Blog Tour- GEMINA by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff An Interview

I am so excited to be hosting a spot on the GEMINA blog tour! I love Jay and Amie and this book f***ing rocks! I loved it more than ILLUMINAE!!! So make sure you grab a copy! 

Haven't heard of GEMINA Check it out!

Title: GEMINA (The Illuminae Files #2)

Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Release Date: October 18, 2016

Pages: 608

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes& Noble | iBooks

The highly anticipated sequel to the instant New York Times bestseller that critics are calling “out-of-this-world awesome.” 

Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.
     The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault. 
     Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy's most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion. 
     When an elite BeiTech strike team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station's wormhole means the space-time continuum might be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival; the fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.
     But relax. They've totally got this. They hope.
     Once again told through a compelling dossier of emails, IMs, classified files, transcripts, and schematics, Gemina raises the stakes of the Illuminae Files, hurling readers into an enthralling new story that will leave them breathless.

Praise for Illuminae:

A New York Times Bestseller
A PW Bestseller

“Out-of-this-world awesome.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred 

“Stylistically mesmerizing.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred 

“An arresting visual experience.” —Booklist, Starred 

“A game-changer.” —Shelf Awareness, Starre

Now on to the interview!

Hi Amie and Jay! First I want to say welcome back to Two Chicks on Books! GEMINA was absolutely fantastic! I think I liked it better than Illuminae and am so happy that you could stop by for a visit!

Thank you so much for having us! We’re so excited to see Gemina getting ready to head out into the world, and there’s no higher compliment than readers liking book two even better!

For the readers: can you tell us a little bit about GEMINA and the characters? BTW I’m calling it Event Horizon meets Pandorum, and Alien with a bit of Die Hard and romance mixed in :)

Oh, that’s awesome! We’ve been called it Die Hard meets Alien, so you’re right there with us. Readers of Illuminae might remember that the Hypatia was broadcasting to Jump Station Heimdall, desperately hoping for help, or that the station would even be there when they arrived, seeing as how they weren’t replying. Gemina is the story of what was happening on Heimdall in the meantime. 

We’ll meet Hanna Donnelly, the station commander’s daughter, who has a killer 

wardrobe (and some killer moves as well… literally) and Nik Malikov, who’s a member of the station’s local criminal element, and would really like to date Hanna. He’s been striking out on that one so far. And for everyone who wants to know if they’re going to see the characters from book one again… absolutely, yes. 

The ones who survived, anyway.

What about book 3? Is there a title yet?

There is a title, but it’s top secret! We’ve finished drafting it and we’re editing it right now. We’re really happy with how it wraps up everyone’s stories, and you’ll get to see some stuff that we’ve been planting in books one and two really come to the fore in book three!

Ok who’s idea was the Lanima? Because they freaked me the hell out (seriously I had creepy dreams!) and I don’t freak out easily!

We decided together that there were going to be super freaky creatures in this book, and Jay wrote  the original description for them. We don’t freak out easily either, but those things… ugh.

Tell me about Nik’s tattoos did you research different gang tattoos or did you just make them up?

The tattoos are inspired loosely by the tattoos of the vory v zakone, the modern-day Russian Mafia. Jay researched vory tattoos to get an understanding of the patterns of the iconography (he has an unhealthy obsession with international criminal groups – give him a drink and ask about the Hell’s Angels and you’ll be there for hours). But the House of Knives, which is the name of the syndicate Nik and Ella belong to, is inspired by several international criminal groups.  Members of the HoK get tattoos on their bodies to denote stretches they’ve served in prison, and the crimes for which they were incarcerated, which is a vory v zakone tradition. But they also have tattoos to denote their House affiliation, which is closer to the practices of the yakuza.

Nik has a particular tattoo—an angel across his throat—which symbolizes a certain crime he’s committed for the cartel. But, we won’t say anything else about that one, because, spoilers. J

Who was your favorite character to write? What about your least favorite?

This probably sounds like cheating, but there really aren’t any least favourite scenes. If we’re not having fun writing something, it goes, or we rework it until we are having fun. After all, if we don’t love it, readers probably won’t either!

