december 2014 playlist

heroes (we could be) // alesso x tove lo
beg for it // iggy azalea x mo
i don't mind // usher x juicy j
earned it // the weeknd
all about it // hoodie allen x ed sheeran

♥ what songs are you ending 2014 with? ♥

{Story Diary} Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich

Welcome to my stop on the #RiteOfRejection blog tour! Today, I have for you a story diary, and Sarah Negovetich stops by to talk about the hardest part of becoming an author. Also, don't forget to enter the giveaway below!

Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich
Young Adult Science Fiction, Dystopia

December 4, 2014

"Before you stands the future."

Straight-laced, sixteen-year-old Rebecca can't wait for her Acceptance. A fancy ball, eligible bachelors, and her debut as an official member of society. Instead, the Machine rejects Rebecca. Labeled as a future criminal, she's shipped off to a life sentence in a lawless penal colony.

A life behind barbed-wire fences with the world's most dangerous people terrifies Rebecca. She reluctantly joins a band of misfit teens in a risky escape plan, complete with an accidental fiancé she's almost certain she can learn to love.

But freedom comes with a price. To escape a doomed future and prove her innocence, Rebecca must embrace the criminal within.

Setting & Places

Terminologies

Acceptance Gowns

[Image Source]

[Image Source]

[Image Source]

Favorite Quotes

[Image Source]

[Image Source]

[Image Source]

Guest Post from author Sarah Negovetich

Please welcome author, Sarah Negovetich, who will be sharing about the hardest part of becoming an author.

---

Becoming an author is the easiest thing in the world. You simply sit down and type words onto a page. I'm doing it right now. Keep typing enough words and give them a plot line, a few interesting characters and some good kissing (it doesn't hurt) and you've got yourself a novel.

And now everyone who has ever tried or succeeded in writing a novel is resisting the urge to throw heavy objects at me.

I'm not delusional. Most of the time. I know exactly how much work goes into being an author. You write that first draft and whip it into shape. Then you hand it over to a bunch of critique partners and Beta readers. Watch helplessly as they tear it apart. Finally, pick up the pieces and put it back together until you have a shiny new baby ready for the world.

But despite all the hard work that went into writing your novel, that really is the easiest part.

From here on out, that precious baby that you spent countless hours construction, polishing and turning into so much more than those initial words typed onto a page no longer belongs to you. And for us crazy authors, that my friends, is the hardest part.

Now your golden spun words are carefully nestled inside a gorgeous cover sent out into the wide world of readers. At that point, it belongs to the readers, amazing people who will sit down and dedicate hours to devouring those pages.

I knew this well before my book released. Emotionally, I was unprepared. I wanted everyone to love my book. I needed them to love it. But they aren't going to. There will be readers who don't like it. There will be readers who hate it. Gulp, big gulp.

But there will be readers who love it. Readers who sends emails and tweets to tell me how much they loved it. Readers who share their love of it with others. And maybe some of those people will love it, too.

So I wrote this book and it was pretty easy. Now, I've completely lost control and it's the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. But it's worth it...so very worth it.

I think I'll go type up some new words.

---

Thanks for stopping by, Sarah! Being an author does sound like it's tough, but truly rewarding in the end. Not everyone likes a book, and that's okay. We just have to remember that. I personally gave Rite of Rejection 4 awesome stars. I really enjoyed it.

Meet Sarah Negovetich

Sarah Negovetich knows you don't know how to pronounce her name and she's okay with that.

Her first love is Young Adult novels, because at seventeen the world is your oyster. Only oysters are slimy and more than a little salty; it's accurate if not exactly motivational. We should come up with a better cliché.

Sarah divides her time between writing YA books that her husband won’t read and working with amazing authors as an agent at Corvisiero Literary Agency. Her life’s goal is to be only a mildly embarrassing mom when her kids hit their teens.

Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook | Google+ | Goodreads

Purchase Rite of Rejection

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Giveaway!

A Chapter 17 tissue pack (because that’s when you’ll need them), a jumbo sized chocolate bar (a hot commodity inside the PIT), an orange scented candle (courtesy of Rebecca’s fondest memory from home, a dandelion pen (as featured on the cover), handcrafted Molly bag (named after the character responsible for sewing them in the book, these are the bags used extensively by the main characters), and a $10 Amazon gift card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you, Sarah, for inviting me to participate on your blog tour for Rite of Rejection and for stopping by to share with us on the blog! It was an intense ride to tag along with Rebecca and company to escape the Pit. You guys don't want to miss out on this one.

november 2014 playlist

i'm a mess // ed sheeran
over // tove lo
hate to see your heart break // paramore x joy williams
save rock and roll // fall out boy x elton john
another one // conor maynard
bed of lies // nicki minaj x skylar grey
my lips are movin // meghan trainor
wild wild love // pitbull x g.r.l.

