Signing Info + Giveaway: Tessa Dare in Manila!

Bookish Filipinos, yes! Tessa Dare is coming to the Philippines! Romance fans, rejoice!

New York Times bestselling author Tessa Dare book signing at Powerbooks

Bestselling and award-winning historical romance novelist Tessa Dare is set to do a talk and book signing event on June 27, 2015 at 3 p.m. in Powerbooks, Greenbelt 4. Registration starts at 10 a.m. Only books purchased from Powerbooks, National Book Store and National Book Store Express will be accommodated. 

‘Romancing the Duke’, the first book in Tessa Dare’s latest series ‘Castles Ever After’, is described by Publishers Weekly as a “a unique twist to a fairy tale, complete with an ancient castle, a damsel in distress, and a wounded hero”. Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens being the daughter of a well-known author. As her storybooks offered endless possibilities, she never doubted romance would soon be part of her life. As time passes by, she gives up yearning for romance and the never-been-kissed woman settles for a roof over her head. The series continues in ‘Say Yes to the Marquess’, which was released in December, and in ‘When a Scot Ties the Knot’, which will be released in August. 

Tessa Dare is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than a dozen historical romances including the ‘Spindle Cove’ series (‘A Night to Surrender’, ‘A Week to be Wicked’, ‘A Lady by Midnight’, ‘Beauty and the Blacksmith’, and ‘Any Duchess Will Do’), ‘The Stud Club’ trilogy (‘One Dance with a Duke’, ‘Twice Tempted by a Rogue’ and ‘Three Nights with a Scoundrel’), ‘The Wanton Dairymaid’ trilogy (‘Goddess of the Hunt’, ‘Surrender of a Siren’, and ‘Lady of Persuasion’), ‘Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Right’, and the ‘Castles Ever After’ series.  Her books bagged numerous accolades including Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award and have been translated in several languages. She is a librarian by training and a booklover at heart. Married to a Filipino, Tessa worked at a library in the Philippines and has recently visited Tacloban. 

The event is made possible in partnership with Raffles Makati. 

Books by Tessa Dare are available in National Book Store and Powerbooks. Shop online and buy eBooks at nationalbookstore.com. For reservations, call 8888-NBS
(627) for calls within Metro Manila, 1-800-10-8888-NBS for calls outside Metro Manila, or text 0998-8888-NBS and 0917-8747-269. The National Book Store hotlines are open Mondays to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Follow National Book Store on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@nbsalert) for updates on the latest events, promos and contests. Tag #TessaDareinPH to join the discussion.

Not familiar with Tessa's books? Check out the blurbs for Romancing the Duke and Say Yes to the Marquess below!

Double the Awesomeness: June and July Book Signings in the Philippines!

Recently, National Book Store announced that two very special authors will be visiting the Philippines! It's a well known fact that National Book Store is kind of like our book Santa Claus, red and very jolly or our Fairy Book Godmother. Haha! They've really been listening to the requests of their readers/followers and have been bringing the best authors around; and this time, is just like the rest. So for the June event we'll be meeting the very lovely, Jenny Han, who has made quite a following here in the Philippines because of her Summer series (my mom is a fan too). Well, here are the official deets:

Jenny Han Book Signing Tour: Event Invite

Jenny Han Book Signing Tour: Frequently Asked Questions

When and Where will the event be held?

June 21, 2:00 PM at National Book Store, Glorietta 1

June 22, 2:00 PM at National Book Store, SM Cebu

What time will the registration be?

Registration will be at at 10:00 AM at National Book Store, Glorietta (6/21); and 10:00 AM at National Book Store, SM Cebu (6/22). Registration will be held in the store and not at the events area. Each guest will be asked to fill out a form upon registration; the events will be on a first come, first served basis.

Is there a registration fee?

Nope, no fee.

How many books can I have signed?

You may have any number of books signed as long as they were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers or Powerbooks. However, although National Book Store will make every effort to get as many books signed as possible, they have the right to limit the number of copies per person depending on how many attend the event.

Can I bring old books or other editions of the books?
Yes, as long as the books were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers and Powerbooks.

