Author Spotlight: Jay Crownover

I've been trying to think of fun new posts I can do on my blog this year and that's how this whole "Author Spotlight" thing happened. I thought it would be fun to pick an author that I love at the moment, love always, think you should know about...whatever and do a post about them including links to their social media and links to reviews I've done on their books (if any) and interviews (if any)
For my first installment I chose Jay Crownover because she's amazing and she's also the very first author I've ever interviewed. I have a very special place in my heart for this lady because she's been so kind to me and she's just freaking cool.
I posted the interview I did with her way back in February of 2013 which you can check out by clicking HERE.
Jay also supported my "I'm A Duff"series and even participated, which you can check out HERE.
Goodreads Author Info:
Jay Crownover is the International and multiple New Yor Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, and The Point and Breaking Point Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired, Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.

Jay's Social Media:
Goodreads
Official Website
Twitter
Facebook
I reviewed her new book Retreat a couple of weeks ago check it out HERE

Buy The Marked Men Series
Rule
Jet
Rome
Nash
Rowdy
Asa

Buy Welcome To The Point Series

Better When He's Bad
Better When He's Bold
Better When He's Brave

Buy The Saints of Denver Series
Leveled
Built
Charged
Riveted Releasing February 14, 2017

Salvaged Releasing June 20, 2017

Buy The Breaking Point Series
Honor

Buy The Getaway Series
Retreat

D.I. Jolly Interview

It's my first author interview of the year guys, I'm so excited!! :)
Thank you thank you D.I. Jolly for not only giving me a copy of your book to read (review link below) and review but also for taking the time to answer my questions.
Your time has made me a very happy book blogger, so thank you...again.
Enjoy!!

1. How did you come up with the idea for Mostly Human?
It started while I was waiting for my sister outside her office and I started thinking of a scene involving a brother watching someone break into his sisters office, then transform and go in to rescue her. It never actually made it into the book, but it got the ball rolling. I left my sister to start a 3 hour drive and by the time I got to my destination I had tracked the story back to where I wanted it to start.

2. Has being an author always been a dream of yours?
Since I was about seven years old I wanted to be Gabriel Knight, a fictional character from a video game, who lived in New Orleans, owned a rare book store and was a writer. So pretty much, yeah.

3. Which authors inspire you most?
Robert Rankin for showing me that you can really let your imagination go.
Anne Rice because her writing is beautiful.

And Jane Jensen because she wrote Gabriel Knight.

4. If you could have a barbeque with 3 authors, who would you invite?

Jim Butcher

Neil Gaiman

Bram Stoker

5. If you could be a werewolf for a day would you want to be?

Like the ones I write? Yes, and longer than a day.

6. Who has been your favorite character to write?

Probably Jones P.I. from my first novel A Guy, A Girl and a Voodoo Monkey Hand.

7. If you could have Mostly Human turned into a movie or television show which one would you prefer?

I'd say a movie, or a movie series.

8. In the movie/show who would you want to play Alex?
I honestly couldn't tell you. I don't think I know any actors in the correct age range for young, teen and adult Alex.
That said I think Anne Hathaway as adult Annabel would work well.

9. If you could describe Alex in only three words what would they be?
Kind, driven, scared.

10. If Mostly Human had a theme song what would it be?
First instinct is The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down by the Band, which I listened to a lot while writing it.
If you know the song and the version from The Last Waltz, it starts with a simple lone trumpet then a little build up before they kick of the song. In my head in the movie adaptation Mork could be walking up the gangway plank at the end as the trumpet starts, stop to look back down the dock for a second during the build-up and then cut to black and roll credits when the song really gets going. But that's just how it plays in my head. Also I think that doesn't really spoil anything.

D.I. Jolly's Social Media:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Check out my review for Mostly Human by clicking HERE

**Photo from https://www.facebook.com/Voodoo.Monkey.Hand/**

Top Ten Tuesday: January 24, 2017

This week's topic is a FREEBIE which I always love. I went through past topics and I decided to do Top Ten Authors I Would Love To Meet

10. Stephenie Meyer
To high five her for Twilight and to give her a stern talking to for never releasing Midnight Sun.

9. Nicholas Sparks
I've loved him since I was like 13.

8. Veronica Roth
So I can ask her why. Just why.

7. Sarah Dessen 

Because I've loved her since I was a teenager.

6. Cora Carmack
Because she's awkward and that's my people.

5. Sophie Kinsella
So I can see if she's as funny in person as the characters in her books are.

4. Jay Crownover
She's a badass, duh.

3. Abbi Glines
So I can tell her how much I love The Rosemary Beach series...and pretty much everything else I've read by her.

