PHILIPPINE LITERARY FESTIVAL 2015: Matthew Quick and Meg Wolitzer in Manila!

The second annual Philippine Literary Festival is only a few weeks away and National Book Store is bringing New York Times bestselling YA authors, Meg Wolitzer and Matthew Quick, to celebrate it! Read on below for all the things you need to know about the event. 

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is The Philippine Literary Festival?

The Philippine Literary Festival will be from August 28 to 30, 2015 at the Raffles Makati.

When will the registration be?

Daily registration starts at 9:00 a.m.and will continue throughout the day. Each guest will be asked to fill out the registration form upon arrival and will be given a festival ID/ pass which can be used for all the events in The Philippine Literary Festival from August 28 to 30. Venue capacities for each event are limited. Seats are on a first come, first served basis.

Venue Capacity:

Buenavista Function Room|40 guests
Namayan Function Room|60 guests
Ballroom 1|250 guests
Ballroom 2|300 guests

Is there a registration fee?

No. There is no registration fee. Admission is FREE.

For local author events:

How many and which books can I have signed? Is there a limit as to how many people can have their books signed?

You may have any number of books signed as long as they were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers or Powerbooks, and we do not have any preset limit as to the number of people.

However, although we will take every effort to get as many books signed as possible, depending on the number of attendees, we reserve the right to limit the number of copies per person or limit the number of people in line. First come, first served.

Can I bring old books or other editions of the book?

Yes, as long as the books were purchased from National Book Store, Bestsellers and Powerbooks.

Do I need to buy on-site?

No. You can buy books before or during the event.

Can I have other items signed?

No. Only books will be allowed to be signed by the authors.

Can we have our photo taken with the author?

Yes, you can have your photo with the author when he/ she signs your book. However, we strictly allow one photo per person only. 

Matthew Quick Talk and Book Signing

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the book signing?

August 30, 2015 at 2 p.m. at the Ballroom 2, Raffles Makati

When will the registration be?

Registration opens at 9:00 a.m. on August 30 at the Raffles Makati.Each guest will be asked to fill out the registration form upon arrival.

Is there a registration fee?

No. There is no registration fee. Admission is free.

How many and which books can I have signed? Is there a limit as to how many people can have their books signed?

You may have any number of books signed as long as they were purchased from National Book Store, National Book Store Express or Powerbooks, and we do not have any preset limit as to the number of people.

However, although we will take every effort to get as many books signed as possible, depending on the number of attendees, we reserve the right to limit the number of copies per person or limit the number of people in line. First come, first served.

Can I bring old books or other editions of the book?

Yes, as long as the books were purchased from National Book Store, National Book Store Express and Powerbooks.

Do I need to buy on-site?

No. You can buy books before or during the event.

Can I have otheritems signed?

No. Only books will be allowed to be signed by the authors.

Can we have our photo taken with the author?

Yes, you can have your photo with the author when he signs your book. However, we strictly allow one photo per person only.

How much are the books?

ISBN	Title	SRP
9780316221337	Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock (Hard Cover)	755.00
9780316221351	Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock (Trade Paperback)	399.00
9780062417152	Love May Fail (Trade Paperback)	699.00
9780374533571	Silver Linings Movie Tie-in (Trade Paperback)	695.00
9780062285614	The Good Luck of Right Now (Trade Paperback)	599.00

  

Meg Wolitzer Talk and Book Signing

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the book signing?

August 29, 2015 at 2 p.m. at the Ballroom 1, Raffles Makati

When will the registration be?

Registration opens at 9:00 a.m. on August 30 at the Raffles Makati.Each guest will be asked to fill out the registration form upon arrival.

Is there a registration fee?

No. There is no registration fee. Admission is free.

How many and which books can I have signed? Is there a limit as to how many people can have their books signed?

You may have any number of books signed as long as they were purchased from National Book Store, National Book Store Express or Powerbooks, and we do not have any preset limit as to the number of people.