Do I need to buy on-site?
No. You can buy books before or during the event.

Can I have other items signed?
No. Only books will be allowed to be signed by the authors.

Can we have our photo taken with the author?

Yes, you can have your photo with the author when she signs your book. However, National Book Store strictly allows one photo per person only.

How much are the books?
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (Trade Paperback – P395)
The Summer I Turned Pretty (Trade Paperback – P349)
It's Not Summer Without You (Trade Paperback – P349)
We'll Always Have Summer (Trade Paperback – P349)
The Complete Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy Boxed Set (Trade Paperback – P1,079)
Burn for Burn (Trade Paperback – P385)
Fire With Fire (Trade Paperback – P385)

The second super exciting event happening, will be in July! This time, Stephanie Perkins, the author of Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and the upcoming Isla and the Happily Ever After will be coming to Cebu and then Manila for a book signing. I am personally really excited because I am huge Stephanie Perkins fan. So without further ado, here are the event deets:

Stephanie Perkins Book Signing Tour: Event Invite

Stephanie Perkins Book Signing Tour: Frequently Asked Questions

When and Where will the event be held?

July 5, 1:00 PM at National Book Store, SM Cebu

July 6, 2:00 PM at National Book Store, Glorietta 1

What time will the registration be?

Registration will be at at 10:00 AM at National Book Store, SM Cebu (7/5); and 10:00 AM at National Book Store, Glorietta 1 (7/6). Registration will be held in the store and not at the events area. Each guest will be asked to fill out a form upon registration; the events will be on a first come, first served basis.

Is there a registration fee?

Nope, no fee.

How many books can I have signed?

You may have any number of books signed as long as they were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers or Powerbooks. However, although National Book Store will make every effort to get as many books signed as possible, they have the right to limit the number of copies per person depending on how many attend the event.

Can I bring old books or other editions of the books?
Yes, as long as the books were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers and Powerbooks.

Do I need to buy on-site?
No. You can buy books before or during the event.

Can I have other items signed?
No. Only books will be allowed to be signed by the authors.

Can we have our photo taken with the author?

Yes, you can have your photo with the author when she signs your book. However, National Book Store strictly allows one photo per person only.

How much are the books?
Anna and the French Kiss (Trade paperback - P349)
Lola and the Boy Next Door (Trade paperback - P349)
Isla and the Happily Ever After (to be released August 14, 2014)

ONE LAST THING! Please tweet with the hashtags: #JennyHanInPH and #StephaniePerkinsInPH. Let's make the hashtags trend! WHOOT.

Well, that's it! We hope to see y'all at the events! :) Oh, and a ginormous thank you to the amazing peeps at National Book Store who made this all possible. Thanks so much, you guys! Y'all rock.

Event Recap: Becca Fitzpatrick Bloggers Forum + Book Signing + Meeting Alethea (Again!!)

Let me just say how much I absolutely love the Hush, Hush series so it was pretty much one of the best days ever when Becca Fitzpatrick announced that she would be coming to the Philippines, to meet her fans, sign some books and maybe even kiss some babies heads. But before we get to the exciting bits, let me start with how the day actually started... I woke up, bathed, buffed, polished, drank obscene amounts of coffee (kidding!) and off to Greenbelt I went. I headed up to PowerBooks and this lovely sight greeted me:

Becca's books looking gorgeous like it's nobody's business.

After looking around, I went and registered for the forum. For the first time in ever, I was the seventh to sign in, I'm normally the first to get in but darn traffic. SMH. But my fellow bloggers were kind enough to reserve the first seat for me because the know how much I loved being number one. Haha, thanks, guys! But I decided to give up my number one seat and let another person use it since I'm a nice person and I'm okay with letting people have their turns.

Then, Kate (from The Bookaholic Blurbs) and Jesselle (from The Lifelong Bookworm) and I crossed over to Glorietta to meet up with Alethea (from Read Now, Sleep Later) an expat who came back to the Philippines to visit her parents. I met Alethea almost two years ago when she visited, no pictures then unfortunately but we were able to snap a few pics this time around. (Still love her name.) Yay!

