Ask Book Chic (3)

Time for the third installment of Ask Book Chic!! You can leave questions in the comments below or email me and I'll answer them in a future installment. Questions can be about anything at all- personal, blog-related, writing-related, whatever crosses your mind. Anyway, let's get to the questions!


Katie asks "Have you read any debut novels this year and if so, which one would you recommend to everyone else? There are so many coming out this year that I just don't know which ones I should read. =]"

I've read a lot of debut novels so far this year and actually feature two debut authors each month. I don't even know where to start; there's a ton that are really amazing. I'll try to narrow it down to just a couple.

1) Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey- Yes, a paranormal, BUT it's really cool and features new creatures. I also loved the connection with Maori folklore, and the fact that it takes place in New Zealand. Plus, it's got a hot romance. Definitely one to check out.

2) Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White- This is under a new term called "magical realism" (at least, I think that's what Amy called it, lol). It's very much in the real world and deals with real world problems, but it has a slight magical tint to it. A wonderfully written, original tale.

3) The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk- This book features a unique main character to the YA genre: a deaf, big boned boy. Containing a male narrator in general is unique enough but add in those other two things and that's something hardly seen anywhere. Aside from that, it's also a hysterical book and has a really interesting mystery to it as well.

Of course there are plenty more worthy debut books to check out, so be sure to check all the summaries out to see which ones interest you the most!


Cindy asks "1. Of all the authors you have met who is your hands down favorite?

2. What was the craziest thing that has happened to you on the way to say a book event or suthor signing?"

1. Meg Cabot is totally up there because, well, she's Meg Cabot! But I'd have to say that Maggie Stiefvater is probably my favorite and here's why: She's so funny, down-to-earth, has great advice, is very sweet (she will probably deny this as it will hinder her plans for world domination) and loves bloggers. She and I have been chatting and hanging out with each other for like a year and a half now (essentially from around the time Lament came out) and I love going to her signings. After a joint Elizabeth Scott/Claudia Gray signing, she gave me a surprise advance copy of Shiver because she knew I didn't have one. She's just a great person and what's funny about this is that we met because she vehemently disagreed with something I said in a He Said, She Said post on GuysLitWire back in August 2008 and wrote a whole blog entry about it.

I've obviously loved every single author I've had the pleasure to meet, and have enjoyed my time chatting with them, no matter how long or short it was. So I hope no authors are offended that I didn't choose them, or that I do even have a favorite because I really don't mean to offend.

I'm excited for BEA this month because I'll get to meet and hang out with a TON of authors, which should be a lot of fun.

2. So Maggie was my favorite author to meet, and she's also the one where the crazy things happen. I'll link to the two instances where crazy stuff has happened, but long story short: Maggie is turning me into a criminal. For what reason, I don't know, but there must be some method to her madness.

As for that speeding ticket I got, I went to court for it last month and got it knocked down to just 9 over so that less points were put on my record and I didn't have to pay as much. It would have been better if the whole thing had been taken off but whatever. I'll take what I can get.


Lili asks "What has been your favorite part about having your book blog? Why is it your favorite?"

I think my favorite part of it is being able to connect with authors, other bloggers, and all kinds of book lovers. Talking about and buzzing about books is just so much fun, especially with this wonderful YA community. I've made so many great friends through this blog and found out so much from starting this blog. I just love it and hope to keep doing it for a long time.