Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Heather Lyons, author of the Fate series, as well as The Deep End of The Sea, here with an epically awesome post. I absolutely adore Heather! Her books were the first I ever reviewed for a publicist. They are amazing, well-written and have epic, relatable, lovable characters. These books will always hold a special place in my heart, as will Heather! So, today Heather and I have cooked up something pretty epic for you guys. If you’ve read the Fate series, you’ll swoon like crazy! And if you haven’t read it, well… Why haven’t you?!?! So, without further adieu, please welcome Chloe and Kellan from the Fate series!

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Hi Chloe and Jonah. Thank you so much for joining us today! We’re very excited to have you here.
Chloe: Hi Meredith! We’re so glad to be able to stop by.
Jonah: Hey, Meredith.

Well, let’s start with you, Chloe. You’ve been through so much. How are you doing?
Chloe: I’m doing great, actually!

You had some major health problems. How are you feeling now?
Chloe: (laughs, embarrassed) I like how you phrased that—health problems. Wait—are you talking about all the stuff I went through with the Elders? Because I’m right as rain now. Annar’s Shamans are really excellent at what they do.
Jonah: She could have been talking about the ulcers, you know.

[Smiles] Yes, I meant the ulcers. Though what you went through with the Elders must have taken its toll, too!
Chloe: Oh! Well, those are gone, too. I’ve found a lot of things over the years that helps me reduce stress.

Can you share some of those things with us?
Chloe: Breathing, for one. And counting—I’m always counting. Counting calms me down. And running—I guess somebody over here was right all those years about how running helps him clear his mind . . .
Jonah: (gives a who, me? look)
Chloe: I started yoga a year or so back.
Jonah: And . . . you finished yoga a year or so back?
Chloe: (laughs) Okay, okay. I don’t do yoga. But I have started journaling. That helps, even if it’s just to get the words out. Sometimes I’ll just will the paper away afterward, but it’s the thought that I got them out there in the first place, and it helps relieve some of the pressures, especially in work-related matters.

And you have no desire to run away again, right? [Chuckles]
Chloe: (sighs) Running away solves nothing. Although . . . (looks over at Jonah) as wrong as running away was, I think it was probably the best thing I could have done at the time. Except, if I could do it all over again, I’d have talked it over with Jonah, so that it wasn’t like I just disappeared. Sometimes . . . space is needed, you know? It helps to bring what’s important back in focus.

[Nods sympathetically at Chloe, then speaks in a gentle voice]. Right, I understand. [Turns to Jonah]. Jonah, let’s move on to you for a minute. How are you doing?
Jonah: I’m great, thanks.

You held a lot back for a long time. You didn’t always speak your mind, you were quick to get upset. How do you think you’ve grown over the last several years?
Jonah: Um . . . (chuckles ruefully) Yeah, I wasn’t always the best with dealing with my own emotions, which is sort of horribly ironic for an Emotional, right? It’s a process, though. When you grow up with a certain set of expectations, it’s hard to shake them even when you know they’re not the right course of action. I have to remind myself all the time that it’s okay to let it out sometimes.

Do you ever find yourself falling back into old habits? How do you cope when that happens?
Jonah: You mean, like holding it all in? (thinks about this) I’d like to say no. Actually—let me clarify. I’ve learned to let the important people in and to express myself better with them. I don’t hold things back from my family anymore. And if I ever do find myself bottling those feelings up—
Chloe: I remind him that I’m here for him, and if he wants to talk, I’m here for that, too. And so is Astrid, and Cameron, and Will, and Callie, and all the rest of our family. Even KC. They’re so cute together, by the way.
Jonah: You mean me and KC?
Chloe: Cute and so much alike. I love it. And I love that you don’t hold back with him, not like your father ever did with you.

We got an in-depth look at you and your feelings in Beyond Fate, Jonah. Was that nerve-racking for you?
Jonah: (clearly uncomfortable) Uh, yeah.
Chloe: (laughs; holds his hand) Baby steps, right?

