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BEA 2.0

I can't believe it's been a year. No, seriously. I cannot believe it's been a year since I went to my first BEA and now here I am home from my second. It's been a crazy couple of weeks preparing for, traveling to, and taking part in the whole Book Expo America experience and I'm just now, I believe, decompressing from it all and processing how crazy and awesome and fascinating it all was. This year was even more hectic than last, if that's possible, as the organizers attempted to fit the entire expo onto one floor instead of two, and into two days instead of three, with the result that that first day was an absolute madhouse. In a good way. Except the autograph lines section, which was a madhouse in a decidedly bad way. Did they perhaps not get the memo that there would be a substantially larger influx of bloggers than in previous years? Hmmm....

As with last time, I think I'll stick to sharing the true highlights of my week in NYC with you (once again, with rather a lot of accompanying art).

Tuesday morning started early with the chance to tour a couple of different publishing houses with some of my favorite bloggers around. I walked out of the elevator on the 12th floor of the Flatiron building to find Lenore (of Presenting Lenore) and her delightful husband Daniel standing there like a welcoming committee. We met up with Nicole from Linus's Blanket, Amy from My Friend Amy, and Natasha from Maw Books and toured Macmillan, followed by breakfast in a nearby diner.
Lenore and I continued on to Penguin, where we joined a much larger group of bloggers, split up into groups, and were taken through many a winding hallway and construction zone and were periodically greeted by rooms the likes of this one:
Ahem. And, yes, they had to force us to leave. 

From there I headed off to meet the lovely Diana Peterfreund for lunch at a great Italian restaurant called Otto. I was really looking forward to this, as I've been a--shall we say--admirer of her books for quite awhile now and we just seem to have similar thoughts and feelings for the books and characters we love. Lunch was a resounding success. We talked and talked and I got to hear a deliciously dishy amount of dirt on Diana's upcoming post-apocalyptic retelling of Persuasion--For Darkness Shows the Stars. For now my lips are sealed. Except to say that I'm pretty sure it's going to rock my world. Here we are:
And here's our dessert:
In case you're wondering, that's olive oil gelato and it was even better than Diana said it would be. Yum.

I may or may not have stopped in at my beloved happy place Books of Wonder that night and there may or may not have been 15 debut YA authors chatting and signing there at the time.
The next morning I headed out to the Javits. That great big convention center was a sight for sore eyes indeed and, despite my worries it might have forgotten all about me, it was just like we'd never been apart.



I hit up the dystopian panel early on, where I spied a Book Smuggler or two in the audience with me and spent the time afterward wandering around with the most awesome of awesome Ana, Thea, and Kristen of Fantasy Cafe.
Other bloggers I had been looking forward to and succeeded in accosting making the acquaintance of Wednesday included Janice of Janicu's Book Blog, KMont of Lurv a la Mode, Steph of Steph Su Reads, and Chelle of Tempting Persephone. Each of them as friendly, easy to talk to, and cool as their blogs lead you to believe. There was much laughter and pushing of books. That night featured a HarperCollins reception where several of us commandeered a tiny round table and let the ebb and flow of people surround us.

Lenore dubbed this one "My Enemy Amy":
Yep. Still makes me smile.

The second day was lighter, less chaotic, and full of quite wonderful encounters with various and sundry favorite authors of mine including Leah Cypess--author of the very great Mistwood:
Deanna Raybourn who hugged me and who, as I've said before, is the spitting image of her intrepid character Lady Julia Grey:
And, well, what can I say? There just really aren't any words for this one:
Yep. Hehehehe.

I met up and wandered with Diana, Lenore, Janice, and my good friend Karen here and there throughout the day and I can't tell you how fun it was, how much my shoulders and feet hurt, and how it was just as hard to leave the building that evening knowing it was all going to be taken down before I came back the next day for Book Blogger Con. Sigh. Fortunately, a great group of us gathered together that night to assuage the pain and yell at each other (in the incredibly loud bar) about how much we love each other's blogs and what books we're currently devouring. KMont's husband was kind enough to snap a pic of the whole group (with several cameras):

It was so great to get to meet them all in person, particularly one of the sweetest bloggers on the block--Christine from The happily ever after and the very smart and very cute Charlotte of Lusty Reader who shared her chips and salsa with me as I eyed Ana and Thea's mac and cheese on a stick pops askance...

