A Geeky Must Read: Geekerella

One of my New Years resolutions was to read more this year and I've been sloooooowly doing that! It is April and I've only skimmed one book and read one book. Geekerella was my first book of the year and it did not disappoint.

First off can we talk about how Instagram worthy this cover is?! I had such a great time playing around with the book while I was reading it. It has plenty of coffee stains now...that's how you know I loved it!

Geekerella tells the story of Elle. A geeky girl just trying to get to her 18th birthday so she can escape her horrible step-mother and twin-step sisters and compete in her father's convention's cosplay contest to win tickets to her dream home LA. Whew! All the while texting with a strange boy she doesn't even know the name of!

Can you get any closer to all of our geek girl dreams?! Throw in some of our favorite fandoms {Doctor Who, Firefly, Star Wars, etc} and one BIG new one you are going to LOVE and you have a fun, can't put down re-telling of the classic Cinderella story. And I know all you Dis-nerds will love it too!

You can pick up Geekerella by Ashley Poston on April 4th, 2017 published by Quirk Books.

5 Fandom Friday: My TBR Pile

Are you NEW to 5 Fandom Friday? Welcome and come join along! 5 Fandom Friday was created by myself and Super Space Chick in October of 2014, as a way to get all of our blogger friends keeping on task each week, building a community with our fellow bloggers and connecting with new and old friends once a week! We choose the topics, you do the writing! Let's get inspired together!

One of my goals of 2017 is to read more! I have a huge to be read pile and this was the prefect prompt to be held accountable for! I cannot wait to read more, learn more and be inspired!

My TBR pile!

1. Geekerella by Ashley Poston. I love when I get books sent to me. I just have to put in the time to read them and the cover of Geekerella had me! I'm picking up and reading it this month! Thank you Quirk Books you are always so good to me!

2. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I've been wanting to read this for a long time. I am really excited to read something inspirational!

3. On Writing Well by William Zinsser. While my work on my own book, 100 Cups Of Coffee, I will also be educating myself!

4. Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs Of People by Henry Carroll. Ocean Eyes gave this to me for Christmas and as a people photographer, it is great to get out of my own box and read something that will help me in any way. I'm excited to grow as a photographer.

5. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I've been reading this book for two years in April! LOL I'm getting through it this year! I've been wanting to read it since I saw the film at 10 years old. It has been through a lot with me in these past two years. Maybe I'm scared to finish it.

How big is your TBR pile nerds? I've just committed myself to the Goodreads yearly challenge of reading 20 books this year! I have plenty more that are not in the pile pictured above. I use to read a lot before my divorce. Maybe I was hiding. But now I want to read to make myself a better writer. To support other writers. Because I want to be a writer.

Share your TBR books and inspirations below! I cannot wait to hear them!

My Top 5 Favorite Goosebumps Books!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I am a huge book nerd as you can see in my In The Racks series. Of course my love of reading goes back way before this blog! When I was younger, I couldn't get my hands on enough of the Goosebumps series! I even wrote a fan letter to R.L. Stine and a picture of me with all my Goosebumps books {I should try to find that for you!}. He is the master at a cliffhanger chapter ending! I never wanted to stop reading!

Horror and I have a weird relationship. I love it, yet it scares me to death, and I like it, kind of. Weird yes, healthy no, fun YES! So with Goosebumps I can get my slight scare on and still sleep with the lights out!  Here are my five favorites!

5.  The Haunted Mask - I am super claustrophobic so this totally played into my fears!

4.  Say Cheese and Die! - As a photographer I found anything on the subject fascinating.

3.  A Night in Terror Tower - My love of the times of yore began.

2.  The Cuckoo Clock of Doom - Me + time travel = squeeeee!

1.  One Day At Horrorland -  My top pick because the rides sounded awesome and who doesn't love an amusement park?!

What are your favorite Goosebumps books?!  Please share in the comments below!

