ramblings of the perpetual new girl

Tour rituals, midwest flavor and a new series makes for a trifecta of good times for fans of Cinda Williams Chima. What’s better than food recs from someone who knows the area? Chima, also, has received some amazing fan gifts. Her most memorable, of course, comes back to food. Which frankly, made for a deliciously good chat. Do you have a favorite restaurant in Ohio? Is there a specific place you go that you take out-of-towners to get that midwest flavor? There are so many good restaurants in the Cleveland area. For midwestern fare, I like the Welshfield Inn in Geauga County; a great mingle of comfort food and culinary innovation. I’m also fond of Grove Hill in Chagrin Falls. What is your favorite food and why? Wow, I don’t even know how to choose. Popcorn is right up there, partly because my family had popcorn for dinner every Sunday night from the time I was little. It was an extra treat to look forward to top off the weekend. I still do that when I’m home. Was it diff...

So many of my favorite series come to an end this year! The third book of the "Young Elites" series - The Midnight Star - though, it is definitely one of my most anticipated "the end" reads. When Marie Lu unveiled the cover, the sensation that coming was a definitive closing to this story and that it will be painful. Even she was surprised by how much changed from start to finish in her completion of The Midnight Star , her keen sense of saying goodbye felt momentous to her. (queue symphonic sad song) Lu posted this quote, which… what?! Break my heart, why don’t you?! Oh God, there will be sobbing no doubt when I finally finish this book. “Teren smiles at me. His voice echoes in the chamber, low and smoky. ‘Mi Adelinetta.’ ” — The Midnight Star When Lu spoke to  Mashable  about the ending, she didn’t hesitate to talk about her style of writing off the cuff. I have also talked to her about this way of writing and how sometimes it even throws her o...

I've received three books of five that Melissa de la Cruz will release in 2016. She and her husband, Michael Johnston, put out the last novel in the  Heart of Dread  series –  Golden  – and fans are calling it an “epic conclusion.” On the same day,  Surviving High School , which de la Cruz penned along with social media mega-star Lele Pons found a spot on bookstore shelves. But there’s still more awesome to come! May 24th, de la Cruz put out  Return to the Isle of the Lost , the  Descendants  sequel finding its way to the public and already taking up space on my daughter's shelf. Her new YA contemporary novel,  Something in Between , which launches a new Seventeen magazine imprint with HarlequinTEEN, comes out on September 27th, and  Double Eclipse , the sequel to  Triple Moon  in the  Summer on East End  YA series, out November 8th. If that were not enough to keep de la Cruz busy, she is an active plan...

Margaret Stohl  and  Kami Garcia  are burning up the best-seller lists with their  Caster Chronicles  and new spin-off  Dangerous Creatures  series, however, these two authors have standalone projects too. Don’t forget they have other projects where their name only features individually on those novels. For a detailed interview and an inside look at their literary beginnings, check out  Part I of this interview . Now for the super fun part… live video interview: Oh and a purple-streaked silver-haired foxy author appeared. Zac Brewer who lived in St. Louis, came out to chat and add another perspective to the interview. These three are amazing authors, but wait... there's another extra bonus! Sarah Jude , who also, lives in St. Louis, came out to fangirl with us. Also, many thanks to the Daniel Boone Branch of the St. Louis Libraries for hosting the event and Ridley Pearson , the moderator of the night, for asking some ...

After meeting Kamie Garcia and Margaret Stohl, it's hard to focus on anything but their immeasurable talent. Together they come across -- loud, brash, outspoken and opinionated. These two ladies skyrocketed to the top of charts, together and now separately. They earned their place in literary celebrity with hard work, time and energy well placed in others. Their social media lit up with  encouragement for others, inspirational go-get-'em sayings and personal tidbits of what gets their writing revved up. It's a beautiful sight to behold, and so are they! Do hope that my introduction to them, if this time is your first time meeting them, comes across as awesome as it was for me. Such amazing ladies deserve a grand entrance, which is what I tried giving them with this write-up. ~~~~~~~~~~~***~~~~~~~~~~~~ You know what the beginning of a beautiful friendship is? Advocacy… no really that’s what it is. Trust me. Because if you haven’t heard the whole story of how Kami Ga...

DETAILS: Title:  Tell the Wind and Fire Publisher:  Clarion Books Publishing date:  April 5, 2016 Author(s):  S arah Rees Brennan Series:  Standalone Rating:   Going Bananas!  Quote Me:  A romanticized, modern gothic tale of light versus dark that finds inspiration in a  Tale of Two Cities  by Charles Dickens.  Tell the Wind and Fire  is masterfully told in multiple POVs. The magical mayhem stirred up requires no previous knowledge of the classic it is based upon, but needs readers to have a heart for the voiceless. This story offers a poignant look at what happens when people attempt being the change in the world without calling upon mercy, integrity and justice in tandem. Synopsis: “Sarah Rees Brennan writes with fine control and wit, and I suspect that word of this magical thriller will pass through the populace with the energy of wind, of fire.”  — Gregory Maguire , author of  ...