BEA Blitz: Lili from Lili's Reflections

Joining me today is Lili from Lili's Reflections. Lil has been a dear friend of my for the past few months, and I've sort of taken her under my wing, and we're going to BEA together. I've wanted to include her in this even though she hasn't gone because there is nothing like the perspective of someone who is going for the first time.

When did you first find out about BEA?

So, I created my blog on May 17 and had no idea what BEA was, but shortly after creating my blog my newsfeed was swarmed with a ton of posts about BEA, about the books they got there, the people they met, the experience as a whole. In truth, I was green with envy because the event as a whole sounded so amazing. I dreamed of being able to attend this year and my parents decided to make it a reality by giving me the trip as my graduation gift. I'm so excited. I don't know if I'll ever be able to attend again in the future, but I certainly won't take this opportunity for granted.

What are you looking forward to most?

I'm looking forward to the event as a whole. I don't have many bookish friends in my area or in my life directly, so I'm excited to enter a world where everyone is the same as me. We're all nuts, we all love books, we all can't get enough. Sign me up! <3

What book are you looking forward to most?

Oh, gosh. This is honestly the hardest question you could ask of me ever. There are too many to name. I'm definitely looking forward to ANTIGODDESS by Kendare Blake. Just read the book's premise because I am so freaking excited for it. And then there's THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLD TOWN which is by Holly Black. I've read several of her books and loved them all, so I have really high expectations for this one. FRIGID by J. Lynn is a new adult written by Jennifer L. Armentrout who has never steered me wrong and SANCTUM #2 by Sarah Fine entitled FRACTURED. Sarah is not only one of my best author friends, but she's one of my favorites as well. SANCTUM completely blew me away and I've been awaiting the release of its sequel for over a year. If you haven't checked out SANCTUM, I highly recommend doing so.

What are you hoping to accomplish at BEA?

I'm really looking to network in all honesty. I want to meet other bloggers and make new friends. I want to meet my author friends that I have yet to meet and make new author friends. I want to look at the publishing booths and talk to the individuals there, especially since I am pursuing a dual degree to get a Masters of Science in Publishing in NYC beginning next year. And, of course, I'm sort of dying to get my hands on a few specific books haha There are always some bookish perks.

What are you going to be doing while not at BEA?

I'm going to be sleeping... lol Not really. While not at BEA I'm going to be spending time with the people I'm rooming with and sorting through the amazing pile of books I will hopefully accumulate. I may even be stupid enough to forget what little sleep I can get during the event in order to read one. (But I really hope I'm not that stupid).

How much planning are you putting into BEA?

I've been very lucky in the sense that my BEA big sister has been doing 90% of my planning for me haha I'm still trying ot understand the author signings chart and such, but I'm doing my best to create my own little schedule to adhere to while there. Either way, I still feel like I'll be extremely overwhelmed in the best possible way and go off on my own tangent.

Can't you just feel her excitement? Be sure to check out Hannah's post tomorrow!

The Loop

Author: Shandy Lawson
Goodreads Rating: 3.15
Pages: 208
Format: ARC from Swap

Ben and Maggie have met, fallen in love, and died together countless times. Over the course of two pivotal days—both the best and worst of their lives—they struggle again and again to resist the pull of fate and the force of time itself. With each failure, they return to the beginning of their end, a wild road trip that brings them to the scene of their own murders and into the hands of the man destined to kill them.

As time circles back on itself, events become more deeply ingrained, more inescapable for the two kids trapped inside the loop. The closer they come to breaking out, the tighter fate’s clutches seem to grip them. They devise a desperate plan to break free and survive the days ahead, but what if Ben and Maggie’s only shot at not dying is surviving apart?

BEA Blitz

Today is the day that I get real with you peeps. For months now, Hannah The Irish Banana, Lexie from Poisoned Rationality and myself have plotting and planning about how excited we are for BEA. We have been talking about it, texting about it, tweeting, and facebooking about it (often all at the same time) since they let you register in December.) Along the way we decided that to help people get as pumped as we have been since December, we should do a series of posts where we all talk about BEA and why its so great.

We have interviews with authors and publishers. We have posts about what to expect and what to do. Better yet, WE HAVE ANSWERS. I know that there are some burning questions that you have been dying to ask, well, this is your chance to ask them of us, so DO IT.

For me this is the first time that I have really had time to blog since I started my job back in January. Sadly, my job has been really time consuming (as the real world can be) so having the time to sit down and do this has been hard, but it is my hope that I will sit there and talk about BEA and then I will get sucked back into this world, and well...you know the rest.

The schedule is top secret, but you can look forward to interviews or BEA related posts for all of the month of May. If you want to ask us a question about BEA or just to share how excited you are about the event, Tweet at us, and be sure to use #BEABlitz and get excited, because we sure are!

Porch Lights Spotlight and Excerpt

Welcome to the Read Along stop for Dorothea Benton Frank. This was brought to you by TLC Book Tours. Today I have the pleaseure of presenting you with a spotlight on Porch Lights because it is very special to my heart since my dad is FDNY. So without furtherado. Check our the synopsis and special excerpt!

When Jimmy McMullen, a fireman with the NYFD, is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Charlie idolized his dad, and now the outgoing, curious boy has become quiet and reserved. Trusting in the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island.
Crossing the bridge from the mainland, Jackie and Charlie enter a world full of wonder and magic—lush green and chocolate grasslands and dazzling red, orange, and magenta evening skies; the heady pungency of Lowcountry Pluff mud and fresh seafood on the grill; bare toes snuggled in warm sand and palmetto fronds swaying in gentle ocean winds.
Awaiting them is Annie Britt, the family matriarch who has kept the porch lights on to welcome them home. Thrilled to have her family back again, Annie promises to make their visit perfect—even though relations between mother and daughter have never been what you'd call smooth. Over the years, Jackie and Annie, like all mothers and daughters, have been known to have frequent and notorious differences of opinion. But her estranged and wise husband, Buster, and her flamboyant and funny best friend Deb are sure to keep Annie in line. She's also got Steven Plofker, the flirtatious and devilishly tasty widowed physician next door, to keep her distracted as well.
Captivated by the island's alluring natural charms and inspired by colorful Lowcountry lore—lively stories of Blackbeard and his pirates who once sailed the waterssurrounding the Carolinas and of former resident Edgar Allan Poe—mother, daughter, and grandson will share a memorable, illuminating summer. Told in Annie's and Jackie's alternating voices, and filled with Dorothea Benton Frank's charming wit, indelible poignancy, and hallmark themes—the bonds of family, the heart's resilience, and the strength of love—Porch Lights is a triumph from "the queen of Southern fiction" (Charlotte Observer).

An Excerpt from Porch Lights by WilliamMorrowBooks

Through to You

Author: Emily Hainsworth
Goodreads Rating: 3.78
Pages: 272
Format: ARC

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. He’d give anything to have just one more glimpse of her. But when Cam visits the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees an apparition. Her name is Nina, and she’s a girl from a parallel world. When Cam follows here there and makes an unbelievable discovery, it’s as if all his wildest dreams have come true. But things are very different in this other world. Nina is hiding a secret, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with the truth, he’s forced to make a choice that will change his life forever.