One Guy's Guide to Good Reads: LuLo Fangirl

Showing posts with label LuLo Fangirl. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Eight: Meet Stacey O'Neale

Hello friends and welcome to an exciting week here at One Guy's Guide to Good Reads. For the next week, my beautiful bookish soul-mate, Christina Marie from LuLo Fangirl and I will be hosting an incredible new feature series to get everyone PUMPED for UtopYAcon in Nashville, TN next week!

After WEEKS of deliberation, Christina and I have hand-picked FIFTEEN of our favorite authors attending UtopYA and will be spotlighting one each day for the next 7 days. These posts will include an interview with 15 special guests, ranging from seasoned literary vets to first-time debut authors. Each post will also feature a quick spotlight of the authors latest or upcoming works. You are not going to want to miss out on this awesome series!

Each day Christina and I will feature a different author on one of our blogs and will be cross promoting between the two. We really want to get the word out to all of our readers. As a special incentive, we are offering an exclusive UtopYA giveaway for a signed book from ANY participating UtopYA author! How exciting! We can't wait to share this awesome series with you all and look forward to an awesome time in Nashville!

Happy Reading!

1 DAY UNTIL UTOPYA

Day One: Meet Stacey O'Neale

Stacey O'Neale

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter. Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing. Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and GoodReads. You can also visit her blog at http://staceyoneale.com/.

Intro to Stacey O'Neale:

So every day this week I've talked a bit about how I met each of the participating authors and our our bookish friendship evolved from it. To be honest, I don't remember exactly how I came to be friends with Mrs. Stacey. I believe I saw The Shadow Prince for free one day and jumped on it.... Actually. Wait. I do remember. It was because of Jennifer L. Armentrout! JLA pimped this book one day and I jumped on it like white on rice, fell in love and haven't looked back. I remember that Stacey emailed me after my first review thanking me for taking the time to do it and from there we've really hit it off. It's been nearly a year since I plunged down the Stacey O'Neale rabbit hole and I am so glad I did! I love everything about the Mortal Enchantment series. As any of my regular readers will know, it is consistently ranked amongst my all time favorite YA fantasy series. Seriously, it's that good. On top of that, Stacey is about the coolest, most down to Earth author I've worked with. We chat about bookish awesome and sling book recs back and forth. I've read some awesome reads because of her suggestions (thanks again for Holly Black, I still owe you one for that). Lately we've bonded over our mutual love of all things Penny Dreadful. We're a bit obsessed. No shame. Haha! I cannot wait to meet Mrs. Stacey this week. Getting to know her has been a genuine pleasure and I consider her a great bookish friend of mine!

Let's learn a bit more about Stacey and her work:

Upcoming Release by Stacey O'Neale

Eternal Sacrifice is the last full-length book in the Mortal Enchantment series.

It will be told from Rowan and Kalin's point of view.

Blurb will be added closer to the release date.

Also by Stacey O'Neale

The Shadow Prince is FREE click below for your copy!

Seriously one of my all time favorite series!

Exclusive UtopYA Interview with Stacey O'Neale

1. Tell us about your experience with UtopYA. What's your history with UtopYA and why do you attend?

This is actually the first time I'm attending. I wanted to go because it's a conference that's all about YA and NA. My series is YA, and I'm an avid YA reader, so it just made sense. :-)

2.What is your favorite Nashville attraction and why? If this is your first time attending UtopYA/visiting Nashville, what are you most excited to see?

I'm not sure. I really don't have anything else planned beyond the conference. I'm only going to be there for the weekend.

3.What makes UtopYA different from any other book convention/signing?

The focus on YA and NA. Also, that self-pub'd and small pub'd books are welcomed. The bigger conferences typically focus on traditional publishing. UtopYA seems to put everyone on the same level which is cool.

4. When not attending the conference, where will you be spending your week in Nashville?

No idea. LOL! I'll only be there for the weekend.

5. What are you reading right now?

I just finished reading FRIGID by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This year, I started reading NA books. This is my fourth book in the genre. So far, I'm really enjoying what I'm reading.

