Authors for CCHS

AUTHORS FOR CCHS

A Literary Fundraiser to Benefit Rare Respiratory Disorder

Lydia Kang's Control
(Image courtesy of Goodreads.com)

Authors around the country have come together to raise money for Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS), a rare, life-threatening disorder that affects breathing. The initiative is spearheaded by author and physician, Lydia Kang, whose debut novel, CONTROL, features a protagonist with CCHS.

"When I wrote CONTROL, I wanted to create a heroine who faced struggles that readers don't always get to see,” says Kang. “After the book released, I wanted to bring a focus back to the non-fictional heroes--the children with CCHS and the people who champion them."

The funds raised will go to the Center of Autonomic Medicine in Pediatrics, or CAMP, a program run through Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. There, With sophisticated diagnostic testing and pioneering research, CAMP provides individualized services for these patients referred from 50 different countries and conducts research aimed to maximize their quality of life.

Since this disease primarily affects children, it’s fitting that most of the authors participating in the fundraiser write for children, tweens and teens. Donors will receive thank you gifts ranging from bookmarks and stickers, to three and five book bundles, to a character name in an upcoming book from one of the participating authors. Everyone who donates $50 or more will be invited to participate in a virtual VIP party with the participating authors.

The group hopes to raise $5000 or more and the fundraiser runs through September 20, 2014.

"I've been so grateful for the authors who have donated so selflessly,” says Kang. “The CCHS community needs research dollars, so every effort to raise funds and awareness is a huge help."

Related links:

            https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/5q3c0

http://Lydiakang.com

https://www.luriechildrens.org/en-us/care-services/specialties-services/center-for-autonomic-medicine/Pages/index.aspx

Stephanie Perkins Book Signing Recap

So, this happened on July 6. And it's what, August 7 now? (We're super sorry we're late to the party... or what's left of it!)

When National Bookstore announces that the author of the most cutesy-pie-y contemporary novels is coming to town, you pretty much die inside. And since dying inside is what we do best, we fangirled over everything during the entire forum. (Her fluffy hair! Her dress! Her cuteness! Her very nice husband who is having fun watching her field fangirl-y questions!)

(I believe I took a gazillion photos, but only one looked decent. That should give you an idea of how great I am with an iPhone camera, which is basically idiot-proof.)

This is Jarrod Perkins, Stephanie's husband. He wasn't spared from all the shameful things we and our blogger friends made him do, like sign all the dedication pages Steph wrote for him, and hold up a sign with the most... interesting translation for Anna and the French Kiss. 

Le Michelle (and her mermaid hair, of which Stephanie took an actual moment to marvel at when she was asking her question) and le Nicole, of the ever present and ever purple lips.

Group shot with the other bloggers. (Oops, I think someone got cut out. Meep!)

Just to show you just how game Jarrod is with us, here's a pic of him with Nicole.

And here's Michelle with the forever fab Chad and Louisse and Ge of The Soul Sisters.

We were lucky enough to receive ARCs of Isla too (which we predictably omnomnom-ed within a few days).

Signed pretties~

Itty bitty tiddy bitties (Wow, that sounds kind of nasty now that I think about it):

1. Stephanie based Etienne off actors she won't name because she feels like it'll totes destroy the image of Etienne in a young girl's mind. (It's because she loves you, and if you imagine Etienne looking like someone off One Direction, she doesn't want to muck that up for you. True love right there.)

2. The personalities of her male characters were based on her husband Jarrod.

3. She has an upcoming 2015 horror novel with Dutton, because she always had been a fan of gore (girl loves her Stephen King, yo).

4. She has French-kissed before (because someone had to ask that

5. Stephanie has actually been to Paris and it is fabulous. While Anna and the French Kiss was situated more around her research, Stephanie went to France with her sister afterwards and spent a month or so just exploring the gorgeous country.

Jenny Han Book Signing Recap

So this happened on June 21 2014. We got to to meet Jenny Han! Author of Shug, The Summer trilogy, the Burn for Burn trilogy and To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

Here she is fiddling with a can of coke. 

(Michelle: Goodness, Nicole - THAT'S the caption for this one? REALLY?!)

Asian eyes! Here's a photo of Michelle and her green hair with Jenny.