The three of us bringing sexy back.

Us at the food court. (Left: Kate and Jesselle. Right: Me and Alethea.)
Thanks, Kuya Guard #1!

Just outside NBS, Glorietta. Thanks, Kuya Guard #2!

Kate, Jesselle and I proceeded back to Greenbelt after bidding our farewells to Alethea. We took a couple of selfies and pictures with other bloggers while waiting for Becca to arrive.

Too many bloggers to mention. LOL

Selfie with the awesome, Mr. JB Roperos! (Missed you, Chad!)

Selfie with Leslie (from the bibliophile kid) and Lyra (from Defiantly Deviant)!
Adore these girls!

Hardest Selfie EVER 2.0

The making of the Hardest Selfie EVER 2.0

After our picture taking fun, it was time for us to settle down because Becca Fitzpatrick was in da houz, yo! I absolutely looooved her hair and OMG, guys, she is sooo nice. Like, legit. #Truth

Miguel Ramos aka Chad Dee stand in.
(But no one can replace you, Chad. ;) )

Becca Fitzpatrick answering some questions.

Becca Fitzpatrick listening intently.

Here are a couple of things we learned during the forum:

• Even though Hush, Hush is a fictional series, Becca still integrated real life experiences into the book. As well as in her up coming book, Black Ice.
• Black Ice was originally a Paranormal novel until Becca's editor told her that it didn't seem to fit, getting her to change it to a Psychological Thriller.
• Becca's favorite character is Vee and she based Vee on two of her childhood friends, which is why she has a connection with her.
• If Patch were to take Becca out on a date, she imagines that even though he may be rough around the edges and is a total badass, he'd keep the date intimate and yes, snuggling/cuddling included.
• Her upcoming book, Sapphire Skies, is her best one yet (according to her editor and agent) and it is about a girl who is put into the Witness Protection Program after witnessing a horrifying crime and yes, there is a hot cowboy involved. #Rawr
• Becca was also kind enough to donate copies of her books for the library restoration that is happening in places that were severely affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Well, that's it! Back to the pictures! (Btw, so excited for Sapphire Skies!)

And the highlight of our day... (Besides meeting Becca...) Getting ARCs of Black Ice!! EEEEEP. Becca was kind enough to bring a box of ARCs with her to the Philippines and we all got one!! #BestDayEver At first we were kind of worried because Miguel said that they would be raffling off one copy and I knew that I would have to go Hunger Games on everyone for that book but then he surprised us by saying that it was a good thing they had 25 copies of Black Ice with them and we all pretty much died. Thank you sooo much, Becca! You rock. *hugs Black Ice*

Us with our brand new copies of Black Ice! WHOOT.

The other bloggers with their copies of Black Ice. LOL

Me with my signature Book Licker pose.

But back to the signing...

Becca signing books. Yaaay!

A blurry selfie with Becca. LOL

Me with Becca looking Fab.
OMG. I got to touch her hair. SO NICE.

2/5 of the Active Romance Team with Becca.

In-between signing shenigans!

BOOM. Photobombed Becca like a boss. #Respect

Blogger group shot with Becca!

All of us lovingly holding our copies of Black Ice.

The Best Selfie EVER (eat your heart out, Oscar Selfie)!!

Louisse, the mermaid/blogger/photobombie extraordinaire.

Blogger names! <3

 So after the Blogger Forum fun, we then went to the actual book signing. There was more than 300+ people in attendance and it way craaaaazy.

Becca's stage.

So THAT's what it feels like to sit on THE chair.
(With my bro, Kayla from The Bookish Owl!)

But before the actual event started. I put on my creepy hat and decided to approach fans to ask if I could snap a pic. of them holding their books and here they are:

Whoot! Smiling big for the camera... phone!

Hello, pretty ladies! ;)

Hey, Instagram friends!! :D

More peeps!

Ms. Xandra Ramos interviewing Becca Fitzpatrick.

