Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Authors I've Met

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic: 

Favorite Authors I've Met

This week's topic is really Authors I'd Love To Meet, but the truth is I've actually been fortunate enough to meet my handful of favorite authors over the years. There are a few that it'd be nice to meet at some point, but my absolute favorites? That bucket list is complete. Colleen Hoover was the one that alluded me for years but even that meeting finally happened a couple months ago. :) Anyway, I'm switching it up a bit and instead of doing Authors I Want to Meet we're going with Authors I've Met.

1. JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT

I've managed to meet up with JLA quite a few times. She's always friendly, always fun to talk to, and somehow always manages to remember The Husband and ask about him. :)

2. COLLEEN HOOVER

Finally! It took years for me to finally make it to a Colleen Hoover event but it did happen. Me, The Husband and my mom took a little road trip up to Atlanta in August and it was a real highlight in an otherwise rocky year. 

3. KATIE MCGARRY

I met Katie at ApollyCon in 2016 and I just adored her. She was already my favorite contemporary YA author but meeting her and getting a chance to talk for a bit proved what a humble, down to earth person she really is. I felt like I could have sat and talked with her for hours. 

4. KRISTA & BECCA RITCHIE

   

I love these girls! Krista & Becca are the writing duo behind my favorite contemporary series ever - the Addicted/Calloway Sisters series. I adore their characters, love their story telling, and getting the chance to hang out with them (and their mom LOL) was a blast. We even joined them for dinner (along with several others, not just me - ha!) after both events. 

5. K.A. TUCKER

I've been a fan of Kathleen's for several years and getting to meet her was such a pleasure. What blew me away was that she remembered my review for He Will Be My Ruin (that had just recently released) - and even quoted part of it back to me! Um... wow!! 

6. CORA CARMACK

What a blast Cora was! I'd love to do a night on the town with Cora... there's no telling what would happen! LOL She was so funny, so genuine and just so upbeat... love her. I know she's been dealing with some health issues so I hope she's feeling better and able to do what she loves again soon. 

7. SARAH J. MAAS

The line to meet Sarah at YallFest (2014) was barely controlled chaos. We waited longer to see her than any other author at the event. They kept the line moving so there's wasn't much time to talk, but it was still pretty exciting!

8. ABBI GLINES

I met Abbi a couple years ago at a fairly small event in St. Augustine, FL (maybe 30 minutes from where I live). While I was waiting for her talk to start she actually came and sat down right beside me! I struck up a conversation (take that, social anxiety!) and it was great to actually have some one on one time! 

9. TRACY GARVIS GRAVES

Tracy was touring for her book Covet when I met her at a local independent bookstore. It was her first book since On the Island (which I adored) and it was a fantastic, intimate and informal setting to hear her talk about her writing. What's incredible to me is that, even after five years, any time we connect on social media she still remembers me and always asks about my sister (who was also at the signing that night).

10. DIANA GABALDON

As best as I can remember, Diana was the first author I met. That was in 2000 when I was still in the throes of my Outlander obsession. She was touring for The Fiery Cross (the fifth book in the series) and gave such an interesting talk about her research process.   

Have you met any of these authors? 

The Sunday Post #95

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's a chance to share news - a post to recap the past week on your blog, 

showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is

coming up on your blog in the week ahead. You can find the info here:

Sunday Post Meme

• I had a great time at the Amelia Island Book Festival yesterday. Actually, despite there being almost 100 authors there, I only went to see Jennifer Armentrout. There were some pretty big names in attendance - Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, Steve Berry - but I just showed up for Jennifer's talk, then went straight to her signing and I was done. It was a much smaller event than I'm used to attending which made for smaller no crowds and plenty of one on one time. To give you an idea, at ApollyCon I waited in Jennifer's line for almost 3 hours. Yesterday I was second in line and there was no one behind me. LOL It made for some fun interaction. She even remembered that The Husband has always been with me when I've met her in the past and she asked about him. :) 

• The Plague cold has mostly passed. I'm left with some sinus issues but it doesn't seem to be anything that some OTC meds can't handle. And goodness knows I feel better! 

• Since my excitement for Love, Simon (the adaptation of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - coming March 16!) is reaching epic levels, I thought I'd share a little Simon fun, courtesy of Epic Reads. So which Simon character are you? I got... Simon! LOL

Which of Becky Albertalli's "Simon Universe" Characters Are You?

