Samantha Hastings

BLOODLEAF by Crystal Smith is a dark and amazing retelling of the Goose Girl fairy-tale.  Check out my full review on  Goodreads . Her launch party at the King's English Bookstore in SLC was so much fun! And I got to attend it with two of my other favorite authors: Erin Stewart and Tiana Smith.   Crystal is so talented! Not only does she write incredibly fantasy, she also created her own artwork for this poster, bookmark, and the concept for her cover.  If you're looking for a new favorite series, look no further!

(Me, Tricia Levenseller, Tiana Smith, and McKelle George) Tricia's Warrior of the Wild  is a Viking-like fantasy tale with one tough heroine who is tasked with the impossible: to kill a god.  For her launch, Tricia was decked in full Viking regalia and even had an ax just like the one on the front of her book cover. She's also the amazing author of a piratey duology called: Daughter of the Pirate King . If you are looking for strong female heroines, look no further! (Charlie Holmberg and me) I've been a big fan of Charlie Holmberg since her first book, The Paper Magician , came out. Her newest book is the first in the Numina Trilogy called Smoke & Summons.   She described it as fidget spinners meets Pokemon. Roan has a device that allows him to immortal for one minute every 24 hours. And Sandis is a vessel for monsters from another plane. It is a fast-paced, heart-pumping read with one wicked twist at the end. I can't wait to read the sequel!...

I was lucky enough to celebrate the publication of two of my friend's books in January at the King's English bookshop. Tiana Smith's charming mixed-up match-making YA rom com, MATCH ME IF YOU CAN . And RuthAnne Snow's contemporary YA novel about four friends going to prom together after one attempted suicide, WHEN THE TRUTH UNRAVELS .  Everyone in these pictures are authors who have a book debuting this year. To learn more about my fabulous friends check out the Utah Novel 19s Website

Last night, I was privileged to meet these four amazing authors: Kheryn Callender,   Mackenzi Lee,   Laura E. Weymouth, and Anna Godbersen. They talked about their new books and about the YA genre. The event was hosted by The King's English Bookshop, but we actually met in an art gallery a couple of doors down from the bookstore. We sat in small circles and got to ask questions. After, we went to the bookshop to get our copies signed by the authors. They were all so kind and gracious.     I went with a couple of my fellow 2019 debut author friends from Utah (Sofiya Pasternack and RuthAnne Snow). If you want to learn more about new Utah authors and their books check out our website. The latest books from these EPIC authors (descriptions from King's English website):   This is Kind of an Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender Budding screenwriter Nate, sixteen, finds his conviction that happy endings do not happen in real life sorely teste...

There's no better way to spend a Tuesday night than at a book launch! Emily R. King's fourth book in The Hundredth Queen series, THE WARRIOR QUEEN, came out yesterday. And I got my very own signed copy. Even though her GIFs didn't work, her Power Point presentation was positively charming. She shared pictures that give a visual idea of the settings in her novels and what the characters might look like in real life. She also shared her love of sharks and weapons. Emily's personality sparkled like her writing and I am so thrilled that I got to meet her! I was also hanging out with some author friends, Tiana Smith, Erin Stewart, and Sofiya Pasternack. All four of us have books coming out in 2019. I will be posting more about them as their own book launches come closer. Great night. Great book.