Month: June 2013

Good morning!  Ready to talk about day 2 in New York at the expo?  I am!

 

Day 2:  BEA

On Wednesday of last week my room-mate Cindy and I woke up and had a little breakfast at our hotel, the Hampton Inn.  I was heading to the Blogger Conference at the Javits and she was going to come along to get her badge and then go shopping for the day.  The badge is your ticket to all things BEA.  I have all of mine from the past 4 years. 

At the blogger con I went down to the area where they would be holding the conference and got in the line.  I was talking with a fellow blogger in line when I introduced myself and she started laughing.  It was Elizabeth from Silver’s Reviews.  She frequents Book Journey and had recently sent me an email saying she hoped we ran into each other at BEA, but as big as it, probably not.  Here we were in line next to each other and we sat together at the Blogger Con.

The Con was ok for me.  We sat with a great group at our table including two authors and Danielle from There’s A Book.  Our main speaker was Will Schwalbe author of End Of Your Life Book Club and he did a wonderful job.  He talked about the role of bloggers and how much he believes they mean to the book industry.  He also spoke to the importance of the question. “What Are You Reading” which gave me a couple of ideas for tweaking the Monday What Are You Reading meme as we go into fall.  Stay tuned… I think it will be exciting.  

After Will (Will… like I know him 😀 )  We had opportunities to break into either adult book blogger or YA book blogger sessions.  I review both, but decided to stay with the adult book blogger session.  For me, it was a lot of repeat of what we have talked through before: online presence, handling negative comments/feedback, accepting reviews…  two of the three bloggers on the stage had spoken at a past Blogger conference, which many in attendance may not have known.  I think if you were new to the Blogger Con this would be valuable.  I however wish I would have went to the YA sessions just to hear different speakers.  It was good, just nothing new for me.

We were then on lunch break and I went with Elizabeth to grab something to eat before I left the con.  I had a headache all morning and think I was dehydrated from the long travel day.  I left and went back to our room to lay down for a bit.  I then connected with Alison  (Alisons Book Marks) to see if she was going to the 5 pm Harper Collins invite.  She was and I told her I would meet her there. 

I can never judge taxi time.  I was in a taxi by 4:30 and thought I was a rock star.  I text Alison to tell her that I was in the taxi and on my way.  She text back that she was already there. Buggers.  😛  As it was, with traffic and well, New York, I arrived at 5:10 pm, just in time to get in line for delicious cheese, grapes, and crackers.  I walked into the conference area where everyone was already seated and chatting away.  Alison had a spot next to her and it was great to see her.  She is my go to blogger buddy at BEA and we try to synchronize our schedules. When we then went around to quickly introduce ourselves, it was fun when they got to me to see the bloggers I love to see each year pop their heads up and wave:  Kathy (Bermuda Onion), Julie (Booking Mama), Candice (Beth Fish Reads), Nicole (Linus’s Blanket), Jennifer (Jenns Bookshelves) and Gail.  They had not noticed me come in late so were surprised when I said my name and blog. 

This was a wonderful event.  Many of the editors spoke about the books that were each piled in front of our spots we sat at.  Books, glorious books that were now ours.  As they talked about each one I found myself wanting to tear into them right then.  As it was, we had a surprise appearance from author Joshilyn Jackson, and while the other books were put in boxes to graciously ship to us (thank you Harper Collins!), Joshilyn’s new book made its way into my book bag I was carrying, and later into my carry on for the plane ride home.

After this amazing event we went to the Harper Collins party which is always a blast.  Alison and I have a tradition of having our picture taken at this event as this is where we met 4 years ago.  We had such a blast at this event as well.  Cocktails and horduerves, bloggers and authors galore.  I finally seen Jill (Rhapsody in Books), she is so fun.  As Alison and I were chatting catching up on what our kids were up to and life, in walks Adriana Trigiani and lets just say that woman’s personality fills a room with joy. 

I think I talked to Adriana for about 15 minutes, then Wally Lamb (I know right?), and Joshilyn Jackson as well who I told that I had listened to all her books on audio as I love her narration and she told me I was her best friend.  Then when she seen Adriana those two were super excited to chat but she looked back at me and said, “just because I am all excited about Adriana, you and I are still best buds.”  LOL

I mingled and made my way to Cindy who had found a place to sit and as we were collecting ourselves to call it an evening I seen Stephanie Evanovich.  Stephanie (I believe) is the niece of Janet Evanovich, and the author of (I know) Big Girl Panties…. which I need to read as I hear it is fantastic. 

Alison, Cindy, and I had another Blogger Bash to attend after Harper Collins but decided that after we made it through town by taxi and got there we would probably leave in a half hour and need another taxi – so tired, Cindy and I walked back to our hotel.

