Author Event Recap - Kelley Armstrong - Ontario Public Library Month

At the end of September, I was in the library when I saw this…

I couldn’t believe it. I thought it must be a mistake. When I got home I checked the library website and even Kelley Armstrong’s list of appearances on her website, and discovered it wasn’t a mistake. *cue all the squeeing and fangirling*

I’ve been reading Kelley’s books since before I started this blog in 2010. Besides loving paranormal books, I had a fascination with Kelley because she’s Canadian. So, you can imagine my excitement when I found out she was coming to my small city, to the library that I basically consider my second home because I spend so much time there.

As soon as I found out about Kelley’s appearance at the library, I posted about it on Facebook and tagged several local friends so they’d know about it (and so I’d have someone to go with). I made plans to go with Michelle, a friend I’ve known since preschool but hadn’t seen in 7-8 years, and meet up with JaimeKristal, a friend from high school, who also happens to be my editor, and who I hadn’t seen in 11 years. I was so psyched because not only would I get to meet one of my favourite authors, it would also be a reunion!

Michelle and I arrived around 10:45 for the event, which was scheduled to start at 11:30. We snagged the last of the seats, and as we waited for JK, the event planners added a bunch more chairs, which filled up quickly. By the time the event started, the room was packed and there was standing room only.

Cheryl, the librarian who coordinated the event, introduced Kelley and I was glad to see I wasn’t the only one who was almost overwhelmed with excitement. She said that people had started arriving to the event at 9:30 (when the library opens), and that there had never been an event with a turnout like that one.

Kelley talked to us about how she got started writing, talked about her current and upcoming books, and then did a reading from The Summoning. After that she did a question and answer period where she ‘bribed’ people to ask questions by giving out goodies like books and Omens tote bags. She was so smart and funny and just plain incredible. She’s the Queen of Paranormal, but she’s so humble and down to earth. She joked with us, told us stories, and was so open.

Some interesting tidbits we learned from Kelley:

• Have you ever wondered how Kelley got into writing paranormal? Was it because her parents loved it? Or maybe because they were against it and an interest grew out of a sense of rebellion? Neither. It was a love of Scooby Doo!

• Her first published novel, and the first book in the Women of the Otherworld series, Bitten, has been made into a 13-episode TV series. It was picked up by the Space network in Canada and was supposed to start airing early 2014, but now the Sci-Fi station in the States wants to pick it up (!!!) so they’re trying to coincide air dates.

• Someone asked her if she’d done a cameo in Bitten, and she said no. When asked if she would if asked, it was a definite NO. She said the idea terrified her.

• Even though the Women of the Otherworld series ended last year with the publication of Thirteen, Kelley says she still plans to release a novella a year from that world.

• When her daughter got old enough to become interested in Kelley’s books and asked if she could read Bitten, Kelley said no…and from there, the Darkest Powers trilogy was born. She wanted to write something her daughter could read.

• Later on, her sons wanted to read her books, and Kelley told them the Darkest Powers trilogy was suitable for kids 11 and up. Their response: ‘But there’s a girl on the cover’. She tried to convince them to read it by assuring them there were werewolves and zombies and no kissing. Their response: ‘But there’s a girl on the cover holding a necklace’. From there, Loki’s Wolves, which she co-wrote with Marissa Marr, was born.

• When asked about advice on writing, her response was simple (and something I’ve said a number of times to people who have asked me for writing advice): write. If you want to write, write. Don’t talk about it, don’t over think it, just write. She also recommended that people who want to write should read widely.

• When asked what kind of education you need to be a writer, she said none. Then she amended that by saying you didn’t need any specific sort of education, but the more education you had, the better, so you’d be knowledgeable about a lot of things. She said she’s always taking courses and learning things that could come in handy in her books - sword fighting and bartending being among them.
• She loves Steven King’s books.

