guest post

Guest Post: Emotobooks: The Fusion of Written Fiction and Expressionistic Art

Thursday, August 02, 2012


Emotobooks: The Fusion of Written Fiction and Expressionistic Art
Ron Gavalik

Thank you to Gina for allowing me to guest post.

As a writer and publisher, it’s always been a goal to bridge the gap between the cerebral gratifications of well-plotted fiction writing and the visual stimulation of illustrative art. The one day I had a mini-epiphany. Insert expressive, emotionally representative imagery in written stories, during moments of emotional consequence. By delivering a visual of what a character feels, the reader becomes more intensely immersed in the story.

Emotobooks are written fiction stories, not comics or graphic novels. The few emotional abstract images woven in the stories are the dream-like visuals each of us experience in the middle of the night.

The term Emotobook is a portmanteau word I conjured as a memorable label for the very first fiction medium for smartphones and tablets. For the first time, readers can now see actual representation of character emotions right on the page for a fun, interactive experience.

Stories are published as EmotoSerials or EmotoSingles. EmotoSerials are monthly-released, continuing stories, much like TV dramas or miniseries that continue until their climactic ends. EmotoSingles are individual experiences.

I launched Grit City Publications in July of 2011, with the first Emotobook series titled Grit City, a seven-part story about Dillon Galway, an idealistic freelance journalist, who scrapes out a living reporting on corruption. Since then, we’ve grown the Emotobooks Catalog into an array of fun genre fiction titles in Sci-Fi, Romance, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, and Horror.

Each Emotobook title consists of three creators: the author, editor, and illustrator. It’s our philosophy that three contributors on each Emotobook delivers a richer, more flavorful story. The creators even offer Autograph Cards and suggest mood settings, such as food, drink, and music. This way our fans can achieve a full-bodied experience.

Emotobooks accommodate a new audience, who desire a fast “full story experience” on smartphones, iPods, computers, or tablet readers in about 30 to 60 minutes. They can be purchased from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other retailers.

Our editors are currently seeking the best genre fiction for the Emotobooks transformation. It’s required that fiction writers read our submission guidelines and the free handbook, How to Create Emotobooks, before submitting. Our publishing model is unique and we require long-term participation from authors for everyone’s success.

Now that you’ve been introduced to the Emotobooks Revolution, I hope you’ll join our Readers Cult and begin collecting the coolest titles. We even offer free Autograph Cards to our fans. What it really comes down to is we write, edit, and illustrate the best modern fiction for our fans. Without you, we wouldn’t be here. Thank you.


Ron Gavalik’s Bio:

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ron Gavalik is a seasoned freelance journalist and fiction author of the successful Grit City thriller series. As Publisher forGrit City Publications, he oversees the Emotobooks Revolution. Ron holds an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and a B.S. in Marketing Communications from Point Park University. When not writing, you can find him in the outdoors of Southwestern Pennsylvania on his trail bike, hiking, or fishing.

book discussion

Guest Post by Erika

Saturday, May 26, 2012


Before I go into anything, I would like to thank Gina, for inviting me to guest post. I am delighted to be here today and be a part of the Fallen Series by: Lauren Kate book discussion. In short, I’ve been a fan of the series, since the first Fallen ARC arrived at my door all those years ago. You can find all those reviews on my blog, www.moonlightbookreviews.com. My guest post today is going to be free of any sort of spoiler, and plot synopsis.

While I love paranormal romance novels, it takes a truly unique one to grab my attention to read the whole series. It’s the setting that grabs me and what makes me truly love the series.

When I think of the scene’s that are most important in Fallen, my mind wanders to the Cemetery. It is sunken into the ground a bit and overgrown in my mind. There are dark gothic mausoleums, grave stones and statues. There is something desolate and remote that draws my mind to the scenes. That brings me to my main point.

When a setting is so well integrated and beautifully described. I can’t help but think what the book would be without the cemetery component. We wouldn’t have seen Daniel’s true identity fully revealed, or glimpsed the battle through Daniel’s eyes. Everything in book one in the series centers around this which in the end makes it the most important place in the novel.

The best part of reading a novel is when it carries you away too far off places. It makes life easier when you can escape the rough parts of reality and high school and enter another world. With Fallen I was taken to different exotic places. That wasn’t where the traveling ends though. We get to see different time periods and how all of Luce’s past lives fit into them.

