I'm moving!

For the longest time, I've been talking about getting a different design and switching over to Wordpress. Well, the time has finally come. I'm officially moved into Blue Sky Shelf, this blog's new home at Wordpress. 

Hopefully, now that everything is set, it's smooth sailing. I'm also hoping that all the subscribers have been successfully switched over. GFC will not be one of them, of course, so feel free to replace it with Bloglovin' and/or email.  If for some reason, your subscription hasn't been transferred over, you can fix that by clicking on one of the widgets on the right-hand side at Blue Sky Shelf.

At the risk of sounding like I'm at an awards show, I'd like to give a special shoutout to Hazel at Stay Bookish for the design, Emily at Forever Literary for putting up with my emails, but especially to my amazing techie father for all his help.

Now hurry over to the new blog so you can enter in the giveaway!

Author Interview with Emery Lord + GIVEAWAY

Earlier this year, I gave into many pressures from other bloggers to read Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. It became one of those "why did I wait so long to read this?!" kind of book. Fast forward to in the middle of my first stressful and emotional semester of college and I just received an ARC of The Start of Me and You (thanks, Bloomsbury!). Perfect timing. I can't recommend both of Emery Lord's books enough, especially to those who are stressed. Fun contemporaries are key.

Below is an interview I was able to do with Emery Lord and because tomorrow is Christmas (!!!), I'm giving away an ARC of The Start of Me and You, which comes out in March of 2015.

What is one thing you think readers should know about you? 

I love reading and creating complicated teenage girl characters- strong in different ways, flawed, slowly evolving. In each book I write, I try to both create a heroine or anti-heroine who pushes back at the reader a little bit and tackle at least one subject that is really emotionally uncomfortable/challenging for me.

I know people have been asking about a sequel for Open Road Summer, but do you think you'd ever write a series instead of your amazing standalones? 

It's definitely something I think about! I'll have 4 standalones- one a year from 2014-2017, but, after that, who knows?! 

The Start of Me and You is basically about Paige finally moving on after her boyfriend's accidental death and not being known as The Girl Whose Boyfriend Drowned. Was this idea from personal experience? 

I've never had a significant other die. But I have absolutely dealt with the kind of grief that changes you and, once the darkness starts to dissipate, leaves you unsure of who you are anymore. I wanted to explore that in-between space- when the loss isn't quite as raw, but you're still trying to figure out how to be. 

Confession: I've done something very similar to a Quiz Bowl and you described Paige's experience perfectly (oh, so much blushing occurred for me). Did you do any of the things on Paige's list as well? 

None of those specific things- I love swimming, I travel quite a lot, etc. But I've definitely always pushed myself to try new activities- not necessarily to overcome fear or move on- but just because new experiences are the best!

Did you like writing Open Road Summer or The Start of Me and You more? 

I couldn't choose! They were both difficult in different ways and fun in different ways!

If you could write a book in any genre except contemporary, what would it be? 

Fantasy. Or sci-fi. I love all genres!

What's a book you recently read that you loved? 

Rites of Passage by Joy Hensley (My add-on: YES!)

Choice of drink while writing? 

Coffee, water, and Diet Coke if things get dire ;)

Thank you, Emery! 

GIVEAWAY: 

1. Winner gets an ARC of The Start of Me and You, which comes out in March of 2015. 

2. Winner has to reply back with his/her address in 48 of hours of receiving my notification email or I will pick another winner. 

3. Must not lie/cheat in any entries. 

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Merry Christmas Eve! 

Happy Birthday to Me Giveaway!

In ONE week, it'll be my birthday.

This is a biggie. I'll be 18 years old. A week after, I'll be spending time in Nicaragua. During the week I come back, I'll be SKYDIVING. A few days after that, I'll be moving into college in Tampa. A week after THAT, I'll be starting classes. TWO weeks after that, my brother is getting married and my little sister is turning 15 years old (driving permit age!). It's a lot of changes for this girl at once. Decisions and changes are probably my biggest kryptonite-like things in my life. But it's all happening. And I'll try to embrace it. Because apparently, I'll be an adult. 

I reblogged this on my Tumblr here.

Money decisions (I just bought my first laptop) might be a looming presence in my life right now, but since it is my birthday, I want to spread the love. As a college student, who knows if I'll ever be able to again. Hence, today's giveaway. 

