YA and Beyond discussion

I have promised 2015 will be the year of David (and also Kristen Taber - I have not forgot you Kristen!!) I hope to read several of David's books I have been neglecting in 2015 so thought I would start a challenge here for it. If anyone wants to join me they are more than welcome. I will likely start a normal challenge for my other reads :)

Oh. My. Gosh. I'm so honored, Heidi!! Wow. Just wow. Thank you so much!! I hope it makes for some fun reads :)

ooooh this sounds like a great plan if I can get ahold of the books! I'll probably look at reading them later in the year -- my January TBR is already full lol

I want to do this too.
Might not read any of the davd estes books at the start of the year either,but defently want to read some of them.

Aww you guys are SO NICE! For anyone that participates, I'd love to give you a free David Estes ebook of your choice in your preferred format :) Just let me know what book you'd like, your preferred format, and your e-mail address, and I'll send it right over. Thanks for all your support, it really does blow my mind how exceptionally generous and kind you all are!

David that's so cool of you, thanks!!

You're very welcome! This is so cool of you all to do :)

You are most welcome David! Super excited to start. I have read the entire Moon Dwellers series and liked them all very much so am excited to try out the other series you have and need to motivate myself mostly because they are all on my Kindle and as I have mentioned several times I love me some print books and neglect my Kindle shamefully!

Yay Oda & Ashley!

Ahhh I should do this too! I've been meaning to read more of David's books. :D

Yay Brigid!

I'm in as well. I need to finish up the series. :)

Aww nice people! I'm all smiles this week because of y'all :)

This will be SO FUN!!! I only have and the whole series to read, as well as Burn and Flip when they come out!

I have copies already David, no need to send me any :)

Amazing! Thanks Jenny!! :)

I am getting excited!

i want to read some of David's books this year!

Thank youuuuu!!!

Yay Bluemoon!

good idea, Heidi!

I'm in too. Got my hands on Moon Dwellers and Fire Country, so will start on them this year. Building up my challenge of 70 books this year!

That's so nice of you! I hope you enjoy the reads, my friend! My goal is similar to yours (75), so good luck ;)

Hey David, can you clarify which order we read your books pls.
Cause I believe your Dweller Series and Country Saga intertwine.

Sure, no problem, Bluemoon! I was getting this question a lot so I did a detailed blog post about it here: http://davidestesbooks.blogspot.com/2...

The short answer though is that you can read the series in whatever order you want. The Dwellers Saga and The Country Saga are separate and distinct series for the first three books of each series. So you can read either series first and you can even alternate between them if you want to take a break from each series/characters. All that really matter is that you've read all six other books BEFORE you read the 7th and final book which combines plotlines and characters from all previous six books for what I hope is an epic finish!

Thanks so much for the question, Bluemoon, and for everyone's support!

thanks David!

Yay Anna! I decided since I do not normally read on my Kindle (yes I have two of them and they just collect dust) the only way I like reading on them is after reading print books at night. So......I am going to start reading 1-2 chapters of my print book per night and then setting it aside for my Kindle where all of David's books that I have already bought lay in wait for me :) I hope to start tonight!

Hoorah! I got my Kindle Paperwhite all charged up and after reading a chapter in my print book I put it down and picked up my Kindle. I started to read Fire Country . I was actually 43% into the book a few months ago but then just stopped using my Kindle so anywho I was little lost at first but I think I am catching up to what I already read.

I like it a lot so far and it is by no means a comment on the book I was reading when I put down my Kindle. It could have been anything to be honest. I just much prefer print books so that is why I am challenging myself to use my Kindle book more in 2015!

I agree, Heidi. Somehow, I can't remember much from the books I read on my kindle compared to reading print. Could be something to do with my brain having to process too many things...

I prefer to read physical books, too, but I'm pretty used to ebooks. It is nice to have a ton of books at your fingertips! But there is something about holding a physical book...must be our materialistic brains! LOL

Glad it is not just me ladies!

Heidi (Yup. Still here.) wrote: "Hoorah! I got my Kindle Paperwhite all charged up and after reading a chapter in my print book I put it down and picked up my Kindle. I started to read Fire Country[bookcover:Fire..."

LOL I'm glad it wasn't my crazy slang that scared you away! Thank you :) I should probably jump off of this thread because I don't want to dissuade anyone from voicing their complete and honest opinions :P

But seriously, if anyone who is planning on doing this challenge wants one, I'm willing to provide one FREE ebook of the book of your choice, just let me know in a message which one you'd like, what format you prefer, and what your e-mail address is, and I'll send it right over to you :)

Bye everyone, I'll let you chat without the author spy looking over your shoulders!