Can you elaborate on that, Jonah? If you’re comfortable answering this question, what was the most difficult part about it?
Jonah: Well, it was the whole opening up thing. Letting people see my fears and insecurities, especially when I have so many expectations upon my shoulders.

What’s one thing you hope readers take away from Beyond Fate?
Jonah: Uh . . . (scratches back of neck) That I’m not perfect, maybe?
Chloe: Nobody is. Nobody should want to be. By the way, I love that people got to see the real you.

And we loved it, too, Chloe! Now, you were involved in what’s referred to as a “love triangle.” What does that term mean to you? Does it truly reflect how you feel about one another?
Chloe: Oh, gods. Isn’t that so sordid sounding? Love triangle.
Jonah: I suppose it could have been worse—it could have been a rectangle. (smiles slyly) Thank goodness you and Will never hooked up, right?
Chloe:(cracks up) Can you imagine?

[Chuckles]

Jonah: In all seriousness, though, it’s not like it’s a desirable thing, though. A love triangle, I mean. It’s pretty brutal.
Chloe: (more quietly) Completely brutal. I think . . . a lot of people who hear our story thinks that it was an easy pick, or that we all ought to have been able to control our feelings so easily. But . . . matters of the heart aren’t always so logical or easy.
Jonah: Especially with Connections.
Chloe: Especially with Connections. Have I mentioned before that they suck?
Jonah: That’s putting it mildly.

A lot of people say your “love triangle” – for lack of a better word – is one of the most well done in young adult. People have a hard time picking a “team” between you and your brother [stares at Jonah]. How does that make you feel?
Jonah: Uh . . . Crappy, I guess. For lack of a better word.
Chloe: (squeezes his hand, says gently) I think what she’s saying is that people think you’re both awesome, and that they could see why I . . . um . . . (trails off, uncomfortable)
Jonah: Yeah, no. I get it. I guess I can see how it’s a compliment.

[Nods quickly]. My apologies, Jonah. That was most certainly meant as a compliment! As Chloe said, you and your brother are both amazing and wonderful!
Jonah: Yeah, my brother is a pretty awesome person. (is quiet for a long moment) Is it weird that I get why she loved him? (shakes his head) Outside of the Connection, I mean. Yeah, I get it. I do. I can’t blame her for that, not when I think he’s one of the best people I know.
Chloe: (leans over and kisses Jonah) You’re pretty awesome yourself, mister.

Do you feel scrutinized at all? Like your life is under a microscope? [Directed at Jonah, but glances at Chloe, in case she wants to speak up]
Jonah: Well, it’s not like I’m thrilled people know all about my love life or anything.
Chloe: The thing is, though, as Magicals—with such a small society—our lives pretty much are open books. The gossip machine in Annar is horrible.
Jonah: There’s not as much gossip about us anymore. Happy couples are boring, right?
Chloe: Silly man. There is nothing boring about us in the least. (waggles eyebrows)
Jonah: (tries not to laugh) (or make fun of the fact that Chloe looks ridiculous doing this)

[Chuckles and shakes head] You two are just so adorable together!
Chloe: See? (turns to Jonah) Don’t I say this all the time? (to Meredith) Thank you! Our son thinks we’re gross. What does he know?

[Chuckles and nods]. Chloe, let’s go back to you for a moment. How do YOU feel about this love triangle business? [Smiles kindly, to make the question sound less intimidating]
Chloe: I am asked to do a lot of difficult things in my line of work, but . . . whether or not this makes me sound petty or selfish, being torn between two people I love with all of my heart was the hardest thing in the worlds to go through.

[Nods sympathetically]. I can’t even imagine. Are you happy now, though?
Chloe: I truly am. More importantly, I’m content. A lot of people don’t give credence to contentment, but if you’ve been through as much angst as me, you’ll come to see it as the best of blessings.

