@fiercereadsya / fiercereadsya.tumblr.com
“There’s the person who you think you should be and there’s the person who you really are. I’ve lost a sense of both.” (start reading Perfect, the sequel to Flawed)
““I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” I say, because it’s what I always say.” (start reading)
“Theo’s brother Vincent has been living with him for just over a year, and Theo cannot take it anymore.” (start reading)
Hello friends!!!!!
Once again, it is time to review the most recent Fierce Reads updates. (Y’know, because you all deserve to know EVERYTHING we’ve been up to.)
New Books: FOUR new books have hit shelves since our last recap: 1. Pyromantic by Lish McBride 2. Eyes of the World by Marc Aronson & Marina Budhos 3. Perfect by Cecelia Ahern 4. Duels & Deception by Cindy Anstey
A NEW LOGO?!?? YEAH. YOU READ RIGHT. Fierce Reads has a NEW AND SHINY LOGO. It’s all of everything. We are so happy.
A Contest: We want to put your selfie on a book cover. You should probably find out more about that.
Cover Reveals: EVERYONE ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET BECAUSE THE COVER FOR THE LANGUAGE OF THORNS BY LEIGH BARDUGO IS FINALLY HERE.
Fun Bonus Stuff: We wrote a post with tips for making room on your shelves for all of the books you accidentally bring home with you on a daily basis; Author Deborah Heiligman wrote a sweet post for National Sibling Day; To celebrate the launch of Perfect, we interviewed author Cecelia Ahern; If you preorder The Battlemage by Taran Matharu, you’ll receive annotated chapters from the book; and if you preorder Spill Zone by Scott Westerfeld, you’ll receive awesome tattoos;
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Perfect by Cecelia Ahern came out just last week! 🎉 To celebrate the release of the sequel to Flawed, Team Fierce Reads asked Cecelia a few questions about the series and life as an author.
Team Fierce Reads: What makes Celestine Fierce?
Cecelia Ahern: When we meet first Celestine she is a popular girl with a large group of friends, very intelligent, a mathematical whizz kid, grade A student. She is happy and content with her life, she believes the word of the Guild, and supports the Flawed rules.
Suddenly she’s forced to question everything she believes in when one of her neighbors is accused of being Flawed and that is when she evolves. She starts questioning society, she starts to listen to her own doubts and question her own beliefs, instead of always following the crowd. Finding her voice, questioning society, telling people that they are wrong to think she is anything less than them is what makes her fierce. Standing up for herself, bringing compassion and logic to a society that has lost its humanity is what makes her fierce. Embracing her flaws and realizing that to be human is to be flawed is what makes her fierce. Reminding others that she is there and that she counts as much as they do is what makes her fierce.
TFR: If you could give Celestine one piece of advice, what would it be?
CA: I feel that through writing these novels I did give Celestine advice. I told her to stop listening to others and start listening to herself. She goes from being a girl who is very logical, who thinks in black and white, to being somebody who suddenly has to learn how to follow her heart and her instincts. She realizes that society isn’t always right, that people have agendas. I told her to question the norms and find her own voice.
CA: I wrote one of the most graphic, disturbing and violent scenes of my entire career when writing Flawed. It was the ‘Branding Chamber’ scene where people who are accused of being Flawed must go to receive a branding to their skin to identify them to the public as imperfect people who are damaging to society. I thought I might be arrested while googling skin searing, flesh burning and what happens to tongues and taste buds when they’re burned. It was a very unusual type of research for me, and it made me uncomfortable but the scenes had to feel real, I wanted to be able to explain the sounds, the smells, the tastes to convey the terror and unfairness of the situation. But in introducing the loss of Celestine’s taste buds in Flawed, it also led to one of the most romantic scenes in Perfect. So I had to balance out the darkness with light.
TFR: If you'd met Celestine when you were a teen, would you have been friends?
CA: I wouldn’t necessarily have been friends with the Celestine at the beginning of Flawed. I probably was more like her sister Juniper, who was quieter, had a smaller group of friends and kept to herself, though who was more cynical and questioning of society. The Celestine that she becomes throughout her testing journey is a person that I would certainly have looked up to and followed. She becomes a leader with quiet confidence, which is the most attractive quality a leader can have, in my opinion.
TFR: What's one fun fact most people don't know about you?
CA: I used to be a singer and dancer. I had a record deal, performed in a pop group, and recorded backing vocals for a U2 charity song that I’ve never ever heard played anywhere!! Probably because I was terrible!
Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan. But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED. In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.