5 Awesome Bookstores in LA or 5 Places For ME Dates

Sometimes I just need to get out of bed and into the world of the living. My bed is comfy for the morning, but by afternoon I am ready to face the day. Enter book stores. I LOVE bookstores! They are so peaceful and ALL of your best book friends surround you. Luckily LA has NO lack of awesome book shops! Here are a list of the top five that I have found and fell in love with!

1. The Last Book Store - Downtown LA. This was my first LA bookshop. One of my best friends was coming to visit and I was looking for interesting places to take her. She is a huge book nerd like me so when The Last Book Store popped up I knew it would be perfect.

Inside is gorgeous and spacious and upstairs they have the most gorgeous arch made out of books! They even have records and live music. The only downside is that parking can be a bit of an issue downtown. BUT it is definitely worth the hassle to get lost in this amazing space.

2. Book Soup - Hollywood. I stubbled upon Book Soup while heading to The Viper Room. This lil corner of LA is actually quite perfect. I have my lot I park in pretty cheaply, a Coffee Bean, The Viper Room and Book Soup all in a one block radius.

Book Soup is cute, quirky and always has some type of event going. Authors are always there reading from their books and doing signings. There are stacks HIGH of books and adorable gifts. Book Soup is a small but mighty find.

3. Magic Door IV - Pomona. Another one I stumbled on while heading to a show! The Glass House concert venue is on super adorable street in Pomona. There are a bunch of lil places and one was this tiny book shop! I might have squeed and ran across the street when I spied it.

I stayed in the shop for about an hour looking through all their books. There were so many old ones. It was amazing just to hold a book from 1901! The owners were super sweet and had no problem letting me take the time to nerd out over their little slice of heaven.

4. Iliad Bookshop - North Hollywood. GUYS! There is a sign on the door to this book shop that says be careful not to let the cats out! Cats LIVE in this book shop!!! This is not a drill! I searched high and low for the kitties but could not find them. Apparently they can be shy sometimes. BUT that just gives me a reason to go back because besides the cats this shop is amazing!

Ceiling high bookshelves. A vault of rare books and I even found some really neat old ones just sitting on the shelves! My favorite was a Shakespeare for Children book. It was really old and falling apart, but pure magic. The stories were still in tack, just made shorter for children. PLUS the shop is only a few blocks down from my favorite place Republic of Pie...so I will defiantly be making that a weekly stop.

5. Vroman's Bookstore - Pasadena. Before I talk about this amazing book shop, I have to say that when I parked my car down the street, I unknowingly parked directly in front of a record shop! I about lost my mind. I walked in with the biggest smile and it didn't leave my face until I left with a Record Store Day release that I had been searching for!

NOW the bookstore. Vroman's is a labyrinth of amazing-ness! EVERY corner of this shop has something adorable. I easily did some birthday shopping for friends. The shop is huge and has an upstairs full of YA books where I could spend a day. Downstairs is an adorable lil coffee shop where I of course had to relax and enjoy drinking coffee surrounded by books!

This one is pretty close to home so I cannot wait to make it a regular hangout!

What I loved most about my book shop tour of LA was discovering new places on my own. Having some me dates and taking my time and enjoying things that I love so much. I don't think until the idea for this article came that I was doing much me time. I'm thankful for the inspiration these places have given me and the time to just BE in a moment alone and be ok with that.

Do you have any places you like to go and be alone with people?! I am really enjoying the experience of striking up a conversation with people I come across in daily life. I think we all need to do more of that. Interact with our fellow humans. It is so nice to be in the "real" world after loosing myself in blogging.

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5 Fandom Friday: Things I've Bought But Haven't Read/Watched/Played Yet

For the first time in 5 Fandom Friday history, I'm gonna mix it up!  There isn't a lot of thing that I buy that I don't use right away.  I'm just too excited!  So since my birthday is coming up {March 2nd} and my new years resolution was to read more, here are five books that I would love to read ASAP!

5 Books I Want NOW! by thenerdygirlie on Polyvore

1.  The Heir, Kiera Cass.  I LOVED The Selection series.  I blew through book one and two very quickly and was super happy with how The One ended.  I cannot wait to read The Heir.

