marie lu – J M Tuckerman

YALLSTAYHOME

YALLWEST 2020 REBRANDED AS YALLSTAYHOME: OVER 70
BESTSELLING & AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS CREATE A VIRTUAL BOOK FESTIVAL

YOUR TOWN, YOUR STATE: YALLWEST returns for its sixth year with more than 70 authors presenting on April 25-26, 2020. The annual gathering typically draws over 20,000 readers to Santa Monica High School, but this year’s event will be entirely virtual. The biggest teen and middle grade book festival in the country is going worldwide (web). Rebranded as YALLSTAYHOME, this free event will feature a weekend of online panel discussions, giveaways, games and more. Special events will surround the festival, with promotions across social media platforms. Additionally, the festival is connecting participating authors with twenty underserved Los Angeles schools for virtual visits via Zoom and providing e-books to their students. Festival founders and #1 New York Times Bestselling authors Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures) and Melissa de la Cruz (The Queen’s Assassin) open the event at 10:00 AM (PDT) by discussing their decade-long collaboration culminating in their upcoming novel, Jo & Laurie. Starsight and Mistborn series author Brandon Sanderson will lead the afternoon keynote at 4:00 PM (PDT).

Saturday closes as Angie Thomas, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling blockbusters On the Come Up and The Hate U Give, host the annual YALLWEST SMACKDOWN variety show with Nic Stone (Dear Martin). Pseudonymous Bosch and Shane Pangburn host a Middle Grade Storyball on Sunday at 10:00 AM (PDT). The entire YALLSTAYHOME experience will end with a star-studded lineup of authors reading their earliest writing on Sunday, April 26th at 5:00 PM (PDT).

Additional YALLSTAYHOME attending authors include Cassandra Clare, Rainbow Rowell,
Karen McManus, Maureen Johnson, Ransom Riggs, Victoria Aveyard, Marie Lu, Roshani Chokshi, Mariko Tamaki and many others (see next page for full line-up). Multiple bestselling authors will appear on the virtual stage for the festival’s Saturday opening and
closing events.

Full event schedule and panel registration can be found at yallwest.com/schedule.

2020 FESTIVAL LINEUP YALLSTAYHOME • April 25-26, 2020

Renée Ahdieh
Melissa Albert
Becky Albertalli
Elise Allen
Janella Angeles
Victoria Aveyard
Gwenda Bond
Pseudonymous Bosch
Alexandra Bracken
Julie Buxbaum
Cecil Castellucci
Traci Chee
Soman Chainani
Roshani Chokshi
Dhonielle Clayton
Ally Condie
Mintie Das
Charlotte Nicole Davis
Melissa de la Cruz
Jennifer De Leon
Natasha Díaz
Hafsah Faizal
Jennifer Donnelly
Simone Elkeles
Sarah Enni
Francesca Flores
Romina Garber
Stephanie Garber
Kami Garcia
Stuart Gibbs
Holly Goldberg Sloan
Adalyn Grace
Shannon Hale
Frances Hardinge
Carlos Hernandez
Isabel Ibañez
Jordan Ifueko
George M Johnson
Leah Johnson
Maureen Johnson
Mike Johnston
Marisa Kanter
Amie Kaufman
Bill Konigsberg
Jay Kristoff
Victoria Lee
David Levithan
Alex London
Marie Lu
Tahereh Mafi
Sam Maggs
Karen M. McManus
Tehlor Kay Mejia
Shannon Messenger
Samuel Miller
Bethany C. Morrow
Sarah Mlynowski
Lauren Myracle
Danielle Paige
Shane Pangburn
Lewis Peterson
Rory Power
Brendan Reichs
Ransom Riggs
Lilliam Rivera
Margaret Rogerson
Zan Romanoff
Rainbow Rowell
Brandon Sanderson
Adam Silvera
Rachel Lynn Solomon
Tara Sim
Margaret Stohl
Nic Stone
Mariko Tamaki
Angie Thomas
Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Sarah Watson
David Yoon
F.C. Yee
Abigail Hing Wen
Tracy Wolff
Nicola Yoon

5 Star Quotes: Warcross

Waiting on Wednesday #9

Warcross

Publication Date: September 12th, 2017

Pre-order it here!