New month, new books 🎉
Perfect by Cecelia Ahern (Sequel to Flawed | April 4) Duels & Deceptions by Cindy Anstey (April 11) Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman (April 18) Meg & Linus by Hanna Nowinski (April 18) Sunkissed by Jenny McLachlan (April 25) Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick (April 25)
What’s your favorite series?
Last week was slow but this week was wild — time to catch everyone up!
New Books: FOUR new books have hit shelves since our last recap: 1. The Other F-Word by Natasha Friend 2. These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas 3. Freya by Matthew Laurence 4. Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
Cover Reveals: 1. Have you seen the cover for Warrior Genius by Michael Dante DiMartino (it’s the sequel to Rebel Genius and we’re SO EXCITED)? 2. What about the paperback cover for Flawed by Cecelia Ahern? 3. OR WHAT ABOUT the paperback cover for The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood?
Title Reveal: Want to know what the sequel to The Daughter of the Pirate King is called? WE’LL TELL YOU.
Blog Tours: We’ve got the deets for not one but TWO blog tours: 1. These Ruthless Deeds by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas 2. Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
Fun Bonus Stuff: We celebrated some of our favorite fierce fictional ladies; Celebrated the Ides of March with this fun quiz that’ll help you pick a book packed with betrayal based on your Zodiac sign; AND shared the first lines of some March books we’re REALLY excited about (Part 1 | Part 2)
eDeals: ARE YOU READY FOR THIS? The follow 3 eBooks have been downpriced to $2.99 across ALL playforms. It’s a big deal. Please get excited. 1. These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas 2. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski 3. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson Those last two? ON SALE ONLY FOR TODAY, MARCH 19TH. DO NOT STOP FOR A NAP. DO NOT STOP FOR COOKIES. JUST GOT BUY THE BOOKS. QUICK. AND TELL ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS.
Wishing you all perfect weekend reading vibes...
Why make a list of Fierce Fictional Ladies We Love? Because we’re celebrating Women’s History Month, Buffy’s 20th anniversary (Slayer = Queen 4eva), and, well, honestly, who runs the world? Girls. So really we don’t need a reason for this post.
1. Dana Scully from The X-Files Origins by Jonathan Maberry: The very definition of fierce, both on screen & on page. 2. Celestine from Flawed by Cecelia Ahern: Perfectly flawed and on a mission to prove the government wrong. 3. Cath from Heartless by Marissa Meyer: Four words: “Off with their heads!” 4. Inej & Nina from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Never has there been a fiercer pair of BFFs (seriously, don’t get on their bad sides). 5. Reagan from You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando: A teen spy hiding in plain sight? Tough af. 6. Skylar from I’ll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios: Always willing to fight, even when the odds are stacked against her. 7. Alosa from Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller: Never have we met a fiercer pirate anywhere, in any book. 8. Iko from Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer: The fiercest android in YA (we're also pretty big fans of Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, & Winter!). 9. Kestrel from The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski: Proving clever is just as important as strong at every turn. 10. Lia from The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson: Taking her fate into her own hands like a boss. 11. Laurel from Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira: A quieter kind of fierce, but just as strong and important. 12. Sara (AKA Freya) from Freya by Matthew Laurence: A Norse Goddess is not someone you want to mess with. 13. Alina from Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: Literally the only person who can save the world — AND SHE DOES IT.
So now you have a list of books starring tough leading ladies who slay (sometimes literally) — ENJOY.
We’ve got soooooooo much to recap. So much. Are you ready?
New Books: First off, a shiny new book came out this past Tuesday. Have you started reading Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage yet?
And then there are the super big, MEGA ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. A NEW MARISSA MEYER BOOK HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED. For more info, go here. 2. We also announced the Spring 2017 Fierce Reads Tour Stops with the help of our four touring authors, Erin Beaty (author of The Traitor’s Kiss), Taran Matharu (author of The Summoner Series), Kristen Orlando (author of You Don’t Know My Name), and Scott Westerfeld (author of Spill Zone). For more info on THAT, go here.
An Exclusive Excerpt + a Contest: Fangirlish shared an exclusive excerpt from Cecelia Ahern’s upcoming sequel to Flawed, Perfect. Plus, there’s a fun contest attached!
THE YALLWEST 2017 AUTHORS WERE ANNOUNCED!!!! We’ll be there with a group of Fierce authors. If you can make it out the Santa Monica for the last weekend of April, we’ll hope you’ll stop by and say hello!
A Cover Reveal: We’ve already seen the cover for Anna Banks’ upcoming sequel to Nemesis, titled Ally, but did you know the paperback of Nemesis has a new look for paperback, too? Check it out!
eBook Deals: Every month we try to share a few eDeals with all of you. This month, Forever and a Year by B.T. Gottfred and Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey are on sale, just $2.99 each! Don’t miss out!
