RWA 2015 Haul

Well a recap of one of my trips would not be completed without a post about the books I brought home LOL. So here we go!

I'm not going to do as last time and list and comment on all the books I got, because you know, we'd be here for ages ^_^; They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I think in this case, it's true :) Here are several thousands words :)

Let's start with the Literacy Signing:

Yes, the Literacy Signing was crazy... but in an organized fashion. The authors were seated alphabetically for the most part and during those two hours, I managed to visit everyone I wanted... and more :) I'm always surprised, because you think that two hours is way too short, how am I going to see everyone?!? But you do! Unless you line up for the big authors - Nora Roberts, Nalini Singh, etc., then you might run out of time. Otherwise, you're good ;) I probably walked that room twice actually. And most authors don't have a queue. If they do, then I usually come back.

My best advice for the Literacy Signing: have a list of authors that you absolutely want to see. RWA puts up the list of authors present early on their website so you can make that list. It's a good guideline to have because it'll keep you centered :)

Another good advice I received from Wendy on my first Literacy Signing is if you want the latest release of a particular author from Avon/Harpercollins, grab it at the Literacy Signing... because chances are, they won't have it at the publisher signing as they usually give away the previous release or even, two books ago release. That's why I got The Duke and the Lady in Red by Lorraine Heath and Catch a Falling Heiress by Laura Lee Guhrke. And good thing too, because indeed, they didn't have it at the publisher signing. My best "catch" though was Once Upon a Rose by Laura Florand. She is now self-publishing her books, so she didn't have many copies at the Literacy Signing and apparently, ran out of books very quickly. So happy she was my first stop! Now, I'm kicking myself because I should have been greedy and gotten a copy of All for You. Oh well :P

I have to admit though, most of the books I got on the Literacy Signing weren't on my list ^_^; I did go to most authors on my list and asked them if they were going to be at the publisher signings. Then, I picked up books that caught my eyes... and that's how I got When a Rake Falls by Sally Orr. How could I resist the necklace? LOL.

While the Literacy Signing was the first event that kicked off RWA, those weren't my first books. Nope, the first books I got were the ones in the registration bag (on the left of the owl).

Other instances you get free books aside from the publisher signings are at the keynote sessions and in the goody room. From the keynote sessions, we got On a Night Like This by Barbara Freethy, two books in Julia Quinn's Bridgertons series and two books by Nalini Singh - combinations of Angels's Blood, Slave to Sensation and Visions of Heat. Besides the Barbara Freethy book, I only took home Slave to Sensation because of its new cover :) I've been coveting this new cover as it fits with the rest so much more than the original purple cover ^_^;

The bulk of the free books you get at RWA are from publisher signings. Basically, each publisher gathers their authors and provide books for them to sign for attendees. Usually, there will be two publisher signings at the same time and they last about 1.5 hour. It is possible to go to both publisher signings and get most books, but it's really a balancing act. In this case, knowing which authors write for which publishers will help you in your decision making.

The first face-off: Avon vs. New American Library (NAL). I elected to go to NAL first because 1) there was a particular book I really wanted, 2) the line was shorter at NAL and 3) I had gotten the books I wanted most from Avon at the Literacy Signing. Anything else I was getting was bonus. I also know that Avon give e-books and as such, you're less likely to run out of books.

The book I really wanted at NAL was Something to Prove by Kimberly Lang. I read the blurb and for some reasons, just really wanted to read it. I was also really excited to meet Erin Knightley and am happy I got Rising Fire by Terri Brisbin.

For the Avon signing, I pretty much went wild with the ebooks (3rd picture). Even though I drove to NYC, I was very conscious that I had limited space in my trunk. Sure, I wasn't restricted as those who flew and decided not to ship back books... However, remember, I didn't drive down alone. We were 4, we had gone shopping and 3 of us had definitively over-packed ^_^; So yes, e-books are definitively great!!