2.  After, Anna Todd.  One Direction fan-fic.  Done.

3.  This Song Will Save Your Life, Leila Sales.  I just read The Rock Star in Seat 3A and read it in only a few hours!  That never happens.  I feel like this book will be the same and I cannot wait.

4.  Eleanor & Park, Rainbow Rowell.  Fangirl has to be one of the best books I have ever read.  I cannot wait to devour everything else Rainbow Rowell has to offer.

5.  The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald.  I haven't read a lot of classic books and I really want to change that.  I loved the movie and cannot wait to see what the book is like.

Do you all feel comfortable mixing up the list to suit your site?  I hope you do.  I was having the hardest time on this prompt because I'm saving my money for my UK trip this year and am not buying a lot of extra things.  I still wanted to participate, because I LOVE this series so I just went for it!

Have any of you read these books?!  Let me know what you think {no spoilers please!}.  Plus share your links and thoughts in the comments below and don't forget to tweet me your link for a RT!  Happy Friday nerds!

ORIGIN OF 5 FANDOM FRIDAY!

PAST POSTS & COMING SOON:

October  3rd:  Gateway Fandoms That Made Me Who I Am Today

October 10th:  Geeky Clothing Items I Need In My Closet Immediately

October 17th:  Characters I'd Love To Dress Up As For Halloween

October 24th:  My Must See List of Halloween Movies

November  7th:  Comfort Foods That Always Make Me Feel Better

November 14th:  Smart Phone Apps I Cannot Live Without

November 21st:  Characters I Would Invite To My Thanksgiving Feast

November 28th:  Black Friday Purchases I Would Sacrifice A Night Of Sleep For

December 5th:  My Favorite Holiday Songs To Spread Cheer

December 12th:  Presents I Want Santa To Bring Me

December 19th:  My Must See List of Christmas Movies

December 26th:  New Years Blogging Resolutions

January 9th:  My Favorite Things About Winter

January 16th:  Conventions I've Been To Or Wish To Attend

January 23rd:  Songs That Changed My Life

January 30th:  Favorite Fandom Accessories I Own

February 6th: Favorite Funko Pop Figures

February 13th: Favorite Fictional Couples I Ship (Valentine's Day)

February 27th: Character's I Would Name My Kids After

March 6th: Favorite Snacks/Drinks To Consume While Blogging

March 13th: My Fictional BFF's

March 20th: My Comfort Films

March 27th: One Fandom Item Styled Five Different Ways

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Runaway with The Lunar Chronicles!

By:  Nerd on the Run Els

One of the things I love most about being a nerd is my unabashed adoration of books.  You will often catch me carrying my latest read around wherever I go, just in case I get a spare moment to soak up a few pages.  Lately I have been swept up in the Young Adult genre...practically reading any book that will be made into a movie or any series that is popular in the ever growing YA category.

By complete accident I found out about The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer.  Her series was casually mentioned in an entertainment article and the blurb about it piqued my interest.  A futuristic twist on Disney princesses & fairy tales?  Sure!  And so I found myself at the bookstore the next day, picking up the first book in the series - Cinder.  

Cinder spins the tale of the classic Cinderella – but set in the science fiction/futuristic era.  To add even more of a twist, Cinder is a half human/half cyborg mechanic.  With the basic plot lines of the original story…the stepfamily, the ball, and catching the eye of a dashing Prince…Meyer still creates a unique world.  The additions of mysterious pasts, a rocky political climate, and a deadly disease keep the story fresh.  (Plus, if you loved Firefly...Cinder reminds me a great deal of our beloved Kaylee. And bonus, Meyer is a self proclaimed Browncoat! Squee!) 

The next book in the series, Scarlet, takes on the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  With the mysterious disappearance of Scarlet’s grandmother, she embarks on a journey to get the truth about her life, past, & family.  Scarlet enlists the help of a street fighter, Wolf, who also has secrets of his own.  Together they must face an intense expedition and formidable foes to gain answers.  Again, Marissa keeps the basics of the original story while adding her own flair.