On no! I hope you come back David! I created this thread to just give updates on various books of David's I am reading and for others to do the same. I don't think anyone would feel hindered by your presence here - at least I wouldn't. If anyone else feels differently please let me know though.

That is VERY sweet of you to to offer one of your ebooks. You are awesome :)

p.s. After reading Chaos Walking I was able to jump right into your "crazy slang" :) I think it adds a lot to the story IMO.

Lol! Oh ok, I'd love to hang around here with y'all if you don't mind, I just don't want to obstruct any honest discussion :) I'll stay unless someone objects.

Oh good! I'm glad the slang works for you, Siena was seriously the loudest, most insistent voice I've ever had in my head, and that's just the way she talks, so I really didn't have a choice ha!

Yay! I really like Siena a lot so far David :)

YAY!

I'm def fine with David staying! I tell him all my thoughts on his books anyways, whether he wants to hear them or not! :P

LOVE Siena, she is one of my fave characters EVER! Probably tied with Laney from Brew, though, on my fave David Estes Character!

LOL thanks Jenny, and I always want to hear your thoughts! I find it so funny/interesting that those are your two fave characters, because they're both funny, but in completely different ways :)

You're always welcome here, David! I pretty sure people aren't scared to say their honest opinions, author or not around.

If you don't mind me asking, David. How do you pick the names of your characters? especially the main ones?

I don't know if you've answered this question before, and if you don't feel comfortable doing so, its ok.

Cool, thank you, Blue, I certainly hope they feel comfortable around me by now, I've been around Goodreads long enough!

I never mind questions :) Honestly, the vast majority of the time, the name just pops into my head soon after the character begins speaking in my head (my characters almost always speak in my head, which really helps with developing their "voice"). However, there are other times when I hear or see something that inspires a name, and a I make a note in my iPhone. If I ever get stuck, I go back to that list of names and see if any of them fit for a new character. One example is when I saw the brand name Roc (beauty care products) and thought that would be the perfect name for Tristan's best friend in The Moon Dwellers.

In any case, I never force a name on my characters, they tell me what they should be called when the time is right! Thanks for the question :)

David wrote: "LOL thanks Jenny, and I always want to hear your thoughts! I find it so funny/interesting that those are your two fave characters, because they're both funny, but in completely different ways :)"

They are very different, but I think the reason I love them so much--they have this awesome inner strength that I really love. Lots of your characters have that, but I think those too have it the strongest, that inner strength and beauty thing. LOVE that!

I also adore Dazz, Tristan, Adele, Roc, Benson, Harrison, Destiny....okay this could go on awhile! But yeah, Siena and Laney are my favorites :)

And I realize I left out Perry, but that was because he doesn't need his head getting any bigger!

DAVID: Thanks for answering me! Seriously I half expect authors to just have a random wall in their house with a bunch of names and use a dart to get a one.

Yes, I'm weird for thinking this way, but some names that come up on books are just funny.

I'm glad that you let your characters name themselves ^_^ it seems more personal that way. If you get what I mean!

LOL thanks Jenny! I always forget how many character names I have now! I guess that's what happens when you write 18 books!

You're most welcome, Blue :) I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that some of my character names are inspired by real people. Adele in The Moon Dwellers was inspired by my wife, who shares the name :) And Benson in Slip is the last name of our very own Karen Benson, one of my best friends and most supportive readers! That being said, they are also the "right" names for the characters, and the names the characters really seemed to want for themselves :)

Awww, shucks... Now my head is swelling up like Perry's!! ;)

Awww! That is awesome Karen. I read a few more chapters of Fire Country this week. I am slowly but surely using that damn ereader!

Karen, I don't think you could ever be as obnoxious as Perry ;)

That's a compliment, if you weren't sure LOL

Ha!! Nobody can be as obnoxious as Perry!! ;)

Heidi (Yup. Still here.) wrote: "Awww! That is awesome Karen. I read a few more chapters of Fire Country this week. I am slowly but surely using that damn ereader!"

I love my ereaders, especially when traveling! I have 3 of them. One just for the beach. ;)

But I do love my books just as much and switch off between the 2.

KAREN: which ereaders do you have?

I have two (regular Kindle and paperwhite) as well as the Kindle App on my phone and Ipod touch but I rarely use any of them!