Cora Carmack is one of my favorite people. Like, not even including the fact that she has become one of my favorite authors and I'm a huge fan of her books, she is just an awesome human being. And that's why I'm so glad to be part of her street team the Carmcats. Normally I'd be part of the review blog tour, but for All Played Out, we decided to do something a little bit different. Since Nell creates a college bucket list, Team Carmcat thought it would be fun to create a bucket list blog tour with different must-haves/must-tries/must-dos in your life. Today's the last day of the bucket list tour, and I'm really excited to announce my topic is
This list went through several iterations. There were the funny things and the serious ones. In the end, I just had to go with the five things I am most grateful I've done in my life.
1. Travel internationally.
One of the best things I've ever done was go on a trip to Italy after my freshman year of college, and I've also been to Canada and Puerto Rico (okay, it's part of the US, yes, but it's at least not part of the contiguous 48!). People talk about finding themselves on extended backpacking trips through Europe and stuff, which is all well and good, but for me, it was about bonding with friends and family, and just having fun experiencing other cultures.
1a. I shouldn't have to say this, but if you're going to travel to countries outside of your own, eat the appropriate food. Don't go to McDonalds and Starbucks when you can sample local cuisine instead. Unless you're in Japan, and you're trying their crazy McDonalds menu that isn't offered in the states. I'll allow that, but only if you try real food too!
2. Fall in love....and fall out of it.
Without getting too personal, I was in a relationship that wasn't the greatest, but I did learn a lot from it. Recovering from heartbreak helped me learn how to stand on my own, and I realize I don't need a guy to complete me. I know who I am, and I think that this one failed relationship really helped me discover myself.
3. Attend a big event or two or three.
I've attended Dragon Con (it's Atlanta's Comic Con) a few times, several book festivals and conferences (TLA, RT, NTTBF, TTBF, TBF), a Tennessee Titans game, games for the USMNT and USWNT soccer teams, and several Olympic qualifying events. Find something you love, find an applicable event, plan for it, and GO. Go with friends. Go with family (my mom has actually gone to a lot of events with me). Go by yourself. Just GO. We live in this crazy world where it's so easy to connect with people all over the world over the internet, but there is NOTHING as exhilarating as connecting with people in real life at a specific event focusing on something you love, be it books, music, movies and tv, sports, video games, whatever!
3a. Bonus points if you meet a celebrity at one of these events!
4. Move somewhere totally new.
I had no idea when I moved to Dallas that it would be so life-changing. New city, new job(s), new hobby, new friends, new career. I don't think if I'd never moved from my hometown that I would be working in a library or that I would be a part of this bookish community. I wouldn't have met all the wonderful authors and bloggers I've come to know over the past two and a half years. And similarly to my failed relationship, moving to Dallas was also part of the process that helped me discover myself and stand on my own. Moving was one of the scariest things I've ever done, but it was so worth it!
4a. Start a new hobby or a new habit. I started blogging. Yours could be marathons or painting or photography or jewelry-making. You'll never know what you love until you try something new!
5. Love yourself
I feel like by 30, you should know [mostly] who you are, and you should love that person. Your teens are a lot of firsts and a lot of discoveries; your 20s are all about reconciling that identity with the Real World and being an adult. It's okay to still learn more as you go on and keep discovering new things about yourself, but those discoveries should fit in with an identity that you love.
5a. Don't regret anything. Do I regret those pants I wore in high school? Yeah. Do I regret saying that thing that one time? Of course! But I don't regret the big things. Regret sucks. Learn to forgive yourself (and others) and move on!
Bucket List Tour
Author: Cora Carmack
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: new adult contemporary romance
Status: book 3 in the
Rusk University series
Summary: First person in her family to go to college? CHECK.
Straight A’s? CHECK.
On track to graduate early? CHECK.
Social life? …..yeah, about that….
With just a few weeks until she graduates, Antonella DeLuca’s beginning to worry that maybe she hasn’t had the full college experience. (Okay... Scratch that. She knows she hasn't had the full college experience).
So Nell does what a smart, dedicated girl like herself does best. She makes a "to do" list of normal college activities.
Item #1? Hook up with a jock.
Rusk University wide receiver Mateo Torres practically wrote the playbook for normal college living. When he’s not on the field, he excels at partying, girls, and more partying. As long as he keeps things light and easy, it's impossible to get hurt... again. But something about the quiet, shy, sexy-as-hell Nell gets under his skin, and when he learns about her list, he makes it his mission to help her complete it.
Torres is the definition of confident (And sexy. And wild), and he opens up a side of Nell that she's never known. But as they begin to check off each crazy, exciting, normal item, Nell finds that her frivolous list leads to something more serious than she bargained for. And while Torres is used to taking risks on the field, he has to decide if he's willing to take the chance when it's more than just a game.
Together they will have to decide if what they have is just part of the experiment or a chance at something real.
About the Author:
Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. Her first book, Losing It, was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.
Author Links:
Giveaway:
1 winner will receive signed set of all three Rusk University books
a Rafflecopter giveaway
