Nadette Rae Rodgers's Blog, page 6

Fall Reads: Once and For All

Hello!

I realize that it is no longer summer, BUT I read this book over the summer and it is the type of book I would most definitely consider “summery”.

So if you’re like me and you love fall, but you are missing that sunshine and the warmer days gone by, I highly recommend you go grab yourself a copy of Dessen’s latest love story and you’ll instantly be transported to sunny, summery days!

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Book: Once and For All 

Author: Sarah Dessen

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

[image error]I looked outside and the sky perfectly matched the book, so I had to snap a pic! 

Synopsis (vis Goodreads):

As bubbly as champagne and delectable as wedding cake, Once and for All, Sarah Dessen’s thirteenth novel, is set in the world of wedding planning, where crises are routine.

Louna, daughter of famed wedding planner Natalie Barrett, has seen every sort of wedding: on the beach, at historic mansions, in fancy hotels and clubs. Perhaps that’s why she’s cynical about happily-ever-after endings, especially since her own first love ended tragically. When Louna meets charming, happy-go-lucky serial dater Ambrose, she holds him at arm’s length. But Ambrose isn’t about to be discouraged, now that he’s met the one girl he really wants.

Sarah Dessen’s many, many fans will adore her latest, a richly satisfying, enormously entertaining story that has everything—humor, romance, and an ending both happy and imperfect, just like life itself.

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My Review:

It’s been a while since I read this book (I finished it back in July), but, that being said, it is one of those books that sticks with you. So even now, months later, I wanted to share my thoughts on the book with you all, because I find myself still thinking about this book and its characters and its story.

First of all, I want to say (again) that Dessen has this way of making you feel like you’re living in the world of her books. I always find myself getting absorbed in her novels and reading them in just a few days, or less! Maybe it is the descriptions she uses, or the way she strings her words together, but I get wrapped up in each and every one of her stories. Every time. And Once and For All was certainly no exception.

In this book, the main character Louna works at her mom’s wedding planning company. And for someone who is done with the idea of “love”, like those she works with, it was often funny or ironic that their job was one completely surrounded around and founded on the idea of “love.”

I love weddings, so I thought the wedding planning aspect added something really fun to the plot. Another little thing I loved about this book was the colors! The cover was beautiful and the pink and purple linen binding underneath the dust jacket was so pretty!

So in walks Ambrose to the story, who she is certainly not expecting, and her summer spins off in a direction she never thought would happen.

I have to say that I loved the feel of this story. Something about it reminded me of Gilmore Girls, and I didn’t want the book to end!

Now Ambrose… wow. This guy! He is the definition of a player, but the whole way through the book, even from the first thing he says to Louna, I found myself cheering for them, cheering for him. I laughed at the things he said and couldn’t help myself from smiling each time his character entered a scene. He was just perfect.

And he was perfect for Louna. He was exactly what she needed in her life, especially after the hard times she had faced recently. I loved the way Dessen created Ambrose and Louna and they way they just seem to fit together and be exactly what the other needed, but didn’t know they needed.

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Also, and I won’t give away what happens because I don’t want any big spoilers in this, BUT, I thought it was really helpful and important that Dessen touched on the hard, traumatic things happening in today’s world. I hope that her book can help others through what Louna had to go through and grieve through in the wake of tragedy in this world.

I think it’s hard as an author to touch on the hard stuff and make the best impact you can because everyone thinks about and handles these situations differently. So I really appreciated that she talked about that and did her best to make an impact and help young people dealing with loss.

I liked the ending of the book a lot! As the pages were getting less and less, I wasn’t sure which way it would go, but I was really happy with how she wrapped everything up for the characters and left the reader with a happy ending.

Well, I still have Saint Anything & Lock & Key as my top favorite Sarah Dessen novels, but this book comes in a very close second.

One of my favorite lines: “It’s funny, the little details you remember from the things you cannot forget.” (I just felt this was really true and well said.)

To purchase this book click here. 

Check out my reviews of my other favorite Dessen books: Saint Anything, Just Listen, The Moon and More, Lock & Key .

Happy Reading and Happy Fall!

~Nadette

Passages & Prose Info | Upcoming Event

Gooooooood Morningggg!

So some of you have been asking for information regarding one of my upcoming events, Passages & Prose, and I wanted to share all of the information with you guys in one post.

It is just ONE short week away! I am so excited for this event, and am honored to be presenting alongside authors like Dana Faletti  , Fredric Durbin, Madhu B. Wagnu, Janet Carlisle, and Ellen Roth, Chip Bell, Wendy Walker, Sheila K. Collins, and  J.D. Walker.