2. John Green
To thank him for TFIOS.

1. Colleen Hoover
Because she's a goddess.

The Netflix Book Tag

I was scrolling through my subscribtions on YouTube and I came across a video from one of my favorite booktubers, Heather over at Bookables. I myself am a HUGE Netflix fan, come on you know you are too, so I was like wait a second Netflix and Books? Yeah sounds just about perfect. If you want to check out the Original Tag created by A Darker Shade of Whitney you can watch it by clicking HERE and if you'd like to check out Heather's video go ahead and click HERE

1. Recently Watched

The last book you finished reading

Retreat by Jay Crownover. Currently I'm reading Grey by E.L. James and A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir.

2. Top Picks

A book/books that have been recommended to you based on books you have previously read

Waaaaaaay back when I first started my blog and I interviewed Tammara Webber she told me that if I liked her books then I should check out her friend Colleen Hoover and as you all know that was some of the best advice I ever followed ;)

3. Recently Added

The last book you bought

I went to a thrift store the other day and bought 5 new books I think for like $4, it was pretty awesome. I bought another copy of Beautiful Disaster because I lent my copy to a friend and I don't know if I'll ever see it again - I also really had an urge to reread it the other day, I also picked up the first and second Bridget Jones books and then two others but to be honest I can't remember what they were called.

4. Popular on Netflix

Books that everyone knows about (2 you've read and 2 you have no interest in reading)

Divergent by Veronica Roth and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, both I've read. The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and The Archive by Victoria Schwab.

5. Comedies

A funny book

Literally everything I've read by Sophie Kinsella.

6. Dramas

A character who is a drama queen/king

Nan from the Rosemary Beach series by Abbi Glines. My gosh that girl is a drama queen.

7. Animated

A book with cartoons on the cover

Does my hardcover of The Walking Dead count?

8. Watch It Again

A book/book series that you want to re-read

I said it earlier, Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire.

9. Documentaries

A non-fiction book you'd recommend to everyone

If you're a fan of Catfish then I'd recommend Nev's book In Real Life. It gives a lot of good tops and was really interesting.

10. Action and Adventure

An action packed book

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir was so full of stuff that I couldn't put it down.

11. New Releases

A book that just came out or will be coming out soon that you can't wait to read

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover is supposed to come out in August and I. Can. Not. Wait. I freaking love her guys. She's the best.

12. Max: Tag some people!!

I tag Mornings and Epilogues, Just Another Bookish Blog, and Books and Stars

Retreat by Jay Crownover

Alright guys, you know how much I love Jay Crownover. You also know how much I love free books so when I was given the opportunity to receive an ARC of this book I jumped all over it.
Before the story starts Jay writes a little something to her readers - that means me and all of you other Jay lovers - talking about how this book is completely different than anything she's written before. Now I will say that when I read that I was a little bit worried because I love her Marked Men series and she flat out tells us that this has nothing to do with sexy boys with tattoos. However because this is Jay Crownover and I one-click her books without even reading the plot I didn't care. I thought to myself, "Self, even if this book isn't about yummy boys with an exceptional amount of tattoos don't rule it out (hehe Rule...get it?) because Jay is a goddess and I'm sure this book will still be good."
Oh. My. Gosh. Jay, you beautiful creature you. I love you so much. This book was more than I ever thought it was going to be. Did I except amazing characters? Yes. Did I expect really hot fictional boyfriends? Yes. Did I expect some serious sexy time to take place? It's Jay Crownover people, duh. But by no means did I expect this book to be suspenseful and on the edge of my seat.

Okay so I suppose I should probably tell you guys what this book is about. If you've read Jay's books before then you know that she usually tells them in dual POV which you also should know by now that I love. This book was strictly told in Leo's point of few which is our main lady. At first I was a little worried about that, well no not worried but kind of bummed I guess because I love dual POV which hello you know - I did just tell you ;) And while Cy's POV would've been cool I was perfectly content with only hearing Leo's side.
Leo was dating this uber douche and he basically broke her heart - and his marriage vows by making her a mistress. Jerk.
So her best friend Em makes her go on this Retreat in Wyoming where they pretty much follow cowboys out into the woods and ride around on horses and enjoy nature. The first five minutes of being there Leo insults Cy who basically runs the thing by saying he doesn't look like a cowboy. He may not look like a cowboy but the way Jay described him...oh my.
Anyway there's instant heat between the two of them which is evident to everyone.
The group heads out the next day on their adventure and the sexual tension between Leo and Cy gets pretty intense.
On one particular day Leo's horse gets spooked and takes off with her. Cy ends up saving her but in the rescue they stumble upon a serious problem - which I'm not going to tell you because I don't want to ruin anything.
This book was so freaking good that I couldn't stop reading it. I was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it and when I was I didn't want to stop.
Retreat gave me everything I could possibly want in a contemporary.
I definitely recommend this book. Whether you've read Jay or not you should pick this up and give it a chance, I can pretty much guarantee you're going to love it.

