Author Event - Amy Plum, Myra McEntire, & CJ Redwine, Plus a Giveaway!

Monday, May 14th shall be forever known as the day that a load of TN book bloggers took over the Green Hills Panera Bread and Parnassus Books.

from the Parnassus website

Myself, Nikki from Books Most Wanted, Hannah from The Book Vortex, Shalena from Writer Quirk, Megan from Myth-illogical, and Lauren from The Housework Can Wait met up 2 hours before the main event was to start for some good food and conversation.  Fun was had by all as we regaled each other with off-the-wall stories and shared some laughs.  The fun was only just beginning, however, as it was soon time to head to Parnassus Books to meet Amy Plum, Myra McEntire, and CJ Redwine.

The event kicked off with a quick introduction from Amy Plum and Myra McEntire as they caught us all up to speed on themselves and their books.

Then, it was time to settle in for some serious book talk.

We also got to hear a little bit from Until I Die and Timepiece.

Next up, it was Q&A time.  Let me tell you, both of these ladies were very inspiring.  I felt so much better about my own writing after they told us about their writing journeys.  One of my favorite tips from Myra in regards to the critiquing process: "Don't be a nut bag."  Wiser words were never spoken, my friends.

Last, but not least, it was time to meet the authors face-to-face, get our books signed, and snap some pics.

This was my first time officially meeting CJ Redwine (I think she was at Ash 2 Nash, but I didn't meet her that day) and I have to say, I am even more excited to read Defiance (if that's even possible).  It was also rather heartening to learn that I am not the only one prone to strange accidents involving meals or social situations.

Me with CJ Redwine

Though it was my 3rd time meeting Myra, it was a pleasure, as always.  This woman is utterly hilarious!  I hope you all will stay tuned, as there is something in the works for next month involving a certain Dr. Who fan we all know.

Me with Myra McEntire (photo credit goes to Hannah)

I was very excited to meet Amy Plum for the first time.  She was one of the first authors to contact me via Twitter when I was still just starting out as a YA blogger, which I still remember very fondly.  She was so nice and very easy to talk to.

Me with Amy Plum (photo credit goes to Hannah)

As always seems to be the case when various members of our group get together, we managed to be amongst the last to leave the store.  We all had a wonderful time getting to know each other better, as well as meeting some truly wonderful authors.

From left to right: Hannah, Nikki, me, Lauren, Shalena, & Megan (photo credit goes to Lauren)

As an added bonus, I have a little souvenir for one lucky US blog reader!  Amy Plum was kind enough to provide 2 signed bookmarks for a blog giveaway, meaning 1 of you will win a signed Die for Me bookmark and a signed Until I Die bookmark. It's my little way of sharing the book signing awesomeness.


Good luck to all those who enter!

Reminder: This giveaway is open only to US entrants.  Please stay tuned for my next international giveaway, which should be available in a few weeks.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review - Until I Die

by Amy Plum
publisher: HarperTeen
date of publication: May 8, 2012
format: digital review copy
pages: 262
source: Edelweiss
read it in: 1 day

From Goodreads:

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.

At the beginning of Until I Die, we meet Kate once again just weeks after the events in Die for Me.  Having survived such frightening circumstances, Kate is ready for her life to settle down.  However, nothing in the world of Revenants is calm for very long.  Little does she know that danger is stirring and a betrayal is imminent.  The only question: Exactly who is it that is out for blood?

Kate is a much stronger individual this time around.  Not only is she training in the art of combat, she is also beginning to adjust to the nature of Revenants.  However, that doesn't mean that things are any easier.  As Kate realizes more of the consequences of a romance with a Revenant, she shows a surprising amount of initiative and sets out to find answers to her questions and concerns.  There is one set-back, though.  I couldn't reconcile Kate's reaction when she learns that Vincent is keeping a dangerous secret.  Her reaction simply doesn't strike me as being completely in character with other elements of her attitude.  I would sum up my reaction to these instances as frustrated confusion.  It may have served to set up a plot twist, but it didn't fully jive with me while I was reading it.