I will be presenting at 2:00 pm. 

Here is the promotional flier for the event:

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Passages & Prose & WQED flyer 2017 v2 Passages & Prose Promo Flier

Where: The Twentieth Century Club in Pittsburgh

When: October 7th, 2017 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Who: all are invited! Love to read? Come! Love meeting local authors? Come! Just love being out and about in Pittsburgh and seeing the awesome events the city has to offer? Come! This is a family event, and there are things to do for all ages. So be sure to stop by, and bring a friend along too!

Here is the full press release:

PassagesProse2017.PR.091217-Press-Release

And finally, a link to the Official site:

Link to Passages & Prose website.

Hope this helps! Feel free to spread the word about this great event happening very soon!

~Nadette Rae

BCBF Recap

Hi all!

As some of you may know, two weekends agoI was one of the authors at the Beaver County Book Fest. It is a huge literary event in southwestern Pennsylvania that happens every September.

This was my second year attending and I have to say this event keeps getting better each year! I cannot wait for next year’s event.

Thank you to Linda and Val who coordinated and planned such a great event! There’s always so much work that is put in behind the scenes for events like BCBF, and I am grateful to the many people who make events like this possible for local authors like me to attend.

[image error]My dreamy, vintage inspired table for the event! 

I met so many amazing authors this year who were in the main author tent with me! I also got to see some of my writer friends like Stephanie Keyes (click her name to read my interview with her).

There were so many people at the event! It is times like Saturday that I am just so in awe of the literary community in my area. I mean, I personally love books (as you can probably tell, LOL), but it just warms my heart to see SO many people coming out for an event centered around books and reading!

In an age of technology and phones and screens and internet, it is just really refreshing to see the sheer number of people wanting to buy my paperback book and have it signed and walk around a tent full of authors looking for more books to read.

[image error]It was so fun to have my Hoo Loves You books there in addition to my trilogy! 

My favorite moment of the day: a young teenage girl came running up to my table, pulling her mom along behind her saying “It’s her! She’s here!” I recognized the girl as I had spent a while chatting with her at last year’s Book Fest. She is a young aspiring writer and I remembered talking with her about her writing. Her mom looked at me and said “We came to the Book Fest this year just to see you. She finished Illusion and loved it! She wouldn’t stop talking about it! We were hoping you’d be back this year with book two.” (and I did have book two with me!) So the girl bought the next book, and stayed to chat for a bit again. The whole thing just made me so happy and I felt really blessed. I loved having the opportunity to talk with her about writing and be an encouragement to her to pursue her dream of writing as well. I told her I couldn’t wait to see her all set up at a table at the Book Fest someday soon! THEN after she left, ANOTHER person came rushing up to my table saying they also came to the Book Fest just to pick up book two. I never dreamed I’d have people coming to the Book Fest to find me and get my books. My dream was always to inspire young kids to write and follow their dreams like I did, but to know that in one year of being published I had encouraged a girl to start writing her own novel was just such an incredible experience. I can’t wait to read her writing someday!

If I saw you at BCBF and you bought Illusion, Echo, or Hoo Loves You, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it! Please email me here. 

If you didn’t get a chance to get your copy, no worries, you can order it here on Amazon. (Illusion, Echo, Hoo Loves You)

Just a reminder, subscribe to my blog here to stay up to date on all my upcoming events. I was also at the McGinnis Sisters Book Fair this past Saturday and will be presenting at Passages & Prose on October 7th.

Stay tuned! I’m working on some fun projects right now and can’t wait to share them with you all!

~Nadette

Exclusive Excerpt | Littsburgh

Hi everyone!

I have some fun news to share!

For those of you who haven’t checked out littsburgh.com yet, let me just tell you that it is such an awesome site! First of all, I love that there is a whole website specifically geared to all things books and reading in the Pittsburgh area! (Also, how clever is the name?! “Litt”sburgh! Love it!)

They have interviews with authors, lists of authors who are so talented and are LOCAL to the Pittsburgh area (like me), a calendar of bookish events AND NOW…

They are featuring an exclusive excerpt from my latest novel, book two of The Illusion Trilogy, Echo.

You can only find this little snippet from the book on Littsburgh’s site (and you should definitely check out their site for all things literary Pittsburgh.

The chapter I chose is from a key turning point in Echo, where Addison begins to dig into the history of her family and their town to find that there may just be some more secrets that lie there — secrets that might just have to do with her insane dreams.

So, click here to check out the excerpt from Littsburgh for Echo, and then be sure to look at the calendar of events and author listing after you’re done reading the chapter!