Whew. That’s it for this week. We can’t wait to see what next week brings...
In her breathtaking young adult debut, Flawed, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.
Check out all the stops below to learn more about Flawed by Cecelia Ahern!
April 5 Nite Lite Book Reviews (U.S.) Two Chicks on Books (U.S.) Green Bean Teen Queen (U.S.) Luna's Little Library (U.K.) Writing.ie (Ireland) Overflowing Library (U.K.)
April 6 Icey Books (U.S.) Supernatural Snark (U.S.) Paper Cuts Blog (U.S.) Serendipity Reviews (U.K.) Bleach House Library (Ireland) Bart's Bookshelf (U.K.)
April 7 Forever Young Adult (U.S.) Bumbles and Fairytales (U.S.) Rainy Day Ramblings (U.S.) Swoony Boys Podcast (U.S.) A Daydreamer's Thoughts (U.K.) The Bibliomaniac (U.K.) Kirstyes (U.K.) Wrath Queen's Books (U.K.)
Romantic times is happening this week! Check out the full schedule and see where your favorite FIERCE authors will be.
Can’t make it to RT? Never fear! Enter our sweet giveaway online!
WEDNESDAY, April 13
2:45-3:45PM, YA Book-tionary (Location: Amazon J)
7:00 PM, Public Event at Barnes and Noble Northwest
THURSDAY, April 14
10AM - 11:AM, Crafting Glitzy Posters (Location: Tango)
11:15AM - 12:15PM, You’re Never Too Old for YA , (Location: Amazon F)
4:00PM - 5:00PM, Future Bestsellers: Focus on Young Adult, (Location: Tango)
FRIDAY, April 15
11:15AM - 12:15AM, The New Normal: Bucking Stereotypes and Representing Real Teens (Location: Conga)
2:45PM - 3:45PM, Romance with Edge or Just Plain On the Edge: How Far Can You Really Go in YA Fiction?, (Location: Conga)
SATURDAY, April 16
10:30AM - 2:00PM, Giant Book Fair (Location: Pavillion Ballroom)
2:00PM - 3:00PM, SUGAR RUSH Author Party (Location: Brasilia 2)
3:00PM - 3:45 PM, Hogwarts House Cup Showdown, (Location: Tropical A)
4:00pm - 4:45pm, YA Family Feud (Location: Tropical E)
4:00pm - 4:45pm, Writing Tips and Techniques for Teen and Adult Writers (Location: Tropical A)
5:00 - 5:45pm, The Match Game: YA Author Edition (Tropical E)
6:00pm - 5:45pm, Teen Day Party
Sleep time after a stock signing...
The 4 stages of Editing.
Finished writing the sequel to Flawed, called Perfect. Irish stew and a glass of champagne.
Candle lit, new notepad and pen. Ready to begin my 15th novel...
How long did it take you to write FLAWED, from when the idea first came to you to the last edit on the final draft?
I write a novel a year, my schedule is that I begin in January, it’s due for June, I edit during the summer and it’s published in the Autumn. Because I introduced writing YA into my schedule, it meant I was double-jobbing, writing at different hours from the norm. Because of Flawed and Perfect, I wrote four novels in two years so the timings are confusing to sum up, I just did what I could when I could! I wrote the first draft in 6 weeks, then the back and forth full editing process probably took another 8 weeks.
How did you conduct research for this book? Is research usually a major part of your writing process?
Yes research is incredibly important when I’m writing. I need to have a full understanding of the world that I’m creating. I always say if I can see it and feel it, then I can write it. I had some very bizarre and dark research days where I was examining the effects of searing and branding the skin, how it could be done, anesthetic used, and the timings of recuperation. Also because Celestine’s tongue is branded, I also had to look into the effects that would have on her taste and speech. But mostly this is an emotional journey and so a lot of the research is just me going into my own heart and feeling my way through it.
Was it difficult to create the alternate reality of FLAWED? Did that affect the way you approached the story?
It felt very natural, however it took a while for me to get a sense of place for the country. I played with setting it in the future but that style of writing is not where my strengths lie and I reverted back to the present. Because I haven’t said what continent Humming is in, it has a universal feel. It was only when I visited Prague before editing Flawed that I felt it was very much like the kind of city that I would like Highland to be like, rich in history and you can feel it all around. And because of its architecture there is a fairy tale feeling about the city. In the edit, I was able to properly develop the feel of Humming and it’s main city Highland. I knew then that Humming was a country that had seen a lot, that this Flawed issue was just another in a long line of turbulent history.