Cress, a story about Rapunzel is the most current book in The Lunar Chronicles.  Locked in a satellite since childhood, Cress is an excellent hacker.  All she has in the rotating satellite above earth is tablets & active imagination to keep her company.  (And yes of course, she has the long untrimmed hair!)  After knowing only the space of her small confines, Cress ventures beyond her tower and goes on a thrilling & gripping adventure of self discovery and confidence.

While these are the only three books out currently, there are plans for two more by Meyer in this series.  Coming out in January 2015 is Fairest – a prequel about Queen Levana, the main villain who has overarching story arcs in each book.  And finally in November 2015, Winter (Snow White) hits shelves!  This will follow Queen Levana’s stepdaughter, and her journey to escape from Levana’s rule. 

The Lunar Chronicles is one of the best series I’ve picked up.  It is the perfect blend of nerdy AND girlie!  With sweet romances, lovable characters, intense action, and all the science fiction you can imagine – this series truly puts the twist on fairy tales in the BEST way.  And plus, Meyer is hysterical.  Her wit and ability to fashion character arcs is so refreshing.  These books are generally light-hearted and an easy read….And ones I HIGHLY recommend!

Water Tower Review, Interview & GIVEAWAY!

Review:  Water Tower, the sequel to Sky Bound, moves us from the Sky Nation, makes a quick stop on land, then lands in the Water Nation.  Sam is continuing his internal and external battles.  At only fifteen those battles can sometimes get the best of him, but he puts up an amazing fight!  In Water Tower we learn how the three different nations began and the fight to defeat the New Power intensifies.  Author James Morris brings us into the action head on.  Questions are answered, but more are left!  What will the conclusion to the series hold?  We will have to all wait until July 2014!
*5 out of 5 stars*

Morris at book launch for Water Tower in San Diego, Ca.

Interview:  The Nerdy Girlie:  When you began writing your first novel in the trilogy Skybound, did you plan on making it into a trilogy?

James:  Yes, from the very beginning I planned to make it into a trilogy. For a while I was afraid that I would have to make it into four books, but I'm 90% confident that I can fit it into three, haha.

TNG:  Which of your story's characters is your favorite to write about?

James:  I honestly don't know who is my favorite. I know every little detail about each and every one of them. I may be too close to say, or I just can't bring an opinion to the front of my mind. I know I'm supposed to say Sam, but it may very well be someone else. I honestly think it's the Sam/Dac duo. One without the other just wouldn't be as fun. I basically get to be the jerk that pokes fun at myself.

TNG:  I really enjoyed learning about how the kingdom was divided into 3 parts.  Are we going to be learning anymore about that in your third novel?

James:  Any more about the division itself? No not especially. Although, I have been debating doing some sort of extra story some how that tells Gabriel's story, but I'm not sure I'm ever going to get around to that or how exactly I want to do it. We will, however, be learning much more about the Surface.

TNG:  Will you be taking a break from writing after the release of the third novel?

James:  Take a break from writing? Hahahahahahah. No. I've already gotten started working on another series and am maybe halfway through the first book, and have yet another idea that I may want to start on soon besides that... I have way too many ideas to take a break! I may stop for, say, a month or so, but that's as long of a "break" as I'll be taking.

TNG:  How has the college experience been for you?  Has it helped or hindered your writing progress?James:  This may sound very bad, but college has not been a super fantastic experience for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the people I've been meeting and some of the atmosphere, but I don't think the classes are totally right for me. I feel like they aren't teaching me anything I need to know and I'm writing books during class anyway. My senioritis that I developed last year hasn't gotten any better either, haha. Overall, I think that college is just another work around for me. It took some time to get used to it, so my writing was on hold while I adapted, but now it doesn't seem to be much of a detriment. I've been having trouble sleeping lately so I either write or go and sit on top of one of our school's parking lots (that's another story, though).

Giveaway:  At San Diego Comic Con this year, James was kind enough to give me a whole BUNCH of awesome swag to giveaway to you amazing readers!  We have a copy of Water Tower, an iPhone 4 case, a necklace, button, bookmark and tote bag!  Please enter below!  This contest is open to EVERYONE worldwide!  ENJOY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Fight for the Crown is ON!

