Goddess Event: Book Blogging 101 (I'm in a panel!)

I should probably think of what to call this type of announcement, but anyway!

I have two major events this month, Filipino ReaderCon and a talk, both related to books and book blogging and I'd like to let you, my readers, know in case any of you are interested.

The first time I was in a panel was two years ago, and that was one of the most terrifying and fulfilling moments of my life as a book blogger. Two years later, I have been invited again to talk about book blogging once more! This is exciting since I never thought once that I'll be invited to speak in front of a crowd again.

Without further ado, here are the details of the event:

Some points to remember:

- This is a FREE event. There's no need to pay for or purchase anything to attend.
- This is also NOT limited to Southville International School and Colleges students. Anyone can attend the event and I highly encourage you to do so if you are interested to know more about book blogging, book reviews, interacting with publishers and other things about running a blog.

I will be with three other YA book bloggers whose names I know you're all familiar of: Hazel of Stay Bookish, Kate of The Bookaholic Blurbs and Jesselle of The Life Long Bookworm, so if you have time and you're near the place, come see us! We'll try to make the talk as fun as we can. (And hopefully not be too awkward.)

If you have questions, just send me a tweet (@amaterasureads) or an e-mail and I'll be happy to answer them!

I hope to see some of you there!

Recap: Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs and Veronica Rossi Book Signing in Manila. #VTRinPH

Yes, there's really a hashtag for the event. How awesome is that?

I didn't sleep much the previous night, because this was easily one of the most anticipated events in my YA book blogging/ book lover life. THREE New York Times bestselling authors in one event? National Bookstore just keeps on arranging these awesome events and now they've brought the big guns out with this! I've met Tahereh and Ransom the previous year, but what upped the excitement for me was the fact that I'd also get to meet THE Veronica Rossi herself. Filipinos have always been enthusiastic about events like this, and if you don't believe me, let me show you this:

At 10 am, the mall was open for about 10 minutes and I see this. PEOPLE! TONS OF PEOPLE!

I arrived at the venue with Leslie @ The Bibliophile Kid before Powerbooks even opened! I always look forward to meeting these wonderful authors up close and interacting with them and despite the lack of sleep, that got be going throughout the day. And I am always thankful for the chance given to me to be able to at least ask them questions about their works and the way they write. Couple that with the fact that I get to see my blogger friends again and I knew it was bound to be an amazing event!

And then they arrive, and I start shaking because that anticipation to see them seriously gets to you and when you see them up close, larger than life, you think "Oh my God, I love this author's book and now he/she's in front of me."

A quick rundown of things that happened:

- Before the Q&A started, Ransereh opted to share a mic. MY HEART! A few things had to be rushed so we started asking questions almost immediately. Ransom and Tahereh's flight arrived here in Manila at 4 am and they were clearly jetlagged, but we still had fun!
- We prepared shirts filled with quotes from the authors books and as Ransom said, it was clearly okay to check our bodies out.
- I had a chance to ask V. Rossi a VERY LONG question, and it was this: "Perry's from Outside and Aria's from Reverie and they were initially at odds with each other, with their own prejudices for each other to deal with, but then they realize that they aren't really different. When you were writing the novel, did you intend for your story to explore this particular kind of "social/cultural differences"?" And V. Rossi said yes, it was her intention from the start, and she wanted her characters to eventually deal with their differences themselves.
- V. Rossi has a new adult book coming out under the pen name Noelle August, and for her it started with a Skype conversation with a friend and they decided to write it. For her, it was a fun book to write and when asked if she had difficulties in transitioning from writing YA dystopian to NA, she said it wasn't, because the UtNS series has more of herself in it than her NA book.
- For those who are wondering if Tahereh knows who Juliette was going to end up with while she was writing the novel, she said she did. Hah!
- When asked which characters Tahereh would like to be friends with in their books, she said Kenji in her series, who is like a combination of her brothers, Roar from V. Rossi's series and Emma from Ransom's Miss Peregrine series.
- Ransom had a hard time answering this question: If his books were made into a picture, what picture would it be? He said it'll be a real heart, beating and with blood. (Creepy!)
- Ransom said he didn't really write controversial books, so when people disagree with what he's written, he still reads those messages!
- When asked what message V. Rossi wants her readers to get out of her UtNS series it was that she wanted her readers to take away the one they wanted to hear the most, but in the end there are two ideas: treat others well, love and kindness and that one can be happy and find happiness. Home, and the idea of it. Is it a place? The people in your life? Home means you.
- Also, people tend to say how Juliette is weak and whiny in the books, but Tahereh intentionally wrote her that way because she wanted people to see how she grows. Tahereh likes this idea of women who are physically weak but strong mentally, and that's what Juliette was.

