So I've had the great fortune lately to attend a lot of events and meet a lot of authors, and each and every one has been amazing. Trouble is that, between features and events, I've gotten a little behind on posting, so my apologies for the fact that this post is extremely, obscenely late. The honest truth is that life went crazy for a bit and this post got lost in the shuffle. (I'm ashamed enough without you shaking your heads at me. Give a girl a break.)
On March 20, I drove the hour to Charlottesville for the Virginia Festival of the Book. I met James from
Book Chic Club, my cohort in crime, at the Barnes & Noble there to kick off the day. Kim Harrison's signing was the first order of business.
Unlike James, who arrived early and had the chance to eat breakfast, I was late. When I did arrive I got the skinny from him. He explained that they were handing out numbered bracelets, and that there was a "paparazzi line" for photos. We waited in line and finally had the opportunity to meet Kim, who was extremely nice. She even signed a book for one of you lucky readers!
We left there and drove circles around the city for about 15-20 minutes before finding a parking spot. I paid for parking without a problem, but James and the electronic "Pay for Parking" machine had a slight disagreement. (It was operator error.)
Once James worked things out with the cranky yellow box holding his parking pass hostage, we began our search for the Omni Hotel. That took another 15 minutes because GPS lies, and we were late to meet Amy Brecount White (
Forget-Her-Nots) and head to the first panel discussion we planned to attend. (Thank you yarn store ladies who pointed us in the right direction!) On arriving to the hotel, we went to every room on the first floor except the one that held that particular panel.
Upside: We knew the layout of the hotel like the back of our hand.
Downside: We were even later now. We got there in time to grab a seat on the floor and hear a bit about children's publishing.
Still Amy-less and on the hunt for lunch, we snuck out of the panel just before it ended. That put us in front of the elevators just in time to cross paths with Jennifer Hubbard (
The Secret Year), who ushered us out into the shopping district. We chatted with her as we walked her to a lunch get together then broke off to find sustenance for ourselves. We wound up at Five Guys because the local joint we hoped to eat at was super-busy.
Burgers, beverages and much witty book banter kept us busy during lunch. James flaunted his shiny ARC of Will Grayson, and I'll openly admit that I touched it. I'll say it loud and proud. I am a shiny object floozy.
After sufficient grease intake, we found our way back to the hotel a into a panel on worldbuilding where Suzanne Morgan William (Bull Rider), Keri Mikuski (Screwball), P.J. Hoover (Forgotten Worlds) and Barrie Summy (I So Don't Do Spooky) talked about how they go able creating a world readers can believe. Shortly after the panel got going, Amy appeared.
We talked for a bit about books and writing then James headed off to find the table where P.J. Hoover and Barrie Summy were signing while I went to the car to grab all the books I planned to get signed later in the day. I returned in time to find one unchaperoned boy blogger still gabbing with the girls. Apparently James had been talking about me because I was asked if
I was the other half of
we.
I told them I was a blogger too and that blogging was how James and I knew each other. Naturally, this prompted Barrie to ask, "What's your blog?"
I had like 100 followers at the time and was more than sure my blog royally sucked. Embarrassed, I looked down and sort of ground my toe into the ground. Then half-muttered, "Wastepaper Prose." The reaction that followed nearly gave me a heart attack.
Barrie Summy, author of three middle grade books, reeled back in her chair and squealed! Over me! She cried, "I READ YOU!"
I almost died. All James said was, "See? I told you your blog didn't suck." Smart aleck.
Finally, it was time for Amy and Jennifer's panel on hot teen literature. Along with their fellow panelists, Paula Chase (Flipping the Script) and David McInnis Gill (Soul Enchilada), they read from their latest works, discussed their writing, and talked about young adult literature today. The panel was fantastic and afterwards all four authors signed books and we had the opportunity to talk with them for a while. All in all, it was a great day!
CONTEST
U.S. Only
Ends 5/29 at midnight EST.