In terms of favourites… gosh, that’s really hard. Nik and Hanna are obvious choices, because we love them to bits. We also really enjoyed writing Nik’s cousin Ella, and a bunch of the badass mercenaries you’ll meet in this book. They’re not all good guys, but they’re a lot of fun!

What is your favorite passage/scene in GEMINA? I know you both probably have different ones!

That’s like asking us to choose a favourite limb! There are so many we could pick. Without spoiling anyone, for today we’ll say… the mirrored scenes.

OMG those scenes killed me!!!!!!!!

Please tell me you have the full lyrics for “I Wanna Lick Ya (Lollipop)? I am really dying to see them all together!

Yes, of course we do! You’ll even hear a snatch of it sung on the audiobook! We’ll share the whole thing one day… when the time is right.

What can we expect for book 3? I’m hoping we’ll get to see the gang again? 

Well, we can say that whoever survives Gemina, you’ll definitely see them in book three. As for what else you can expect… well, lots of answers. And the most epic battle we’ve ever written. Which is saying something.

Thanks so much Amie and Jay for answering my questions! I can’t wait for everyone to read GEMINA and I can’t wait for book 3!

Thank you so much for having us!

About Amie & Jay:

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of These Broken Stars and This Shattered World, and Illuminae, the first in a new series starting in 2015. She writes science fiction and fantasy for teens, and her favourite procrastination techniques involve chocolate, baking, sailing, excellent books and TV, plotting and executing overseas travel, and napping.

She lives in Melbourne, Australia with her husband, their rescue dog, and her considerable library. She is represented by Tracey Adams of Adams Literary.

Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy. Part 3, ENDSINGER, is out now. He's also co-author of the upcoming ILLUMINAE (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015, and NEVERNIGHT, the first part of a new fantasy trilogy kicking off in 2016.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13380 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

Meet Amie and Jay

Tuesday, October 25 @ 7:30 PM
Mysterious Galaxy
5943 Balboa Avenue #100
San Diego, CA 92111
In-store Launch Event with Marie Lu

Wednesday, October 26 at 7:00 PM ( JAIME WILL BE AT THIS EVENT!)
PANEL EVENT WITH KIERSTEN WHITE (AND I DARKEN), JESSICA CLUESS (A SHADOW BRIGHT & BURNING), AND ARWEN ELYS DAYTON (TRAVELER)
Menlo Park Public Library
800 Alma Street
Menlo Park, CA 94025

Thursday, October 27
Old Town Library
201 Peterson Street
Fort Collins, CO 80524

Friday, October 28 @ 7:00 PM
Tattered Cover Colfax
2526 E Colfax Ave
Denver, CO 80206

Saturday, October 29 at 7:00 PM
The King’s English Bookshop
1511 1500 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84105

Sunday, October 30 at 2:00 PM
BookPeople
603 N Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78703

Tuesday, November 1 at 6:00 PM
Books of Wonder
18 W 18th Street
New York, NY 10011

Wednesday, November 2 at 6:30 PM
Barnes & Noble Yonkers
Central Plaza Shopping Center
2614 Central Park Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10710

Thursday, November 3 at 7:00 PM
Bethesda Library
7400 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD 20814

Saturday, November 5 at 7:00 PM
Malaprop’s Bookstore & Café
55 Haywood Street Asheville, NC
28801

Sunday, November 6 at 5:00 PM
Little Shop of Stories
133 E Court Square # A
Decatur, GA 30030

Monday, November 7 at 6:00 PM
Barnes & Noble Cumming
The Collection at Forsyth
410 Peachtree Pkwy #252
Cumming, GA 30041

Wednesday, November 9 at 6:30 PM
Parnassus Books
Hillsboro Plaza Shopping Center
3900 Hillsboro Pike #14
Nashville, TN 37215

Friday, November 11 – Saturday, November 12
YallFest
Charleston, SC
Book Festival Panel Events

If you haven't started the series now's a great time!

