Midnight Bloom Reads: Recap

Recap: Advance Screening of Showcase's Outlander

8:53 PM

Earlier this week, on Tuesday evening, I was thrilled and honoured to be invited by Shaw Media to attend an advanced screening of Showcase's Outlander, a new TV show based on Diana Galbadon's bestselling historical romance novel. Outlander premiered earlier in the month in the U.S. on Starz, but us Canadians have had a longer wait to watch it. The TV series will be premiering in Canada on Sunday, August 24 (later tonight!!) on Showcase at 10pm!

The Scottish-themed preview party took place at a lovely pub called The Caledonian in Toronto where guests were greeted by the sight of a man playing the bagpipes outside. Once inside, three very attractive men in kilts made quite the sight for a photo opportunity and we got a mini-lesson on the different regions of Scotland that make whisky from the owner, even sampling some of them. There was also plenty of delicious appetizers like Scottish eggs, fish and chips, haggis, and more to eat. I even tried a deep-friend Mars bar and it was like an explosion of chocolate goodness in my mouth. So. Good.

Any event is always better when you're among friends, and it was great to chat and catch up with Michele, Christa and Lindsey, and meet Chatelaine books editor Laurie and Jaclyn, another fellow blogger! Excitement was definitely in the air as we took our seats to watch the very first episode of Outlander. Half of the room had read the book before and the other half hadn't, but what everyone had in common was that we all couldn't wait to watch the show.

I'll admit, I've never read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series despite its popularity, but the premise of a historical romance with a time travel twist sure had me hooked from the start! I've read similarly themed books to Outlander such as Karen Marie Moning's Highlander series and a couple of books in Lynn Kurland's MacLeod series, not to mention I'm a huge historical romance fan in general, so I thought it would be the perfect TV show for me to watch. And I was so right!

In case you didn't know, Outlander is about WWII combat nurse Claire Randall (played by Caitriona Balfe) who's on a second honeymoon in Inverness, Scotland with her husband, Frank, after the war ends. She mysteriously finds herself catapulted back through time to the year 1743 after placing her hands on a spiritual stone circle. Now she must find a way to survive and get back to her own time period while also struggling with her growing feelings for a certain highlander named Jamie Fraser (played by Sam Heughan).

After only a few minutes of watching Outlander, I was already completely addicted. I don't know how I'll be able to wait a week for each new episode! The music, the gorgeous cinematography, the acting, the costumes, the storyline—everything draws you in. I love how Claire is presented to us as very resourceful, intelligent, and feisty. And the chemistry between Claire and Jamie is so utterly intense! The way he stares at her in one particular scene in the first episode and threatens to throw her over his shoulder? Totally made me want to swoon. How can anyone resist a dreamy and strong highlander? Answer: You. Can't.

While Claire very obviously loves her husband back in her own time, Jamie and her share an attraction to one another that cannot be denied. I can't wait to see how Claire's complicated feelings for the two very different men will be further explored in the series and if/how she'll find her way back home. And while the romance is certainly important, I can't wait to see how Claire, an independent, take charge sort of woman, deals with some of the social issues of 18th century Scotland, especially in a time when women had few rights and men held all the power. I'm definitely convinced I need to read the book, but I think I'm going to wait until the season is further in because I'm loving watching the show with fresh eyes!

I'm very glad to hear that Outlander has already been approved for a second season, because if the direction of the first episode is any indication, one season definitely wouldn't be enough!

Before we left, each guest was give an Outlander tote bag with goodies inside. We received a copy of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander (thanks Random House Canada!), a t-shirt, shot glass, bookmark, and a cute pocket Jamie!

Outlander is definitely a must-watch TV show this fall season! If you don't get Showcase, you'll also be able to view full episodes online on Showcase's Outlander page on their website after they've aired the next day. Don't forget, Outlander will be airing Sunday's at 10pm in Canada beginning on August 24!

Thanks so much to Shaw Media, Showcase, Sony Pictures Television, and the staff at The Caledonian for a fantastic Scottish-themed evening!

Gayle Forman

Recap: Gayle Forman & Jamie Blackley Signing in Toronto!

8:03 PM

Ally Carter

Recap: Ally Carter Signing in Toronto!

8:00 AM

Earlier in the month, on Saturday, February 9, I was able to attend Ally Carter's book signing in Toronto! This was the only Canadian stop she was making to promote the release of Perfect Scoundrels, the third novel in the Heist Society series.

My sister and I are huge fans of both the Gallagher Girls and Heist Society series', so we'd been counting down the days until the book signing! And then you know what happened the day before? A huge snowstorm decides to come! I was so relieved to hear that Ally Carter's flight wasn't cancelled so she could still make it to the event!

