The cover of Kiera Cass’ newest (actually rereleased) novel, The Siren, was revealed yesterday and it’s just as gorgeous if not more so than all The Selection series covers. Actually is it more gorgeous? Vote in the poll to cast your vote for the best cover. If I had to choose I’d go with The Heirbut that’s just my personal opinion. What’s yours?
With 50 percent of the vote the winner is Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars. I don’t know though. I really liked her as Aimme in The Spectacular Now. But you guys chose the winner so I won’t argue. Stay tuned next week to find out the results of this week’s poll.
If you haven’t read The Selection series and don’t want to be spoiled stop reading here. Seriously. Don’t read any further. Got it? Good.
Although Celeste started as the girl to hate in the series she evolved into a girl that I respected and admired by the end of the series and I think almost everyone fan of the series can agree it was sad to see her go.
Besides that, however, when she did come around she became the champion of the Selection girls. Once she stopped seeing them as enemies and instead as friends she took that fierceness and used it for good, becoming one of my favorite characters. I especially loved her support for America and thought it was cute when she threatened Maxon, warning him not to break America’s heart. I wish more than anything that she hadn’t been murdered and we could’ve seen her grow up and be a staple in Princess Eadlyn’s (America and Maxon’s daughter) life. Unfortunately, that’s not the case but we can always reread The One, and imagine how Celeste would’ve brightened up America’s Women’s Room.
As we spoke, I could see [Celeste] being accepted by the others as fully as she was now by me. She even looked different with the weight of her secrets cast off from her. Celeste had been raised to be a specific kind of pretty. That beauty depended on covering things up, shifting the light, and seeking to be perfect at all times. But there is a different kind of beauty that comes with humility and honesty, and she was glowing with it now. – The One
Have you ever wanted to win books? How about signed copies of books? Or signed book marks? Or free tattoos? Well, it’s a good thing you’re here because I have the perfect giveaway for you. The Ultimate YA Giveaway is now live!
I wanted to make a video because I’m super excited about this but unfortunately it’s pretty late and I promised I would post this tonight and I’m a woman of my word. A video may still come later so look at for that. Until then here’s the details of the giveaway.
Here’s what you would win:
A signed copy of Something True by Kieran Scott with a Only Everything bookmark and post card
And that’s it (but isn’t that so much???). The way to enter is down below and the contest will end next Sunday. After that I’ll send the lucky winner their prize. Good luck to you all and may the odds be ever in your favor!
I also want to thank Kieran Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Elizabeth Eulberg, Katie Sise, and Susan Ee for their wonderful contributions to this giveaway. I wouldn’t be able to do this without them so if you haven’t checked out their books yet do yourself a favor and check them out. They’re great authors and also great people.
Unfortunately the widget for the giveaway won’t appear here in the blog post so click the link to enter! Working on getting this fixed. Sorry about that.
Penny Lane Bloom, founder of The Lonely Hearts Club, has never loved Halloween. Her dad’s a dentist, so she’s never been allowed much in the way of candy. And forget being a witch or a ghost or a superhero–Penny is always one of the Beatles, along with the rest of her family.
But this year, she’s got the Club, and the support of an amazing group of girls who all have each other’s backs. So when someone tries to ruin Halloween for one member, the Club sets out to prove revenge is a dish best served en masse.
It pains me to write this review because I love Elizabeth Eulberg but honestly I did not enjoy this short story.
I’m not sure if it’s because I read The Lonely Hearts Club so long ago but to me this book just seemed very childish to me which I found strange because I love young adult fiction and believe I always will. This book just didn’t do it for me though.
If worried about spoilers stop here but honestly if you’ve read The Lonely Hearts Club I don’t think you’ll really be upset by any of these spoilers. Nothing that happens in this story really changes anything for the future because it happens during the first novel.
The story is very centered around the club getting back at these boys who pranked one of the members. That’s about it. Ryan makes an appearance but he and Penny don’t speak so nothing exciting there.
Really the most exciting part of this book was the sneak peak of the sequel, We Can Work It Out. Otherwise this story was just really annoying to me. I was annoyed by Penny and the club because the whole revenge scheme just seemed very childish to me. First of all it seems the ringleader of the group of bandits was one of the members little brother so it could’ve easily been handled by a call to her parents but then there really wouldn’t be much of a story.
I think it was well written I just did not enjoy this short story as much as I thought I would.
Stars: 1 out of 5. Well written but the characters drove me crazy.
Borrow or Buy: Buy. It’s free so you wouldn’t be wasting anything if you don’t like it.
If you’ve never had the chance to meet Elizabeth Eulberg you are certainly missing out. Besides being one of the sweetest authors I’ve ever met, she’s also very talented and very cool. Not only can she write amazing books, such as The Lonely Hearts Club and Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality, she also knows how to play multiple instruments and is an exquisite traveler. Check out my interview with her below.
What first inspired you to start writing?
“I always enjoyed telling myself stories as a kid and thought it would be fun to write a book, but I was too intimidated to start. Then Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants) encouraged me to write. It was the boost I needed to start. I’m so thankful for him!”
What was the first book you ever wrote and what was it about?
“My very first book was The Lonely Hearts Club, which is about a girl who has decided to give up dating guys in high school because they aren’t worth the trouble. What started as something for her to get through heartbreak ends up taking over the school and craziness ensues!”
