One of my absolute favorite male leads is celebrating his 26th birthday today! At this point in the Addicted timeline, Lo (and Lily :)) have overcome so much and are continuing on a positive path. Sure, they still struggle everyday with temptation but let's face it, they will be struggling with it for probably their entire life. What's important is how much they've grown and how much stronger they've become. Lo's transformation and character progression is one of my favorites to witness.
I look back and remember how amazed I was (and still am) at Lo's unconditional love for Lily. He truly is one remarkable human being (ha! listen to me talk like he's a real person. He's real to me, I don't care what people say! :P). HAVE ONE HECK OF A BIRTHDAY, LOREN HALE!
** Flashback to the very first videos I made (keep in mind, I was still a novice in video-making)**
When Lo was one of the nominees for the NA Crush Tourney in 2014
Okay, okay, enough with the nostalgia (*sniff* I have something in my eye).
Be sure to head on over to the Fizzle Force group on Facebook for an exclusive treat!! And don't forget to visit Krista & Becca's blog, as I'm sure they won't forget to celebrate Lo's birthday today.
In celebration of Lo's birthday, I am giving away one mug - winner's choice! Winner can take their pick of one of the following two designs:
In the Addicted world, Ryke, our lone wolf, turns 27. I look back and remember the first time he was introduced in Addicted to You and thinking, OMG he's going to be trouble. Back then, I thought he was going to come between Lily and Lo...and he did in a way...but not in the way that I was expecting. With the way Lily was describing him looking similar to Lo, I thought she would grow attracted to him. It's seems so funny now that I think about it.
Ryke had so much to do with Lily and Lo's recovery. He helped kick start it and he's made such a huge impact in Lo and Lil's life that it's hard to imagine how they would have ended up and where they would have been had Ryke not decided to come into their lives. At the very beginning of Hothouse Flower, Ryke says, "I'm raw. I'm hard. I'm the thing you shy away from. So I'm warning you now. Back away. Because once you enter my life, I won't ever let you leave." So far, he's kept that promise and I never ever want him to leave. I loved witnessing Ryke's relationship with Lo, Lily, Rose, Connor, and Daisy change into something wonderful.
Happy Birthday, Ryke! Today, we celebrate you. The Addicted world would not be the same without you in it.
In celebration of Ryke's birthday, I am giving away this Raisy inspired mug with a quote from Krista and Becca. Enter to win below (open internationally).
Would you believe that today marks the 2nd year the fandom name “Fizzle Force” became official? Let's take a quick stroll down memory lane and see how the fandom name was chosen.
It all started sometime around the beginning of August 2014 when talk of a fandom name came about. One of the earliest conversations I found suggested "KB Addicts," "Ritchie Lovers," and "KB's Addicted Darlings" as options for the fandom.
It was a lot of fun reminiscing and going through all these links. Hard to believe it's been 2 years since. But of course, Krista & Becca's fandom have been around, albeit nameless, for longer than that. Here’s to more years of fangirling with all of you!! Cheers!!
It's August 5th and today, we celebrate Rose Calloway's birthday! On this day, Rose turns 27 in the Addicted series timeline. She is fierce as she is loyal. She is intelligent as she is beautiful.
Rose is driven and passionate in empowering women and making them feel confident. She strives to help women know their worth and to love and accept who they are. Rose is an inspiration; someone we can all look up to and admire.
August 1st celebrates Lily Calloway's birthday, and also marks 3 years since Ricochet was released. This year, 2016, Lily celebrates her 25th birthday in the Addicted Series timeline.
At this point in her life, Lily has overcome so much and has grown immensely in character. She's fought and won battles she never thought she could, and she's much stronger than she even realizes. Along the way, she's learned to love herself and to accept who she is. Out of all the Addicted series characters, she's the one I relate to the most. Lily is my spirit animal. Cheers to you, Lily Calloway!
In celebration of Lily's birthday, I am having a small giveaway for one Halway Comics Mug (your choice in either red or blue/green). Enter to win below (open internationally).