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu—when a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths.

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

I love love love love Marie Lu.

Have I mentioned that I love her? I love her writing so much so I’m extremely pumped for this video game inspired spy book from her?

I think I’ve smashed the pre-order button like twenty times.

June Wrap Up

In my personal life…

I have officially started moving out! I actually packed up all of my hardbacks and they are at my fiance’s place along with new my brand new desk. Next week I’m hoping to get my shelves over there… although… no idea where those are going…

In my writing life…

I’m roughly halfway through re-writing my novel from a different viewpoint. I’ve got to say-my new MC is a psychopath. I can’t wait to introduce her to you.

In my reading life…

I have been L-A-Z-Y. I look at my TBR and I’m like… yep! Those are books!

E-ARCs I’ve Requested

These were on my list for last month, but I was approved for them so expect reviews to come out for them.

On the blog…

I’ve definitely been a lot more active. I even started doing my own weekly. It’s Bring Your Own Book, which is an actual game you can get at Barnes and Noble. Lot’s of you have liked the posts but so few have commented so far. It’s a lot of fun to play I promise!

My June Reviews

Just the one review. I was really slow this month.

WoW: Warcross

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

I might hate the cover with a passion but it sounds like an amazing read.

Publishes 12 September, 2017

ARCing Spree

Both of my Edelweiss and NetGalley shelves are EMPTY! *GASP* SO I’m changing up #ARCapalooza just a smidge just to let you know what books I’ve requested.

I can’t be the only blogger who goes on sprees when the shelf gets empty. I just sit there like “Yeah, that sounds good. *click* Request!” And then I play the waiting game. I remember one publisher approved my request the day before it archived on NetGalley. I was so mad.

Shimmer and Burn . Mary Taranta . 08 August, 2017

To save her sister’s life, Faris must smuggle magic into a plague-ridden neighboring kingdom in this exciting and dangerous start to a brand-new fantasy duology.

Faris grew up fighting to survive in the slums of Brindaigel while caring for her sister, Cadence. But when Cadence is caught trying to flee the kingdom and is sold into slavery, Faris reluctantly agrees to a lucrative scheme to buy her back, inadvertently binding herself to the power-hungry Princess Bryn, who wants to steal her father’s throne.

Now Faris must smuggle stolen magic into neighboring Avinea to incite its prince to alliance—magic that addicts in the war-torn country can sense in her blood and can steal with a touch. She and Bryn turn to a handsome traveling magician, North, who offers protection from Avinea’s many dangers, but he cannot save Faris from Bryn’s cruelty as she leverages Cadence’s freedom to force Faris to do anything—or kill anyone—she asks. Yet Faris is as fierce as Bryn, and even as she finds herself falling for North, she develops schemes of her own.

With the fate of kingdoms at stake, Faris, Bryn, and North maneuver through a dangerous game of magical and political machinations, where lives can be destroyed—or saved—with only a touch.

The cover, I think, is gorgeous. But I also requested it because of “stolen magic.” I’m intrigued to know just what that is in this world.

May Wrap Up

In my personal life…

I finally started making the centerpieces for my wedding. Need something to do with those ARCs? Wrap them in scrap book paper! But seriously, these books look amazing and I can’t wait to stack them up. Also-every time I tell people we’ll add the candle next to the book everyone responds with “BUT THEY’RE FLAMMABLE!” Like-uh huh-and did you forget about LEDs? Because they exist for that exact reason. IMG_20170519_091607

In my writing life…

As a punishment–er–present to myself this summer I am rewriting one of my pieces from a different character’s POV. I’m also currently working on two other peices, one of which is with Magdalyn Ann.

I’m hoping to finish the re-write this summer so that it’s done and I can focus on edits, but the other two pieces are still fresh little babies. One of them, I actually just pantsed a lot of it and it was amazing to just let my creativity ride. But I’m finally at a point that I have ten end-game scenes and only a few things to begin with and I’m looking for the bridge in between them.

As so the co-written piece: We are planning some bare bones with it and jumping around like bunnies on that thing. But I think we have to. We can’t both write the same scene and it works really nicely to connect my work to someone else’s. I’ve no idea how Maggie is holding up with that because she is not a jumper.

I’m becoming a jumper.

Poor Maggie.