THE PRIZE: Any $10 book from The Book Depository or Amazon (free shipping for both, no worries). OR two of the following books.

Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook (ARC)

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller (ARC)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Paperback)

Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore (ARC)

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (ARC)

Something Real by Heather Demetrios (ARC)

Ashes to Ashes by Melissa Walker (ARC w/bookmark)

Just One Year by Gayle Forman (Hardcover)

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (SIGNED Hardcover)

THE RULES: Must follow me. (that sounds powerful, huh?) 

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Thanks for being in my life!

Review: THE NATURALS by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (+Giveaway!)

Title: The Naturals

Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication date: November 5, 2013

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Source: an ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review

Seventeen-year-old Cassie is a natural at reading people. Piecing together the tiniest details, she can tell you who you are and what you want. But it’s not a skill that she’s ever taken seriously. That is, until the FBI come knocking: they’ve begun a classified program that uses exceptional teenagers to crack infamous cold cases, and they need Cassie.

What Cassie doesn’t realize is that there’s more at risk than a few unsolved homicides— especially when she’s sent to live with a group of teens whose gifts are as unusual as her own.

Sarcastic, privileged Michael has a knack for reading emotions, which he uses to get inside Cassie’s head—and under her skin. Brooding Dean shares Cassie’s gift for profiling, but keeps her at arm’s length.

Soon, it becomes clear that no one in the Naturals program is what they seem. And when a new killer strikes, danger looms closer than Cassie could ever have imagined. Caught in a lethal game of cat and mouse with a killer, the Naturals are going to have to use all of their gifts just to survive.

Review: 

I don't even know where to begin. I really don't. I read it a few days ago (from writing this review) and I have no idea how to express my feelings. If you want the bottom line, here it is: 

This was terrific. 

You know how when you're starving and you start eating a delicious meal, you have to force yourself to eat slower? All you really want to do is stuff your face and then hoard the pie in your room. The Naturals was like that. I've read good books recently (and some not-so-good), but not to the caliber as this one. I had to force myself to not read it all in one night because it was already way too late and I had class in the morning. I forced myself to not hide in my room too long because I have to socialize with the outside world ugh, socializing, who needs it?

After her mother died and her father went out of the country, Cassandra Hobbes was shipped off to her dad's family, a family she has never known and feels completely out of place with. They try their best and she even tries to be part of their boisterous Italian family. However, she can't help feeling like an out of place burden. Then she has a weird encounter with a guy at the restaurant she works at. That's where the fun begins.

She has an exchange with a guy at the restaurant she works in and he leaves an FBI card. After a couple days of curiosity, she calls and agrees to meet Agent Briggs (not the same guy who she had a guessing game of eggs with at the restaurant) at his office. There, she runs into Michael, the guy at the restaurant, who I instantly liked. 

He shrugged, "My inner Boy Scout had to try."

If this guy had an inner Boy Scout, I had an inner flamingo.

Cassie is a Natural. She's always had a knack for profiling people as if it was a sixth sense. Her mother used to teach her some things, but Cassie's ability isn't teachable or learnable. It was, cue the cheesy irony, natural. When Agent Briggs introduces her to the idea of being in a program where they train you to solve for cold case murders, Cassie knows she has to do it. Not only because she feels like she's out of place where she is now, but she also feels that maybe she could one day solve her mother's cold case murder. 

After that rundown of the beginning, I know some people don't like multiple main characters and plots to keep track of. However, in this story, it might seem like that at first, but it's very fast paced and very easy to understand. 

The characters: 

I loved the characters. It was all a diverse group even from the minor of the minor characters. Take her family for instance. Italian families can be frustrating, but I find them lovable. They care and show all their feelings. She described hers, even though she barely knew them, quite well. 

Nobody stages an intervention like my father's family stages an intervention. The Bat-Signal had nothing on the Battaglia-Signal, and less than twenty-four hours after Nonna sent out the distress call, the family had gathered force. There was yelling and screaming and crying—and food. Lots of food. 

I know she had to leave her family so that she could go to the program and be in the house with all the other Naturals, but I actually hated leaving the family. I wanted to know more about them. 