However, although we will take every effort to get as many books signed as possible, depending on the number of attendees, we reserve the right to limit the number of copies per person or limit the number of people in line. First come, first served.

Can I bring old books or other editions of the book?

Yes, as long as the books were purchased from National Book Store, National Book Store Expressand Powerbooks.

Do I need to buy on-site?

No. You can buy books before or during the event.

Can I have otheritems signed?

No. Only books will be allowed to be signed by the authors.

Can we have our photo taken with the author?

Yes, you can have your photo with the author when he signs your book. However, we strictly allow one photo per person only.

How much are the books?

ISBN	Title	SRP
9780525427940	Belzhar (Trade Paperback)	545.00
9781594488399	Interestings	1,055.00
9781594632341	Interestings (Trade Paperback)	675.00
9780743261807	Position (Trade Paperback)	669.00
9781594633133	Sleepwalking (Trade Paperback)	555.00
9780671042547	Surrender Dorothy (Trade Paperback)	629.00
9781594483547	Ten Year Nap (Trade Paperback)	555.00
9780142422045	The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman (Trade Paperback)	335.00
9781594633140	This is My Life (Trade Paperback)	555.00
9781594485657	Uncoupling (Trade Paperback)	555.00
9780743456661	Wife (Trade Paperback)	629.00

 

We hope you guys are excited as we are! See you there!!

SCIENCE GEEK APPRECIATION WEEK (DAY 4): A peek in their personal journals(Avery&Grayson)+ GIVEAWAY

Happy Thursday everyone! Today marks day 4 of Science Geek Appreciation Week. I hope you're having as much fun with it as I am. So far we've been introduced to The Avery Shaw Experiment, we've been teased about the upcoming The Libby Garrett Intervention, and we've gotten to know a little about the author behind all the geeky goodness, Kelly Oram. 

Today, it's time to get to know the stars of the Spanish Fork High science club a little better with a peek in their personal journals. If you missed any of the previous posts about The Avery Shaw Experiment or The Libby Garrett Intervention, be sure to stop by the Facebook event. Along with the posts, there are all kinds of extra bonus material, games and giveaways going on. Lots of chances to win signed books and swag, talk to the author and just have fun with other science geek loving friends. There's a new giveaway every day. CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE PARTY! 

As part of the Avery Shaw Experiment, Spanish Fork High science club president, Avery Shaw, and her new recruit, Spanish Fork High basketball star Grayson Kennedy were required to keep journals throughout their study. I happen to have a few of those journal entries, and am very excited to share them with you. Before I do, just in case you haven't read the book yet, (For which there is no excuse because it's on sale for $0.99 this week. ;) ) I believe I should give you a tiny bit of insight as to what, exactly, The Avery Shaw Experiment is. But since this is the day to get to know Avery and Grayson, I'll let them explain it in their own words.

So, now that we know what kind of experiment Avery and Grayson have embarked on, lets get a peek inside those journals... The following is a short story written as bonus material for The Avery Shaw Experiment. It is not an excerpt from the book and is spoiler free. Enjoy!

"I See London, I See France"

(Avery)

Dear Diary,

Though I am clearly past the shock, denial, and bargaining stages of grief, I have not attained guilt yet. If I had to describe myself as anything right now, I would say I’m simply empty. Sad, hurt, and empty.

What happened between Aiden and myself was tragic, but, really, it was nobody’s fault. Aiden has as much right to his feelings as I do mine. He did what he did because it’s what he needed, not because of something I’d done. Even Grayson agrees that I did nothing wrong. He’s told me a hundred times already that I have nothing to feel guilty about.

Grayson’s right. I have nothing to feel guilty about. And I don’t. Feel guilty, that is. It’s been days and still the guilt won’t come. I’m not even sure what I’m supposed to feel guilty about. I just know it’s the next stage in the grieving process.

