BEA and Class of 2k10 NYC Tour

Wow. Can't believe I'm back at home, walking the dogs, freezing in the sleet and rain. NYC already feels like a schweaty dream (oh the humidity!). Besides my adjustment to the weather, BEA and the Class of 2k10 NYC Tour was fantastically cool.

As a member of the Mystery/Fantasy panel at Teen Author Carnival, I got to meet a bevy of amazing YA authors. Highlights were Tonya Hurley, Linda Gerber, Jeri Smith-Ready (also with the Class of 2k10). The boys on the panel were also a blast, Eliot Schrefer and Michael Northrop. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play fangirl as much as I would have liked and didn't have much time to mingle with authors from the two other panels. Meeting with bloggers, readers, librarians, etc, however, was a fantastic experience. Here's me and Kitty Keswick with Tonya Hurley:

Our signings at both Books of Wonder and the Voracious Reader went smooth like butta and we well attended. Most nights I stayed up wayyyy past my bedtime (9:07pm), living on the energy we'd built during our events. My sister, Brenda, was kind enough to join me for the trip and document everything with her handy-dandy still/video camera. Here are the links to the vlogs Kitty Keswick and I created for our Wolfy Chicks blog: Teen Author Carnival and BEA, Books of Wonder and Central Park

Brenda was thrilled to see a teen crush, Rick Springfield, at BEA. To be honest, I didn't think we'd get her away from the booth...lol... Kitty and I agreed that he has a real paranorm appeal going on and we've designated him an honorary vamp/were hottie.

We missed Babs and the Duchess as we had other events happening during the keynotes, but it was cool to know we were at the same venue. Bloggers were everywhere and it was great to put faces to their coolio names. We met a ton of authors, passing them by in their publisher's booths, or meeting on the morning shuttle to the Javits Center.

Yes, NYC was a dream I'd happily repeat (and hopefully will next year). But OMG it was wonderful to see my husband's smile, my pups and their full-body wags....and to sleep in my own bed.

Thanks to all the Class of 2k10 authors - so amazing to finally meet you! Thanks to the bloggers and bookstores! Thanks NYC!

Vlogging the NYC Tour

Well, kids, only four more sleeps until I jump on the plane bound for NYC! Wowza, this has been almost a year in the making and I can’t believe it’s finally this close, this real. I’ve packed and repacked. Even loaded up stuff I still need to survive – hello – you can’t pack your CHI a week before your trip…duh….

Kitty and I will be rooming together and taking NYC by storm. Along with the most awesome, Tami, we've been critique partners for over two years, but this will the first time we meet in person. While Tami won't be joining us, we're working on a writers retreat in the future and hopefully the YAedge crit crew can meet as well.

Since my hubbie has to work, my sister – and wonderful champion in all that I do – has agreed to join us on this adventure. Thanks, Brynn!! She’s our honorary Wolfy Chick and has agreed to help us document our BEA/NYC experiences by manning the video camera.

At the end of each day, we’ll compile our video / still pictures and create vlogs of the amazing, odd or fantastical moments. You’ll get an insider view of what it’s like for newbie authors as we do our Class of 2k10 events - book signings / panel discussions.

I'll be posting the vlogs to both the Wolfy Chicks blog and YAedge since I think YAedgers will get something out of the BEA footage. Look for our first vlog on Saturday, May 22nd!