Stephanie Perkins Book Signing in Manila!

A HUGE THANK YOU TO NATIONAL BOOK STORE! 
(namely Mr. JB & Sab!!!)
Who: The international bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins!
When and where: 
It's a bit surprising that the event in Manila was moved to Sunday. Since I started attending book signing events a couple of years ago, it's always set on a Saturday. I think I like the Saturday schedule more because it will give me a day to recuperate my strength before I go to work. :D 
Stephanie arrived here in the Philippines by July 1 and after her rest and sleep (no doubt, jet lag too) she begins her day for media appointments!
And Jenny Han, who was here last month, replied to Steph's tweet!

Oh, before I forget, Stephanie went here with her husband, Jarrod Perkins! (They met when she was 17 years old!) He's the one standing beside Steph in the photo below.
Another Solay Daybreak photo that Steph later on tweeted about.
 After the Solar Daybreak interview, she was a guest on a live radio show! Which I totally missed, and i'm really peeved about it. ;(


Here is Stephanie preparing for her live interview on Mornings ANC with her husband patiently seated. 

On the set of Mornings ANC!.



Steph stumbled upon a store named Lola Babes ;D 

Also read these articles! 

Here is a photo of her on Manila Bulletin!
After many interviews and media events, it's finally time for her book signing in Cebu!

But first, Stephanie takes a break from all of it and finds time to relax! 



You would not believe who wants to go here!!!!! MAUREEN JOHNSON!

A couple of photos of the event in Cebu!



GAH! Yes please!
AND FINALLY! THE DAY I'LL MEET STEPHANIE PERKINS! below is a photo of her while I'm waiting for my turn. ;) She looks so pretty! I love her hair and her outfit!
When it was my turn, I asked her a not-so-appropriate question. *SPOILER ALERT*
Scroll down fast now.
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I know it was implied in the book but I really wanted to clarify if Cricket is really a virgin. (Because, you know, it's not everyday I encounter a hot and very virgin book boyfriend) HAHAHAHA. There, I said it. She answered my question that YES, Cricket's a virgin.  I also gave her my DIY Anna, Lola & Isla bookmarks that I hope she loves. 
Anyway, look at the crowd that attended the signing! 

I SHIP THEM!


For those who couldn't attend the event, here is the audio of Steph's interview in Glorietta!
P.S. I was late to arrive so I missed some of the questions. Sorry!



Sadly, I had to go home after the event and can't stay longer to just be in the presence of Stephanie Perkins. I always have sepanx when it comes to book signing events. -_- I hope she comes back! It was an amazing and wonderful experience to meet such a sweet author!
ALSO, I'll post my review for ISLA AND THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER soon! 
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Cover Reveal: How to Be Manly by Maureen O'Leary Wanket!

We're excited to be among the first to see, and to share, the brand new book How to Be Manly by Maureen O'Leary Wanket coming September 2014 from Giant Squid Books. How to Be Manly is a Young Adult Contemporary novel. The cover art is by Jillian Blazek at JillianBlazek.com. 
How to be Manly Cover
Title: How to Be Manly
Author: Maureen O'Leary Wanket
Release date: September 2014
"When you start this program, your whole life will change."