There are four other Naturals besides Cassie: 

• Michael. He is an emotion reader. He can read your emotions and that can be unnerving for a girl. We meet Michael first and I personally loved him. With a little bit of mystery and lots of wit, I could just feel his smirk radiate off the pages. He seemed very kissable. 
• Lia. She is a deception specialist. Basically, she's a human lie detector. With that, she's also the best at lying. Throughout the book, I couldn't tell if we were supposed to like her or distrust her, but I knew that I did like her a lot. Snarky, tough, witty, and with a splash of mean girl. She reminded me a lot of Macey from The Gallagher Girls. 
• Sloane. She is a statistician. She spouts random facts and statistic, checks hypothesis, and is the weird, smart one of the bunch. Think Liz from The Gallagher Girls, but more dorky and socially awkward. 
• Dean. He is another profiler. He's the last to be introduced and the most mysterious. He's portrayed as dark and has deep issues. Cassie is instantly intrigued by him and I will not say who I am more for, whether it be Dean or Michael. Because, yes, there is a love triangle.

That's the other thing: the love triangle. Beware, Lauren. I personally thought it was tastefully done. I picked my guy from the beginning, but Barnes does a fantastic job of keeping me torn throughout the book and making me question who she's even going to pick. The triangle wasn't the main focus of the book, thank goodness, but from memory, I feel that it was the best love triangle I've read. Besides The Hunger Games until Mockingjay, of course. 

Another thing that I loved about the book was the facts about how profilers work. I have always been interested with the FBI (you can see that in my DVR) so while there was some information dumping in parts, I liked them. I liked all the background information. These abilities that the group of kids have are not paranormal or supernatural. They're real. They may be dramatized a bit, but these skills are abilities I love to be entertained with through shows or books or movies. Barnes does a wonderful job of keeping it realistic, but entertaining.

In addition, there is certainly a creepy factor going on. The book starts with a page of someone talking to "You" and you will get a page of that after almost every chapter. We soon find out that "You" is to the serial killer. Because profiler Agent Locke, Cassie, and Dean say to never say "he" or "she," but to always reference the killer and victim as "you" or "I" or "UNSUB." I'm telling you guys, I was creeped out (and I promise that Banres does a way better job explaining that whole UNSUB thing). I loved getting inside the killer's head and looking at the victims through their eyes, but I don't read much mystery and creepy books. When you are spending the night at an elderly person's house next to a window, a non-lockable door, late at night, and you are the closest near the front door in this tiny house...you would be spooked out as well. I get paranoid and I loved how my emotions varied during the book. 

I cannot even start to express my feelings on the twists. For the love of cupcakes, I loved the twists. Love is such an understatement. There were a couple "surprises" sprinkled throughout, but I guessed those. However, at about chapter 29, we hit the biggies. I felt like I was getting whipped around. Some of my exclamations and thoughts and verbal mutterings are below: 

"Oh my gosh." 

"THAT'S the killer! Wait...what? Who?"

"No! No...no? Really?"

"HOLD UP. WHERE IS THE PAUSE BUTTON FOR THIS?"
"Oh my stinking gosh." Note: I don't curse so this is as close as I get. 

"WHAT?!"

"This is wrong beyond all levels. I can't...I just can't."

"OH MY GOSH."

*puts down book and tries to sleep, but fails and lays in bed for another hour*

Hands down, this book has been my favorite this year, except for United We Spy, of course. I had an extreme book hangover afterwards and it stopped my reading for a couple days because I knew that if I started to read another book, I wouldn't be invested into it as I was with The Naturals. Like every book, it had a couple flaws, but they were so minuscule that they didn't matter to me.

Verdict: Captivating. Wonderful. Brought out all the reader emotions. Can I have the sequel NOW? 

WAIT!

There's more! Because I loved it so much, I want to give you all a chance to win and read it as well. 

The Three Rules:

• Thou shalt not cheat
• Thou shall answer the winner's email in 48 hours or less
• Thou shall live in the USA (sorry)

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Note: The quotes were taken from an ARC. 

One Year Blogoversary Giveaway!

October marks the starting point of this blog. Blue Sky Bookshelf has been running for one year, people.

