From Where I'm Standing [15] - More TFIOS Fun!

Congrats to The Fault in Our Stars film for being #1 at the box office its first weekend! Despite getting to see it in May, I went with some of my friends from work to see it again opening night, and we did hand hearts as an early nod to #EstherDay.

Staci, me, and Dawn before the crying started. A big thank you goes to Julie for taking the photo!

Now that the movie is out, I want to share some more video I got on my TFIOS TN trip. The video is long and in two parts. All of it takes place in a meeting room at a (rather swanky) Nashville hotel and features Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, John Green, and Shailene Woodley answering questions and continuing their trend of being adorable and cool.

This part of my trip was my favorite not only because I never expected to be this close to the stars or that I would get to talk to them directly, but because the four of them spoke more freely than I had seen them do so before (okay, not John, because John is always open and enthusiastic). Also, an apology on the quality - the first part was shot by iPhone and the second on my Meg's camera.

Hope you enjoy!

Giveaway Winners!

I'm so glad to be back to blogging and my Friday the 13th was especially nice. And now what you are really here for, the winners of the three prize packs!

Hourglass Prize Pack (#1)

Onge

The Darkest Minds Prize Pack (#2)

Paola B.

Defiance Prize Pack (#3)

Ashley S.

The winners have been emailed and have seven days to respond. Congrats to them and thank you to all who participated! ^_^

From Where I'm Standing [14] - My TFIOS TN Experience

If you can't tell from the video above, I had an amazing time in Nashville at the events for TFIOS TN. In addition to just getting to be there, I was able to get my copies of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska signed by John Green and a poster signed by him and Shailene Woodley. Below are some pictures and another video!

Event attendees "Johning" in unison.

Fans eagerly awaiting the arrival of the stars in front of the Tennessee State Capitol building.

People came from all over for the event. Pictured here are mother and daughter duo Krissy and Kaylee of Canton, GA, along with friends Lauren, Tiffany, and Sydney of Paducah, KY.

Sisters Gabrielle and Faith traveled from Evansville, IN, and between them (in blue), is Marissa of Knoxville, TN. Next to them, Murfreesboro, TN, residents Abby, Annie, Sarah, and Lexi didn't have to drive far to attend.

John Green signing books and posters on the red carpet.

The sweet Sarah Strasinger interviewing Ansel Elgort for her high school newspaper.
(Thanks for helping me get my books signed, Sarah!)

Shailene Woodley and Nat Woolf autographing items and interacting with fans.

John Green, Ansel Elgort, Shailene Woodley, and Nat Wolff posing on the red carpet.

Clint Redwine and Evelina Barry (event MCs) on stage with the stars.

Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, John Green, and Shailene Woodley at the press tour the morning following the fan event.

And on one last (unrelated) note, this post makes 501 that I have published on the blog! Crazy!!! ^_^

Goodbye Hiatus; Hello Giveaway! [CLOSED]

Details:

Giveaway will run from 5/30/14 to 6/13/14 and is US only.

Three winners will be chosen via the Rafflecopter widget.

Please read further rules here.

Hourglass Prize Pack

*signed* paperback of Hourglass by Myra McEntire [review]

paperback of Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita [Goodreads]

paperback of On Location by Jen Calonita [Goodreads]

paperback of The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff [review]

paperback of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin [Goodreads]

hardback of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain [review]

hardback of Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King [Goodreads]

The Darkest Minds Prize Pack

*signed* ARC of The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken [review]

paperback of Cut by Patricia McCormick [review]

paperback of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling [Goodreads]

paperback of The Light by D.J. MacHale [Goodreads]

paperback of I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter [Goodreads]

hardback of The Lying Game by Sara Shepard [review]

hardback of Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan [Goodreads]

Defiance Prize Pack

*signed* hardback of Defiance by C.J. Redwine [review]

paperback of If I Stay by Gayle Forman [Goodreads]

hardback of The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard [Goodreads]

hardback of The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams [Goodreads]

hardback (formerly library bound) of Wings by Aprilynne Pike [Goodreads]

hardback of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater [Goodreads]

hardback of Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta [Goodreads]

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!

An Unhappy Hiatus

Hello quirks,

I've been putting this off because I was hoping circumstances would change and I wouldn't need to do this, but they haven't, so here we are.

Writer Quirk is going on an indefinite hiatus starting today.

I love blogging and reviewing, but my mental health is at a point right now where the stress of trying to keep posting reviews and such when I'm barely reading and barely functioning offline is one thing too many. I've never been a super-frequent poster and have been very lenient with myself on how I run this blog, but the guilt of not reading and not posting is getting to me, so I need a break from it.

It's difficult to put into words what is going on in my head that is making life so tough, so suffice it to say that despite efforts to battle my depression, I'm losing. In a way, things have gotten better since I switched to a new medication, as in suicidal thoughts and self-harm impulses are way down, but the pervasive sadness and lethargy I feel seems to only increase. Add in new stress at my day job and my usual stress at home, and I'm a zombie pretending to be human only when necessary, and it is exhausting.

I hope to return sooner rather than later, but only time will tell if that is possible. Until then, I hope you read amazing books, write your hearts out, and live life to the fullest.

~Shalena @ Writer Quirk

Reading Challenge Update [March 2014]

Hey quirks! Welcome to my Reading Challenge Update (RCU). I'm doing a few of the same challenges as last year, and I added a couple new ones as well. I'm really excited about these challenges because challenges like these pushed me to read more in 2013, so I hope the same will happen this year because my goals are even bigger!

Unlike my Goodreads Rundowns where I give a bunch of stats, here I will just be listing the books I read during the previous month under the challenges to which they apply. To see where I am at between these posts, check out my Reading Challenges tab above.

