"Reflected in You" By: Sylvia Day Review

Reflected in You

By: Sylvia Day

Synopsis from Goodreads

Gideon Cross. As beautiful and flawless on the outside as he was damaged and tormented on the inside. He was a bright, scorching flame that singed me with the darkest of pleasures. I couldn't stay away. I didn't want to. He was my addiction... my every desire... mine.

My past was as violent as his, and I was just as broken. We’d never work. It was too hard, too painful... except when it was perfect. Those moments when the driving hunger and desperate love were the most exquisite insanity. We were bound by our need. And our passion would take us beyond our limits to the sweetest, sharpest edge of obsession...

My Thoughts
    Sylvia Day has most definitely written a highly addictive series that grabs you and won’t let you go. When I finished this book, I set down my Nook and just looked around like a lost puppy. There was just so much to think about and so many things had happened that I was in shock to be utterly truthful. Passionate and beyond all else, intense, Reflected in You continues Eva and Gideon’s tempestuous romance and their attempts at building a life together.
     Continuing Eva and Gideon’s relationship, Reflected in You seems to be one long drama filled novel with continuous ups and downs. More of Eva’s history is revealed as well as an appearance of her tormenter, Nathan. Gideon is still incredibly controlling and Eva is insanely jealous of anyone from Gideon’s past.
     Instead of story, I felt this novel was more of a strengthening of the characters. We learned more about them, their obsessions, and of course their passions. As I said in my review of Bared to You, at points I hated the characters and at other times I seemed addicted to them as they were to one another. I hated that Gideon was so controlling, having her followed by his staff and other weird stalker like behaviors. My honest indication is to yell, “Run! Get away from him!”

“I am obsessed with you, angel. Addicted to you. You're everything I've ever wanted or needed, everything I've dreamed of. You're everything. I live and breathe you. For you.”

“People get over love. They can live without it, they can move on. Love can be lost and found again. But that won't happen for me. I won't survive you, Eva.”

      Eva was so stinking dependent on him at times, I became insanely frustrated. At times she would say she was addicted to him and couldn't stay away. Suddenly she would see him with an ex-girlfriend or really any female acquaintance in a most platonic way and suddenly she hated him, would cry, leave him and start the entirely crazy cycle once again.

“He was my drug, and I had no desire to kick the habit.”

      Even after having a bit to think about the book in its entirely, I am still really torn. Did I like it? Well...I honestly don’t know. The characters got on my nerves constantly and never seemed to solve any problem thrown their way yet; I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book.

Book Details

Publisher: Penguin
Date of Publication: October 23, 2012
# of Pages: 432

ISBN: 9780425263914

"Shadow's Claim" By: Kresley Cole Review

Shadow's Claim

By: Kresley Cole

Synopsis from Goodreads

HE WON’T BE DENIED

Trehan Daciano, known as the Prince of Shadows, has spent his life serving his people—striking in the night, quietly executing any threat to their realm. The coldly disciplined swordsman has never desired anything for himself—until he beholds Bettina, the sheltered ward of two of the Lore’s most fearsome villains.

SHE’S BOUND TO ANOTHER

Desperate to earn her guardians’ approval after a life-shattering mistake, young Bettina has no choice but to marry whichever suitor prevails—even though she’s lost her heart to another. Yet one lethal competitor, a mysterious cloaked swordsman, invades her dreams, tempting her with forbidden pleasure.

A BATTLE FOR HER BODY AND SOUL

Even if Trehan can survive the punishing contests to claim her as his wife, the true battle for Bettina’s heart is yet to come. And unleashing a millennium’s worth of savage need will either frighten his Bride away—or stoke Bettina’s own desires to a fever pitch. . .