The setting in Until I Die is just as rich in detail as it was in Die for Me.  Kate's surroundings are mysterious and romantic and, let me say, the descriptions of the cuisine is positively crave-inducing.  I found myself taking a break from reading just to go to the grocery for croissants, which is both a tad alarming and vastly amusing to me.  Not only that, the mysterious, hidden world of Revenants is a fascinating one that, as always, held me in thrall.  I always greatly enjoy Amy Plum's writing style.

While Until I Die presented me with a bit of a hiccup while reading, I still enjoyed the experience very much.  Amy Plum has, once again, written a compelling story that takes place in one of the most romantic literary settings imaginable.  I hope to see Kate continue to grow in the next book and I can't wait to find out what happens next.  The cliff-hanger in Until I Die is a doozy, so prepare yourself.  It's definitely well worth it, though.  Grab your French press and a croissant and settle in for a wonderfully imaginative read.  

Buy Until I Die at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Edelweiss. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

TN Author Event Alert! Coming May 14th...

Heads up TN YA bloggers!  There's a whole lot of awesomeness headed our way!  Amy Plum made a post on Twitter and Facebook about a certain trio of authors who will be coming to Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 14th!  Amy Plum (Die for Me, Until I Die), Myra McEntire (Hourglass, Timepiece), and CJ Redwine (Defiance) are slated to appear.  I know I'll be there!  How about you?

Review: Die for Me

by Amy Plum
publisher: HarperTeen
date published: May 10, 2011
format: hardcover pages: 344
source: purchased
Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

From Goodreads:

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies ... immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

What I Thought

I had been waiting for Die for Me for several weeks and was very excited to finally pre-order it. When it arrived at my door on May 10, I was thrilled, yet a bit nervous. What if it didn't live up to the hype? I wanted so badly for it to be as good as I hoped it would be. Luckily for me, it was. From the very first chapter I was sucked into the story. Kate is a very compelling character with much depth. She has been though a great tragedy and an international move. She does her very best simply to survive this new life that has been foisted upon her, however difficult that may be. That she does so is an indication of her strength of character. This is a very good thing, for she will need all the strength she can get.

The element of romance in this book was absolutely perfect and was everything I expected of a novel set in Paris. Amy Plum does a fantastic job of describing everything from Kate's surroundings to day-to-day habits of Parisians. At several points in the story I almost felt like I was actually there. It is the perfect setting for the budding romance between Kate and Vincent. It also made an interesting scene for the on-going battles between the two factions of revenants. While there were several idyllic settings described within, Plum didn't ignore the more sinister side of the city. The night club Kate goes to with her sister, Georgia, made me feel just uneasy enough to know that something was about to happen.

I loved the fresh perspective Amy Plum used when creating her more supernatural characters. The word “revenant” derives from the French verb revenir (a verb I have become all too familiar with in my French classes), which means “to come back,” which describes Vincent and his kindred in a nutshell. While folklore typically attributes revenants with terrorizing humans, Ms. Plum gave us a new twist on it. There are two different factions of revenants in Die for Me. The first, comprised of Vincent and his cohorts, are good revenants, beings who give their lives to save others again and again in a never-ending cycle. They come into being when they give their lives to save another's life. The bad revenants, or numa, are the polar opposite. Rather than dying to save others, they don't willingly die and, instead, spend their time trying to cause the deaths of humans. The numa come into being when they betray another unto death. The numa are more in line with the traditional idea of the revenant and are truly formidable foes for the kindred. Learning about the inner-workings of the two factions made Die for Me a very intriguing read and left me wanting to learn more.

Die for Me is another of those books that I wish I could give a higher rating to. When a book has me reading 100 pages in a single sitting, I know I've just read something very special. I will be looking forward to the next installment in the series with bated breath. Die for Me has more than earned 5 hoots.