Carve The Mark Event

Last week, I was very kindly invited to HarperCollins HQ, along with a few others bloggers and booksellers. Why, I hear you ask. Well, HarperCollins was getting a few people together to do a live web chat with Veronica Roth about her upcoming novel, Carve the Mark. 

I don't know how I got invited, but I must say thank you to Jessica at HarperCollin for inviting me and everyone at HarperCollins for being so nice and lovely (and for giving me three glasses of wine -a dangerous thing to give a blogger who ate a very rich chocolate moouse from a tiny coffeeshop round the corner). 

Unfortuately, I left my notepad in my bag (and put said bag in the building's cloak room) so I have made no notes. 

I know, blogger fail. 

And there are some things I can't get into because... well, spoilers (well, I say spoilers. HarperCollins UK and US are keeping this book very under wraps!). And with this book, I sense you guys should go into this knowing as little as possible. That way, you can't compare to Divergent. But from the little we know, this book is rumoured to be Veronica's best book to date. 

Can not wait! 

Anyway, there was a tiny Facetime/web chat (not web cat as I wrote a few minutes ago!) with Veronica and she is lovely. And very cool. It's sickening how cool she is. She talked about writing Carve the Mark, fan expectations and, very briefly, about the US elections (aka The Subject Of Which We Do Not Speak Of!). 

And then, out of nowhere, Veronica read a tiny snippet of Carve the Mark. This was the first ever reading from this book. Ever. Big deal. Huge. So, how everyone in the room wasn't freaking out over this, I don't know! But you could hear a pin drop while Veronica was reading and, from that tiny snippet, I can say it's gonna be good. Right up our street - well, my street - reading wise. I can not WAIT! 

After chatting to a few bloggers, booksellers and publishing peeps (and realising that I barely know anything about the book industry!), I came away excited for next year but also two book titles I need to research and being told off for not reading The Good Immigrant yet (I WILL!!!). 

Again, I thank HarperCollins for inviting me, everyone at the event who was a laugh and putting me at ease (I always feel like am faking at being a blogger and last Thursday, I felt very much like I was conning everyone) and for Veronica for putting time out to answer some questions. Including my own (where I was sliding down in my seat, going "I didn't know I had to talk to an international best selling author and my questions are crap!" while trying to get my phone to actually work so I can answer said questions and wondering why my grandparents were trying to call me [wrong number. I checked!]). 

So thank you. Now... who fancies getting their ninja-gear in and breaking into Harper to steal a copy of Carve the Mark? (Am kidding, Harper Collins!)