Wednesday, February 14
The Valentine's Tag

Friday, February 16
Review: Autoboyography

WHAT I READ IN THE LAST WEEK:

  

Stay (WAGs #2) - Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

WHAT I'M CURRENTLY READING: 

 

 Moonlight Sins (de Vincent #1) - Jennifer L. Armentrout

    

Nothing! No physical books, no Kindle books, no ARCs... nothing.

What a sad week. 

Cake, anyone?

How was your week? Any new books? Any news to share? 

I'd love to hear about it!

ApollyCon 2016

Last weekend I took a little drive up I-95 to Savannah for the awesomeness that was ApollyCon 2016. Officially... the release party for Jennifer L. Armentrout's latest book in the Titan series, The Power. But even more than that... an incredible gathering of authors in one space, interacting with readers/fans, signing books, taking photos - basically a bookish girl's dream. I had several must-see authors that I was excited about (Katie McGarry and K.A. Tucker were two big ones) but the biggest draw? Jennifer L. Armentrout, of course (you know I adore her), and Pepe Toth. If you've known me for any length of time you know that Daemon Black is my #1 book boyfriend. And, in my mind,cover model Pepe Toth *is* Daemon Black. (I might even admit to following him on virtually every social media platform. LOL I seriously have a thing for Pepe/Daemon.)

Drew Leighty ("Seth" - cover model for Titan series) and Pepe Toth ("Daemon Black" - cover model for Lux series)

My sweetie/best friend/book event buddy (aka my husband Robert) and I drove up on Friday so I could hit up registration and nab my tickets for the "ticketed authors" (which they ended up doing away with *sigh*).  

The next morning we got to the event just after 9 AM to line up outside. Like the genius I am, I hadn't purchased the tickets that allowed (among other things) entrance to the event one hour earlier than the general admission. (Note to self: *always* get the VIP tickets, it's worth it!). Supposedly VIP got in at 11 AM and everyone else at noon. Then the event staff announced that had been published in error and it was actually 12 and 1 PM. So there was roughly 4 hours of standing in line before I ever stepped inside. 

Finally it was 1:00 and... welcome to the madhouse. :) I made a beeline for Katie McGarry's table and had the best time talking with her. She is incredibly down to earth and humble and I felt like I was chatting with my next door neighbor. Next up was Abbi Glines, who I met before in 2014 and she was lovely then, but I have to be honest and say that she seemed to be going through the motions here. Maybe it was just me, but there was little interaction (even though the line wasn't overly long) and even Adam ("Cage York") seemed bored. Hm. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Cora Carmack. I wanna hang with this lady! She seems like so much fun, she was super bubbly and I loved meeting her. I was so happy to get my books signed by Rebecca Donovan but a little embarrassed because I've yet to read them. She was super sweet about it though and made me promise to let her know what I thought when I read them. (Side note: Rebecca is sooo pretty and her outfit was *on point*! It was very gothic/steampunk and 100% gorgeous.)

Earlier this year I received ARC's for He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker and To The Stars by Molly McAdams and participated in their blog tours. I had the idea to print those blog posts and ask the authors to sign those as well. I saw Molly first and she actually stopped to read the review before she signed. And then stunned me into silence when she said, "I remember this one!" Once I was able to speak again (ack!) I said I didn't think authors ever read reviews (most authors I've met said they avoid them like the plague). Molly said she never reads reviews at Amazon or GoodReads but always reads reviews on her blog tours, good or bad. She made a few comments on my review and then she started to get choked up which meant I started to get choked up... just, wow. I had a similar experience with Kathleen (K.A. Tucker) - although less emotional. LOL She also said she remembered the review and even quoted a particular phrase from it that she remembered (!). Those two experience were definitely highlights of the day and truly memorable. 