My copy...Did a little dance when I received it in the mail

My Thoughts

     I have made no secret that when it comes to paranormal romance, Kresley Cole is a queen. Simply amazing, with slightly crazy and wildly funny characters, sweeping romance, and heartstopping action make her books absolute must reads in my house. In January, when Lothaire came out I actually took a vacation day simply to stay at home and read. It was divine and I didn’t have that pesky problem of having to actually work when I was jonesing for my Kresley fix.
     Shadow’s Claim is the beginning of a new series (The Dacians) but fits somewhat into the Immortals After Dark world that she has created. Trehan, our hero, first shows up in Lothaire as a cousin to the Enemy of Old. He’s mysterious, deadly, and likes to lurk in the shadows. Not the best hero material, but my goodness was I wrong.
     One of the things Cole does best is the layering of her books. I may be saying it wrong, but the events of one book bleed into another. As you read her various titles, you have huge overlaps in time, space, and characters which makes it such a rich series. Huge payoffs for readers and I have to say the same of this book. While I was reading so many of the things from Lothaire were mentioned I just kept going, oh yeah! Yeah, I remember that too! Triple love that soooo much.
    Anyway, back to the book...We’ve met Trehan before but our heroine Bettina was new. Bettina, a half sorceri/half demon child of royalty, is young and poised on the precipice of gaining her power as Queen. However, just shortly before gaining immortality she is attacked and nearly killed by her family’s mortal enemies. In an effort to protect her and ultimately her future kingdom, a fight to the death is arranged for worthy males to help her find her husband.
    Where does our unhappy assassin fit into that dynamic? On a mission to kill a demon who had entered the mysterious land of shadows, Trehan encounters Bettina. As you can imagine, he is shocked when he finds out she is his bride (mate). So what happens when a sheltered princess, who by the way may or may not already be in love with a different demon who is totally unworthy of her, falls for a mysterious assassin vampire who has never loved in his life?? Shadow’s Claim delves into all of that and so much more. 

     As I said before, this title has it all. A handsome and complex hero, a strong heroine coming into her own powers and being, a tumultuous romance, heart stopping action and a completely satisfying ending all come together to create a wonderful start to a new series and add new dimensions to the already diverse IAD universe. All I can say is that I’m already counting down the days until the next release. 

Oh oh oh! On a side note, I forgot to mention for fans...Nix, Lothaire, Morgana, Sabine and all of your other favorites make an appearance. Did you hear Dirty Jobs (Nix's FAVORITE show) was cancelled?? Sad sad day, but as Kresley said, maybe it is the sign of the Accession??

Oh yeah :)

Book Details

Publisher: Pocket Books

# of Pages: 296

Date of Publication: November 27, 2012

ISBN: 978-1451650051

Where can you buy?

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Interested in Learning More?

Kresley Cole’s Website

Shadow’s Claim Excerpt / Goodreads: Shadow’s Claim

List of Characters from the Immortals After Dark Series

A Fan’s list of characters and why they are important...

More about the Immortals After Dark Series

FAQ’s about the Immortals After Dark books

The Arcane Chronicles (Young Adult)

It's Monday! What are you reading??

It's Monday! -

What Are You Reading?

is hosted weekly on Mondays

by Sheila from
"One Person's Journey"

Post the books you read last week, books currently reading, and books you plan on finishing this week.






What I read this week...

5 Very Good reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth
By: The Oatmeal

Prepare to laugh your ass off.The hilarity of TheOatmeal.com is now presented in book form with 35 never-before-seen pieces and 25 classic favorites from the Web site, including 6 Types of Crappy Hugs and 17 Things Worth Knowing about Your Cat.In Matthew Inman's 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides), samurai sword-wielding kittens and hamsters that love .50-caliber machine guns commingle with a cracked out Tyrannosaur that is extremely hard to potty train. Bacon is better than true love and you may awake in the middle of the night to find your nephew nibbling on your toes.

Inman creates these quirky scenes for theoatmeal.com, which launched in July 2009 and already has more than 82 million page views. In fact, every 15 to 30 seconds, someone Googles one of theoatmeal.com's creations. Now, 60 of Inman's comic illustrations and life-bending guides are presented in full-color inside 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (And Other Useful Guides). Consider such handy advice as:

* 4 Reasons to Carry a Shovel at All Times 
* 6 Types of Crappy Hugs
* 8 Ways to Tell if Your Loved One Plans to Eat You
* 17 Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat

What I'm Reading Now...

Shadow's Claim
By: Kresley Cole

HE WON’T BE DENIED 

Trehan Daciano, known as the Prince of Shadows, has spent his life serving his people—striking in the night, quietly executing any threat to their realm. The coldly disciplined swordsman has never desired anything for himself—until he beholds Bettina, the sheltered ward of two of the Lore’s most fearsome villains.