I got to Indigo Yorkdale a couple hours early, and waited in line with blogger friends Wendy and Audrey (holes In My brain)! Shortly after 12 pm, Ally Carter was all smiles as she made her way to the stage and was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience. Instead of doing a book reading, she quickly launched into accepting questions from readers.

Someone asked about Double Crossed, a novella released before Perfect Scoundrels which features characters from both the GG and Heist Society series', and Ally Carter said that it's purely meant to stand alone. When asked about characters trying to run away in her novels, Ally said that it's part of adolescence and growing up; her characters live in an extreme world, so they have extreme reactions. She also talked about Hale (*cue swooning*) and joked that since Kat needed a way to get around the world, she figured why not give her a boy with a jet. In some cases, like this one, fiction could be better than reality.

Perfect Scoundrels takes a closer look at the theme of the family you choose versus the family you're born into. We get to learn more about Hale and his world; he's a very lonely person and his family is a different kind of criminal compared to Kat's. We get to learn the nickname Hale's family calls him, but even though Ally knows what the "W" stands for in his name, we still don't get to learn it in this book. Ally Carter also mentioned that she loves writing about Uncle Eddie. He's the sort of sage, paternal figure who will help you, but he'll be grumpy to leave his house.

When asked about the little details in her books, like the fun names for the cons, Ally said the more specific it is, the more likely she made it all up. Most of the time, these names come to her as she writes, and she likes the idea of readers using their imagination and coming to their own conclusions of what they could entail. It's also hard for her to name the titles of her novels, and Perfect Scoundrels is the first book she needed help from someone for naming.

Ally Carter also talked a bit about the GG series. She always wanted the Gallagher Academy to be a school for training female spies, but the Blackthorne Institute wasn't planned initially. There was a passing remark in the first book, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You, where a character speaks of a rumour about a secret boy school, and it inspired Ally to write more about it in the next books. The Blackthorne Institute is an anti-Gallagher Academy. She also talked about Zach (*cue more swooning*) being an anti-Josh, and someone who lives in the shadows. He's a very mysterious person, and even though Cammie knows a dozen languages, she still doesn't even know where he lives.

When someone asked why she decided to write contemporary books, rather than within the paranormal genre since they're very popular, Ally Carter said you have to write what you like to write, not because it's the trend. She shared that she and author friend Jennifer Lynn Barnes jokingly remark that if she wrote a supernatural book, it would probably be called something like I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You Because I'm A Vampire. YA seemed like a perfect fit to Ally once she began writing it, and she thinks teenage girls are underestimated in the world. She wanted to have empowered girls in her novels, and she tries to write a book that she would also want to read. One of the books which first inspired Ally Carter to begin writing her own stories was S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders.

Once the questions were finished, it was time for the book signing! My sister and I attended Ally Carter's book signing the last time she was in Toronto a few years ago, so we didn't have a huge stack of books to get signed, but it was still really exciting to meet her again. Ally Carter is truly Southern hospitality personified! She's really sweet and friendly, and even my sister, who normally doesn't really say too much to authors at book signings, easily chatted with her too.

Thanks so much to Ally Carter for visiting Toronto and meeting some of your Canadian fans! Also, tons of thanks to Hachette Book Group Canada, Indigo Yorkdale, and Chapters/Indigo for hosting such an awesome event!

** Thanks to Hachette Book Group Canada, I had a really cool opportunity to meet Ally in person before her book signing and ask some questions about both the Gallagher Girl and Heist Society series'. My author interview with Ally Carter will be posted on the blog tomorrow, so please be on the lookout for it! **

Melissa de la Cruz

Melissa de la Cruz Signing in Toronto!

10:00 AM

On Sunday, January 20, I was able to attend Melissa de la Cruz's book signing in Toronto! This was the only Canadian stop she was making to promote the release of Gates of Paradise, the seventh and final novel in the Blue Bloods series. I've been reading the Blue Bloods novels pretty much since the very beginning, so I was incredibly excited to finally meet Melissa de la Cruz after so many years of reading her books.

I got to Indigo Yorkdale several hours early with my Mom and sister, and even then, there was a line forming with Blue Bloods fans. Later on, I was able to get a seat beside blogger friends Wendy, Michele (Just A Lil' Lost) and Christa (More Than Just Magic). Before the event began, there were yummy cupcakes and drinks provided, as well as a photo station where you could take a picture wearing a Venetian mask and/or fancy furs like you were a Blue Blood. It was such an added treat which I'm not used to seeing at book signings, and it made the event all the more special, I think!

