I’m sitting here, shop writing this, and its hard to believe that this little baby is four years old. Four years ago, I thought to myself…I should start a blog. I should share my opinions. I should share my love for the nerd girl life. What started off as a place for me to go and be passionate about the things I love ended up being one of the most important aspects of my life.

Seriously.

Four years ago, I was in college, struggling, wishing I was anywhere but there. Four years ago, I had a boyfriend that wasn’t always the most supportive or loving or affectionate person. Four years ago, I didn’t have many friends. Four years ago, I didn’t feel like myself or really know who I was.

Now? Now, I am constantly surrounded by friends, amazing friends that I’ve met through this blog and my love of books and my love of fandom and nerd life. I have this confidence in myself that I certainly never had before. Yes, I have my bad days, and I struggle with mental illness, but I am sure of who I am and where I am going. I know that no matter what happens, its going to be okay. That’s so huge for me. And now, after so much work, after so much rejection and discouraging days…I am a published author.

It’s incredible. Its hard to believe that the 24 year old girl that started this blog turned into the 28 year old that I am now. I’m so proud of myself. I’m so proud of myself. I have met so many amazing bloggers and readers and librarians and authors and booksellers and book lovers and so many of them have become my friends and you have all been so invaluable to me. Some of you are ones that I’ve met at book signings and fest and some of you I’ve only met online, but you are all so important and I thank my blog for all of you, and I thank you for being part of what has made my life, and my extension, my blog, so freakin’ awesome.

I’ve done so many great things and met great people and I’ve not stopped pushing myself since the creation of What A Nerd Girl Says. This blog is my baby, my little four year old child that I have poured so much of myself into. I started this as a hobby, something so small, and what has come of it has truly blown my mind.

Since last year, I’ve gone on my first road trip, gone to more conventions, had two books published, a novel and a novella, met a ton of authors, camped out for the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Hollywood. I’ve moderated my first panels and signed my first books and I’ve had an incredible year since celebrating the third year of What A Nerd Girl Says.

I don’t know what the future holds. I know that the blog has slowed down quite a bit since the publication of The Awakened back in December. Between writing The Survivor and The Sanctuary and doing events and all of that, I’ve just been so busy. I’ve tried to get up on this blog as much as possible because I love it so much.

And no matter what happens in the future, how often I blog or not, this blog means absolutely everything. I would not have the life I have or be the person that I am or the writer that I am without this blog. Nothing about that is even up for debate. What A Nerd Girl Says holds a big big part of my heart and that won’t ever change.

And I’m hoping to be celebrating year five next year for sure!

For now, though, let’s celebrate with a giveaway! I love throwing lots of love and books and nerd stuff your way because you guys are here and support me and read my blog and its a huge part of why this still exists!

There are four super awesome prizes up for grabs. Head to my instagram to enter, and find the photo above. You’ll find all the instructions there. It’s open until May 31st AND it is international, which I hardly ever do, so definitely make sure to check it out!

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Yay! Another fantastic interview with another equally fantastic YA author. Today is yet another of my amazing OfTomes siblings, buy Jennifer Wilson. Jennifer’s book, sales New World: Rising, came out just after mine did and its absolutely FANTASTIC! I’m so happy to have her here today on What A Nerd Girl Says!

ABOUT JENNIFER WILSON 

As a child Jennifer loved getting lost in the stories of others, but struggled greatly with reading. A notoriously slow reader who stumbled with words and spelling, Jennifer shied away from books, leaning heavily on musical theater and movies to get her inspirational fix.

It was not until in her mid-teens, when a persistent friend convinced her to read the Harry Potter series, that Jennifer found her love for the written word. J.K. Rowling’s books opened doors not only to the fascinating world of a young wizard, but to a life filled with a multitude of literary friends and fantastical worlds. Once a timid reader, Jennifer now devours books and loves getting lost in a new series.