(Thanks to Louisse of The Soul Sisters & Kate from The Bookaholic blurbs for some of the points from the rundown)

We also had the chance to have our books signed and we also got to take our pictures with these amazing authors. V. Rossi is really nice, and I like how both Ransom and Tahereh were still chatting with us despite being jetlagged!

More deets while they were signing:

- There were literally piles of books on V. Rossi's feet because she had a lot to sign! And I like how she puts messages in every single one of them, including a temp tattoo and a bookmark!
- When Ransom ran out of books to sign, he was waving around his silver sharpie and he said he wanted to sign more. We offered our shirts.
- Ransom calls it "defacing humans". Tahereh defaces books, he defaces humans!
- I wanted to make small talk with Tahereh, but when I was in front of her, I forgot what I was about to say. So glad she recognized me and remembered seeing me last year as well. And she's got awesome shoes and I love her Kate Spade bag that looks like a typewriter! (Check out Louisse's recap so you can see Tahereh's shoes!)

Also! I was wearing a shirt with a Tahereh quote and she signed it! And I ran over to V. Rossi and she signed my shirt too! Behold the awesomeness:

I wanted to go to the public signing with my fellow book blogger friends but in between the crowd and waking up real early just so I can be there in time to give out the shirts and register for the forum, I was too tired to try and squeeze myself in and battle with the sea of people. But you gotta see it! What a sight. There was more than 2000 people waiting in line just to have their books signed. Amazing!

Photo from Kate of The Bookaholic Blurbs

Overall it was a day well spent with friends, book lovers and fellow bookworms. Laughing with these people and discussing our mutual passion for the books that we read is what I'm really looking forward to doing whenever we have a signing to attend. The perks is just the icing to the cake, and we're lucky to be able to get this chance to meet and talk to our favorite authors! I cannot thank you enough, National Bookstore, for organizing this!

Check out other signing recaps here:

Louisse of The Soul Sisters
Kate of The Bookaholic Blurbs
Chyna of Lite-Rate-Ture
Jesselle of The Lifelong Bookworm
Hazel of Stay Bookish
Lyra of Defiantly Deviant
Kazhy of My Library in the Making

As an extra, if you don't mind dizzying videos and hearing me say "awww" and basically swoon at the three of them, check this video with a lovely message from the three of them:

I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler is iBookstore Book of the Week! Read it for free! #BookoftheWeek

As a fan of Janet Gurtler's books, I'm so excited to share with you all the wonderful news I got from the wonderful people over at Sourcebooks!

I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler will be featured as the Apple “iBookstore Book of the Week” on the iBookstore starting on May 21st. I'm Not Her is offered free for this week, and Sourcebooks Fire wants the readers to get a chance to rediscover the magic of Janet Gurtler’s characters and stories.

I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

Published May 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire

Download for free from iBookstore!

I’m Not Her is a journey of self-discovery for one teen who learns more about herself and her relationship with her sister and family when tragedy strikes. Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that’s okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. Yet the smiles of her picture-perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn’t hold it together, who will?

10 Fun Facts About I’m Not Her by Janet Gurtler

1. In a hospital scene in I’m Not Her one of the nurses is named Tracey and she takes Kristina’s flowers home to her daughter, Carly. Tracey is the name of my sister, Carly is her daughter in real life.

2. Every single one of my books has a character named Carly in it. This is a tribute to my niece, Carly. The characters are not based on her per se, but there has to be a Carly in my books. Like a superstition or good luck charm or something.

