Get Real: Contemps On Tour Book Signing

I love book signings, but I do not have the opportunity to go to as many as I would like.  So when Kim from On the Wings of Books asked if I wanted to take a 2 hour trip to Northern VA to a book signing, I was all over it... as long as she drove.  I don't to the Beltway, ya'll.

The book signing was in Arlington at One Page More Books- which is a fantastic book store, the kind of place that book lovers instantly recognize as being a home away from home.  Even the bathroom was full of awesomeness.  Here, I took a picture:

No, I do not normally take pictures of the insides of bathrooms. 

 The book signing was for Get Real: Contemps on Tour and featured 4 YA authors.  Here's a picture of all four authors and the One Page More Books people:

Back Row: Miranda Kenneally, Lisa Roecker, Laura Roecker and Janet Gurtler, Front Row: One Page More Books staff.

I have to admit that prior to this book signing I had not read any books by these authors, although Miranda Kenneally was on my must read soon radar, but I had heard of the other authors.  It's been my experience that once you meet and like an author it only adds to the book reading experience, so I can't wait to read the books I bought!

After a brief introduction, the authors took some questions.  I, of course, could not think of a single intelligent question to ask- although I did really want to ask what books they were currently reading, but chickened out because I worried that it would be rude to ask authors who were there to sign and sell their own books about other people's books that do not provide an income to them.  Luckily, there were people that don't lose their damn minds when they get around authors so that's how I got the material for this post.  Thank you, random book store signing attendees!

This is the book I bought for her to sign

Miranda Kenneally is the author of Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker and her third Source book Things I Can't Forget will be coming out in 2013. She summarized her books for us, and then said that her husband teased her about how all her stories go, "It's about a girl who..." so she made a point to say "It's about a person who...".  Kim and I got to speak quite a bit with Miranda after the author question period and she's funny and clever, and she got that I rock.  No, seriously, she did.  She wrote that I rock when she signed Stealing Parker for me.  Needless to say, she has my undying literary love forever.  And at the Phoenix stop of the tour she read out loud from Fifty Shades of Grey, and according to her fellow tour members, has Jedi mind skills. Since Kim had long ago convinced me that Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker were must reads, I required no Jedi mind tricks. Miranda and I would be friends in real life, if my fan girl worship didn't require a order of protection.

The book I bought for her to sign

Janet Gurtler is from Canada, which means she's magical like my friends Cindy and Kellie.  She's also the author of several Source books I'm Not Her, If I Tell, and her latest book Who I Kissed, which I picked up. The book is about a girl who kisses a boy at a party, not knowing he has a peanut allergy, and he dies.  Janet said she got the idea because her son has a peanut allergy.  There were many wonderful quotes from the night, but she gave my favorite.  After telling us what Who I Kissed Was About- which features not only death but cyber bullying- said that the book still "has hope in it, like most YA."  Kim and I had to explain to her about Canadian magic, which she didn't even know she possessed. Out of all her covers she's most excited over the one for next book to be published, How I Lost You, which I think is mainly due to the fact that her book's signature circle on the cover is going to be a lovely peach color.  She was adorable.

Picked up both of these!

Lisa Roecker, who was told by kids at a school they stopped by at that she looked like an "older Carly Rae Jepson" and her sister Laura Roecker are the authors of The Liar Society books.  The two of them have a great energy between them, and write by taking turns on each chapter.  When someone asked the panel to say which of their book covers they liked the best, there was a lot of groans from the authors, mostly because they have very little input on what appears on the covers.  Lisa and Laura had to change their main character's hair color because the model on the cover has pink hair, but it ended up working out for the better.  Not so good?  Learning from readers that the cover model has several nude pictures on the web, pink hair and private school clothes (although I guess a lot less of them).  The sisters were really funny and they completely sold me on their books.

I also got the authors to sign my Kindle cover and scored some jelly belly beans from Janet Gurtler and an exclusive early chapter reveals booklet that has the opening's of How I Lost You by Janet Gurtler, I'm With Stupid by Geoff Herbach and Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally.   There was also a raffle giveaway, in which I didn't win a thing, but Kim did win a Authors Are My Rockstar t-shirt.  If you can't be a winner, it's at least good to sit next to a winner and bask in the spotlight.