When Jennifer is not writing, she is enjoying life in Colorado, rock climbing, camping, exploring new foods, playing with her golden retriever, Duke, and sharing her life with her wonderfully supportive husband.

You Can Find Her:

Her Website / Her Twitter / Her Facebook / Her GoodReads / Her Instagram

HER BOOK 

Add Jennifer’s epic dystopian novel on GoodReads and purchase it in ebook or paperback format on Amazon. 

Since witnessing her parents’ murders at the age of eleven, Phoenix’s only purpose in life has been to uphold her mother’s dying words- to be strong and survive. But surviving outside of The Walls- outside of The Sanctuary- is more like a drawn-out death sentence. A cruel and ruthless city, Tartarus is run by the Tribes whose motto is simple, “Join or die.”

Refusing to join and determined to live, Phoenix fights to survive in this savage world. But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself.

HER INTERVIEW

Nerd Girl: Why do you write YA?

Jennifer: YA is my absolute favorite genre both to read and to write. It has infinite possibilities and has more sub-generes than most writers could ever dream about. YA is generally also packed full of emotions and desires that a reader of any age can relate. The YA perspective tends to focus on pivotal points in both the readers’ and the characters’ lives when they are truly figuring out who they are and who they want to be. I find so many of these books both inspired and inspiring. I only hope my books are perceived the same way.

Nerd Girl: What are some of your own favorite YA reads?

Jennifer: I recently devoured The Lunar Chronicles like a maniac and of course adore anything Harry Potter. Some of my other favorite YA reads include: the Legend series by Marie Lu, The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I have also fallen in love with Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series and have been reading all of my Oftomes siblings’ books like a crazed book nerd—there is so much talent there!

Nerd Girl: What do you think is a big misconception about YA and why do you think its wrong?

Jennifer: That it is only for Young Adults. YA is for every age! For a long time a lot of my friends were embarrassed to admit they loved YA, but the truth is a large majority of YA readers are well over the age of 25.

Nerd Girl: Why do you think its important to have a “I Read YA” week?

Jennifer: There are way too many closet YA readers out there. It is time to admit you love YA and be proud! You might be surprised that most of your friends do too.

Nerd Girl: Describe your latest work in five words or less. 

Jennifer: Death—closer than you think. (You will find out more about this work soon! Stay tuned to Oftomes!)

Nerd Girl: You have been self published before and now are officially published through OfTomes; what has been your experience with both?

Jennifer: Having done both—self-publishing first and now being published under Oftomes—I can honestly say there can be benefits and downfalls to both. I am very lucky that I happen to click really well with the Oftomes team and couldn’t be happier under their name. But I do know not every published author is happy with his/her publishing agency. Finding the right publisher for you is extremely important, as you are essentially trusting them with your baby. I have learned so much about the literary world as a self-published author and adored getting to know my fans on such a personal level, but now that I am with Oftomes, I also get to focus more on writing which is that part I love most. Honestly there is no right or wrong when it comes to how you publish, it just needs to be what suits you best. Here’s the most basic break down I can give you:

Self-Publishing Pros:

• Your profit is not cut to pay an agent or publisher, so you earn more money from each individual sale
• You have total freedom with what you write, your timelines and graphics
• You get to know your fans on a more personal level
• You have more control over your book
• Your book will definitely be published, trends be dammed

Self-Publishing Cons:

• You have to front all of the money for things like review copies, editing, cover design, ISBN numbers and advertising
• You have to handle all of the marketing
• It is harder to get your name out there
• Sales are generally lower than that of a professionally published book
• You must wear many hats other than just a writer— you must be your own marketing director, agent, publisher and editor.
• Spelling errors are more common

Nerd Girl: Talk to us about your trilogy; where did the idea for it come, where did you get the inspiration?

Jennifer: I have always had a bit of an overactive imagination. My mind tends to wander and being a very visual person, I generally get these flashes of scenes­—a girl on a rooftop, an action-packed fight sequence or an impassioned kiss.  From there, my mind melds around these moments and a basic plot begins to develop. As the plot matures, so do my characters.