[Nods at Chloe]. That’s what matters most, then. [Pauses]. When it comes to your life and your choices, you’ve always had Fate kind of . . . nudging you in a certain direction. You’ve always fought against that. What have you learned from this experience? [Glances at Jonah, nodding slightly to encourage him to speak up if he wishes]
Chloe: (is thoughtful for a long moment) I think it’s important to realize that, no matter what, a person must always remember that they have a choice. That was my big takeaway. I could choose what kind of Creator to be. I could choose my family. I could choose who to live my life with. Choice is a beautiful, precious thing.
Jonah: Choice is everything, I think . . . as long as it’s true to one’s heart. Choice by default does nobody any favors.

[Nods at Jonah]. Yes, I absolutely agree, Jonah. [Glances back at Chloe]. What advice would you give someone, Chloe, who feels their life is out of their control?
Chloe: Take a step back. Find yourself—not who others want you to be, but who you are.

That’s wonderful advice, thank you, Chloe. So, this question is for the both of you. What’s one lesson you’ve learned throughout this whole journey that you want to share with everyone?
Chloe: To be true to oneself.
Jonah: I like that.
Chloe: Yeah?
Jonah: (kisses her hand) Yeah. It’s the absolute best lesson of all.

[Smiles and nods at the adorable couple] Final question. Are you happy with where your stories ended?
Chloe: (smiles) Who says our story has ended?
Jonah: Oh, it definitely hasn’t ended. Everyday, I find something new to love about this woman.
Chloe: I think the best of endings are no endings at all. That life just keeps going—beautifully, authentically. I think the better question is: are we happy with our lives? And the answer is oh, yes. Very happy. We made the right choices for ourselves, and it’s made all the difference.

Thank you both so much for taking the time to speak with me. That was wonderful!
Chloe: Thanks for having us, Meredith! And thanks for all the support you’ve shown us through our story.

* * * * * *

(Later, in a coffee shop far, far away from Annar, Meredith spies somebody familiar sitting at a table alongside a dejected looking teenager, so she can’t help but stop and eavesdrop a little.)

“Sometimes,” the teenager says as he curls his fingers around what appears to be an iced mocha, “I don’t think I’ll ever be happy.”

The man he’s talking with pulls a teabag out of his cup and sets it on a nearby napkin. “I know it’s hard to believe it right now, when it feels like everything is imploding inward, but the truth is, you will be. Just because this relationship didn’t work out doesn’t mean the next won’t. Or the one after that.”

“Of course you’re going to say that. You’re happy,” the teenager cuts in. “That’s what adults always say.”

The man chuckles and runs his hand through his longish, messy black hair. “We’re not here to discuss me or my relationship.

We’re here to talk about why you decided to spray paint your ex-girlfriend’s car.”

“I thought she was the one,” the teenager says quietly. “And now she’s with him.”

“Most people don’t find the love of their life in high school.” The man smiles kindly. “Sometimes, it takes going out into the big world and having experiences that allow one to grow before a person can even be ready to accept love in their life. Or, at least, the right love.”

The teenager leans forward, his fingers snapping the plastic of his cup. “Is that what happened to you?”

“We’re not here to discuss me, remember?”

“But is it?”

The man blows out a long breath before tugging on a leather cuff on his wrist. Then he says slowly, but assuredly, “It is.” He glances at a clock on the wall. “Our session is up for the week, but I want you to think about putting some distance between you and your ex-girlfriend this week. Find something healthy to keep your mind occupied, especially now that it’s summer vacation.”

“A buddy took me surfing the other day,” the teen says thoughtfully. “I liked that a lot.”

“Perfect.” The man smiles encouragingly. “I can attest that surfing does a mind good. Go carve up some waves. Practice the breathing techniques we’ve talked about.”

The teenager stands up. “Thanks, Doc.”

The man rises and claps the boy on the shoulder. When his cell phone rings, he tells the teen, “Same time next week. Think positive.”

Once the boy is gone, he pulls out the phone and answers it. “Hey, Ash,” he says. His mouth quirks up in a half smile. “My session just ended. Would you like me to bring you a drink home?”