As part of the Avery Shaw Experiment, I have decided to try and let the stages of grief occur naturally. However, that doesn’t mean that I will sit around waiting for acceptance and a cured heart to find me. No one has ever achieved results by being stagnant. 

I’ve decided that the best thing for me to do is that which true mourners do—try to move on with my life. I need to stop dwelling on the past. I need to accept that my relationship with Aiden will never go back to the way it was, and that my life has changed in a very permanent way. I will never be the same. 

I figured step one of “moving on” was to purge my life of all things Aiden Kennedy. Tonight I had Grayson come over to my house and help me remove everything that reminded me of Aiden. My theory was that if I see nothing that sparks a memory, then I would be able to think of Aiden less and it would be easier for me to forget him.

This experience was much harder and more painful than I thought it would be. I never could have done it without Grayson’s support and encouragement. Crying in front of him was embarrassing, but he didn’t seem to think any less of me for it. I’m grateful to have such an understanding partner.

After it was all over—Grayson had to pry the garbage bag full of memories from my hands and drive away with it, or all of that stuff would have ended up right back in its place—I expected to feel better. I expected some sort of closure or sense of relief. Instead I looked around at all the bare walls and dust outlines on the dresser and cried even harder. 

The empty spots where the pictures and souvenirs once were now stand as reminders themselves—big empty voids just like the one in my heart that used to be filled with my best friend. Part of me is missing. It’s as if I am an amputee missing an arm or a leg. 

The spot on my wall where I used to hang a poster of Albert Einstein that Aiden had given me after I’d dressed as the brilliant physicist for Halloween in middle school was the most obvious gaping hole. I took one look at that spot and broke down.

When I lost it, Grayson wrapped his arms around me, told me he knew how to fix the problem, and then disappeared slamming my bedroom door shut behind him. After a minute, he came back and I watched, bewildered, as he pinned a pair of smiley face boxer shorts to my wall where Einstein used to watch over me.

I couldn’t help the way my horrified gaze dropped to Grayson’s pants. He burst into laughter, knowing what I’d been thinking, and insisted that the shorts now on my wall were his emergency pair—clean and washed—that he kept in his gym bag, and that this was most definitely an emergency.

I asked why he tacked his underwear up on my bedroom wall and he told me because now every time I looked at that spot I would think of him and laugh instead of thinking of Aiden and crying. He was right. I can’t help smiling at the ridiculous smiley faces.  

He also told me that they would help me have good dreams. When I asked why he said because I would dream about him being mostly naked instead of having nightmares of Aiden leaving me. I’d freaked out so badly that he’d had to prompt me to breathe again. I don’t know that I’ll have any dreams at night, but the daydreams are already ridiculous. I can’t stop picturing him in those shorts! I’m going to have to get something to replace them. Soon!

"Purging"

(Grayson)

Avery is crazy. Girls are slightly insane in general, but Avery is especially nuts.  She called me up tonight and asked me to help her purge Aiden from her life. I have been asked by a lot of girls to do a lot of things, but never to help them purge. Whatever she meant, I was sure it wasn’t going to be all fun dates and playing like she’d promised me when I agreed to this whacked-out experiment.

Apparently purging was smart-girl talk for throwing out your ex’s junk. I know this is like some kind of sacred ritual among chicks—they have scenes about it in movies and everything—but I don’t get what the big deal is. It’s just stupid crap. Pictures, CD’s, lame stuffed animals, and in Avery’s case, old science projects, reports, and even a Civil War diorama that she and Aidan had done in the 3^rd grade. The thing was practically biodegrading and yet Aves nearly had a panic attack when I shoved the old shoebox into a garbage bag. 

Avery was a freaking train wreck through the whole thing. I had to do all of the actual throwing out because she wasn’t really capable of anything more than pointing at stuff and bursting into tears. She couldn’t even explain why half of that crap reminded her of Aiden. (I’m still at a loss with the Diana Ross CD.)

