BEA Bound: Get to Know Me

I'm heading to BEA Thursday and Friday

Here are some things you might not know about me:

1. I'm addicted to candy (dark chocolate and gummy treats)

2. Also I adore cupcakes, cannoli, cookies - you get the idea

3. Since I'm taking some time to write - I have the summer free (first time in 11 years I have no summer reading program  - which is both sad and relaxing)

4. I like going for hikes - day ones only, no camping here

5. I love visiting libraries around the country to see what they do, even when on vacation

6. I just started Instagram

7. I started a bucket list this year because of pop culture influences (TV shows and books)

8. I want to take a series of classes around the world: Pastry in Paris, Glass Blowing in Venice, Chocolate making in Switzerland

9. I'm addicted to Bath and Body works - their body wash and their creams. No matter how many I have, I always want more.

10. I'm also addicted to craft stores - now that I have some time off this summer, I hope to starting crafting much more!

And I'm pretty shy - but much more outgoing online.

If you see me, say Hi! I'll be on the lookout for you too.

Ten Things: YA Princess Books

With the Royal Wedding date now upon us, here are 1o awesome books about royals. I must say the wedding was beautiful. Catherine's dress was amazing. She looked GORGEOUS and so happy. I loved all the looks and smiles between Prince William and Catherine. I also adored the moments I saw of Prince Harry and also Pippa. I loved the kisses on the balcony, but I do think they could have been a bit longer.

As I'm addicted to Princess stories, two years ago for Nanowrimo, I started a Princess story of my own. It contains a royal quest, a very important book, and dragons.

Here's the prologue: (Sorry about the formatting, I've struggled with it all morning, and this seems to be the default setting)

My parents were sure I was going to be a boy. They were completely dumbfounded when the midwife uttered those fateful words, “It’s a girl!” My father paled, “Are you sure?” “Yes, Sir, I’m sure.” She handed me to the Queen and stepped back, unsure of what to do in this situation. She didn’t want anyone blaming the messenger for bad news. The Queen cuddled me to her, whispering in my ear lovingly. “A girl….what will we call her?” my father sputtered. “Raphaela,” whispered my mother. She reached out and grabbed my father’s arm. “We’ll just add an A to the name. Look at our daughter, isn’t she beautiful?” He looked at me for the first time. “She’s so tiny, but beautiful, just like her mother.” “Then she’ll have you wrapped around her finger in no time.” He leaned forward to kiss her head musing, “I wonder what the people will think.” He sighed, the tender moment gone, the King in charge. “Let the councilor in.” The midwife dropped a curtsy and opened the door. Councilman Emrick rushed in, “Well?” “Councilman Emrick meet the new heir, my daughter Raphaela.” Councilman Emrick looked shaken. “A girl! Are you crazy? Sir, there hasn’t been a female heir in our history since…well you know.” “Councilman Emrick, I know, but look at her. She’ll make an excellent queen one day.” Councilman Emrick couldn’t help thinking that the King was wrong, the people would revolt. He bowed out of the room murmuring that he’d make sure everything was ready for the celebration of the new heir. The queen frowned, “Was that wise dear?” "What?” “Telling Councilman Emrick that your daughter will rule?” “Why ever not?” “You know as well as I do, darling, that she’s forbidden to rule.” “Clearly that law will have to be changed.”

Now for the books:

Princess Diaries: One of the reasons I became a teen librarian - what a fun entertaining series. I love Mia and Michael.



Graceling: I loved this book for the strength of Katsa, her courage, her determination, and her honor. Plus it's an amazing love story.


Forgive My Fins: I LOVED this tale (and the sequel, which is also amazing is due out in June!) Lily's a mermaid princess in the water, but on land, she's just another girl in high school. Read my review and book trailer


Princess for Hire: A super fun read! I Love how Desi goes against policy and accidentally changes the lives of the real Princesses. Can't wait to read the next book - Royal Treatment. Read my review


Nobody's Princess: A great historical fiction about Helen of Troy. I love how Helen would rather learn how to fight than sew - my kind of heroine.


Seer and the Sword: I loved the magical turn of this book and the deadly plots and double crossings.