6. What are some of your favorite summertime reads? What recs do you have for your readers to check out this summer?

I don't really classify any of these as summer reads, but here are some of the latest books I've read and rated five stars:

THE COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah Maas, THE CLOSER YOU COME by Gena Showalter, THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST by Holly Black, PUSHING THE LIMITS by Katie McGarry, and FRIGID by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

If you're looking for a book with a summertime feel, I would recommend CLARITY by Kim Harrington. It's set in a beach town.

7. What can we expect next from you?

I have an adult paranormal romance series coming out through Entangled's Covet line. It features three brothers who happen to be sexy aliens. The first book, UNDER HIS SKIN, is scheduled to come out in September 2015. ETERNAL SACRIFICE, the last book in my YA paranormal series, is scheduled to come out in October 2015. I'm currently writing an adult contemporary military romance series for my agent.

Quick, don't think!

-Favorite summertime beverage? Homemade Sweet Tea or Lemonade

-Favorite Ice Cream flavor? Cherry Vanilla

-Favorite part about summer? Steamed Crabs (it's a Maryland thing) ;-)

-Lounging on the beach or summer road trip? I live by the water and I'm someone who likes being relaxed at home. Not much for road trips. I guess I'm boring.

-Favorite 'song of the summer’? Right now, I'm loving: WORTH IT by Fifth Harmony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m45DTO8sKcE

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright readers, that's all I have for you today during our UtopYAcon Author Spotlight Series! I hope you've learned a lot about our featured author, Mrs. Stacey O'Neale! I've been a huge fan of Stacey's for a long time now and I'm absolutely stoked to me her in person. Christina and I both will be having a fan-freak-out in her presence!

Don't forget that Christina is also hosting an amazing spotlight over on her blog today, her final guest is Mindy Ruiz! Click the LuLo FanGirl banner below to check out Christina's post!

Be sure to enter the giveaway before you leave!

It's been 8 day of Bookish Awesome and I am so honored to have hosted this incredible group of authors in celebration of UtopYA! Christina and I leave later this afternoon and will be partying it up for the next FOUR days! Be on the look out for some updates. Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter to stay up to date on our adventure!

Check out some of the posts you may have missed:

Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Seven: Meet Sarah Negovetich

2 DAYS UNTIL UTOPYA

Day One: Meet Sarah Negovetich

Sarah Negovetich

Sarah Negovetich knows you don't know how to pronounce her name and she's okay with that.

Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it's accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.

Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.

FIND SARAH NEGOVETICH

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS | WEBSITE

Intro to Sarah Negovetich:

Let's see. Where do I even begin to introduce you guys to Sarah? Last... hmm... October, was it? Right after my birthday, it was, I was approached by this debut author who was gathering reviewers for her upcoming novel. Our experience was unique from the very first correspondence. Not only did she offer me a copy of her novel for review, she went the extra mile to actually read my reviews, my 'about me', and go through my 'Hall of Fame' so that she could really get to know me as a blogger before offering me her debut novel. I'll never forget that first email. From sharing our mutual love of theatre and our passion for literature, it was brought up that she was also a literary agent and was looking for an intern. I jumped on that ship and from there a beautiful bookish friendship has been born! I devoured Rite of Rejection (her debut novel) and then jumped on to her team at the Corvisiero Literary Agency back in November and have been working under Sarah ever since. We make an awesome team and she puts up with my crazy every day. I couldn't ask for a more awesome industry professional to work under! I have never met Sarah in real life, even though we talk... several times a week. I am BEYOND excited to meet her in person this week at UtopYA! We will both be fanning out to the max! If you see one of us, I'm sure the other won't be too far behind!

Let's learn a bit more about Sarah and her work:

Latest Release by Sarah Negovetich

Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich

Straight-laced, sixteen-year-old Rebecca can’t wait for her Acceptance. A fancy ball, eligible bachelors, and her debut as an official member of society. Instead, the Machine rejects Rebecca. Labeled as a future criminal, she’s shipped off to a life sentence in a lawless penal colony.

A life behind barbed wire fences with the world’s most dangerous people terrifies Rebecca. She reluctantly joins a band of misfit teens in a risky escape plan, complete with an accidental fiancé she’s almost certain she can learn to love.

But freedom comes with a price. To escape a doomed future and prove her innocence Rebecca must embrace the criminal within.