         New World: Rising was born out of an epiphany moment for Phoenix. I could see this girl racing on rooftops, hiding in the shadows, being kind of a badass. The opening scene in the first book is the moment Phoenix was born in my mind, a dark shadowed figure standing on the ledge of a building as her hair whipped around her face in the wind, the city below her in ruin. The world just spiraled out from there, shaping around her.  I wanted to write about a girl who could take care of herself, who was just as tough as the boys and preferred to rescue herself rather than be recused. But of course she is not without her flaws. It was important to me that she—and all of the other characters—were still human, relatable and made mistakes.

*********

Thank you so so so much Jennifer for joining us on What A Nerd Girl Says! We are all dying for the sequel to New World: Rising and can’t wait to hear what else you’re working on!

Don’t forget, everyone, head to my instagram to find out how to enter my super epic giveaway, including two YA contemporary ARCs and a TON of signed swag!

Yay! Another fantastic interview with another equally fantastic YA author. Today is yet another of my amazing OfTomes siblings, buy Jennifer Wilson. Jennifer’s book, sales New World: Rising, came out just after mine did and its absolutely FANTASTIC! I’m so happy to have her here today on What A Nerd Girl Says!

ABOUT JENNIFER WILSON 

As a child Jennifer loved getting lost in the stories of others, but struggled greatly with reading. A notoriously slow reader who stumbled with words and spelling, Jennifer shied away from books, leaning heavily on musical theater and movies to get her inspirational fix.

It was not until in her mid-teens, when a persistent friend convinced her to read the Harry Potter series, that Jennifer found her love for the written word. J.K. Rowling’s books opened doors not only to the fascinating world of a young wizard, but to a life filled with a multitude of literary friends and fantastical worlds. Once a timid reader, Jennifer now devours books and loves getting lost in a new series.

When Jennifer is not writing, she is enjoying life in Colorado, rock climbing, camping, exploring new foods, playing with her golden retriever, Duke, and sharing her life with her wonderfully supportive husband.

You Can Find Her:

Her Website / Her Twitter / Her Facebook / Her GoodReads / Her Instagram

HER BOOK 

Add Jennifer’s epic dystopian novel on GoodReads and purchase it in ebook or paperback format on Amazon. 

Since witnessing her parents’ murders at the age of eleven, Phoenix’s only purpose in life has been to uphold her mother’s dying words- to be strong and survive. But surviving outside of The Walls- outside of The Sanctuary- is more like a drawn-out death sentence. A cruel and ruthless city, Tartarus is run by the Tribes whose motto is simple, “Join or die.”

Refusing to join and determined to live, Phoenix fights to survive in this savage world. But who can she trust, when no one can be trusted? Not even herself.

HER INTERVIEW

Nerd Girl: Why do you write YA?

Jennifer: YA is my absolute favorite genre both to read and to write. It has infinite possibilities and has more sub-generes than most writers could ever dream about. YA is generally also packed full of emotions and desires that a reader of any age can relate. The YA perspective tends to focus on pivotal points in both the readers’ and the characters’ lives when they are truly figuring out who they are and who they want to be. I find so many of these books both inspired and inspiring. I only hope my books are perceived the same way.

Nerd Girl: What are some of your own favorite YA reads?

Jennifer: I recently devoured The Lunar Chronicles like a maniac and of course adore anything Harry Potter. Some of my other favorite YA reads include: the Legend series by Marie Lu, The Darkest Minds series by Alexandra Bracken, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. I have also fallen in love with Victoria Aveyard’s Red Queen series and have been reading all of my Oftomes siblings’ books like a crazed book nerd—there is so much talent there!

Nerd Girl: What do you think is a big misconception about YA and why do you think its wrong?