National Book Store's requisite group selfie. :))

And then I got home with aching legs and a big smile on my face. That was probably one of the best signings I've been to so far. National Book Store really knows how to host an event and I certainly hope that it only gets more exciting from here.

Paloroids with Becca!

Signed books!

Of course, I didn't forget about my lovely Geraldine so I snagged her a copy of Black Ice too!
WHOOT.

(I would just like to send a HUGE thank you to the team from National Book Store, JB, Chad, Miguel, Xandra and co. Y'all never fail to surprise us and you've definitely outdone yourselves. And I'm first naming all of you. Kate, Jesselle, Kayla and Hazel from Stay Bookish for the awesome pictures! Alethea Allarey for going all the way to Glorietta just to meet up with us even though we live really  close to each other. LOL My parents for allowing me to go. :)) Last but definitely not the least, Becca Fitzpatrick for coming to our country and for making her day with us so special.)

Till the next event! ;)

Event Recap + Giveaway: Kiera Cass Blogger Forum & Book Signing

The super long line at 10 AM.

Geraldine and I were so fortunate to have been invited to the blogger forum before the Kiera Cass book signing. We were able to get up close and personal with Kiera (and her hubby.) It was also a chance for  us to see our other blogger friends who we do not get to see enough. Me being a super punctual person I got to the forum first and claimed the number one spot... again. Haha!

KIERA CASS HAS ENTERED THE PREMISES.

A couple of things we learned during the Q and A:

• There will be a novella about Aspen called "The Guard". (Ge and I are strictly Team Maxon 5Life.)
• If Kiera were to cross-over The Selection with another series it would be Star Wars (as recommended by her husband.) Also, gowns in space!
• She will be writing a series about a heroine temporarily called 2385725 or 238 for short. From what I remember, it will be about unwanted children that go to an academy and then can be bought afterwards... I'm sure that it's suppose to sound classier than that. Sorry!
• Team Maxon or Team Aspen? Yes.
• If she were to be a character in The Selection, it would be Mae. They're both boy crazy.
• And she had this really deep and long explanation regarding the caste system in her books that you can read more about here.

Keira (yes, we're close) signing my book.

Ge and I looking princess-like with Kiera.

Ge and I photobombing Kiera and Jesselle. Like bosses! :))
(Thanks, Kate, for the photo!)

Me with the lovely Kate from The Bookaholic Blurbs.

Ge eating her pastry with (from the left) Dianne from Oops! I Read A Book Again, Maricar from BLACKPLUME, Dani from Book Whales, Leslie from bibliophilekid, and Jesselle from The Lifelong Bookworm.

Kiera being cute... with her hubby, *tugs ear*

The awesome Chad Dee with JB Roperos. 

Ge and I with Chad and JB. <3 We all look fab!

The Selection PH decked out in their The Elite tees!

With bloggers and The Selection PH.

After the insane fun we had at the forum, the other bloggers, Ge and I made our way to Glorietta where the event was being held. And holy mother of Frisbees! There were over 600 people at the signing and more lining up! It was craaaazy and we were just grateful that we didn't need to trample anyone to get in. Fans can get vicious. *rawr*

The stage for Kiera Cass. Those chairs look comfy...

The other bloggers, Ge and I camped out near the stage. Or should I say "squatting"? LOL

Me with more bloggers! (From top left) Jesselle, Leslie, Dianne, Sab from Sab the Book Eater, Algel from Books and Cozy Afternoon Teas.

Andrea, a fan we met because we were invading her personal space. LOL

Random fans of Kiera I asked if I could take a picture of them. I promise I'm not that creepy.

Kiera answering some questions during the event.

 In the end, it was a tiring but fun day! It's always great seeing my fellow bloggers and meeting new people. Thank you so much to Mr. JB Roperos, Mr. Chad Dee and National Book Store for making this event possible! And to the screaming fangirls who made it so successful.

My signed books! Hee. I got a message from Maxon. *swoons*

And your favorite part, I'm sure...

This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway and the winner will get a signed copy of The Elite with a message from either Maxon or Aspen. Winner's choice. Good luck and may you be The One.

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