Houston Author Event 2014

This was my first big author event.  I have been to events with individual authors before...but that was NOTHING like this.

I contacted a good friend of mine and was really excited when she expressed an interest in going.  We love spending time together and she has an adventurous spirit.  Together, we can get into much more trouble than we do individually.  Several weeks before the event, I started buying books by these authors and reading through the list.  I found several new authors that I liked very much (Jessica Sorensen and Erin Noelle).  The week leading up to the event, I was anticipating how awesome it would be to meet these writers!

Since we had never been to an author event before, I picked up my friend and we got to the event early.  Very early!  Apparently, early arrival is necessary for some events, but we may have gone a little overboard for this one.  We also made some other rookie mistakes.  If you are going to buy physical books...you will want something with wheels to transport them.  There were several seasoned pros who arrived with a rolling tote bag and their own stash of Sharpies!

At this event, I did get caught up in the moment and bought a large stack of books for signing.  Since I recently went through and discarded the majority of my print books, I am going to need to come to terms with how I will handle future signings.  I certainly wish to support the authors, but I would prefer electronic copies of their books.  Most of the authors have some sort of swag to offer-keychains, bookmarks, temporary tattoos, tissues, etc...  For the next signing at the end of the month, I think I am going to go with an autograph book and my Kindle to show that I have downloaded their works.

I had recently finished reading Metamorphosis by Erin Noelle and I definitely went "fangirl" on her.  She was awesome and really engaged us in conversation.  She was personable and talked about her newest book (which I purchased and started immediately).  I might have a little crush on her.  I also really enjoyed meeting Tara Sivec.  She has the mouth of a sailor and she is over the top fun!  Here is her inscription in my "bible" (Chocolate Lovers Trilogy):

 We had a great time meeting the authors, getting little special items about their books and seeing friends.  Overall, a GREAT way to spend your Saturday afternoon!