Minutes later, he exits the coffee shop, an extra drink in his hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~
 

Along with this epic giveaway, we have TWO epic prizes for ONE lucky winner! From Heather, we have some random/signed swag! From me, we have ONE eBook for any book in the Fate series OR of The Deep End of the Sea, winner’s choice.

This giveaway is US only, but fear not! We have INT giveaways going on in our Grand Prize Giveaway which you can enter here! We also have several International giveaways going on, which you can find listed here!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is US Only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Maura from The Whimsical Mama here with an epically awesome guest post. Maura is so awesome, I can’t even. She’s fun and bookish and I love chatting with her! So, without further adieu, please welcome Maura!

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I’m so excited to be a part of the Pandora’s Wonderland blogoversary celebration! I was even more excited to be a part when Meredith asked me to do a post about high fantasy! Fantasy is my jam. I would confidently say about 85% of what I read is fantasy. Tis true. My obsession started with Harry Potter and I haven’t looked back.

What’s so awesome about fantasy? Well, I’ll tell you. When I want to completely leave ordinary life behind, I can with fantasy. I can jump right into the world of Westeros (I confess I re-watch Game of Thrones more than I re-read the books!). I can also hop the Hogwarts Express and leave behind the Muggle world and go to Hogwarts. I am actually doing this now. I’m listening to the audiobooks with my kiddos. Punk’s library audiobook choice, I SWEAR. (How many toddlers do you know that pick out the Harry Potter movies AND audiobooks? Yeah, parenting win!) After our journey to Hogwarts, we’re going to step through the wardrobe into Narnia. I can’t wait to share these incredible worlds with my children. They already love being read to, and I hope that the love of reading continues through childhood, through adolescence, and through adulthood. I hope they never lose that passion!

My favourite thing in high fantasy is MAGIC. I am a glutton for magic.

A high fantasy book I’m super excited about that’s coming soon (OCTOBER!!!) is Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. When I saw the cover and description, I looked at my hubby and said I want that book for my birthday! He laughed. He’s a reader, but not a READER reader, so he just doesn’t understand my obsession with books. I was luck enough to score an advance copy from HarperTeen on Edelweiss (thank you, autoapproval!) and I’ve already read it, but I CANNOT wait for it to be out in the wild. I think it’s going to be a great new series in the high fantasy world. I think it could be the Game of Thrones of YA. Read it. Just do it. (: And just between you and me, it’s highly likely that I will be doing a giveaway for Snow Like Ashes on my blog closer to the release date. Just sayin’! You’ll want to keep an eye out for it!

Two of my current favourite realms are the Incarnate/Newsoul world by Jodi Meadows and the Defiance world by CJ Redwine. To me, they split the realm of dystopian and high fantasy and I LOVE IT. Dystopian because they’re both futuristic & post-apocalyptic. (Both in the US too!) High fantasy because – DRAGONS. Woot! I’m starting to fall in love with dragons. For real. Falling in love with them. If you know me at all, you know I love me some Jodi Meadows. I am not shy about my love for her or for her books. SO! To go along with my guest post, I am going to give away two e-novellas. First is Phoenix Overture (Sam’s story) by Jodi. Second is the upcoming e-novella Outcast by CJ. Winner gets first pick between the two! I really, REALLY love this fantasy/dystopian mix and hope it continues!

So this post was a little chaotic, but that’s how I roll. I’m also including my Top 10 Favourite Fantasy Reads. I could’ve gone into massive detail about why I love each of these books/series, but ain’t no body got time fo’ dat! (: Hope you’ve been enjoying the blogoversary celebration! Feel free to stop by my blog for more whimsical chaos! Thanks for having me, Meredith!