Seriously one of my all time favorite YA Dystopian novels!

Exclusive UtopYA Interview with Sarah Negovetich

1. Tell us about your experience with UtopYA. What's your history with UtopYA and why do you attend?

This is my first UtopYAcon and I couldn't be more excited. I love that the focus is on speculative fiction which is my jam. I also love how female friendly this conference is. Science fiction and fantasy have long been considered male dominated territory so it's great to see so many amazing female authors get the spotlight for some really fantastic additions to the genres. Even though I'm an author, I totally plan to fangirl my little heart out.

2.What is your favorite Nashville attraction and why? If this is your first time attending UtopYA/visiting Nashville, what are you most excited to see?

I have not been to Nashville since high school, which was a depressingly long time ago. However, I do remember that they have a fun minor league baseball team (the Nashville Sounds), so I'd love to take in a game. Of course, I'm just as happy hanging out at the hotel making tons of new friends.

3.What makes UtopYA different from any other book convention/signing?

Since this will be my first time, it's hard to say for sure. But I don't think I'll miss the panels where the one or two guys takes over and talks all over the other female authors.

4. When not attending the conference, where will you be spending your week in Nashville?

I have two kiddos at home so I'll be coming in and out just for the conference. I'll be staying at the conference hotel, which I highly recommend for anyone attending a conference. Yes, there are cheaper options pretty close to the conference that you could easily drive to. But so much of attending a conference is all the amazing networking that happens when the official conference schedule is done for the day. I plan to get as little sleep as possible so I can spend my time making at least a hundred new friends.

5. What are you reading right now?

I just finished The Saints, the second book in the Quarantine series by Lex Thomas and the final installment of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. Up next on my TBR is Sabriel by Garth Nix. I've heard such good things about this series and for some reason I never read it. It's sitting on my night table right now, taunting me to get my work done so I can start reading.

6. What are some of your favorite summertime reads? What recs do you have for your readers to check out this summer?

I've been trying to read more NA books lately and recently finished The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen after some really great blogger recommended it to me (hint hint: it was Ethan). It was everything I wanted from a NA and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series soon. I also usually reread a few Jane Austen books each summer. I'm pretty certain Jane Austen is my spirit guide.

7. What can we expect next from you?

I am working so hard to hurry up and finish my edits for Rite of Revelation, the second book in the Acceptance series. This one has been hard for me since it ins't a book I ever planned to write. But I'm slowly falling in love with the way my characters continue to grow and surprise me. I was initially planning for an early summer release. That clearly isn't happening, but I promise readers it will be worth the wait.

Quick, don't think!

-Favorite summertime beverage? Bourbon Slushy

-Favorite Ice Cream flavor? Chocolate

-Favorite part about summer? Camping and sitting around the fire.

-Lounging on the beach or summer road trip? Road trip.

-Favorite 'song of the summer’? Shut Up and Dance by Walk Off the Moon

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Alright readers, that's all I have for you today during our UtopYAcon Author Spotlight Series! I hope you've learned a lot about our featured author, Mrs. Sarah Negovetich! Words cannot say how absolutely PUMPED I am to meet her this week! She's been such an inspiration and huge supporter of mine for the past several months and I can't wait to see her in real life!

Don't forget that Christina is also hosting an amazing spotlight over on her blog today, her guest is Tia Bach! Click the LuLo FanGirl banner below to check out Christina's post!

Be sure to enter the giveaway before you leave! You won't want to miss another surprise guest tomorrow! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Four: Meet Katie McGarry

5 DAYS UNTIL UTOPYA

Day One: Meet Katie McGarry

Katie McGarry

Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, and reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan.

Find Katie McGarry

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Intro to Katie McGarry:

I'm just going to be completely honest with you guys. I new to the awesomeness of Katie McGarry. I had the amazing pleasure of meeting Mrs. McGarry at the Austin Book Fest back in March thanks to Christine at iHeartBigBooks who had some books for me to get signed for her! Katie and I really hit it off and I was blown away by how nice of a lady she was. We spoke at great length about male readers and what it means to be a male fan of YA literature. It was a great experience for me to hear her thoughts. She suggested that I check out her upcoming Thunder Road series as she tried to appeal to readers of both sexes. And she did. I read Nowhere But Here (review to come) and fell in love with Katie McGarry. I fell hard. Such an amazing read! I know this is the beginning of an awesome bookish friendship. I cant wait to read the rest of her works!

