#FAC16: December Chat Recap!

Hey everyone! If you missed it, or weren't available on Sunday, or just plain living under a rock, there was another #FAC16 chat today -- the last one of the year before all these authors will have their debuts in the world! With January just around the corner, it was the perfect time for everyone to create their holiday wishlists for preorders. If you want to know what happened -- or if you were there and missed stuff -- you can check out what went down HERE.

We started off with the main introductions before the authors were asked what their main character's idea of a perfect Christmas present would be. Some of the answers were...

A3) That one's easy. Phoebe would love books. If she can't have that, yarn be good :) #FAC16 https://t.co/B2gpSwDQ0G

— Isabel Bandeira (@Emberchyld) December 20, 2015

A3) Hadley would love it if dudes would stop being lying assholes & Sam would dig some nice pots & pans. #FAC16 https://t.co/Zv9guIVVZx

— Ashley Herring Blake (@ashleyhblake) December 20, 2015

A3) Freedom for her people? #FAC16 https://t.co/mN4iOoVY3D

— Kathy MacMillan (@kathys_quill) December 20, 2015

A3) Perfect Christmas gift for my MC: resurrecting everyone she killed. *SPOILERS* *evil laughter* #fac16

— Kathryn Purdie (@KathrynPurdie) December 20, 2015

Then, because Nicola likes to ask the tough questions, we had to choose ONE of the books to put under our Christmas tree. Some of the choices were...

A4 / I'm super anticipating @KatieWritesBks's Learning to Swear In America! I know I'm gonna love it! 🎄 #FAC16

— Tamara Nelson-Fromm (@tamaraniac) December 20, 2015

A4. All of them? But definitely @mariekeyn's This Is Where It Ends. *GRABBY HANDS* #fac16

— Overstuffed Bookcase (@OverstuffedBook) December 20, 2015

But I choose The Star Touched Queen bc OMYGOD. I NEED IT. #FAC16

— Ri (@Astaraya) December 20, 2015

A4) Sword & Verse is my first choice since you're making me choose because I love fantasy but I'd love to read them all #FAC16

— The Christmas Schus (@NSchumacher85) December 20, 2015

A5) Burning desire to read @jeffzentner's THE SERPENT KING & @annabreslaw's SCARLETT EPSTEIN HATES IT HERE. #FAC16 https://t.co/AkQsa2G4L2

— Laurie E. Flynn (@laurellizabeth) December 20, 2015

#FACSATURDAY Recap #2: OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst

#FACSaturday Spotlight

OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst

Today's #FACSaturday chat, hosted by me! (it was nerve wracking), featured OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst! For those of you who want to know more about the book, check out this post to see a full summary and to enter the SIGNED ARC GIVEAWAY! Again, I'm doing a quick summary of the chat and the buzz around this book for those of you that missed it -- or for those of you that found it was difficult to keep up with the chat. Check out the questions and answers below!

Emily Skrutskie started us off with a doodle of OF FIRE AND STARS and it was magical and wonderful and a great way to get into the spirit of the story...

Happy #FACSaturday! Here's a little doodle based on @audwrites' OF FIRE AND STARS. Princess, fire, horse, natch. pic.twitter.com/mgiiPRUHt9

— Emily Skrutskie (@skrutskie) September 5, 2015

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First up was general impressions of the story: what are you curious to find out about while reading OF FIRE AND STARS? Some of my favourite answers were...

A1) Is "everything" a respectable answer? I want to find out about the fire, the princesses, the horses, EVERYTHING. #FACSaturday

— Tara Sim (@EachStarAWorld) September 5, 2015

A1) I don't go into any book with expectations but I'm really curious about the magic in the book #FACSaturday

— brittanysbookrambles (@bbookrambles) September 5, 2015

A1 I'm hoping for an awesome romance and also of course I'm all about fantasy worlds. ;) #FACSaturday

— Ri (Hiver et Café)❄ (@Astaraya) September 5, 2015

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We moved onto talking about horses since they are central to the story. I asked what everyone thought that role may be. There was a wide variety of answers...

