loves to a fiery dragon war.  We want to be the Source-of-Awesome for BEA this year, and this line-up is just the beginning!

BEA Blitz: Lindsi @ Books, Sweets, & Other Treats

You all know Lindsi, the genius behind Books, Sweets & Other Treats. You might not know that you know her, but you do. Lindsi is somewhat infamous in the blogging world, especially when it comes to BEA. See, she's the girl that actually got bit over a book at BEA. She's here to recount her story one more time as well as answer a few other questions!

1. How many years have you attended BEA? 

I have attended BEA the last two years.

2. Tell us about your now infamous biting incident: 

Hah! Well, that made my first BEA experience very interesting. I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I was a little shocked when people started stampeding after they opened the doors. I tried to get out of the way, but it’s really hard not to get bumped and hit. You just have to go with the flow.

People, not nice people, will push and shove to get what they want. It doesn’t matter that publishers are nice enough to give away free copies of upcoming books. Greedy people will always be greedy. I looked up a lot at the convention center, so I could follow the signs and not get lost. That didn’t help me avoid running into people, lol. You’d have to be a demigod to dash in and out unseen, and still come out with what you wanted.

When I saw Carrie Jones’ book After Obsession I got excited. (I love her books!) I waited in something that resembled a line, and seemed to be moving in a somewhat forward direction. When I got to the front, I reached out to grab a copy and felt pressure on my arm. At first I thought someone had grabbed me to hold him or herself up, but the pressure turned into pain. There were little sharp pricks on my skin. When I turned to look, I saw that someone’s mouth was attached to my arm. Obviously, I freaked out and tried to jerk my arm away. Even more shocking was who it was. She looked like an innocent old lady. I, however, know the truth. She’s not a nice old lady that bakes cookies.

After biting me, the old woman proceeded to grab a handful of copies from the stack and then went on her merry way. I think I was in shock for a few minutes, because I couldn’t believe someone would actually do that.

All throughout the week I heard crazy stories of the girl who had been bitten. A lot of people saw it happen, but I didn’t think anything of it. There were rumors that I’d had to go to the hospital, and that she’d given me rabies. Zombie theories were also tossed around. I would be standing in line and hear someone start talking about it. Sometimes I corrected people, and sometimes I didn’t. It definitely made the trip more interesting and memorable.

My friend, Kate (Verb Vixen) made shirts that said “Bitten at BEA” that we wore the following year. She’s the best.

3. Do you make a schedule for BEA? If so, how tightly do you stick to it?  

Yes! I’m a little OCD, so I make super organized and detailed schedules. I start by writing down all of the events, panels, signings, etc., that I want to go to, and then I fill them in according to the day/time on the spreadsheet. I don’t use anything fancy, just Excel, and it works wonderfully! I also use various colors to code the different events. There may be something that occurs on more than one day, so if I can’t make it the first time, there’s still hope! I also mark the ones that I HAVE to go to no matter what.

4. What's your favorite BEA memory? 

Oh dear... This is such a difficult question! I have so many fond memories from my two BEA experiences. Last year Erica (The Book Cellar) and I stayed with Kate (Verb Vixen), and had a blast! I can’t even begin to count the memories we made just at her apartment. “YOLO!”  Those are two friendships I will treasure for the rest of my life. I also have amazing memories with a few of my favorite authors, but most of those contain secrets that I’ve promised not to share. ;)

Getting to meet different authors, publishers, and fellow book lovers is one of the best things about BEA. I get to be around the people who get me. They understand the consuming need to constantly read books and talk about them.

One of my favorite memories if from my first year at BEA, when I made stick figures out of a few of my friends that couldn’t go. Capillya (That Cover Girl), Jen (Makeshift Bookmark), and Ginger (G-Reads). I took pictures of the stick figures around New York and BEA so it was like they were there when they couldn’t be. That’s how Jen met Jeri Smith-Ready for the first time! I

I also enjoyed spending a day to myself. I toured New York (on my second visit, so I had an idea what I was doing, lol) and visited different museums across the city. It was amazing.

I tried octopus, bought a wig and went dancing, took a nap in central park, saw Shakespeare in the Park (AMAZING), hugged and flirted with half-naked angels, met Chris Colfer from GLEE, had coffee and lunch with authors, went to different publishing houses, saw the Harry Potter exhibit, laughed, made friends...the list is endless. I have done so many things at BEA in such a short amount of time. I would suggest packing comfortable clothes and shoes, because you’ll be going nonstop!

5. What advice would you give to people going to BEA for the first time?  

I know I just said I make a crazy organized schedule, but try not to live by the schedule. You should be adventurous, try new things, and definitely meet people you never thought possible. I always find it a little exhilarating to meet the authors that write the books that I love. There’s no better person to talk about that book with. Sometimes they even share a little extra information. Try not to have any regrets. Have fun, do what you want to do most, and everything else will fall into place. 

Blog Tour: Belonging by Karen Ann Hopkins

Today I have the chance to welcome Karen Hopkins to the blog. Karen is the author of Temptation and Belonging - the tale of two teens who fall in love. But things get a little complicated when one Amish and the other ... isn't. 

1. How far after Temptation does Belonging take place?

Belonging immediately follows the ending of Temptation.

2. Why did you decide to write about the Amish?

Shortly after moving to the northern Kentucky Amish community, Amish teens began arriving at my horse farm to participate in horseback riding activities.  As I watched the interactions between the Amish kids and the non-Amish ones, I noticed some flirtatious behavior going on, which grew the seed of Rose and Noah’s forbidden love affair in my mind.

