Hello
happy readers! So this week has been a
bit of a hit on my sleep schedule shifting between work schedules and making
another well worth it day trip to Atlanta (4 hr drive one day) for a book
event. I mean it was Stephanie Perkins
so it was a must go type of thing. So
today since I slept for 14 hours last night I would do an event talk instead of
a review. I will be ready next week though since I won't
have any events to drag me away. I was
thrilled to be able to meet my good friend, Bo from Bogdana the Booknerd,
before both events to hit up our favorite pre-event meal of Noodle just a block
from the shop and even get some ice cream from the delightful shop around the
corner Butter & Cream. I kid you not
I get as excited about getting to get our food as for the events.
So
last week I went to the Epic Reads event with Kendare Blake, Jessie Ann Foley,
and Katharine McGee for the Epic Reads event. Epic Reads was hosted at the beautiful little
store, Little Shop of Stories where I go to most all of my events up
there. This time with the multiple
authors they did something a little different and instead of having them up in
front of all of us they split the chairs into three circles and each circle got
an author to chat with for a time before they swapped speed dating style. It was different but really fun.
First
in our circle was the lovely Jessie Ann who shared her inspiration for
Neighborhood Girls. We discussed the
heart of the story, the very relevant catalyst, and more. With her first book taking place in Ireland we talked about some travel and a
little tidbit of fun that with the book she was able to get her husband, who has
the accent, to read parts out loud to see how they sounded to make sure they
flowed. I loved that and it makes me so
excited to dive in.
Last
but not least we got to sit down with Kendare Blake who is not only part of
several anthologies but also was celebrating the release of the second Three Dark Crowns book that very
day. We talked about how the book series
went from being set as a duology ending with One Dark Crown to a four book series. Nothing changed in the book. It still ended where it was supposed to end
but not we will get to see the fall out and what happens next after the winner
sits on the throne. Funny enough she got
the idea after learning about bees at a party.
Everyone was worried about the huge ball of bees but there was a
beekeeper present who explained they were safe as the ball was to protect the
queen as they moved and it spiked her curiosity and she asked the beekeeper
questions for the rest of the party. I
love how this came to be getting ideas and writing in general.
Overall
the Epic Reads event was a success. Everyone
got to ask questions in smaller groups taking the pressure off and letting some
who may be more nervous and intimidated speak up. I give this even 5 Stars for sure!
Then
one week later Little Shop of Stories was working with the library to host
Stephanie Perkins for the release of her new book, Theres Someone in Your House at the library. As Stephanie used t o be a librarian it was
perfect. She also used to live in the
area and had some friends pop in, which totally distracted her mid sentence and
is something we can all relate to I think.
She
got there a bit early to talk with her moderator but with the driving in
Atlanta there was a change in plans with a vehicle accident (no one was hurt
thankfully just unable to make it) and her fill in was already familiar as they
had spent the day discussing things so she came out to just sit/chat/ and
pre-sign for us early birds. Clearly
that included Bo and myself. She signed
our books and we discussed things from how we ended up meeting and becoming
friends at a book event and book covers/designs since I have the UK version of
her anthologies with the colored page edges.
Stephanie
was such a riot. Seriously she was SO
MUCH FUN! She is so down to earth and
loves some dark topics just as much as the cute fluffy stuff. We could have spent all night just talking
about random topics. But once it hit
time she sat up to discuss her book. It
was a departure from what she is known for writing with her Anna and the French Kiss series being a
slasher horror story and all. However,
anyone on the fence rest assured there is still the feel of her voice and that
beauty in there as well because she couldn’t help herself. However, there is also a high body count and
lots of great horror classics. I can't
wait! I love horror movies, the cheesier
the better.
After
the event she was signing books for everyone and even though we had ours signed
we still waited in line because we wanted to grab a photo and because we wanted
to say something more post event. Knowing
she loved Halloween and scary things Bo recommended she check out Halloween
Horror Nights and discussed some particulars.
After finding out she did a lot of research to make things feel right in
her story including the law enforcement side having to find people to give help
in different areas I told her I was a dispatcher for a university currently but
spent several years in a very small county doing 911 dispatch, you know if she
ever needed further help. Hey I would
love to offer my services!
That
was my thoughts on the last couple events.
Sorry I didn’t get more photos of the events themselves. However, I during the Epic Reads event I did
get my paperback ARC of Three Dark Crowns
signed by Kendare Blake and I was able to snag an extra tote bag from the event
to use in a giveaway along with some other misc goodies I have been collecting
to include ;) I'll leave this open for a two weeks so enter below!
