Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Best Bookish Memories

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This feature was created because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?). They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind.  So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

I had fun creating this week's list because it reminded me of a whole lot of good times and great memories that I'll cherish always!

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #1:  My First Author Signing

My friend Lyric and I traveled all the way up to PA to visit a Borders store there where Maria V. Snyder was signing her books.  I had a copy of each that she'd written knowing she probably wouldn't be able to sign more than one.  But we were able to get there early and so was she and my wish came true.  I'm such a huge fan and getting to meet her was thrilling enough, but walking away with those souvenirs and being able to chat with her a while was the icing on the cake!

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #2:  Meeting Elizabeth Eulberg

I traveled to a book festival near Washington, D.C. and was lucky enough to meet a few fantastic authors and pick up some wonderful new reads while I was at it.  But hearing Elizabeth speak and then meeting her afterwards definitely tops my list of all time great moments!

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #3:  Lunching with Jennifer and Cyn

Jennifer Murgia is one of the sweetest and most down to Earth authors I've met.  She's downright awesome!  We had corresponded a bit after meeting at a book festival and she was going to be signing at an event I was going to and we decided to get some other bloggers and her friend and fellow author Cyn Balog (!) together for lunch before it started.  Getting to meet Cyn and all of those fabulous bloggers and hanging out was just so cool.  I know it's corny but everyone was just wonderful and it made for such a great day.

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #4:  A Surprise

Earlier this year I got an email from a publicist letting me know to keep my eye out for something in the mail.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but what I got had me jumping up and down with joy.  Author Kristen Miller sent me an ARC of How To Lead A Life of Crime along with some other goodies and I was touched.  Surprises are always nice and her thoughtfulness made my week!

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #5:  Challenge Me

A few months ago I was asked to be a part of The Silk & Paper Campaign leading up to Ally Condie's release of Reached (Matched, #3).  It was a ton of fun and super exciting to be a part of.  With read alongs, twitter talks, blogger meet and greets online, write ups, reviews, the whole deal!

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #6:  Suzanne Collins' Stamp

I am of course one of many who are huge fans of The Hunger Games series.  Collins from what I've heard does not do many signings, but there was going to be one for Mockingjay's release and it was within driving distance for me.  Unfortunately for me I was going to be out of town for work but thanks to my wonderful friend Shelbi I was able to have her take my copy to be stamped (she wasn't physically signing books that day) and it's sitting on display on my shelf as we speak.

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #7:  Converts

It may sound silly but not many of my good friends are big readers like myself.  I'm OK with it, mainly because I've met so many wonderful bloggers since becoming one myself.  But last year for whatever reason my friend Lyric and my sister Brooke both asked me for book recommendations and I must have picked well because they're still coming back for more and I get excited each and every time!

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #8:  Decorating with Books

Last March I moved into a new apartment and was back to square one in the decorating department.  I was excited to start over and knew I could go a bunch of different ways, but that books would play a huge part of my new digs.  I wanted them everywhere, and I have plenty to help make that work.  I set up my bookcases in my living room for all to see, put up invisible book shelves (thanks to my sister) in my bedroom, and you will basically find every available space plastered with coffee table books everywhere else in the apartment.  I love it!  Coming home each and every day puts a smile on my face because I'm surrounded by titles I love, old friends I'm reminded of in the books that quickly became my favorites, and just looking at the shelves lined with good reads puts me in a good mood. (Now this picture might not be of my apartment but you get an good idea)

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #9:  Last Christmas

Despite always being a big reader for just about as long as I can remember I never really got books for Christmas.  Hard to believe I know.  But it was always hard because my parents and family never knew which books to get, what I would like, what I'd already read, etc...  But last year they stepped out of the box and gave it a shot and they did a fantastic job!   Definitely some real winners to add to my library.

Top Ten Best Bookish Memory #10:  The Bookshelf Sophisticate Is Born

By far one of the best decisions I ever made!  My best friend and roommate at the time Megan, told me one day out of the blue that I should give it a shot.  I joke that she probably made the suggestion because she wanted me to have an outlet to share my thoughts and discuss the books I'd been reading so that she wouldn't have to hear about them so much anymore.  She was actually the one who picked out the blog name for me and encouraged me one hundred percent and I love her dearly for that!  I've met so many amazing people in the process, found fabulous blogs I now follow religiously, gone to wonderful book related events and had a blast throughout the whole process.  It's a lot of work and take a lot of dedication but is so rewarding and worthwhile that I don't think I'll ever want to stop.  Best decision and bookish memory ever!

