There are several items on my "Bookish Bucket List" that I hope to check off in my career as a writer (and reader) one day. One of those is to receive an ARC of an upcoming book (this has yet to be checked off, but I have faith that one day it will be). Another is to attend a book launch party, and that got checked off my list last night.
I had the opportunity to take a YA fiction writing class at the University of Oklahoma last semester that was taught by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, who has now published 18 YA novels. If you've read any of my book reviews so far, you can probably understand why this class was my DREAM CLASS. I love YA fiction, and to take a class dedicated to reading and writing YA was not only extremely exciting, but it helped me grow and learn as a writer. (By the way, if you're an OU student who has any interest in YA whatsoever, I would 100% recommend this course to you!)
Throughout this class, Dr. Barnes often referenced her upcoming novel, Little White Lies. She talked about her experiences writing it as well as giving us sneak peeks at the finished product, like the cover art. So when I heard that the book launch party would be held at Best of Books in Edmond, I knew I had to be there to celebrate.
The book launch itself was wonderful. There was a portion of the event where we got to hear from Dr. Barnes about the story, the characters, and how this idea came to be. There was also a gorgeous cake that matched the book's cover, and we all had the opportunity to get our copies of the book signed. The story follows Sawyer, who is participating in debutante season after being offered hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so. While her real mission is to discover who her father is, she finds something else she wasn't expecting--friendship. According to Dr. Barnes, the book follows three mysteries rather than just one, and she wrote this book intending on escaping the dark themes of her previous series, The Naturals, which was very much focused on serial killer/murder mysteries.
This is not a book review, as I have yet to read Little White Lies, but I am so excited to read it and I was thrilled to be able to attend the launch party. Every time I attend a bookish event of any kind, whether it be a launch party or a book festival, I find myself feeling very at home. It is wonderful to be among readers and writers and other lovers of stories (and Best of Books is such a lovely store--go check them out as well!).
Go grab your copy of Little White Lies, and happy reading!