I thought her attachment to all of it was stupid, but I have to admit the concept had merit. She needed to get over my idiot brother already. The dude was not worth the emotional pain Avery was putting herself through. If I could, I’d wipe Aiden clean from the Earth, but since murder is a felony and I’m too hot to go to prison, purging him from Avery’s life was the next best thing. Aves may have found the evening emotionally scarring, but I thought it was mildly satisfying. Punching Aiden in the face would have been more satisfying, but there was some consolation in burning his pictures. 

The more stuff we got rid of, the better I felt. When I carried the garbage bag out of the house—I had to pry it from Avery’s fingers—I thought Aves would feel better too. I thought for sure there would be some kind of relief for her.

Not so much.

I came back inside and found Avery staring at her bedroom wall like some kind of mental patient.  When I walked in the room she turned to me and my heart almost broke for her. Her tears were pouring down her face again and the look in her eyes was so devastated that I felt her pain with her.

In a single stride I pulled her against me and wrapped her tightly in my arms hoping that feeling her there would stop the throbbing in my chest. 

Crying girls have always been my biggest weakness. I pretty much hate this about myself, because it makes me vulnerable to them. But I seriously cannot stand it when girls cry. It’s like there is something in me, some kind of physical part of me that reacts when I see a girl cry. It makes me crazy and the feeling doesn’t go away until I’ve made them stop. I have to make them stop. I have to do whatever it takes to put a smile on a sad girl’s face no matter what it does to my dignity. 

I’m such a sucker. 

Tonight was no exception. Actually, it was one of my least dignified moments ever. Curse my stupid hero gene. 

Aves was falling apart and I had to make it better. While she buried her face in my chest, my brain spun frantically searching for some sort of solution. I wasn’t even sure what had set her off this time, but then I looked up at the wall and everything fell into place. 

Avery had had this lame poster on her wall of an old dude with crazy hair. I think it was Albert Einstein or someone. I’d taken it down, but it had been in that same spot for so long that you could see the outline of it where the sun had bleached the paint around it over the years. 

The big empty rectangle spot was worse than the poster. It was practically jumping off the wall, mocking me in the worst way. I may as well have painted the words AIDEN LEFT YOU in the poster’s place when I took it down, because now it was obvious that it was gone. Just like Aiden was.

I had to fix it. I had to get rid of that spot. But I couldn’t put the poster back. I had to put something else there. Something that wouldn’t remind her of Aiden. More than that—it had to be something that would cheer her up and put a smile on her face when she saw it. It was the “smile” thought that gave me the idea.

Now, this is the part where my dignity comes into play. I was so desperate to cheer Aves up that I’d have given her the shirt off my back if I thought it could help. Unfortunately, in this case, my shirt wouldn’t do any good. 

But my underwear… 

That’s right, I gave Avery Shaw my underpants. The stupid, dorky ones Aiden got me for Christmas a couple of years ago because he’s a tool like that, that I kept in my gym bag. They were white with rainbow smiley faces all over them. Ridiculous. But they would make Avery laugh.

Before I could think better of it, I strolled into Avery’s room and tacked those dumb shorts right over that stupid poster spot. After they were securely fastened to her wall I turned around and grinned at her as big as I could. The trick was confidence. I had to act like I thought this was totally normal, and the most brilliant idea ever or Avery would know how stupid I suddenly felt and then she’d get embarrassed.

Avery looked slightly horrified and her eyes dropped to my waist. I burst into laughter and pulled up my shirt, exposing the band of the boxers I was wearing as proof that I was still dressed beneath my pants. Once she was assured that the shorts on her wall were at least clean she, of course, asked me why I’d just decorated her room with underwear. 

I explained my theory of them making her laugh and think of me instead of the Einstein poster making her cry over Aiden. It worked. She looked up at my shorts and actually smiled. It was the first smile I’d seen on her face since I’d arrived. I felt five hundred pounds lighter all the sudden and my smile reached goofy status.