Countdown: Favorite Authors Edition

While I'm anxious to ad some new authors to my bookshelf, I'll never pass up the chance to read yet another story written by an author I've come to adore. So I've been keeping my eyes open for future releases by one of these very authors. Obviously if I listed a soon to be released book by every author I love, the list would go on for forever. So I've listed just a few, but will surely have more of this type of countdown in the future. A few of these titles are already available on the shelves but I've yet to get my hands on them so they're listed with the rest. I can't say it enough, my TBR pile is always never ending, but it's so nice to have books listed among those that are by authors I love, that I have almost no doubt will become new favorite titles as well.

Countdown Pick #1: The Future of Us by Jay Asher (11/12/2011)

It's 1996, and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet.

Emma just got her first computer and an America Online CD-ROM. Josh is her best friend.

They power up and log on and discover themselves on Facebook, fifteen years in the future.

Everybody wonders what their destiny will be. Josh and Emma are about to find out.

If you're not familiar with Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why, please do yourself a favor and go out and buy yourself a copy. It's an emotional roller coaster and at times hard to read, but is overall so worth it. I wouldn't even need to read the description to be interested in this one. If Jay Asher wrote it, I'm on board and expecting greatness. However, I did read the description and can't help but get excited over the details. How cool would it be to see where and how things end up for you in the future? I can't wait!

Countdown Pick #2: The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.

Reading prose in college as an English major honestly made me want to cringe. It was just never my favorite thing. So when a fellow blogger suggested Schroeder's Chasing Brooklyn, which is written in prose, I was less than enthused to jump in and seriously doubtful I'd make it to the end. I was an idiot! Schroeder takes prose and creates works of art. Readers will forget they're even reading the uncommon format. After Chasing Brooklyn became close to my heart I decided anything Lisa wrote I wanted to read. Amber and Cade's story sounds like it could be a tear jerker, but one I'm anxious to check out. I've got my tissues ready for sure.

Countdown Pick #3: Starstruck by Cyn Balog

Gwendolyn "Dough" X doesn't think she has much going for her—she carries a few extra pounds, her family struggles with their small bakery in a town full of millionaires, and the other kids at her New Jersey high school don't seem to know that she exists. Thank the stars for her longtime boyfriend, Philip P. Wishman—or "Wish." He moved away to California three years ago, when they were 13, but then professed his love for her via e-mail, and he's been her long-distance BF ever since.

At the beginning of her junior year, though, Wish e-mails that he's moving back to Jersey. Great, right? Well, except that Dough has gained about 70 pounds since the last time Wish saw her, while Wish—according to his Facebook photos—has morphed into a blonde god. Convinced that she'll be headed for Dumpsville the minute Wish lays eyes on her, Dough delays their meeting as long as she possibly can.

But when she sees Wish at school, something amazing happens. He looks at Dough like she's just as gorgeous as he is. But Wish is acting a little weird, obsessed with the sun and freaked out by rain. And the creepy new guy working at the bakery, Christian, is convinced that there's more to Wish's good looks than just healthy eating and lots of sun. He tells Dough that a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives. Is Wish and Dough's love meant to be—or are they star-crossed?

I've met and hung out with Cyn and she's in a word, fabulous! Her writing is no different. It made me laugh, cry, tense up and turn pages as quickly as possible just to find out what would happen next. When I got this one in the mail, work was unfortunately keeping me crazy busy and reading was hard to squeeze in. I'm hopeful that as things have slowed down a notch, Gwendolyn, Philip and the rest of Balog's characters and I will get the chance to get to know each other. I can't imagine that Starstruck won't live up to my high expectations, so I'm excited to have a good book to curl up with now that summer is drawing to a close.

Countdown Pick #4: Fins Are Forever (Fins, #2) by Tera Lynn Childs

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

Lily and Quince finally got together at the end of TLC's series opener and the sequel was so far off, that had I not been content with the ending, I might not have made it to it's release date. Now I find this installment starting at me from my bookshelf and I'm wondering what I'm waiting for. So with trouble following Lily on land and a new guy thrown into the mix, I'm worried that my period of contentment is now over. I can only cross my fingers and hope that I leave the last page of this installment as happy and content as I did with the series opener.

