Heather Ostler's Blog, page 19

Gail Carson Levine

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to take a moment and talk about one of my favorite authors, Gail Carson Levine. She has written several amazing books (most related to fairy tales) and is probably best known for Ella Enchanted which receive the Newbery Honor.

I've been following Gail on her blog, gailcarsonlevine.blogspot.com, and I've seen how interactive she is. She always replies to comments, and every post I've read has been her response to a letter or question mailed to her. I know that successful (busy) authors can't check every email sent to them, but Gail really makes an effort to connect with her fans.

I can't tell you how much I love authors that not only write INCREDIBLE books, but also take the time to connect with their fans.

You're awesome Gail! Thanks for writing such amazing novels.


Who are you favorite authors? Have you had the chance to meet or connect with them?

Signings this week!

June 20, 11 - 6 pm
Lehi Costco

June 21, 11 - 6 pm
Sandy Costco

Come by and say hi! (and get some bookmarks and candy).

Launch Party and Pictures

Thank you everyone who came to The Shapeshifter's Secret Launch Party! It was so much fun and I loved meeting, chatting, and eating treats with you.

Writing a novel takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. That's why it was so exciting to finally launch The Shapeshifter's Secret at The King's English Bookshop. I'm so grateful to everyone who has supported me and helped me on this journey. Thank you!

Here are some pictures (that's a lie. There are TONS of pictures) from the launch party. Enjoy!


 
Thanks Khyl Shumway for the marvelous reading!
 I had to do the "love letter cursive" nails.   

 










 

.  My favorite ensemble was definitely the white tiger T-shirt.

 We had a lot of fun. I even started signing biceps!
 Thank you so much everyone for coming. It was truly a "sweet night." 

The Shapeshifter's Secret in the news!

 
I'm so excited about both the release of The Shapeshifter's Secret yesterday (YYAAYY!), and for the Launch Party tomorrow. I've been getting all the treats and giveaways ready, so I  hope people actually show up and enjoy them! It will be a lot of fun, and even if you don't buy a book, just come to eat some summer treats and enter the giveaways. Hope to see you tomorrow at The King's English Bookshop at 7 p.m.!

Also, I wanted to announce that The Shapeshifter's Secret had an article in The Deseret News! Here is a little clip of the article, written by Melissa DeMoux:

"This dynamic young adult tale is woven around fantastical creatures like werecats and water nymphs and delves into unknown worlds through hidden portals and magical powers. Ostler threads her pages with powerful curses, vigorous sword fights, teenage angst, romantic encounters and conniving friends turned foes.The story moves quickly and is adventure-packed. The main characters pull together and support each other, creating a web of almost family-like bonding that pulls the reader into the action."

To read the rest of the article, click here: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865557159/Local-author-spotlights-werecats-in-new-book-The-Shapeshifters-Secret.html?pg=all

I feel so blessed and grateful for all the support that I have received from friends and family during The Shapeshifter's Secret release. THANK YOU! It really means the world to me.

June 12, 2012

THE SHAPESHIFTER'S SECRET IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Armchair BEA

Hey everyone, hope your having a great summer so far! I just wanted to share this post with you about The Shapeshifter's Secret. It's from one of my favorite blogs Artsy Musings of a Bibliophile. Here's a small clip from the post:

"Today's post is about "Best of 2012”: So I am going to share some of my favorite books so far this year. I've read 27 books (yeah, I am going kind of slow but no worries, summer is here!) and out of that I am posting my Top 5 picks.
Oppression (Children of the Gods, #1) by Jessica Therrien
Night Sky by Jolene B PerryThe Shapeshifter's Secret by Heather OstlerExtraNormal (ExtraNormal, #1) by Suze ReeseWhen You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle"

Thank you Sana! 
To read the rest of the post click here: http://networkedblogs.com/ypZUR

Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake

June is a big month for me, and not just because of the release of The Shapeshifter's Secret (I know, I know, are you sick of me talking about it yet?). It's also my 3 year anniversary (wahoo!), and this past week I performed in 2 different ballets, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake.

I know it's a little strange to go off on a ballet tangent so close to my novel's release, but I had to share my excitement about finally fulfilling a lifelong goal of mine.

 
I've been in dance since I was a little girl, but once I got to high school I couldn't afford to continue paying for the lessons. My babysitting/Taco Amigo job just didn't quite cover the costs. The worst part was that I never got to perform in pointe shoes, which was my ultimate goal as a ballerina.

