authors – Down the Rabbit Hole

Meeting Chloe Gong

October 12, 2023October 10, 2023 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

It’s time for one of these updates! I’m always so honoured and excited when I can meet authors I love in person and get my books hand signed by them.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing Chloe Gong on one of her tour stops for her latest book and last of the Secret Shanghai universe, Foul Heart Huntsman.

About Chloe Gong

She is the #1 New York Times bestseller of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends. Her next series, the one this tour was for, was also an immediate NYT bestseller. Let’s also not forget her foray into adult fantasy/sci fi this year with Immortal Longings that also topped those lists. What an accomplishment! And all of this by age 24! I’m super proud of her success, especially continuing to elevate Asian representation in fantasies where it’s been less prevalent before.

Highlights from her talk

The book event was awesome in and of itself. Chloe is such a confident speaker who lovingly exclaims over her writing process, describing when certain surprise events in her books were planned out and how she turned her side character, Rosalind, into someone worthy of the main character mantle in this spin off series. Everything is thought out, though that doesn’t mean the final version we received was necessarily similar to the early drafts. Let’s just say, her debut was originally meant to be one book instead of a duology so the original ending was a lot sadder (thanks Chloe for not doing that).

Fun fact: if there’s a line or moment she really liked that doesn’t end up fitting super well in that scene after revisions, she doesn’t chop it out completely. Oh no, she figures out a way to re-home that line elsewhere. Perhaps that’s why her books are all 500+ pages.

I love how she keeps it real about her experiences as an author versus how she herself fangirls over fellow authors she grew up reading and loving when she meets them in person. Chloe’s a massively talented writer with her choice of prose and well-crafted atmospheric setting that really makes you feel like you’re living the experiences along with the characters. Have I ever felt as much in the 1920s as I did in Shanghai with her Romeo & Juliet retelling? Not at all.

But of course, the best part was the signing after the talk where I got a few books signed. Thank you to my lovely husband for also coming along even though he doesn’t read fiction at all.

What’s to come from Chloe?

While the Secret Shanghai books are done, there is more yet to come from this budding author. We can expect 2 more books after Immortal Longings to round out that Cleopatra retelling trilogy, and there just may be a new book on the horizon in the science fiction realm where she truly delights to dwell in. If you’ve read any of her books, you’ll know no one genre can fully contain the breadth of those stories, but sci-fi elements are definitely present everywhere.

Last thoughts

I will end by saying it was a honour to meet her in person. And I even got a little Mao Mao drawn on my Immortal Longings ARC (if you know, you know – go and read the book).

adult, giveaway, YA

Giveaway: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

November 29, 2017November 28, 2017 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Hey everyone,

I know I haven’t been on or active as much as I’d like to be lately, but this year has been so hectic. It’s by no means an excuse, but as the year is coming to an end, I’ve realized each year comes with its own ups and downs. While things haven’t been easy at moments, I am learning that being thankful and having a heart of gratitude is most important when it comes to living the life that we’re meant to.

In line with these thoughts, I have decided to host one giveaway a week until the end of the year in thanks to all those who have made my dream come true with this blog and my love of reading and sharing it with others. The giveaway information is what’s stated when you click the link below. Contest ends Wednesday, December 6 at 11:59PM EST.

Click this link to get started on the giveaway!

If you’ve already done some of the things to enter this giveaway (e.g. following my blog), then just verify it and it’ll basically be a free entry for you. Unfortunately, I’m only able to give this to Canadian residents for now (shipping costs are a nightmare for a student!) but if there’s enough love and feedback, I am willing to making one of the future giveaways open internationally. So stay tuned for that, and don’t think that you’re automatically ineligible!

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This week’s giveaway is the 5th book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, Empire of Storms in hardcover.

I am honestly grateful for all those I’ve met along the way who love books as much as I do (or even more!) and the opportunities to converse with amazing authors who create such worlds for us to experience.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you! This little dreamer has already amassed more than she could’ve ever dreamed of already.

I always look forward to your comments and opinions.

What is your favourite Sarah J. Maas book and why? And if you don’t have one, then what’s your favourite/current fantasy book?

Meeting Lesley Livingston, Elly Blake, Kristen Ciccarelli

September 27, 2017September 29, 2017 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

This year must be a good one for me ’cause I didn’t just get to meet one great author (see post on Jenny Han), but now I’ve met 3 more!

My Canadian pride is shining through as I had this past weekend to meet Lesley Livingston (again), author of The Valiant, and Elly Blake, author of Frostblood. In the sweltering heat that is VERY much unlike the typical weather found around here in our fall season, these amazing authors trekked out to greet their fans and do some fun readings from their latest novels.

First up, Lesley Livingston

What is my personal take from meeting her?

I met her once a long, long time ago back in 2010 when her first series was hitting the shelves. But upon re-meeting her, I was delightfully pleased to see that no matter how many books she’s published since, and the amount of her success, she’s still so down-to-earth. I find myself sometimes nervous around famous people as who am I compared to them? But she made me feel like I could say whatever nervous ramblings that fell out of my mouth without harsh judgment, and for that I love her even more.

But oh, she’s also delightfully hilarious. Her reading of The Valiant was quick-paced and it wasn’t hard for me to keep up as it never lost my attention (and that happens often so audiobooks are pretty much a no for me). She has a wonderful sense of humour, and this translates to her novels. Honestly.

Next, Elly Blake

What is my personal take from meeting her?

She’s easily one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever met, and certainly talented. We were lucky enough to get a reading of her sequel Fireblood that just hit stores last week (do I get a whoop-whoop for that?) and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Even though I haven’t known her work as long, I’m already a fan from her debut novel.

What I loved was hearing about the process in which she wrote. I’ve dipped my hands for years into writing (no success so far, but hey, that’s why I’m a blogger) and hearing how someone as successful as her with the trilogy she’s writing was amazing.

“I love the interactions between people the most in any story,” she said, “so world building comes on later after the first draft to create layers on top.”

As someone who easily gets frustrated with the intense effort to create well-thought out worlds while still having a solid plot with emotionally real characters, this may come as helpful advice for any fledgling writers out there.

Last but not least, Kristen Ciccarelli

What is my personal take from meeting her?

I will be honest, I haven’t read her debut book before meeting her (unfortunately, I didn’t get my hands on the ARC), but her reading of The Last Namsara BLEW me away. It’s deeply imaginative with forbidden stories told within the book that felt like I was being transported to storytellings from the greats, like J.R.R. Tolkien (who I absolutely love).

I will also admit that I came to the event solely intent on meeting the other two authors whom I already adore, but I think just from hearing her read her novel and understanding a bit more about the inspirations that shaped it, I became a fan in the span of 20 minutes. Hands down, I’m overall very impressed and I hope her first book does amazing when it hits stores on October 3, 2017.

So, have you heard of these lovely ladies before?

Let me tell you. If you haven’t, you should jump on board one of their novels and see what they’re all about in the beautiful worlds they have crafted with their words. From heavily researched historical fantasies about female gladiators to crafty worldbuilding and magical powers to a tale as old as time with forbidden stories, there really is something for everyone from these 3 ladies.

Last thoughts

I regret not being bold enough and drawing up the courage to ask for a photo with each of these amazing ladies while I had the chance, but I sure hope that this isn’t the last time that I’ll get to see them in person.

Here’s to a photo of the 3 authors (with Lesley signing one of my books!) bravely facing the heat just so they could come to this event with us.