After the Q&A came the signing. This is what I looked forward to and dreaded most. For someone who’s an avid reader, a book blogger, and an author, meeting one of your favourite authors is like meeting a rock star. I was nervous that I’d dissolve into a squeeing fangirl and totally embarrass myself. Luckily Michelle and JK were awesome and kept me talking and laughing so I didn’t have too much of a chance to get nervous…although my hands were shaking by the time it was our turn to meet Kelley! She signed my two books (The Gathering and Exit Strategy), and I got to talk to her for a minute. I told her I was a book blogger and that she had donated signed copies of her books for my Canadian Author Spotlight last July, and I wanted to thank her in person. I got a picture with her, and then I got extra time with her while JK got her books signed and then…well, then Michelle brought out her ginormous bag of books. She had to drive two hours to get to my city, and she brought every Kelley Armstrong book she owned. No joke. Kelley was so gracious and signed each one while chatting with us. 

Kelley and me

Kelley and Michelle

Kelley and JK

Signing the mountain of books Michelle brought

It was an amazing day. It’s been a few days and I still can’t believe I met Kelley Armstrong. I MET KELLEY ARMSTRONG! :-D 

Have you ever been to an author event? Have you met Kelley? Do you enjoy her books? What are some of your favourites?

 

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Armchair BEA Day 3: Networking in real life

Design credit: Emily of Emily's Reading Room

 

Welcome to day three of Armchair BEA! I'm having so much fun with this event - I'm so glad I'm able to participate! Today's topic is networking in real life. I think it would be absolutely amazing to meet some of my blogging friends in real life. I have two that come to mind straight away, and I know for sure I'd be really good friends with them 'in real life', but of course they both live far away! I'm seriously going to make it my mission in life to meet up with them someday. ;-)

 

I've met a few bloggers online who live nearby. One of my blogging friends only lives half an hour away, so she's probably the likeliest for a real life meet-up. I was invited to the Ontario Blog Squad meet-up late last year, but I didn't have any way to get there. It made me sad because it was only two hours away, and I knew quite a few of the girls who would be there. I guess they're organizing another one though, so maybe I'll have better luck next time! There are also book signings two hours away, but again, I have no way to get there, so every time I hear of a favorite author coming to Toronto, it makes me want to cry (I seriously got teary when I heard Sarah Dessen was in Toronto last year - she's been one of my favorite authors since I was a teen). I desperately wish I either had friends in real life who enjoyed reading, or that I could find book bloggers who were close enough that I could actually do things/go to events with.

 

The only book signing I've ever been to was for Gail Vaz-Oxlade, host of Till Debt Do Us Part, and Princess. I've been watching Till Debt for quite awhile, and since my sister-in-law and I are both fans of Gail, we got tickets for the luncheon/presentation/book signing she did in March. We made friends with two of the girls at our table, and it was fun to network in that way, but I have to say I really wish one of these days I'd meet a fellow book blogger or two who really get it, and who I could talk books with. Hopefully soon!

 

What about you? Have you made real life connections with fellow bloggers?

 

 

Gail Vaz-Oxlade & my first-ever book signing!

On Saturday, my sister-in-law, Amanda, and I went to meet Gail Vaz-Oxlade. If you don’t know who Gail is - where have you been?! But, no, really, I don’t know if her shows only air in Canada, so…Gail is a financial expert and the host of Till Debt Do Us Part and Princess, and she’s a best-selling author. Have money issues and need help? Gail’s the one to look to for advice.

I’ve been watching Till Debt for a couple of years, and I’ve watched Princess since it started last year. I have this obsession with reality TV. I guess part of it is because I’m a writer and I’m fascinated with real life people and situations, but in the case of Gail’s shows, it’s also just because I love her. She’s blunt and honest and tells it like it is, but you can tell that she’s got a soft and kind heart, and I love that about her.

So, one day, Amanda and I were out shopping, and I don’t know how we got on the subject, but we discovered that we both watch Gail. One of the first things we both said was that we wanted to meet her someday and hug her. Random, right? There’s just something so huggable about her, and we thought it was funny that we both thought the same thing.

Just a few weeks later, Amanda messaged me all excited to tell me that Gail was going to be in Cobourg, less than an hour away from here, and that tickets were only $25. I was super excited because I’d finally get to meet Gail, plus it would be my first ever book signing! I’m so envious of all my blog buddies who get to go to all these amazing book signings, and I’d never been to a single one.