Thank you Lauren Kate for taking me away!
Thank you so much for joining us today, Erika.  You definitely want more of her writing.  You need to check her out HERE. 

guest post

Guest Post by John Vorhaus

Thursday, May 17, 2012


THE BOTTOM ACHE
By John Vorhaus
There’s a moment in my new novel, Lucy in the Sky, where I talk about “the bottom ache,” a pain so deep and tangible that you can know it and feel it, maybe even name it, but only barely describe it. For me as a writer, nailing the bottom ache is job number one.
The first time I recognized the bottom ache as such, and named it, I was in Cologne, Germany, teaching a writing workshop for the staff of a popular daily soap opera. Now it’s a fact that everything I know about soap opera could fit in this thimble-sized thimble I keep here on my desk, but it’s a further fact that lack of knowledge has never stopped me before. Like my character Vic Mirplo points out in The California Roll, “Stay one page ahead in the textbook and you look like a genius.” For the purposes of this story, there were two writers of interest in the room. One was the 21-year-old head writer of the show, and the other was the girl writer he had a mad crush on – who, for reasons that still defy explanation, had a mad crush on me. As a not particularly attractive older man, I could only guess that she was attracted to older men. But this set up an interesting, and heartbreaking, little triangle, one that led me to one of the most important writing discoveries I’ve ever made.
See, the young head writer looked at that girl he had a crush on, and he yearned for something he could never have, because she just wasn’t into guys her own age. She, in her turn, looked at me and yearned for something she could never have, because I’m happily married and whatnot. I, in my turn, looked at that young head writer and yearned for something I could never have: massive writing success at a ridiculously early age. Or, to put it more simply, I yearned for my youth. And the pain was so deep that I gave it a name: the bottom ache; the place where the pain lives. And the writer’s job, it seems to me, is to capture those feelings we feel so hard and somehow translate the tiniest sliver of that real emotion into words on the page.
Trouble is, words aren’t up to the task. Even as I lay out the scenario for you, I know I’m failing by a fairly wide margin to describe the tangible pain the three of us felt. I can only give you a glimpse, a wisp, of it. I have to be satisfied with that. But it seems to me that the difference between a good writer and a great one is not the ability to put pretty words – or even pretty moving words – on the page, but the willingness to go down deep, to chase the bottom ache, capture that chimera, and put that down on the page. When we can make the reader feel what we feel, that’s when we’re really doing our job.
Writers often find themselves confronted by the question, "What is emotional truth?" and the further question, "How do I put it on the page?"  In my experience of working with writers (and being one of course) I find that writers go through predictable stages in their struggle to convey authentic emotional meaning in their work.
At first a writer has no idea that such a thing as emotional truth even exists.  She is only interested in making the plot work, making the jokes funny, and making the story lurch from event to event with no thought for deeper meaning or deeper human truth.  I call this the "blowing things up" phase, for a writer has no concern beyond the big bangs of plot mechanics.
As a writer continues to develop, she becomes aware that there's such a thing as emotional truth, but has no effective means of exporting this information from her brain to the page. Her efforts at doing so seem (to herself and others) to be awkward, stilted and self-conscious. She might write, for example, the words, "I love you," and then recoil in horror at the awful obviousness of that thought. What's lacking in the writer at this stage is a means of connecting simple human truths to stylish presentation on the page.
If the writer continues to grow and develop, she becomes aware that emotional truth exists, and starts to acquire some strategies and tactics for conveying such information in a stylistically satisfying way.  She may, for instance, have discovered text and subtext, and brought her writing to the point where she can have one character say to another, "Would you like some coffee?" and have it understood that this really means, "I yearn for you to the very core of my existence."  This is a writer who has both the awareness and the toolcraft to convey emotional truth. 
And yet, often, she does not. Why? Because she is afraid.
In conveying emotional truth on the page, a writer must make a certain leap of faith. A writer must confront the knowledge that, in writing about emotional things, she will in some sense expose herself to the very feelings she's trying to convey.  She'll have to own those feelings and take responsibility for them, with herself, with other writers and with the audience and the world at large. This is a profound challenge to many writers… a hurdle that some never get over.  It's difficult, for example, to write a venal and corrupt character authentically without feeling venal and corrupt yourself. Some writers never can do that. They never get past their fear of being honest on the page.
Those who do overcome their fear enter a state of maturity in relation to emotional truth:  They know it's out there; they desire to express it; they have the means for doing so; and they are not afraid. This, as far as I'm concerned, is the ultimate goal of a writer's life: To know the truth; to speak the truth; and to be not afraid.I’ve striven to achieve that goal in Lucy in the Sky, a coming-of-age tale set in Milwaukee in 1969. My hero is an earnest young striver who learns that being a hippie is not about love beads and peace signs but about the choices you make and the chances you take. From time to time he touches the bottom ache. I hope the sense of that comes through to you on the page. To sample the wares, please visit www.tinyurl.com/Lucy1969. Thanks for reading. -jv
John Vorhaus has written five novels and many books on poker. His comedy writing text, The Comic Toolbox, is considered a classic how-to book for writers, and will be making money for someone long after he’s dead, buried and gone. He tweets for no apparent reason @TrueFactBarFact and secretly controls the world from www.johnvorhaus.com.
Thank you, John, for being here today!  Want more of his writing?  Go check out his book, Lucy in the Sky (HERE).  It sounds fantastic!  Better yet, go find it on Amazon (HERE).  Happy reading! 

