BEA Day 3 - The Choices Made

BEA – Day 3 – May 29, 2015

The theme of the day was “Making Choices”.

Friday was Meg Cabot day. I had to ensure I got in early enough to get a ticket. I just had to! I set the alarm for 5:00, rolled out of bed by 5:30. Remember I’m still dealing with muscle and tendon issues. It’s been hard getting up as I’ve been very stiff. The muscle rub has helped a great deal, though. But I digress.

I was out the door about 5:50. I thought about Dunkin Donuts, but remember haw the raspberry cheesecake square made me feel. And the iced tea I bought the day before didn’t get drunk. I only drank about a quarter of it and had to throw it out. So no DD for me. It’s amazing how much lighter the traffic is at 6:00. Still backed up a little in Secaucus, but overall I made good time. I got on the ferry a little past 6:30. It was a kind of surreal feeling, actually. I walked out onto the dock and no one was there. I found that odd. I figured Friday morning at almost 6:30 there would be a lot more people. I saw people getting on another ferry down the other enclosed walkway and thought I may have gotten it wrong. But, I stood and waited, taking in the sunshine, the wind whipping through my hair, the plaintive cries of the seagulls. It was peaceful and for that one moment, that one shiny moment, all was right in the world. And I realized it was going to be a good day that the universe was giving me a gift and all would be right. Then I saw the ferry coming.

I think I was first on. I walked up the bow and stood so I could have my face in the wind as we rode over. When I turned around, I was amazed! There were almost 100 people clamoring to get on board!! Where the heck did they all come from? They were all stealthy as ninjas because I didn’t hear any of them. How can that many people be so quiet? Still they all sat up deck or inside, so I had the whole bow to myself and that feeling that all was right with the world stayed with me the entire time.

When I arrived in NYC, I hoofed it to the Javits. After stowing my suitcase, I tried to go up the closest escalator, but it was closed off, so I had to go the long way around. They probably did it for just that reason. Anyway, it wasn’t even 7 when I got in line and I was….probably a couple hundred back from the front of the line or so. I was all agitation. So many people. I found myself looking at each and every one of them trying to determine if they were Meg Cabot fans. There’s really no way to tell. Finally the line started moving. The stress was killing me. The anticipation was painful. Finally, it was my turn. I asked and they provided. Yes, I scored my Meg Cabot ticket. I also asked for JLA signing Scorched and Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce signing a new kids book collaboration. I was happy, relieved and walking on air. I even got to line up on the floor before they broke, so I was among the elite hundred or so that would get on the floor first. Then they made half of us move.

Fret not. We were displaced only temporarily. They pulled a huge folded up banner out of a box and laid it out straight. Then they brought down The Dork Diaries banner. I thought it was to be replaced, but the backside was white, so they were hanging a banner on the backside. Then I watched as they raised the banner again. It was actually kind of cool to watch the production. Once the banner was safely in place, we could move back to our spots on line.

First choice, right out the gate: Booth signing of The Anatomy of Curiosity with Maggie Stiefvater and crew, Margaret Stohl signing Black Widow: Forever Red at Disney or the Penguin Galley drop which included Reawakened by Coleen Houck. Well, Thursday’s debacle over the signing at the Disney Booth kind of soured me, so I ixnayed that. Well, that and I thought it was only a sample, but it was the actually galley. Still wouldn’t have changed my mind. Where Maggie Stiefvater goes, legions follow and I didn’t not want to get tangled with the masses so early, so I went for the galleys.

At 10:00, I had too many choices. There were four different galley drops, a Cassandra Clare tote bag for grabs and two autographings. I managed three of the four galleys, the tote and was able to jump on the end of the line for Carrie Ryan. So that all worked out well. 10:30 was another story. Sandy Hall was signing her new book, but so was Leigh Bardugo and there was a Spencer Hill book I wanted called Never Never. Peter Pan stories seem to be very popular right now. There was also a galley drop I really wanted to pick up, so I ran for the galley and ran back to the autographing booths.