I love this epilogue book!! Now, before you go diving into it, please take note that this is no ordinary epilogue. By that, I mean this is one gigantic book that is about 700 pages long (not quite sure of the exact page count yet since the paperback isn’t released). To me, it’s like a huge Addicted Series bonus material, only I get to keep it on my shelf in book form :D. It is 100% character driven with no central conflict. It’s what you would expect in an epilogue only it spans a period of 10 years (between the time that Long Way Down ended to the Long Way Down epilogue), contains 6 POVs, and it serves as: 1) a conclusion to the Addicted Series; 2) all the questions you ever wanted answered about what happened to the core 6 characters are probably contained in this book; 3) you get to witness the next generation of kids being born and growing up; and 4) it’s a great transition to the Like Us series which features the Addicted kids all grown up. Do you have to read Some Kind of Perfect? No. Let me reiterate. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK. I would say that this book is really meant for all the hard-core, devoted fans of the Addicted Series who just can’t seem to get enough of their beloved characters. As Krista and Becca Ritchie clearly pointed out before releasing this book, you can read Long Way Down and the epilogue at the end of that book. Long Way Down’s epilogue was put in place for anyone who doesn’t want to read Some Kind of Perfect and still have a sense of closure. “Some Kind of Perfect just simply gives you more.”
If you’re one of the hard-core, devoted fans of the series, you don’t want to miss out on this perfect epilogue! I think that you will absolutely love this book because you get to read LiLo’s, Coballoway’s, and Raisy’s POV one last time and see them as parents. Witness each of them still working through their challenges, and get introduced to different challenges as parents. It was truly marvelous to witness how much they’ve grown and how far they’ve come, and how much they’ve overcome.
The past can’t drag me under. I relive the better parts that are intertwined with bad. Because I look back and think, Christ, we were so goddamn fragile. Look how far we’ve come. Look at us now.
You will also get to read about Willow and Garrison. Their scenes are so much fun to read and I can’t wait for the next chapters of Whatever It Takes to be released! There are so many heartwarming moments and I laughed in every single chapter for about the first 35% of the book. After that, it was a mix of emotions. There will be lots of tears shed. LOTS. Crocodile tears. Especially if you hate goodbyes. You’ll witness some of the trials and tribulations that the core 6 and their children will face and it makes me thrilled and anxious to read the Like Us series.
Truly magnificent. THANK YOU KRISTA & BECCA for gifting us fans this one final Addicted book to satisfy our cravings!!
The book we've all been waiting for is finally here. The book that marks the very end of such an amazing series.
Title: Some Kind of Perfect
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie
Series: Calloway Sisters #4.5
Pub Date: May 20, 2016
Falling in love was just the beginning
The conclusion to the epic ten-book series about the unbreakable strength of family, friendship, and love.
Lily & Lo are back one final time. Childhood best friends and soul mates.
Ryke & Daisy are back one final time. Wild risk-takers and flirty adventurers.
Connor & Rose are back one final time. Genius rivals and intellectual teammates.
Ten years of laughter. Of heartache. And love.
***Authors' Note***
Some Kind of Perfect is a full-length epilogue novel. It is highly recommended to read this book after Long Way Down. Otherwise, it will spoil the entire series. Some Kind of Perfect is meant to be the 10th book in the series.
It's hard to fathom that in just a few days -- no, hours -- the Addicted Series will officially be over. After nearly 3 years since Addicted to You was first published on June 13, 2013 and graced us all with it's epic-ness, the final book, Some Kind of Perfect, will be releasing on May 20, 2016. *hear the collective sigh*
In this post, I am going to reminisce about the past. The journey from then until now and remembering when we all first came to love this series. When I look back at when I first read Addicted to You, I remember feeling so overwhelmed with emotion. I couldn't get over Lil and Lo's unconditional love for one another and it really goes beyond that, if that makes sense. They care so much for each other there's not even a word good enough to describe it. Addicted to You became my #1 favorite book, trumping *gasp* Pride and Prejudice!
The evolution of Addicted to You covers
At this time 3 years ago, I was brand new to Goodreads. I was following a few suggested accounts and reviews, but had no friends on GR yet and I was still getting to know my way around it. I was so excited about these books but really had no one to share my enthusiasm with (insert sad face here).
In my effort to find more about this series, I started stalking all of Krista & Becca's social media accounts. I soon found out that I could send private messages to authors on GR. So, I did what any normal person would do in my situation. I sent a friend request to Krista and Becca Ritchie and sent them a message letting them know how much I love their books. I was ecstatic when hours later, I got a response from Becca! Finally, I had someone to talk to about my excitement over these books and who better to understand my feelings than the creators themselves, right?! Right off the bat, Becca was so easy to talk to. I realized early on that Becca was the one on social media the most while Krista sort of stayed "behind the scenes" for the most part.
The story that started it all
Out of curiosity, I asked a few others (who have been fans of the series from very early on) what their earliest memory is of as they think back in time to when they first started reading the Addicted Series. Here's what some had to say...