3. This book is dedicated to my sister Tracey. I was able to keep it a secret until Final Page Proofs came in.

4. My niece Ciara plays volleyball and her nickname is CEE. She got recruited by a university in the States and is playing there. None of the volleyball players in the book were based on her though. She is a cool like a rock star.

5. I thought Clark Trent was a funny name because of Superman’s secret identity. The Superman cape Clark wears in a scene cracked me up.

6. I named a couple of the teachers in I’m Not Her after dogs I’ve had. Peppsy (Mr. Pepson) and Meeko (Mr. Meekers)

7. In a scene Tess listens to Hedly on her iPod. I LOVE Jacob, the lead singer for the band. He was on the only season of Canadian Idol I watched.

8. I named the golf course that Nick works at and Tess’s Dad plays at after my husband. Largurt (Larry Gurtler)

9. I’m Not Her was originally called The Weight of Bones, but when I first started writing it I titled it Dance Big Sister.

10. Tess’s love of the Discovery Channel and Myth Busters were inspired by my son

-----

If you're still having second thoughts (why?) about reading the book, you can read an excerpt below:




Janet’s novel How I Lost You was also published this month. She has a kick-ass interview on Entertainment Weekly’s Shelf Life blog: http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/05/05/how-i-lost-you-janet-gurtler/ , and Janet is also hosting a month-long “YA Authors Talk BFFs” celebration on her blog where she’s posting interviews with other YA authors about their relationships with their best friends from their teen years to today. Check her blog to read the interviews: http://janetgurtler.blogspot.com/

The Truth or Dare Challenge: Play and win a copy of Jacqueline Green's debut YA thriller!

Hello lovely readers!

I'm sure you've heard of this book! Jacqueline Green's suspense filled novel, Truth or Dare, releases less than a week from now and as part of a challenge, I was asked: What's the most dangerous Truth or Dare game you've ever played?

My friends and I, stupid kids that we were, dared each other to go explore an unfinished house one night. Aside from pretending and putting up a brave face in front of each other, it was dark, and scary inside. One kid decided to amp up the challenge and asked which of us was willing to walk across a narrow ledge at the second floor. My ten year old self wanted to prove I was fearless, so I agreed. I started walking through when I peered down and with the moonlight shining down on us, found that if one of us slipped, we'd fall down the first floor filled with steel bars, concrete and a few broken bottles. I looked at my twin brother then, we were the last to walk, and he suddenly burst into tears, crying and begging me to stop. I realized how dangerous it was then, and that I was better off being called a coward by kids than doing a stupid dare and possibly dying. So we both ran for it, and the next day, we found out that one of the kids actually fell from the ledge and was sent off to the hospital.

Scary huh? It did happen though. I got so scared when I saw my twin brother cry. I can't believe how foolish I was to agree on that dare.

And speaking of truths and dares, Jacqueline Green has a book coming out soon that sounds SO good. I'm reading it right now and it's good! Want to read it? YOU CAN! Just answer the same question I answered above and you can win a copy of this YA thriller!

Truth or Dare (Truth or Dare #1) by Jacqueline Green
May 14th 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

In this highly charged debut thriller, perfect for fans of Pretty Little Liars, an innocent game of TRUTH OR DARE spins out of control for three girls who find it’s no longer a party game. It’s do or die.

It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t even there; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.

Paranoia builds as each little slip of paper taunts the girls with dares that threaten not just their reputations but also their lives. How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?

GIVEAWAY TIME!
DARE TO ANSWER THE QUESTION AND WIN A COPY OF TRUTH OR DARE!

Rules:
Open to US residents only (Sorry international readers, publisher's request!)
Must be at least 13 years old
Ends 5/15

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm very curious to know what your answers are!

[The Wolf Princess Blog Tour] Cathryn Constable's Childhood reading!

I am so so excited to be a part of this blog tour! I devoured this book when I got my hands on it, and it just made me feel really nostalgic. I am hosting Cathryn on my blog today so she can share with you the books that shaped her while growing up, and who knows? These books might have inspired her while writing The Wolf Princess!