This all started because of two reasons: 

1. I had the common problem of most book lovers, which was that no one I knew loved books as much as I did. If they did, which probably happened a maximum of once, they didn't have the same taste in books as I do.
2. My sister had started a blog earlier that year and every time we were together, she kept pressuring me to blog. She claimed that there were so many people like us, it would be a great way to develop thoughts, and really, what was the harm? If I didn't like it, I could always stop. 

Well, I caved. It was probably one of the best decisions I ever made too since I have experienced more than I ever dreamed that sounds so corny, but it's so true. I won't list stats because I think it's incredible that I even made it this far. A year ago, I had zero people to interact with, zero followers, zero reviews, and zero everything. I reread the same books over and over, not trusting my sister's suggestions (ever since she picked out The King's Shadow for a school reading assignment for me *shudders at the past torture*) and as silly as it sounds, not trusting myself to branch out. But then blogging forced me to pick books my eyes usually only skimmed over. Who knew there were so many books and authors out there?!

I also can't even begin to list all the amazing people I have met in the past year. I don't have the greatest memory and I know I would kick myself later for forgetting a key person. Just know that I appreciate all the squeal-fests, ranting sessions, fist pumps, hugs, support, comments, and everything else that you all have done for/with me through the grand internet. All of you have shaped my reading habits as well as likes and dislikes, contributing to showing me a whole new world. *breaks out into song*

Along with other bloggers and readers, I have met the most amazing authors. From interviewing several of them (Robin LaFevers, Marissa Meyer, and Stacey Kade) to meeting them in person (Leigh Bardugo, Ally Carter, and Jessica Brody) to having lovely chats and connecting with them (Natalie Richards, Stacey Kade, and bff Jessica Brody) to many other encounters with many other authors; I realized that they really are amazingly nice and down-to-earth. The fangirl inside of me has danced in the computer chair too many times to count when an author replied via Twitter or commented on here. Would I have ever been able to connect with them without this blog? Nope, not for me anyways. 

So after all that rambling mush, to celebrate this humongous moment in my blogger life, I'm doing TWO giveaways! However, this will only be for followers since this is commemorating the start of the blog and all the lovely people who have read it. 

Prize 1: a book of your choice from The Book Depository up to $15 and this is INTERNATIONAL as well! Don't worry about shipping factors because I have Amazon Prime.
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Prize 2: one of these ARCs (or paperbacks) that I have received this past year, but only for people in the US. Shown below.
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How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski (Paperback)

Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock (Paperback)

Five Summers by Una LaMarche (ARC)

The Archived by Victoria Schwab (ARC)

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt (ARC)

Six Months Later by Natalie D. Richards (ARC)

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (ARC)

OR one of these: 

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/13687883?shelf=up-for-grabs

~*~

Each one must follow three rules: 

• Must be a follower (duh).
• Must respond to the email notification in 48 hours or less.
• Must not cheat (double duh). 

Enter, share, and hopefully win. I'll just be over here, resuming my little dance party. 

Bunch O' Giveaways #2

I have been seeing some pretty great giveaways so I thought that this would be great time to post about it and have you take notice. There are tons more out there, but this is what all I had time (and patience) to put together.

Starry Eyed Revue is turning 2! One of my favorite blogs is turning two! Now that's a celebration. Along with that, Jen (a super nice blogger) is also having her 2nd 29th birthday, which I say calls for desserts of some kind. Yesterday, they had a giveaway for only US readers, but now today, they have one open for INT readers. Go fly over there! Ends...sometime late next month. 

Deeanne Gist giveaway. This is for all you Christian readers out there! Christian Bookshelf Reviews interviewed Christian author Deeanne Gist and is giving away her newest book. Ends 5/14.  

The Program giveaway. One of my other favorite blogs, Forever 17 Books, reviewed and is giving away The Program by Suzanne Young. So what I suggest is to read her amazing review then enter to win this really great book. I haven't read it yet, but I'm dying to do so. Ends 5/15.  

Meant to Be giveaway. YA Books Central is giving away Meant to Be (along with other books) this month! Ends this month. 

Mostly YA Book Obsessed's giveaways. There is a whole page dedicated to current giveaways. It is awesome. End date is varied.

Birthday giveaways! My dear friend and amazing blogger, Gillian, had her birthday and to celebrate, she's giving away books. Great books, I might add. ALSO, she is doing a PierceFest with other bloggers and they are giving away one series by Tamora Pierce (which is 4 books max). Can it get more awesome? Here is the link. End dates are varied.