Just as an aside, the floor set-up was different this year. Last year, the tables were all to the south end by Macmillan, Penguin and Little Brown. The autograph tables were all the way down at the other end by row 300. So if I was checking on a galley, I would walk the length of the floor. Then back to the autographing area again the length of the floor. All day Thursday was me walking from end to end. Just to give you an idea, I walked over 20,000 steps on Wednesday alone which was a half day. But back to business.

I rushed back to the autograph chutes and asked about Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows. She was capped. It was like 10:37. Then I tried Never Never. Same thing. However, for Never Never I was told I could wait on line and perhaps get a postcard signed. Again people! It is not about the signature, although that is nice, it is about getting the book!! I was able to get on Sandy Hall’s line, though, but as I stood in line, I saw Leigh Bardugo (right)on one side and Jan Brett with her Turnip (below) book on the other.

 










At 12 noon, I had three signings, one of which would be dropped as a galley at 2:00, but I also realized I should be on line for JLA at that time. Her signing was 1:30 – 2:30 as was Maggie and Pearce’s and I had tickets for both. So I went for the signing that would be dropping the galley later, Kissing Ted Callahan by Amy Spalding ( above right).  I was like 7th or 8th in line! It was awesome! Closest I have ever been to the front.


For the 1:00 block I had even more choices to make. There were 3 signings and a galley. Once of those signings was the Harlequin Teen authors. I didn’t even bother with Harlequin. First time I didn’t get the YA books. At 1:30, I had two signings and a galley. Even though there were things I could do for 1:00, I decided to get in line for JLA early and just sit and rest my dogs. I was almost 1 ½ hours early, but there really wasn’t anything that was critical.

My plan was to go through JLA’s line and then jump on Maggie and Pearce’s line for their mythical creatures book. I was 28 in line I believe. Still very close to the front. I thought it would be possible. One of the things that happened to me this year was that I was often around people who were talking about events that had inside information, like when galleys are going to drop, etc. And I would listen. As I sat on JLA’s line someone was talking about Leigh Bardugo’s book and how there would be limited galleys available at the booth at 2:30. I knew this and had factored that in figuring I would be done with Maggie and Pearce as they also ended at 2:30. It would work perfectly, like a well-oiled machine. However, what the person was saying was that at 2pm, the publisher was giving out tickets for the galley drop at 1:30. Well, now you’re playing with a whole new set of rules. Do I go with the original plan or develop a new one?

I decided to forego Maggie and Pearce for the now, figuring I would get me a ticket and then I could run back to M&P’s line. I got to Macmillan before 2:00, but there was already a line forming for the galley, so I got in line and parked my behind. They counted us once, they counted us twice. They may have counted more than that. They only had 77 galleys and I was in the safe zone. They did not hand out tickets, though, well, not until like 2:10. AT that point, I figured why bother going back. I was not going to jeopardize my chance at owning one of the most sought after galleys of the show. So I stayed put and waited.
JLA, BTW, was as gracious as ever and I was happy I had the opportunity to thank her face to face for putting up The Dead List for free on Watpad for her fans. I was glad I could do that. Usually I can’t think of anything to say, but she is always so nice.

While I waited on line for Six of Crows, though, I had three more signings and two galley drops. The one galley was the same one I got autographed at noon. The other galley was at Macmillan and my friend Terri requested it if I could pick it up. I was able to jump line for a moment to get it for her.

At 2:30, I had a signing, one at 3:00 as well as a galley drop at 3:30, but my feet hurt so bad, I decided to go wait on line for Meg Cabot which wasn’t until 3:30. So I got to sit for an hour. I wasn’t too far for Meg, maybe around 40 something, but when she started signing, there were a mess of people who used their special jump the line trump card on Meg, so we had to wait. And they just kept coming. Had to have been at least 20 people jumping the line. Meg was wonderful to meet. I had my fangirl squee moment and just gushed how much I have loved her books. I follow her on social media and have kept up on her posts and she just seems like the kind of person I could be friends with. She was naturally wearing her tiara and she signed ARCs for Royal Wedding coming out next week. It was probably the highlight of BEA for me.