Book Blogger Con was another full day in and of itself, albeit a day full of sitting in a single room rather than walking and lugging tote after tote hither and yon. Highlights included Maureen Johnson's keynote address, Thea's honest and insightful comments on the Marketing panel, and indulging in snarky and funny book gossip with Lenore and Sarah of Forever Young Adult.
After downing a loooong-awaited, but truly awesome steaming bowl of ramen, I slept like the dead Friday night.

And Saturday was quiet and peaceful and perfect as I got to spend it browsing through The Strand and Housing Works Bookstore with my Martha--who makes the whole shebang possible by letting me stay with her, showering me with awesome Greenwillow offerings, and taking me to important venues like the Shake Shack.


It was hard to leave you, New York. But, with these two to come home to, it's also somehow the easiest thing in the world.

Comments

  1. What a great post! Your trip sounds like it was amazing ... what an opportunity! I must find a way to go next year. Thanks for sharing! :)

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  2. Anonymous11:46 AM

    wow, great great great post, with plenty of pictures, my fave ;)

    and im kicking myself for not thinking of going to The Strand! but we did go to the Shake Shack on Friday. You know how they ask for your name when they take your order? Well she couldn't hear me, so one of my old stand by's is "Like the book, Charlotte's Web" and the woman behind the counter goes, "Oh yeah, like the pig!"

    *face of horror from me*

    I wanted to cancel my order for a peanut butter shake! And sadly, that is not the first time someone has thought Charlotte is the name of the pig. *shakes head sadly* like how can a pig make a WEB!? just think about the title!

    i still enjoyed my shake and shackburger, after a such a fun night with y'all nothing could dampen my mood ;)

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  3. Looks you had a very successful BEA! And wow, one never knows what pictures are going to pop up on the internet!

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  4. Great post! Sounds like you had an awesome time! It was great meeting you - I can't wait till next year already - I had so much fun meeting book bloggers!

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  5. I would have pulled all those books down and rolled around them on the floor. Hours later, I would be found high off the fumes of the new book smell.

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  6. Great post, it sounds amazing. I am glad you had such a good time. I do hope I can go next year, fingers crossed :)

    That photo of your children is adorable,they are such cuties.

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  7. Oh my gosh! How much fun! That sounds like the best BEA trip so far! Awesome!

    xoxo -- Hilary

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  8. Anonymous1:49 PM

    I love Otto's olive oil gelato. So good!

    The Strand is a great place to visit. I used to go every week when I lived in Brooklyn. Ironically, now that I live in Manhattan I'm rarely there. I've never been to Shake Shack - lines are too long. But did you notice all the art? Statues of men standing at the edge of the buildings surrounding the park. It's wild.

    I'm glad you enjoyed NYC and BEA. I'm also glad we're back to 3 days next year. I hope there will be two floors again. The autographing area was a disaster.

    KarenS

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  9. It's good to have you back. Aaron was all needy, calling me like 80 times a day...Sheesh.

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  10. Wow. All those bloggers you mention that I don't know and I should. And you! You look so, so, posh! Nice! And that dark curly headed dude? Oh my. And a tour of the publishers. Cool. And, and, and... can I go next time? Please?

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  11. Man am I seriously in awe of your wonderful BEA adventure. And a lunch with Diana Peterfreund?!? So cool. But maybe just the teenist bit jealous too ;) Glad you had such a great time!

    And your kids? Dang cute.

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  12. Angie, I loved your post! :)

    Great pictures. I saw lots of you over at the Book Smugglers, too.

    I'd love to meet you one day... I'm thinking of going to BEA next year...

    Kaz

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  13. So much fun hanging out with you! I wish I had thought to pump Diana for new book secrets!!

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  14. You know, of all the BEA posts out there, yours is the one that made me wish I'd gone the most. Very fun! (And simply lovely writing.)

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  15. Great recap and what a fantastic trip *jealous*

    I have never heard of olive oil gelato, but it does look good. Does it actually taste like olive oil?