Lisa (@mackees_) recalls: "My earliest memory related to this series is definitely befriending Sue [@rykemeadows]. I followed her [Tumblr] looong before but never really spoken to her until one day I saw her [reblog] something and tagged it with RYKE MEADOWS and I was like RYKE MEADOWS??? Then I attacked her inbox screaming 'OH MY GOD YOU READ ADDICTED TO YOU?!' and she screamed back and we became friends ever since. She's the first person I befriended in the fandom so that's nice :D"
Sil (@THENIGHTWING) recalls: "I remember Sue [@rykemeadows] talking about a 'Daisy and Ryke' [and] 'Raisy' I was like what is thiiiiis. I Googled it/Goodread it, but I didn't find anything because obviously I didn't know what I was looking [for]. Of course, Sue told me all about this series and I decided on Christmas holidays a few years ago to start it, I think I finished Addicted to You, Ricochet, Addicted for Now and Kiss the Sky really fast and Hothouse Flower hadn't come out yet! It's one of my first NA books to read tbh! I really liked it a lot and these books made me love the NA genre"
Jae (@lilycalloway) recalls: "My first impression of a book starts with its cover; the image, the font and overall feel. I'm a huge cover judger ['tis a terrible feat]. It was during the time Kiss the Skywas published that I started becoming interested in the series. You know how Addicted to You's original cover had a young woman lying down in the front? I was not a fan. And because of that I actually started reading a couple of chapters of Kiss the Sky before figuring out Lily and Lo are the cutest and I needed to know their story! So I read Addicted to You. Then Ricochet andAddicted for Now. I was the Flash when it came to reading those books. I fell in love and was inspired by the story and characters. And realized how perfect Addicted to You's original cover really was. Don't get me wrong, I'm all heart eyes over the newer editions! Grayscale coloring to reflect the tone of the story (I'm glad Krista and Becca kept it as such). The young woman on the original was incredibly thin though. To the point, I felt she was unhealthy and wanted to look away. THIS was essentially Lily Calloway to a new reader's eyes. Addiction is a dark spiral and avoiding the problem or turning your back to it isn't the right answer. Looking back, I can't believe I ever thought not to read Addicted to You! I'm still mentally kicking myself in the shins for not purchasing the original pb back then though."
Lanie (@LiLoX23Hellion) recalls when we first started the (now) Fizzle Force group on Facebook: "so I saw Aestas' review on Goodreads. That was last
quarter of 2013. When I finished Addicted for Now w/c was released [November] if I
remember it right, I started stalking KB on FB. They [posted] a lot of fun
facts back then and I would always leave a question. They always [replied]
to my questions. The next book they [were] releasing back then [was] Kiss the Sky. I
asked them why Kiss the Sky is the title of the book. They said it's kind of
spoiler. Then you [as in me, Jenn] saw my question. You asked if I have more questions
like that and [would] like to give you some since you're doing an interview
that time. That's the start that we [got] to [talking]. It so happens we're both Filipina. So come January [2014], I asked you if KB has a group on FB where
fans [can] congregate. Then you created one, but you created another page
not a group. So I created the group then transferred the admin rights
to you and Krista and Becca. Then [you said] why not the 2 of us manage the
group for KB. And the rest is history."
Siiri (@rosecoballoway), who has known Krista & Becca ever since they were bloggers, before they ever published Addicted to You, recalls that she had to start pushing this book on people because not a lot of people were reading it at the time. She had no one to discuss them with and felt like the books deserved more. She also remembers being the only one who freaked out over Connor and Coballoway (<--- Siiri was the one who coined this term, btw) and doesn't remember anyone else being that obsessed with them at that time. If there were others just as obsessed with Coballoway as Siiri was, then she sadly missed their excited state. Siiri has been a supporter of the series right from the very very start and I'm truly glad to have her as one of my dearest friends. Mind you, I was very intimidated by Siiri at first because everything she said just exudes intelligence and I felt way out of my league to be talking to her at the time. SO glad I got over the nerve and finally spoke to her :D.
It's kinda crazy to think that at the time when I first read Addicted to You, it was only supposed to be a 5-book series, not including Kiss the Sky and Hothouse Flower as spinoffs. Now, they will be releasing book #10 in the series! I still remember trying to get so many people to read the series so I could have my wish come true and have these babies on paperback to admire on my shelf. 3 years ago, Krista & Becca agreed that the only way they would publish all the books in paperback is if they got enough demand to do it because it took a lot of work to format the paperback editions and they do all the work, EVERYTHING, themselves.