A2: Maybe it's culturally important (like tradition), or maybe horses and magic are connected...😏 #FACSaturday

— Adriyanna Zimmermann (@akzfineart) September 5, 2015

A2: I hope it's like the Dothraki, where they're a staple of the way of life and culture. Hence the need for riding lessons! #FACSaturday

— Emily Skrutskie (@skrutskie) September 5, 2015

A2. Escape route? A distraction during awkward pauses in conversation? The reason 2 people have to spend so much time together? #facsaturday

— Dani Reviews Things (@dani_reviews) September 5, 2015

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Spinning off of that, I asked people to send me pictures of their favourite horses! (Honestly, I got a lot and only included a few but there are more in the #FACSaturday hashtag)

A3: Yes! I'd go with a unicorn or a Pegasus 🐴 #FACSaturday https://t.co/NlNm2D6pPu

— Adriyanna Zimmermann (@akzfineart) September 5, 2015

A3: Even thought I have 0 knowledge of horses, my favorite is The Shire (I had to search the name) #facsaturday pic.twitter.com/l8uvpi500K

— Nicole K. (@NicoNickyNicole) September 5, 2015

Not a big horse person but this one is one of my faves. #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/nOR7Qk1cl2

— Ri (Hiver et Café)❄ (@Astaraya) September 5, 2015

A3) I love thoroughbreds. Here's me going cross country on one I affectionately called "moose." #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/H6fQrm3mC2

— Audrey C0ulthurst (@audwrites) September 5, 2015

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Since this is a dual point of view book, I just had to know who everyone was excited to read through. Most people agreed...

A4: I think a dual pov just gives us a nice insight into what's going on but I love magic AND sass so both 😊 #FACSaturday

— Karen Bultiauw (@karenbultiauw) September 5, 2015

A4: Well one has forbidden fiery magic, and the other has sass. So... #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/pnUGtYcTKF

— Emily Skrutskie (@skrutskie) September 5, 2015

@booksandladders Yay! I love dual POV books. I'm equally excited for both. #FACSaturday

— Spellbinding Books (@spellbindingbks) September 5, 2015

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We also see a lot of characters that all interact with one another, I asked what everyone thought the character's personalities would be like. Some of my favourite answers were...

A5. I'm hoping the Prince is actually rather nice because I think that'll make it harder for Dennaleia to justify running away. #facsaturday

— Dani Reviews Things (@dani_reviews) September 5, 2015

@booksandladders Yes! And how the two understand each other's feelings! What if one chooses duty & the other love? #FACSaturday

— Adriyanna Zimmermann (@akzfineart) September 5, 2015

Dennaleia comes off more bookish and moderated...at first. But falling in love has a way of helping people grow and change. #facsaturday

— Audrey C0ulthurst (@audwrites) September 5, 2015

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Then we moved onto the magic (because I don't think I can have a conversation without talking about magic). I asked why people thought Denna had to hide her magic and how they thought it would be revealed. Some answers were...

@booksandladders Q6). Maybe magic's forbidden. Yes to "big reveal" as long as she doesn't burn books with her fire magic+more. #FACSaturday

— Spellbinding Books (@spellbindingbks) September 5, 2015

A6: To seem like a mundane,not threatening, person to the others. YES #facsaturday

— Nicole K. (@NicoNickyNicole) September 5, 2015

A6. I imagine people with magic aren't trusted and maybe persecuted/executed? #facsaturday

— Dani Reviews Things (@dani_reviews) September 5, 2015

A6) Teaser: religion and magic are somehow connected in OF FIRE AND STARS. #FACSaturday

— Audrey C0ulthurst (@audwrites) September 5, 2015

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And my final question for everyone was: What do you hope Dennaleia and Amaranthine's first interaction will be like? And some of my favourite meet-cute moments that people thought of were...