Jennifer: That it is only for Young Adults. YA is for every age! For a long time a lot of my friends were embarrassed to admit they loved YA, but the truth is a large majority of YA readers are well over the age of 25.

Nerd Girl: Why do you think its important to have a “I Read YA” week?

Jennifer: There are way too many closet YA readers out there. It is time to admit you love YA and be proud! You might be surprised that most of your friends do too.

Nerd Girl: Describe your latest work in five words or less. 

Jennifer: Death—closer than you think. (You will find out more about this work soon! Stay tuned to Oftomes!)

Nerd Girl: You have been self published before and now are officially published through OfTomes; what has been your experience with both?

Jennifer: Having done both—self-publishing first and now being published under Oftomes—I can honestly say there can be benefits and downfalls to both. I am very lucky that I happen to click really well with the Oftomes team and couldn’t be happier under their name. But I do know not every published author is happy with his/her publishing agency. Finding the right publisher for you is extremely important, as you are essentially trusting them with your baby. I have learned so much about the literary world as a self-published author and adored getting to know my fans on such a personal level, but now that I am with Oftomes, I also get to focus more on writing which is that part I love most. Honestly there is no right or wrong when it comes to how you publish, it just needs to be what suits you best. Here’s the most basic break down I can give you:

Self-Publishing Pros:

• Your profit is not cut to pay an agent or publisher, so you earn more money from each individual sale
• You have total freedom with what you write, your timelines and graphics
• You get to know your fans on a more personal level
• You have more control over your book
• Your book will definitely be published, trends be dammed

Self-Publishing Cons:

• You have to front all of the money for things like review copies, editing, cover design, ISBN numbers and advertising
• You have to handle all of the marketing
• It is harder to get your name out there
• Sales are generally lower than that of a professionally published book
• You must wear many hats other than just a writer— you must be your own marketing director, agent, publisher and editor.
• Spelling errors are more common

Nerd Girl: Talk to us about your trilogy; where did the idea for it come, where did you get the inspiration?

Jennifer: I have always had a bit of an overactive imagination. My mind tends to wander and being a very visual person, I generally get these flashes of scenes­—a girl on a rooftop, an action-packed fight sequence or an impassioned kiss.  From there, my mind melds around these moments and a basic plot begins to develop. As the plot matures, so do my characters.

         New World: Rising was born out of an epiphany moment for Phoenix. I could see this girl racing on rooftops, hiding in the shadows, being kind of a badass. The opening scene in the first book is the moment Phoenix was born in my mind, a dark shadowed figure standing on the ledge of a building as her hair whipped around her face in the wind, the city below her in ruin. The world just spiraled out from there, shaping around her.  I wanted to write about a girl who could take care of herself, who was just as tough as the boys and preferred to rescue herself rather than be recused. But of course she is not without her flaws. It was important to me that she—and all of the other characters—were still human, relatable and made mistakes.

*********

Thank you so so so much Jennifer for joining us on What A Nerd Girl Says! We are all dying for the sequel to New World: Rising and can’t wait to hear what else you’re working on!

Don’t forget, everyone, head to my instagram to find out how to enter my super epic giveaway, including two YA contemporary ARCs and a TON of signed swag!

Welcome everyone to the SECOND author awesomeness today on I Read YA Week here on What A Nerd Girl Says! I am having such a blast this week with all the amazing authors that have been guests here on my blog and I’m so ready to share another fantastic one with you, this so let’s do this!

Don’t forget, this when you head down to the end of this interview, there’s a giveaway! Yay!

ABOUT E. KATHERINE KOTTARAS

E. Katherine Kottaras is originally from Chicago, but now she writes and teaches in the Los Angeles area. She holds an M.A. in English from the University of California, Irvine and teaches writing and literature at Pasadena City College. She is interested in the stories we tell, the stories we are given, and the ways we can redefine our worlds by discovering which stories are true.

She is the author of the YA contemporary novel, HOW TO BE BRAVE (2015) and the forthcoming THE BEST POSSIBLE ANSWER (2016), both from St. Martin’s Press/Griffin Teen.

