Wow, has it really been that long?
Tuesday was super busy in the Expo. I got some great books but stuck to my plan of being selective. Tuesday night I went to the Bookrageous Bash at the Lolita Bar with Heather and Megan and ended up meeting with Kim, Ash, Cass, and Amy and had a great time! It was nice to relax and talk to other bloggers.
Wednesday I spent most of my morning in lines. I stood in line for Rick Riordan for two hours and Ally Condie's "Crossed" for about an hour. Rick's book was personalized for my best friend Button as a "thank you for being in my wedding" gift as it's her favorite author. I spent the rest of Wednesday walking around, talking to people, and taking in all of the sights of the Expo. After the Expo Sheila and I returned to the hotel and to relax before going to the Harper Collins reception and dinner with Heather (and others).
Thursday morning we hit the Expo early again because at 10:30 we left to go on a walking tour of Greenwich Village with Adriana Trigiani. I spent the morning finishing up talking to publishers and other people I had promised a meeting with. We left for Greenwich at about 10:40 and had a great time walking with our tour guide Nikki. Many of the stops on the tour were from Adriana's novel. I'll post pictures next week. We then went to the Standard Grill and met up with Adriana and had a fantastic dinner. This woman is amazingly funny and genuine. I haven't read a novel of hers (yet) but after listening to her stories I am SO excited to get my hands on those books. It was an absolutely fantastic day Adriana — thank you!
After lunch we returned to the Expo to find that our boxes of books down in the shipping area were open and basically pillaged. Of course there were tears when I realized that both "Crossed" and Button's book by Rick Riordan were gone. I have no one to blame but myself as I should have just carried them with me. The other down side is that because I was extremely selective all three days I only had a total of probably 20 books from BEA 2011 at the beginning — today I shipped home about 10. Now, the lesson here (besides guard your ARCS) is that books aren't everything. This mantra is literally what's getting me through the day. I didn't come to BEA for books and I believe that I "preached" that enough before BEA (so perhaps this is a test). I came to network, make connections, and reconnect with "internet friends." I'm most upset over the loss of the signed Kane novel for Button as everything else can be bought later. But again, books aren't everything and definitely not the reason I attended BEA. I had a great trip, met some fantastic authors and bloggers, and, honestly, it could be worse. Our hotel could have been robbed (laptops, Nooks, etc), we could have been mugged (or kidnapped), I could be unemployed and homeless, D could leave me at the altar... the list goes on. Am I upset — yes. Is it my own darn fault — yes. Will I get over it — yes. My added advice to all future BEA goers — take your precious items with you at all times.
After that excitement Sheila and I walked the several blocks to the Post Office (as I didn't want to pay the $37 handling fee for ten books) to mail my small box home. We then traveled to the Atria Reception and had a fantastic time! I met some more great bloggers, publicists, and authors. It was very relaxing and not crowded (thank goodness). After that Sheila and I viewed the Empire State Building (because, why not), returned to the hotel, and are gearing up for the BBC tomorrow.
If you'll be at the BBC tomorrow look for me at the following panels: Ask a Publisher or Publicist, Author Speed Dating, and Technology for Blogging.
I really appreciate all of the bloggers who have come up to me and complimented on the BEA vlogs and my blog in general. You have all made me smile throughout this entire trip and I hope to see you tomorrow and get to know you each a bit better. I'll be posting pictures next week and I'll link this post when I have a bit more time (and am not completely exhausted) at a later time in the near future.
Thanks for all you do and see you tomorrow!