Countdown Pick #5: All You Desire (Eternal Ones, #2) by Kirsten Miller

Haven Moore and Iain Morrow have been living a blissful life in Rome, an ocean way from the Ouroboros Society and its diabolical leader. But paradise is not to last. The mysterious disappearance of Haven's best friend, Beau, sends the pair running back to New York, where they encounter the Horae, an underground group of women who have spent centuries scheming to destroy Adam Rosier. Only they can help Haven uncover the secret to Beau's whereabouts in one of her past lives. But their help comes at a price: Haven must infiltrate the Ouroboros Society, charm Adam Rosier, and lure him into a trap. It's a plan the Horae believe will save the world-but Haven and Iain fear that it may destroy the happiness they've been chasing for two thousand years.

Haven and Iain are yet another couple I was excited to see in fictional bliss at the end of Miller's series opener. And Miller seems to be another author who doesn't appear ready to let their bliss last. I'm still a fan, but Miller's making me nervous with the secret plans which lead to traps, missing persons and lives in jeopardy. The reprieve seems to be over, so I'm looking forward to seeing what she's got up her sleeve. I'd like to see Beau safe, Have and Iain together and Adam Rosier to get what he deserves. Is it likely to go my way? Probably not, but a girl can dream, right?

Countdown: Fave Authors, Sequels and great Series' Edition

I don't know about you but when I find myself falling in love with a book or an author's writing I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, the next installment, or any other work that the author's written. So in 2011 here are just a few that fit into that category.

Countdown Pick #1: Shadowspell (Fairiewalker #2) by Jenna Black (1/4/2011)

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. 

A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?


Glimmerglass became an instant favorite of mine and all I want to do is get my hands on a copy of this book, the second installment in the Fairiewalker series, and curl up in a comfy chair with a hot posset (I was lucky enough to get the actual recipe from Black) and not get up until I've finished it...unless of course I need to make a second hot posset. Our favorite girl, Dana now knows she's special and she's working on getting a handle on her new status among the fey and all of Avalon. With the Erlking making an entrance in this book and setting his sights on Dana (of course) I can't wait to see what his angle is and what he's really after? Does he just want to use Dana for his possibly nefarious purposes or could there be more to it? Knowing Black's creativity, readers are sure to be in a for a wild ride.

Countdown Pick #2: Lemniscate (Angel Star #2) by Jennifer Murgia (3/21/2011)

For Teagan, these last few months have been heaven on earth - especially now that Garreth, her boyfriend and guardian angel, is earthbound. But perhaps Garreth is becoming a little more human than either of them expected.
Now, Teagan must realize that her world is once again about to shift, as she questions the faith she held in others against those once considered enemies.


In this continuation of Angel Star, Lemniscate will draw you even deeper into the world of dark and light as Teagan realizes the angel who could possibly save them all is the one angel she feared the most.

The second book in the Angel Star series made the countdown, why you ask? Two reasons. One, I adore all things Jennifer Murgia. I've had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with her and she couldn't be nicer, not to mention the fact that she's a fantastic writer. And two, because I simply fell in love with her characters in Angel Star and can't wait to see what happens to them all next! Muria had be rooting for Teagan, swooning over Garreth, and kind of scared of everything they had working against them. I'm anxious to see how Teagan and Garreth's relationship is going, I'm crossing my fingers for bliss...but I'm not going to hold my breath. I'm sure there are lots of obstacles ahead, bumps in the road and plenty of bad heading their way in the form of a familiar dark angel. Don't break my heart Jennifer!

Countdown Pick #3: Starstruck by Cyn Balog (7/12/2011)

Gwendolyn "Dough" X doesn't think she has much going for her—she carries a few extra pounds, her family struggles with their small bakery in a town full of millionaires, and the other kids at her New Jersey high school don't seem to know that she exists. Thank the stars for her longtime boyfriend, Philip P. Wishman—or "Wish." He moved away to California three years ago, when they were 13, but then professed his love for her via e-mail, and he's been her long-distance BF ever since. 

At the beginning of her junior year, though, Wish e-mails that he's moving back to Jersey. Great, right? Well, except that Dough has gained about 70 pounds since the last time Wish saw her, while Wish—according to his Facebook photos—has morphed into a blonde god. Convinced that she'll be headed for Dumpsville the minute Wish lays eyes on her, Dough delays their meeting as long as she possibly can.

But when she sees Wish at school, something amazing happens. He looks at Dough like she's just as gorgeous as he is. But Wish is acting a little weird, obsessed with the sun and freaked out by rain. And the creepy new guy working at the bakery, Christian, is convinced that there's more to Wish's good looks than just healthy eating and lots of sun. He tells Dough that a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives. Is Wish and Dough's love meant to be—or are they star-crossed?