This giveaway is US only, but fear not! We have INT giveaways going on in our Grand Prize Giveaway which you can enter here! We also have several International giveaways going on, which you can find listed here!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is US Only

-First winner will have first pick, second winner will get whichever e-novella is left

-Winners have 48 hours to respond. If winners do not respond, new winners will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Vivi Barnes, YA author of Olivia Twisted and the upcoming Paper or Plastic (January 2015), here with an epically awesome guest post. I absolutely adore Vivi! Thanks to Dahlia Adler, I had the honor of interviewing Vivi and reading Olivia Twisted before it released. I fell in love with Vivi’s fun plot and realistic characters – I was able to easily follow the story, despite never having read Oliver Twisted (which pulls us nicely into Vivi’s guest post)! I highly recommend her books to everyone and anyone! So, without further adieu, please welcome Vivi!

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Retellings can be tricky things—the decision of what to keep and what to change is not easy. OLIVIA TWISTED is a contemporary novel (as was OLIVER TWIST in its day) so I needed to make the obvious updates—changing the workhouse to the foster care system, updating from pickpockets to hackers, etc.

I thought I’d share some of the “fun facts” of incorporating OLIVER TWIST into OLIVIA TWISTED (there are more, but these are some of my favorites).

1) In OLIVER TWIST, Mr. Bumble—the pompous parish beadle—was responsible for moving Oliver to his next home from the workhouse. Though greatly softened, he is reimagined in Julia, the child welfare official, who moves Olivia from home to home without noticing the obvious red flags, such as at her latest home with the Carters.

2) The Sowerberrys with whom Oliver Twist lives before joining Fagin’s gang are mirrored in the Carters, Olivia’s latest foster home. The experience in these homes plays into the decision of the main characters to join the gang of thieves.

3) Z’s real name is the true name of the Artful Dodger in OLIVER TWIST.

4) Charley Bates was the sidekick of the Artful Dodger in OLIVER TWIST. Z’s friend Sam is the equivalent in OLIVIA TWISTED.

5) Mrs. Bedwin is the kind-hearted housekeeper for Mr. Brownlow in both stories.

6) I was always impressed with how Nancy fought against everything society had made her to help Oliver escape from Bill Sykes, so I made her the house “mother” of the Monroe Street Home for Boys & Girls. In keeping with her nature, she is kind and tries to keep the safety and well being of the kids as her priority.

7) And finally, I enjoyed making a few references to the original story in passing conversations—at one point, Z is referenced as “Dodger,” because he “likes the Dodgers.” And in a nod to the original story’s focus, Z tries to justify the “business” of Monroe Street by telling Olivia, “It’s not like we pick pockets.” My friends tried to get me to include the famous line, “Please sir, I want some more,” but, ya know, I just couldn’t make it work without it sounding really weird.

Happy Blogoversary, Meredith and Pandora’s Books!

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Along with Vivi’s’s wonderful post, we have an epic prize to give away! One lucky winner will receive a SIGNED copy of Olivia Twisted! This giveaway is US only, but fear not! We have INT giveaways going on in our Grand Prize Giveaway which you can enter here! We also have several International giveaways going on, which you can find listed here!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is US Only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Rachel Harris here with an epically awesome excerpt from her new book, The Fine Art of Pretending (TFAoP) (September 2014, Spencer Hill Contemporary). I’ve been a HUGE fan of Rachel ever since I read Taste the Heat (almost a year ago)! She writes amazing stories with fun plots, lovable characters and swoon-worthy boys! So, without further adieu, please enjoy this super fun exceprt!!

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I sit at my vanity, staring at the free gift-with-purchase bag stuffed with makeup, and try to remember which products Kara used yesterday. The idea of a beauty regime is as foreign to me as losing a volleyball match, but desperate times call for desperate measures. After applying the coral blush to the “apples” of my cheeks (another new term for my vocabulary), I grab the berry-stained lip gloss I’m almost certain is right. I unscrew the cap, pump the wand, and raise it to my mouth.

A sudden rap on the door makes the wand skitter across my cheek, leaving a zigzag stripe of Blackberry Bloom in its wake.

“Lovely,” I mutter, yanking a handful of tissues out of a crochet-covered box. Regardless of how often I’ve watched Gabi and Kara do this, obviously makeup application skills cannot be obtained through osmosis. I toss the balled-up Kleenex into the waste bin and bellow, “Come in, Kaitie!”