Let's learn a bit more about Katie and her work:

Recent Release by Katie McGarry

Seventeen-year-old Emily likes her life the way it is: doting parents, good friends, good school in a safe neighborhood. Sure, she's curious about her biological father—the one who chose life in a motorcycle club, the Reign of Terror, over being a parent—but that doesn't mean she wants to be a part of his world. But when a reluctant visit turns to an extended summer vacation among relatives she never knew she had, one thing becomes clear: nothing is what it seems. Not the club, not her secret-keeping father and not Oz, a guy with suck-me-in blue eyes who can help her understand them both.

Oz wants one thing: to join the Reign of Terror. They're the good guys. They protect people. They're…family. And while Emily—the gorgeous and sheltered daughter of the club's most respected member—is in town, he's gonna prove it to her. So when her father asks him to keep her safe from a rival club with a score to settle, Oz knows it's his shot at his dream. What he doesn't count on is that Emily just might turn that dream upside down.

No one wants them to be together. But sometimes the right person is the one you least expect, and the road you fear the most is the one that leads you home.

I don't have enough words to say how incredible this read was!

Also by Katie McGarry

I've heard some AMAZING things about Katie's Pushing the Limits series too!

Exclusive UtopYA Interview with Liz Long

1. Tell us about your experience with UtopYA. What's your history with UtopYA and why do you attend?

This is my first year attending UtopYA and I'm extremely excited!

2.What is your favorite Nashville attraction and why? If this is your first time attending UtopYA/visiting Nashville, what are you most excited to see?

There is a bar in downtown Nashville called the Trailer Park and they have the best live country music!

3.What makes UtopYA different from any other book convention/signing?

As this will be my first time attending, I'm super excited to be in Nashville and to be at UtopYA!

4. When not attending the conference, where will you be spending your week in Nashville?

I plan on spending a lot time at the conference meeting lots of new people and catching up with old friends!

5. What are you reading right now?

I'm currently reading Huntley Fitzpatrick's The Boy Most Likely To. So far, the book is amazing!

6. What are some of your favorite summertime reads? What recs do you have for your readers to check out this summer?

I typically read The Stand by Stephen King during the summer as that is a favorite of mine. I recently read Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon and it was fantastic!

7. What can we expect next from you?

I'm currently working on the second book of the Thunder Road series. Walk the Edge is Razor's story and it will be released in March 2016.

Quick, don't think!

-Favorite summertime beverage? Lemonade!

-Favorite Ice Cream flavor? Chocolate Chip

-Favorite part about summer? Blue skies.

-Lounging on the beach or summer road trip? Road trip.

-Favorite 'song of the summer’? Dirt Road Anthem by Jason Aldean.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright readers, that's all I have for you today during our UtopYAcon Author Spotlight Series! I hope you've learned a lot about our featured author, Mrs. Katie McGarry! She's awesome and I cannot wait to see her again next week!

Don't forget that Christina is also hosting an amazing spotlight over on her blog today, her guest was Miss Becca Vincenza ! Click the LuLo FanGirl banner below to check out Christina's post!

Be sure to enter the giveaway before you leave! You won't want to miss another surprise guest tomorrow! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Three: Meet Liz Long

6 DAYS UNTIL UTOPYA

Day One: Meet Liz Long

Liz Long

Liz Long is a ridiculously proud graduate of Longwood University with a BA in English. Her inspiration comes from action and thriller genres and she spends entirely too much time watching superhero movies. Her fabulous day job as a social media editor includes writing for a publishing company in Roanoke, VA.

Her first book, Gifted, is the first book in the Donovan Circus series, where superpowers meets the circus. Burned is the second adventure. Her standalone book Witch Hearts, is a story about a serial killer hunting witches for their powers. All titles are available at Amazon on Kindle and paperback, Barnes & Noble for Nook, and iBooks.