Buy Retreat Here:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

Follow Jay Crownover Here:
Official Website
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter

Join Jay's Fan Club "Crownovers Crowd" by clciking HERE
Check out my playlist for Retreat on Spotify by clicking HERE
I'm a Book Depository affiliate so if you'd like to buy books with FREE SHIPPING click HERE

The Ultimate Gilmore Girls Tag

As many of you know I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan, shock. I saw this tag on Heather's channel aka Bookables on YouTube and I decided right then that I had to do it. I know it's not book related but Rory loves books so I think I can get away with it ;)
Check out Heather's video by clicking HERE


Basic Questions:
How did you discover the show?

I remember seeing previews for it all the time but we didn't get the WB so I started watching it when the reruns first started on ABC Family.

Do you own the collection?

Sure do, all 7 seasons.

Favorite season?

I really like season 4 because I like when Rory first goes to school.

Least Favorite Season?
Probably 7 just like most people.

Favorite Episode?

I like the episode where they have the dance marathon, the one where Luke kisses Lorelei for the first time, and the one where Rory graduates from Chilton. My absolute favorite episode though is the one where Dean comes over for the first time. I could watch that episode a million times.

Luke's Diner Dash (Lighting Round):
Favorite Character: Lorelei.
Least Favorite Character: Nicole or Anna.
Dave or Zack? Dave (I love Adam Brody) but I do love Lane and Zack
Luke or Christopher? Luke, geez.
Dean or Jess? Team Jess.
Lorelei or Rory? Lorelei hello.

Opinions:
Do you think Lorelei over-reacts with her parents?
Sometimes I do, sometimes - like at the vow renewal - nope.

Do you think Emily & Richard over react with Lorelei?Yes, I think they instantly think she's trying to hurt them and they lash out.

In the big fight that Rory and Lorelei had, whose side were you on?

Lorelei, 100%.

In a fight between Taylor and Mrs. Kim who would win?Mrs. Kim.

Who would spread the fastest rumor Babette or Miss Patty?

Miss Patty.

How much do you dislike April?

I actually like April in the episode where Lorelei helps Luke with her birthday party. But other than that she pretty much drives me crazy.

Revival Round:

How excited for the revival are you?

I'm late doing this tag so I've actually already watched all 4 episodes of the revival, but I was sooo excited for them.

If you could have dinner with any cast member, who would it be, and what kind of questions would you ask them?

Lauren Graham no doubt. I don't think I can list all of the questions I'd want to ask her. Maybe I'd start with, "What's it like to be a Gilmore girl?"

How do you want it to end?

Not the way it did.

Top 5 Books of 2016

So I only read 17 books in 2016 but I wanted to do a "Top 5" because it makes me happy.
If you've read any of the books below please comment and let me know what you thought of them.

5. Walk The Edge by Katie McGarry
Book Review

This is one of the books that I was sent for review this year and oh my gosh I'm so glad I received it. I haven't been a huge Katie McGarry fan but this book changed everything. I'd like to read more by her this year.

4.To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise

Book Review

The love I have for this book is ridiculous. I smiled so much while reading this my cheeks actually started to hurt. Not only was this book everything that I was looking for but the author Ella Maise is one of the sweetest humans ever. She was one of the few authors that I interviewed this year and she's so kind and funny.

3. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Movie Review

I'm sure most of you have read this book and/or watched the movie so I'm sure you all know why this is one of my favorites of the year. The feels guys. The freaking feels.

2. An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I saw this book all over BookTube and I kept putting it off. One day I was shopping around a bookstore and I saw this book and considered getting it...but then I didn't. I left the bookstore empty handed and for the next week I couldn't stop thinking about this stinkin book. So of course I went back to the store and bought it and oh my gosh am I glad I finally read it. It's so good!! When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about reading it and wondering what was going to happen, that's a sign of a good book my friends. I'm currently reading the second book in the series and it's really good so far.

1. It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Book Review
This book is magic, plain and simple. Colleen Hoover is a goddess. Plain and simple. I've done a lot of book tags on my blog and a common question is, "Which book changed your life?" I have only ever been able to say The Fault in Our Stars, that is until I read It Ends With Us. This book is absolutely stunning and if you haven't read it yet then please go read it now. Seriously guys I mean now.

Mostly Human by D.I. Jolly

Normally I don't post anything on the weekend but this is a special occasion. A couple months back I was approached by the author of this book and he asked if I would be interested in reading his book for an honest review. I love receiving books but there's something really cool about actually talking to the author. In talking to them you start to feel like you're friends and that's a lot of fun. 