Once in the hotel I was changing in the bathroom when I yelled out “OH NO!”  Cindy thought something terrible had happened and yelled back. “Are you ok?”  I came out of the bathroom all crestfallen…. “We forgot the annual picture at Harper!” I cried.  I text Alison to let her know that we had indeed forgot to have our picture taken and I was hoping we could still be friends.  😀 

She replied… “We will see.”  😛

 

So that is day two.  I must get ready for work now.  No boxes arrived at my house yesterday so I am hoping for today.  It is STILL RAINING here in Minnesota.  My grass… is really really green.

Good morning.  Happy Tuesday.  I am writing this early this morning.  5:30 to be exact.  I stayed up late watching Little House On The Prairie episodes (thanks to Confessions of a Prairie Bitch) and admit I wasn’t sure I could get into the show again as I had as a child but find myself being pulled into the early days of the Little House.

As I had planned, today will be the first of several days of Book Expo recap.  I love these recaps as I can go back and look at them each year and suspect these recaps will some be valuable proof when I am elderly and my grand kids or great grand kids think I could never have done anything crazy or amazing… it will then be time to dust off the old blog and show them…. I knew how to kick it once in a while.  😀

New York – Day 1

I arrived in New York exactly one week ago today.  It was Tuesday.  I woke up in my Minneapolis hotel at 3:00 am and caught the 4:00 am shuttle to catch my 5:40 am flight.  Yes, I like early flights.  If I am going somewhere, I hate to put it off, so I go as early as possible. I get to the airport and through security and get a COFFEE.  Once boarded and the plane is in the air, the beverage service comes around and as I put my tray table down to get some water, I dump my coffee cup I am so carefully (or not) balancing in my hand and proceed to pour coffee on to my right pant leg.  The coffee has cooled, that is not an issue – however it has left a lovely brownish stain on my jean capris.  *sigh*  I dab at it with my napkin and my water that I wanted to drink but am now using for cleaning myself up.

After we land in Atlanta I proceed to go into the lady’s room and do a little better job at cleaning up my pants.  I have time so I go and relax in a sunny window by my departure gate and continue reading the book I had brought along while snacking on dark chocolate covered pretzels from my carry on.  After a while I consider using the lady’s room before we board (I hate having to use plane bathrooms) and as I get up I notice that one of the chocolate pretzels has landed on my pants, in the same area as I had earlier cleaned up coffee and has melted into a gooey chocolatey mess.

Seriously?

I arrive in New York (after my two + hour layover in Atlanta) at approximately 1:45 pm.  It is raining.  I am bummed… Minnesota has rained every day for three weeks.  I really really could do without the rain.  I text my roommate for the week Cindy to tell her I have landed and on my way to find a taxi.  Once outside with all luggage intact I see a bus that is $13 one way and will drop me off at Port Authority, approximately 3 blocks from my hotel.  What a deal!  A taxi usually costs me about $45 to go to the hotel.  I purchase the ticket and board the bus and after we sit for about 25 minutes or so we go.  We have a couple stops on the way and eventually (not sure what time it was but my guess would be 2:45 ish…. I arrive at Port Authority where I am plopped in the rain with carry on and luggage and told to go “3 blocks that a way” and I will be at my hotel.

Now, it takes me a little while to get oriented and landing in Port Authority I exited out a door and started walking looking for my hotel on 39th.  After about 2o minutes of walking in the rain and being on what I think is the right block but I am sooooo unsure, frustrated and WET I text Cindy this message:

I am wet and I think lost.  I am standing under an awning staring across the street at an Irish Pub thinking it might be a nice place to stay for the week.  I shall live there and eat and drink there.  It looks warm and dry… all thinks I am not.

At this point I discover I am about 1/2 a block from my hotel.  Cindy asks if I want to go to Serendipity and I ask what it is and does it have to do with food as my mid morning chocolate covered pretzel snack has long been gone and I am sooooo HUNGRY.  Yes, she assures me it has food and the famous frozen hot chocolate.  I am in.   We met up with Kate and Pam. They were fun to chat with while we hung out in a line to get in to Serendipity. 

Once seated we proceeded to order and the 4 of us each ordered the frozen hot chocolate.  And it arrived….

Yup.  None of us finished it.  It was good but LARGE and between the ice cream and the warmth of the cocoa and bits of chocolate and orange it was very filling.  My advice, if you go, share one. 😀

Later that evening Cindy and I walked from our hotel to Yum Yum, my favorite New York restaurant (as of this writing).  It is Thai food and so good.  For $16.95 you get choice of an appetizer, soup or salad, a main course, and green tea ice cream for dessert.  It is tasty.

After that we returned to out hotel for the night.  I was tired and Wednesday would be the Blogger conference and the Harper Collins Party. And that… will be what I share tomorrow. 😀

Yesterday afternoon the first box of books I sent home arrived.  I suspect the rest will follow either today or tomorrow.  I have not opened the box yet, I like to wait until they are all in house before I dive in.  It is another rainy day here in Minnesota.  I plan to work and then hit the gym later this afternoon.