Patricia Briggs at Bailey's Crossroads

Another year of bookish events got kicked off on about two weeks ago when Meaghan from A Bookworm's Haven told me she was going to the Bailey's Crossroads Borders store just outside of Washington, D.C. to see Patricia Briggs, author of the wildly popular Mercedes Thompson series. The latest book in the series, Rivermarked, released on March 1.

I drove up from Richmond and met Meaghan for a dinner of Belgian waffles (gluten-free for her) at Silver Diner in Arlington. As usual there was some book banter and catching up while we ate, then we headed to the bookstore. Unfortunately we didn't arrive early enough because the place was jam packed with people. (This is the same reason I didn't even try for a photo.) Understandable, but still unexpected more than a half hour before the signing was scheduled to start.

Instead of finding the perfect place to stand and look awkward until the signing began, we opted to go downstairs and find books. (We found one for you guys too.) It was a good thing we did. There were only three of the newest book available! Moments later we overheard the store manager telling an employee that if the hardcovers were gone that was it. There were no more.

Briggs read from Rivermarked once she arrived and the reading was excellent. However, she did confess that sometimes she reads things that aren't there because she has a good memory and will reinsert things that were taken out in the editing process.

As far as the signing itself, I thought it could have gone better. The reading and Q&A were over around 8pm, but it took over three hours to get books signed. I have no idea what the hold-up was but there seemed to be a lack of organization.

We actually shut the store down. At 11:20pm, over an hour after Borders had locked their doors, we finished up. All considered, the event itself was great. The signing portion could have gone a bit better, but I'd glad I got to go and meet Patricia Briggs. She was delightful to listen too and nice as could be.

GIVEAWAY

I figured I would tack a different tack on this giveaway since it's a series and get a copy of the first book so that those who haven't had a chance to read it or didn't even know about it can start. I've included a description of it below. Happy entering!

Description: Goodreads
Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.

Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.

She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.

But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself ... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.