Mod Podge Announcements. Mod Podge as so many announcements, I'll just let you skip on over there and read them for yourself. The giveaway is even cooler, so the link is here. Ends 5/12. 

~*~

And that's it, folks! Have at it and go enter some giveaways. However, after my non-winnings in April...I'm really hoping I'll get some good fortune as well. If it can't be me, I sure as hope it will be one of you! 

Attack of the Assassins: Author Interview with Robin LaFevers (+Giveaway!)

Welcome to my stop on the Attack of the Assassins blog tour! My sister, Shelver of Bookshelvers Anonymous, is the host of this week. She let me join this week in allowing me to interview the amazing author of His Fair Assassins series, Robin LaFevers. Once you are done reading, don't forget to go on over to her blog, read her posts, enter in her giveaway, and then check out the other blogs participating (because there will be giveaways there too!). 

To see all the other stops, click here. 

~*~

Now I have the immense pleasure in interviewing the mastermind of this wonderful series, Robin LaFevers! You can check out her bio here. 

Sunny: Hi Robin! Okay, Dark Triumph. I have not been able to nab an ARC myself, but I hear it is even darker than its predecessor. Did you go into it knowing how dark it would be in comparison with Grave Mercy or did it just come naturally? 

Robin LaFevers: Yes, I knew from the moment that Sybella first appeared on the page in Grave Mercy that her's would be a dark, hearbreaking story. But it very much came naturally from who she was. I didn't think, Oh, I want to write a really dark, grim, rip-your-heart-out kind of story. It's just that a girl simply doesn't end up that damaged unless there is something grim and tragic in her past. But one of the truly great things about being a writer was being able to take her on a journey toward hope, to be able to help her leave that bleak place and give her hope and joy along the way.

S: Since I'm guessing you researched for Grave Mercy, was there more research involved when writing Dark Triumph? Or was there not as much since it was the sequel?

RL: There wasn't quite as much research involved for a few reasons. One, as you said, I'd done a lot of the groundwork type research for the first book. Secondly, Sybella's was a more personal story and involved less of the politics of the time. The majority of the research I did for this book was regarding the locations where the book takes place. I had to research Nantes and Rennes and Morlaix, and the roads in between so I could accurately write about them.

S: Ah, locations. That makes sense.

**I'm not sure if I am allowed to say Beast is in the story so I will edit his name out (or this question) if you want me to** So Beast is in this, much to my extreme delight. Did you have fun with him as the love interest? 

RL: Yes. You are allowed to say Beast is in the story. It was never intended to be a big secret. There actually was an epilogue in Grave Mercy that made it plain he was still alive, but we decided not to use it for other reasons.

And YES. I adored writing about him. Whenever I wrote about Sybella alone, or in the castle where she was, I felt so dark and claustrophobic and despairing. And then came Beast, exploding onto the page bringing a breath of fresh air and hope and it was so great to be able to give Sybella that experience, to share that lightheartedness with her. She so desperately needed that!

S: I just sighed. Oh, Beast. 

In three words, how would you describe Dark Triumph? 

RL: From darkness--hope. 

S: Okay, I cannot resist asking, would you be able to put the third book in three words also?

RL: Sorry! I can't do that yet. Won't be able to until it's completely done. It's actually pretty hard to distill an entire story down to its three word essence.

S: I knew you probably couldn't, but it never hurts to ask! It really is a hard question, especially since it's not done yet.

Did you have fun moving away from Ismae and going on to the darker, more mysterious Sybella? Anything we should be warned of with her story?

RL: Fun isn't quite the word I'd use. Honestly? It was a long hard slog getting through Sybella's dark journey, but all the more rewarding when we both made it out alive! :-) 

S: Very rewarding and all the readers are/will be glad for it!

What is one book that you have recently read (or listened to) that you loved? 

RL: Seraphina by Rachel Hartmann

S: Seraphina! I need to reread that one. Thank you, Robin!

This or That: 

Chocolate or vanilla? 

Ebook or paperback? Both! Ebook especially for traveling or really thick mass market paperbacks that practically sprain my thumb when I try to hold them open, but trade paperbacks or hardcovers for everything else.

