I attended this event in Minneapolis with my Bookseller, Author, and Reader hats on.
The best part about attending this conference is meeting the many authors and illustrators who are there and getting signed copies of their books.
This year's highlight for me was hearing Maggie Stiefvater speak. She is funny, down-to-earth, and super-talented!
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| Maggie Stiefvater and me. |
She talked about the fact that people always ask her two questions: "Why do you write for young adults?" and "Why do you write fantasy?"
Her answers were smart and humorous. I loved her story of the horse she and her sister owned as kids. It was a semi-wild, former racehorse that "always ran faster to the left." She would climb on and hold on for dear life. She was never certain if she would return in one piece, but it was amazing fun! This experience, and many others, help her create the worlds and characters of her books, including her new book, The Raven Boys, which looks like an excellent read!
My other favorite part of attending this conference, is going to the trade show and seeing the publisher reps I know and have worked with over the years.
Even though I'm not working at the bookstore now, I was a bookseller and children's book buyer for 3+ years. Independent booksellers build strong relationships with their publisher reps and depend on them to make good recommendations for their store.
This is one of my favorite reps - Terri Beth from Scholastic.
She's holding one of their best fall novels, The Raven Boys.
Terri Beth is just awesome!
Lastly, here's me with David Geister, illustrator of T is for Twin Cities by Nancy Carlson and Barry McCool.
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| David Geister and me. |
He's a great artist and former Historic Fort Snelling costumed interpreter, as you can see by his outfit. As a former Minnesota Historical Society employee myself, I always appreciate a fellow history buff!
I had a great time at the trade show and conference. Now it's time to get started reading all those great books!
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