SHE’S BOUND TO ANOTHER 

Desperate to earn her guardians’ approval after a life-shattering mistake, young Bettina has no choice but to marry whichever suitor prevails—even though she’s lost her heart to another. Yet one lethal competitor, a mysterious cloaked swordsman, invades her dreams, tempting her with forbidden pleasure.

A BATTLE FOR HER BODY AND SOUL 

Even if Trehan can survive the punishing contests to claim her as his wife, the true battle for Bettina’s heart is yet to come. And unleashing a millennium’s worth of savage need will either frighten his Bride away—or stoke Bettina’s own desires to a fever pitch. . . .

I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was filled with shopping, of course! Didn't do any of that crazy midnight stuff but I did get out about 7:30am and find some sales at the local mall.

I'm so pleased to announce that I have gotten out of my reading funk! I am currently reading Shadow's Claim and am addicted to it. Such great characters and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

What are you reading this week??

"Bettie Page Presents: The Librarian" By: Logan Belle Review

"Bettie Page Presents: 

The Librarian"

By: Logan Belle

Synopsis from Goodreads

Regina Finch, brilliant and bookish, has worked her way up to her dream job as a librarian at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library. But her discovery of the sordid sexual adventures of a rakish, young billionaire among the hallowed halls and sacred stacks of the library unleashes a confusing blend of repulsion and desire that threatens to consume her. It is only through her introduction to the work of Bettie Page—the world’s most popular ingenue-turned-fetish-model—and Page’s own sexual awakening that Regina can hope to discover her sexual prowess and seduce the man she loves.

My Thoughts
    Logan Belle has written a book that is a mass of contradictions, but in an utterly fantastic way. I’m going to be totally honest, I was attracted to this book entirely for its cover and its title. I didn’t know anything about it but immediately went to Goodreads to find out more.
     Regina Finch is a New York City newbie starting out with a new job in one of the most spectacular public libraries in the nation, New York Public. Insecure and alone in a huge city, she finds herself befriending Sebastian, a millionaire photographer who has a vested interest in the library. Seeing more than just what meets the eye, he begins inviting Regina to different places in New York awakening a whole different person within Regina, one whom she may never have thought existed.
    So I’ve gotta get it out of my system, I absolutely loved the story being about a librarian. People think its such a different job than what it really is and I think this novel did a great job of dispelling some of the myths. We don’t sit around reading all day, we are not bored. There is a bit of a  hierarchy, even though its just fake, of different departments within the library. Most people who work in libraries love them. The different people every day, the knowledge, just the basic fun and I think the author did a wonderful job of portraying a realistic atmosphere. Either she has worked in a library before OR she did some fantastic research.
     I also felt the characters were very down the earth. Regina has been sheltered her entire life by her family and as she comes out of her shell, she encounters fear and doubt. While sometimes I did want to yell at her and say what the heck are you doing!, when I finished I thought of both Regina and Sebastian as my friends. I plan on recommending this to my coworkers and I can’t help but hope a little that someone as awesome and naughty as Sebastian comes into my library one day. Well done Ms. Belle!

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details

Publisher: Pocket Star

# of Pages: 288

Date of Publication: November 27, 2012

ISBN: 9781476704159

Find out more about Logan Belle

 and her alter ego, Jamie Brenner:

Twitter

JamieBrenner.com

Goodreads

Introducing...The Librarian

"Body Heat" By: Susan Fox Review

"Body Heat"

By: Susan Fox

Synopsis from Goodreads

It’s Getting Hot In Here…

Maura Mahoney expects to spend her thirtieth birthday the way she’s spent so many others. She’ll work at the Cherry Lane retirement community, have a quiet dinner with her parents, and end the evening with a solo hot chocolate before turning in early. Sedate, but safe. Then Jesse Blue turns up at Cherry Lane, ready to do community service to avoid jail time. And suddenly, prim, by-the-books Maura can’t stop thinking about a sexy, motorcycle-riding bad boy who seems wrong for her in almost every way.