I'm giving away a copy of Prom Nights from Hell, signed by Kim Harrison. This anthology also features stories by Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle and others. You must be a blog follower to enter. Here's how you rack up entries...
Extra Entries
+3 Blog Follower
+1 Comment on this post
+2 Add Wastepaper Prose to your blog roll
+2 Tweet or link to this contest
(Twitter, sidebar, facebook, etc. Max 2 links.)
"The two toughest parts of The Secret Year’s road: first of all, while I was writing it, wondering whether it was a book anyone else would care about. I knew it was important to me, and I had a lot of faith in it, but was I just deluding myself? And then after that, the toughest part was waiting for it to come to the bookshelves." - Jennifer Hubbard, author of The Secret Year. 
"Writing Tell Me a Secret was not an easy task. It meant delving into the sad events that inspired it, and the pain of difficult relationships. There were many times when I thought I was wasting my time and babysitting money, that I would never be up to the task of finishing it. I learned a lot, fighting through those doubts – mostly that they were an Everest of my own making. After I realized it, they had much less power over me." - Holly Cupala, author of Tell Me a Secret. 
Wow am I nervous! I've seen several people put up BEA meet-up posts, including The Story Siren and Sharon Loves Books & Cats, so I decided to throw in with the cool kids and do one too.
"I remember my first ever literary crush: Morgan Leah from The Druid of Shannara by Terry Brooks. It showed me it was possible to actually love a fictional character to the point of desperately wishing he was real. It made me want to write characters like that; so vivid and alive and unforgettable, you almost forget that they aren’t flesh and blood." - Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron King. 
"It's impossible to pick a single book that impacted my writing the most, because I think all the books you love become part of who you are as a writer--but certainly classic fantasy (Diana Wynne Jones, C.S. Lewis), science fiction (Ray Bradbury) and Southern/Southern Gothic lit (Harper Lee, Flannery O'Connnor/Anne Rice) have influenced me the most. The book that impacted me the most personally was The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The voice and the characters spoke to me, and I related to the idea that people are not always what they appear to be--that often people who appear to be the toughest are the ones who have been the most wounded by life." - Kami Garcia, co-author of Beautiful Creatures. 
"Oh, hard question. It's a tie between The Graveyard Book, and Shel Silverstein. Silverstein shaped me as a writer, because my parents read him to me all growing up. His rhythm and rhyme scheme has worked its way into my bones. But Gaiman's Graveyard Book...Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors, and he's also the first author I was ever compared to, and I just loved that book so much. It had a wonderful apparent simplicity, the same as William Blake, that disguises something much richer, and that's something I aspire to in my writing." - Victoria Schwab, author of The Near Witch. 
"I’m not sure it’s one book, but rather one writer. Around age 12, I started my all-things-Stephen King obsession...er…phase. Don’t we all go through this phase??? His books really hooked me on reading, and steered me toward horror/thriller/supernatural (anything creepy!)." - Kimberly Derting, author of The Body Finder. 
"I read Little Women and Little Men about fifty times each when I was a kid and they made me want to be a writer like Louisa May Alcott. I knew she based the character of Jo on herself and Jo wanted to be a writer...so I understood that it was a dream that was possible to attain." - Rhonda Hayter, author of The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams. 
Apologies for not being my normal prompt self and posting these contest results a day or two after, but I was in Kentucky over the weekend and didn't have a chance to write a post. More on the Kentucky trip later. Right now, I have to announce the winners of a signed copy of this book and some pretty fabulous swag. 
"My biggest writerly fault is probably my eagerness to finish the story that I am writing. I stick to a strict schedule, writing as much as I can every day because I’m so excited to get the story on paper. Sometimes, I rush through my writing, but I believe that that’s what the first draft is for. I’ve learned to write the first draft from the heart and the second, third, etc. from the head. As long as I get the story on the page, I can always edit it later." - Riley Carney, author of The Fire Stone. 
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