A7: I'm hoping someone falls off a horse. Maybe they both fall off their horses. #FACSaturday

— Emily Skrutskie (@skrutskie) September 5, 2015

A7: Dennaleia will be shy, flustered & Amaranthine seems like she'd be more in tuned, like she's experienced this before #FACSaturday

— Adriyanna Zimmermann (@akzfineart) September 5, 2015

Last A: D's horse takes off, A has to come up quick and take the reins. A teases D! Anger! Sass! Sparks fly! Swoon. #facsaturday

— Jessica Cluess (@JessCluess) September 5, 2015

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And finally, Audrey revealed something extremely special and amazing. PINTEREST BOARDS for her characters!

1) A Pinterest board all about Princess Dennaleia: https://t.co/oYJ7KmixLH #FACSaturday

— Audrey C0ulthurst (@audwrites) September 5, 2015

2) A Pinterest board all about Princess Amaranthine "Mare": https://t.co/eUWA1dz6Oj #FACSaturday

— Audrey C0ulthurst (@audwrites) September 5, 2015

It was a super fun chat and I enjoyed talking to all of y'all. A huge thank you to everyone who participated! If you missed this one, tell us in the comments how you think Denna and Mare will meet. I'm excited to see you theories :)

See y'all next week (September 12th, 2015 at 2pm EDT) when we talk about 
A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING by Jessica Cluess

#FACSATURDAY Recap: THE CROWN'S GAME by Evelyn Skye

#FACSaturday Spotlight

THE CROWN'S GAME by Evelyn Skye

Today my lovely co-blogger Nicola hosted the first #FACSaturday chat with a spotlight feature of THE CROWN'S GAME by Evelyn Skye! For those of you who want to know more about the book, check out this post to see a full summary and information about joining The Tsar's Guard, Evelyn's Street Team! (I have signed up because 1) can't wait for this book and 2) WHAT A COOL NAME) I have decided to do a quick summary of the chat and the buzz around this book for those of you that missed it -- or for those of you that found it was difficult to keep up with the chat. Check out the questions and answers below...

Once everyone introduced themselves, it was all about the magic. Everyone was asked if they could have a magical power, what would it be? Some of my favourite answers were...

@thewickedpowers A2: The Scarlet Witch's mind abilities or FIREEEEEEE or the ability to fade into the shadows #FACSaturday

— Jillian Herondale (@grouchy03) August 29, 2015

A1) TELEPORTATION. My friend is sad? Poof. I am here with cookies. Disney World? Poof I am there. #FACSaturday https://t.co/lkvG3QVEN1

— Sondra (@RunYouCleverBoy) August 29, 2015

@thewickedpowers a2) I'd love to have a photographic memory, and I think invisibility would be cool :) #facsaturday

— Sophie Houghton (@xsophiehoughton) August 29, 2015

A2: I would want Vika's powers, I think. She's elemental and can control things like water and wind. #FACSaturday https://t.co/hQh58Qmwte

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

First impressions are a big deal, so the second question asked everyone what their first impressions of THE CROWN'S GAME were when they heard about it. For the record, mine was to IMMEDIATELY PREORDER IT (which wasn't possible at the time, but is now! I have left the links for this at the bottom of the post). Some of the other answers were...

@thewickedpowers A3: Get an arc immediately and love it so much become the first fangirl/shipper but it seems I was beat to it #FACSaturday

— Jillian Herondale (@grouchy03) August 29, 2015

@thewickedpowers GIMMEEEEEEEE. No one said I was very philosophical #FACSaturday

— Sondra (@RunYouCleverBoy) August 29, 2015

A3: I thought 'Magical Russia in 1825? How do you know the secret yearnings of my heart, Evelyn?' #facsaturday

— Jessica Cluess (@JessCluess) August 29, 2015

A3: My first thought when writing this story was, "This is batshit crazy but just might work." #FACSaturday https://t.co/OqbJ67djn4

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

Romance is always a key component to people's enjoyment of the novel, so the next question centred around that asking people what they wanted out of the romance between Vika and Nikolai's relationship. Here's what people thought...