Star Wars or Star Trek? Again, both. I adore them both.

Brunette or blonde?

Winter or summer?

THIS or THAT? Because it's important to live in the now.

~*~

I would like to thank Ms. Robin LaFevers again for so graciously giving me an interview. This whole blog tour plus the answers to my questions make me bounce up and down in my seat even more to read Dark Triumph. Now...giveaway time. Here's what is being given away:

For ANYONE (that's you, INT peeps!) - a really cool dagger necklace

-Must not cheat. All entries will be checked.
-Must respond in 48 hours. Otherwise, I pick someone else.

So enter in the Rafflecopter below. 

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Dark Triumph comes out today so don't forget to stop by your bookstore and pick it up! Also, the last day of Attack of the Assassins blog tour is tomorrow. There are great giveaways happening too so you don't want to skimp out in missing it all.

Are you excited to read Dark Triumph? Have you read Grave Mercy yet?

Q&A with Ally Carter + a Signed Giveaway!

If any of you know me, you know that I love Ally Carter. Not to sound creepy (although I tend to come off that way), but I have said before that I would read the woman's grocery lists à la Hazel from The Fault in Our Stars just to read something she has written. I cannot exactly remember when I discovered her and started gobbling up her series, but I do know that it was a while ago. I have always had a fascination with spies (Who hasn't played the game of "spies" where you use walkie-talkies? People without true childhoods, that's who.) and boarding schools were right up there on the list of Things "Sunny" Thinks It Would Be AWESOME to Do/Be. 

**"Sunny" is in quotes because just like Shelver, I am anonymous and that is not my real name.

Anyways, this year, I got to meet my absolute, all-time favorite author. I cannot say exactly when because my sister Shelver wants to keep our location anonymous as well and you can easily figure out where Ally Carter was on a specific day. With all the bookishly great things happening and even a SIGNING, Ally talked to us and did a lengthy Q&A session that I thoroughly enjoyed. She is not only hilarious, but super nice. 

Thanks to recording it on my phone, below is what happened: 

Q: Will we ever find out what the "W" stands for [in W.W. Hale the Fifth]? 

A: W.W. Hale refuses to tell Kat his first name. She can steal anything, but can't find out her boyfriend's first name. So it kind of drives her crazy. The answer is yes, you will find out, but I'm not saying when.  *evil laughs* Eventually though.

Q: Will you write anymore books like Double Crossed?

A: I hear from readers that say I'm a Gallagher Girls fan, why do we have to sit through Heist Society and vice versa. I'm like, "Can't we all just get along?" I think my evil plan is working though because I hear from people who say they got interested the other series because of Double Crossed. (So she really doesn't answer this question, but yes, I think she might.) 

Q: How do you come up with the names for the characters?

A: All different kinds of ways. Cammie was for alliteration and I knew I wanted her to be known as the Chameleon. For the first 4 or 5 drafts, I called him [Preston] Prez Son because he's the presidential candidate's son and I couldn't think of a name for him. Then my friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes read it and she said "Yeah, I just kept calling him Preston." So I was like, "Okay, his name is Preston." So sometimes I totally, completely don't care and sometimes I spend hours researching geneology sites for names of people. It really just varies. (she did care about Nayhaw who appeared in short story for Barnes and Noble for Cross My Heart and appears in Gallagher Girls 6 and is modeled after Jennifer's college roomate) 

Q: Are you going to write another series?

A: Probably! 

Q: How do you come up with the cons in Heist Society?

A: It's usually whatever the book needs to have happen. I've read a lot of con books and movies. But most of them are made up, especially the ones you never find what it's about, like "How can we do the Princess Bride? We can never find a sixth fingered man that quickly!" I have no idea what the Princess Bride is, I just want a funny joke. 

It's a great movie.

Q: Do you have any advice for people who want to be an author?

A: First thing is write. And that's it. No, okay, but that honestly could be it. Don't get the cart before the horse.

Q: How do you come up with a title?

A: I honestly don't know the answer to that question! I wish I knew. I'd Tell You I Love You was a gift from heaven. I spent a lot of time looking up idioms on the internet [for Gallagher Girls]. For Heist Society, it was a little bit harder. I fought against it since it's a little bit hard to say and a bit of a tongue twister. But I kept coming back to it. The second title came from a line from the first book: "Kat herself was a highly uncommon criminal." My editor that I was working with at the time came up with Perfect Scoundrels so I was like "Score! I don't have to come up with one!" For Gallagher Girls 6, all of them have been worse than the one before it.

