Friday, June 3, 2011

Scholastic's This Is Teen event recap and GIVEAWAY of signed Abandon, Beauty Queens, and Forever!

If I were being honest, this post really would've been titled: In which I have a fangirl moment meeting Meg Cabot.

Because the instant I found out that Meg Cabot, Libba Bray, and Maggie Stiefvater were doing a This Is Teen signing in NYC at the Scholastic store, well... my reaction pretty much consisted of !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And then a little more.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You get the picture.

Meg Cabot is two very important things to me: She's my comfort author -- the author whose books, no matter what, make me happy -- and she's the primary reason I write contemporary YA.

(I must also, of course, note the awesomeness of Libba and Maggie, two of my favorite YA authors and the coolest people ever. I totally had a squeee! moment the first time I met them.)

Once I discovered I could meet the person who is primarily responsible for my falling in love with YA, I was like HECK YES LEAVING EARLY FROM WORK, Y'ALL. GOT ME A TRAIN TO CATCH.

Except I don't even say y'all, like, ever. That's how excited I was.

And then I was like, "Oh, wow, same day as BEA, hmmmm maybe I should take a whole vacation day." But it wasn't so much of a "maybe." So I went to BEA, too!

And THEN we found out about this Scholastic-hosted blogger reception an hour prior to the signing, and we were even MORE excited. I mean, a chance to chat with three of the most excellent YA authors out there? Fabulous!

So we arrive, and there are so many awesome bloggers there, and we all get name tags and are ushered past security up an elevator to this room with a delightful view and butlered hors d'oeuvres and a bartender serving This-Is-Tinis. (Nonalcoholic, of course, and sooo yummy!) And all these Scholastic staffers are there, talking about upcoming and current YA titles, just as enthused as the bloggers -- love it!

Then I'm, like, tapping Frankie's shoulder maniacally because THERE IS MEG CABOT, casually chatting with bloggers. And then Frankie asks me to stop because I've likely left a bruise.

She gently suggests that I forces me to go over and introduce myself, and I meander over, convinced that I'll probably sound like one of the other five thousand blubbering idiots who've said to her, "Your books were my inspiration to write YA, blah blah blah."

So Meg finishes up talking to these other bloggers and we shake hands, and then I'm telling her about my dog-eared, yellowed, bent-spine copy of The Princess Diaries that I got almost ten years ago. She's, of course, super sweet and friendly and gracious, and I try not to smile too wide when we take a picture.

Me, smiling so wide my eyeballs disappear and you'd think it's Christmas, and Meg Cabot.
Once we meet, I resume acting like a normal human being and talk to Libba and Maggie and mingle with bloggers and nibble on hors d'oeuvres (who am I kidding, they were my dinner) until the actual event begins at 6:30.

Frankie and I mingling with the fab ladies of Forever Young Adult
Crazy enough, Scholastic increased its awesomeness even more by providing the reception attendees goody bags of books -- specifically, an ARC of Forever, Beauty Queens, Abandon, Pretty Bad Things, a paperback of Shiver, and Strings Attached. (All of them were on my Goodreads TBR list too!)

The event was excellent, and the Scholastic store was PACKED.
So many people! And there were even more that I couldn't capture in this photo!
All three authors were so entertaining, and they had a lot of fun bantering with one another.
Maggie, Meg, and Libba

I managed to get a video of them all answering the quintessential question of where their ideas come from -- apologies for the shaky camera skills during the first half, but the audio is great, and it gives you an idea of what the event was like.
Afterward, everyone stood in three lines to get their books signed. (I brought that super-loved copy of The Princess Diaries to get signed, and it's now sitting proudly on my bookshelf!) Maggie, Libba, and Meg were all so friendly and personable, taking time to chat with everyone.

Sara, Frankie, and I with Libba! LOVE Libba!
Sara and Frankie being silly with Maggie.
A huge thanks to everyone at Scholastic for hosting such an incredible event! And thanks to Scholastic's goody bag generosity, we're hosting a giveaway! I had already bought copies of Abandon and Beauty Queens for myself, and I had an ARC of Forever from BEA, so I got my free copies signed for you guys! Yayyyy giveaway!!!


*** THE GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED. THANK YOU! ***


Ok, so tell me -- meeting which author(s) would turn you into a blubbering fangirl (or boy)? Make me feel like I'm not alone in the comments!

PS - This post reminded me of Stephanie Perkins' eloquent and generally awesome post on how Meg Cabot and John Green inspired her love of contemporary YA. (Coincidentally, John is another author I'd take a vacation day and travel to another state to meet. And I'll probably gush for ten minutes meeting Stephanie herself!)

28 comments:

  1. I'm pretty open about my obsessive worship of Maria V. Snyder. I even want to go to her MFA program for the chance to be mentored by her. But I might spend the whole time fawning at her feet, so maybe not...:P

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  2. That's so cool! Glad you had a great time - love the pics!

    Also, is this giveaway international? Or open to international people with a US address?

    Thanks so much for sharing!

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  3. YA - D.J. MacHale, Rachel Vincent, Richelle Mead, oh - the list goes on! T. A. Barron.

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  4. I would probably be speechless meeting any author of the books I've read, but my favorite author is Francesca Lia Block, so I would just die if I got to meet her. I seriously don't know what I'd do. She's been such an inspiration to me all throughout middle school and high school. I own like 20 of her books. Lol, and yet I still have more to get. *dreamy sigh*

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  5. I've never been to an event like that. It looks so much fun :) Thanks for the giveaway :D

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  6. Everyone looks like they're having so much fun~ I wish I could've been there.