You Can Find Her:

Her Website / Her Twitter / Her Facebook / Her GoodReads / Her Instagram

HER BOOK

Add Katherine’s incredible debut novel on GoodReads, and pick up a copy at your local bookstore or on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Book Depository. 

Reeling from her mother’s death, Georgia has a choice: become lost in her own pain, or enjoy life right now, while she still can. She decides to start really living for the first time and makes a list of fifteen ways to be brave – all the things she’s wanted to do but never had the courage to try. As she begins doing the things she’s always been afraid to do – including pursuing her secret crush, she discovers that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes friendships fall apart and love breaks your heart. But once in a while, the right person shows up just when you need them most – and you learn that you’re stronger and braver than you ever imagined.

HER INTERVIEW

Nerd Girl: Why do you write YA?

Katherine: First, I write YA because I read YA. I started reading YA literature when I taught high school. My students were the ones who introduced me to the body of literature that I have since fallen in love with.

I also write YA because I love exploring moments of intense change. I write for teens, but I understand why adult readers (like me) enjoy reading YA – because life is change – and conflict and discovery and joy. Even as I’ve become older, I recognize when I am in a new situation, whether it be at work or at home, in times of joy or crisis, when my emotions are flooded and I am trying to figure out how to be in the world. I love YA literature because so much of it explores the intensity of life, something I’ll never want to give up, both as a reader and as a human being.

Nerd Girl: What are some of your own favorite YA reads?

Katherine: Ball Don’t Lie, Matt de la Pena; Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan; Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson; Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang; anything and everything by E. Lockhart; 

Nerd Girl: What do you think is a big misconception about YA and why do you think it’s wrong?

Katherine: The most common misconception I’ve heard, both in the media and when talking to people, is they think that YA is light, fluffy, and shallow, in other words the opposite of “literary.” More likely than not, those critics have not actually read many (or often any) young adult books. I teach a college course on Children’s Literature, and I’ve had many students over the years express surprise at how soulful the young adult books are, how they didn’t expect to cry, how they didn’t expect to feel the pain of the characters so intensely.

I also think that culturally, we devalue the experience of being a teenager, so anything associated with teens must be bad. Of course, this is the most ridiculous misconception because as we YA readers and writers know, teens are the most resilient, hopeful, open-hearted, and courageous humans on this planet. Their experiences deserve to be validated and celebrated.

Nerd Girl: Why do you think it’s important to have an “I Read YA” week?

Katherine: I’m all in favor of any event that celebrates the specific contributions of YA writers to the world!

Nerd Girl: Describe your latest work in five words or less. 

Katherine: THE BEST POSSIBLE ANSWER=

SAY ANYTHING meets ADVENTURELAND, kinda.

(I think I cheated with that last word.)

Nerd Girl: You get the call that HOW TO BE BRAVE is going to be published: how did you celebrate?

Katherine: Well, I was parked in the middle of an empty parking lot waiting for the second-hand store to open, so my immediate reaction was to jump out of the car and scream and flail and dance. Then, I called my husband and my best friends so I could scream and flail some more. Later, we celebrated together with a Turtle Pie from Baskin-Robbins because it’s my favorite.

Nerd Girl: Have you had a moment yet where you thought “Yes, I am a writer/author now” and if so, what was it?

Katherine: Yes, when the first reader who I’d never met before wrote me to let me know how much HOW TO BE BRAVE meant to her, how it made her cry, and changed her life. I’ve had many similar responses since, and each time, I am humbled at the reality that I get to write for others.

Thank you for having me!

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Thank you for joining us! We loved having you! Make sure you all grab a copy of How to Be Brave!

And make sure to head to my instagram in order to enter my exclusive giveaway with two YA ARCs and a TON of signed swag from authors such as Marie Lu, Shannon Messenger, Jessica Brody, Sabaa Tahir and more!