This Month: 5 --- Total: 13/75
Until I Die by Amy Plum (Revenants #2)
If I Should Die by Amy Plum (Revenants #3)
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (Woodcutter Sisters #1)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd (The Madman's Daughter #1)

This Month: 1 --- Total: 3/12

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams (Incarnation #1) [Key Word: Forever]

This Month: 2 --- Total: 3/12

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity #1) [Motif: Award Winner]

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (Woodcutter Sisters #1) [Motif: Fairy Tales]

This Month: 6 --- Total: 14/40

Until I Die by Amy Plum (Revenants #2)

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity #1)

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (Woodcutter Sisters #1)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd (The Madman's Daughter #1)

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams (Incarnation #1)

This Month: 0 --- Total: 0/1

Ink Anticipation [20] - April 2014

Welcome to Ink Anticipation! This feature is for sharing the top five YA releases I am looking forward to this month. 

Don't forget to share your most anticipated releases in the comments!

Goodreads / Release Date: April 8th

Goodreads / Release Date: April 8th

Goodreads / Release Date: April 8th

Goodreads / Release Date: April 15th

Goodreads / Release Date: April 22nd

2014 Goodreads Rundown [January - February]

Welcome to my Goodreads Rundown post, where I give detailed stats on what I've read so far this year. To see where I'm at between these posts, you can check my Reading Challenges tab above.
 
My goal this year is more than I've ever read before, so I'm a little nervous but trying to stay focused on reading regularly.

Reading the stats: In my #/# calculations, the first # pertains only to the current months; the second # is the total thus far for the year.

Main Breakdown 
Books read to date: 14

Books read in January: 12

Books read in February: 2

Average books read per month: 7/7

Books reviewed: 10/10
 
Type/Format Breakdown
YA books: 13/13

Non-YA books: 1/1

Print books: 6/6

Audiobooks: 8/8

 Genre Breakdown
Paranormal: 5/5

Contemporary: 4/4

Fantasy: 0/0

Science Fiction: 2/2

High Concept: 0/0
Historical: 1/1
Dystopian/Apocalyptic: 1/1
Mystery/Thriller: 0/0
Classic: 0/0
Reference/Craft: 1/1

 Title and Review Breakdown
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (WQ Review)
Saving Raphael Santiago by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan 
The Savage Grace by Bree Despain (WQ Review)

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (WQ Review)

This is Not a Writing Manual by Kerri Majors

Champion by Marie Lu (WQ Review)

 Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree (WQ Review)

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (WQ Review)

Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando (WQ Review)

Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher (WQ Review)

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

Icons by Margaret Stohl (WQ Review)
The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler

What are your reading goals for 2014?

Let me know in the comments! ^_^

Reading Challenge Update [February 2014]

Hey quirks! Welcome to my Reading Challenge Update (RCU). I'm doing a few of the same challenges as last year, and I added a couple new ones as well. I'm really excited about these challenges because challenges like these pushed me to read more in 2013, so I hope the same will happen this year because my goals are even bigger!

Unlike my Goodreads Rundowns where I give a bunch of stats, here I will just be listing the books I read during the previous month under the challenges to which they apply. To see where I am at between these posts, check out my Reading Challenges tab above.

This Month: 1 --- Total: 8/75
Icons by Margaret Stohl (Icons #1)

This Month: 1 --- Total: 2/12

The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler [Key Word: Dark]

This Month: 0 --- Total: 1/12

This Month: 1 --- Total: 8/40

The Dark Between by Sonia Gensler

This Month: 0 --- Total: 0/1

Ink Anticipation [19] - March 2014

Welcome to Ink Anticipation! This feature is for sharing the top five YA releases I am looking forward to this month. 

Don't forget to share your most anticipated releases in the comments!

Goodreads / Release Date: March 4th

Goodreads / Release Date: March 4th

Goodreads / Release Date: March 11th

Goodreads / Release Date: March 25th

Goodreads / Release Date: March 25th

Reading Challenge Update [January 2014]

Hey quirks! Welcome to my Reading Challenge Update (RCU). I'm doing a few of the same challenges as last year, and I added a couple new ones as well. I'm really excited about these challenges because challenges like these pushed me to read more in 2013, so I hope the same will happen this year because my goals are even bigger!

Unlike my Goodreads Rundowns where I give a bunch of stats, here I will just be listing the books I read during the previous month under the challenges to which they apply. To see where I am at between these posts, check out my Reading Challenges tab above.

This Month: 7 --- Total: 7/75
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Saving Raphael Santiago by Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan (The Bane Chronicles #6)
City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments #5)
Champion by Marie Lu (Legend #3)
What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang (The Hybrid Chronicles #1)
Roomies by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando
Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

This Month: 1 --- Total: 1/12

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #1) [Key Word: Secret]

This Month: 1 --- Total: 1/12

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London #2) [Motif: Around the World]

This Month: 7 --- Total: 7/40

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

The Savage Grace by Bree Despain (The Dark Divine #3)

Champion by Marie Lu (Legend #3)

Shadow Eyes by Dusty Crabtree

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang (The Hybrid Chronicles #1)

 The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (Shades of London #2)

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita (Secrets of My Hollywood Life #1)

This Month: 0 --- Total: 0/1

Ink Anticipation [18] - February 2014

Welcome to Ink Anticipation! This feature is for sharing the top five YA releases I am looking forward to this month. 

Don't forget to share your most anticipated releases in the comments!

Goodreads / Release Date: February 4th

Goodreads / Release Date: February 11th

Goodreads / Release Date: February 11th

Goodreads / Release Date: February 25th

Goodreads / Release Date: February 27th