Hug an Author Blog Hop! Part 2

Lynn from Bringing the Epic, Jen from What's On the Bookshelf and Marissa from And Many to Read Before I Sleep, have organized this fantastic blog hop to celebrate authors! Don't forget to check out their blogs for great interviews with your favorite authors and bloggers all week.

My first Hug an author post is here:

Today I'm answering the question:

Which author wrote the character you would want as your best friend? I have two answers for this question. (I have two!)

Deuce from Enclave by Ann Aguirre. I love that character so much. There are a lot of kick-ass heroines that I adore but she has this vulnerability and honesty that I admire. Deuce can kick freak butt one second but be a normal girl giggling with her friend Tegan the next or figuring out how to talk to a boy. Friendships and loyalty are very important to her but so is doing the right thing. The strength of her convictions in a time where she could fall back to self preservation mode show a rare quality in a person. Deuce would be the perfect best friend whether you're trying to survive the apocalypse, navigating high school or just needing a friend to confide in.

Ciara from the WVMP Radio Vampire series by Jeri Smith-Ready. She's intelligent and snarky as hell. Loyal almost to a fault (with total disregard to her own safety) Ciara would be a blast to hang out with and she would always have my back no matter what. I'm hoping she wouldn't take offense if I'm ogling her boyfriend Shane who I adore. Scratch that - I won't ogle - Can they BOTH be my best friends?? Shane, a Vampire DJ, can provide the music while we all hang out.

What about you? Who would be your pick?

Hug an Author Blog Hop! Part 1

Lynn from Bringing the Epic, Jen from What's On the Bookshelf and Marissa from And Many to Read Before I Sleep, have organized this fantastic blog hop to celebrate authors! Don't forget to check out their blogs for great interviews with your favorite authors and bloggers all week.

They've included a few prompt questions to get things started.

Is there an author who brought you back/to reading? Those of you who have followed my blog for a long time can look away now - you know what's coming……Jeri Smith-Ready.

I guess strictly speaking it was the Twilight Saga that brought me back to reading, but it's Jeri's writing that has touched me the most and has had the greatest lasting impact on me.

I originally read her WVMP Radio Vampire series and fell in love with the snarky, fun writing style, then moved on to the Aspect of Crow series that absolutely blew my mind with it's awesomeness. To this day it is my favorite series ever. 

More than that though is Jeri herself. She was the first author who I wrote a fangirly, embarrassing TMI filled email to. She was amazingly kind and generous to me. Because of her response, I forged ahead and started blogging to share my love of reading. I may seem social to you guys but I'm actually painfully shy. It was a huge deal to put myself out there and I have Jeri to thank for the inspiration to do so.

The other thing she gave me through her books is a new found appreciation of music. Anyone who reads Jeri's books knows how important music is in her writing. I had always listened to music in the car but honestly I could care less what was on. Since reading the WVMP series, complete with playlists, I am now a HUGE music fan. I had attended maybe 3 concerts in my lifetime (the last one Prince in the 80's), now I probably go to three a month!

Is there an author you've met or attended their signing? I've had the opportunity to meet Jeri on several occasions and she's the real deal. What you see on Twitter and her blog is really her. She's a truly kind and generous person. It's wonderful to admire someones talent and then not be let down when you meet them in person.

The YA Sisterhood's Tournament of Heroines has kicked off and Aura, from Jeri's Shade series, is up for her first round of voting on December 14th! 

Her advocate is one of my favorite people ever.... Brooke from Brooke Reports. Go check out her post, grab some buttons and stay tuned to Jeri's blog for some pretty cool incentives in store if Aura wins her first round!

Friday I'll have another hug an author post and answer the question:

Which author wrote the character you would want as your best friend?