Then, because I’m a jerk and couldn’t help myself, I made a comment about her dreaming of me in nothing but those smiley faces. She totally freaked of course. I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I love watching her blush too much. She turned so red that I was sure she had a very clear mental image stuck in her head.

I waited until she started breathing again, then I kissed her bright red cheek and told her to have pleasant dreams tonight. It was classic. There is no one on the planet more adorable than Avery. 

To read the rest of The Avery Diaries, and find other fun bonus material visit the "extras" page on Kelly's website.

  

The Avery Shaw Experiment is on sale this week only for just $0.99.  I promise, it's worth the dollar!  

Amazon * iBooks * B&N * Kobo 

And The Libby Garrett Intervention is now available for the special preorder price of $2.99.  (Regular listing price $4.99 after it goes on sale, so order now and save yourself some money!) 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

  

Kelly wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

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SCIENCE GEEK APPRECIATION WEEK (DAY 3): What should you know about Kelly Oram?+ GIVEAWAY

Well we're mid week now--half way through Science Geek Appreciation Week--and it's time to get up close and personal with the author of the Science Squad series, Kelly Oram. If you missed any of the previous posts about The Avery Shaw Experiment or The Libby Garrett Intervention, be sure to stop by the Facebook event. Along with the posts, there's all kinds of extra bonus material, games and giveaways going on. Lots of chances to win signed books and swag, talk to the author and just have fun with other science geek loving friends. There's a new giveaway every day. CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE PARTY!

So, what should you know about Kelly Oram?

      

The Obvious:

I love to write. & I'm a ginger. 

The Basics: 

I wrote my first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about my favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which my family and friends still tease me. I'm obsessed with reading, talk way too much, and like to eat frosting by the spoonful. I live outside of Phoenix, Arizona with my husband, four children, and my cat, Mr. Darcy. And we named his litter box Pemberly because it's where he makes ten thousand (poops) a year! Connect with Kelly: Newsletter * Amazon * Facebook * Twitter   

The Fun Stuff:

1. I love to sing and went to college as a voice performance major.

2. I once competed in the Miss Michigan Teen USA pageant. (I did not win LOL.)

3. I’m a baseball fanatic. (Go D-backs!)

4. I broke my head as a kid and had to wear a hockey helmet to school as my cast.

5. I own my own 10-sided dice for role-playing that no one but me is allowed to role.

6. I’m left handed.

7. I am credited as associate producer for the independent film Amber Alert.

8. I live for road trips. Best vacation I ever took was a three-week coast-to-coast-and-back drive with my father.

9. The Backstreet Boys were my 1D in high school, and I was a total fangirl. I still have a whole collection of fan paraphernalia.

10. I took both golf and bowling classes in college to fulfill my PE credits. (I still suck at both.)

The Bookish Stuff:

How did you come up with the idea for The Avery Shaw Experiment?

I remember the day I came up with the idea, but not exactly how the concept popped into my head. I went for a run. (Okay, it was more of a walk-run during one of my on-again times where I was dedicated to working out. The off-again times are way more frequent.) 

Anyway, I'd ton for a run and it was one of those precious moments where I was by myself, no distractions, no kids--just me and my thoughts. The concept for a girl getting over a broken heart using the seven stages of grief popped into my head, and before that half an hour (yes, that's all I can run before I want to die) was over, I had most of the book plotted. 

I was in the middle of another manuscript at the time, but I went home and wrote Avery's prologue right away. Five weeks later I had a finished book. The Avery Shaw Experiment had been my easiest book to write so far. It just flowed so naturally, and honestly, I blame that on Avery and Grayson's natural chemistry. (Hehe science pun totally intended!)

Are you a science geek yourself?