But beneath his gruff exterior, Jesse is a man of surprises. He’s filling the once drab community center with color and life. He’s bonding with the residents. And he’s prompting scorching, wild dreams Maura would never be bold enough to act on. Or would she? Because the way Jesse looks at her, Maura could swear that this heated, smoldering attraction runs both ways…

My Thoughts
    Prepare to be entertained because Body Heat is a whole lot funnier than the hot cover would lead us to suspect! Hilarious characters, a motorcycle riding hottie doing community service, a reserved yet longing to be a little wild administrative assistant, leaky pipes and so much round out this very naughty, very fun book by Susan Fox.
    Maura works in a nursing home, has for quite some time really. She’s content with her life, she’s used to it and really doesn't want anything to change. One day Jesse Blue walks in to do community service and her life is never the same. While she worries about liabilities, he’s driving around senior citizens on the back of his motorcycle. She’s working on the Nursing Home board and Jesse is helping the seniors find girlfriends.
     The differences between the two are very apparent but they have this unmistakable chemistry. Jesse helps Maura become a little less rigid and Maura grounds Jesse. Susan does a wonderful job writing both characters, but I found myself identifying with Maura. I am a fairly outgoing girl but working in a library, you find yourself surrounded by older people. Not a great place to find a boyfriend but give us quiet girls a hottie on a motorcycle? Hello!
    Body Heat is a supremely cute, hot romance dealing with two very different people finding one another. Jesse finds Maura at a tough time in his life and Maura encounters Jesse at the perfect moment. The waters are rough but they definitely find their perfect other half. This was the first book by Susan I have read but will not be the last. Here’s hoping from a librarian in Missouri that there is a sequel!

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details

Publisher: Brava

# of Pages: 320

Date of Publication: November 27, 2012

ISBN: 978-80758274809

Where can you find Susan Fox?

Facebook

Goodreads

Susan Fox’s Official Website

Brava Authors

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly book meme where we let everyone know what books we are eagerly anticipating the release of. 

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine

"Shadow's Claim" 

By: Kresley Cole

HE WON’T BE DENIED 

Trehan Daciano, known as the Prince of Shadows, has spent his life serving his people—striking in the night, quietly executing any threat to their realm. The coldly disciplined swordsman has never desired anything for himself—until he beholds Bettina, the sheltered ward of two of the Lore’s most fearsome villains.

SHE’S BOUND TO ANOTHER 

Desperate to earn her guardians’ approval after a life-shattering mistake, young Bettina has no choice but to marry whichever suitor prevails—even though she’s lost her heart to another. Yet one lethal competitor, a mysterious cloaked swordsman, invades her dreams, tempting her with forbidden pleasure.

A BATTLE FOR HER BODY AND SOUL 

Even if Trehan can survive the punishing contests to claim her as his wife, the true battle for Bettina’s heart is yet to come. And unleashing a millennium’s worth of savage need will either frighten his Bride away—or stoke Bettina’s own desires to a fever pitch. . . 

Expected Publication: November 27, 2012

What are you 

Waiting on this Wednesday??

Update - Look at what I received in the mail yesterday! 

I did a happy dance :)

2012 YA Lit Symposium - The Invisible Minority

The Future of young Adult Literature

YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium

Perhaps the most informational program I attended at the YA Lit Symposium was The Invisible Minority: LGBTQ Teens and Their Literature. 

Presented by MU Professor Linda Esser, MU Alumni Bobbie Bushman and Jessi Menold, and Missouri author Brian Katcher. Brian is the author of Almost Perfect, Winner of the 2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award and is on the 2010 American Library Association's list of Best books for Young Adults.

Brian Katcher speaking at the YA Literature Symposium in St. Louis
(November 2, 2012)

Funny story, I actually work in the same town Brian Katcher lives in. He teaches computers in the the Elementary School and I've met him a few times when the librarians have gotten together to talk summer strategies. An incredibly nice guy, I was seriously wowed by his speech and his passion for LGBTQ issues.

Brian's book, Almost Perfect, is the story of Logan and the girl he falls in love with, Sage. Only, in this tale, Sage may not be everything she appears. Dealing with complex issues such as sexual and self identities, Almost Perfect is a wonderful story of acceptance and love. 

Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won’t tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Moments later, he wishes he never had. Sage finally discloses her big secret: she’s actually a boy. Enraged, frightened, and feeling betrayed, Logan lashes out at Sage and disowns her. But once Logan comes to terms with what happened, he reaches out to Sage in an attempt to understand her situation. But Logan has no idea how rocky the road back to friendship will be.