book discussion

Guest Post by Erin W.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Hello to the book blogging world! My name is Erin and I’m the book-crazy girl blogger from Tales of the Inner Book Fanatic! I’m so honored to be a part of this event and I’m also very excited to share a little bit of my love for Lauren Kate’s Fallen series! For today’s guest post, I’m going to be focusing on the music side of things and share with you some of my favourite songs, and ones that remind me so much of the Fallen’s characters - more so with Daniel and Luce! Now I don’t know about you guys but whenever I read a book series – especially some of my favourite book series – I always listen to songs on my iPod and so very often I come across songs that I instantly compare them to a certain book of mine and in this case here are my top 5 songs for Fallen.
1. "Samson" by Regina Spektor
This song is such a beautiful one and everything about it reminds me of Luce and Daniel's relationship. Mostly the sweetness of their relationship that we see from time to time in the book series. I just adore this song so, so much.



2. "What Have You Done" by Within Temptation
Within Temptation has so many songs reminding me of the Fallen book series but this is my personal favourite of all favourites. This song not only reminds me of Luce and Daniel's relationship, but personally for me it mostly reminds me of all the struggles and all the dangers they have faced and are still facing, and the frustration that comes along with it!
3. "With or Without You" (U2 cover) by Breathe Carolina
Whether it's the U2 version or this one in particular, which is just as awesome as the original, but whenever I listen to this song and the lyrics in it, I always picture Daniel in my head. It just seems like his type of song and how he's scared of losing his soul mate, and the song sort of expresses those feelings of his and how he couldn't live without our Luce!

4. "Again" by Flyleaf
I'm a huge Flyleaf fan and this song without a doubt is a Luce song. She always fears for Daniel's safety - like he does for her own safety - and how he constantly puts himself on the line to save her life . . . so I find that this song in particular is almost too perfect to mirror those fears of hers!



5. "Unbreakable" by Fireflight
Fireflight is yet another favourite band of mine and this song is one I immediately thought of when I thought of the Fallen book series. And for me it's another Luce song! Luce has faced so many things from books one to three - not the mention so many consequences for her actions - and by now she has grown so much, and I find that this song is perfect in describing Luce and how she's finally realizing that she has the strength and the courage to fight for what she loves and believes in, and succeeding with that mere determination!



So what other songs remind you of Fallen?
Thanks for stopping by and reading my guest post!



Thank you so much for joining us today, Erin.  You definitely want more of her writing.  You need to check her out HERE. 

book discussion

Guest Post by Brooke

Saturday, May 05, 2012



Daniel Grigori might seem aloof and distant at times, but underneath his leather jackets and ripped up Tee’s, he’s literally, yes literally, an angel.

So what makes Daniel Grigori the right corner of the triangle for Luce to pick?

Well there's this: 
(Tell me you wouldn’t want to run your fingers through his perfectly tousled hair!? I mean look at it! UNF! And those lips?! Yowza!)