I missed a galley at 4:00 because of all the line jumpers, but I didn’t care as it was not intended for me. There was a book I wanted to get called The Accident Season. The signing was at 4:00 at table 1, which made no sense as Meg was still signing. I realized I only wrote down half the information. I figured it was Penguin because they had 4 tables around the booth for signings and galley drops. But I went over there and didn’t see the book on any of the signs for the tables. I went to the info booth, but they couldn’t help as I couldn’t remember the author’s name. Had I just thought about it, I could have gone on my app and pulled up my agenda, but I didn’t. Instead, I found a discarded PW show daily because I thought I saw it listed in there. I didn’t. Imagining things again. I walked around a bit more, but decided to throw in the towel. When I did pull up the app at home, I found that I had been correct, it had been Penguin. I could have asked somebody, but didn’t. So with that being said, I couldn’t really be mad about it.

The final day of BEA was done, at least for me. My suitcase was not quite as heavy as Wednesday and Thursday. I did not have to switch hands quite so frequently although I noticed this suitcase is starting to tear near the zipper at the bottom. Perhaps one too many BEAs. AT least this year I did not leave feeling like I could have done more. There was no feeling of regret really. Friday was an awesome day to end the show, Meg Cabot being the highlight! I didn’t get everything on my list, but I got a lot. I was finally organized on Friday with my events in order of scheduled time so it was easier to keep track.


Bea might have come and gone, but I still had Book Con to look forward to so stay tuned for that.

BEA Day 2 or Missed It by That Much

BEA – Day 2 – May 28, 2015

The theme of the day was, “Missed it by that much”.

On Wednesday, I stumbled upon the Ticket Booth. I have been to BEA for several years now and must confess I never knew where the ticketing booth was. I always kind of thought you needed to know someone or you had to get in at the crack of dawn to get a ticket for a signing. As I have never gotten out of bed by the time I wanted to for BEA, I have never tried for a ticket, plus the whole not knowing where the kiosk was. How many times have I walked by it and just not realized what it was? What a revelation!

Armed now with that information, I decided to get up early Thursday so I could claim my tickets. They may not be golden, but some could argue that the prize is even better than a lifetime supply of chocolate.

I was hurting. I’ll be honest. My feet were still tender and I was feeling a bit stiff. And with the weather and all the pollen, I’ve been having to take Benadryll every night to try to keep everything clear. Taking Benadryll before bed is not conducive to getting up early in the morning. I set the alarm for 6, got up around 6:20 and was out the door a half hour later. Again, I had no issues with traffic until I hit Secaucus. It’s like a vortex for all the traffic in the state. I had stopped at Dunkin Donuts before I left my town. I needed supplies. It’s not like I couldn’t find any sustenance where I was going, but rather an issue of not wanting to cut off my arm to get it. So, I stocked up on a large ice tea and a raspberry cheesecake square. If you have not tried them yet, I recommend you do. Better yet, don’t. They’re addictive. They probably add an addictive chemical that makes me crave it fortnightly. No time to eat, it’s drive time.

Other than the ridiculous amount of traffic in that vortex called Secaucus, I arrived at the ferry without further issue. Having purchased the 10 ride pass made it all the more easy as I just had to get to the dock. The clouds looked forbidding, but I rode out the waves on the bow of the ship. Arriving in NYC, I was optimistic. I should know that whenever I get my hopes up, they are about to come crashing down on my head…hard.

I stowed my suitcase and hightailed it to the ticketing booth. There was no line. I walked up to the window confidently. Well, I say window, but it’s really more like Lucy’s Psychiatrist’s booth. It’s fitting I suppose. Anyway, confident, yes. I was asked if I may be helped and I responded that I would like a ticket for Gregory Maguire. Her face gave nothing away, but I am certain she was laughing behind her smile. She sadly shook her head at me (I may be embellishing for dramatic effect) and tried to let me down easy informing me that they were all out of tickets for Gregory Maguire, Jesse Eisenberg (doesn’t he know he’s missing an I) and Brian Selznick. All others were available, so I decided to do something nice for hubby and my former boss. Neal Stephenson for hubby and Mary Higgins Clark for my old boss.