Instead of my younger sister, Brandon lets himself in, a notebook with sketched-out game plans tucked under his arm. When he spots me in the corner, he does a double-take, eyebrows shooting up over his jade-colored eyes. “I see Kara got to you. Should I even ask why?”

Well, at least he noticed.

In reply, I walk to the huge mirror over my bed that acts as a massive picture frame for my ultimate Wall of Shame. My feet sink into the plush yellow comforter, and I point to the latest entry.

“Exhibit A,” I tell him. “Junior Prom.”

Brandon hops up beside me, leans in to inspect the picture, and nods. “I don’t get it.”

I exhale and stare at the picture taken three months ago—two weeks after Adam and I had broken up. Adam was my first boyfriend. My only boyfriend. And up until our breakup, I assumed things were going great. We’d been going out for four months, and I’d foolishly thought he could be the one. Maybe not the forever one, but the one for a good while. The one to see me as desirable.

The one to break my curse.

“When I added this picture the other night,” I say, “I had an epiphany.”

Brandon scratches the back of his neck and squints. “An epiphany?”

“Yes, an epiphany. Look again. Do you not notice a demoralizing theme to the dance pictures?” I pause for him to inspect the evidence and sigh when he shrugs. “All my dates are friends, Brandon. Every Homecoming, Winter Formal, and Spring Fling picture shows me with a bunch of girlfriends, an ex-boyfriend pity date, or a just-a-friend guy date. Starting with you.”

 
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Thanks to Rachel, along with this epic excerpt, we have a swag pack for ONE of you lucky readers! The swag pack will include a Brandon Trading Card (pictured below!), a TFAoP teaser card and a bookmark. Plus, this is an international giveaway!

 
So, the rules:

-Giveaway is International

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Jamie Grey, YA author of Ultraviolet Catastrophe and The Star Thief, here with an epically awesome guest post. I absolutely adore Jamie! Thanks to Dahlia Adler, I had the honor of interviewing Jamie and reading Ultraviolet Catastrophe before it released. I fell in love with Jamie’s unique plot and realistic characters. I highly recommend her books to everyone and anyone! So, without further adieu, please welcome Jamie!

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I think most of us have been there: You’ve been on 23 dates this year and you still can’t find a good guy (or girl) to settle down with. Or, you’re on yet another awkward first date, trapped in a restaurant with yet another person you know isn’t a good match. Or, even worse, a few dates in and you can’t think of a damn thing to do with that person and you end up staring at each other, bored out of your minds.

Well, have no fear, in the future, those problems will be gone and romance will be a breeze! (Or so we hope.)

Getting tired of the same old guys you’ve been meeting? The ones with crappy jobs, or the ones who don’t seem to realize how awesome you are? In the future, you can find your dates cross species! That REALLY opens up the dating prospects. Hate the way that human guy’s been treating you? Try a Martian. Or an Ileth. Or those hot Klingons across the star system. I hear they’re pretty good in bed.

What happens if you just don’t click with that hunky guy from the planet Antivia Nine and he won’t stop calling? “I’m busy on another planet” is a totally legitimate excuse to turn down a date. Nothing like a few million light years between you to get the point across.

Or how about that sixth date slog? You’re totally into Mr. Perfect Alien, but you’re bored with sitting around watching holo-vid movies? Hop a starship for a date in Saturn’s Rings. Who wouldn’t find dining in an asteroid belt romantic? Or try the newest dish from the recently-discovered planet in the next galaxy. I hear it’s an aphrodisiac.

Finally ready to take that next step in your relationship? How about flowers from a distant planet to set the scene, and light from the actual stars to make the room glow? And once the details are right, turn off the gravity dampeners and float. Making love in zero-gravity is definitely something new and different! Talk about a date to remember!

In the future, the romantic possibilities are endless!