ANNNNNNND there's also this: 

Ooh, yeah. 


Ehem, right...abs aside, Mr. Daniel Grigori is a perfect gentleman. He is an angel after all! Like, legit. He has wings and everything. And his wings happen to be HUGE! (You know what they say about big wings right? *wink*) Annywho, they're blindly gorgeous, like fresh fallen snow, and super soft and shimmery and he’ll cuddle you right up into them. Daniel also likes to take Luce on breath-taking dates. So he flys. In the sky. At night. When there are romantical stars shining and twinkling! How amazing is that!? I do believe the only date a certain someone (*cough, Cam, cough*) has taken her on was to a bar. Or restaurant or some other totally mundane place! Lame.  

Daniel is also mysterious & alluring, he keeps Luce on her toes. He doesn't come onto her like you-know-you, he doesn't pester her, threaten her, corner her, or try to intimidate her in anyway. He's kinda just...there; always waiting for Luce to need him. He'd really do anything for her. And that includes being tatted up and beaten down. If that doesn't score him some points....then go look at that gif again. :P


Daniel, while looking rather good shirtless, also knows how to “dress to impress”.  I think that’s what makes this boy truly sexy, his style. He knows how to rock a pair of sunglasses, he looks damn good in a scarf & the he can pull off a pair of flip-flops! One day he’s in a sweater and the next a leather jacket, and he looks mind-blowingly hot in both! Oh, and don't forget about his black boots- yum! 

In all seriousness, Daniel has been around for centuries and he’s only ever been in love with Luce. They both madly and desperately love each other; so strongly that even hell can’t break their bond. If their not meant-to-be and if that’s not true love, then I don’t know what is! 


"I do all of these things," Daniel said, leaning into her so that their foreheads touched, "because you're my love, Lucinda. For me, you're all there is."
The way Brooke puts it, Daniel may be the hottest thing since... sliced bread.  Thank you so much for joining us today, Brooke.  You definitely want more of her writing.  You need to check her out HERE.  Since this post is prefect for talking about teams, I want to ask you: What team are you on?  Are you Team Daniel or Team Cam?  Don't forgot to tell us your answer in the comments below.  May the best man win!  Happy reading! 

book discussion

Guest Post by Margie C

Sunday, April 29, 2012


Hi there! My name is Margie, from Bumbles and Fairy-Tales. I'm so happy and honored to be a guest at the Bucket List today for their Fallen Discussion event - thank you, Gina! I am a huge fan and follower of the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. Here is my review to Fallen, the first book to the series.

At the very start of the story we get a peek of a couple, where one is trying to stay away from the other and the other is trying just as hard to be with that one... but I'll come back to the first chapter in a bit. 

Luce Price has arrives at Sword & Cross, a reform school for troublesome teens, and instantly knows that this school isn't like any other school, reform or not, this is a school that she could never have imagined existing. Such a dark, unwelcoming and prison-like place, where contact with the outside world is only allowed in 5 minute weekly phone calls, their uniform is to wear all black and there are security cameras everywhere to monitor your every move. Everything seems hopeless and depressing to Luce until she sees Daniel. The moment her eyes land on Daniel, she is instantly drawn to him and wants to run to him, but why the instant connection? Why does Daniel seem so familiar and comforting to her... and when Daniel wants nothing to do with her and goes out of his way to make sure that she knows he has no interest it only increases Luce's curiosity to find out why he pushes her away and what secrets Daniel may be hiding. 

The mystery surrounding Luce and Daniel's pasts is consuming. A page-turner right from the start. We meet other students, Luce's new friends, Daniel's old friends, and at first I just wanted to dismiss them and wished that the story would just concentrate on their relationship. But as time goes on, these other characters play major roles in both of their lives. Not one person can be dismissed nor forgotten. Little by little, we find out why Luce was sent to Sword & Cross, what she can see, what her story is. We also find out why Daniel is so desperate to stay away from Luce. Daniel's story is heart breaking and you cannot help fall for for Daniel and want to hug him too. In the end, we finally hear the whole story that connects Daniel and Luce together... forever! because true love cannot be denied!

I did find that the book was a bit choppy at times because it doesn't go into great details that I would have liked to have seen. But it doesn't keep the story from flowing. We are learning and experiencing everything as Luce is and I really liked that the author followed through with that.