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  16. It was so much fun! And it was great to meet you and get to actually discuss The Queen of Attolia with you. :)

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  17. I love reading BEA posts. Looks like you had a lovely time! It's fun to see pictures of some of the bloggers that I follow. Also, olive oil gelato! Leah Cypess! Alex and Simone Elkeles! Greenwillow goodies! :) Okay, enough exclamation points. I love the picture of your kids, they look so cute.

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  18. Next year, next year, next year. . .

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  19. Awesome, envy, wonderful, envy, etc.......

    But that last picture? Oh my word, they are beyond adorable--and indeed, a picture is worth a thousand words.

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  20. I didn't feel accosted. It probably is the other way around. Later I thought to myself - I sure am hugging people a lot. *smack self*. I don't know.. hugging just seems to happen. I need to reel myself back.

    It was nice to see you for a longer time this time. I wish I was less tired though. There were times I felt like.. ok my brain is too tired to even know what to say.

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  21. OLIVE OIL GELATO WHAAAA?!! i need to get my hands on that next year for sure.

    angie, it was so fabulous to meet you, not to mention making catty comments together with lenore.

    next year FYA is totes gonna host a cocktail panel (and a real one this time, not just me and jenny hanging out together at a bar) and you better be there!

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  22. The olive oil gelato has me really curious. Definitely something I must try. I love all the pictures. Looks like much fun was had. I’m saving my pennies for airfare next year ;)

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  23. Cool post. It looks like such fun!

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  24. Ack, I'm aching with jealousy! Crossing my sad fingers for next year. :)

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  25. Melissa, my pleasure. And I hope you do!

    Charlotte, okay, that was hysterical. I can picture the look of horror on your face. LOL! It really was so fun to meet you.

    Amy, hehe. I couldn't resist. It was fun touring Macmillan with you. I had a great time overall.

    Heather, so did I. I wish we'd had more time to talk.

    Katie, and I would have happily joined you! hehe

    Alexa, I'll cross my fingers for you. And thanks re: the kiddos. They give me reason to get up in the morning. :)

    Hilary, *grin* well, thanks. And it really was awesome. In a crazy way.

    Karen, that is funny. And I did see the statues! Very cool. Our little drink break and conversation was a highlight of the conference for me. :)

    Matt, LOL. And who wants to deal with that? *shakes head*

    Suey, lol, yes, yes you can! hehe It really is something. And thanks for the compliments. I was laughing so hard when I realized who the curly dark haired dude was.

    Michelle, *grin* jealousy is allowed. I completely understand. Would have been awesome to have you with me on this one. Speaking of, when's the next time you're headed out my way?

    Kaz, ooh, then we will definitely have to meet up! I would love to.

    Lenore, right back atcha. I had a blast hanging with you. And please tell Daniel how much I enjoyed talking with him. He's a hoot.

    Melissa, aw, thanks so much! And I hope you get to go one of these times. It's quite an experience.

    Li, it does! It's the craziest thing. Like sweet, light olive oil. YUM.

    Kristen, that was one of my favorite things for sure--talking about QUEEN with you. What a book.

    Chachic, hehehe. I love your enthusiasm. And I completely agree. It was so fun meeting all these wonderful book people.

    Janssen, yes! Just keep chanting...

    azteclady, I'm glad you liked that pic. It's my favorite recent one of the two of them together.

    Janice, phew! I'm glad. And hugging definitely seemed the thing to do. I mean, we've been friends (albeit not in person) for quite awhile now. It's what friends do! :)

    Sarah, if you throw it I will be there! And we will grab some more olive oil gelato together. Cause I could do with a few more scoops of that.

    Christie, awesome. It's worth it.

    Becky, it was that.

    Raspberry, lol. I'm sorry. I'm crossing mine for you as well. Would love to meet you!

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  26. It was a pleasure to meet you at the Smuggler's dinner event, even though we didn't get much of a chance to talk. That pic of Amy is HILARIOUS, and the two kiddos are cuties!

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  27. Angie, I love your recap and all of these glorious photos. I loved meeting you and hope you find your way back to the NY Metro area again sometime so we can meet again. We needed more time... and a quieter environment more conducive to chatting.

    The picture of your daughter and son is so precious. I'm sure you were severely missed by your family.

    Until next time!
    xoxo

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  28. Love hearing about your adventure.
    I just finished the first Secret Society book by Diana Peterfreund and WOW I am impressed by writing & concept.

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