Anyway when I read about this book all I had to see was that it was about a werewolf rockstar and I was in.
Now the reason this post is special is because not only am I sharing with you a review but mostly because it's D.I. Jolly's birthday!! So as The Beatles once said, "They say it's your birthday" and today I'm saying happy happy birthday to you. Thank you for reaching out to me and for being so kind. I hope you've had a fantastic birthday. :)
Alright so lets get on with the review shall we?
To start off I feel like I have to be totally honest and say that I probably wouldn't have picked this book up if I had seen the cover first. To me it looks like a middle grade book that's directed towards boys. I know that probably sounds silly because books are for both genders but that's just what I think.
The other thing that isn't my favorite is that it's told in third person point of you. If you're new to my blog then you don't already know that I really dislike third person point of view. I also am not a big fan of a lot of characters, especially in third POV.
The book starts off in present day and then goes back to when our main character, Alex, is bitten. I liked that we got to go back and see how it all happened. I also really liked Alex. When he finds the wolf that bites him I got a little sad and felt the same things that he did. (I don't really want to give you more information than that otherwise I'll give things away.) What I didn't like is that there were so many characters, as I mentioned before, that it was hard to keep track of who belonged with who. For a while I kept getting Alex confused with his dad and that was somewhat frustrating.
I will say that this book was unpredictable which was really cool. When I went into it I didn't think I'd be so interested to see the outcome. I also have to say that I haven't read a good werewolf book in a while so that added to my happiness.
All in all if you're looking for a book that's different from any "werewolf book" you've ever read then I think you should give this one a shot.
And again happy birthday D.I. Jolly, thank you for your words.

Buy Mostly Human here:
Amazon

2017 Bookish Goals

My Bookish Goals for 2016 Were:
-Revamp My Blog
-Read 30 Books
-Interview 5-10 people
-Continue posting 2 times a week
-Reach 60,000 pageviews
-Re-Read 3 Books
-Read at least 1 autobiography/non-fiction

I redesigned my blog first thing in 2016 and I'm so happy I did. I've never been so proud of it and I still think it's really beautiful.
I did not by any means read 30 books and a couple of months ago that really bothered me. Two or three years ago I read about 100 and this year I read 17. It bugged me because I couldn't believe that's all that I read but I'm okay with it now. I have a son as most of you know so the only time I have to read is when he is sleeping and I usually am pretty tired by the time he's ready for bed. I'm not going to get down on myself in 2017 if I don't reach my book goal but I am still going to set a goal of 20 books because I love to read. A big issue was also the book slump of epic proportions that I was in. Let us all hope that doesn't happen again.
I was successful with my next goal which was to interview 5-10 people, I interviewed 5.
Big thank yous to:
Alita Joy
Ella Maise
Taryn Bashford
Leslie Welch
and
Abbi Glines
I am so grateful to each of you for taking the time to answer my questions and i'm thankful to all of you who took the time to read the interviews. I have been a huge fan of Abbi Glines for years now so to finally be able to interview her was a dream come true. I have now interviewed 3 of my favorite authors and I'm hoping to be able to interview another favorite in 2017.
As most of you know I did not do a good job of posting 2 times a week and I'm hoping to get back into it this year.
I surpassed my goal of 60,000 pageviews, we reached 89,216!! Thank you guys for making that happen!!
I did not reread any books this year so I totally failed that goal but that's okay, it happens.
I am very happy to be able to say that I read two non-fiction books this year!! In Real Life: My Journey To a Pixelated World by Joey Graceffa, and IRL by Nev Schulman. Both of which were awesome.

One of my favorite things that I did on my blog this year was my I'm A DUFF series. Each person who shared their story deserves the biggest high five because they are rockstars. I'm so thankful to each and every one of them for making this series so meaningful.
Cloe
Jay
Taryn
Brittany
Barbra

My Bookish Goals For 2017 Are:

-Read 20 Books
-Interview 5 people

-Post 2 times a week again

-Reach 100,000 pageviews

-Participate in at least 3 blog tours
-Review 10 Books

-Post 6 more DUFF stories

Hello 2017

Guys, it's 2017, can you believe it?
Every year I do a post like this to thank all of the wonderful people who have helped make my blog what it is, this year I included the list in my Bookish Goals post though - which will be up on Thursday.
I do want to say that 2016 has been a pretty great year. My son turned one in August and he constantly amazes me each day. The things he has learned and the way he looks at life makes me feel unbelievable. He really has taught me what true love is.
I also have met some really great people this year and reconnected with old friends.
I did push my blog to the side the last couple of months and that bothers me but I'm hoping to pick back up and continue to make A Book Lovers Playlist a priority.
Huge thank yous to everyone who has taken the time to read my posts and to those of you who comment, I appreciate it more than you know.
Here's to 2017!!