At 1 pm, Melissa de la Cruz made her way to the stage to enthusiastic applause. She quickly launched into talking about the Blue Blood series, and how she first got the inspiration to write it. In 2004, she got a call from her agent asking if she'd like to write a dark fantasy novel after her The Au Pairs editor moved to another publisher, Hyperion. She has always loved John Milton's Paradise Lost, and wanted her vampires to have to an origin story; when she first wrote Blue Bloods, she had no idea how mainstream vampires would soon become!

The easiest book to write in the series was Masquerade. She was pregnant at the time, but everything in the book easily fell into place, to her relief, I'm sure. She added that she likes to outline her books, and her husband collaborates with her a lot, exchanging ideas about the characters and the plot. They've known for years what would happen in the series!

If you've read the Blue Bloods series, then you'll know that the books take place in many different countries around the world. Melissa said she would hire local research assistants to get the details right about the countries. However, in Revelations, which is partly set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, some details were wrong and they didn't catch them right away like the currency and the airport name because it had recently changed at the time, which just goes to show you can't be perfect all the time. She also said that after the book was released, some Brazilian readers complained about how she wrote about poverty and crime in the city; she grew up in Manila, Philippines, so she's able to relate and understand that it's a part of the city, and she didn't want to ignore it in her book.

On a lighter note, Melissa shared an interesting story about the cover for Blue Bloods! When they were still designing the cover, she felt it was too generic, so she asked if they could change it. In the end, the final cover was shown to her, and she thought it was a much more perfect fit. Guess who the cover model turned out to be? Her editor! They took a photo of her neck because it seemed long and elegant.

Melissa said she would always remember when The Van Alen Legacy was released because it sold thousands and thousands of copies in its first week, and she also got a Disney VIP Member Pass (Hyperion, her publisher, is part of Disney) too. But while this year marked one of the highest moments in her life, it was also one of the lowest because her father passed away that year, so she gained perspective. When it was time for her to write Keys to the Repository, a Blue Bloods companion book, it was stressful and she had to relearn a lot of details about the series. Writing Misguided Angel was a challenge for Melissa, so her husband actually wrote the first few chapters of the novel, which she jokingly remarked was why the book opens with a chase scene. She was also excited to write more about the Chinese Venators, and said they were inspired by Chinese twins she had known in college.

And on a really exciting note, Melissa announced that there was going to be an adult Blue Bloods spin-off series!! Her publisher would have made an official announcement earlier, but the description would have given something away about the end of Gates of Paradise, so they're waiting to spill any more details. Awesome news, right?

And Melissa has another book coming out later this year called Frozen, and she's been writing it with her husband. It's going to be the first novel in a post-apocalyptic series she describes as The Lord of the Rings in reverse. Instead of magic leaving the land, it's coming back.

It was then time for the book signing! Clutching my armload of books, I waited for my turn to get my books signed. I'm pretty sure I gushed about how excited I was to hear about a Blue Bloods spin-off series and how awesome Frozen sounds. Melissa de la Cruz is so sweet, friendly, and nice!

Thanks so much to Melissa de la Cruz for visiting Toronto and meeting some of your Canadian fans! Also, tons of thanks to Hachette Book Group Canada, Indigo Yorkdale, and Chapters/Indigo for hosting the event!

** Thanks to Hachette Book Group Canada, before the event began, I had a really cool opportunity to meet Melissa in person and ask some questions about the Blue Blood series. My author interview with Melissa de la Cruz will be posted on the blog tomorrow, so please be on the lookout for it! **

Adrienne Kress

Penguin Blogger Night with Morgan Rhodes & Adrienne Kress!

8:00 AM

On Thursday, January 17, Penguin Canada invited book bloggers to their offices in Toronto for their first ever Penguin Blogger Night with special guests Morgan Rhodes and Adrienne Kress. I was fortunate to receive an invitation to the event, and counted down the days in excitement until I would meet both of the Canadian authors...

Morgan Rhodes (pen name of Michelle Rowen) is the New York Times bestselling author of the high fantasy novel Falling Kingdoms, and Adrienne Kress' steampunk debut The Friday Society was also recently released in December 2012. I LOVED both of their books, so imagine my shock and delight when I took a seat at the event and found myself sitting practically right beside them! Dana from Fave Magazine interviewed the authors, and bloggers were welcome to chime in on the discussion. Morgan and Adrienne were hilarious together!

The first question of the night involved how the authors write their books. Morgan likes to outline her books, and Adrienne talked about the writing process for The Friday Society. She was very passionate about trying to research the right names and locations for historical accuracy, and she lived in the England for three years so it helped her with the setting. For the fight scenes, she got some guidance from a friend who is a stunt double on the TV show Lost Girl.