A4: Yesssss. Slow burns are the best. #FACSaturday

— Ri (Hiver et Café)❄ (@Astaraya) August 29, 2015

A4: YES to slow burn! And maybe some hostility to amp up the tension 😉 #FACSaturday

— Eileen (@BookCatPin) August 29, 2015

4) I hate insta-love so I'm not sure if a slow burn in the opposite but I love well-developed romantic relationships #FACSaturday

— brittanysbookrambles (@bbookrambles) August 29, 2015

A4: Teaser: the phrase "slow burn" has other meaning in The Crown's Game. Very apropos. #FACSaturday https://t.co/4GWIs5sjEk

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

World building is pretty huge with fantasy novels so of course the next question focused on what people expected to get out of the novel, whether it be fantastical magic, immersion in the time period, or something else entirely! People are really hoping for...

@thewickedpowers ALL OF THAT and an awesome story that will have me desperate for more. :D #FACSaturday

— Ri (Hiver et Café)❄ (@Astaraya) August 29, 2015

@thewickedpowers A5: All of that plus kickass females who are still ladylike and magic and SO MUCH MORE #FACSaturday

— Jillian Herondale (@grouchy03) August 29, 2015

@thewickedpowers A5: All of the above! How do we even prioritize? #FACSaturday

— Spellbinding Books (@spellbindingbks) August 29, 2015

A5.) Tsar! I have a feeling that he'd be a monster in the body of a human. #facsaturday

— Archit Jaswal (@Archit_Jaswal) August 29, 2015

And last but not least people were asked what they thought the mysterious Tsar would be like. Some of their initial impressions were...

A6) Well, as a Russian Tsar, he's quietly menacing, loves tea, and speaks French #FACSaturday

— brittanysbookrambles (@bbookrambles) August 29, 2015

I have no idea what the Tsar would be like, but I think he'd probably be some kind of mastermind. #FACSaturday

— Ri (Hiver et Café)❄ (@Astaraya) August 29, 2015

A6) I'm thinking maybe the Tsar will be like Oz--"pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" #FACSaturday

— Tara Sim (@EachStarAWorld) August 29, 2015

A6: Someone charismatic that would really need a magician, so the two MC can't decide to just run away. Or anything surprising. #FACSaturday

— Jennifer T (@Majenta_Dream) August 29, 2015

A5: This is where the Tsar lives. #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/mRs9TAvWqW

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

 And at the end of the chat, Evelyn filled us in on some EXCITING information!

The Tsar's Guard is international, so of course THE CROWN'S GAME will be, too. We're working on deals, and I can announce... #FACSaturday

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

THE CROWN'S GAME will be here: #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/fUGpRFVPKN

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

And here: #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/GHMYWb98Kh

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

It means THE CROWN'S GAME will be translated into Danish! (Also Spanish, worldwide.) #FACSaturday https://t.co/5UpDCGaZHQ

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

And you probably want to know a tiny something about the cover of THE CROWN'S GAME, yes? #FACSaturday

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

The cover for THE CROWN'S GAME won't be revealed until later in the Fall. It's not done yet. #FACSaturday

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

But I am so thrilled to announce who my AMAZING cover artist is... #FACSaturday

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

The cover artist for THE CROWN'S GAME designed the covers for #Divergent #Insurgent & #Allegiant #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/9D4Nc5fdwx

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

The cover artist for THE CROWN'S GAME also designed one of my all-time favorite covers, Jackaby. #FACSaturday pic.twitter.com/TUM9EPYzGO

— Evelyn Skye (@EvelynSkyeYA) August 29, 2015

Congratulations to Evelyn on her international sales! I cannot wait until Fall to see the cover of THE CROWN'S GAME, which is going to be beautiful!

It was a super fun chat and I enjoyed talking to all of y'all. A huge thank you to everyone who participated! If you missed this one, tell us in the comments what you are hoping for out of THE CROWN'S GAME.

And if you were super impressed by what we talked about today, why not preorder the book!

Amazon UK | Amazon US

See y'all next week (September 5th, 2015 at 2pm EDT) when we talk about 
OF FIRE AND STARS by Audrey Coulthurst!