Book Event: #BloggersBookFeast with Scholastic

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On Saturday, I was absolutely thrilled to be able to attend Scholastic's #BloggersBookFeast at their lovely offices in Euston. I arrived in plenty of time and we were soon shown up to their gorgeous floor where the bookish fun began.



Once shown to where the bookish goodness would be, I was delighted to see there really was a feast to be had and I grabbed some very yummy sandwiches, tea coffee and juice and sat down for fun to begin.



Firstly the lovely people of Scholastic began talking about some of the books they have coming out this year and there were five that really jumped out at me, (more later) but three of them were The Museum of Heartbreak by Meg Leder which has been recommended to those who are fans of Rainbow Rowell (I'm sold!). It's also about how although happy endings happen in stories, that maybe they don't always happen in real life and although that sounds sad, I think it will give readers a better grasp on what to expect in the real world. The second book is Girl heart Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe, which has a gorgeous cover and is a debut memoir of coming out. It is great to see more books like this being published .
The third book that really caught my eye was the fourth book in the The Raven Boys series by the epic Maggie Stiefvater which is The Raven King. Now, I have read her brilliant series, Shiver, Linger and Forever and adored them but have just never got round to reading this series, so don't shoot! I 100% promise I am going to read these in time for the fourth book to be out. I also have no excuse as thanks to Scholastic, I now have the first three books- Easter reading me thinks!
We were then given a very special video treat from C.J Redwine. Her latest book is The Shadow Queen- epic cover alert. This is a Snow White retelling that had hints of Snow White and the Huntsman but with a much more kick-ass Snow White and dragons! It was interesting to hear C.J's verdict on Snow White and the Huntsman, hence the kick-ass Snow White and the introduction of dragons. I really liked her retelling and am interested to see where she goes with it next.




Soon it was the turn of some brilliant authors to tell us about their debuts. First up was Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler talking about their book Defender of the Realm. It was fascinating to learn that Mark and Nick are both script writers and have worked on The Moomins. Although their book isn't what I usually read, I know that it will appear to lots of people. Alfie thought he knew his destiny. He didn't know the half of it. Fourteen year old heir to the throne, Alfie, didn't expect to be King so soon. He DEFINITELY did not expect to be ...DEFENDER OF THE REALM. A legendary superhero, fighting a secret, centuries-long, battle to protect the nation from monsters and super-villains. An ordinary girl, Hayley Hicks, finds herself fighting alongside Alfie in a desperate struggle to stop a fearsome new enemy, the Black Dragon. Pretty epic right? 



Next up was Beth Garrod, author of Super Awkward. I had already met Beth in reception while we were waiting to go up and she was saying this was the first time that she was talking about her book, and that she was really nervous. I reassured her that we were a lovely bookish bunch and that she had nothing to worry about, and she really didn't. Super Awkward just sums up what I think we have all been through at some time and yes it still happens- just super awkward moments where you think, OMG why did I just say/do that? Cringe, cringe, cringe. I know I have way to many of those moments logged in my brain, which still make me physically cringe. And Beth said that even though the moments in her book are entirely fictional (of course) they may be slightly, maybe just a tiny bit reflective of the moments that happened to her. What she did say though was that she wants to get across that the coolest thing is actually just being you and just doing what you do. I am really looking forward to this one.  



Our third debut author was Sue Wallman. Her book is called Lying About Last Summer and sounds like a very intriguing thriller. Skye's sister died in an accident and Skye goes to a camp to try and cope with her grief. Then the text messages from her dead sister start and she knows it's time to confront her past. I am a complete sucker for a thriller, so this one is definitely going on the TBR pile! She told us about her publication story and had some of us a bit teary eyed. I am so glad that it was a happy ending though.





After a quick break all the authors gathered for a Q&A, including Eve Ainsworth (Crush) and Mel Salisbury (Sin Eater's Daughter). This was a really fun Q&A and David who is an Editor at Scholastic, had us all in fits. Next up we did have a little insider talk as to what it's like to be an Editor and the process they go through. They were worried it was going to be boring for us, but I genuinely found it fascinating. Sometimes they get so far with a book that they have fallen in love with, but for some reason or another it doesn't quite make it through, and how hard it is for them to give up on that book. It doesn't happen all the time of course and when a book does make it, they can be working with that author for a year or more to get the book ready for publication. We also heard from their designers and I always love hearing about the cover decisions. The Sin Eater's Daughter and The Sleeping Prince are some of my favourite covers at the moment. They also told us about the different covers for The Hunger Games and the current Australian covers and oh my, the whole room gasped when we saw them, they are absolutely stunning. I would have bought these in a heartbeat if they had been published over here (even though I already have copies) 


All too soon (despite running over) it was time for us to leave. I had an absolute blast and it what a better way to spend your Saturday than surrounded by brilliant books, authors and publishing people. We were also given a fabulous goody bag to take home with us and I left one very happy bookworm.








As I had such a fabulous day, I am giving you the chance to win a copy of Crush by Eve Ainsworth. All you have to do is enter via Rafflecopter below. Ends 31.3.16. (UK and EU Only)






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Shahryar Sultan

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