So, this Saturday I went to a book conference with the authors Raul the III and Simone Elkeles. It was intriguing and I had never heard of either of these authors before. I managed to procure a Simone Elkeles book; How to Ruin a Summer Vacation. I haven’t read it yet but I am excited to start it. I did not purchase a book by Raul the III because I am not into graphic novels which is what he writes and illustrates.
Besides being able to meet the authors there were several forums that we could participate in. There were three forums with five or six programs you could go to. Each forum lasted an hour with fifteen minutes between each to find the next program you wanted to participate in.
For the first program, I participated in Impromptu Book Club which was a program allowing people to talk about the books they have read recently and whether they liked it or not. It was interesting for I got to see what other people thought about some of the same books I have read and the ones I have not. I was surprised occasionally by some of the hate for books that I myself adore. Furthermore, most of the people had not read some of my favorite books such as Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco or An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir which are quite popular books.
The second program was Like, Try, Why which a program dedicated to suggesting good books with diverse characters. Throughout the presentation, I was convinced to read several books that I have never heard of but sound really good. At the end, we got two free books. I managed to grab a signed copy of the Belles by Dhonielle Clayton. Yes!! I have been wanting to read that book for forever. The second book I grabbed was Emergency Contact by Mary H.K Choi. I am unsure about how good that book is gonna be.
For the third session, I went to a local author panel. The panel consisted of authors; Ashlee Cowes, Todd Mitchell, Colleen Oakes, and Heather Sappenfield. It was awesome to learn about these authors and how they write and why they write. Luckily, I had a book by Todd Mitchell so I got that signed.
At the end, we talked to the main authors Simone and Raul. Then we got to choose one free book and get our books signed by the authors. For my book, I grabbed Reunited by Colleen Houck. I got my books signed along with a poster and headed home. It was fun and enjoyable.
This is a poster I received from Raul the third. The backside which is in Spanish is above. The front side is in English and that is the side I got signed. To the right is a picture of the signature for The Secret to Lying by Todd Mitchell.
Write your Destiny 