This made the countdown because I am definitely a member of the Cyn Balog fan club. She's a ton of fun to hang out with, her stories catch you, hook, line and sinker. Not to mention each of her books always keep me wanting more, more, more. So when I heard about this one, there was no hesitation, I couldn't wait to put it on my wish list. It sounds like a coming of age story about a girl who slowly learns who she is and what is really important. Cyn has a way of taking common story lines and drastically turning them upside down and inside out in the most wonderful ways. Just when you think you know what will happen or what to expect around the next curve, she throws you for a loop and surprises you with an outcome that leaves you reeling. In her previous books, like Fairy Tale, and Sleepless, I always thought I knew how I wanted them to end (but I was never right) and then Cyn would write the ending in a way that I never would have expected and of course it was ten times better than I dared to hope for.

Countdown Pick #4: Fins Are Forever (Fins #2) by Tera Lynn Childs (6/28/2011)

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

TLC's series' are fun, light reads. I flew through her Oh.My.Gods. series and the first installment in the Fins series, Forgive My Fins, and I'm really looking forward to her quick pace and fun plots. Plus, who doesn't love mermaids? There aren't too many series out on the shelves at the moment that feature this particular paranormal/fantastical creature, and a change is nice every once in a while. There sounds like there's going to be a lot going on in this one and I don't think anyone will want to miss a moment of it. Lily and Quince are together but lots will be thrown in their path, but will they be able to power through? Will it be too much for these two new love birds, and end up tearing the two of them apart? I hope not, Lily put Quince through so much the last time around that I'd hate to see him get hurt all over again, especially after the two of them finally got what they wanted...or did they? I'm sure planning on devouring this one the first chance I get to find out for myself if true love conquers all.

Countdown Pick #5: Stolen Nights (Vampire Queen #2) by Rebecca Maizel (3/15/2011)

Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human - and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss. With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead ...

While I love a good change, I've always been a sucker for a good vampire story and this trilogy pulled me right in. Maizel sold me after I found myself heartbroken after only the first two chapters in her first installment in the Vampire Queen series, Infinite Days. The way I see it...any author who has me so invested in the characters before I even get a good way into the book that I'm having an emotional overload by chapter two is a great one in my eyes. I'll probably be in tears by page two this time around. Here's hoping it lives up to the fabulous first installment. Maizel and the publishing house aren't giving out too many details about this one but I can only imagine greatness is in store. So as much as I'm itching to hear where this one will take readers, I'm even more excited to get my hands on the actual thing!

Countdown Pick #6: Rage (The Horsemen of the Apocalypse #2) by Jackie Morse Kessler (4/18/2011)

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation,Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world. 

Jackie's first book in the Horsemen of the Apocalypse series, and her YA debut, Hunger really gave me pause. She talks about real issues, topics that usually are avoided or are just not as common among young adult literature, and subjects that scare me, but at the same time she does an amazing job bringing these issues to every reader's attention. I'm looking forward to what she brings next. Hunger was all about finding balance in yourself, in life and in everything around you. This time Jackie has readers learning the value of control. After the major affect she had on me with her first installment in the series, I can only imagine how powerful this second installment is sure to be for me, and for all her readers.

Stay tuned for another edition of the countdown and more fantastic reads to look forward to in 2011!

Author Interview: Cyn Balog

Cyn Balog is a normal, everyday Jersey Girl who always believed magical things can happen to us when we least expect them. She is author of young adult paranormals FAIRY TALE (2009), SLEEPLESS(2010), and two other forthcoming novels from Delacorte. She lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania with her husband and daughters.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Cyn and just can't say enough wonderful things about her so I couldn't resist asking her to stop by the blog for an interview!

Katelyn: Fairies and the fantasy genre have always been fan favorites but lately it seems like the fae are picking up steam in the young adult literature arena. What made you want to write about the fae, have you always been a fan?

Cyn: I was lucky because I just fell into it at the right time. When I started writing FAIRY TALE, it was actually the combination of two ideas. I wanted to write about a girl who thinks her boyfriend is made for her, but comes to find out that even the most perfect-right-now relationship might not be perfect forever. And I had a title in my head, FAIRY LUST (the original title of FAIRY TALE), which just came to me, and I wondered what that could be about. I had read books about girls who learned they were fairy princesses and thought that was pretty overdone, so I thought it would be a lot more fun to have a football-playing guy learn he was a fairy. I could just imagine telling his buddies that in the locker room after practice. So no, I've never been a huge fan of the fae; I kind of just started writing a story and then to my surprise, the whole fairy craze really took off.