Blog Tour- WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS by Anna-Marie McLemore An Excerpt

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS by Anna-Marie McLemore! I freaking adore Anna and she's a local author so that's another plus! I love supporting my local authors! I have an excerpt from the book to share with you today!

Haven't heard of WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS? Check it out!

Title: WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS

Author: anna-Marie McLemore

Release Date: October 4, 2016

Pages: 288

Publisher: Thomas Dunne

Format: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes& Noble | iBooks

When the Moon Was Ours follows two characters through a story that has multicultural elements and magical realism, but also has central LGBT themes—a transgender boy, the best friend he’s falling in love with, and both of them deciding how they want to define themselves.

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. 

But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.s. 

Now on to the excerpt!

sea of clouds

As far as he knew, she had come from the water. But even

about that, he couldn’t be sure.

It didn’t matter how many nights they’d met on the untilled land

between their houses; the last farm didn’t rotate its crops, and

stripped the soil until nothing but wild grasses would grow. It didn’t

matter how many stories he and Miel had told each other when

they could not sleep, him passing on his mother’s fables of moon

bears that aided lost travelers, Miel making up tales about his moon

lamps falling in love with stars. Sam didn’t know any more than

anyone else about where she’d come from before he found her in

the brush fi eld. She seemed to have been made of water one minute

and the next, became a girl.

Someday, he and Miel would be nothing but a fairy tale. When

they were gone from this town, no one would remember the exact

brown of Miel’s eyes, or the way she spiced recado rojo with cloves,

or even that Sam and his mother were Pakistani. At best, they would

remember a dark- eyed girl, and a boy whose family had come from

somewhere else. They would remember only that Miel and Sam

had been called Honey and Moon, a girl and a boy woven into the

folklore of this place.

This is the story that mothers would tell their children:

There was once a very old water tower. Rust had turned its metal

such a deep orange that the whole tank looked like a pumpkin, an

enormous copy of the fruit that grew in the fi elds where it cast its

shadow. No one tended this water tower anymore, not since a few

strikes from a summer of lightning storms left it leaning to one side

as though it were tired and slouching. Years ago, they had fi lled it

from the river, but now rust and minerals choked the pipes. When

they opened the valve at the base of the tower, nothing more than a

few drops trickled out. The bolts and sheeting looked weak enough

that one autumn windstorm might crumble the whole thing.

So the town decided that they would build a new water tower,

and that the old one would come down. But the only way to drain it

would be to tip it over like a cup. They would have to be ready for

the whole tower to crash to the ground, all that rusted metal, those

thousands of gallons of dirty, rushing water spilling out over the land.

For the fall, they chose the side of the tower where a field of brush

was so dry, a single spark would catch and light it all. All that water,

they thought, might bring a little green. From that field, they dug

up wild flowers, chicory and Indian paintbrush and larkspur, replanting

them alongside the road, so they would not be drowned or

smashed. They feared that if they were not kind to the beautiful

things that grew wild, their own farms would wither and die.

Children ran through the brush fields, chasing away squirrels

and young deer so that when the water tower came down, they

would not be crushed. Among these children was a boy called

Moon because he was always painting lunar seas and shadows onto

glass and paper and anything he could make glow. Moon knew to

keep his steps and his voice gentle, so he would not startle the rabbits,

but would stir them to bound back toward their burrows.

When the animals and the wild flowers were gone from the brush

field, the men of the town took their axes and hammers and mallets

to the base of the water tower, until it fell like a tree. It arced toward

the ground, its fall slow, as though it were leaning forward to touch

its own shadow. When it hit, the rusted top broke off, and all that

water rushed out.

For a minute the water, brown as a forgotten cup of tea, hid the

brush that looked like pale wheat stubble. But when it slid and spread

out over the field, flattening the brittle stalks, soaking into the dry

ground, every one watching made out the shape of a small body.

A girl huddled in the wet brush, her hair stuck to her face, her

eyes wide and round as amber marbles. She had on a thin nightgown,

which must have once been white, now stained cream by the water.

But she covered herself with her arms, cowering like she was naked

and looking at every one like they were all baring their teeth.