Not since Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games has a book series got me to read a book in one day!  I am usually the slowest reader on Earth, but The Selection grabbed me and didn't let go!

I was browsing Barnes and Noble on my Friday off.  I wanted a book I could actually hold in my hands and buy in a book store.  It had been a long time since any of these things had happen thanks to my Kindle and Amazon.  A pretty cover ALWAYS draws me in and The Selection has one!  Throw in a catching tagline and I knew what I was walking out of the store with! {NO SPOILERS!}

In The Selection, the USA is no longer the country of the future.  WWIII and WWIV has changed what we know as our country into something larger and put a king in charge.  By law the princess must be married off to another prince.  A prince must go through The Selection.  Thirty-five girls, one, is chosen as his bride and the new princess.

The people of this future are broken in to eight castes.  The Ones are the royalty and rulers of the land.  The fives and below are looked down upon and fight for survival in varying degrees.  The eights being beggars on the streets.

Our heroine America {named after our former country} is a Five.  Fives are musicians and artists by trade.  She is a wonderful musician and singer, but her family struggles to keep food on the table for their family of five.  Though their times are trying, America finds happiness in a secret relationship of a Six boy, Aspen.

When a letter for entry into The Selection comes to America, her family and boyfriend push her to enter, even though she is against it.  The money is her family's motivation.  The chance at a better life is her boyfriend's, when he realizes he can never give her a better life.

Everyone is surprised and elated when America gets picked, except herself and Aspen.  America heads to the palace with a broken heart, not ready or willing to love Prince Maxom.  A chance first encounter of America and Maxom before The Selection even starts, begins a surprising friendship and trust she never imagined.

I could NOT put this book down!  I even rushed out that next day to get book two The Elite!  I could not say enough good things about it!
*5/5 stars*

I am so happy I didn't have to wait in between these two books!  Though The Elite let me down a tiny bit.

The love triangle between Prince Maxon, American and former boyfriend turned palace guard Aspen was the meat of this tale.  I read this book in two days instead of one.  The reason being is I got a bit turned off by the love triangle.  The Elite's story had America indecisive on where her affections lye.  Though I did not enjoy the back and forth of her emotions, they had me on pins and needles the entire time!

In the end, The Elite has set up the final book in the trilogy perfectly and I cannot wait to see the out come!

*4/5 stars*

I love that I read The Prince: A Selection Novella AFTER The Elite.  The relationship between the King and the Prince is palpable and know you know why.  The story follows Prince Maxom from his nineteenth birthday through the first day of The Selection.  I enjoyed this novella as much as The Selection.  Seeing Maxon's side of the story was a fun way to delve deeper into the world of The Selection trilogy.  You get an even better idea of who he really is.

*5/5 stars*

AND NOW the final cover to the trilogy has been released and is as beautiful as the others!

It reminds me of The Luxe series which I also highly recommend!  Now the wait is on to see if America decides on her Prince or first love.  Let the May 6th, 2014 countdown to The One (Selection) begin!

But even before that The Guard, another novella, is going to be released to tide us over!  I already pre-ordered my copy!  It will be released on ebook February 4, 2014.

When/if you read this awesome collection of books, let me know in the comments!

Author Interview with James Morris

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a panel at Con Dor that James was on.  Afterwards I got to talk to him a bit and purchase his book Sky Bound.  I was blown away by the dedication he has.  I was able to see him once again at Wonder Con.  It has been so nice getting to know him and his amazing family.

The Nerdy Girlie:  When did you first begin writing?

James Morris:  I first began writing Sky Bound in my sophomore year of high school, on my birthday actually.  I had just turned sixteen when I started planning the story out.

TNG:  What was your inspiration for Sky Bound?

JM:  My inspiration for Sky Bound is honestly hard to pin point for me.  When I really think about it, I had been reading at least a book or two a week before I started writing it.  I rather quickly tore through the YA section of Barnes & Noble and ran out of books that I thought were awesome at the time.  So I for some reason decided that I would try to write a book, an awesome one.  One that's better than any other.  I'm not going to say that it is better than any other book out there, but I do really like it.