Princess of the Midnight Ball: A fairy tale retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. A beautiful story and a Fantastic cover!!
Read my review:

Aurelia: I loved this book about a Princess with a deadly enemy. Her life is in danger and a young spy comes to flush out the person responsible for the attacks. The sequel Exile is just out now.
Read my review

Dragonfly: I LOVED this book - it was simply beautiful. Princess Taoshira and Prince Ramil become betrothed for the purposes of an alliance. Neither are interested in the marriage. However, before the ceremony takes place, they are both kidnapped.


Dealing with Dragons: I loved how different Cimorene is and how she refuses to be proper and runs away out of sheer boredom to live with a dragon.
View my Book Trailer


What books do you love involving royals?

Ten Things: Literary Crushes

The best books for me are when I become the character - and that means falling for the guy. So here' s another hard list to make, my top literary crushes.

Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice
Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables
Harry Potter
Ranger from Stephanie Plum series
Valek from The Study Series
Michael Moscovitz from the Princess Dairies
Nash from Waiting for You
Jon Snow from a Song of Ice and Fire
Po from Graceling
Alex Rider

I know I could go on and on at length about several others, but who are some of your crushes that I missed?

Ten Things: Adult Romances

I read chick-lit books and some romances, but I have to admit that one author turned me onto romances (again) and I couldn't believe I stopped reading them for a while. I think romance gets a bad name from the rest of the reading world. I know that I read romances from my own home and generally not in public. I sometimes cringe when it's a sexy cover and wonder what the library circulation staff might say. But then I shrug, because I really do want to read these books and I know that others do too.

This is the book that got me started on Regency Romances - It's by far my favorite romance genre. I picked up this book after I read Sarah MacLean's YA novel The Season and wanted more from her.

I love this series for the romance, the spies, the danger, and the time shifts between modern day and Regency England / France

Meg Cabot's a favorite, but I absolutely LOVED the idea of writing a Romance novel. And it was an adorable novel.

I read 10 Things I Love About You before I knew it was a series and then I went back to read the rest. Loved them! In the first of the series, I loved how the little girl fell in love with a handsome young man and how it all turned out.

I LOVE Debbie Macomber. I'm working my way through her novels. I LOVE this one and the Blossom Street novels the best.
Sherryl Woods is quickly becoming a favorite. I LOVE these two series. I also just purchased the two Rose Cottage books.

I loved this book - and again didn't realize it was part of a series. I have book three at home, waiting to be read. I loved the 'improper" behavior and how Theresa, a spinster, makes a list of all the things she still wants to do in life. And then does them!

I read this one right before Christmas and loved it for the sweet tale of a man who gains a daughter when his sister dies. He meets his match in a toy store. It's just a wonderful read and the cutest holiday romance.

This was the first book I've read of Susan Elizabeth Philips and I adored it! I loved the matching making scheme. And the few I've read by her, I've loved.

I loved this book. I loved how it started with Tarot cards and her life went on from there. Very fun.

I have a several in my goodreads To-Read list - but what are some that I can't miss?

10 Things: Book Quotes

When I was in college, I had a professor talk about book quotes. So I started writing down lines from my favorite books. I'm very out of practice because it takes so much time while reading. But here's a few of my favorite quotes from books read years ago. These are coming in order of books read.

1. Princess Diaries: "Why is it that the only time I can tell the truth is when it's guaranteed to get me into trouble. "

2. Book of Three: "In some cases," he said, "We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself."

3. Black Cauldron: "I'm not speaking to you!" she cried to Taran. "The way you acted, it's like asking someone to a feast, then making them wash the dishes! But - farewell, anyway. That," she added, "doesn't count as speaking."

4. The Important of Being Earnest: "I am sick to death of cleverness. Everyone is clever nowadays. You can't go anywhere without meeting clever people. The thing has become am absolute nuisance. I wish to goodness we had a few fools left."

5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: "She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before."

6. Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras: "The seeds of today are the fruits of tomorrow. The thoughts of today are the actions of tomorrow."

7. So You Want to Be a Wizard: "reading one book is like eating one potato chip."

8. Paper Towns: "But then again, if you don't imagine, nothing ever happens at all.

9. 3 Willows: "Polly was pretty good at dieting, all right, but she was beginning to wonder whether you ever lost the parts of yourself you wanted to lose."

10. Map of the Known World: "That someday I'll reach a point where all the wishing and dreaming and hoping finishes in something grand."