Adrienne Kress trying to avoid potential Falling Kingdoms spoilers

Morgan further added that while she follows an outline, changes are made along the way. In Falling Kingdoms, the Watchers weren't even in the first draft but her editor suggested adding a mystical place. They'll be playing an even stronger role in book two, Rebel Spring. Adrienne said the movie trailer for Sucker Punch (the trailer, not the actual movie, which she insisted was just plain horrible) was a loose inspiration for The Friday Society. She wanted to write a feminist novel with strong female characters.

Michelle Rowen (aka Morgan Rhodes)

The next question asked was which characters(s) did the authors like to write about the most. Morgan said Magnus was the most fun to write because there are so many layers to his character; what he says is often different than what he actually thinks. She also likes to write about Cleo as well, and knew her fans either seemed to really like her or hate her. Adrienne feels attached to Nellie, Cora, and Michiko too much to ever choose between them! She thinks Officer Murphy is cute and adorable, and would hug him if she could.

Another question asked related to characters arcs and how the authors felt about killing off characters in their books. Adrienne said she wasn't initially planning to kill any characters but then it simply worked out that way when she was writing. She also likes to act out her characters' reactions and emotions. Morgan said she likes killing off characters and that she's getting really good at it! For her, character deaths have to some sort of meaning and importance in the novel. She also added that there's a death at the end of Falling Kingdoms which makes her cry every time she reads it.

The next question asked at the event was what kind of books the authors liked to read when they weren't writing. Morgan said she was reading Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits, had recently finished Richelle Mead's The Indigo Spell (I'm pretty everyone was jealous to hear this...), and was soon starting Lauren Oliver's Delirium. She also wants to read Cassandra Clare's City of Bones before the movie comes out this August. Adrienne loves Lesley Livingston's novels and The Hunger Games, and said she tended to read adult contemporary novels more often than YA novels. Both Morgan and Adrienne felt that they're reluctant readers who watch movies/TV shows rather than read to relax.

Adrienne Kress

Morgan Rhodes said she's contracted to write four books in the Falling Kingdoms series. She doesn't mind that her book is pitched as Game of Thrones for teens if it helps garner more interest in people reading her books. The only thing she didn't like about it was that some people may feel misled if the comparison isn't exactly correct. Adrienne Kress said that The Friday Society is a standalone right now, but that she'd love to expand it into a series if she could.

Morgan then continued off Adrienne's thoughts about publisher decisions for extending series and related it to her own past experiences. She had wanted to continue writing her Demon Princess series (written under the name Michelle Rowen) but understood it was a business decision by her publisher to stop traditionally publishing it after only two books. She decided to continue writing the series and self-published them instead for not only her fans, but also herself too.

The authors were then asked about casting choices if their books were made into movies! For The Friday Society, Adrienne Kress picked Chloe Moretz for Nellie, Saorise Ronan for Cora, a Japanese actress to play Michiko, and Michael Emerson for Lord White. For Falling Kingdoms, Morgan Rhodes picked Ben Barnes as Jonas, Lilly Collins as Lucia, Sara Paxton as Lucia, one of the actors from the TV show Teen Wolf for Magnus, and Richard Armitage as King Gaius. (When Richard Armitage was mentioned, Adrienne began to fan-girl and gush about his hotness.)

Ardo from A.A. Omer asked one of the last questions of the night, and it involved how the authors felt about the helpfulness of blogger reviews. Adrienne thought it was incredible to see such a large community of YA bloggers, and noted that it's very different from seeing MG reviews. Morgan likes book blogs, and thinks it's great for free publicity and word of mouth.

Once the Q&A was finished, we were more than welcome to get our books signed by the author and chat with them in person! Penguin Canada also offered everyone a tote bag filled with books and other goodies as well, which was a really sweet surprise! (You'll be able to see what I got in my next Stacking the Shelves post.)

Thanks so much to Penguin Canada for hosting the event and giving us the opportunity to meet Morgan Rhodes and Adrienne Kress! It was definitely an awesome night I won't soon forget.

Here are more recaps from some of the Ontario bloggers who attended Penguin Blogger Night:

Steph from Feisty Little Woman
Michele from Just A Lil' Lost
Jenn from Lost In A Great Book
Christa from More Than Just Magic
Lindsey from A Storm of Words

Recap: Advance Screening of Showcase's Outlander

Recap: Gayle Forman & Jamie Blackley Signing in Toronto!

Recap: Ally Carter Signing in Toronto!

Melissa de la Cruz Signing in Toronto!

Penguin Blogger Night with Morgan Rhodes & Adrienne Kress!

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