At first a few of the mothers shrieked, wondering whose child had

been left in the water tower’s path. But then they realized that they

did not know this girl. She was not their daughter, or the daughter

of any of the mothers in town.

No one would come near her. The ring of those who had come

to see the tower taken down widened a little more the longer they

watched her. Each minute they put a little more space between

her and them, more afraid of this small girl than of so much falling

water and rusted metal. And she stared at them, seeming to meet all

their eyes at once, her look both vicious and frightened.

But the boy called Moon came forward and knelt in front of her.

He took off his jacket and put it on her. Talked to her in a voice soft

enough that no one else could hear it.

Every one drew back, expecting her to bite him or to slash her

fingernails across his face. But she looked at him, and listened to him,

his words stripping the feral look out of her eyes.

After that day, anyone who had not been at the water tower

thought she was the same as any other child, little different from the

boy she was always with. But if they looked closely, they could see

the hem of her skirt, always a little damp, never quite drying no

matter how much the sun warmed it.

This would be the story, a neat distillation of what had happened.

It would weed out all the things that did not fit. It would not mention

how Miel, soaking wet and smelling of rust, screamed into her

hands with every one watching. Because every one was watching, and

she wanted to soak into the ground like the spilled water and vanish.

How Sam crouched in front of her saying, “Okay, okay,” keeping

his words slow and level so she would know what he meant. You

can stop screaming; I hear you, I understand. And because she believed

him, that he heard her, and understood, she did stop.

It would leave out the part about the Bonner sisters. The four of

them, from eight- year- old Chloe to three- year- old Peyton, had been

there to see the water tower come down, all of them lined up so their

hair looked like a forest of autumn trees. Peyton had been holding

a small gray pumpkin that, in that light, looked almost blue. She had

it cradled in one arm, and with the other hand was petting it like a

bird. When she’d taken a step toward Miel, clutching that pumpkin,

Miel’s screaming turned raw and broken, and Peyton startled back

to her sisters.

Once Sam knew about Miel’s fear of pumpkins, he understood,

how Peyton treating it like it was alive made Miel afraid not only of

Peyton but of all of them. But that part would never make it into

the story.

About Anna-Marie:

¡Bienvenidos! I’m Anna-Marie. I’m a Mexican-American author represented by the fabulous Taylor Martindale of Full Circle Literary. My debut novel, THE WEIGHT OF FEATHERS,a 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist, is out now from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. My second novel,WHEN THE MOON WAS OURS, will be released in October 2016, and WILD BEAUTY is coming in 2017.

My shorter work has been featured in The Portland Review, CRATE Literary Magazine’s “cratelit,” Camera Obscura’s Bridge the Gap Gallery, and by the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West. I was a 2011 Lambda Literary Fellow in Fiction (you can find my reading here). I live in Northern California with a boy from the other side of the Rockies. 

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBBOK | GOODREADS 

Make sure you grab Anna-Marie's first book too!

Dying To Read (175)- DARK BREAKS THE DAWN by Sara B. Larson

Hey y’all thanks for stopping by to see my Dying to Read post and of course as always I have to give credit to the lovely Jill over at Breaking the Spine for the Waiting on Wednesday Meme!

I love Sara and I can't wait to read thisl!

Title: DARK BREAKS THE DAWN 

Author: Sara B. Larson

Release Date: May 30, 2017

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Pages: ?

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads 

On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.

But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn onto the throne much sooner than she expected.

In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.

So what do you think? Will you be adding this to your pile? What are you dying to read this week?

Blog Tour- THE MIDNIGHT STAR by Marie Lu 5 Reasons to Read The Young Elites & A Pre- Order Giveaway!

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the blog tour for THE MIDNIGHT STAR by Marie Lu! I freaking adore Marie! I'm sharing my Top 5 reasons you should read The Young Elites Series today! And make sure to enter the awesome pre-order giveaway!

Haven't heard of THE MIDNIGHT STAR? Check it out!

Title: THE MIDNIGHT STAR (A Youn Elites Novel #3)

Author: Marie Lu

Release Date: October 11, 2016

Pages: 416

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Format: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes& Noble | iBooks

The thrilling finale to the New York Times bestselling Young Elites series from “hit factory” Marie Lu.