Now, let's get back to that first chapter! It's titled, In The Beginning and takes place in England, 1854. There are no names, the characters are referred to as "He" and "She".

She is drawn to him everyday. He tries to stay away, but has a hard time doing so. He comforts himself by drawing pictures of her, it's obvious that he cares for her deeply. She doesn't know how or why, but she knows that she loves him and wants to be with him and makes it impossible for him to not cave in to her. And then he doesn't... They have their moment and we are left with a huge, oh my god! What just happened?! and of course, you need to know why. I really loved how the first chapter just draws you in by giving us a sort of tease... I have a huge soft spot for forbidden love.
You have just had the lovely time reading Margie's guest post for my Fallen Book Discussion.  Loved her critique on Fallen and some of the characters.  You can check her out HERE.  Have you written something about Fallen by Lauren Kate?  I would love to see it mentioned in the comments!  Thank you, Margie, for joining us today!  If anyone else is interested in guest posting something about the Fallen series, please fill out this form HERE.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  On Monday, I will bringing you my dream cast for the Fallen movie.  Grab a copy of Fallen, some snacks, and stay tuned!

book discussion

Guest Post by Kendra

Saturday, April 21, 2012


Hey, book blogging world! My name is Kendra, and I'm the friendly blogger over at In My Book Nook. I'm so honored to be a part of this event, and so excited to share my opinion on Fallen. For my guest post, I'm going to be focusing on some of the relationships within the story; particularly, the way that Lauren Kate weaved the different characters and emotions together so well. 

Let's start with the most important, and most controversial relationship: That between Luce, the main female, and her "soul mate", Daniel. We are introduced to Daniel at the beginning of the book, however his connection to Luce is not clear until the end of Fallen. Daniel was mysterious, with an intimidating outer shell for most of the book. I often questioned Luce's attraction to him, while understanding that there was a greater force at play here. I didn't guess the whole story behind their connection, either; which I truly enjoyed. The dark, mysterious, unexplainable connection between Daniel and Luce made their back-story much more convincing, which was impressive. 

Next up is the relationship between Luce and Cam, who turns out to be the very opposite of Daniel. At first, I fell in love with Cam; he was confident, sweet and appeared to be genuinely interested in Luce with no strings attached. I found myself rooting for him throughout the book. Convincing the reader that Luce was better off with Cam, that Daniel was in fact evil, was a very effective tactic used by Lauren Kate. Because of this, the ending was even more gripping and surprising. In fact, the relationship between Daniel and Cam, which is explained more in Torment, is very perplexing and allows the reader to use their imagination to understand particular parts of the book by asking their own questions.

I also loved the relationships between Luce and her friends at Sword and Cross, Arriane and Penn. Each of the two girls had a very distinct character and it was always easy to distinguish between the two. Also, the relationship between Luce and her friends was scarcely over-shadowed by her interest in Daniel or Cam, so I was able to feel Luce's pain when Penn was hurt. 

However, not all of the relationships within Fallen were positive, as in every book. Lauren Kate did a phenomenal job of keeping me guessing who was good or bad. While I won't give away any more spoilers, I was completely shocked when some of my characters turned out to be horrible and villainous. 

Overall, Lauren Kate does an incredible job of developing character relationships. The constant conflict and confusion between them was handled skillfully and did not cause me to feel lost of confused within the plot. The writing is also driven and to-the-point, something that is not always found in Young Adult romance.

You have just had the lovely time reading Kendra's guest post for my Fallen Book Discussion.  Loved her critique on Fallen and some of the characters.  You can check her out HERE.  Have you written something about Fallen by Lauren Kate?  I would love to see it mentioned in the comments!  Thank you, Kendra, for joining us today!  If anyone else is interested in guest posting something about the Fallen series, please fill out this form HERE.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  On Monday, I will bringing you my dream cast for the Fallen movie.  Grab a copy of Fallen, some snacks, and stay tuned!

book discussion

Guest Post by Casey

Saturday, April 07, 2012


There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours?  That question is one of many I encountered while reading Fallen by Lauren Kate.  After reading Fallen numerous times, I have come to the conclusion that this problem is presented quite often in young-adult literature, especially in the paranormal romance sub-genre.  However, never in my literary journey have I ever experienced a love story quite like the one crafted by Lauren Kate.