And speaking of calendars of events! You can read this just in time for Passages & Prose 2017, an amazing literary event in Pittsburgh that I am honored to be presenting at this year.

Enjoy! And Happy Reading!

~Nadette

P.S. Already read the excerpt? Liked it and want to get the full book? Click here! 

It’s finally here!! | Release of Book Two of The Illusion Trilogy

Oh my goodness, you guys!

ECHO IS OUT!

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My second novel, and the second installment of The Illusion Trilogy, Echo, was released on Saturday, September 2nd, 2017.

Thank you, thank you to all of you who pre-ordered or came out to the launch party and helped make the release of my second book so successful!

I have already heard from readers who have finished Echo, reading it in less than a day and saying they couldn’t put it down. I seriously can’t believe how great this book is already doing.

Thank you all so much!

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If you haven’t ordered it already, here are links to all the different editions on all different bookstore websites:

To download Echo for the Kindle.

To buy Echo on Amazon, CreateSpace, or Barnes & Noble (B&N link coming soon).

Add “Echo” to your Goodreads TBR! 

And if you haven’t gotten to read the first book yet, check out these links below:

To buy Book One on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or CreateSpace.

To download the Kindle for Book One.

If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Contact me here.

Thank you so much, everyone!

I hope you all like it!

Happy Reading!

– Nadette Rae

A Dreamer’s Choice | Poem for Illusion by K.J. Reitsma

Good Morning Everyone!

Since “Echo” comes out tomorrow, I thought I would share a poem with you all. I shared this here on the blog a few months ago, but felt it deserved another post, especially for those of you new to the blog or new to the trilogy.

This poem was written by the lovely writer, K.J. Reitsma after she read my first novel, “Illusion.” It is entitled “A Dreamer’s Choice”. I think this poem really applies to Echo’s plot as well, so I wanted to re-share it before Echo is released. The poem really captures the idea of the dream world in my books, and the choices and difficulties that Addison faces by having her mind partially in the dream world and partially in reality.

Hope you like it, and if you do be sure to check out K. J.’s blog! 

Enjoy! & Happy Dreaming!

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A Dreamer’s Choice
K.J. Reitsma

 

To be in love is to be in a dream.
When dreams turn to menacing visions
When visions make reality extreme
Love will force you to make a decision.

Forced to choose between reveries and reality
Forced to choose between mortality and vitality

How to decide what choices to make
When around each corner new terrors await
What’s the difference, asleep and awake,
When evil forces are controlling fate.
Forced to choose between reveries and reality
Forced to choose between mortality and vitality

Suddenly there’s nowhere to escape
The unavoidable trap has been laid
On every side enemies await
And now a decision must be made

Forced to choose between reveries and reality
Forced to choose between mortality and vitality

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Author Interview Series: A. K. Downing

Hi all,

Happy #WritingWednesday

Today’s post is an interview I had with local Pittsburgh author, A.K. Downing. I met her at an author festival in our area and just finished reading her fantasy/dystopian/adventure YA novel.

If you missed my review of her book, you can still read it here.

Downing will also be at Passages & Prose and Beaver County Book Fest this Fall. Stop by to chat with her, myself, and other great local authors!

Enjoy!

-Nadette Rae

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Author Interview with A.K. Downing:

Works:  Into the Air

Awards: National Indie Excellence Award – Finalist, Young Adult Category

[image error]Into the Air got a New Cover!

Questions about the author:

What is your all time favorite book?

Wow. That’s a super hard question. I love to read different genres, but YA Adventure is my favorite. I love the fast pace, the action, and the hints of romance. That said, a few of my favorite books are: Outlander | Watership Down | Life of Pi | Rules of Civility

What is the most recent book you’ve read?

I’m finishing “Circle of Influence” by Annette Dushofy. I was pleased to meet Annette at a local author event at the Cranberry Public Library this spring.

Do you feel your writing style is similar to the type of books you read?

I’ve worked hard to make my writing appeal to a young adult audience. So yes, the chapters are short and the pace is quick. Into the Air and the sequels all have a quest, a female heroine, and hints of romance.

Who is your author role-model?

I love the wit of Charlaine Harris, the romance and epic story telling of Diana Gabaldon, and the adventure and teen-age angst of Cassandra Clare.

Is writing your full-time career or something on the side?

My writing is definitely on the side – although I think it would be amazing to be a full-time author. I squeeze my writing in anytime I can – early in the morning or after my daughter goes to bed. As for my “real job”…I work as a creative director at an advertising agency in Pittsburgh.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In the car, listening to music. It’s when my head is the most clear and the ideas flow easily. I do find that ideas come at all times during the day. I keep scraps of paper and notebooks everywhere!