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Thanks to Jamie, we have an epic prize to give away! One INTERNATIONAL winner will receive an eBook of Jamie’s NA novel, The Star Thief! This book was crazy good, so you definitely don’t want to miss out on entering this giveaway!!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is INT

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hey everyone! Meredith from Pandora’s Books here. For those who don’t know, I’m doing a joint Blogoversary celebration with Kayla and Stacie from A Wonderland of Reading. The festivities started on May 26 (their one-year Blogoversary) and will end on June 24 (my one-year Blogoversary). We’ll be alternating days and providing fun guest posts from our fellow bloggers and author friends. You can visit A Wonderland of Reading to see the first post and learn more about the details and the grand prize giveaway!

So today, I have the AMAZING Robin Constantine, YA author of The Promise of Amazing, here with an epically awesome guest post. I absolutely adore Robin. Before blogging, I read very little YA contemporary fiction. It just wasn’t my thing. I preferred Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Paranormal, etc. But through the recommendation of Dahlia Adler and OneFour KidLit, I gave The Promise of Amazing a chance, plus scored an interview with Robin. Let me tell you, if you haven’t read this book… DO IT! (Psst, there’s a giveaway for one copy of The Promise of Amazing at the end of this post.. So get on that! You WANT to read this book!) So when Robin brought this guest post topic to me, I totally loved the idea! It’s a different side of publishing that reader’s don’t see as often. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did! So, without further adieu, please welcome Robin!

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When Meredith asked if I’d like to participate in her blogoversary bash, I was thrilled! Not only because it’s been wonderful to see her blog thrive, but also because it’s been about a year and a half since I signed my book contract and am only just starting to reflect on this wild and amazing journey I’ve been on during my debut year. One of the questions I’m frequently asked is “Does the reality of being an author match your expectations?” and I usually answer something along the lines of “It’s everything I hoped it would be and nothing like I expected it to be.” Doesn’t make much sense, right? Here are some of the situations where my expectations and my reality were sometimes at odds:

Signing my Book Deal

I think every writer has a dream about getting “the call.” And it was awesome.

 
…but after the champagne was popped and the confetti swept away, I woke up at 3:00AM feeling much like this:

 
As much as you want your work ‘out there’ when it suddenly becomes a reality, it’s kind of terrifying.

Visiting my publisher for the first time

This is one where the reality totally exceeded my expectations. It was overwhelming to see how many people work on a book!

The Month Leading up to Launch

Fantasy – I’ll be calm, cool, collected and ready to party.

 
Reality – There’s no turning back now.

 
I was writing another book, doing guest posts, getting reviews and dealing with the holidays – and in my spare time just trying to embrace the chaos. By the time my book was out there, I needed a nap!

Seeing My Book in the Bookstore

How I thought I’d be:

 
The reality:

 
You know, because they usually look down on back-flipping down the aisle. (And also, I just wanted to use a Joseph Morgan .gif)

Now that I’m published writing will be easy

All authors must go to their desk divinely inspired everyday, right?

 
Ha! Eeek…in reality it’s still like this:

 
And this:

 
And sometimes even this:

 
But in the end, even with all the craziness, this debut year has mostly been like this:

 
 
Happy Blogoversary Pandora’s Books! Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebration, Meredith! And thank you to all you lovely readers for making my job a dream come true!!

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Along with Robin’s amazing, gif-tastic post, we have an epic prize to give away! A finished copy of The Promise of Amazing! This giveaway is US only, but fear not! We have INT giveaways going on in our Grand Prize Giveaway which you can enter here! We also have an international giveaway going on here and here!

So, the rules:

-Giveaway is US Only

-Winner has 48 hours to respond. If winner does not respond, a new winner will be selected.

-You must be 13 or older to enter OR have your parents’ permission.

-I am not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items.

-I reserve the right to change any rules as I see fit for each individual giveaway

*The above giveaway rules were borrowed and modified from Jessica @ Just a Book Lover.

With that being said, I wish you luck! May the odds be ever in your favor!

a Rafflecopter giveaway