The time there were stories

I had planned on catching Kami at her date at The Grove. However, as I was expecting to be driving back from Arizona on that day, I wasn't entirely sure. And then a date was announced at MG a day later, so of course that's where I decided to go.

I met Michelle for a coffee date before hand and we actually behaved ourselves once we got into the store. For every copy of Unbreakable that was purchased, a raffle ticket was given and the grand prize was a $50 gift certificate to MG and swag!

 

As we were sitting down, Jennifer was handing out goodies. We got stickers and keychains and bracelets. And then, she handed me a free copy of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, after I convinced Michelle that I didn't need her to buy me a copy. 

 

The ladies came in around 6:45 and they posed with their books before the event started.

 

Lissa started out by telling everyone that Nancy and she were at the stop to celebrate Kami's launch. And then she gave a synopsis of Starters. 

 

Kami talked about setting up the swag box and how she had a lot of male readers and no one wanted jewelry. She then started talking about Unbreakable, the hot twins and the awesome-not-supernatural-skills they all have. 

Nancy then talked about how she worked at MG for a while and how she has written over 200 short stories. She also writes for Teen Wolf.

 

Kami and Nancy were talking about the blurb that Nancy gave for the book. Kami said that she wanted to blow it up and put it on the wall in her office because she loved it so much.

And then Kami started talking about how she did a segment where they videoed parts of her office. She did a school visit the day before and the video played in the background while she was there. She said it played for way to long...it was about 90 seconds long. Her kids have different views about the office. Her son wants the door to stay closed so his friends don't see the weird things and tell their moms. Her daughter wants to bring all of her Daisy Scouts over so they can see the stuff. 

Kami read from the book. She chose chapter 3 because it used to be chapter 1. Her editor said that maybe it should be changed so the reader can meet the person first. Kami said it didn't matter because they were going to die anyways.

 

And then Q&A started...

Is it different for you writing by yourself?

Yes. It's a lot different. I liked writing this book and I really like this book. I got to draw and design the symbols in the book and my family is from DC. I used an inspiration board this time and outlined a lot. I'm not touring alone, but the big difference is that with a partner you get instant feedback. Someone who will tell you, "ooh, I loved that". This time, I had to write pages and pages wondering if what I was writing really sucked. 

Kami to Nancy: what's the difference for you?

N: The difference is with the deadline. If you're running late, no one can help you on it. With working with a partner, while writing, you wonder if what you're writing will be something the partner likes.

 

Kami to Lissa: have you ever written with someone?

I have. The stuff I've written was tv stuff. I have a writing group that I love and will never leave. If anyone wants to start writing, I suggest getting a group. [Kami: you should talk about your background. Lissa: Nooo.]

Lissa, what is your background?

I've done a lot a traveling. I spent 2 years just going east. I was a kid whose parents never traveled. And my husband was known as cheap in the group of Swiss friends, so it was always a battle between a nice hotel or a crappy one. I use a lot of that in my books. 

What is the most drastic thing you've done for a deadline?

N: It was my turn to work and I slept on the couch and I would set the oven timer for one hour of sleep. One hour of work, then one hour of sleep. 

K: Margie and I always make our deadlines together. No matter how much time you have, it's never enough. For this book, I only had 5 weeks. Mostly, I just stay up. I'll stay up until 4-5am and then sleep for a couple of hours. 

I type with three fingers. My assistant, Chloe, types really fast, so I've been dictating it to her. It works a lot better because I can't see the screen so I can't edit it. She'll only read back 2 sentences before forcing me to continue. 

I don't do word count, I go by pages. So I know some secrets about margins and how to add pages. And I think of the word count like sick days, we've got to have some banked. Beautiful Creatures was 158k words, so they must owe me around 90k.

 

What would your superpower be?

L: Flying. 

K: Flying would be the worst ever. I want to always sit next to the baby. I figure if something is going to happen, God isn't going to take the baby. The best flight I ever had was because I had a baby on one side and a nurse on the other. 

I'm really superstitious and I don't like 13s anywhere. I'd rather have 666 than a 13. [Insert story here about a hotel room ending in 13, rape structures, a man sleeping in the newly assigned room and Kami getting upgraded to the penthouse. I couldn't even get the entire thing down.] 

Kami picked did the raffle just before 8pm [I didn't win] and then we lined up for the signing part.  Michelle was first.  When we got up there, Kami encouraged us to take more swag.  When I handed my stack of arcs for Jaime & Erin, Kami asked if I was the pack mule. 

I didn't get a finished copy for myself because I got a signed arc at SDCC and I'm trying to keep things slightly under control.  But, I did get a copy and some swag for a giveaway at some point.

Kami has always been a lot of fun to see, but she was hilarious tonight.  There were so many stories that I couldn't keep up with to type up because I was laughing so hard.  I can only tell you that you should definitely pick up Unbreakable and if you can, go see her at an event.