Do you base characters off of people in your life?

I think, like all authors, I have been influenced by people I know or people I have encountered. The stubborn, lumbering giant; the skate-board dude that makes you laugh; your first crush. And although my characters are fictitious, they are all very real to me. I know what they look like, how they’ll react in different situations, and their history.

Read the book or see the movie first?

No brainer. The book. Always the book.

Do you like when a movie is slightly different from the book with its own twist, or does it have to be exact?

The closer the movie is to the book, the more I seem to like it. If the book is successful enough to be made into a movie, there’s a reason: the storyline works the way the author wrote it!

How do you read a book (i.e. cover to cover, sometimes finish it, will tear through it in a day, read the last page before starting)?

I read cover to cover, although I’ve skipped ahead a few times to make sure someone really isn’t dead!

What is a writing goal you have?

I want to finish my trilogy before my daughter is in high school. I started when she was in Kindergarten, and she’s entering fifth grade this fall. So I ‘ve given myself four more years to publish two more books! Look for the sequel in the spring!

If you could sum up your writing style in a word or phrase what would it be?

My book doesn’t neatly fit into one category. It’s a post-apocalyptic story, but takes place a century after “the catastrophic event,” and focuses on a healing earth. It’s science-fiction in the sense that it takes place in a future world, but it doesn’t rely on new technology – the world has returned to bows and arrows. And it’s fantasy because my main character has “powers,” however there aren’t mythical creatures. I’ve called it a YA Adventure, but it really encompasses the best of a few different genres.

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Writing can quickly become a passion, but don’t publish too early. Make sure you’ve had multiple people read your work from outside sources. I remember I was convinced my book was complete until I found an editor. Two years and seven drafts later, it was finally published!

Questions about Into the Air:

Your book has such a unique plot. Where did you get the inspiration for your Young Adult Adventure novel, Into the Air?

A few years ago, my husband was into watching “prepper” shows. During one of the episodes, a man built an underground compound for his family in case there was a “catastrophic event.” The show stuck with me for days and filled my head with questions: How long could the people survive underground? How would they know it was safe to enter the outside world again? Who would be in power? Shortly after, I started writing “Into the Air.”

Will we get to read more about Mia Bryn and her adventures above ground? 

Yes! There are two more novels. I’m hoping to release the second early this Spring (2018). The second novel picks up a week after the first ends. Mia struggles with her increasing importance, grows closer to Archer, and is reunited with someone she thought was dead.

If you could describe Mia’s experience in the air, how would you describe it?

Mia’s experience is a contrast in opposites. She is thrilled to leave the confinement of her compound, but realizes how hard it is to survive in the outside world. She’s terrified that her father has been taken, but discovers an excitement in her relationship with Archer. She thinks her life is ordinary, but discovers she is more important than she ever imagined.

I am rooting for Mia and Archer together. What’s next for them?

Mia and Archer come from two different worlds. In some ways their worlds collide and in other ways, they remain separate. It’s a romance that will keep you guessing.

If you could describe Mia’s character in three words, what would they be?

Stubborn. Loyal. In a state of “becoming.”

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A.K. Downing grew up in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania and spent her summers exploring the fields, woods, and orchards of her grandparents’ farm. She studied graphic design at Kent State University and currently works as a Creative Director. Her young-adult, post-apocalyptic novel, Into the Air, was a category finalist in the 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards. The story follows teenager Mia Bryn and her father as they leave the safety of their underground compound and try to survive in a world no one has inhabited for more than a hundred years.

You can visit A. K. Downing online at AKDowning.com.

Purchase Into the Air.

 

Want to read Illusion for FREE before Echo comes out this weekend??

Hi all!

I’m so excited to share with you all that my first novel, Illusion, is part of an Amazon Kindle Free Ebook Promotion this week!

The promo runs from today (August 28th) until Thursday (August 31st), 2017.

So hurry on over to Amazon and download your copy of Illusion! It’s only free for 4 days!

You can download Illusion to your Kindle device or any phone/tablet/computer using the Kindle App or the Kindle Cloud Reader, so even if you don’t have a Kindle, don’t pass up this great opportunity to download Illusion.

I wanted to give everyone the chance to read Illusion right before Echo is released (on Saturday), so please share this post with your reader friends.