Somewhat mollified in receiving any tickets at all, I went and found a place on line to await the opening of the doors to the Inventing Room. First on my agenda was Josephine Angelini at 10 for Fire Walker. After the disappointment of The Truthwitch, I felt it only right I pick up Firewalker. I picked up some galleys first. By the way, I finally figured out after several years of attending that the door by the ticket booth is the door to enter through as Simon & Schuster, Little Brown, Macmillan and Penguin Random House are all right there. I was heading on my way to the autograph shoots, which, by the way are on the opposite end of the building this year. This is a crucial bit of information for later.

As I was passing the Disney booth, though, I saw copies of Passengers by Alexandra Bracken on the table. The PW daily had indicated the books would be available at 9:30. Thinking this was a simple galley drop, I went off in search of the end of the line, which went on and on and on and on. Just kidding. I tacked on an extra one. It seemed fairly long, but not to worry. Galley drops move pretty quickly. I waited for the almost half hour and still nothing happened. I’m not sure what clued me into the fact that this was a signing and not a galley drop, but I wanted the book, so I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. I became very intimate with a beverage cooler as I had to stare at it forever. They finally came around with numbered post-its. Mine was 128. It got to be 10:00 and still I am staring at the cooler. To spare you the details of my count of the threads in the rug, it was almost 11:00 and I was still waiting in line. What made it even worse is that a woman a few people ahead of me comes galloping back to her friend who was waiting on line with a copy of Firewalker. She had snagged the lost copy. And there my hope died of getting my book and running for Josephine Angelini’s table.

I was feeling resentful, but it was so challenging to stay angry. I could see exactly what was happening. Alexandra Bracken is such a sweet person and cares about her fans that she was stopping to chat with each and every person, add photo ops in there and the sum was a disaster of a signing line. Now keep in mind that I was 128. That was out of 100. I was a little over half way and it took her 1 ½ hours to get to me. How long did the poor suckers behind me have to wait?

I had bypassed the Dangerous Deception signing in favor of Passengers, so all I could say is that I hope the book is worth it. That one line threw off my schedule for the rest of the day. There were galley drops I missed and signings I missed because I was on the line that never ended. So I tried to go to Macmillan for The Clasp by Sloane Crosley, but I missed that. I headed over to the autograph chutes and picked up Son of the Black Sword by Larry Correia, which was pretty fast, so I was able to jump on Rebecca Serle’s line for Truly Madly Famously.

By this time it was 11:30ish, so I figured I would try to get a spot on line for the Harlequin Teen signing. They were signing 5 books, three of which I got the day before at Blogger Con, but I wanted the Adi Alsaid book, which was on the table, but at the end I didn’t start at and with all the sharks circling I did not get a copy, which is fair as I probably did the same thing to someone else. It wasn’t horrific in front of the booth so I asked where the end of the line was. I was informed that the line continued around the side of the booth, but that the tickets had run out, but I was free to stay on line and meet the authors. I just wouldn’t get any books. Say what now? Wait on line for over 2 ½ hours to say “Hi” with nothing to show for it? What are they on?

As I found out, though, this was not the last time I would hear this same offer.
I was aggravated, but so be it. I headed to the autograph chutes again for Megan Shepherd’s The Cage, but the line was already closed. After that, I was lost. I wandered aimlessly. I was in pursuit of I know not what, but I needed to find something. I started walking by booths that were doing signings and I could only grunt and the length of the lines. My feet hurt, my back was stiff and my shoulders ached. I had made a couple of stops at my suitcase so I guess all was not lost.