I had bought a tee shirt for Robert earlier in the year to wear to future book events and it made its debut at ApollyCon. The amount of attention it received was almost comical. People commented on it all day long and even took pictures of it. (And that shirt played a part in getting my books signed by Sarah J. Maas after she had already closed up her table!). Pepe Toth even fist-bumped Robert when he saw it and said "Great shirt" so that kinda made my day. LOL

I knew I had to get in line for JLA even though there were several authors I had yet to see. Robert to the rescue! I stayed in line for JLA while he managed to get through several lines, including: Alexandra Bracken, Jay Crownover, Wendy Higgins and Jen McLaughlin. Unfortunately, by that time Sarah J. Maas had closed her table but... Alexandra Bracken and The Shirt saved the day! Robert was in another line when Alexandra came walking over with Sarah to show her Robert's shirt. Robert had already met Alexandra and they had talked about the Never Fade trilogy since he's read the books (I haven't - ha!). She was showing Sarah the shirt and saying hi to Robert and that gave him the perfect opportunity to meet Sarah and mention that I had given him books to have signed. So Sarah signed them right then and there, even though she was done for the day. Way to go, Robert!

Meanwhile, I was still in the mile-long, barely moving JLA line. The event was supposed to end at 4 PM and most authors packed up and left but Jennifer (plus Pepe Toth and Drew Leighty) stayed until everyone got their books signed. They finally had to move us to another location down the street because the hotel needed the room for another event. But, after just shy of 3 hours in line, I made it! Standing in front of JLA and Pepe Toth. Jennifer was as kind as always and remembered me and Robert from previous signings. Drew signed all my Covenant series books (along with Jennifer) and Pepe signed my copy of Oblivion, my favorite signed book of the entire day. (He wrote: "Let me know if you need another bodyguard." Uh, YES please! LOL)

CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND APPRECIATE HOW GORGEOUS HE IS? ♥

By then it was just after 6 PM and we'd been basically standing in lines for 9 hours straight. We were both exhausted but it was so worth it. With Robert's help I was able to get every single book I took with me signed. He is such a trooper! 

Another highlight of the day was meeting my fabulous friend Sarah from Words With Sarah. (If you don't follow her blog you totally should.) Sarah is my best blogger friend and I simply adore her.♥  She finished up way before I did (because she's smart and bought the VIP ticket!) but she came down to visit while I was still in JLA's line. It was so great getting to meet face to face and I wish we'd had more time to hang out. But hopefully we'll meet up again this summer at Sassy in Jacksonville!

Me and Sarah... isn't she gorgeous? :)

 It was a fantastic weekend in Savannah, an amazing time at ApollyCon, and if it's ever anywhere close by again I'll definitely be there! I met some of my favorite authors, got 40+ books signed, met some great people, and made some memories I'll cherish.

ALL MY SIGNED PRETTIES

Do you attend book events? What has been your favorite?

Sassy in Savannah 2015

Last Saturday was the Sassy in Savannah author event and it was a *fantastic* experience! I'd had my tickets for at least two months so I'd been anticipating this event for quite a while. My reason for going? Krista and Becca Ritchie, authors of the amazing Addicted series. Sure there were other authors in attendance that I knew of, and even had some of their books, but it was Krista and Becca that had me (and my oh so sweet and patient husband) making the 2.5 hour drive to Savannah.

After waiting in line for about an hour and finally getting inside, I made a beeline for Krista and Becca's table. Meeting them and having a chance to tell them, in person, how much I enjoyed their books and loved their characters was so amazing. They graciously signed all 8 of my books, shared some swag (a tee shirt, a pen, some bookmarks), and posed for photos. They commented on all the tabs in my books (I go tab crazy with scenes and dialogue that I love, that make me laugh or cry, or are just meaningful to me in some way). Becca even took a picture and Instagrammed it. LOL

Top row: Krista and Becca Ritchie
Middle row: T.M. Frazier and Aly Martinez
Bottom Row: Aurora Rose Reynolds and Seth King

While meeting Krista and Becca was the reason I was there, it was a real treat to be able to meet so many other authors who were there. There were several authors that were familiar to me since I had their books on my TBR. For those, I ordered physical copies of their books in advance and had them signed while there. Every single author I met was kind and gracious and some were just so warm and friendly, despite the crazy crowds and sometimes overwhelming lines. 