----

My Childhood Reading

Cathryn Constable

Looking into the Wardrobe

‘This must be a simply enormous wardrobe!’ thought Lucy, going still further in and pushing the soft folds of the coats aside to make room for her. Then she noticed that there was something crunching under her feet.’

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobeby C. S. Lewiswas published in 1950, the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia (although not the first chronologically). I would have been given a Puffin paperback when I was about nine, I suppose. By that time, I would have read The Princess and the Goblin and have started on E. Nesbit. I had very old copies of both Alices (Wonderland and Looking Glass) which I found unsettling. 

But The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was, and still is, the rule by which I measure almost all of my childhood reading because it became a paradigm of the story in which children go beyond, behind, through. It was, still is, the best example of children being transported to another world where perils are overcome, before being returned to this world, smarter, wiser, more able to deal with the challenges (and banalities) of the merely every day.

Of course, the mechanics of enchantment were always important:

The back of the wardrobe. The station platform (Prince Caspian). The picture in the bedroom (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader). The back staircase (George MacDonald’s Princess and the Goblin). A looking glass. A sandpit (Five Children and It). A soon-to-be demolished church (Alan Garner’s Elidor.). And of course, Andre Maurois’ escalator in Fattypuffs and Thinnifers.

Andre Maurois’ Fattypuffs and Thinnifers.

All of these portals were in themselves, nothing special... Sometimes the characters in a story only had to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, like the wood in William Croft Dickinson’s Borrobil when the fires of Beltane were lit. Even from an early age, the accidental nature of deep enchantment had been suggested to me in the story of Childe Roland. Burd Helen chased the ball, but rang the wrong way, ‘widdershins’ round the Church and was carried off by the Elf King. The very ordinariness and accidental nature of these enchantments was what made them, for me, even more exquisite.

But it was the moment of enchantment that really excited me. Because, of course, the mechanics were, just, well, mechanics. It didn’t matter what the door looked like, it was just there to be stepped through. I longed to know how it felt... but even more... how the writer used language to make me feel a certain way...

The joy of reading how Lucy stepped into the wardrobe... the second row of fur coats, her extremely sensible attitude about not closing the wardrobe door... In these two paragraphs or so, it was like experiencing the quiet hum of an engine as the narrative, which had been going along and going along, suddenly switched gear. 

The story began to change around me, and if felt as if I, too, was being enchanted... stepping through and beyond into a wood at midnight. 

Of course, being dragged into another world, sometimes against one’s will, but certainly being taken by surprise, is what good fiction does at any time. But somehow these tales, and they were my very favourite sort of reading, gave me a sense from a very young age, that this world, wonderful though it might be, was not the only world we inhabit. There is always more. There is always beyond.

About the book:

The Wolf Princess by Cathryn Constable
October 4th 2012 by Chicken House

Alone in the world, Sophie dreams of being someone special, but she could never have imagined this.

On a school trip to Russia, Sophie and her two friends find themselves on the wrong train. They are rescued by the beautiful Princess Anna Volkonskaya, who takes them to her winter palace and mesmerises them with stories of lost diamonds and a tragic past. But as night falls and wolves prowl, Sophie discovers more than dreams in the crumbling palace of secrets.

-----

This is one of the most beautiful guest post I've ever had in Amaterasu Reads, and didn't that just made you wonder just how much the books we've read while growing up influenced us?

My review for The Wolf Princess will be posted tomorrow, so if you're curious to know what I thought of the book (hint: I LOVED IT!) then you have to wait!

Thanks for dropping by! Care to share your thoughts about this post? Let's discuss!

Cover reveal: Abandon (Possession #3) by Elana Johnson

Hello, lovely readers! I am so excited to be a part of the cover reveal for the next book in the Possession series! It's pretty, seriously. Check it out below!

And thanks to AToMR tours for allowing me to be a part of this cover reveal!

Abandon (Possession #3) by Elana Johnson
Published June 2013 by Simon Pulse

seduced by power,
broken by control,
and consumed by love...

Vi has made her choice between Jag and Zenn, and the Resistance may have suffered for it. But with the Thinkers as strong as ever, the rebels still have a job to do. Vi knows better than anyone that there's more at stake than a few broken hearts.