Fallen tells the story of seventeen-year-old Luce Price, an average teenage girl shipped off to a reform school in Savannah, Georgia after the questionable death of her late ex-boyfriend, Trevor.  I found the mystery behind Trevor’s mysterious untimely demise to be one of the threads that make up the story, and the question “What really happened to Trevor?” made me want to read faster and faster, to finally reach a conclusion.

Fallen is a titanic love story at the core, and the romance between Luce and Daniel, which spans across so many centuries, is one of the most honest and authentic fictional love stories that I have ever encountered.

Fallen starts off with a prologue, a scene between Luce and Daniel in Helston, England.  Seems normal enough, right?  Well, did I mention that the prologue takes place in the year 1854?  Yeah, not so seemingly normal after all, is it?  As much as I enjoyed the romantic aspect of Fallen¸ the mythology incorporated piqued my interest.  As I was reading Fallen, the ideas of reincarnation, soul mates, and fallen angels were encountered, and it all weaved together to create a haunting love story.

I loved the dark, Gothic setting of Fallen: Savannah, Georgia.  I felt as if the deep South with its murky swamps; old, crumbling graveyards filled with the corpses of deceased historical figures; and haunted history made for the perfect fear factor.

The characters of Fallen were one of my favorite parts of the book.  I felt as if each character had his/her own distinct personality and characteristics, and they could all stand firmly on their own as characters.  I loved Luce, Daniel, Arriane, Penny, and Roland the most and felt myself growing closer with them as the story progressed.  I enjoyed the third person perspective of the novel because it allowed the thorough reflection of main characters Daniel and Luce, as well as the supporting characters.

One of my favorite scenes in Fallen is chapter eleven, pages 219-221.  In this particular scene, Daniel rescues Luce from mortal danger and imminent death by whisking her away from a threatening, monstrous fire and soars a thousand feet into the sky with her in his protective, guarded arms.

The last topic I want to talk about is the climatic fight scene towards the end of the book where the fallen angels have a final showdown-type of battle and all hell breaks loose…literally.  I loved how Lauren Kate ended the first book of the four-book series with an exciting, fast-paced cliffhanger.

Lauren Kate writes with such a rich, driven passion that it’s difficult not to succumb to the spell that is Fallen, which is why it is branded one of my favorite books and such an inspiration in my own writing.
You have just had the lovely time reading Casey's guest post for my Fallen Book Discussion.  Loved her insight and awesome-ness, well you can check her out HERE.  Have you written something about Fallen by Lauren Kate?  I would love to see it mentioned in the comments!  Thank you, Casey, for joining us today!  If anyone else is interested in guest posting something about the Fallen series, please fill out this form HERE.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  On Monday, I will bringing you my dream cast for the Fallen movie.  Grab a copy of Fallen, some snacks, and stay tuned!

book discussion

2012 Book Discussion

Thursday, March 22, 2012


Starting in April of 2012, I would like have another book discussion.  This time on the book, Fallen by Lauren Kate.  The Cityof Bones book discussion went really well last spring and this time around it will be even better. 

I will be reading the novel with two of my best friends, Jackie and Emma, and each week we will be discussing a chapter.  We will chat about things that freaked us out, bothered us, and even awed us.  And at the end of each post, there will be a question that you guys could answer if you are following along with us.  Not only are we discussing the books, but I will be giving away a few signed copies of the books as well: thank you, Lauren Kate.  It will be loads of fun and I hope you all join us.
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. 
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. 
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her. --Goodreads

To get you all in the mood, over on the left sidebar is a poll that you guys can participate in.  This is sure to come up in the discussion, so this is definitely time to start thinking about what team you are going to be on. 

Also, if you are a lover or hater of Fallen and would love to participate by writing a guest post for the discussion, please fill out the form below.  We need all the help we can get.  And if you do not have the time to do a guest post, but still want to participate, be sure to grab of copy of Fallen and don’t forget to grab one of those discussion pictures on this post to share with your audience and be ready to jump into it on April 3.



2011 debut author challenge list

2011 in Review

Saturday, December 31, 2011

So, while I am impatiently watching the news for the ball to drop in Times Square, I want to tell you about the year in review.