During the program, the panel touched on the astonishing statistics involving our gay youth of today. (For the sake of my blog, I'll point out that LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Queer) Did you know that most LGBTQ realize they are different around the ages of 11-13? 11-13! 

In addition, the panel shared some scary information on harassment for these teens. According to various studies, 25-40% of homeless teens identify themselves as gay or transgender. LGBTQ students are FIVE times more likely to attempt suicide and over 84% of gay teens reported being verbally abused in the LAST year. 

Think that LGBTQ teens are a small segment of the population? Not so - 4-6% of teens identify themselves as LGBTQ. That means that out of every 100 kids that step foot in your library, 6 of them could fall into this group. Having materials, both fiction and nonfiction, for this section of the teen population is incredibly important. 

Knowing to have these materials and actually having them can be a challenge. During the discussion, a librarian mentioned a time when she had some gay teenagers in her library complaining that there are never books for them. No characters that they could identify with- which led the librarian to searching her catalog. Upon inspection, she realized she only had three books in her library that had gay characters...and four students wanting the books. 

The program was incredibly interesting and quite the eye opener. I have made an effort in the past year since bullying has come to the forefront to buy books dealing with these issues, but in the future I think I will be making a point to buy more books with gay characters. Beyond helping the teens who are in this LGBTQ group, it will help other teens become more accepting and open with those complex issues.

The panel shared the following article with the group and I thought it important to share as well. Whether you are a Young Adult librarian looking to beef up your collection or just someone who would like to read books with positive gay characters, here are some wonderful suggestions.

LGBTQ Young Adult Novels to Make It Better

By: Miranda Lo

1. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe By: Benjamin Alire Saenz
2. Beauty Queens By: Libba Bray
3. Boy Meets Boy By: David Levithan
4. Boyfriends with Girlfriends By: Alex Sanchez
5. The Difference Between You and Me By: Madeleine George
6. Empress of the World By: Sara Ryan
7. I am J By: Cris Beam
8. It's Our Prom (So Deal with It) By: Julie Anne Peters
9. Parrotfish By: Ellen Wittlinger
10. Wildthorn By: Jane English
11. Huntress By: Malinda Lo

Some links that may be helpful:

Jessi Menold's Blog: LGBT @ Your Library

National Safe Place - For Youth...Someplace to go. Someone to Help.

More information about Almost Perfect from Brian Katcher

It Gets Better Project

Stopbullying.gov

The Trevor Project

2012 YA Lit Symposium - Make it Pop

Make it Pop:

How to Use Pop Culture in Your Library

YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium

Librarian's are not widely known as being funny and on top of pop culture...but we really really are! I cannot tell you how often I talk about music, TV shows, movies and just basic weird stuff our society puts out there with my co-workers. I wasn't sure Make it Pop would help me since I was such a fan of pop culture already, but boy was I wrong!

First of all, I want to point out that I think both Sarah Wethern and Scott Rader may have been my favorite speakers from all of the programs I attended. I am totally going to pimp their twitter feeds (click on their names) because they are both adorable and incredibly funny!

Both Scott and Sarah emphasized fandom and the importance of popculture in our libraries, especially in our teen programming. 

We need to go where the teens are going, not  where you think they are going or where they were six months ago. They pointed out that Draw Something was huge about six months ago, but barely anyone is wanting anything to do with it now. The same thing happened with Hungry Birds and to some extent the Twilight phenomenon.

Scott and Sarah pointed out how pop culture can go against typical stereotypes. During this developmental times for teens, its important for them to explore things that appeal to them. 

Lots of fun display ideas and programming concepts were shared. 
Loved this program and triple loved the presenters! 
Remember to use pop culture in your library - the teens will ultimately love your awesomeness.

Find out more information about the Make It Pop Program!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! -

What Are You Reading?

is hosted weekly on Mondays

by Sheila from
"One Person's Journey"

Post the books you read last week, books currently reading, and books you plan on finishing this week.

What I Read This Week...

Lord's Fall
By: Thea Harrison
In the latest Novel of the Elder Races, two mates find themselves on different paths, torn between their duty to the Wyr and the passion that binds them… 
Before she met Dragos, half-human/half-Wyr Pia Giovanni was alone and on the run. Now she’s mated, pregnant and heading south to repair the Wyrs’ frayed relationship with the Elves. Being separated from Dragos is painful, but for the good of the Wyr demesne they need to figure out how to be partners—in more places than just the bedroom.