I am a geek of many colors. Music, fantasy, sic-fi, choir, books... But no, I was never a science geek. I was actually a very mediocre-to-horrible student. I never liked the academic stuff, and I struggled with a lot of it. (I spent too much time in my own imagination!) But, that said, I can see the fun in doing science experiments, and I find the occasional documentary about science stuff interesting. Most of my science geek inspiration was drawn from my mother. (She is a HUGE science nerd!) The woman love bugs and dissection and all things dealing with the human body. She worked in a chemistry lab when I was younger and now works with a team of rocket scientists putting rockets in space and sending supplies to the space stations and things like that. It's a dream come true for her every time she travels to Virginia to launch one of her rockets. She's a hard-core nerd and I love her dearly for it, which is way I had to dedicate The Avery Shaw Experiment to her. (Love you Mom!)

How did you come up with the idea for The Libby Garrett Intervention?

Libby was a little different. The idea didn't come as easy. It took a lot more planning. I loved Libby's character and really wanted to write her a story, but it took me a long time to commit to it. As much as everyone asked for a Libby and Owen story, I really felt like Owen wasn't the right one for her. The idea for the Libby Garrett Intervention sparked from me imagining what a relationship between Owen and Libby would be like based on there characters from The Avery Shaw Experiment. I just couldn't imagine Owen ever being a Grayson, and falling for Libby the way she deserved. That's where the idea of Libby's "addiction" to Owen came in and it was a short leap from there to the Twelve Step program. I loved the idea of the steps because it fit perfectly with the stages of grief I used in the first book. It was the perfect companion story. And suddenly, volia! I had the next book. 

Will there be more Science Squad books in the future?

There will be at least one more. I have a story already plotted out for one of the other science squad geeks, though my writing schedule is so packed that it will probably take me a couple years to get to it. After that, I don't know. I'd love to end the series with Aiden's story, but I'd have to actually come up with a story for him first. I've pit the idea in my head though, and am letting it simmer, so we'll see what happens.

What's your favorite part of the story, and your favorite quote from The Avery Shaw Experiment?

Oh, goodness, that's award one. I know most people probably love the shower scene (it's not what you think!) in the beginning, or the dancing scene, or basically all the more romantic scenes between Avery and Grayson, but my favorite scenes are actually the science/school. stuff. (Maybe I'm a bit of a science geek after all. My mother would be proud!) I love the scene where the science squad takes Grayson to the bowling alley for a lesson in applied physics and explain Newton's laws. Like I said, I struggled a lot in high school, because, like Grayson, I have a different style of learning than most people. I need things to be interactive and fun, and I need things explained to me in ways that are applicable to my daily life. I had a lot of fun finding a way to make science fun and creative. 

My other favorite scene is between Grayson and Mr. Walden at the end. As much as I loved Grayson and Avery, I had a special place in my heart for the relationship between Grayson and his Physics teacher. I've been where Grayson was, and I had a couple of cool teachers that, despite my grades and struggles, really understood me. Those were the teachers that made a difference in my education, and I really wish there were more great teachers out there. So, yeah, developing the relationship between those two was a lot of fun for me, and in the end when they've completed character arc, it still makes me smile every time I read that scene.

As for my favorite quotes? I have a million, but I'll narrow it down to two for you. I already have them in convenient photo teasers for you to pass around the internet, should you feel so inclined. ;)

So, that's me in a nutshell. Hopefully you've recognized my brilliance by now (and my sarcasm) and I've convinced you to check out the books. I think they're a lot of fun and I'm so excited to share Libby with the world!

  

The Avery Shaw Experiment is on sale this week only for just $0.99.  I promise, it's worth the dollar!  

Amazon * iBooks * B&N * Kobo 

And The Libby Garrett Intervention is now available for the special preorder price of $2.99.  (Regular listing price $4.99 after it goes on sale, so order now and save yourself some money!) 

Amazon * B&N * Kobo

If you'd like to see more, there are more teasers, excerpts, character interviews, games and giveaways happening on the Science Geek Appreciation Week Facebook event. Make sure you stop by the party and enter to win some of the giveaways. Signed books and swag! FACEBOOK EVENT 

  

Kelly wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

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