Author Event Recap & Giveaway: Breathless Reads Tour 2013

Hello readers! Once again I feel lucky to live in Southern California because we truly get the most awesome author events.  This last Monday, February 11th, I went to see authors: Brenna Yovanoff, Marie Lu, Jessica Khoury, and Andrea Cremer at the charming Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop for their Breathless Reads Tour Stop.  It was a packed and lively event.  And once again, Arlene from WinterHaven Books and I arrived early to grab our seats and gossip books. Don't forget to scroll down for a chance to win two of the new releases.

 

The evening focused on the writer's experience, publishing, and the market influence on writing YA.  

Brenna signing Paper Valentine

The bubbly Andrea Cremer

When asked about censoring for YA, Brenna said that she usually ends up with a very violent first draft and usually has to reign it in.  This got a few laughs from the audience. She said where she won't censor herself is emotionally. She wants the emotions to be as authentic and raw as possible, so readers who may be experiencing things such as grief, loss, or even an eating disorder would be able to pick up her book and have it feel realistic and relatable.  

Andrea Cremer has a lot coming out this year. Rise, the sequel to Rift, Invisibility a collaboration with David Levithan, an adult series will debut in the fall, and a fourth Nightshade novel with a tentative release in December.  When talking about censoring her writing for YA she said she's never felt like she had to hold back as long as she stuck to the authenticity of the character's experience.  The sexuality in YA is more about coming of age, and an adult experience is very different.

Marie signs Prodigy

Marie Lu shared her personal tips on writing: Just get the words down on the page.  Don't be afraid to write the bad stuff because sometimes you have to get it out before you can move on to writing the good stuff.  One of the things about writing that surprised her is the dichotomy of the life. She feels like half her life is spent as an introvert writing and the other half as an extrovert doing interviews, events, and social media to talk about her books.  She is currently in revisions on the third book in the Legend series: Champion.  Marie was happy the ending of Prodigy broke my heart, lol!  
 

Jessica Khoury

I was amazed to find out Jessica Khoury is only twenty-two and already has her first published novel out, Origin.  She graduated high-school at sixteen and went to college right after.  She said that if she could go back and give herself writing advice it would be to put the books away and get out and live life. Have your own adventures, because this is what enriches your writing, gives it quirkiness, personality, and makes it unique. Jessica said when taking trends in publishing into consideration, it's nice to know what they are, but don't let it influence your writing so that your story suffers. Jessica is currently working on a companion novel to Origin. 

Khoury, Lu, Yovanoff, and Cremer

Now for the exciting part.  To show our appreciation to all our lovely readers we're giving away a Signed Hardcover of Prodigy by Marie Lu and Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff to one lucky reader!  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL.  The only requirement is that you follow the blog.  Just enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win. Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Signed Copies

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