Breathless Reads Tour: RJ Julia's

I've been hearing so much about the Breathless Read Books, so I was super excited to see some of the author at RJ Julia's - an independent bookstore that great the most amazing authors.

Waiting for the authors to arrive!

The Authors:
Jessica Spotswood - Born Wicked
Elizabeth Richards - Black City
Beth Revis - Shades of Earth
Fiona Paul - Venom
Morgan Rhodes - Falling Kingdoms

 What I Learned from the Q&A:

Why Write YA:
JS: Gone with the Wind made her want to be a writers. YA books are the ones that stayed with her growing up - the ones she read over and over again for comfort. It was a natural fit.

ER: YA is all about firsts!

BR: YA is the beating heart of literature where teens have a passion for life and aren't jaded.

FP: In YA you can mix genres and readers love it

MR: It's a time for self discover and learning what rules are made to be broken.

When did you know you wanted to write?
JS: Started writing at a young age, Gone with the Wind knock offs with strong girl characters - with horses and Yankee boys.

ER: Influenced by J.K. Rowling

BR: Knew she always wanted to write

FP: Wanted to be a lot of things - but found herself reviewing books, the majority were YA - which influenced her to start writing

MR: Read adventure series by Enid Blyton and made up her own stories about the chracters.

What to you do to combat writer's block:
JS: If the character has made a wrong choice, she goes back to the last right choice and rewrites from that point forward. Also she gives herself Care Bear stickers when she reaches a certain goal (I Love this idea!)

ER: Doesn't write in chronological order - but works backwards from a fun scene.

BR: Blows up something or kills off a character

FP: Outlines the book like crazy beforehand - she always writes two books at the same time. When she's stuck on one, she changes books.

MR: Outlines the book prior to writing. If she gets stuck, she eats ice cream.

Tips for Writers:
JS: Write a book for you that you can write - don't be afraid to write for fun and not for publication

BR: Don't give up (Across the Universe was her 11th novel) and write fearlessly

FP: Read! Also don't get discouraged by criticism.

MR: Trust your gut and find your own twist on an idea.

Books I've Read and Reviewed: 
Venom
Falling Kingdoms

Not on the East Coast Tour...but still Breathless Reads
Origin
Prodigy (halfway through so far - review coming soon)

Review: Falling Kingdoms

For centuries, the kingdoms have known peace. Recent events threaten to change that. A murder of a vendor becomes a turning point. Anger boils over to eruption. Why should one kingdom prosper while others wilt? Why should people go hungry when others have too much food?

When Princess Cleiona crosses the sea with a group of friends, what starts out as a day of fun goes drastically wrong. The consequences of her inability to react and stop the death of a merchant's son will change her life. Her father's determined to curtail her actions.

He announces her engagement to the man who murdered the young boy. Cleo doesn't want to marry Aron. She despises him,  but she can't refuse, especially since he was a secret that could ruin her. How can she convince her father that she'll never be happy with Aron. How can she stop her world from crumbling?

My Thoughts: A teen Game-of-Thrones-esq book complete with political intrigue, romance, heartache, death, and danger. I read this book on a long plane ride and loved every second of it. It made my long day so much better. I tore through this novel, it was impossible to put down!

I loved the plot twists and turns. Just when I thought something was going to happen, something drastically changed to turn everything upside down. It all played with my emotions from hope to danger to horror to sympathy. A fantastic high fantasy novel that left me desperately wanting more!

Similar Read: Throne of Glass
Cover Thoughts: Loved it - but I wish it matched more of the book.
Source: BEA from Penguin Teen