When Fatty Matty Sullivan finds a self-help book by former football great Tad Manly at a yard sale, he secretly starts following the old pro’s advice to turn himself into the kind of guy super hot Cassie Bale will love.
But between taking care of his grandfather, trying to pass remedial Algebra, and getting caught up in his friend Jester’s half-bakedweed-dealing schemes, Matt’s summer isn’t quite the game-changer he’d planned. And when on top of it all his dad moves back in with his own plans to get rich quick, Matt suddenly has much bigger things to worry about. It turns out that there might be more to being manly than he thought.With the humor and insight of YA favorites Judy Blume and Louis Sachar Maureen O’Leary Wanket’s debut is a sharp, comic novel about trying to do the right thing...even when you’re not sure what that is.
Goodreads | Giant Squid Books & How to Be Manly
The cover of How to Be Manly shows snippets of Matt Sullivan's story: donuts, his favorite food; grass stains from long days on the football field; a stack of cash. In a series of cover-reveal posts, author Maureen O'Leary Wanket talks about the importance of each of these things to Matt's story.
Maureen O'Leary Wanket on money in How to Be Manly:
In How to Be Manly, fifteen year-old Matty Sullivan and his grandmother have a loving relationship and a shared sense of responsibility for his Alzheimers-afflicted grandfather.  Through the course of the summer between his freshman and sophomore years of high school, Matty's life spins into turmoil when his grandfather's health worsens, his roof falls in and his dad comes back to town to break up the family. How to Be Manly follows Matty's struggle to keep his family together, find love and become a good man despite a father who makes all of his problems worse.
In my work as a high school teacher in the past decade, I see first hand how aware of their family’s financial problems students are now.  Kids know when their parents are anxious about money. Since the recession, I’ve noticed that young people are smarter about financial realities than they used to be. On one hand it’s sad because the average student isn’t applying to college thinking she’ll follow her bliss.  She’s concerned about paying for it without crippling debt, and she’s planning her major so that she can support herself. On the other hand, it’s great that kids want to avoid debt.
How to Be Manly is a novel for anyone who has ever worried about money. It's about overcoming enormous obstacles through cooperation and hidden resources you didn’t even know you had.
I went down the numbers again.  Then I looked through the bills open on the table.  I picked up a pencil and made a list of numbers.  Everything we owed.  Everything Grandma and Grandpa took in with Social Security and their pensions.  Before they retired, Grandma was a teacher and Grandpa was an engineer and worked for the state.  She’d explained to me before that they had to be careful with money but I was never supposed to worry.  They would always have enough to get by.  We would always be okay.
​She always told me not to worry.
​I added up the numbers.  I worried.
Maureen O’Leary Wanket is a writer and teacher living in Sacramento, California with her husband and two daughters. How To Be Manly is inspired by the humor and courage of the students she’s met in her classrooms over the past twenty years.

Maureen's short stories have appeared in Esopus, Xenith,Fiction at Work, Blood and Thunder, Musings on the Art of Medicine and Prick of the Spindle. How To Be Manly is her first novel. Follow her on Twitter @maureenow.



Giveaway of one paperback Advanced Reading Copy of How to Be Manly (US)
and 3 eARCs of How to Be Manly (INT)
Giveaway courtesy of Giant Squid Books.

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.

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Book Tour: Fan Art by Sarah Tregay!

Title: Fan Art
Author: Sarah Tregay
Release Date: 06/17/14
Publisher: Harper Teen

 Buy Links:
Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Kobo|Book Depository
When the picture tells the story…

Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.

As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?

This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most.

No. No, no. No.

I did not just do that. I can’t believe I just did that! Mason and I have been friends since third grade, and I have never looked at him like that. Other guys, yeah, but not him. It should be in the Bible. Thou shalt not check out thy best friend.

I wait a minute to catch my breath and the last shred of my sanity before I follow Mason into the locker room. I head for the sinks and splash water onto my face in an attempt to straighten out my thoughts. I’m okay with bent thoughts—I have them all the time—but checking out Mason? That’s going too far. He’s my best friend. And everyone knows friend crushes are the worst—even guy-girl friend crushes—drama, angst, broken hearts, you name it. It’s bad—real bad. And straight-guy-gay-guy friend crushes? I don’t even want to think about that apocalypse.

I take a deep breath and watch as the water collects along my upper lip. I mouth the words, Mason. Is. Not. Cute.

Raised without television, Sarah Tregay started writing her own middle grade novels after she had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When she's not jotting down poems at stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sarah lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. Her next book, Fan Art, will be released in June.

   
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Book Launch: Until We Fly by Courtney Cole!