Katelyn: You've got two books out, Fairy Tale and Sleepless and your third Starstruck is coming out in 2011 along with Living Backwards in 2012, how do you do it all? Where are you getting your ideas? Can we hope to see any of the characters we've fallen in love with in your previous books in future works?

Cyn: I am not sure. I have two really young kids. So usually I keep my computer open on my dining room table, which is a very central location, and whenever I get an idea, whether I be feeding the kids or doing the laundry, I run to the computer and try to get it down before my Swiss cheese brain loses it. I have lost a lot of ideas this way, but I also am usually pleasantly surprised by my word count and that I can have written a whole bunch of words without even having a nice long writing session. Usually writing a book takes me 3 to 4 months.

I get my ideas mostly by looking at things and seeing how I can turn them on their heads. I explore Wikipedia a lot and find crazy ideas that I think would be the center of a great story, and I keep them in an idea file. I always get asked to do sequels and while I'm not against them, I have so many new ideas I want to explore, too! And I'm really easily distracted and like to work on many different projects at once.

Katelyn: What's your favorite author/book?

Cyn: I have too many of those! I have a lot of modern favorites, but I am simply in love with mysteries, especially Agatha Christie Poirot mysteries. She is a genius! She had this way of introducing a bunch of characters and crazy plot twists and so much information, and she managed to add in a great deal of suspense without ever drawing things out unnecessarily. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is my favorite, and I just finished reading Curtain and thought that was a close second!!

Katelyn: As an experienced writer, do you have a favorite part of the process during your writing? Or the publishing process? Are there any elements to the process that you don't really like?

Cyn: My favorite part of writing is the last chapter, and THE END. My favorite part of the publishing process is seeing the cover of my book for the first time. The rest of it is fun, but it's also fraught with a lot of worry and nervousness and "I'm a hack" moments, especially when I'm revising and on deadline. But I love writing, and I would still be doing it even if I wasn't being paid for it. It's the best job I've ever had, and I've had a lot.

Katelyn: Do you have a favorite character in Fairy Tale and/or Sleepless? If so, can you tell us who they are and why?

Cyn: Someone once said that asking an author that is like asking them which of their children is their favorite. I don't see it that way! I am never so attached to my characters. I would happily kill all of them off! Just kidding. But my favorite of FAIRY TALE was Pip because I love the underdog, and my favorite of Sleepless was Eron because, hello? Hot sandman. Yummy.

Katelyn: Anything else you'd like to add?

Cyn: Thank you so much for having me!! :)

Isn't she great? If you guys haven't had the chance to check out Fairy Tale or Sleepless, do yourself a favor and get the bookstore now to pick up your own copy, they're fantastic! And be sure to be on the lookout for the upcoming Starstruck.

PAYA Book Festival!!!

I'm a big fan of book signings and book related events as I'm sure I've told you guys before but I have to say that without a doubt this (PAYA) was the most fun I've had at a book festival ever!  Saturday I made the 2 hour trip up to West Chester, PA for the PAYA book festival organized by Harmony from Harmony Book Reviews, she did a fantastic job!  There were so many authors and books and raffles for books and book related swag that I was beyond amazed!  

I met up and had lunch with some new blogger friends and I adored them all!  Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner was there, Anne from Potter, Percy and I, Christina from Confessions of a Book Addict,  Laura and Michelle from the Borders Express in Exton, and Jenn from Book Crazy met up with us later on.  We made our way to lunch at a cute little restaraunt that serves breakfast all day (Yum!) and we were joined by Jennifer Murgia (author of Angel Star), Shelena Shorts, (author of The Pace series), and Cyn Balog (author of Fairy Tale and Sleepless).  It was super fun and we all had a great time!  From there we headed back to the Festival and broke out our wallets so we'd be ready for the 1st round of signings.

What a great turn out!  Here are some of my pictures and check out the other girls' blogs to see some more!  I can't wait until the next book signing/festival...any book event to meet up with all these girls again!

   

(Shelena Shorts and Me)  & (Me and Cyn Balog)

(Me, Jamie and Cyn Balog)

(Me, Jennifer Murgia, Cyn, Christina, Jamie and Shelena)