2013 Ontario Blogger Meetup

Well, two and a half weeks later and I’m finally making time to talk about The Ontario Blogger Meetup, which happened November 2nd. I’ve been swamped with NaNoWriMo, promoting my new book, and a bunch of other things, so the recap kept getting put on the back burner. Oops!

This year was the third annual blogger meetup. I was invited to the first one, but I had no way to get to Toronto, so I wasn’t able to go. The same thing happened last year, but I was determined I would find a way to go this year. As soon as I found out tickets would be going on sale in August, I posted on Facebook, tagged my local blogger friends, and was able to get a ride with Kathy from I Write, I Read, I Review, who lives just half an hour away from me, and who I’ve known through blogging for over two years.

 

Kathy and I were two of the first guests to show up at Watermark Irish Pub in Toronto. I was glad we were early, because I hate walking into a room full of people, plus we got to have our choice of seats. We got settled, started organizing our books for trade, and then started mingling as people came in.

Kathy and me

There were a lot of people I didn’t know, but there were some familiar faces mixed in, people I was thrilled to finally meet in person, like Rachelia from Bookish Comforts, Ashley from Book Labyrinth, Kaley from Books, Etc, Meaghan from Feeling a Little Bookish, and Giselle from Book Nerd. There were also people I knew by name from Twitter, so it was fun to finally put faces to names.

Me and Rachelia

 Once tickets went on sale in the summer, a list was put up for people to swap and give away books. I’d been in contact with several people about trading books, and I was glad I had, not only for the books (believe it or not), but also because it gave me a reason to walk around, meet people, and chat. I’m already setting books aside for next year since that was a big reason for me to move around the room, talk to people, ask if they knew where (or who) so-and-so was, etc. 

Kathy and I were lucky enough to get seated at the same table as one of the guest authors, Gail Gallant. I think she asked us more questions than we asked her - she was fascinated with book blogging, and couldn’t believe how many of us there were, and how much we loved to share our love of books. It was a lot of fun to chat with her, and I also ended up getting her book in the goodie bag, so I got her to sign it.

Something else that was a lot of fun and helped with breaking the ice and getting people to mingle was the trivia sheet that was at each place setting. There was a great mixture of bookish questions, and we talked to a few people from our table and other tables about the answers. All the sheets were collected and put in a box and then names were drawn for prizes. Neither Kathy nor I won anything, but it was fun watching people pick their prizes, and it was also a great way to learn more names and blogs. 

The Ontario Blog Squad!

And, I can’t forget to talk about the food, since we got a lovely three-course meal. I had chili, fish and chips, and the most amazing peanut butter brownie cheesecake. It was nice to have a meal since a lot of people came from far away (a little over two hours for me, plus tack on an extra half hour for Kathy), and it gave us a chance to sit down and get to know the people at our table better. 

I have to give huge kudos (and thanks!) to the Ontario Blog Squad for organizing such an incredible event. I’ve been dreaming of this for the last couple years, and it exceeded all my expectations. I can’t wait to go again next year, meet up with old friends, and make more new friends!

All the books I traded for/was given

The contents of my super-awesome goodie bag. Kathy and I weren't going to open ours until we got home, but then we found out we all had a book from one of the two guest authors, so we had to see which one we had so we could get them signed!

You can see each of the books and who I got them from in my video book haul from weekend before last. 

Have you ever been to a blogger meetup?

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Stacking the Shelves - Ontario Blogger Meetup Edition

 

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Hi friends! I hope you've all had a fantastic first week of November. I sure have. Last Saturday I went to the 3rd annual Ontario Blogger Meetup. It was my first time going, and I had a blast. I still have to write my recap, but for now I have all the books I'm going to share all the books I traded for, was given, or got in my goodie bag. Plus I did a vlog! It's my first one this year, and I'm happy to be back to it.