UWF RDL Banner
 We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for Courtney Cole's UNTIL WE FLY!! UNTIL WE FLY is an amazing NA contemporary romance and the fourth novel in Courtney’s Beautifully Broken Series!!
Until We Fly
                                        Title: Until We Fly (Beautifully Broken #4)
                                        Author: Courtney Cole
                                        Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Buy Links:
Ex-Army Ranger, Brand Killien, has always been good. 

A good friend, a good soldier, a good everything. .
The problem is, good hasn’t gotten him anything but a crushed heart.
So after licking his wounds, he decides to move on.  And moving on doesn’t include being good anymore. 
Bad sounds so much better. 
Jaded and detached, Brand is determined to never open himself up to anyone again.  It’s not worth the pain.  Instead, he becomes closed, hardened, aloof. 
But then he’s called back home for a family emergency… a family that he is estranged from.  A family that he put out of his mind a long time ago for very good reasons…reasons that involve secrets and pain.  Reasons he tried hard to forget.    
But home is where the heart is, and it just might be where Brand finds his again. 
Why?  Because home is where Nora Greene is.  A fiery, red-headed spitfire, Nora is a thing from his past.  A beautiful, feisty thing.  When Brand left, she was away at boarding school.   
But she’s back now. 
And she wants Brand, scars and all. 


“You don’t want me here?” she asks breathily, her fingers curled around the counter edge. Her knuckles are white.
“I didn’t say that,” I answer quietly, still not moving. Because right now, with her soft curves pressed into me, I do want her here.
And unfortunately, my dick chooses this moment to agree with me. 
It hardens against her and her eyes widen.
“I see,” she murmurs. 
I rotate away, straightening up and leaning on my crutches once again.
“Sorry about that,” I tell her. “I hope I didn’t crush you.”
With my hard-on.

And don’t miss the other Beautifully Broken, now available:
Beautifully Broken series 1-3

Praise for the Beautifully Broken Series:

"I loved If You Stay. Like, really really loved it. The kind of love that kept me reading until 2:40 am and left me crying, smiling, devastated, and elated. The best kind of book love." - Andrea, The Bookish Babe

"Beautiful, raw, gritty, emotional and breath-taking are just a few of the words I can find to describe this book...reading this book was one of the best experiences I have had." -Amanda, Globug and Hootie Need a Book

"In If You Leave, we continue the wild ride Courtney Cole started us on in If You Stay. This raw story of heartbreak and hope solidifies Cole's standing as a rising star in hot contemporary romance." --- New York Times Bestselling author of Down to You, M. Leighton

"Another raw, gritty masterpiece with a sexy-as-hell Army Ranger to swoon over." --- K.A. Tucker, author of Ten Tiny Breaths
HeadshotCourtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people. Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.    
 

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Book Review: Coin Heist by Elisa Ludwig


 Title: Coin Heist
Author: Elisa Ludwig
Genre: YA, Mystery
Publish date: June 10, 2014
Copy from: Netgalley

See on: Goodreads
Buy links: Amazon ll iTunes
The last place you’d expect to find a team of criminals is at a prestigious Philadelphia prep school. But on a class trip to the U.S. Mint – which prints a million new coins every 30 minutes – an overlooked security flaw becomes far too tempting for a small group of students to ignore.

United by dire circumstances, these unlikely allies – the slacker, the nerd, the athlete, and the "perfect" student – band together to attempt the impossible: rob the U.S. Mint. The diverse crew is forced to confront their true beliefs about each other and themselves as they do the wrong thing for the right reasons.

Elisa Ludwig's Coin Heist is a fun, suspenseful, and compelling thriller, told from the revolving perspectives of four teens, each with their own motive for committing a crime that could change all of their lives for the better—if they can pull it off.
 When I read the following paragraph: 
You could use the set theory in mathematics to explain most social realities: if O (Jason) was a member of A (his subset, a.k.a. Zack Pickering and his band friends), which was in turn a member of B (the HF junior class), he was technically included in B as a subset member
I was like
http://fuckyeahreactions.tumblr.com/tagged/freaking-out
 But I kept on reading
 
And I wasn't disappointed. 
We have 
from coinheist.net
 the slacker, the nerd, the athlete, and the "perfect" student. What could possibly add more spice to this mix? 
An all-out coin stealing spree that is. 

