BEA

Ah, the Book Expo report.

Arrived Thursday. Did nothing Book - Expo - ey. Met Melissa & Carlie, went to dinner at Ellen's Stardust Diner (thanks to the singing waitstaff, it was the perfect setting to discuss how much we all loved Dramarama.) I discover that I can do text messaging with my phone!!! This is an exciting fact and will figure in the story.

Friday. And we're off and running. ARCs and galleys galore. Ran into 2nd Gen Librarian. In the way this stuff works, I kept running into 2GL, and we shared coffee at the Librarian's Lounge (thanks, Library Journal!) yet I never saw other people who were there.

But for the peeps I did see! So, we're standing in the crowd on Friday and I glance left and think, hm, that outfit looks familiar. And, as Carlie nudges me and says, "that's Ally Carter," I say, "I think that's one of the outfits" and Carlie says, "just check the name tag." Ah, right. Name tags, a good invention. (Note: this comment on name tags is called foreshadowing. Remember it.)

And it was Ally Carter. And she's talking to someone. And I want to say hi. So Carlie, Melissa and I have the "are we stalkers if we interrupt to say hello" debate. Resolution: even if we are, we will.

So yay, I did interrupt*, and we talked and yes, Ally is just as cool as her books and her blog. Scroll down her post to see a great photo of us (great in it being of us, but keep in mind -- it was hot in there!) And then I got to meet E. Lockhart and Maryrose Wood and fun was had. We found a small area that was cooler (more hothouse than sauna) and I got a copy of E. Lockhart's new ARC. Yay me! And then a group of YA people passed by so hellos were said to Libba Bray (I babbled about my excitement about book three and the packaging for the chapter ARC) and Cassandra Clare and Jo Knowles.

I now go to track down the Ellen Emerson White ARC. I knew it was being published by Holtzbrinck, but couldn't find it. Then I saw David Lubar** and he had a Square Fish bag and I remember that is the particular imprint (and sorry, publishers, but at this point I am confused as heck about publishers and imprints and the like.) But he points me out to someone and then I go talk to someone else and ultimately, thanks to David, I get the ARC and the Bag. And then I do find the Square Fish folks and I gush about EEW and find out yes, they are reprinting the other Meg Powers books. Yay! Now, can we convince them to reprint the Zach Emerson Vietnam books, preferably reissued in one volume?

Carlie and I then make our way to Flux and chat with Andrew Karre. We talk books, and in the "small world" department, Carlie and Andrew went to college together. It's interesting how certain topics work their way to teen fiction; one of Flux's fall books is ..Or Not? by Brian Mandabach, about a girl who defends Darwin in school and finds herself ostracized in school.

As we move along, I see K.L. Going signing books so I jump in line. And I look to my left and who do I see but Laura Bowers! who I met at last year's BEA. Her Beauty Shop for Rent is a great book (and my draft review is sitting in my draft posts pile) and it was great to see her again.

Next, I went to some of the autograph booths. Ally Carter signed a copy of her ARC, so now I have a copy for me and a copy to give to some very eager teens; and the signing by Gabrielle Zevin was also pretty cool because seconds before Gabrielle signed her ARC (memoirs of a teenage amnesiac) Judy Blume came over to chat with Gabrielle! And then, Gabrielle recognized my website. Which was cool.

Next, the kidlit drink get together. My sister was joining us in the city, so we were texting back and forth like crazy (and she complimented my skills, saying I much improved as the day went on.) She was still busy with appointments & work, so Carlie, Melissa and I walked down to the Landmark Tavern, and I had taken off my nametag. Bad move, because with the crowd of people nametags were a must.*** If Adrienne and Gina were there, I totally missed them, but I did get to meet Sheila! I cannot list all the people I saw: Andrew Karre from Flux, I met Paula Chase Hyman who was a lot of fun so now I have to go get her book, which I haven't read yet, and I saw Laura Bowers again, and I'm sure I spotted Carrie Jones but did I mention the crowd? And yes, I saw Betsy, who looked very cool. Literally; she had on a great light blue dress and looked refreshed and calm. And as I read the reports, I see how many people I didn't get a chance to say hello to. Oh, well; fun was had and maybe next time!

Then, I heard from my sister and left (along with Carlie & Melissa) to meet her for dinner (we ate at the restaurant in the hotel, Moda. It is important to mention at this point that we had eaten nothing all day, except for a bagel at the Librarian's Lounge and some peanuts.

Wow, I thought I'd report all in one post but this is pretty long already. So I'll save the rest for tomorrow!

*And of course my nametag is my real name & job, so I'm all "I blog at...". And manage to butcher the name of my own blog because I'm nervous.

** David Lubar: very cool, very funny, tons of awesome. Looking for books boys will love? Lubar is the anwers. Looking for a cool speaker? David, again.

***Wow, nametags figure in again and again.