From Kathy at I Write, I Read, I Review

Wither by Lauren DeStefano {GoodReads}

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready {GoodReads}

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready {GoodReads}

From Annie at Paper Wings & Ink

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger {GoodReads}

From Rachelia at Bookish Comforts

Divergent by Veronica Roth {GoodReads}

From Meaghan at Feeling a Little Bookish

Poison by Bridget Zinn {GoodReads}

From Avery at Avery’s Book Nook

Pilgrims Don’t Wear Pink by Stephanie Kate Strohm {GoodReads}

Confederates Don’t Wear Couture by Stephanie Kate Strohm {GoodReads}

From Indigo at Adventures in YA Fiction

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson {GoodReads}

From Giselle at Book Nerd

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare {GoodReads}

From Christa at More Than Just Magic

The Gypsy King by Maureen Fergus {GoodReads}

From Jessica at Read My Breath Away

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter {GoodReads}

Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter {GoodReads}

From Erika at One a Day YA

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer {GoodReads}

From Wendy the Cupcake Queen

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black {GoodReads}

Shadowspell by Jenna Black {GoodReads}

Sirensong by Jenna Black {GoodReads}

GOODIE BAG!

The Girl With All the Gifts by MR Carey {GoodReads}

Blessings by Elise Juska {GoodReads}

The Girl With the Iron Touch by Kady Cross {GoodReads}

Apparition by Gail Gallant {GoodReads}

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell {GoodReads}

How to Fall in Love by Cecelia Ahern {GoodReads}

Thank you so much to all the lovely ladies who traded or gave me books, and thank you to the Ontario Blog Squad for organizing such a fantastic event!

 

 
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black {GoodReads}

North Pole Reform School by Jaimie Admans {GoodReads}

   
These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner {GoodReads}

Last Christmas by Talli Roland {GoodReads}

It's been a quiet week on the blog because I've been so busy IRL that bloggish things sort of took a backseat. Here's what happened this week:

• I released my very first holiday novella, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, on Tuesday. I'm not doing a giveaway right now because I have a few coming up in the next month, but Jessica from Thoughts at One in the Morning is giving away a wonderful wintery gift pack (US only), and Kimberly from Caffeinated Book Reviewer and I are giving away 3 ebooks on her blog (along with her review of the book and a guest post from me). The novella is just 99 cents and is available everywhere ebooks are sold, so if you enjoy holiday stories I hope you'll check it out!

• I'm participating in the Ho-Ho-Ho Holiday Read-a-Thon this weekend. I've read one book so far and I'm hoping to read two more.

• I posted a recap of week 1 of NaNoWriMo, in which it's clear I've finally lost what was left of my mind...but there are pictures of Nathan Fillion and David Tennant so...

• I mentioned the Ontario Blogger Meetup at the beginning of this post, and in my vlog. It took place at the Watermark Irish Pub in Toronto last Saturday, and it was so. Much. Fun. Great company, lots of books, yummy food. I'll have a recap up this week, I promise!

• If you stop by regularly, you might remember I mentioned my sister-in-law and I got professional pics done of the kids (my nephews and niece). Well, the photographer posted a sneak peek this week (7 pics) and they were amazing! Here's one of the three of them together...I'll post more once we have the disc with all the photos.

Logan (3), Noah (11), Maddy (5 months)

• As you can see from my 'On the Blog' section, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo. I managed to write a little over 3,000 words yesterday (Friday) so I'm on track, but I'd still like to get a bit ahead since I'll be out of town the last two days of November and won't have access to a computer to write or update or anything. The story is going well, and I'm hoping to post a teaser with next week's update, so if you're curious what I'm writing, I'll reveal it then! Or you add me as a buddy on the NaNo site and find out now! If you've read any of my previous books, you might be excited about what I'm writing now... ;-)

So that's my week in books and other things. How was your week? Did you get any new books? Have you read any good ones that you'd recommend? Tell me in the comments below or post a link to your Stacking the Shelves/Book Haul/In My Mailbox/Showcase Sunday, etc. Happy reading! <3

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