When will the sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club be released?
“We Can Work It Out is coming out early next year! There are going to be three e-short stories about Penny Lane and the Lonely Hears Club that will be online for FREE this fall [as well]. I can’t say much about them, but the first [one] is coming out Oct. 1 and will be Halloween themed. The others will be out Nov. 1 and Dec. 1. Hopefully I’ll get to share more soon!”
Besides the TLHC sequel, are you working on any other projects right now?
“I’m working on a couple different projects. Unfortunately I can’t say anything about them yet but I’m excited about them both!”
What was the best place you ever visited and where do you still want to go?
“Australia is one of my favorite places – it’s a gorgeous country with wonderful people. I got to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef and hold a Koala – what more could you want! I really want to explore South America more – especially Brazil and Chile.”
Who is your favorite music artist?
“I’m a huge fan of CHVRCHES, Ingrid Michaelson, Tegan and Sara, Panama Wedding, Bastille, Ed Sheeran, and of course, The Beatles!”
What instruments do you play and what kind of music do you like to play?
“I play mostly the guitar and piano (although I can play the clarinet and drums, but it’s been awhile for both). I generally play rock music on the guitar (The Beatles, Oasis, OK Go, Snow Patrol, etc.), but play classical on the piano (Mozart and Beethoven are favorites).”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“What is this ‘free time’ you’re referring to? I’ve actually been working on one of my secret projects for nearly three years now in any spare time I have in between edits, but at night I go to concerts, read, or go to karaoke and pretend that I’m a rock star!
Who are some of your favorite writers and what are some of your favorite books to read?
“So many! I’m fortunate that I get to be friends with a lot of the writers I admire. Some recent favorites are Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski, The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith, Only Everythingby Kieran Scott, and I’ll read anything by Ally Carter and E. Lockhart.
How do you come up with ideas for your novels?
“My ideas come from a lot of different places. The seed for Better Off Friends was planted by my editor, so that was the first book where the original idea didn’t come from me. Take a Bow was inspired by my love of music and my desire as a teen to go to a performing arts high school. The Lonely Hearts Club came from a friend who always dumps her friends when she gets a boyfriend. After I get the original idea, I start building the character and plot from there.”
Do you think you’ll ever write adult novels?
“There may be a possibility that one of my projects that I’m working on is not YA. That’s all I can say.”
What’s your writing process like?
“Everything starts with one idea. Then I work on building on the characters and the arc of the story from there. I spend a lot of time on the characters before I sit down to write. I use index cards to do a basic outline of the plot and I also have a notebook for every book that includes character profiles and chapter outlines. I usually have everything figured out before I sit down to write a single word. I’m a very fast first drafter (I believe in just getting to the end) and then I revise several times on my own before a single person reads it.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Write for yourself, first and foremost. Don’t worry about if anybody will like it or if it will sell. Write the story you want to read. And no matter what, do not give up!
Is there anything else you would like to add or say to fans?
Yes, a BIG THANK YOU! I get to have the best job in the world, which wouldn’t be possible without readers. XOXO
To learn more about Elizabeth Eulberg and her writing check out her website and Facebook page.
Kieran Scott, one of my favorite authors, celebrated the release of her newest book, Only Everything, at the Hillsdale Public Library tonight. Along with Scott were three of her fellow Young Adult authors, Jen Calonita (Summer State of Mind), Elizabeth Eulberg (Better Off Friends), and Katie Sise (The Boyfriend App).
Elizabeth Eulberg, center, reads an excerpt of her newest novel, Better Off Friends.Authors (from left to right) Eulberg, Scott, and Sise answer questions from the audience.
Each author read excerpts from their newest releases, and Calonita and Eulberg, along with narration from Scott, acted out the prologue of Only Everything in the most hilarious manner possible. Check out the video below.
Afterwards the floor was open to the audience for questions and everything was fair game including questions about the writing process, the future of our favorite books series, and how getting a book published works.
During the Q&A Scott presented the audience with a great surprise, showing us the second book in the True Love trilogy, Complete Nothing, and the cover for the third book, Something New. Sadly, the cover for the third book is a secret that must be kept therefore I couldn’t take a picture but believe me when I say it’s amazing.
After that awesome reveal we also received some insight on other upcoming novels. For example for those of you that have been anxiously and impatiently waiting for the sequel to The Lonely Hearts Club you will only have to wait a little while longer. The sequel will be released early next year and according Eulberg she’s excited to finally get it out as well. In the mean time she revealed there will be novellas of the series released towards the end of this year that will come in the form of FREE ebooks. Something to definitely look forward to.
Additionally, Scott informed us that the last book in her Shadowlands trilogy will be coming out in July (only two more months!) we will know early on in the novel if Tristan is a good guy or not, thank God. The not knowing is killing me.
Besides all the exclusive book information, it was great to sit and laugh with all these amazing authors that I never thought I’d get to meet in person. They were all so amazing to talk to and I had such a great time.
If you ever get a chance to meet any of these four wonderful ladies I say do it because it’s totally worth it. Also, be sure to check out all of their novels. I left with a long list of books I now need to read and I’m sure you will too.
My signed copy of Eulberg’s Revenge of the Girl with the Great PersonalityMy signed copy of Scott’s Only EverythingKieran Scott and I at the release of her new book, Only Everything
Zakiya N. Jamal 