But there is a traitor among them...and the choices he makes could lead to the total destruction of everything Vi has fought for.

Vi, Jag, and Zenn must set their problems aside for the Resistance to have any hope of ending the Thinkers' reign. Their success means everything...and their failure means death.

What do you think of the cover? I love how this just matches the cover of the first two books! And it's so pretty in its simplicity. I know a lot of books sometimes change their covers later when they publish other editions of the books, but I hope this one stays the same!

ALSO:

Elana is running a Pinterest contest for the cover. She wants to get 500 pins (or repins) over the next two
days. If we can get that many, she'll pick someone who pinned the cover to win a $50 Amazon gift card. 

It's so easy to do this. All you have to do is click this PIN IT button and select one of your boards to pin
the cover to. Elana has done everything else!



Don't have a Pinterest board yet? Put it on your Tumblr page. Your Facebook page. Your twitter
stream. Elana will count those too! Just be sure to tag her (@ElanaJ on twitter, Possession by Elana Johnson on Facebook).

Want to help create the music for Gennifer Albin's Crewel?

So I was checking my e-mail a while ago and I came across this really interesting competition going on. See if I was only musically inclined AND talented I will join this contest, but alas I am not, so I'm helping out to spread the word about this.

If you're a musician and you want to contribute your music to the creation of the book trailer for a fabulous sounding debut, Gennifer Albin's Crewel then you better check out THIS contest! Also, you can win awesome prizes.

Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin
October 4th 2012, Faber & Faber

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

Check out the announcement below:

YOUNG MUSICIANS WANTED

We are trying to find young musicians aged 13-18 years old to write the music for a promotional film. This film will feature a brand new epic trilogy that begins with Crewel, a book that is being simultaneously published in October by the US with much excitement. Aside from the winner's music being used for the final film, the winners will also be promoted through The Spark, our new online creative community, the Facebook page for Crewel and a variety of online bloggers and websites. They will also receive £200 worth of iTunes vouchers and there will be two runners up who will receive £50 iTunes vouchers.

To kick things off, the first two people to submit their music or song wins £20 and the next four will win £15 iTunes vouchers. All of the information and entry details can be found here. Entry deadline for the competition is 12 September.

HOW COOL IS THIS? Check out the clips on SoundCloud. There's an insane amount of talent in there, and if you think you can do better, JOIN THE CONTEST NOW!

Filipino Fridays (1)

This is my first ever con, and my first ever Filipino Fridays, so bear with me please. I'm really excited! Filipino ReaderCon is less than a month away, and in case you want to hang out with me, please attend! I'll be a part of a panel, which is also a first for me.

Introductions. As with every start of a weekly meme, we need to know a bit about you! Talk about your top 3-5 (or more!) favorite books of all time, the genres you read and would never read, the books that surprised you this year. You can also talk about how you became a reader and why you love it so much! And finally, if you were in the ReaderCon last year, talk about your experience too! If you weren’t there, but you’re planning to go this year, then what do you expect for the upcoming ReaderCon?

Hi. My name is Kai and I love to read. Yoroshiku.

I'm not sure if a lot of people know me, but I invite you to read my post if you want to know more. I always love making new friends, especially if you love reading and books!

I will be skipping over the first question, since I'm bad at making lists. I can never decide which books I love because I love a whole lot of them.

So the first question: the genres you read and would never read, the books that surprised you this year

My blog focuses on the Young Adult genre, and YA books are what I read, mostly because that time of my life is what I can relate to the most. It's the most confusing, the most thrilling and obviously, the most memorable. There's a lot of things you can read and write about that time when you're not young anymore but not really an adult.

I haven't and I don't think I'll ever try reading any self-help or non-fiction books, not in the near foreseeable future. Then again, I don't want to say I will NEVER read it. Who knows? I might fancy reading them in a few years when I get older.

The book that surprised me this year is Kiera Cass' The Selection. I admit I am one of those readers swept away by all the controversy and the drama that surrounds the book and its author. It was one of the books I wanted to get my hands on the first moment I've laid my eyes on it and read the summary, but I was discouraged and I became skeptical because of all the negative publicity. I was afraid to try reading it because of all the backlash and negative feedback. Call me shallow, but what made me afraid was knowing what people will say if I ended up liking the book. Then again, who says what book I can and cannot read? Sometimes it's just a matter of giving a book a chance and going with what your gut says. It's flawed, as with all the books out there, but it's one I thoroughly enjoyed with the world building and the concept of that future society.