Find Liz Online

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page

Intro to Liz Long:

I don't have words enough to describe my bookish love for Liz Long. I met Liz Long by complete chance at last years UtopYA public signing and looking back, it was probably my favorite part about the signing. It only took me long enough to see the circus decorated tent to realize that Liz was my kind of people. With six full length novels under her belt, Liz has quickly become one of my all-time favorite authors. Not only is she an incredible author, she's a great lady all the way around. I know my life wouldn't be complete without our daily convos. She's been such an amazing supporter of mine and it's an honor to call her one of my best bookish friends!

Let's learn a bit more about Liz and her work:

Recent Release by Liz Long

Grace had finally gotten used to her new afterlife as a “Made” – a Reaper who used to be human. When Made Reapers and souls begin disappearing, however, Grace and her mentor Tully suspect demons. Grace’s worst fears are confirmed when her living family is threatened.

She’ll have to break every rule in the Reaper book to save them, including using a little magic to become temporarily human. With the help of Tully and her witchy friend Tessa, Grace goes undercover to save the fates of kidnapped souls – only to discover that demons aren’t working alone. Betrayal and distrust runs deep and Grace discovers that sometimes even Reapers are prone to humanity.

**$0.99 FOR A LIMITED TIME**

This was one of my favorite reads of 2014, IT IS INCREDIBLE!

Also by Liz Long

Did you guys know that Donovan Circus is one of my all time favorite series?

Exclusive UtopYA Interview with Liz Long

1. Tell us about your experience with UtopYA. What's your history with UtopYA and why do you attend?

Last year was my first year at UtopYA. I attended because I saw an opportunity to grow and learn, focus on my own writing and marketing. It also turned out to be a crazy awesome networking opportunity as I'm now the PR Coordinator for the entire event! I attend because of the people - the kind, funny, passionate people who are as crazy about reading and writing books as I am. Go for the panels, stay for the friends.

2.What is your favorite Nashville attraction and why? If this is your first time attending UtopYA/visiting Nashville, what are you most excited to see?

I actually lived in Nashville for a few years and grew attached to a few places there. The Predators hockey games are always fun, but I particularly love hanging out in East Nashville with all the hipsters, good food, and entertainment. Not quite the rowdy downtown scene, but I've done the tourist-y stuff plenty of times :)

3.What makes UtopYA different from any other book convention/signing?

I think, personally, it's the camaraderie. You get to mingle with authors of all walks in life, at every level. Not only do you get to learn and hone your craft (especially important at conferences like these), but there's always a lot of fun to be had even if you're just walking through the lobby and see several new friends!

4. When not attending the conference, where will you be spending your week in Nashville?

I'll be seeing a few friends that still live in the area.

5. What are you reading right now?

I just finished reading keynote speaker Lauren Miller's 2 books, FREE TO FALL and PARALLEL. I highly recommend them both!

6. What are some of your favorite summertime reads? What recs do you have for your readers to check out this summer?

I, of course, think you should check out all the great writers that will be selling their summer reads at UtopYA! ;)

7. What can we expect next from you?

New cover reveal for all three books in the Donovan Circus series coming soon :) As well as the fourth in the series due out this fall, fingers crossed! And plenty more on the horizon, that I can promise!

Quick, don't think!

-Favorite summertime beverage? Lemonade!

-Favorite Ice Cream flavor? Always chocolate.

-Favorite part about summer? More daylight hours.

-Lounging on the beach or summer road trip? Road trip (if I had to pick).

-Favorite 'song of the summer’? I'm gonna cheat here and say "any song by Dave Grohl" although I'm digging new Mumford & Sons album!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Alright readers, that's all I have for you today during our UtopYAcon Author Spotlight Series! I hope you've learned a lot about our featured author, Mrs. Liz Long! She's one of my best bookish friends and I can't wait to see her again next week!

Don't forget that Christina is also hosting an amazing spotlight over on her blog today, her first guest was Mrs. Casey Bond! Click the LuLo FanGirl banner below to check out Christina's post!

Be sure to enter the giveaway before you leave! You won't want to miss another surprise guest tomorrow! Until next time, Happy Reading!

-Ethan

Pages

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Eight: Meet Stacey O'Neale

Stacey O'Neale

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Seven: Meet Sarah Negovetich

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Four: Meet Katie McGarry

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Countdown to UtopYA Author Spotlight Series Day Three: Meet Liz Long