3. Noah and Rose have a somewhat forbidden love. What are some of your favorite tales of forbidden love?

Obviously, Romeo and Juliet, comes to mind immediately, but a more current story I enjoyed about problematic romance was Twilight.  I think whenever you have two people who are crazy about each other, but are unable to be together easily, it makes an interesting story.

4. Who is your favorite character to write?

I spent a lot of time observing and interacting with the teenage boys in my community before I felt comfortable writing Noah’s POV.  I enjoyed writing his POV, because of the challenge of it.  Sam was also fun to write.  His voice just popped easily onto the pages. 

5. How many books will be in the Temptation series?

There will be three books in the series.  The third book is called FOREVER and will be released in 2014.  There may be more books in the future focusing on other teens living in the Meadowview Community.

6. What are some YA books that you’re excited about in 2013?

I’m looking forward to reading Mind Games by Kiersten White and A.G. Howard’s Splintered.

7. What sets the Temptation series apart from other young adult series’?

It’s set in the real world, yet still has the feel of fantasy about it.  The Amish lifestyle is fascinating and also strange to outsiders, but it really exists in a large portion of the United States.  The Temptation series gives the reader  information about a culture that they probably don’t know much about, while enthralling them in the Rose and Noah’s story at the same time.

About Karen Ann Hopkins - Facebook, Goodreads, Blog

A native of New York State, Karen Ann Hopkins now lives with her family on a farm in northern Kentucky, where her neighbors in all directions are members of a strict Amish community. Her unique perspective became the inspiration for the story of star-crossed lovers Rose and Noah. When she’s not homeschooling her kids, giving riding lessons or tending to a menagerie of horses, goats, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs and cats, she is dreaming up her next romantic novel.

About Temptation - Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, Facebook

Your heart misleads you.

That's what my friends and family say.

But I love Noah.

And he loves me.

We met and fell in love in the sleepy farming community of Meadowview, while we rode our horses together through the grassy fields and in those moments in each other's arms.

It should be

ROSE & NOAH

forever, easy.

But it won't be.

Because he's Amish.

And I'm not.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:
Monday, April 22th - Ashley loves books
Tuesday, April 23th -  A Little Shelf of Heaven
Wednesday, April 24th - One Day YA
Thursday, April 25h - Fic Talk
Friday, April 26th - Bittersweet Enchantment 

Monday, April 29th - Reader Girls
Tuesday, April 30th - Bumbles and Fairy Tales
Wednesday, May 1sh - The YA Bookworm
Thursday, May 2nd - The Book Heist 
Friday, May 3rd -  Page Turners

Monday, May 6th -  Books Complete Me 
Tuesday, May 7th -  Bookish Escape
Wednesday, May 8th - Book Sp(l)ot Reviews
Thursday, May 9th - Irish Banana
Friday, May 10th - The Cozy Reader

Blog Tour: How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler

Today I have Janet Gurtler on the blog. I had the opportunity to interview her about her upcoming novel, How I Lost You. My review will be up later this month, but I cannot remember the last time a book emotionally wrecked me so much. Janet may quickly be one of my new contemporary author faves. 

1. What inspired you to write How I Lost You?

It’s kind of silly, but I had a “tiff” with one of my best friends.  We were both upset and ended up in tears and I thought our friendship was over. It brought back some memories of losing a best friend when I was younger.  And that of course, brought on the idea of incorporating those feelings into a book.  Oh, and luckily that friend and I made up. J

2. After writing several very successful YA books, is there more of less pressure to keep writing amazing books that people love?

Wow. Thanks for the compliment!! Seriously! I think the pressure I feel is to keep trying to write better books and to keep improving with every new book. I am lucky in that I have a contract with Sourcebooks, so there are two more books coming out. The next is called Sixteen Things I Thought Were True, and it will be out in March. I am starting to plot the next one after that.  I think the thing for me is to try to write books that are different from each other but still share the same overall flavor, and that is I guess, part of building an author brand. I think when people pick up a Janet Gurtler book; they know they are going to get an emotional, honest story that is relatable. The key is to keep the stories fresh and interesting.

3. How I Lost You is about two best friends in high school, Grace and Kya. Did you have a best friend in high school that stuck with you through thick and thin?

Well, I moved around when I was a kid.  I moved in my last year of high school and that was pretty awful. Right before high school started, I had gone through a best friend break up but had a group of girls from middle school that were always kind of around. I did meet

a great best friend who was my thick and thin partner until I moved away. Her name was Rosalyn and we were super close.   

4. Are there any YA books you’re super excited for this year?

Oh, of course there are! I love reading and YA is pretty much all I read.  Like many, I am super excited about the last book in the Divergent series. I am also REALLY excited about A. S. King’s next book which comes out in October called Reality Boy. I will read ANYTHING A.S. King writes. She’s amazing.

5. What are you currently working on now?

Well, I finished Sixteen Things I Thought Were True, but I’m waiting for my revision notes from my editor. While I wait for those, I’ve slowly started writing my next book. It’s a book I’ve been thinking about writing for a couple years and it’s super important to me. About a stunning fearless girl who looks like she has absolutely everything going for her.  But she has struggles that people don’t see, unless they look past her stunning face.  It’s inspired by a friend of mine’s daughter who has this amazing story that is both heart breaking and inspiring. We’ll see if I can make it work! 

About Janet Gurtler:

Janet lives near the Canadian Rockies with her husband and son and a little dog named Bruce. She does not live in an Igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot. Her previous books include I’m Not Her, If I Tell, and Who I Kissed.