{empty mystics} new moon in sagittarius

today is an incredibly powerful numerology 11/22, which also marks the sagittarius new moon.

it’s the perfect day for planting powerful intentions and manifesting effortless love. 

the dark side of the moon, with its mysterious and unseen forces, offers a nurturing environment where your intentions can establish roots before they begin to miraculously manifest in the sun’s light.

create art 

take a leap of faith 

dance in the street (safely, preferably the sidewalk)

​and don't let it go to waste

{empty mystics} it's 11/11!

today is november 11 (11/11), one of my personal favorite, most powerful, synchronized number sequences.

when you see this number, 1111 pay attention to what you were recently thinking about, as well as what is happening around you.

be aware, and know that there is much more going on than can be perceived by most human's physical senses.

you can not hide from synchronicity and things larger than yourself, they will find you even if it's in your dreams.

october 2014 playlist

octahate // ryn weaver
you're not alone // owl city x britt nicole
medicine // the 1975
pretend // tinashe x a$ap rocky
take me over // tim white x erica gibson
be easy // ghost loft
new eyes // clean bandit x lizzo
ain't been done // jessie j
i can't stop drinking about you // bebe rexha
first flight home // jake miller
broken ones // jacquie

♥ happy halloween! ♥

Marie Lu's The Young Elites Signing | El Dorado Hills, CA

Marie Lu stopped by El Dorado Hills on her The Young Elites book tour yesterday at the beautiful indie bookstore Face in a Book, and safe to say, with how many readers came by to support and meet Marie herself that it was a fun and successful event. While many of us were locals, there were some dedicated fans who drove all the way from the Bay Area (2 hours away). Marie shared about the series, it's characters, and inspirations. She also answered fan questions and signed as well as took pictures with readers. It was a fun night with Marie and fellow readers, getting to know more about the book, characters, and Marie herself.

Also, congrats on making NYT bestsellers list, Marie Lu and The Young Elites!

Add The Young Elites to your tbr!

Title: The Young Elites

Author: Marie Lu

Publication Date: October 7, 2014

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction Fantasy, Dystopia

Address: Face in a Book

4359 Town Center Blvd

El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Website: https://www.getyourfaceinabook.com/

{Story Diary} Between the Stars and Sky by David James

Welcome to my stop on the Between the Stars and Sky blog tour, hosted by Crazy Book Chicks! I found another gem in form of Between the Stars and Sky by David James, which recently released, so of course I had to create a story diary for it. Enjoy, and thank you for stopping by! And don't forget to enter the giveaway below!

BETWEEN THE STARS AND SKY is a vivid contemporary novel from Young Adult author David James.
Lyrical and romantic, BETWEEN THE STARS AND SKY is a heart-stopping, contemporary read for fans of Maggie Stiefvater and David Levithan.

Between the Stars and Sky by David James

Young Adult Contemporary Romance
September 30, 2014 from Ingram

In the small, lakeside town of Huntington, the Firelight Festival marks the end of summer. A time to laugh, to live, to love. And for Jackson Grant, it is a chance to begin again.

But there is a darker side to the Firelight Festival, a deadly tradition known as the Firelight Fall. A secret game. A legendary lie. A test of bravery. Those who fall risk everything, and Jackson is on the edge. Until he meets a girl who pushes him over.

For Jackson, falling for Sarah Blake might be as dangerous as jumping in the Firelight Fall. As summer burns away, Jackson and Sarah ignite an unstoppable love game. For her, his heart is on fire. And soon, Sarah shows him life, saves him from loss, and opens his heart to an infinite and wild love found between the stars and sky.

Lyrical and deeply romantic, Between the Stars and Sky is a poetic and heart-stopping read for fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and E. Lockhart.

First Sentence

Setting + Places

Huntington is a fictional place, but to help you visualize the setting, David said it is similar to the setting in Gilmore Girls surrounded by mountains. [see example here]

*Setting and places are fictitious for the books purposes*

The Firelight Festival

So The Firelight Festival was mentioned in the book description, and now you're probably wondering what the hell it is. Well, it's a mystery in itself until you read the (entire) book to get the full gist of it. But to ease your mind a little, I'll throw you a bone with a vague description straight from the book...

Favorite Quotes

[Image Source]

[Image Source]

I have so many favorite quotes, but they're all the good ones, or ones you have to read in it's entirety in order to get it...and some are spoiler-y.

**Quotes are from an ARC, and are subject to change in final copy**

Review

I don't even know how to write a review for Between the Stars and Sky, let alone explain what it's about. It's minimal but beyond complex in context. The story-telling is unique and this book means so much to me, even if it broke me to pieces. I highlighted the hell out of this book...even a sentence in the acknowledgements and note from the author. Is that weird? I bought another copy so I can have a clean copy too. It's definitely one of my favorites of the year. I'm taking it to the grave with me (morbid, I know. No surprise there.).