There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.

Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all that she’s achieved.

Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds when a new danger appears, putting not only Adelina at risk, but every Elite and the very world they live in. In order to save herself and preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

Bestselling author Marie Lu concludes Adelina's story with this haunting and hypnotizing final installment to the Young Elites series. 

Now on to my post!

Top 5 reasons to read The Young Elites Series I'll use a couple quotes sent by Penguin teen.

1. There aren't any good guys (not really) the MC's in the book and most of the other characters are bad guys. I wouldn't even call them anti-heroes although some may.

2. The worldbuilding is absolutely breathtaking! It's set in a fantasy world but it's an awful lot like Europe.

3. I love the multiple POV's.

4. The swoon worthy boys! Yes I am an Enzo girl but Maggiano and Teren are pretty hot too!

5. Marie just knows how to write a beautiful story. Even though I most of the characters got under my skin at times I still couldn't stop myself from reading to see what came next!

About Marie:

I write young adult novels, and have a special love for dystopian books. Ironically, I was born in 1984. Before becoming a full-time writer, I was an Art Director at a video game company. Now I shuffle around at home and talk to myself a lot. :)

I graduated from the University of Southern California in '06 and currently live in LA, where I spend my time stuck on the freeways.

WEBSITE| TWITTER | PINTEREST | FACEBBOK | TUMBLR  |INSTAGRAM

Giveaway Details:

Click on the image and enter the pre-order giveaway!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

Monday, 9/26: Expresso Reads (Series Sensory Associations)

Monday, 9/26: Ensconced in Lit (TYE “What Makes a Villain” Discussion)

Tuesday, 9/27: Myriad Inklings (Review/Book Playlist)

Tuesday, 9/27: Two Chicks on Books (Top 5 Reasons to Read TYE)

Wednesday, 9/28: Mike the Fanboy (Villains/Anti-Heroes in Pop Culture List)

Thursday, 9/29: Reading Teen (Guest Post)

Thursday, 9/29: Twirling Pages (Favorite Quotes/Mood Board)

Friday, 9/30: Bibliophile Gathering (Review)

Friday, 9/30: Brittany’s Book Rambles (Favorite Quotes)

Week Two:

Monday, 10/3: Once Upon a Twilight (Guest Post)

Tuesday, 10/4: The Starry-Eyed Revue (Midnight Star Look Book)

Tuesday, 10/4: Arctic Books (Review + Favorite Quotes)

Wednesday, 10/5: Folded Pages Distillery (Review + Instagram)

Wednesday, 10/5: Fiktshun (Review)

Thursday, 10/6: The Book Nut (Review + Mood Board)

Thursday, 10/6: Bookiemoji (Top 5 Reasons to Read TYE)

Friday, 10/7: MundieMoms (Review + Favorite Quotes)

Week Three:

Monday, 10/10: The Fandom (Review + Favorite Quotes)

Tuesday, 10/11: Forever Young Adult (Guest Post)

Wednesday, 10/12: Owl Always Be Reading (Review + Quotes)

Wednesday, 10/12: Buttermybooks (Favorite Morally Ambiguous Characters)

Thursday, 10/13: IceyBooks (Quote Candy)

Friday, 10/14: Dark Faerie Tales (Guest Post)

Friday, 10/14: A Page with a View (Favorite Fanart)

Week Four:

Monday, 10/17: The Book Shire (Review + Favorite Quotes)

Monday, 10/17: Seeing Double in Neverland (Review)

Tuesday, 10/18: What Sarah Read (Guest Post)

Wednesday, 10/19: Adventures of a Book Junkie (Top 5 Reasons to Read TYE)

Wednesday, 10/19: YA Bibliophile (Review + Favorite Quotes)

Thursday, 10/20: Eater of Books! (Swoon Thursday)

Friday, 10/21: Me My Shelf and I (Bookish Scents)

Friday, 10/21: Oh the Book Feels (Review + Favorite Quotes)

If you haven't started the series now's a great time!