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  7. Actually I think meeting Stephanie Perkins would turn me into a blubbering fan girl, lol. I really loved ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS and admire her writing.

    Ditto Robin McKinley and Gayle Forman.

    KH

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  8. Amazing post... why do I have to live in Switzerland? I want to go to an event like that too!!!

    Anyway, thanks for the giveaway, and thaks for sharing your pics with us :D

    Hugs,

    Alex

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  9. Melissa de la Cruz! I love her Blue Bloods series and I always go to her signings when there close by.... I always go total fan girl! I think she's starting to recognize me... :)haaaa!

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  10. Oh my gosh. How long of a list do you want? At the top of my list, of course, is J.K. Rowling. I would probably faint if I saw her and that's not an exaggeration at all.

    Some others include Tamora Pierce, Gayle Forman, Stephanie Perkins, Richelle Mead.. SO MANY.

    Thanks for the giveaway and recap! :)

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  11. I almost NEVER enter contests because, being an author, I don't think it's so fair. I get lots of cool signed books from friends etc. But LIBBA BRAY!! Wow. Also, I'd be a blubbering idiot if I met MT Anderson, Adam Rex (too hilarious), and any number of others. VERY cool!!

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  12. YAY!! Great giveaway.

    I know for a fact I'd forget my name if I met Jennifer Echols or Jeri Smith-Ready..or many many more authors I adore.

    I'm a total fan-girl!

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  13. Simone Elkeles without a doubt!!!

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  14. Great comments, guys! You reminded me of so many amazing authors I have yet to meet and fangirl over! Most of you have replies via email, but for the rest:

    @Sophia - LOVE Maria! She's local for us (and she actually attended my high school), so we've met her a few times.

    @teepee - This event was definitely unique! NYC has some of the best events, no doubt!

    @Jessy - Definitely fun -- we love book signings!

    @Alexandra Roxana & @Jarvis - Sorry you couldn't be there, but good luck with the giveaway!

    @The Story Queen - JK Rowling..... I'd be fainting with you! Funny enough, in line for Meg's signing, I met someone who'd met her!

    @Heidi Ayarbe - LIBBA BRAY is right! All three authors deserve their names permanently in all caps, haha. Love seeing authors turning into blubbering idiots over other authors -- it's great!

    @Leilani - Nice choice! I've yet to read Simone's books, but I've heard amazing things!

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  15. I would turn into a total fangirl if I ever met Maria V. Snyder, Tamora Pierce, Cassandra Clare, Patricia C. Wrede, Laurie King, Elizabeth Chadwick...and oh so many others. Veronica Roth is going to be in Oregon (with some other great authors!) in just 4 days!!! I am so excited.

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  16. Anya Bast would do it for me. Amazing!!

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  17. Well this event has me DYING of excitement, I pretty much tweet Maggie Stiefvater every day going I'M SO EXCITED FOR SF on 6/13. Also, Scott Westerfeld would have me reduced to a pile of fangirl goop, as would Maureen Johnson. And Cassandra Clare. And Ally Carter.

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  18. Thank you SO much for the AMAZING giveaway opportunity! Thank you for thinking of your followers/readers, even when you're going crazy, fan-girling out! :D

    I think I'd go absolutely gaga if I met the following authors:

    JK Rowling (Harry Potter) - Ok,I wouldn't fan-girl out, I'd DIE!
    Josephine Angelini (Starcrossed)
    Chuck Pahlaniuk (Fight Club)
    Beth Revis (Across the Universe)

    ~Hira~
    Email: Enamoredsoul(at)gmail(dot)com

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  19. I gush over a lot of authors. I nearly died when I met Ann M. Martin of Babysitter's Club fame. I didn't know what to do with myself. I'm sad I missed this event due to work obligations. But the video was really awesome. That's my friend Billy moderating the panel!

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  20. @Chloe - Have so much fun!!! Maggie's awesome.

    Everyone else -- your reply's via email!

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  21. Larissa Ione, Gena Showalter, Jennifer Echols, Linda Howard, Charlaine Harris... Jeesh, I could go on :) I think just meeting any author of any of my books, would make me speechless. Lisa Schroeder was at a book signing in my old hometown, so I sent my mom to get me a book signed and I was so jealous that she got to meet her and I didn't

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  22. I would DEFINITELY go all blubbering fangirl--especially if it was James Dashner or Brandon Mull. :-)

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  23. OK...now this might sound extremely lame and stupid but I guess I would turn a blubbering fan girl in front of any author I met! I mean come on,these people have their names printed on books,people gushing all over them and are read and liked by so many people all over the world!
    Guess that makes me the craziest fan...
    Thanks for providing all those lovely photos!

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  24. Hmm.. I don't really show my blubberingness, its more an internal shrieking that goes on. My friend though has no qualms about letting everyone know how much she loves authors - any author.

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  25. @Jolene - Great choices! I've learned to calm the starstruck fangirl within when meeting authors, but sometimes I can't help it!

    @bookaholic - Not lame or stupid at all! I'm sure they find it sooo flattering when fans get excited to meet them! I know I'd die of disbelief if someone ever gushed over something I've written.

    Everyone else -- replies via email!

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  26. Looks like you had a wonderful time. thanks for the giveaway
    marlenebreakfield(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  27. How exciting! I think all authors are celebrities and would be thrilled to meet any of them. Seeing J.K. Rowling would be the ultimate though! Thanks for your offer!!

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