Q: How did you decide to be an author?

A: The idea first came to me when I was about twelve or thirteen years old and I was reading The Outsiders for the first time. I'm from Oklahoma and Outsiders is set in Tulsa. Tulsa was the "big city" that we went to. It kind of blew my mind that the Outsiders was written by a woman who lived in the city that I kind of knew. Then when I found out she had written it when she was sixteen years old and I was a teenager myself, I was like, "Oh my gosh, that is what girls do from Oklahoma. They write books!" The lightbulb went off and I knew it was the career I wanted to do. I realized that books were written by other people besides dead Europeans. but also, people like me wrote books. 

Q: Will there be any character spin-offs? 

A: Possibly! I learned many things from Double Crossed, but I realized that I really liked the synergy from the characters meeting each other. So who knows, maybe Macey becomes a permanent part of Kat's crew or Gabrielle does her own spin-off with someone totally new. The amazing thing is that I don't know what will happen next and that kind of excites me. Again, like I said in the beginning, what excites me as a writer, hopefully will excite you as a reader. I will not rule anything out. At this point, I don't have any plans to do a true-blue Gallagher Girls spinoff. 

She then goes on to say something about Gallagher Girls 6: I will say there is a fairly excellent scene [in GG6] with Mr. Solomon with his shirt off. There is also a scene with Zach with his shirt off frying bacon so two of my favorite things: shirtless Zach and bacon! So basically when you're writing the last book in a series, you want to put everything you possibly want to happen in a book, you feel like you gotta put it in THIS book. 

Q: Is there any kind of movie in the works in this time and are there certain actresses you would like to be in those movies?

A: Right now, there are no movies in the works for either series. Both series have been under option at various places before. But the thing with Hollywood is that it's crazy. You never ever know what's going to happen. Trust me, the one thing I want on this earth most is to have a movie made on one of these series. I love movies. I would love that very very much. Her picks for actresses: Probably Emma Stone (the first picture) or Anna Kendrick (the second picture). These actors come and go and age out of this stuff, but characters stay the same, Ally Carter also adds.

I like gifs better than pictures so...yeah.

Q: If you were to pick another genre to write in, what would that be? 

A: I think I would always write this. I have kind of toyed with a western of all things because I love westerns. I could totally write a western, don't get me wrong. Would that be career suicide? PROBABLY. But I have this theory that dystopians are basically westerns. Think about it. Katniss out on the praire, searching and killing dinner with a bow and an arrow. Tell me that's not a western, people. The government is corrupt and people basically have to govern themselves. WESTERN. So there are a lot more overlap than people realize. It's what people realize that counts. But I'm a contemporary writer, I don't think I could ever write paranormal or fantasy because other people do that better than I would do that and so I think you should go where your strengths are. And my strength is unrealistic realistic fiction. I am a genre of one. 

Q: Do you think either series would be better suited for a TV show? 

A: I think either of them would be good for a TV show.

Q: Do you have a happy dance you do when you finish a book? 

A: I do have a happy dance I do! I call it the dance of the finished book. If you go on to YouTube and you search "Emma Stone Dance Dare," she did an appearance on the Ellen show where they actually did a dance dare where she had to do a dance behind people without them knowing it. It is the funniest three minute dance footage ever and so whenever I finish a book, I turn that on and dance. Yet another reason why Emma Stone is my spirit animal. 

My input: I have previously seen this dance dare before Ally Carter talked about it and shouted YES! when she mentioned it. It is quite entertaining. I love Ellen...and Emma Stone.

Q: Do you have any input on covers and if so, will we see a shirtless Zach on the next cover? 

A: I do have a little bit of influence on the covers, not like approval or anything, but I can say things like, "You know, I don't know if that's the right color." (She mentions a dark red, so maybe that's a hint?) I have seen the cover for Gallagher Girls 6, but it does not have a title on it yet. It is a girl in a graduation gown so it very much looks like the end of a series. It's very fitting. 

Q: Do we get a little history on Abby and Townsend? 