 What I like about this book is that each of the main characters were given the spotlight. We see their different points-of-view particularly what they are going through before, during and after their scheming. 

 I also like the part where they were already fulfilling their mission and a curveball happens.

Overall, it is what a thrilling, (a little bit) blood-pumping action YA where you get the thrills, swirls and a little bit (or should I say quite a lot) of romance on the side. 

 Albeit, the ending could have been a lot better. 

*And also, check out awesomesauce fan-arts on the book's site coinheist.net
My debut young adult novel PRETTY CROOKED (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins) was released in March 2012, and the sequel, PRETTY SLY, is out in March 2014. COIN HEIST, a YA thriller, is out in June 2014 (Adaptive Studios). I live in Philadelphia with my husband and son.

Author links: 

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Chrysophase Book Blitz + Giveaway

GAH! It's finally here! The second book to the Chalcedony Chronicles. EEEEEEEP (*fangirl mode on*)

Chrysoprase by B. Kristin McMichael
(Chalcedony Chronicles #2)
Publication date: February 1st 2014
Genres: Time-Travel, Young Adult

See on: Goodreads
Buy from: Amazon
Mari’s return to the present was not exactly what she expected. As the goddess predicted, there are always consequences to going into the past. Now, with the help of her friend Ty, Mari must find a way to get her loved ones back. Unfortunately, it may require the assistance of an ex-boyfriend whom she never wished to see again. He just might be the key to learn how to time travel on her own, or he might have another motive. Mari is left to decide, can he be trusted to help?
 A new player is introduced into Mari’s already complicated world:

I looked up. It felt like someone was watching me. I glanced around the room. The door was still closed, and no one was around. I hadn’t heard anyone enter. Their maids were silent, but not that silent. I looked back around the room. The feeling was still there, but I was alone.
My focus went back to the documents scattered around the room in glass cases. One toward the far window caught my attention. The carnelian lines around my hand pulsated as if to tell me I was going in the right direction. The tingles in my arm felt much like they did when I was around Seth. I missed him so much, and I was nowhere near knowing how to get him back. It was like Seth was sending me a sign even though we were far apart. I moved slowly down the line of books. Something was calling to the stone that was now imprinted into my arm. I stopped at each book as I passed. Why was one calling to me and all the others not? As I got close to the one I really wanted to see, I paused again. I still felt like someone was watching me. I looked down at the words on the page in the box in front of me. They weren’t the ones calling to me, yet were pretty all the same.
“Figured this would be where you ran off to,” Logan said quietly from somewhere in the room.
I was sure I didn’t hear him enter, and I had no clue how long he had been there. He stepped out of the shadow he was hidden in and slowly slunk across the room. Logan had always puzzled me. Around everyone else, you would think he was just another very friendly jock, but alone, he was completely different. His movements were always perfect and graceful, but he kept that hidden from everyone else. I remember the first time I was alone with him. Logan was exciting, and he made me feel like I was the one he had spent his life hunting. I still felt that vibe from him, but now it was just confusing. I didn’t have feelings for him anymore, beyond the annoyance I still felt about our last date. That would probably last forever. The reason I didn’t trust guys in general, and rightfully so, was standing in front of me now. Having him slowly analyzing me was strange. I still got butterflies in my stomach—anyone would get that when someone as hot as him was looking at you. But I didn’t have the loving feelings that once went with those butterflies.