January:
Entered 2 challenges that I sadly did not complete, but had fun entering and talking about them anyway (and read some awesome books that I would have not otherwise!)
2011 Debut Author Challenge
2011 Off the Shelf Challenge

Held The Bucket List’s first giveaway (baby steps!!)

February:
Celebrated Valentine’s Day with a strange twist and talked about love triangles

100 amazing people followed the site

Started Cover Discovered, a feature where I rant about the latest book covers I have found.

March:
Interviewed best-selling author, Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi

April:
Hosted the City of Bones book discussion

The Bucket List’s first guest post

May- June:
Top 5 Fictional Proms

My Dream Library

July:
Borders closes :(

August- December:
I went to college and left the blogosphere, besides a few posts here and there but I plan to be back on the air for spring semester.

I started this site in August of 2010 and it was awesome to see it turn one year old this year. You have been with me throughout all of it and I appreciate you all. You all are fantastic and great and I want to give you a huge, THANK YOU, for keeping me motivated in continuing showing you all about the great books I discover. I hope you stick around for another year of fun because this year will be even better than last year.


What will 2012 bring: hopefully it will not bring the end of the world, because The Bucket List will only get better with age. I hope to be online more than I was this semester, so I will definitely have more posts for you to read.

There will be more great giveaways that you could enter.

I am looking into going to BEA this year, something I have never done before, so if you have been, I would love to hear your experiences of the convention.

Since last year’s book discussion was on City of Bones to celebrate the release of City of Fallen Angels, I want to do this year’s book discussion on Fallen to celebrate the release of Rapture. Do you think this would be a good idea? If interested in participating in any way, please contact me HERE.

Happy New Year, everyone!

guest post

Author Guest Post: The Art of Collecting Books

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Today, Valmry, author of The Rouge Guardian, will be joining us to bring about a discussion of collecting books.  I know we all read books, but do you collect them.  Valmry collects books: first editions, antique findings, new releases, and even unheard indies.  She is with us to show us how to find the best deal when we want to start our own book collection.  Here's what she had to say:

Collecting books is not just a hooby, it's an art. If you want to get your hands on valuable, remarkasbly old books (or in general) you have to have talent! You need to be able to barter through other collectors, exchange with pawn shops, and speak the language of bargianing when going to garage sales. It's serious work, time consuming and requires lots of money. But if you're like me and don't have that much money, you have to know where to look:
  • Garage sales
  • Private collectors
  • Public collectors
  • Pawn shops
  • Flea Markets
  • Fairs
  • Antique shops
Usually the best place to start is in your local community and the local newspaper. Most of the time, people don't know what they're selling and when they do, if you suck up enough you'll get a discount, maybe even free! But whatever you do, do not tell other collectors you're a collector yourself. They will often raise prices or they won't sell it. But you have to be crafty too, don't just walk in and buy books every week, they will notice. You have to be sneaky, smart, and work your way through conversations so they think you're a dunce. You have to remind yourself, readers, that these books, not only collectors but also well informed antique shop owners, know that they're worth a lot of money. Sometimes from $20-$100 but most older books can range from $100-$100000. It depends on the book itself. For example:
  • The author
  • The book title
  • The book binding
  • The book cover material
  • The year it was published
  • If there are any marks (symbols?)
  • If there is an author signature (or a signature, in general)
  • The fame of the book itself
  • If there are any engravings (debossing or em-bossing)
  • The paper material (different kinds of paper)
  • If the book is marked up in any way (duct tape, cut marks, ripped binding, ripped paper, if it had been damp, brunt, buried (yes buried in a grave) and many other things like tempature exposure, bugs, sunlight exposure).
There are so many different things that would need explaining but since I can't go into too much detail, I'll leave you with some juicy info.  Collecting books may seem a waste of time but if you find yourself in a tight place for some cash, you could sell them.  As long as they're worth more than what you paid for.  Plus you can also get scholarship money just for collecting them!

Interested in starting your own book collection full of hidden treasures?  I am.  Did you love Valmry's advice?  Go buy her book HERE.  To find out more, go HERE. 

Thank you for the wonderful post, Valmry.  And hope you have a lovely weekend, you all.