BEA: Harlequin Teen Blogger Breakfast

On Wednesday morning, I was lucky enough to attend the Harlequin Teen blogger breakfast.

Here's the room set up:

And a snapshot of the tables with books: 

The panel featured: Elizabeth Scott (Heartbeat), Julie Kagawa (Eternity Cure), Katie McGarry (Dare You To), and Amanda Sun (Ink)

Each of the author spoke about her book. Then they (along with the editors for Harlequin Teen) sat at each table for five minutes. We chatted over breakfast, had books signed, and mingled with our tables. 

As a librarian blogger, it's interested to watch the dynamics of the room. The YA blogger community is tight. So many hugs happened. So much excitement to see everyone. It was refreshing and sweet. 

At our table: 

Editors/Publishers talked about Netgalley and how what they look for when approving bloggers. They take a look at the whole first page of your blog - checking for over 100 followers, a few comments on posts to see the interaction, and how often your blog.  It was interesting to hear what they determined successful in order to gain access to e-galleys. 

We talked about negative reviews vs critical reviews and RESPECT. There was talk about the author/blogger relationship in regards to RESPECT.

We talked about how we got into blogging.

Elizabeth Scott talked about her inspiration for her book - how her husband reads the obituaries and pointed one out to her. She saw a very short one about a pregnant woman who died. She had a what if moment - what if the baby survived while the mother didn't....and that became Heartbeat.

Julie Kagawa talked about her hobbies - creating clay dragon figures.

Katie McGarry talked about switching it up with the golden boy falling for the bad girl. 

Amanda Sun talked about her love for Japan and her mission to bring more hot Asian boys to YA Lit. She spend time in Japan and made Ink come alive so much, it's like taking a trip to Japan yourself. Plus, she loves food - which you'll find in her book.

It was a fabulous way to start off the morning! 

BEA Wrap Up: Part 1 - Monday

I'm still trying to remember everyone I met and everything I saw that looked awesome - it's pretty hard. BEA is my favorite book moments of the year. I look forward to it each yet. I love meeting people who love books as much as I do! 

Monday I went to the Book Blogger Con for the first time. It was interesting and I loved meeting so many bloggers!

I got eat breakfast with Jenny Han (I really need to her books! I keep hearing awesome things about them and they're perfect for summer.), Tricia Rayburn (who has an awesome sounding middle grade novel coming out under T.R. Burns and I loved her Maggie Bean books), and Sonja Manzano (who plays Maria on Sesame Street and has a YA book coming out with a GREAT cover story.)

I adored Jennifer Weiner! As the keynote speaker, she made great points about the lack of respect for women's fiction and those who blog about women's fiction. She was really sweet and very funny.

During Lunch, I got to chat with Julie Kagawa (who is so super nice), Jordan Matter (who's book of photographing dancers looks amazing) and Heather Ross (who makes her own fabrics and has a craft book coming out. She also has a picture book out in the fall).

One of the dancers from Jordan Matter

After panels on Blogging Today, Critical Reviews, and Demystifying the Book Blogger & Publisher Relationship where I jotted down notes for future reference, Jenny Lawson from the Bloggess ended the day. She was amusing and very honest. 

After the day, I went to a dinner party for Soho Teen, in the cutest restaurant.

We talked about books, authors, and book cover over food. Soho is just starting a teen imprint. Keep your eyes out for great books coming soon!

Guest Post: Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa's here to chat with us today.

Julie is the author of the very popular Iron Fey series. The Iron Knight just came out last month. There are several quizzes to take


Check out the book trailer:

If you think that looks good, read the first chapter here.

Julie answers some tough questions for us:

Being that the Iron Knight is written from Ash’s point of view, was it easier or harder to switch over and tell his story?

It was a little harder, initially. I knew Meghan; after three books I knew her voice and her personality and her quirks. It was difficult with Ash, because he was such a guarded character, and he never was really chatty. And because he’s lived such a long time, and is an Unseelie fey, he’s done some things in his life that might change how some people view him. It was actually kind of scary putting his story out there; what will people think now that they know the real Ash? But I wrote his story as honestly as I could, and I hope they will come to love the Winter Prince as much as I do.

For you, what was the hardest part in writing this series or writing in general?

Lately, it’s been making myself turn off the Internet and not check Tweetdeck every time I get stuck, lol! I get distracted very easily and “checking email” can turn into an hour of doing nothing but playing around online, very bad for the writing day. Sometimes I’ll unplug the modem or disconnect myself from the internet or I’d never get anything done.

Do you have a favorite line or two you could share with us from The Iron Knight?

Certainly! Here is an exchange between Ash and Puck:

Hey, ice-boy, you okay? You’ve got your brooding face on again.”
“I’m fine.” Puck lounged in the cradle of a tree, hands behind his head, one foot dangling in the air. “Lighten up already. We finally found the cat—which we should get a freaking medal for, the search for the Golden Fleece wasn’t this hard—and you look like you’re going to engage Mab in single combat first thing in the morning.
"I’m thinking. You should try it sometime.”
Ooh, witty.”

Did you always know you’d be writing a spin off series and can we expect to hear more of Meghan, Ash and Puck’s story in the future?

Actually, I was approached by my publisher when The Iron Fey series was wrapping up and asked if I had any more Iron Fey stories floating around my head. Which got me thinking of Ethan, Meghan’s little brother. He was the one who started the whole adventure, in a way. What would it be like growing up, able to see the fey? And the more I thought about it, the more I realized Ethan had a story to tell, too. As for Ash, Meghan, and Puck, I’m sure there will be a few cameos in the new series. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by Julie! Congrats on the release of the Iron Knight and the spin-off series

Contest:Win a Signed copy of The Iron King

Don't forget there's still time to win a *signed* copy of the Iron King,

but time IS running out.


Enter the contest here

Contest:Win a Signed copy of The Iron King

Julie Kagawa and her amazing book has inspired
Twitter Wars: Team Puck vs. Team Ash
Have you chosen your side?

Book Summary:

In less than twenty-four hours Meghan Chase will be sixteen. Countless stories, songs and poems have been written about this wonderful age, when a girl finds true love and the stars shine for her and the handsome prince carries her off into the sunset.

But Meghan suspects that it won’t be that way for her.

After all, Meghan has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined….

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan’s life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she’s known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and a pawn in a deadly war.

Now Meghan will learn just how far she’ll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Check out the Official Book Trailer:


For more about this book, check out the official website where you'll find an E-Novella that takes place between the first book and the second.

The second book, comes out in August


The third book THE IRON QUEEN will be out February of next year

*********************Contest Rules*******************
Awesome Contest provided by Big Honcho Media
Contest is open from June 10th until June 24th at midnight
One Winner will receive a *SIGNED* copy of THE IRON KING and will be announced on June 25th

1. Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail).
2. Must be a follower of the blog to win
3. Leave a comment about anything bookish
4. include your email so I can contact you if you're the winner