I'm so glad I arrived at the bookstore over two hours early because when I arrived, there was already quite a few people in line... but even so, I did manage to snag a seat for my mom and myself during the event! During the wait, I chatted with the girl next to me about the Darkest Powers trilogy and I also met a fellow blogger, "Honey" from Sniff Books, Not Drugs, which was so nice!! Cammy from @indigogreenroom on Twitter also gave away a whole bunch of gift-cards to the crowd and he was too funny for words! At some point, his words of wisdom to a young fan was, "Guys dig girls who write about evil dolls." We also learned a woman had driven all the way from Winnipeg, Manitoba to attend the event! That must have been a very long drive!
Finally, shortly after 2:00 p.m., Kelley made her appearance to a loud round of applause, greeting everyone so warmly! She kicked off the event by reading the prologue of The Gathering to everyone, captivating the audience and leaving off on a note that had us wishing it wouldn't end. Next, she answered dozens of questions from the audience and the first lucky few even won some prizes such as t-shirts, mugs and bracelets that doubled as USB drives with extra bonus content.
And look at all the cool swag Kelley was giving away. I hope she was able to bring enough for everyone because I heard that around 500 or so people had arrived for the event!
Before I knew it, I was up on the stage getting my books signed by Kelley! I'm glad I didn't completely panic or anything from the nervousness of meeting such an inspiration! I like to think of Kelley Armstrong as a Canadian author extraordinaire... so putting it mildly, I was a bit awed to meet her...
So I said there would be a mini-swag giveaway, right? The cost of shipping a thick hardcover copy of The Gathering would be a tad expensive so instead, I'll be giving away two mini-swag packs. Two followers will each win: a bookmark signed by Kelley Armstrong, a bookmark signed by Kiki Hamilton (her debut novel The Faerie Ring comes out this Fall!), and a "dead body" silly band I got from the Lisa McMann book signing not too long ago. Sound okay?
The giveaway is international and will end April 18, 2011. I'll use Random.org to choose a winner and contact them by email; they'll have 48 hours or so to respond back. I've kept the form really simple so any tweets and such to help spread the word would be appreciated!