I was going to go to the Soman Chainani, but found that it was only a poster, that I would end up destroying, so I walked on. He wrote the series The School of Good and Evil. I totally spaced the book I was going to get my nephew who is obsessed with all kinds of trucks, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site. Judah Friedlander was signing at 2:30. For those of you who do not know, he is or was on a TV show called In Search of Bigfoot and I saw him at a panel at Comic Con one year. I was going to get it for hubby. And no, it is not about Bigfoot. The book that is. But I could not find his table. I looked at all the signs at the mouths of every chute and did not see his name. So I missed that one too.

As I was missing Judah Friedlander, I also missed Lev Grossman signing The Magician’s Land. But it was getting close to three anyway and 3:00 brought its own set of problems.

• I got two tickets for ticketed events that were scheduled in the same time slot. How to prioritize? Go for the shorter line and hope the longer line is shorter by the time I was done. Shorter was Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves.
• The writers of Welcome to Nightvale were signing their novel at the same exact time. Their line was apparently even more ridiculously long than either of the two ticketed events I had.
• Mary Higgins Clark writes slow as molasses. I jumped on her line after Neal Stephenson. I have to respect MHC for her age and all she has brought to the literary world, but I was in line for my former boss. HarperCollins was giving away galleys of After Alice at 4pm. The clock read 3:45. There was still the main chute and our run off chute. MHC had a hard stop at 4pm. I asked the only logical question. Can I get a copy of the book and ixnay the signing? The answer was affirmative, but I started a revolution. Soon, everyone on the run off chute was asking for just the book without her signature. I got my book and hightailed it to HarperCollins to get in yet another long line for Gregory Maguire’s ARC. Which I actually did get.

Once I got that, I made my last rounds and made ready to leave. My suitcase was pretty heavy, but most of the books I picked up were for other people. I had to wheel it back to the ferry which is always so much more difficult that walking to the Javits. I had to keep switching hands and I could only baby step. MY shoelace had actually come undone several times throughout the day and once on the way to the fairy, but my back was so stiff I could barely reach over and tie my shoes.

I made to ride the bow as I had in the morning, but the pain in my feet made it impossible and very uncomfortable, so I finally sat. It was ridiculous I couldn’t walk straight because my entire body was stiff. Then the parking ticket machine wouldn’t work right for me, but I finally got it all squared away, got to my car, stowed my stuff and started for home.

I went about 2 miles maybe when I hit traffic. And I hit traffic for about 15 – 20 miles. One thing to keep in mind is that I drive a stick. Another thing to keep in mind is that my feet were actually causing me pain and I had acquired a cramp in my left calf. Add to that the exit ramp onto Route 3 is uphill in inching traffic and I was in a sorry state. I finally came across a sign, and when I say finally, it was like 5 hours, but in reality only a few miles down the road, that advised that there was a 15 minute delay on the merge from Route 3 to 46. You have got to be kidding! I sat in this traffic that was going nowhere my entire drive home. When I finally hit 46, I finally understood the issue. They were resurfacing the road and closed off the right lane just before my exit. In fact. I couldn’t even take my exit. I had to take the next one down and turn around.
The drive took almost two hours of stop and go traffic with my aching calf and sore feet.

To top it all off, I had to, had to, had to go to the food store. My little Eggie needed supplies. As much as it pained me, I didn’t want to leave him in the lurch. Making the supreme sacrifice, I parked at the food store and proceeded to do the Tim Conway old man shuffle because that was as fast as I could move. Baby steps. Baby steps. It was painful, but worse was to come. I had to get everything, books, groceries and all, in the house. By myself. As hubby was off playing in the woods for the week doing his LARPing thing.

I thought I was gonna die. The exertion of pulling the pounds and pounds of books and then the driving in stop and go traffic was too much for me and I started a coughing fit. It lasted 2 ½ hours. I took Benadryll again when I got home and after I had some soup for dinner it pretty much put me out. SO, Terri, I have no idea what I may have texted, but I’m sorry if it made no sense.

It was a day of want to haves and could have beens, but mostly turned into a day of aggravation, frustration and regret. But there was always the next day.