(Michelle: I dyed my hair green to somehow match Jenny's dress. Because I'm psychic and I knew what shade she'd be wearing. I kid. I think.)

Asian eyes part 2. Nicole and her F21 bag with Jenny. (Nicole: Can I just say I love how Chad mentioned to Jenny that I love nail art too and was featured on BuzzFeed once. Like, I can't believe he knew that!)

The bloggers with Jenny Han.

Here's a shot of the crowd in National Bookstore. Everyone was so excited to see Jenny!

Here's Nicole's pile of signed books.

Here's Michelle's pile of signed books plus a To All The Boys I've Loved Before pen.

A few tidbits from the forum:

1. Jenny loves nail art! (Of course Nicole had to ask, she stalked Jenny's Instagram.) She gets her nails done at a Japanese salon in NY called Studio L which uses Calgel and takes around two hours to finish. She had on Beyonce decals during the signing which were ultra fab. She also has a Tumblr for her nail art: justanothermanimonday

2. For fans of Jeremiah, don't expect a spin-off (Michelle: I'm a Conrad girl, but I HAD TO KNOW. I wanted to know why Jeremiah did what he did!) Jenny says that Jeremiah's left at a good place when the story ended. She wasn't as worried about him as she was Conrad because he's more sensitive and if the story didn't end the way it did, Conrad might be in his little dark hole for a while.

3. Top Five Celebrity Crushes! Alexander Skarsgard. (Michelle: AYIEEEEEEEEE!) Daryl from the Walking Dead. Jamie Lannister (Nicole: because he's still a cutie even without the hand) Seo in Guk and Jo In Sung and some cop from the Killing (we actually don't know who he is).

4. Jenny and Siobhan Vivian met in David Levithan's class! Which is how they ended up becoming best friends and writing a novel together. Siobhan also has a film writing background and she's better at story telling and plotting. Jenny's all about characterization and dialogue.

5. Jenny has written embarassing love letters to the boys she's loved before. And they are in her hatbox. Unsent.

Thank you so much to National Bookstore for inviting us and to all our blogger friends for the super wonderful event. 

Blogger Forum Recap #1: Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi, Ransom Riggs

So what do you do when National Bookstore invites you to meet Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi, and Ransom Riggs, three bestselling young adult fiction authors?

You freaking attend, man, and hang out with your blogger buddies!

Some of our blogger friends + the forever fabulous, our forever man-crush Chad 

*bats lashes*

While we were in our seats chatting with each other, all our heads suddenly started to swivel in the direction of the escalators. Lo and behold, Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi, and Ransom Riggs started to materialize right before our very eyes. 

                                                        

What was funnier was when they strode into their respective seats, and almost everyone looked at Tahereh's shoes because we all know how fabulous her taste in shoes are, as observed from  her Instagram. We think she noticed though, since she peeked at her shoes, just to check if they were still there, and had no blogger/s clinging to her neon babies.

Photo credit: @nbsalert (Instagram)
(Michelle: Nggh, that Kate Spade bag! *grabby hands*)

The turn out for the event was crazy! So much people attended the signing and truthfully, we weren't surprised. Their books were often on National Bookstore's Top Ten lists, so of course they had a lot of Filipino fans devouring their work.

(Nicole: The highlight of this event for me was when Tahereh said she liked my lipstick - MAC Heroine, in case you're wondering; Ransom said Ihad a nice top, and Veronica said my nails were fab. Hello, I could die of happiness!)

Photo Credit: Jesselle Villegas

Us together with our fellow bloggers, the three authors, and Chad 

(JB, where were you?!) 

Some tidbits from the forum: 

1. Ransom is SO EXCITED for the movie adaptation for Miss Peregrine's. Tim Burton is slated to direct the movie and I think they're currently casting Jacob. So anyone interested in that role should check that out. 

2. Tahereh's heroine, Juliette, was intentionally weak because she's inspired by women who are physically weak but mentally strong.

3. Tahereh also talked about her writing and how she knew from the very beginning who Juliette would end up with, and that the story wasn't dictated nor influenced by 

4. Veronica doesn't regret killing off any of her characters. Heeh! :B

Many thanks to National Bookstore for inviting us, and to our blogger friends for making the event more fun!