Second question: talk about how you became a reader and why you love it so much!

If you read my About Me page, you'll have a general idea of how I got into reading. My childhood has been filled with books about dashing rogues and princes who will sweep me off my feet someday. But that's not to say that I haven't read my fair share of books like The Little Prince and Stephen King's Pet Sematary. Come to think of it, I was more open to reading a diverse set of books when I was younger than I am now.

What I loved about reading is how it introduces me to countless of new worlds I never for a second imagine that I'll be able to read of and experience. I get to meet heroes and heroines all in different situations and enjoy hearing their voices through the pages. It takes my mind off things when the real world seems a little bit too much for me to handle. And it also gave way to my book blogging, and now I'm sharing my love of books to everyone and meeting a lot of people who loves to read like I do.

Last question: if you were in the ReaderCon last year, talk about your experience too! If you weren’t there, but you’re planning to go this year, then what do you expect for the upcoming ReaderCon?

Like I said, this is my first ReaderCon, and I am beyond excited for this as it involves a lot of 'firsts' for me. I've always been satisfied safely tucked in my own little corner of the book blogging universe and now I get to share my thoughts with everyone on a bigger stage. I never thought I'd ever be a panelist one day. What do I expect from this year's ReaderCon? I just want to have fun meeting people who share the same love for books as me. Have you seen the program? There's a lot to learn from all the panels and activities lined up for everyone.

And with that, I invite you all Filipino book bloggers and readers alike to attend United We Read - The Second Filipino Reader Conference on August 18th from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. It will be held at the Filipinas Heritage Library, Makati City.

If you want to know more about the Con, you can visit this website: http://filipinoreadercon.wordpress.com/ and help us to spread the word about this event! I hope to see you there!

[Surrender Blog Tour] The world of POSSESSION and SURRENDER by Elana Johnson

Today is the release day of Surrender, the sequel to the awesome Possession by Elana Johnson! I am the last stop for Tuesday, and guess what? We are hosting Elana on the blog today and she's here to tell us a little bit about the world we read of in her books. Read on, and find out how you can win 1 of 5 SIGNED copies of the sequels to fabulous YA books!

The Birth of POSSESSION and SURRENDER

A Guest Post by Elana Johnson

Okay, so when I was ready to begin my third book, I wasn’t quite sure what it would be. But I had just finished UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld, and I knew I wanted to write a book “like that.”

The problem?

I had no idea what “that” was. I hadn’t yet discovered the dystopian genre. So I cracked my knuckles and performed some Google-fu, and the next thing I knew, a whole new world had opened up to me—literally.

I learned as much as I could about the post-apocalyptic and dystopian genres, reading as many YA books as I could find.

At the time, in early 2008, there weren’t very many. THE HUNGER GAMES would be out that fall, but I’d never heard of it. THE MAZE RUNNER would follow a year later, but again, I’d never heard of it.

And me being shallow, I hadn’t read 1984, or THE HANDMAID’S TALE (I still haven’t…).

So I crafted a book based on the limited literature that was available and what I’d learned online.

Thus, POSSESSION was born.

I think the book fits quite well in the dystopian genre. It takes place in the far future, where there’s a government that has done what they deem best to ensure the survival of the human race.

I think POSSESSION – and thus SURRENDER – are a bit different, because the method of control is supernatural. There’re paranormal abilities at play here, and so it’s a combination of the paranormal and dystopian elements that give the series its flair.

In SURRENDER, we learn a lot more about the progression from our world today in 2012 to the world readers experience on the page. It’s a form of mutation, actually, something that I’m sure sneaked its way into my stories because of my love of X-Men.

Certain people are gifted with certain abilities like mind control, voice power, and the ability to control and adapt to technology. The variety of gifts is endless, but those who can read and implant thoughts are the most powerful. They’re the people who can keep the general population under wraps and they’re the ones who dictate how society runs.