Summer Reads: Into the Air

Book: Into the Air

Author: A.K. Downing

My Goodreads Rating: 5 stars

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Synopsis (from Amazon):

When Mia Bryn escapes her underground compound and travels into the air, she never imagines her world will explode. Separated from her father and attacked by creatures she never knew existed, Mia flees into the forest. Within hours, she finds an abandoned girl, discovers a link to her missing mother, and meets beautiful, golden-eyed Archer. But why is an ordinary girl from a compound being hunted? And how can Mia survive in a world she knows nothing about?

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My thoughts:

I had the opportunity to meet the author at a local author event in Pittsburgh. We had a really great chat about writing and book, which I will be sharing with you all next week as a part of my author interview series here on the blog, so stay tuned and be sure you’re subscribed!

Writing Book Three: My Inspiration

Good afternoon everyone!

It’s crazy to think that summer is already winding to a close. I hope that you all have had a very lovely summer and got the chance to enjoy a little bit of sunshine and warmth.

I recently had the amazing opportunity to spend some time to focus on my writing. I stayed with my family at the JW Marriott Hotel on Marco Island,  which is a beautiful, recently redone hotel, on one of my favorite beaches. Marco Island is the type of beach with the white, fluffy sand and turquoise waters, with  palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze, and I have to say it was such an inspiring place for me.

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I wrote a guest blog post for Nut Free Nerd about a year ago (click here to read it) about where I find my inspiration. I am very much inspired by music – I always listen to music while I write- and nature. More specifically, I find the most inspiration when I’m standing in front of the ocean.

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There is just something so incredible about the magnitude of the ocean, the colors of blues and greens, the way the sun sparkles on the surface, the beautiful shells that wash up on the shore and each tell a story, and the sound of waves crashing, in constant motion. I look out at the ocean and can’t help but feel like I’m a part of something so much bigger than myself, so much more intricate and awe inspiring and vast.

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Upon finishing writing and editing Echo, which comes out in a little over ONE WEEK (how crazy is that?!), I found myself in a bit of a writing slump with some writer’s block I guess you could say.

I wrote my first novel when I was only 14 years-old and at the time I was writing strictly because I wanted to, because it calmed me down, and because I really enjoyed writing it. I also felt I had a story inside me, and I just wanted to put pen to paper and get it all out- even if I was the only one who ever read it.

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But then, I published that book. And the response I have gotten in the one year it has been out in the world literally blows my mind everyday. I wake up and see my book at the top of my book shelf and have to remind myself that I did that, I wrote that book! And people are liking it and asking for more!

So I got to work shortly after book one was released and pumped out book number two of my trilogy. I surprised myself by completing this book in exactly one year down to the date of when book one came out- and having done every thing on my own from writing, editing, re-writing and formatting the book to creating the cover. (Of course, I then had some help with the editing as I’m not the best at grammar, and my editors are an amazing help to me!)

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I kept trying to start writing book three, but it was a bit harder this time around to find the right words to continue Addison’s story.

But then my family went on our trip last week, and suddenly- whether it was the sunshine or the sound of the ocean- I found my voice, Addison’s voice, and began writing.

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Then one day, I went back up into the room and found a gift left from the hotel and this lovely note. It was such a nice surprise and so inspiring to me to keep writing this story. Because our words matter, and the stories we tell matter- and I have to say that that is my favorite thing about being an author. I get to share my words and my story with others every day. I’ve always hoped I would encourage others to follow my dreams, so reading this note was amazing for me.

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Book Three is taking a slightly different turn than I had originally anticipated, but I’m very happy with this turn and I hope my readers will be too. Since this is the final book in my trilogy, with the characters my readers have come to know and love, I want this book to be more personal. I want it to be more personal, not only to me as the writer, but also to all of you as the readers.

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In writing Echo, I took into account a lot of my readers’ feedback. When someone would email me that they just loved Jake’s sense of humor or Cammie’s best-friend-bond with Addison, I would include that more in my story. So, it was an awesome feeling because it was like some of my readers told this story with me.

And I really want to take that even a step further in the third book and incorporate things that apply to us all. So if once you read Illusion or Echo, you have any thoughts or ideas or even just a story you want to share with me, please don’t hesitate to email me, as I love hearing from all of you and want you to feel like you’re a part of Addison’s story too.

Because we are all dreamers.

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Thank you all for being such an inspiration to me! I hope that you are always inspired by music, or the ocean, or your loved ones to follow your dreams!

Happy Reading, Happy Writing, Happy Wednesday!

~Nadette Rae

If you haven’t yet and would like to read Illusion click here.

To pre-order Echo for the Kindle click here.

Follow me on Instagram @nadetterae