A: *hesitates and thinks* NOT what you're thinking. Like we do not get to hear their misadventures, but I think if I ever did another Double Crossed, it would be The Abby and Townsend Chronicles because they just kind of crack me up, they are the weirdest, little couple ever. But we do find some things about Townsend before we met him in the Gallagher Academy. He is the one who has been chasing the Circle the longest, so he has some valuable information. 

What I thought of as the "duh" question: (since it is ALWAYS on her website)

Q: Would you ever want an undiscovered actress have the lead or major role? 

A: That would be awesome! Unfortunately, I would have no role in the casting process whatsoever. But if they were to come to me and say "We found this awesome unknown girl who's going to be Cammie!" That would be great for me. 

Q: Do you read any other YA book series? 

A: Absolutely! I almost read exclusively YA. The last YA I just finished was David Levithan's Every Day. My friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes has a new YA series coming out next fall which I think is going to be a really great read-a-like for people who are finishing up Gallagher Girls, it's called the Naturals. It is kind of like the TV show Criminal Minds. It is a teen Criminal Minds. It's teens criminal profilers living in a house together. Because Jennifer is my best friend, I got to read the first book a few weeks ago and it was awesome. So I begged her for the second book so hopefully that will be coming my way very, very soon. I love YA. 

Q: If you were an animal, what would you be? 

A: My gosh, I don't know. Probably a sloth. All I want to do is lie on the grass and have people bring me brownies. 

Another Ellen video relating to the topic: 

It officially starts at 1:58, but the whole thing is hilarious.

Keep watching until after the clip! 

Q: Where is your favorite place that you have ever been to visit? 

A: I have not traveled as much I would like to. Now granted, as an author, you do travel but sadly, you don't get to see many places. I have been to San Francisco a half a dozen times, but I have never been to Fishermen's Warf. You are there and you go to the airport to the hotel to the bookstore...to the airport. I did reserve extra time for when I went to Italy because I knew I would want to sightsee. So probably Italy!

Q: Did you use that time to write the information from Heist Society? 

A: Yes. I didn't know exactly how I would use it, but I took enough notes to know that I would eventually use it. Whenever I am in a cool place like that, I always take notes just in case. For example, there is a big scene in Gallagher Girls 6 that takes place just outside of the United Nations in New York. So that last time I was in New York, I went to the UN and took a lot of the pictures and walked around the area. 

My input: She mentions how the thing she needed to have happened, happens outside anyways which are where protests happen, in the park area. So will there be a big scene with protests in GG6? Eeep!

Q: How long does it take to write a new book? 

A: I would work on a book as long as I humanly, possibly could if my editor didn't rip it out of my hands. That usually happens every nine months, for me. For some people, it takes three years while it takes others three weeks. But as of late, it takes about nine months for me. 

Q: How many Heist Society books are you planning to write? 

A: I don't know! 

Q: What is your writing process like? 

A: Really, really crappy first draft, heavy lifting in the second draft, and with the third and fourth drafts, just getting narrower and narrower and focusing on smaller things every time. 

Q: Will we ever figure out who Sicily Romani is? 

A: Yes! 

She also says one more thing about Gallagher Girls 6: " People say, "Promise me there will be a happy ending." I cannot promise there will be a happy ending. My job is to deliver a satisfying ending. Does that not make anyone else get really nervous? She then went on and joked about Zach's funeral, which nearly everyone started freaking out about before she started laughing. 

~*~

Now to celebrate this monumentous event in my life, I was able to not only get my own books signed, but I also had a friend's mother get Ally Carter to sign two other books for me to GIVE AWAY. Yay! Giveaway time! 

The rules: 
-Must not cheat. (go look back up at the DUH gif) 
-Must be in USA (sorry, guys, but the shipping costs!)
-Must be...awesome? Already completed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But really, this bookish event? Too great to even put into words! I went with Shelver and my best friend and I really didn't care if my feet hurt at the end of it all. We also got a free book from the table so I snatched up Asunder. The day was a BIG win.

I can finally scratch "Go to an author signing" off my bucket list and Top Ten Bookish Goals for 2013. 

Also, my sister Shelver posted her recap and own giveaway of it yesterday if you want to check it out. Along with some slightly embarrassing quotes of me :)