In POSSESSION, we learned that this “great” society wasn’t so great. Now that we know that, SURRENDER is the story of “what are we going to do now that we know our society isn’t so great?”

We see people working behind the scenes as Insiders, playing their dictated roles during the day, and sabotaging the government at night.

I like books like this, because I think we all play many parts in our real lives. We might not like it, but sometimes we go along with things because it makes us feel safe, or we benefit from it somehow. Those kinds of situations allow for a broad exploration of emotions, something else I really like to do in my books.

So there you go! A little bit more about the birth of POSSESSION and SURRENDER, not only the world on the page, but how they came to be in my mind.

About the author:

Elana's work including POSSESSION, REGRET, and SURRENDER is available from Simon & Schuster wherever books are sold. She is the author of From the Query to the Call, an ebook that every writer needs to read before they query, which can be downloaded for free on her website. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog. She blogs regularly at The League of Extraordinary Writers, co-organizes WriteOnCon, and is a member of SCBWI, ANWA and LDStorymakers.

She wishes she could experience her first kiss again, tell the mean girl where to shove it, and have cool superpowers like reading minds and controlling fire. To fulfill her desires, she writes young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Stalk Follow her using the links below:

Blog: http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/possessionthebook
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/elanaJ

You can win one of five SPECTACULAR SECOND books this week! It’s easy peasy lemon squeezy. All you have to do is fill out this rafflecopter widget with what you’ve done, and you can win a signed copy of either INSURGENT (by Veronia Roth), A MILLION SUNS (by Beth Revis), CROSSED (by Ally Condie), PERCEPTION (by Kim Harrington), and IN HONOR (by Jessi Kirby)—all spectacular second novels by some of today’s hottest YA authors.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


And in case you haven't heard of Surrender, check out the information below:

Raine has always been a good girl. She lives by the rules in Freedom. After all, they are her father’s rules: He’s the Director. It’s because of him that Raine is willing to use her talent—a power so dangerous, no one else is allowed to know about it. Not even her roommate, Vi.
All of that changes when Raine falls for Gunner. Raine’s got every reason in the world to stay away from Gunn, but she just can’t. Especially when she discovers his connection to Vi’s boyfriend, Zenn.

Raine has never known anyone as heavily brainwashed as Vi. Raine’s father expects her to spy on Vi and report back to him. But Raine is beginning to wonder what Vi knows that her father is so anxious to keep hidden, and what might happen if she helps Vi remember it. She’s even starting to suspect Vi’s secrets might involve Freedom’s newest prisoner, the rebel Jag Barque….

Purchase your copy here!

Hop on to Elana's blog to find out the next stop tomorrow so you can get more chances to win the Spectacular Second novels!

Bookmooch, anyone?

A few days ago, I was at the appliance store and I was contemplating of buying a new bookshelf. My mom felt sorry for the state the one I bought around 3 months ago is since books are virtually falling out of it. But then I realized I'm broke (since I was going on a trip soon) so instead of buying a new shelf? Yep, you guessed it right, I'm freeing some space.

I figured I can give some of my books away, and I will. The most recent ones I got are going to be reserved for contest. And the others? Well I found a good way of giving these books a new home.

Introducing: BookMooch

So if you've heard of Paperback Swap and the Goodreads Swap groups (both catering to US peeps), I'm sure you'll know how BookMooch works. You add books to your inventory and if people want it, they ask you to send it to them in exchange for points. Accumulate enough points and ask back for books. It's like trading books made easy! Oh, and did I mention you can set if you can send the books locally or anywhere in the world? Easy, right?

Check out my inventory below:

Check out my BookMooch account!

I'm a newbie myself as I've only started putting books in my inventory and I've sent my first book out today so we'll see how this goes. Check out the books on my inventory and feel free to mooch something! I am currently building up points (so I can mooch back) and I've only ever sent books within the country but feel free to ask for a book and I'll see if I can send it overseas!

If you're on BookMooch, leave links to your profile or inventories, or better yet add me as a friend there! I'm still pretty new to this, but I am so excited to exchange books with people. At least I'm sure my books will have a good home.