And new mysteries to be solved:

I was going to do it right this time. I pictured the Jones house library, and the book that called to me at the party over Thanksgiving. By the time I finished thinking of the book we were there, standing in front of it. Ty took a breath and moved a few feet away from me.
“I’ve never done that more than a once in a day. That was a bit weird,” Ty commented, shaking out the hand that had been touching the stone.
I nodded and looked down at the book with the ancient text. I still felt a hum coming off the book. I wanted to touch it and see if the pages were humming like I felt they would be. I peered into the box and looked at the weird lines. It was nothing I could understand. I looked up and around the room. Logan wasn’t there. I really wanted to touch the book.
“What is it?” Ty asked, stepping behind me and looking over my shoulder.
“I don’t know. Something about the book makes me feel like I should touch it. Like if I touched it I would know the secret it’s trying to tell me,” I explained. “Gosh, that sounds weird,” I added as I turned around.
“Weird? Yes. But I’ve seen a lot of weird things happen since we first found these stones,” Ty said, holding his up. The glow I normally saw off the stone was gone. I looked down to my arm. The lines were faded around the edges. We were going to have to wait until the power returned, or for Logan.
I looked up at Ty. I really wanted to see why I should touch the book. Ty nodded to me. It didn’t matter how weird it was, I was going to try. I looked around the room one more time. Ty stayed right behind me, he was so big that if anyone was in the room they would be blocked from actually seeing me while I touched the book. It felt like I was stealing, or doing something wrong. These texts were old and priceless. Oils from your hands could damage the paper, but I still had to know. The longer I stood there, the more the book pulled at me. I lifted the glass case only enough to get a finger in to touch the text. I slid my finger in and felt the shock as I touched it. I quickly pulled my hand out in surprise.
I turned back to Ty to tell him what happened when the shimmer of Logan traveling into the room caught my eye.


And true love to reunite with:

I leaned forward and pulled his head down to meet mine. I kissed him again. I needed to. I needed to feel that he was real. Each time he went away, and my memories changed, it felt like I lost a part of him. In losing him, I was losing part of me. He was everything I ever wanted. It was scary to feel that way about one person, but it was true. Even Logan and our past couldn’t compare with the feelings floating around inside me at just the touch of Seth’s lips to mine. He was everything I needed.
“And you?” he asked as he pulled back a little.
“Me what?” I asked, looking up into his eyes. The desire I saw there was surely mirrored in my own.
“How long has it been in your time?” Seth asked as he eyed me over, looking for any change in me.
“Five weeks,” I replied, watching his eyes roam over my body. When most men looked at you like that it was creepy, but the way he looked made my stomach tumble.
“And Ty was with you there?” Seth asked, finally bringing his eyes up to mine.
“Yes,” I answered, looking up at him. Did he really want to just talk after all this time apart?
“But he didn’t come with you,” Seth replied to my answer.
He balanced on the wall with only one hand, allowing his free hand to reach up and touch my face. I closed my eyes and tried to memorize his touch. No matter how I was with him now, it would never last. I had a feeling we would always have to fight to be together.
“No,” I responded, feeling his body press up against me. His lips met mine again, and I rested my hands on his bare chest. There were a few perks to the Egyptian military clothing, or rather lack of clothing.
“Why,” Seth began as he moved his kisses to my ear. “Are.” He kissed down my neck, sending tingles to my toes. “You.” He reached the indent where my neck and shoulder met. “Here?”
He finished asking his question, but the kisses continued as he pushed the fabric of the multiple tunics I wore out of the way to continue kissing down a line. He began moving back up my neck slowly as he waited for a response, but I was having trouble even remembering the question. It was hard to carry on a conversation when we couldn’t keep ourselves apart.

Originally from Wisconsin, B. Kristin currently resides in Ohio with her husband, two small children, and three cats. When not doing the mom thing of chasing kids, baking cookies, and playing outside, she is using her PhD in Biology working as a scientist. In her free time she is hard at work on multiple novels; as each day passes, she has more ideas for both current and future novels.
Links: 

And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without the awesome GIVEAWAY!!
Sadly, it's for US citizens only. :(
Still, it's your time to win this book loves!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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