That’s a wrap, readers! Celestial has been released and books have been flying off (mostly virtual) shelves. Already I’m getting really fantastic and uplifting messages from fans which have really thrilled me and quite simply made me the happiest author on the planet. Seriously – you readers are the best!
I’ve been bad at writing about the release when I should have. I had posts planned leading up to the big day, but my energy has been so low: it seemed the universe wasn’t too keen on me having a release party, as it threw a literal flood my way. It was raining through my light fixtures! I don’t know if I should blame Derzan or Selena for that. Now whatever was once in my ceiling is now in my lungs, and I’ve been fighting it ever since.
But I want to focus on the positive. Focus on the brilliant and exciting things that happened during the blog tour and that made me so happy to be a part of this big great universe. The readers who make writing Starstruck the biggest joy in my life!
First up, visit my ol’ stomping ground and check out the entire first chapter of Celestial if you haven’t read it already! My book blog Readcommendations posted the excerpt along with the beautiful trailer by Lloyd Ladera. Read Here.
After reading the first chapter, head on over to stop number two on our tour, and read a very short, very funny sequence from Celestial that’ll have you wanting to hang out with Sally and friends! Thank you, Mad on Reading, for selecting this passage to share!
On day three, the brilliant Cora from Corasbooks on Instagram posted some gorgeous art, with a painting she made herself of Sally and Zander on the beach together (one of my favorite scenes in all of the Starstruck books) followed by a map of the island where most of the story takes place, created by Lloyd Ladera.
The next day, Anisha from Bookanishgirl introduced us to two new characters on her blog. One of which you may already recognize from Traveler! That’s right, Nim has come along on this new adventure and he’s got a lot to deal with…
Nimien
Nimien, or Nim to his new friends, is a recent addition to the trio – no longer a trio, now that he’s here! Found in an isolated bubble city, a settlement of lost human colonists, Nimien managed to escape thanks to the help of Sally and Zander.
Well, I say help. They accidentally kidnapped him. Not a great way to start a friendship. But Nim always proved to be resourceful and incredibly smart. Just a teenager, he has a knack for languages that rivals that of Zander, all without a translator. And he’s eager to learn: having lived in a sale environment for his fifteen years of life, discovering nature thrills him. Even if it does mean having to put up with world ending plots in the mean time.
Angee
Angee was born and raised in Atlan to serve a single purpose: to sacrifice herself to call upon the goddess Selena, in order to save their Island from destruction. She grew up in the temple of Selena, knows all the rights and rituals, and is ready to give herself up for the good of her people.
Accidentally screaming on her way into a pit of lava was completely rational, but timing is everything. “Saved” by Zander, Angee is now a social pariah: hated by the neighboring city of Aquetzalli, and rejected for her people for not fulfilling her duty, her only friends are the team of weirdos who saved her. But she’s not too much of a fan of Sally, who’s now impersonating the goddess she spent her life worshiping. Really not a great way to celebrate a sweet 16.
The very next day, Sammy from Sammy’s shelf wrote this awesome review of Celestial! I’m so glad she liked the Whispering Forest, it was so much fun to write it/them as a character! She then went a step further and posted this gorgeous photo of the paperback on Instagram, which I absolutely had to repost.
Next we have this TOTALLY canon scene from Celestial which you will not see in the final book! At one point in the middle, Blayde leaves to do recon on her own, away from Sally and Zander and Nim. What was she up to, on the forest, on her own? Well, she was being interviewed by Travis of course! To make this interview even more amazing, Kayla Matt illustrated the encounter with her stunning style.
I’m so thrilled to have written this scene with Kayla! You get more insight into Blayde’s character (at least, how she wants you to see her) and secrets about the plot of Starbound, if you read between the lines.
But then something weird happened this Sunday: for no reason at all, apparently an Amazon blip, Starstruck released into the wild. Just like that, three days early! Which was exciting for readers who were surprised to see it land on their kindle, but really weird. Not that it let us slow down in all the release fun!
That same day, Celestial got some review love from Denise Kawaii, one of my favorite authors – if you haven’t read her Adaline series, you’re seriously missing out! She then went on to post this gorgeous picture on her Instagram which I also had to repost, because dang, it’s so beautiful!
The next day we moved over to Bibliobeautybooks, another one of my favorite Instagrammers (I can’t believe I get to see my book on their feeds! *Happy Dance*) who made this stunning asthetic for Celestial which I just can’t get over. It’s so beautiful! She also posted gorgeous photos of Traveler along with the new artwork by Taylor Barron which are equally stunning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Borbg_xnVWV/
Then came the official release day release day, and boy what a day it was! As I type up this recap, I’m stunned to see everything that happened in this blog tour in one place. So much happened, so much was revealed! Darque Dreamer took this stunning picture of Celestial and wrote an amazing review as well…
“If this book series were a tv show it would be at the top of my list, along with Doctor Who! Anderson has consistently continued to develop these amazing characters, and the universe they have been bouncing around in, since Starstruck, and I have not been able to get enough of it!”
And then to top it off, the amazingly talented Ly of Ly_brary posted this stunning picture of Celestial which took my breath away! She’s such a talented photographer!
Then I dropped the ball by not posting by on release day – oops! But I was overwhelmed by the beauty and love of this amazing group of people who make every day feel like release day. These bloggers, these fans, and the readers who keep supporting the Starstruck Saga, you make everything so incredible. I’m in awe of what my life has become thanks to you!
As I sit here in my room, my nose snuffly with my cold and my eyes watering with emotion – hold up, getting too dramatic here. But seriously, I’m sitting here next to a shelf of books that have my name of them, artwork created by fans plastered on my wall, my characters larger than life, lovely and real. Two years ago if you had told me this is what my life would be, I would not have believed you. But now I’m working on my fifth Starstruck novel, Starbound, and relishing in every moment of this adventure. Thank you for being here, now.
Love,
Sarah