In New York to preside over the Sentinel Games, Dragos is worried about his mate, but knows that finding two replacement sentinels is essential to show the rest of the Elder Races just how strong and brutal the Wyr demesne can be. But as the Games heat up, Pia’s negotiations with the Elves take a turn for the dangerous, straining her bond with Dragos and threatening everything they hold dear…


Leave Me Breathless
By: Cherrie Lynn

Leather and lace don't strike sparks. Or do they?

It's Valentine's Day, but Macy Rodgers isn't feeling the love. Aside from a torrid, one-night fling in a backseat a few months back, her love life has been sorely lacking, but fortunately she has devious friends who feel like playing Cupid. Wouldn't they be shocked to learn that the match they've made for her is the same one that steamed up the back of that '69 GTO...

Seth "Ghost" Warren has just returned to town after an extended absence. Between his grandmother's failing health, his job as a tattoo artist, his band's gigs, and a crazy ex that won't leave him alone, he's stretched thin. Cautious cowgirl Macy is the last thing he needs thrown into the mix.

She's all country, he's all heavy metal—and Macy knows that if anyone can propel her out of her rut, it's Seth. But when their worlds collide, it's anyone guess if they'll survive with their hearts intact.

I'm in a bit of a reading funk right now. I've tried reading several books and nothing is catching my interest. Anything rocking your socks this week?

2012 YA Lit Symposium - YA Literature & Fan-Created Works

YA Literature & Fan-Created Work

YALSA's Young Adult Literature Symposium

The very first program I attended at the YALSA Young Adult Literature symposium was the YA Literature and Fan-Created Work presentation.

Presented by Robin Brenner, Elizabeth Burns, Leslee Friedman from the Organization of Transformative Works, and Aja Romano, fandom journalist at The Daily Dot and Shipping News columnist at Afterelton.com

I'm going to be completely honest and admit that I went to this program purely out of curiosity. I don't know anything about fandom or why it appeals to people. I had heard of the website Fanfiction and knew Fifty Shades of Grey supposedly had originally been a fanfiction piece about Twilight...but beyond that I was clueless. 

The presentation began with the following quote -

“Fan fiction is what literature might look like if it were 

reinvented from scratch after a nuclear apocalypse by a band of 

brilliant pop-culture junkies trapped in a sealed bunker. They 

don’t do it for money. That’s not what it’s about. The writers 

write it and put it up online just for the satisfaction. They’re 

fans, but they’re not silent, couchbound consumers of media. 

The culture talks to them, and they talk back to the culture in 

its own language.”

— “The Boy Who Lived Forever”, Lev Grossman

Fandom is so much more than I ever thought it was. The term actually can mean anything from writing stories, creating art, making fan videos and even producing music about a certain book, movie, almost anything really. 

There are fandoms for everything from Harry Potter, Twilight, Star Wars, Star Trek, Pride and Prejudice and even TV shows like Bones or Castle. 

The panel discussed how different fandoms have formed and the power they collectively have to influence their chosen genres. Questions of legality were answered and pretty much the consensus was, under fair use most of what fans are creating IS legal. Once the author creates the characters, they are out in the public. Very few cases of fandom have been prosecuted and its incredibly hard to prove these cases are truly illegal.

Something I didn't know - fanfiction has been around for thousands of years. Here are just a few of the books they mentioned that can really be called fanfiction. Some are pretty surprising!

Wizard of Oz

Pride and Prejudice

King Lear

A few of the websites the panelists shared

Archive of Our Own - http://archiveofourown.org/

DeviantArt - http://www.deviantart.com/

Fanfiction.net - http://www.fanfiction.net/

Fanlore - http://fanlore.org/

Authors: Fans turned Pro - http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fans_Turned_Pro

Organization of Transformative Works - http://transformativeworks.org

They also shared some of the most gorgeous artwork I have ever seen. 

I guess the main thing I came away with was that everyone has a passion. People turn to fandom to share their passions with other people and they can do this in quite a variety of ways. 

Find your passion and release your art!

Click here for the YA Literature & Fan Created Work handout