TNG:  With high school, how long did it take you to write Sky Bound and what was your process like?

JM:  To write the book, it took approximately six months of writing time.  During that period I basically didn't pay attention at all during class, instead hand writing the manuscript almost non stop.  I felt like I had gone partially insane.  One day when I was going to school I was looking forward to seeing my friends.  I walked passed everybody, went to class, sat down, opened up my notebook and thought to myself, "dear God, my friends are my characters."  As I was finishing writing the book it was almost like a clear sky was opening up.  I honestly can't explain my mental state because it's all a bit of a blur.

The process itself was pretty simple.  I wrote up the first five chapters maybe (prologue through Chapter 4) just making it up as I go.  At about that point, I realized that what I was working on was actually a good idea.  After that, I story boarded out the rest of the story and was impressed with myself.  From there I kept track of characters, wrote up paragraph summaries to myself of chapters as I finished writing them, and made a lot of personal notes.  There was a lot of information to keep at the front of my mind.

TNG:  What are your friend's thoughts on you being a published author?

JM:  My friends are kind of in two very distinct parties with opinions on me being a published author.  One party is the "That's so cool!" group who are genuinely impressed and are blown away by what I've done. the other group are the "So?" kids who really don't care at all, and aren't big readers to being with, or just plain don't believe me.  There are far more in the former group than the latter so I have no problems at all :)

TNG:  What is your favorite book?

JM:  My favorite novel is probably Ender's Game.  I must have read that book more than nine times.  I just love the characters and the ideas in it.  It's so incredible in my mind and I couldn't get enough of it.

TNG:  Which books or authors inspire you?

JM:  I am inspired by everything I read from the amazing books, to the one's that I feel like throwing across the room.  I take from the movies I watch and the mangas I read.  I take from TV and from jokes and comments made at school.  Really, to me, anything can be used for inspiration.  Honestly, I can even keep myself inspired to keep going.  I'm just as eager to see how the book turns out as everybody else.  Sure I may start with a plan, but that's the beauty of it.  It changes.  I don't know how it ends until it's over.

TNG:  What is your favorite con to attend?  Would you rather attend as exhibitor or attendee?  Any tips for attending cons?

JM:  I have only attended a few Cons.  I have gone to ComicCon, WonderCon, Comic Fest, KingdomCon, Condor and NAMM.  I've exhibited at Comic Fest and Condor.  Being an attendee is a far different vibe than that of an exhibiter.  I love both experiences.  Being an attendee I get to see everything that's going on and meet people and just really get to drink in the feeling of the con.  I get a different perspective as an exhibitor.  I may generally be stuck at my table, but I get to talk to all those attending and get to be the one to bring a smile to their face and become friends with the other exhibitors around me.  I honestly have to say that for now I may be a mainstreamer and like going to Comic-Con.  It's overwhelming, but there's something for everyone. True you're missing out on the small con feel where you can actually talk to people, but at small cons you run the risk of running out of things to see or the lack of things interesting you at all.

I can't say if I would prefer to attend as an attendee or an exhibitor.  I love both.  Also, as an exhibitor, sometimes I abandon my booth and play attendee....What? I like the shinny things around me...

Tips for attending, lets see. Bring water, caffeine, and a toothbrush. I know the toothbrush sounds weird, but I would snack on candy sometimes and my mouth would feel gross for the rest of the day, nasty. Also, bring your own backpack, an excess of money (you will overspend, you've been warned), and sometimes a friend never hurts. While you may have conflicting schedules at times, it's fun to meet up and talk for a while.

TNG:  Lastly, what is the release date for your second book and is there a time line for the 3rd?

JM:  Book two will be coming out hopefully this summer (Summer 2013) with book three, the final installment of the Three Kingdoms Trilogy currently scheduled for Summer of 2014. I promise I will do my best to stick to that schedule, but you know how things work sometimes.

*Thank you James for taking the time to answer our questions!  To learn more about James you can find him on Twitter

Facebook

and his website.