There was a time in my Senior year when I choreographed a ballet number for the ward talent show and was thrilled to finally perform. Sadly though, the CD with my music on it was accidentally ruined at the last minute, and I didn't get to dance in the show. Time went on, life became busy, and I never returned to ballet.

However, at the beginning of this year I decided I wanted to go back and carry out the goal that I had set so long ago. It  was a time sensitive goal, so I felt an even greater push to work quickly at it. It was very hard to get my technique up to par, and the pain of pointe shoes was SEVERE (I won't lie, part of my bone has shifted in my foot). But I finally was given the chance to perform en pointe.

This weekend I got to be the flame fairy in Sleeping Beauty as well as a swan in Swan Lake.  Also, as usual I went picture crazy. I felt like I needed evidence that I actually performed on pointe.







I am so grateful to finally have been given this opportunity, and I feel blessed to have a husband who supports my different dreams and goals in life.




What are some of your dreams or goals that you are working towards?

My first copy of The Shapshifter's Secret!

I finally got my first finalized copy of The Shapeshifter's Secret, and it is BEAUTIFUL!

It feels so amazing to finally hold the actual hard copy in my hands. When I first picked up the books from Cedar Fort, I ran to my car and just took a moment to stare at the cover. They did such a good job! The jacket is stunning, front and back, and even the spine is incredible. I'll be honest, as soon as I picked up the books I did a whole photo shoot...

First I picked up The Shapeshifter's Secret at Cedar Fort, taking extra care to make sure Julia got home safely. 



Then we arrived home.



Then it was more pictures.

   
























Then Julia met the family.




I'm so excited to finally have my first copy, and I can't wait for the release and launch of The Shapeshifter's Secret this month!


The Shapeshifter's Secret Launch Party Information:

When: June 14, 2012 at 7:00 PM
Where: The King's English Bookshop 
1511 South 1500 East  Salt Lake City, UT 84105
What: Book signing, refreshments, and giveaways (possibly people dressed as werecats???)

Hope to see you there! 

Swoon Worthy Books

Even though TSS tour has ended, I still can't help but post good reviews when I come across them. Dorothy from Swoon Worthy Books posted an interview with Julia Levesque earlier this month as part of the tour, but now she's done a review of TSS as well. I've posted some of my favorite parts below, but to read the full review visit http://swoonworthybooks.blogspot.com/2012/05/shapeshifters-secret-review.html.

"I can’t explain how much I enjoyed this book! Amazing characters, amazing action, totally cute romance going on! Heather Ostler did an amazing job writing The Shapeshifter’s Secret and I couldn’t get enough! I am now waiting impatiently for the second book to come out. Oh please do come out soon!"

"If everyone starts picking teams between Terrance and Caleb I would have to be team Caleb. He wasn’t in the picture much I have a feeling that there is something than friendship meant Caleb and Julia. I hope so at least. I loved the were cats! How cool is that? And like totally original! As an aspiring author when I realized that it was were cats I thought darn! I wish I’d thought of that. Lol." 

"Heather has created a world I am sad to leave and I can’t wait to revisit it. I highly recommend this book to everyone!" 

Thank you Dorothy!   

The Grand Finale of The Shapeshifter's Secret Blog Tour!

Here we are, on the very last day of The Shapeshifter's Secret Blog Tour. I've Loved meeting all of you and getting to know you better. I want to say thank you to all of the wonderful blogs and websites that took time out of their schedules to be a part of the tour. I also want to thank Cedar Fort for helping me arrange the tour and for providing the sweet giveaways. And Thank YOU for following the tour! I really hope you've had fun with the crazy guest posts, interviews, and giveaways.

The final stop is at Treasured Tales for Young Adults where the lovely Alishia has featured a guest post about Caleb. I had a lot of fun talking about Caleb, and if you've ever wondered why he is the way he is, then you should check out this post :)

Also, Treasured Tales for Young Adults is hosting the last and final GIVEAWAY for The Shapeshifter's Secret. So, if you'd like to win a copy, you can enter here: http://treasuredtalesforyoungadults.wordpress.com/2012/05/26/blog-tour-the-shapeshifters-secret/

And I know that I promised a tap dancing werecat...however they must be in high demand right now because they were all booked...BUT I did find this youtube of a tap dancing cat. AND I also posted a video of my pugs reactions to The Shapeshifter's Secret release date.



THANK YOU!