Later that day, there two more publisher signings - Kensington and Indie. I'm still very picky on self-published books, so that was an easy decision for me. I'm most happy I got The Daring Exploits of a Runaway Heiress by Victoria Alexander. Ironically, she didn't have that book at the Literacy Signing, but did have it for the publisher signing. Go figure. Was also very happy to get my hand on Fire Me Up by Kimberly Kincaid. Oh and To Win Her Love by Mackenzie Crowne because I had seen that one while looking up new releases but didn't expect to find it at RWA considering it's from Lyrical Press, Kensington's e-book line.

I did go to the Indie book signing and got Finding Pride by Jill Sanders (picture of the book is with the Montlake books). Ms Sanders had her son with her and they were such a cute pair, him handing out bookmarks and her, signing books :)

On the second day, there were 6 publisher signings. Yep, it was a busy day!

The first session was Harlequin vs. Grand Central Publishing. I lined up for Harlequin, did a quick tour to get the books I really wanted. Then, went to Grand Central Publishing. The reality is that Grand Central Publishing signing had less authors than Harlequin, so it was easy to get the books I wanted and then, go back to Harlequin. Poor Lauren Dane, she was signing in both!! So I think she did 45 minutes at Harlequin, then 45 minutes at Grand Central Publishing. I had miss her on my first tour of Harlequin, so when I came back I went to get her books... Only to find out she had gone to Grand Central! So I got her books and followed her back to Grand Central Publishing LOL.

My most exciting moment? Getting an ARC of Ransom Canyon by Jodi Thomas. I found out recently that she had a new series coming out with Harlequin at the end of August and was wondering if she would have the book at the publisher signing... and guess what? She did!! So happy, I think I danced in front of her LOL. Of course, that means I need to read it before the end of the month :P I loved meeting Robyn Carr, Kristan Higgins, Susan Andersen and Sharon Sala. I have followed those authors in Harlequin for a long time :P Also, kudos to Harlequin because they were really prepared. Each authors had tons of books for the signing.

Oh, you know how Avon gets a thumb up for having e-books, well Harlequin gets two thumbs up from me. Not every author had e-books to offer, but the ones who did? Well, they had this cool app that allowed them to personalize the e-book itself, like a real book signing, and then, send it to you via email. So when you open the e-book, after the cover, there's a page with the autograph:

 Isn't that cool? I got 5 books that way.

 

I do hope that in the future, Harlequin considers extending this app to their other authors :) Even though it was a bit awkward to sign on an iPad and it might be a bit more time-consuming, it's just awesome because it's like a real signed book!

In Grand Central Publishing, I'm really happy with all the books I got. I feel like in the past few years, I haven't picked up as many books by Grand Central Publishing as I used to. However, it seems like Grand Central is doing a re-emergence. I don't know if it's their covers that are more eye-catching or the blurbs that are more interesting or what, but I'm really excited to read the books I got :) By the way, V.K. Sykes turns out to be a husband and wife team from Ottawa and they were just the cutest.

 In the afternoon, we had Berkley vs. Pocket. For this one, I chose Berkley first just because I know I read a lot from them.

Obviously, Nalini Singh and Nora Roberts were two must-see authors for me. I'm really happy I waited for the publisher signing to see Nora Roberts because the line was shorter and I got paperbacks instead of hardcovers. I love hardcovers, but truth is, I couldn't wait for RWA to get Nora Roberts books, so I already owned the HCs ^_^; I'm lucky I got the Jayne Ann Krentz!! I skipped her line the first time around, went to Pocket and when I came back, there were only three copies left! Snagged one presto! Got to meet Thea Harrison as well. I can't remember if she was at RWA in 2011, but it's hard to believe that 4 years ago, she would have been an unknown author almost as Dragon Bound came out in May 2011. Last, but not least, it was lovely to meet Lisa Bingham. I did come across her book when I was looking for new releases, but I didn't remember her till I saw her at the Literacy Signing and promise myself to find her at the publisher signing.

Okay, so I am shocked I only got three books at the Pocket book signing. Actually, I got more than three, but the others were for friends. Still, only three books?! I admit that the publisher signing is kind of a blur at the moment so my only explanation for the little amount of books I got is the authors present at the signings are not ones that I read ^_^; I remember there were many historical romance authors and I've been kind of keeping away from those. Also, after Harlequin and Berkley book signings, I was a bit less impulsive because I was worried about space ^_^;

The last two signings of the day were St. Martin's Press and Sourcebooks. This one was an easy decision: St. Martin's Press.

Suzanne Rock is an author I've been meaning to try, so I was happy to see her at the signing. I've read the first two books in the New York Saints series by Melanie Scott, so picking up Lawless in Leather was a no-brainer. The Diane Kelly book, I actually got at the Literacy signing - oups :P Still, I enjoy her other cosy mystery series and been meaning to start this one :) Finally, I have come across the blurb of Summer on Lovers' Island by Donna Alward and am so happy I saw the book at the signing.

For some reasons, I am not a huge fan of Sourcebooks. I just don't seem to click with the stories... except for their YA. Those I love... and that's why I have high hopes for Powerless. I'm also glad I went because I picked up Sharon Sala's new book - for some reasons, I thought it was with Berkley or Grand Central Publishing and had been disappointed not to see her in those. Lucky I walked in when I did, because she didn't have many copies left. And I have heard really good things about Sara Humphreys from a co-worker, so that's why I picked her book.

So, the last day, there were two signings left. These were individual publisher signing, meaning they weren't held at same time. The first one was Ballantine Books, i.e. Random House publishing. Surprisingly, they didn't have many authors present... Laura Moore was the must see authors at that signing for me :) They also had their LoveSwept books in printed ARC for the signing. That was cool, but at the same time, the paper used is different and so, the books were really heavy ^_^;

Last, but not least, Montlake Romance, i.e. Amazon. I'm familiar with a few authors only... so most of the books I picked were Ames' suggestions and also, the covers :P

***

 And there you go, all the books I got. In case you are curious, here is the final count:

127 print books + 35 e-books

Yep, that's pretty insane ^_^; At the start, I thought I was doing so much better than in 2011 where I just took everything... that I was in control and restrained myself. I mean, the first two publisher signings, I had less than 20 print books... Not bad at all. And then, I really don't know what happened LOL. But yeah, end result is that I have 5 print books less than in 2011... and back then, the publishers hadn't started given out e-books ^_^; So not too much restraint. Especially when you consider that I left a box of books behind to the NJ bloggers. Although in my defense, I think there were more authors this year... Just saying. The good news is out of those 162 books, I have already read 15 books - almost 10%!! And since I came home, I read two more :P Hopefully, I'll do a better job this year than in 2011. And I think I will. I was really careful this time around to take books I really wanted to read - that's why you're seeing so much contemporary romance... So we'll see.

And of course, aside from books, I brought home a ton of swag. I thought I'd share with you some of the cool ones :P

The stuffed dog was courtesy of Diane Kelly and is the K9 dog in her series. We call her Brigit because that's the name of the character and had a lot of fun with her as Ames, my sister and V brought her with them on their sightseeing tour of NYC :P I'll try to share some of those pictures with you all. I got a cowboy cookie cutter from Lisa Bingham and I know we'll use that one :P I think the spatulas and measuring spoons were cool ideas. Oh, we also had a lot of fun with those purple rulers. They changed to bright pink with heat (you can see a bit on the 2nd picture). Pins are always fun... Carina Press/Harlequin had 6 and the one saying "My TBR pile is bigger than yours" was in very high demand. I thought #teamHEA was cool too. Love the Keep Calm and Hoard Books as well as Nalini Singh's mini. So that's just some of it, but I thought I'd share with you :)

Phew, sorry for the long post. Hope you enjoyed it!! Now, next, going to try to review a book :P

RWA 2015 and NYC trip!

Hello everyone!

Yep, I'm alive! I survived RWA 2015 and my NYC trip! We drove back home on Monday and I've been settling back slowly into a routine :P I'm not going to do a day-by-day recap because that'd be too long for you and me... but I wanted to share some thoughts and pictures of the whole experience :P

RWA 2011 was such a great experience for me, that I knew I'd do it again. I chose this year, because it was once again held in NYC. Being able to drive to the conference is a definite plus because I get to save on airfare and can also bring back all the books I want :) Plus, I get to visit fellow bloggers Hilcia, Christine and Mariana :) Accompanying me this time around was my sister Emilie, my friend V and Ames. My sister and V have visited NYC many times, but always like to come back. As for Ames, NYC has always been a place she wanted to see... Plus, being there at the same time as some favorite authors and fellow bloggers, it was perfect timing.

As usual, we managed to squeeze in some outlet shopping... but the real focus of the trip was NYC and RWA 2015. One of the most memorable moments of the trip was the Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show taping. My sister is a big fan of Jimmy Fallon and we've been trying to go for years... but it never worked out. This time though, the stars aligned and not only was Jimmy Fallon taping while we were in town, but I managed to snag some tickets!! Wooohooo!!! There's a whole process to get tickets and even then, it's hard ^_^; We went to the taping with Ames and Rosie. I was a bit disappointed that we were in the last row, although we still had a good view. However, in the end, we were able to high-five Jimmy Fallon, so I guess those were actually good seats LOL. And bonus, not only we got to see the taping with guest stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Gad and James Bay, but at the end, they also taped scenes for a movie - Conner4Real - with Andy Samberg! So we got to see that as well :P If we're lucky, we will be in it!!

Last time I was attending RWA in NYC, I didn't really get to sightsee ^_^; The days during the conference start really early, even more so now that the keynote speakers are scheduled at breakfast instead of lunch. If you go to every publisher signings, it leaves you very little time to actually attend to workshops and panels... and then, you want to hang out with your friends. This time, I was hoping to do a bit more... So I managed to go to the High Line Park with my crew as well as Rosie and L.B. Gregg. Also managed to go to the Empire State building and do a night tour bus. Not bad, no?

 We also managed to go to a Broadway show: Finding Neverland. I'm not a fan of Peter Pan, but I actually really enjoyed this one. The stage was awesome and some of the scenes were just breathtaking. My only complaint though was the volume... I had difficulty catching every word during a song because the music seems to be too loud. Still, great show in my opinion.

So this was NYC for me. Ames, V and Emilie actually saw a lot more :P It's funny because Emilie and I are used to being on the go during trips. I guess we're also fast walkers. Ames and V were troopers!! But after a couple of intense sightseeing days, I think Emilie has broken Ames' feet :P

***

What about RWA? Overall, my experience was positive :) However, I do have some mixed feelings about it. I'll try to expand on those later...

For now, let's start with the Literacy Signing. It was crazy! LOL, but super well organized! There were close to 500 authors present for the Literacy signing, so you can imagine... I love how they did the queue this year. The Literacy Signing was on the 5th floor ballroom and we were directed to the 6th floor ballroom for the line-up. There were actual chairs so instead of standing, we could sit! That was really brilliant! We were also divided into section: A, B, C, etc. And when the signing started, they called one section at a time to make their way down the 5th floor ballroom. Everything was smooth and prompt. So, really big kudos to the organizers for thinking this up. I think each section was made up of approximately 100 persons and I know they started to fill section F. So 600+ people going to the signing to meet authors... Wowzer! I think this year, the Literacy Signing raised about 48000$ for charity, so that was awesome :)

Lining up for Literacy Signing

The Literacy Signing!

I managed to make it to all three breakfasts :) This year, the keynote speakers were Barbara Freethy, Julia Quinn and Nalini Singh. All three speeches were interesting... although I think Ms Freethy was the most enlightening. She talked about how she had to re-invent herself many times because of romance trends and why she decided to self-publish. Really interesting. Ms Quinn talked about how authors cannot please every reader and Ms Singh, about her first RWA experience and friendships in the industry.

The most disappointing thing for me this time around is I wasn't able to make it to many workshops/panels... mainly because I chose to go to the publishers signings. They were 12 publisher signings and for most of them, two were held at the same time... so technically, 7 seances. I was able to make it to a few, but I wished I could have gone to more.

Laura Griffin & Brenda Novak on RS

Robyn Carr chat and Sharon Sala chat

Alas, I missed the RITAs. It was a tough decision, but I elected to spend time with Ames and V and did the night bus tour. I was seriously tired anyway and so many of the books nominated, I haven't read.

So, RWA... Honestly, I feel I didn't enjoy RWA this time around as much as I did in 2011. However, I don't think it's the conference itself, but more me. RWA 2011 was a new experience and so it was awesome. This time not being my first rodeo, well, it changed things. Also, the circumstances are different. I'm still reading a lot of romance books, but am not as involved in my blog, am less plugged in the blogosphere. I went to RT and RWA and I prefer the atmosphere at RWA better because it's quieter, less chaotic because it is a professional conference. It's meant to be for people in the industry, but at the end of the day, I'm not part of the industry. I don't feel comfortable to run up to one of my favorite authors and gush to them in the lobby, elevator or hall. I think it'd be easier to do so if I was at RT where there's a lot of fans, but at RWA? Also, I'm a small blog and I like to stay away from all the drama and kerfuffles. I like having a little distance between me and authors... I write on my blog how much I love them and their books, but I seldom send mail... Most of them, I don't follow on FB or Twitter. As a result, I don't have much of a relationship or connection with authors and I think it makes it hard when I'm at RWA because nobody knows who I am. Don't get me wrong, everyone is very nice... but you can't help but wonder if you belong.

For now, I'm thinking I'd like to attend one more RWA that is not held in NYC... because the attendance is just sooo high in NYC. I'd like to see if it's different when it's being held elsewhere :P I'd also like to do another RT... and then, I think I'd be good :) Because there are just so many times you can meet your favorite authors before these meetings are no longer special... Speaking of meeting authors, I was so happy to get to see  Nora Roberts and Laura Florand!! Definitively one of my highlights of RWA 2015.

And of course, it's always nice to reconnect with friends :)

Where is it?!

So, I had a little moment of panic this week-end and thought I'd share it all with you... because I know you guys will get it :)

I've been running out of space in my room for books - LOL, I know most of you get THIS - and so decided to make some space. My dream is still to re-organize my closet, but since we're having guests arriving on Wednesday for two weeks, I didn't have time to re-haul the closet... But I could make some space! I have a dresser in my room and on top, I've been storing DVDs and CDs and lately, stacking up hardcover books. Well I don't watch DVDs as much and simply don't listen to CDs anymore... So my plan was clearing up the closet top shelf so I could store the DVDs and CDs in there and have the whole dresser for books! Oh and the jewelry box I've gotten for my birthday last year and which has been gracing the floor every since ^_^;

Everything was going according to plan and Sunday morning was the fun part - re-arranging the books! :P I needed space mostly for the new hardcovers I have acquired in the past couple of years. (There's just too many paperbacks ^_^; I'd really need to purge to fit them all in the bookcases) So the authors I chose to go there: Ilona Andrews, Kelley Armstrong - everything I got starting from Waking the Witch, Anne Bishop's The Others series, Jim Butcher's latest, Kay Hooper's latest trilogy, Nalini Singh's Psy-Changelings hardcovers and finally, Maria V. Snyder's Magic Study. I added a few orphaned hardcovers, my favorite Nora Roberts re-reads and Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series. The latter's paperbacks are different format, ugh. 

See, what happens is that most of my hardcovers are in the second row on my shelves ^_^; That means every time I want to read them, I have to remove the paperbacks in front in order to reach them. Having this space on my dresser just improves accessibility so much! Anyway, everything was going well... till I realized I was missing Written in Red by Anne Bishop. Just couldn't find the book. Looked where I usually keep the Anne Bishop books, looked under the various piles of books I have in my room, looked among the hardcovers that I had removed from the dresser. Just couldn't find it. Was so annoyed that I even posted it on FB - which I rarely do. Sent a message to all my friends to see if I had lent it out. I remember re-reading Written in Red earlier this year and my fear was to have forgotten it somewhere... but then, when I read hardcovers, I remove the dust jacket. There was no dust jacket anywhere, so I either lent it to someone or it was somewhere in my room. 

I'm usually very good at keeping track of my books. Yes, there is a lot of books in my room, but I know where most of it is :) I rarely buy the same book twice by accident - usually, it's on purpose LOL - because I remember what I own and where it is. So to say that missing Written in Red was frustrating was an understatement. I pretty much looked for it the whole day. At the end, I looked at the only spot where I keep hardcovers that I haven't looked for... and of course, lo and behold, there was Written in Red. The reason why I didn't look there earlier is because it's the mystery shelf and the only hardcovers that I have there are the In Death books ^_^; I even remember thinking "It won't be there." LOL. Guess it was the only space that fit a hardcover book left before I started stacking them on the floor and then, on the dresser LOL. 

Anyway, that was my mini-adventure. Ever happened to you? Looking for a book and not finding it? And what do you think of the new set-up? Wish I had taken a picture of before :P

9th Blogiversary!

Hi everyone!

how are you doing? I've been meaning to pop in and write a post for a while and today, June 26th, I realized it was my blog's 9th Blogiversary... Although I don't know if writing a handful of posts in the past two years can still count as blogging ^_^; Still, I've been around blogland for 9 years!! Kind of hard to believe :)

So, let see what's new since I last posted... Not much really :P My parents went to Cuba for a week and came back brown caramel ^_^; And that's with sunscreen!! We took the opportunity to paint the guest bedroom/office during their absence. It needed it as you can see from the pictures LOL. It was initially my sister's room when she was young and she chose the color and pattern more than 15 years ago. Let just say my parents are enjoying the new color :)

Otherwise, I've been kind of in a slump. Reading, but always having difficulty picking the next book. Well except when Shards of Hope by Nalini Singh came out. That one was an easy pick :) And I ended up really enjoying Shards of Hope. I'm also excited for her new story arc. By the way, what do you think of a book with a regular Psy? Someone that wouldn't be powerful in the Psy society nor super strong psychically? I'd be curious to see how a mid-level Psy with a regular life adapts to the new era. Anyway, just an idea.

I've also realized that I'm burned-out on contemporary romance... which is a problem since it's the genre I usually gravitate towards. Perhaps not every contemporary romance books, but for sure this particular trope: heroine escaped her hometown and for whatever reason - family, career implosion, etc. - has to come home and of course, faces her ex-boyfriend/husband or the crush that ignored her. I was actually updating my calendar for new releases and while reading blurbs, there were just soooo many books with that trope. It seems also that sport romance is on the rise... and those can go either way. I don't know, is it too much to ask for main characters that are happy with their lives and jobs? I'm also looking for romantic suspense books with cops and FBI agents, so if you guys have suggestions. Still a bit tired of military RS ^_^; As for UF, I don't know which new series I should dive into. On the very bright side, I just read Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway and had a smile almost all throughout the read. Perhaps that's what I should do right now, YA....

So what keeps me occupy lately? Well Masterchef Australia. I really love that show... I like the camaraderie between the contestants and witnessing their growth. This season has been pretty good :) I've also been trying to scrapbook. My parents are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary this year and my sister and I wanted to do something nice. Except that we keep butting heads on ideas and stuff ^_^; Hopefully, we'll get it done in time... and of course, there's my constant struggle with my room. It's gotten a bit out of hand, especially with the scrapbooking. I really want to purge my room, but the reality is that I don't have the time and space to do it. We are having guests starting next week and guess where I am going at the end of July?...

Yep, I'm going to RWA again!! I can't wait!! Who's going?! I can't wait to see everyone :) I have a few friends tagging along as well, so this time around, I'm going to try to explore NYC. So much fun ahead!

So that's it with me for now. What about you?