Krista & Becca shelfie
It's also crazy to look back and see that when this all started, Krista & Becca's Tumblr blog, Fizz Life (where people can ask questions and get some answers), started out with just 30 posts in November 2013. In December 2013, they had only 16 posts. In January 2014 only 31 posts. Then, soon after Kiss the Sky was released on January 22, 2014, Krista & Becca's Tumblr posts went up to 93 in February 2014! In March 2014, it went up to a whopping 231 posts! It was like news spread like wildfire and more and more people started reading and getting into the series. After that, I just couldn't keep up anymore and I used to stalk their Tumblr page religiously!
In December 2013, they reached 1,000 Likes on Facebook among other milestones (see their post HERE).At present, they have over 13,000 Likes.
Do you remember when Krista & Becca had their very first live stream video on YouTube? Gosh, that feels like ages ago!
Or, how about the time when they were visiting their brother, Alex, and got him to join their Fizz Live chat? (Hottie alert!)
Fun times!
Honestly, I don't think Krista & Becca could've started their career any more perfectly than with publishing Addicted to You. This book has touched so many people and the messages within the pages connected so many lives until we became this powerful entity known as the Fizzle Force. In Fizzle Force, I've met some of the most amazing, talented, caring, intelligent, generous, and loving people in the world.
Established: August 19, 2014
The Addicted Series has forever changed my life. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of reading this wonderful series, I can't say or explain it any better than this super cool Tumblr post with detailed infographics created by the supergirls of Fizzle Reads (read entire post HERE), why you should read the Addicted Series:
This is such a bittersweet moment. But it's not goodbye. Not really. The beauty of books is that you can always come back to them and re-read the chapters, re-live the moments, and go back to those feelings. So, until then...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WILLOW MOORE!!! In case you didn't know, Willow is a side character from the Addicted series. She doesn't have too many scenes in the series; first introduced in
Addicted for Now and then we see more of her in Addicted After All. Biggest
THANKS to Eri and her fervent support for Willow and Garrison, they now
have their very own web series, Whatever It Takes.
Also, there's this exciting little event going on at Tumblr called "30 Days of Krista and Becca Ritchie." Sooooooo many wonderful, beautiful, magnificent graphics and edits by fans everywhere!!! You just have to check it out!! You can join too if you want! Marie and Siiri created this 30KBR tag on Tumblr along with a schedule of ideas.
Day 2 was Gillow (<--- ship name for Willow + Garrison). You can find all the gorgeous edits at this link: 30 Days of Krista and Becca Ritchie. Beware of spoilers if you haven't read the books!
Happy Birthday to the beautiful daredevil, Daisy Calloway!! The youngest in the Calloway clan is celebrating her 20th birthday today. Also, on this day in the Addicted world, Daisy gets Coconut!!! A Siberian husky from Ryke.
For someone who is so full of smiles and sunshine, Daisy has gone through some very traumatic experiences in her life. But we won't dwell on any of that today. Today we celebrate and wish Daisy the most happiest of times and the best birthday ever with lots of chocolate cake!
So, if you've been around the past year for Lily, Rose, Ryke, Lo, and Connor's birthdays, you know that we have something special in store for you. Check out the exclusive bonus material and giveaway at the Fizzle Force group on Facebook in celebration of Daisy's birthday! You do have to
be a member of the group in order to read it, but don't worry if you
aren't on Facebook or if you don't want to become a member of the
group! In about a month or so, Krista & Becca will release this
bonus material on their blog so everyone gets a chance to read it!
What a way to start off every New Year by celebrating Connor Cobalt's birthday! Of course, he would hate for us to make a big deal of this day, but he'll just have to get over it.
Today is super special, not just because of the birth of a god, but also because Krista & Becca have a Live Chat on YouTube at 1:00 PM EST! If you can't be there live, don't worry, you can watch it later. Click on THIS LINK or the image below to go there.
If there's one thing I love about the Addicted Series, it's that all of the characters go through such profound character growth. Even Connor, the king himself, isn't exempt from that. Connor is quite possibly the most intriguing character I've ever had the pleasure to read. He's basically every woman's fantasy and now, if only we have the power to actually conjure him up in real life, that would probably be the most epic event in history.
Just like with the Lily, Rose, Ryke, and Lo, the Fizzle Force group on Facebook has an exclusive bonus material and giveaway for its members to help celebrate character birthdays! You do have to be a member of the group in order to read it, but don't fret if you aren't on Facebook or if you don't want to become a member of the group! In about a month or so, Krista & Becca will release this bonus material on their blog so everyone gets a chance to read it! Speaking of Krista & Becca, they are also having a giveaway to celebrate Connor's special day! CLICK HERE or on the graphic below to enter and to read all about what Connor means to Krista & Becca.
