Happy Days

So today I am super excited for two reasons...

Firstly, I've just submitted my final assignment, signalling the end of my degree!

*happy dance*

It's been 3.5 years and I am so glad it's finally over. Not only do I get to walk away with major in Professional Writing and Publishing, I can now devote my free time to catching up on all the amazing books I have missed. And I have missed a lot. Can you believe I've only done one post in 3 months?! Oh the horror! But I am dedicated to getting my little corner of the web back to normal which brings me to my second piece of exciting news...

I am currently at the airport about to fly to Melbourne for the biennial Reading Matters Conference hosted by the Centre for Youth Literature. 

Huzzah! Excitement to the MAX. 

For those of you who have been with me and the blog for a while, you may remember I attended 2 years ago and had an absolute blast! Here's the link if you want to remind yourself of all the awesome...

I'm going to *try* and keep you updated via Twitter and Facebook but I wasn't very good at it last time. So if I fail, or even just to get extra massive doses of awesome, follow along with the hashtag #YAMatters because lots of wonderful people will be contributing.

Reading Matters guest speakers include:

Laurie Halse Anderson

Clare Atkins

Sara Farizan

Sally Gardner

Erin Gough

Kyle Hughes-Odgers

Amie Kaufman

Will Kostakis

Priya Kuriyan

Jaclyn Moriarty

Abe Nouk

Tom Taylor

Jared Thomas

Sean Williams

Clare Wright

It's good to be back, guys.

Talk soon xx

A Writers Festival and a Book Launch

~ Perth Writers Festival 2015 ~

It's that time of the year again! This past weekend, the Perth Writers Festival returned to the grounds of The University of Western Australia, featuring both local and international authors, for three days of literary goodness. While other commitments stopped me from attending the majority of events, I did manage to stop by for the appropriately named panel, YA Is Where It's At. 

Chaired by the wonderful Amanda 'AJ' Betts, the session was full of laughs and chatter as Rachael Craw, Dave Hackett and Sean Williams discussed their latest books and what it is about YA that makes us love it so.

L-R: Rachael Craw, Dave Hackett, Sean Williams and Amanda Betts

Dave Hackett reading a hilarious excerpt
from his new book, The Summer of Kicks

Catching up with Rachael Craw after the event

    

~ A Small Madness Book Launch ~

On Monday night, I attended the book launch of Dianne Touchell's second book, A Small Madness.

Rose didn't tell anyone about it. She wondered if it showed. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned this way and then that way. She stood as close to the mirror as she could, leaning over the bathroom basin, looking into her own eyes until they disappeared behind the fog of her breath. Looking for something. Some evidence that she was different now. Something had shifted inside her, a gear being ratcheted over a clunky cog, gaining torque, starting her up. But it didn't show. How could all of these feelings not show? She was a woman now but it didn't show and she couldn't tell anyone.

If you've read Dianne's debut, Creepy and Maud, you'll know that A Small Madness is bound to be an incredible read. I'm looking forward to cracking open the spine of my newly signed copy and if the blurb hasn't intrigued you then I suggest you check out the wonderful review by Danielle over at Alpha Reader.

BEA Booklist Announced!

A list has been compiled by Publishers Weekly of the galley's that will be available this year at BEA. It's times likes these that I wish I lived in America!

I thought I would share with you the titles I am most looking forward to this year. And, you know, if anyone wants to get me any of these, that would be beyond awesome ;)

Every Day by David Levithan
(28th August)
A genderless entity named “A” wakes up in a new body each day.

Speechless by Hannah Harrington
(28th August)
A high school gossip loses her queen-bee throne and takes a vow of silence.

Henry Franks by Peter Adam Salomon
(September)
A scarred and motherless teenager discovers his mysterious, horrific past.



Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie
(11th September)
After his older brother dies in Iraq, Matt makes a shocking discovery.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
(18th September)
Mystery, romance, and the supernatural suffuse the first in a new four-book series from the author of the Shiver trilogy.

Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin
(18th September)
This continues the near-future tale of a reluctant young mobster that began with All These Things I’ve Done.



Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
(24th September)
The initial entry in Patterson’s first mystery series for teens finds a wealthy girl accused of killing her parents.

The Infects by Sean Beaudoin
(25th September)
This follows a group of juvenile delinquents into the wilderness, where their counsellors turn into flesh-eating zombies.

Zom-B by Darren Shan
(27th September)
A series confronting issues of racism, religion, politics, and more – against the backdrop of a zombie invasion.

Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
(2nd October)
The first YA novel from the author of the Immortals After Dark series (and the first in the Arcana Chronicles) concerns a wealthy Louisiana girl whose life is upended by an apocalyptic event.



Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
(1st November)
A girl must save a group of bonobos – and herself – from a violent coup.

Immortal Beloved: Eternally Yours by Cate Tiernan
(6th November)
Former party girl and ancient immortal Nastasya rounds out this series by ending a 450-year-old feud.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
(18th December)
Ruby must escape from a government-run “rehabilitation camp” for teens with paranormal powers.



Return to Me by Justina Chen
(15th January 2013)
Three months before Rebecca Muir is set to begin college, her father reveals that he’s leaving.

Deviants by Maureen McGowan
(no date)
Book one of the Dust Chronicles is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which a 16-year-old orphan with mutated DNA must protect her younger brother.

*********

So what do you think? Which titles are you looking forward to?

Calling All BEA Attendees!

Calling All BEA Attendees!

Being all the way over in Australia, it is a little far, and expensive, for me to make the trip over to New York at the moment to attend this awesome event *makes sad face*. I will make it to BEA one year, but sadly, it wont be this year.

There are so many great titles that will be shown this year and I would love to get my hands on some. So, my proposition is, if you can get me any of the titles I list below, I will in exchange send you any Australian titles that have yet to reach the US. If you can get me two books, I'll send you two, three, I'll send you three books, etc. How does that sound?

So, if anyone is up to this challenge, comment below or email me jwillis87[at]hotmail[dot]com. I'd love to hear from you. I am going to be so, so jealous come BEA *pouts and sighs*

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick (Egmont)
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (Harperteen)
Variant by Robison Wells (Harperteen)
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler, illus. by Maira Kalman (Little Brown)
The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson (Macmillan)
Shelter by Harlan Coben (Penguin)
Bloodlines by Richelle Mead (Penguin)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic)