Happy Monday Everyone!
Unfortunately, the weekend is over, and it's back to work, but I'm excited to finally be getting towards the end of my RT recaps, so that I can finally post my awesome haul from there. There will be only be one more recap post after today, so I'm going to go ahead and talk about day six at RT, which was the day I had been the most excited about!
Saturday April 16th, 2016:
Our original plan for today had been to get up at eight or so, and make it in line for the giant book fair about 9 am. I knew that there would already be a huge line, but we were okay with that, as all full convention attendees got into the book fair at 10:30, whereas it wouldn't open for the day pass people until 11 am.
Unfortunately on Friday night, we had a group of women check into the room beside us that literally kept our whole hallway awake until four am with their screaming, and drunken chatter. Security was called several times by people in our hallway, but they just didn't get it, and wouldn't quiet down. And then, on top of that, they started up again at six thirty am! Which was absolutely ridiculous. So by this point, we decided we my as well get up, and get to the line much earlier than we'd anticipated. We ended up getting in line about 7;45, and while there was already a pretty big line, we were much closer than I'd originally thought we'd be. We heard later on that people had started lining up at 5 am, which to me was crazy, as we'd gotten there close to eight, and still had a decent spot in line. They soon moved the line into a ballroom, and that's where we all waited until the doors opened.
I honestly have to say how impressed Neil and I both were with how well the entire book fair was organized. Right from lining up through checking out was such a smooth process, and you could tell just how much hard work goes into this single event. Even though this event is the biggest of the whole convention, it honestly ran the smoothest of any we attended, and it was definitely the highlight of the whole week. The lady that was organizing our line in the ballroom was amazing, and she kept everything running perfectly. While in the ballroom we received our book fair maps, and also our rolling book tote bags that were compliments of Sylvia Day. We then made our game plan for the authors we wanted to meet. There was ten authors we wanted to meet here, who we either hadn't met during the rest of the week, or we hadn't had books with us to get signed when we did. They were all YA authors, and we planned on heading to the VIP authors first, so that we could be done in that section by the time the teen day attendees were let in, since we figured that's when the YA VIP section would get the busiest.
I was honestly so excited when the doors opened! I couldn't believe I was finally going to get to meet Richelle Mead and Katie McGarry! Now to anyone wondering, you are allowed to bring in your own books from home to get signed at this book fair, but there's a limit of two per author. All the authors were also selling their books at the fair, and you simply went through a checkout before you exited the book fair. We had actually decided not to bring any books with us from home, since I didn't want the extra weight on the plane, but if there were books we'd received during the week that we hadn't gotten signed yet, we brought those along with us, and then just decided to buy books from the other authors we wanted to meet.
We planned on heading to Richelle Mead first, since I knew her line would get crazy fast, but we noticed that there were actually not a lot of people in the YA section at first, because most of the full convention attendees had headed to the romance VIP section instead. So since we noticed that Alexandra Bracken had no one at her table, we went there first, and bought Passenger, and had her sign it to both of us.
Then we got in line for Richelle Mead! At this point there were only four people ahead of us, which was awesome, because I knew later on she would be one of the authors you'd have to get a wristband for. I was so excited to get to meet her, since I can't even express how much I love Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. At this point, she also didn't have the sign up yet saying you couldn't take pictures with her, so since the girl in front of me asked if she could get a picture with her, I decided to do the same. Soon it was my turn to meet her, and I got to tell her how much I love Sydney as a character, and we had a nice chat about that. I purchased The Glittering Court, which was one of my most anticipated books for this year, and we got a picture, and then moved on, since her line was starting to grown behind us by quite a bit.
I couldn't believe how sweet she was, and I'm even a bigger fan of hers after having gotten the opportunity to meet her! I also ended up being really glad we went to her table early, as we ran into Christina again later today, and she told me that she waited to see her until later, and at that point photos were no longer allowed since the line had gotten crazy!
After Richelle, it was time to meet another one of my all time favorite authors. In fact, when the initial author list was originally released, I actually screamed so loudly that my hubby thought something serious had happened when I saw Katie McGarry's name on the list. Once again, there were only a couple of people in front of us, and soon enough it was my turn. Since, at the time, there was no one else behind us, we got to have a really nice talk, and she told me that she's Beth and married to her Ryan, but that she has a crush on Isaiah, who's my favorite of all her characters. She also told me that she modeled Isaiah after her best friend growing up, and that now he thinks she should take him with her as a cover model to her signings, which made me crack up. I also got to tell her that she was the main reason I'd come to RT in the first place, and just how much her books meant to me. I purchased Crash Into You which is my favorite, and I don't own it yet, and she signed it for me, and also signed a bookmark for my best friend who loves her books as well. She also had reign of terror window clings, which she told me to grab one, and then we got a picture together:
I was so excited after these two meets, as they were everything I'd been hoping they would be, and I love how you can see Kami Garcia in the back of this pic!
By this time the crowds were starting to grow:
So I told Neil it was time to hit up the author he was most looking forward to today, who was also signing in VIP, and that was Kass Morgan!
She actually had no line, so we got to have a lovely chat with her, and she asked us if we watch the show The 100, which we do, and she was asking if we knew what had happened on the last episode, cause she hadn't seen it, and was trying to get someone to tell her. Unfortunately, Neil and I are only on the first season, so we couldn't help her out. Neil purchased Day 21, and got his picture with her:
And then we thanked her, and moved on! I couldn't believe that we'd already met all the authors in the VIP section we wanted to, and we'd been here less than twenty minutes. That half an hour early entry was really working in our favor. since we saw the lines in this section get crazy once it opened to the general public.
We had six authors left to meet, and we were off to do so. I noticed Rachel Harris only had one person in her line, so we headed there first as she's another of my absolute favorites. I had run into her in the hallway a couple of days previously, and had told her how much I love her My Super Sweet 16th Century series, and that I had just finished the second book before we came to Vegas. She was so sweet, and remembered our chat, and that I had read the first two books, and offered to send me the kindle edition of the third book to my email. We got to have a really nice visit with her since there was no one behind us, and this was the author meet that Neil listed as his favorite when we got home. She was just so personable, and so nice, and I honestly cannot recommend her books enough to anyone. She also wrote a really detailed note when she signed my book, and she was such a pleasure to meet!
Next we were on to meeting Morgan Rhodes, who was another author that Neil couldn't wait to meet. She was super nice, and seemed to also have a really great sense of humor. I have not personally read her books yet, but I definitely plan on doing so really soon, cause it was so nice to meet her. I also loved how she advertised her book in the picture Neil got with her, which had us all laughing:
I can honestly not say enough good things about the amazing authors we met at this event, and I also told Morgan how much I love her book covers, as they are gorgeous!
Next on my list was Marie Rutkoski. The Winner's Curse was one of my favorite books that I read in 2015, and I definitely wanted to meet her, and be able to tell her so. Unfortunately, she was a bit busy when we went up to her, so we didn't get much of a chance to talk to her, but we bought out book, she signed it, and she gave me some pretty cool swag including some lip gloss. She seemed really nice, and I'd love the opportunity to get to meet her again in the future.
Next on our list was Mary E Pearson. I'd finished The Kiss Of Deception a couple of months before we left for RT, and I'd been completely blown away by it. I knew we definitely had to meet her, and she was honestly so nice. She once again had no line yet, since the fair had just opened to the general public, and most of them had run to the VIP section, so we got to have a really nice chat with her. I asked her when the next book is coming out, and she told me in August, so not too much longer to wait. I also got to tell her that her covers are some of my all time favorites, and she even had an iphone case custom made of the third book cover for her phone which I had to comment on how much I loved. She was such a sweet lady, and I look forward to continuing on with her books in the future.
Now at this point we only had two authors left on our list, and those were Ali Novak, and Lea Nolan. They were actually sitting right beside each other, so we headed over in that direction. Now if you remember from my recap from the day before, I had run into Ali at the Avon party, and had told her that I'd be coming to her table to purchase The Heartbreakers from her, so basically she knew I was a guaranteed customer today. However, when I went up to her, she told me there was no need for me to buy the book, as she'd brought an arc copy with her today specifically for me, since I'd told her over and over again what a big fan I am of her books. I'm not gonna lie guys, I was completely blown away by this, and actually had tears in my eyes. This was by far my absolute favorite moment of the entire convention, and I can honestly say that meeting Ali has made me an even bigger fan of her books. She is such an amazing writer, and an even more amazing person, and it meant the world to me that gave me this arc, when I had told her that I would be buying a book from her. I still honestly get teary eyed when I tell this story lol.
After Ali, we got Lea Nolan to sign a copy of one of her books, and she wrote such a sweet note with her signature. I was personally not familiar with her books before attending RT, but from meeting her, and seeing what a fabulous person she is, I definitely now want to read her books, and I can't wait to do so. I'm super sad that I never thought to ask to get a picture with her, but not gonna lie, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly after the amazing encounter I'd just had with Ali Novak!
After Lea, we were done, and we were headed out of the book fair after only forty minutes! This event was amazing, and even the check out was super organized, and we were in and out of there in less than five minutes. Having the half an hour early access really worked in our favor, cause I heard the lines grew much longer in the next hour or so, but we were done and headed back to our room.
And this guys is when everything started going downhill. We had just had such an amazing time at the book fair, but I was honestly done by this point. My asthma was to the point of scary from all the cigarette smoke, and the not getting any sleep last night from our noisy neighbors hadn't helped any either. I literally went back to the room and crashed, and the Fierce Reads Candy Party and the YA panels that I'd been so looking forward to, we're unfortunately a no go, as I slept away most of the rest of the afternoon.
Right from when we'd first bought our tickets, we had decided that the teen day party is the one we'd be attending, since we were here primarily for YA. Unfortunately, I had heard from many people throughout the week that adults weren't really welcome at that party, unless you were a chaperone, so we decided we'd attend the Fantastic Day Party instead, since there were a couple of authors we'd met this week who'd told us they'd be signing there. Thankfully, by this point I was actually feeling better, and we were able to head down and get in line for this party before the line got crazy. However, this party ended up being our biggest regret of the entire convention, and we both ended up wishing we'd just gone to the teen day party, especially since the next day we heard there were many, many adults who had, and who'd had an amazing time. The fantastic day party was just way too chaotic for our liking, and we ended up never being able to find the authors we had come for, as there really wasn't any organization to the non VIP authors signing, and the tables with people eating were mixed in with the tables with the authors signing. We both felt this event was just not for us, and I can honestly say I feel like we need a do over for teen day again in the future, since I felt we'd missed out on so much today.
However, I don't regret going to RT at all, I'll just be much happier attending it when it's not in Vegas, and hopefully won't have nearly so many issues with my asthma.
Also, if you're like my hubby and I, and you are a YA fan, definitely go to the teen day party, as the fantastic day party just isn't aimed at anyone who loves YA. All the romance fans seemed to be really enjoying it, but it just wasn't our cup of tea, and I can't see us doing this party again in the future.
Thanks for reading everyone!
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The photos were taken by me or my hubby with an Iphone.
Unfortunately, the weekend is over, and it's back to work, but I'm excited to finally be getting towards the end of my RT recaps, so that I can finally post my awesome haul from there. There will be only be one more recap post after today, so I'm going to go ahead and talk about day six at RT, which was the day I had been the most excited about!
Saturday April 16th, 2016:
Our original plan for today had been to get up at eight or so, and make it in line for the giant book fair about 9 am. I knew that there would already be a huge line, but we were okay with that, as all full convention attendees got into the book fair at 10:30, whereas it wouldn't open for the day pass people until 11 am.
Unfortunately on Friday night, we had a group of women check into the room beside us that literally kept our whole hallway awake until four am with their screaming, and drunken chatter. Security was called several times by people in our hallway, but they just didn't get it, and wouldn't quiet down. And then, on top of that, they started up again at six thirty am! Which was absolutely ridiculous. So by this point, we decided we my as well get up, and get to the line much earlier than we'd anticipated. We ended up getting in line about 7;45, and while there was already a pretty big line, we were much closer than I'd originally thought we'd be. We heard later on that people had started lining up at 5 am, which to me was crazy, as we'd gotten there close to eight, and still had a decent spot in line. They soon moved the line into a ballroom, and that's where we all waited until the doors opened.
I was honestly so excited when the doors opened! I couldn't believe I was finally going to get to meet Richelle Mead and Katie McGarry! Now to anyone wondering, you are allowed to bring in your own books from home to get signed at this book fair, but there's a limit of two per author. All the authors were also selling their books at the fair, and you simply went through a checkout before you exited the book fair. We had actually decided not to bring any books with us from home, since I didn't want the extra weight on the plane, but if there were books we'd received during the week that we hadn't gotten signed yet, we brought those along with us, and then just decided to buy books from the other authors we wanted to meet.
We planned on heading to Richelle Mead first, since I knew her line would get crazy fast, but we noticed that there were actually not a lot of people in the YA section at first, because most of the full convention attendees had headed to the romance VIP section instead. So since we noticed that Alexandra Bracken had no one at her table, we went there first, and bought Passenger, and had her sign it to both of us.
Then we got in line for Richelle Mead! At this point there were only four people ahead of us, which was awesome, because I knew later on she would be one of the authors you'd have to get a wristband for. I was so excited to get to meet her, since I can't even express how much I love Vampire Academy and Bloodlines. At this point, she also didn't have the sign up yet saying you couldn't take pictures with her, so since the girl in front of me asked if she could get a picture with her, I decided to do the same. Soon it was my turn to meet her, and I got to tell her how much I love Sydney as a character, and we had a nice chat about that. I purchased The Glittering Court, which was one of my most anticipated books for this year, and we got a picture, and then moved on, since her line was starting to grown behind us by quite a bit.
After Richelle, it was time to meet another one of my all time favorite authors. In fact, when the initial author list was originally released, I actually screamed so loudly that my hubby thought something serious had happened when I saw Katie McGarry's name on the list. Once again, there were only a couple of people in front of us, and soon enough it was my turn. Since, at the time, there was no one else behind us, we got to have a really nice talk, and she told me that she's Beth and married to her Ryan, but that she has a crush on Isaiah, who's my favorite of all her characters. She also told me that she modeled Isaiah after her best friend growing up, and that now he thinks she should take him with her as a cover model to her signings, which made me crack up. I also got to tell her that she was the main reason I'd come to RT in the first place, and just how much her books meant to me. I purchased Crash Into You which is my favorite, and I don't own it yet, and she signed it for me, and also signed a bookmark for my best friend who loves her books as well. She also had reign of terror window clings, which she told me to grab one, and then we got a picture together:
By this time the crowds were starting to grow:
She actually had no line, so we got to have a lovely chat with her, and she asked us if we watch the show The 100, which we do, and she was asking if we knew what had happened on the last episode, cause she hadn't seen it, and was trying to get someone to tell her. Unfortunately, Neil and I are only on the first season, so we couldn't help her out. Neil purchased Day 21, and got his picture with her:
We had six authors left to meet, and we were off to do so. I noticed Rachel Harris only had one person in her line, so we headed there first as she's another of my absolute favorites. I had run into her in the hallway a couple of days previously, and had told her how much I love her My Super Sweet 16th Century series, and that I had just finished the second book before we came to Vegas. She was so sweet, and remembered our chat, and that I had read the first two books, and offered to send me the kindle edition of the third book to my email. We got to have a really nice visit with her since there was no one behind us, and this was the author meet that Neil listed as his favorite when we got home. She was just so personable, and so nice, and I honestly cannot recommend her books enough to anyone. She also wrote a really detailed note when she signed my book, and she was such a pleasure to meet!
Next we were on to meeting Morgan Rhodes, who was another author that Neil couldn't wait to meet. She was super nice, and seemed to also have a really great sense of humor. I have not personally read her books yet, but I definitely plan on doing so really soon, cause it was so nice to meet her. I also loved how she advertised her book in the picture Neil got with her, which had us all laughing:
Next on my list was Marie Rutkoski. The Winner's Curse was one of my favorite books that I read in 2015, and I definitely wanted to meet her, and be able to tell her so. Unfortunately, she was a bit busy when we went up to her, so we didn't get much of a chance to talk to her, but we bought out book, she signed it, and she gave me some pretty cool swag including some lip gloss. She seemed really nice, and I'd love the opportunity to get to meet her again in the future.
Next on our list was Mary E Pearson. I'd finished The Kiss Of Deception a couple of months before we left for RT, and I'd been completely blown away by it. I knew we definitely had to meet her, and she was honestly so nice. She once again had no line yet, since the fair had just opened to the general public, and most of them had run to the VIP section, so we got to have a really nice chat with her. I asked her when the next book is coming out, and she told me in August, so not too much longer to wait. I also got to tell her that her covers are some of my all time favorites, and she even had an iphone case custom made of the third book cover for her phone which I had to comment on how much I loved. She was such a sweet lady, and I look forward to continuing on with her books in the future.
Now at this point we only had two authors left on our list, and those were Ali Novak, and Lea Nolan. They were actually sitting right beside each other, so we headed over in that direction. Now if you remember from my recap from the day before, I had run into Ali at the Avon party, and had told her that I'd be coming to her table to purchase The Heartbreakers from her, so basically she knew I was a guaranteed customer today. However, when I went up to her, she told me there was no need for me to buy the book, as she'd brought an arc copy with her today specifically for me, since I'd told her over and over again what a big fan I am of her books. I'm not gonna lie guys, I was completely blown away by this, and actually had tears in my eyes. This was by far my absolute favorite moment of the entire convention, and I can honestly say that meeting Ali has made me an even bigger fan of her books. She is such an amazing writer, and an even more amazing person, and it meant the world to me that gave me this arc, when I had told her that I would be buying a book from her. I still honestly get teary eyed when I tell this story lol.
After Ali, we got Lea Nolan to sign a copy of one of her books, and she wrote such a sweet note with her signature. I was personally not familiar with her books before attending RT, but from meeting her, and seeing what a fabulous person she is, I definitely now want to read her books, and I can't wait to do so. I'm super sad that I never thought to ask to get a picture with her, but not gonna lie, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly after the amazing encounter I'd just had with Ali Novak!
After Lea, we were done, and we were headed out of the book fair after only forty minutes! This event was amazing, and even the check out was super organized, and we were in and out of there in less than five minutes. Having the half an hour early access really worked in our favor, cause I heard the lines grew much longer in the next hour or so, but we were done and headed back to our room.
And this guys is when everything started going downhill. We had just had such an amazing time at the book fair, but I was honestly done by this point. My asthma was to the point of scary from all the cigarette smoke, and the not getting any sleep last night from our noisy neighbors hadn't helped any either. I literally went back to the room and crashed, and the Fierce Reads Candy Party and the YA panels that I'd been so looking forward to, we're unfortunately a no go, as I slept away most of the rest of the afternoon.
Right from when we'd first bought our tickets, we had decided that the teen day party is the one we'd be attending, since we were here primarily for YA. Unfortunately, I had heard from many people throughout the week that adults weren't really welcome at that party, unless you were a chaperone, so we decided we'd attend the Fantastic Day Party instead, since there were a couple of authors we'd met this week who'd told us they'd be signing there. Thankfully, by this point I was actually feeling better, and we were able to head down and get in line for this party before the line got crazy. However, this party ended up being our biggest regret of the entire convention, and we both ended up wishing we'd just gone to the teen day party, especially since the next day we heard there were many, many adults who had, and who'd had an amazing time. The fantastic day party was just way too chaotic for our liking, and we ended up never being able to find the authors we had come for, as there really wasn't any organization to the non VIP authors signing, and the tables with people eating were mixed in with the tables with the authors signing. We both felt this event was just not for us, and I can honestly say I feel like we need a do over for teen day again in the future, since I felt we'd missed out on so much today.
However, I don't regret going to RT at all, I'll just be much happier attending it when it's not in Vegas, and hopefully won't have nearly so many issues with my asthma.
Also, if you're like my hubby and I, and you are a YA fan, definitely go to the teen day party, as the fantastic day party just isn't aimed at anyone who loves YA. All the romance fans seemed to be really enjoying it, but it just wasn't our cup of tea, and I can't see us doing this party again in the future.
Thanks for reading everyone!
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. The photos were taken by me or my hubby with an Iphone.
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