So we set out Saturday morning, doors of the Lion’s Club opened at 11:30, and we got seats at a table right next to where Gail would be sitting, close to the stage. We made friends with a couple of women, Chrissy and Lynne, who were from 2-3 hours away (Amanda and I have this weird habit of making friends when we go places…when we went to see U2 in July, we met a couple of girls from out west, spent the entire day in line with them, they helped us get into the 3rd row of the pit, and I still talk to one of them on a daily basis via text…and yet normally I have trouble making friends because I’m shy and basically a hermit. Go figure).

Anyway, Amanda and the two other girls went to check out the books while I kept our table, and a minute later, I heard someone say, ‘Hi Gail’, and there she was walking behind me. I have to admit, I had a fangirl moment…and of course, I was sitting by myself, so I had to try to contain it!

Lunch was terrific. From what I’ve heard of some events that include lunch, I was expecting something lame, but there was chicken pot pie, two different kinds of quiche, salad, a pickle and olive tray, a veggie tray, buns, a ton of desserts, and all kinds of drinks. It was really nice, and I was really impressed. Being just a few feet away from Gail, the four of us kept an eye on her, snapped some pictures, and basically eavesdropped on the conversations she was having with the lucky people who got to sit with her.

The presentation Gail gave was amazing. She was really funny and engaging - she moved around the stage, made eye contact with people in the crowd, asked questions, explained things. The name of the talk was How to be a Woman of Independent Means, so she talked a lot about what women need to do to ensure we’re taken care of without having to rely on men or anyone else. The Q&A time was really helpful, and she did a fantastic job of answering peoples’ questions in a way that was easy to understand.

Also, during her talk, she decided to auction off her shoes - literally the shoes off her feet, these amazing red pumps - and Amanda and Chrissy got into a bidding war, with Chrissy winning at $100. She’s going to auction them off at work and donate the money to a good cause - isn’t that amazing? 

The shoes Gail was wearing, that Chrissy won in the auction, along with the books Amanda bought to have signed.

 

Next came the book signing. Amanda ran to get in line, so we didn’t have long to wait. The whole event was a fundraiser for the Northumberland Services for Women, so people who asked questions had to donate $2, and when you went up for the book signing, you could donate $2 for a hug and $2 for a picture with Gail. I thought that was a great idea, and those jars were filling up fast with change! 

Amanda and I got our wish - we both got to hug Gail, and she gives great hugs! Real, genuine, long-lost best friend hugs. She was so sweet to me…this may sound strange, but I got the impression she could tell I was shy (especially next to Amanda, who’s really flamboyant and loud and extroverted and caught Gail’s attention several times during lunch and the presentation), and she was so incredibly nice to me. Now I love her even more!

Gail and me

Gail and Amanda

After we got our books signed, got hugs pictures, we rejoined Chrissy (who was gathering all her things to be signed - books, a poster, and the shoes she won) and Lynn, then got into line with Chrissy so we could take pictures of Gail signing the shoes. Amanda and I decided to donate another $2 for a group picture, since we took individual pictures with Gail before, and Amanda was allowed to pull Gail aside and ask a private debt-related question. 

Amanda, Gail, and me...can you tell Amanda was excited? She was on the verge of hysteria all day, I swear

Gail and Chrissy after Gail signed the shoes...my question now is: did Gail go home in her bare feet?

It was a really fantastic day. I’m so excited to not only say that I finally got to meet someone I admire and respect immensely (and who I see every day on TV...I see her more than I see most of my friends), but also that I finally went to a book signing! I’ve been a book blogger for almost a year now, so it’s about damn time!

Me with my signed book! I haven't done an IMM post or vlog in about a month, so I'll try to do one this week and include this.

Find Gail online:
{Her website || Facebook || Twitter}

Now, how about you guys? Do you know who Gail is? Have you ever been to a book signing? Did you turn into a squeeing fangirl or boy? As book bloggers, I know a lot of us can agree that authors are like our rock stars, so I know I'm not the only one!