Between the Stars and Sky starts off with Jackson's introspection and self-reflection on life, family, loss, insecurities, love, heartbreak, memories, lies, fear, and the future. There's a lot of thought that goes into all of those throughout the book, with new things added or changed to his perspectives on those topics. At the start, we also get a glimpse of Jackson's relationship with his father, and memories of how it was with his mom. And Jackson returns to his hometown of Huntington after moving away a few years ago. He reconnects with a couple of old friends he left behind. Attempting to adjust back to the town he once called home, reuniting with old friends and rekindling an old flame, deciding whether to follow his dad instructions for what to do with his summer there, and trying to find himself and figure out life in general, thinking about his mom and the upcoming firelight festival.

Jackson is a dreamer, an artist who uses words, metaphors and symbolism as his paintbrush to express his insights and feelings. I don't know whether I want to climb inside Jackson or David's mind and live there forever. It made my mind explode with color. David James articulated metaphors and vivid imagery to convey emotions and to tell this story. David threw caution to the wind in the best way possible and defied the odds by not being afraid to show Jackson's sensitivity and vulnerability. It's often easy to forget that guys can feel so fiercely. Jackson's dad tells him that he lives in his head just like his mom did and that is true in every sense. As the story progresses, Jackson's journey of self-discovery goes into war with what is expected of him and where his heart truly lays.  Jackson colors outside the lines of life and love. He's unwilling to be confined by the worlds expectations.

The Firelight Festival is a mystery with history and meaning behind it for which I will not elaborate on; you'll just have to find out for yourselves, and don't worry, it'll be worth it. Basically what it is, is like an inside thing that only people in the circle knows. To take a quote from the book, "The Firelight Fall is something no one ever talks about but everyone knows." So the whole town is in on it, whether they participate or not, and us readers are the outsiders who don't really know what goes on until we learn about the story behind it all. There's another side of the significance to the Firelight Fall that no one tells until it is revealed in a journal from one who knows it inside and out, from one who lived it. It takes a while until we get the full extent of what exactly the Firelight Festival is.

About halfway in, I was chanting please don't let this be foreshadow what I think it will as if it were a spell or a prayer or something. And then the Firelight Festival came around, I got anxious and it turned out for a very good reason. You know where you have that gut feeling that something very wrong is about to happen? Well...trust your gut is all I have to say and be prepared for feels. What a way to tear my heart out. Buuuuut, David doesn't leave us that way, he finds a way to mend hearts back together. And boy did Jackson need that in the end.

Jackson and Sarah may be OTP, but Miles and Sean are ENDGAME, THAT IS ALL. Oh, and Jackson and Miles are brotp, of course.

Between the Stars and Sky is vivid, evocative, profound, lyrical, metaphysical, timeless, imaginative, atmospheric and painfully beautiful. . .a story of self-discovery, love, loss, hardships, the finer points that are often overlooked and everything in between and out of this world. Makes you pay attention to the finer details, the little things we overlook. There's a lot of life-lessons between the pages, each line. It is beautiful and sad and everything in between. It made me break out in smiles and tears all at once. I thought I was going to explode into a supernova or something. Between the Stars and Sky tells of not one, but of a thousand stories.

So...If you were invited to the Firelight Festival, would you jump? Who would you jump with? Who would you jump for?

I received an ARC provided by Crazy Book Chicks in exchange for an honest review and as a part of the blog tour. However, it does not influence my review nor am I being compensated. Thank you, Crazy Book Chicks, for having me on the blog tour!

My Playlist

[spotify id="spotify:user:wolfcubriot:playlist:2jylBsZfbbP43pNcDPJbNs" width="300" height="380" /]

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103593817"]
"Rescue You" by Jake Epstein

Between the Stars and Sky Playlist

[spotify id="spotify:user:wolfcubriot:playlist:57jPeMSXOp1rsKcQdD0Mfj" width="300" height="380" /]

**Playlist was picked by author David James but compiled on my Spotify account per David's permission and can be found in the back of the book**

Teasers

[Image credit to Crazy Book Chicks]

[Image credit to Crazy Book Chicks]

Meet David James

David James writes books about stars and kisses and curses. He is the author of the YA novel, LIGHT OF THE MOON, the first book in the Legend of the Dreamer duet, as well as the companion novellas, THE WITCH'S CURSE and THE WARRIOR’S CODE. A Legend of the Dreamer anthology, SHADES OF THE STARS, was released July 2013, and includes the exclusive novella, THE ENCHANTER'S FIRE. The final book in the duet, SHADOW OF THE SUN, will be released in 2015. Living in Michigan, he is addicted to coffee, gummy things, and sarcastic comments. David enjoys bad movies, goofy moments, and shivery nights. Visit David’s blog at djamesauthor.blogspot.com and facebook at facebook.com/djamesauthor to learn more about his novels.

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Purchase Between the Stars and Sky

*On sale for 99cents on online retail sites. Sale ends 10/17*

Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Smashwords

Giveaway

Enter to win an e-copy of Between the Stars and Sky below! Giveaway ends 10/17.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for having me on the tour, Crazy Book Chicks, and thanks for stopping by!