Top Row: Alessandra Torre and Corinne Michaels
Middle Row: Natasha Boyd and Aly Martinez
Bottom Row: Leddy Harper and Harper Sloan

Here are just some of the books I had signed:                       

Now all of that sounds like a pretty good day. And I could have gone home happy at that point. But, my friends, it got even better. Because while I was talking to Becca and Krista, their lovely mom Gina, who was at the event with them, invited my husband and I to join them for dinner that evening. Say what?! My husband turned to me and said, "Gina just invited us to dinner" and all I could think was "remain calm, remain calm, do not fangirl, do not flail." LOL 

Left: From left - me, Becca, Gina (Becca and Krista's mom), a guest whose name I forgot (sorry!), Krista
Center: Krista and me outside after dinner
Right: Becca, unnamed guest, Krista and me outside after dinner

We met up at Bonefish Grill that evening and it was one of the best evenings I've had in a long time. And it had little to do with the food and everything to do with the company. :) Becca and Krista even gave me a gift: a beautiful flower crown (a la Daisy Calloway) that they'd made themselves. We talked about the Addicted series (obviously) and college and books and YallFest and WWE (yes, they're fans LOL) and TV shows. They even shared a few secrets about the Addicted series that haven't been released yet. These ladies are sweet and funny and smart and completely genuine and down to earth. For someone who admires their work so much and is so invested in the stories and characters they have created, it was an experience like no other.

As a kind of funny/weird side note: a few days previous I had been talking to my sister about how excited I was for the event. I was half-serious/half-joking when I told her that I had this whole fantasy about meeting Becca and Krista. I'd meet them at the event, we'd hit it off brilliantly, somehow we'd end up having dinner together (I hadn't worked out just how that would happen), we'd all become BFF's and live happily ever after. LOL And believe me, that was very much on my mind as I was sitting at dinner Saturday night. I had several moments of "What is this life?!" :)  

Needless to say, this was a phenomenal event and I loved every minute. And funnily enough, Krista and Becca will be right here in my city next year for Sassy in Jacksonville 2016. I'll be there with my copy of Long Way Down to be signed (it releases next month) and who knows... maybe this time we'll just have dinner at my house. ;-)

Jennifer Armentrout Book Signing

Jennifer Armentrout is a favorite author and I tend to inhale anything and everything she writes. She can do it all: contemporary, paranormal, romance, young adult, new adult. And when I saw Jennifer post that she would be doing a book signing in Daytona my first thought was: I'm there! Daytona is only a 90 minute drive for me so there was no way I was going to miss it. 

My husband and I decided to make a day of it and got an early start, stopping at the World Golf Village to have lunch at Caddyshack. Plus, I was determined to get to Barnes & Noble early and make sure I got a front row seat. :) Three hours early and turns out I wasn't even the first one there. Ha! One young woman was already seated and told me she had been there since 10 AM. Um, wow. LOL 

REALLLLY EARLY FOR THE SIGNING...
BUT LOVING MY FRONT ROW SEAT! :)

There were four authors making an appearance: Jennifer Armentrout, Tessa Bailey, Shayla Black and Laura Kaye. I think it was billed as an evening with four bestselling romance authors but I was actually only familiar with Jennifer and Shayla.

                                          JENNIFER ARMENTROUT                  TESSA BAILEY

                                              SHAYLA BLACK                            LAURA KAYE

The moderator gave a brief bio of each author and then asked a few questions about their newest releases before opening things up for questions from the audience. Jennifer's sense of humor was on display and it's obvious that the humor I love so much in her books comes naturally to her. And then it was signing time and an opportunity to meet and share a few minutes with the authors. 

 

                                             ME & JENNIFER                            ME & SHAYLA

I'd only met Jennifer once before (at YallFest in Charleston last year) so it was great to see her again and get a chance to chat without someone whose work I admire and enjoy so much. We talked about ApollyCon and how it's going to be in Savannah next year (again, I'm there!) and she commented on how I make notes on my page flags. :) She signed about 4 books for me and because I was one of the first in line, I got an ARC of Forever With You, part of the Wait For You series, which will release in October. 

Then it was on to Shayla's table and she was totally gracious and took all the time in the world to sign my book, talk about her Wicked Lovers series and how she has no plans to end it anytime soon (yea!) and was happy to pose for a photo.

Big shout-out to my husband who was more than willing to drive 3 hours round trip, arrive 3 hours early and be one of the only men in a group of women fangirling over authors and books. What a sport! Oh, and he totally called Jennifer "Kitten" while we were talking to her. Only you, Robert! :)