The time it was all sass

Going to Gretchen McNeil's signing was always a given, especially when she was appearing with Kendare Blake. The event being held at MGRB was just a bonus. 

Michelle, Hubs, and I got to the store insanely early because traffic wasn't that bad. LeAnna let me go back to the super secret back room and I walked out with some titles I have really been coveting. We ended up leaving and wandering around some of the nearby stores [where I spent a small fortune on DVDs and nail polish] before going back. 

And then we waited.

 

As we waited, I realized that the amount of money that I spent on books, DVDs and nail polish could have gotten me a new Kate Spade purse. Gah. We were chatting it up and we heard as Gretchen walked by saying that she recognized all of the usual suspects.

Elana K. Arnold ended up coming over and I chatted with her for a minute. She told me about the secret special thing she's planning for her launch party of Splendor. 
 

 

The ladies were introduced around 7:40. Gretchen started out with an intro to 3:59. She had the idea sitting in traffic, to run the red light or not run the red light? It has two parallel casts that can interact with each other. It is really really really complicated and if she ever decides she wants to write something like it again, someone needs to hit her. 

Kendare gave an intro to Antigoddess.  She just recently got lines from the Iliad on her back because she's a psycho. With her MC, you can guarantee that her life is going to be ruined for the next 3 books. Actually wrote the book 3 different times and scrapped every one of them. 

Wrote the idea of the dying goddesses as as short stories. Wanted to work with Cassandra, but Cassandra didn't want to work with her. Brought Athena in, to shoulder some of it and when that happened, the story came together. 

Gretchen to Kendare: Did you start writing it before Anna? 

Before the Cassandra story, yes. Easy to work on because I wouldn't have separation anxiety from Cas and Anna. 

 

 

They talked about how neither of them read the finished book. Gretchen didn't actually have a page one rewrite for 3:59, but the notes on it were extensive. 

They voted on whether or not there would be a Q&A and a reading or just a Q&A. Since a lot of people decided not to vote, it was author's choice and they nixed the reading. 

Do you have a specific writing process? Have the idea and immediately get a pen and paper?

K: I give my ideas a brush off. Never fails when I'm working on something, there will be an amazing new idea. Can't be too mean to it because I'll be working on it eventually. Get to know the characters, think about it a lot. Once I find the start, I know it's time to write. 

G: Normally I open a word document and title it something and write a few sentences, save it and then close it. Then I'll go to amazon and make a wish list of books to do research on it. If it still seems like something to do [unicorns in the Sahara! It's like my little pony but with shoes!] then I'll work on it. 

I also like to research the market. I don't want to be the 5th person to write a Houdini book. I don't know what I'm going to do next, but I've got 5 ideas. 

 

Now that you're multi-published, can you sell a book on a concept?

K: I just had this conversation with my publisher. I was told that I can turn in a sample chapter and synopsis, but I don't. 

G: Possess was the only finished book I sold. Ten was sold on a synopsis and 6 chapters that all got scrapped. The two books that come out in 2014 and 2015 were sold from one page [for the first one] and one paragraph [for the second].  It's nice to have not done all of the work already. I work better with the figurative gun to my head. 

What was the line that you got tattooed?

It's from Hector's speech... [I didn't the entire quote and I didn't want to mangle it]

If you could be a character in each other's books, who would you be? 

K: Bridget from Possess 

G: Having a half Asian character in 2001 was interesting. The original girl was white with really big Keira Knightly round eyes and I was like, "Dear Harper Collins..."  I told them that if the book was published with that girl, I would not defend it. 

I would definitely want to be Athena. I have always had an Athena fetish, not in the sexual way...

 

Are there any other funny things that have happened to you when you've gone to publish?

G: Funny ha ha? Or funny ugh?

K: That's something I'm really going to have to think of. 

G: I've told the story about Christopher Pike a few times, but I'm going to tell it anyways.... [If you want to read the story about Christoper Pike, read it here]

K: I don't have anything like that. When we saw the first mock up for the cover for Anna, it looked like there were some female problems for Anna. It got fixed and it's fine. When the first mock up for Antigoddess came up, the blood was in the middle of the feather. What does that look like? My books have nothing to do with menstruation! My next book better have something to do with super ninja periods. 

What are you reading now?

G: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton ... It's really awesome. 

K: NOS4A2 by Joe hill. It has demon children with shark teeth, I love him and I'll say it: he's better than his dad. 
 

 

What's next for you?

G: You've already written all of them in the series, right?

K: Yes. They told me that they were going to come out every 7 months, so I freaked out and wrote everything and then they came back and said never mind. So now I can take my time with whatever I work on next. 

G: The Don't Get Mad series is about 4 girls from four different groups who have formed a secret society to get revenge against bullies, mean girls and teachers. 

After that, I'm not sure. I have some historical pieces, but who knows. 

After that question, they started signing. I was first in line, as always. Gretchen was up first and she started laughing when she saw me with 4 arcs of 3:59. ["I'm pretty sure I only gave you one."] Kendare started laughing and said that I had a lot of books and Gretchen said that I always had a lot of books and I was always first in line. 

And this is seriously the best inscription ever. 

 

When I got to Kendare, she asked about my blog. I gave her a card and she said that it looked familiar and she thinks she's been there before [squeeeeeee]. 

 

 

After chatting it up with LeAnna for a bit, we left. I absolutely adore Gretchen and her words and will go to any event of hers I can get to. Kendare is also a lot of fun and the combination of the two of them together are delightful and so so so sassy. 

I can't recommend them or their books enough. 

The time I confused the dates

I was always planning on going to Elana K Arnold's launch party for Burning. I read the book early and loved the entire story. Plus I met her at the launch party for Sacred and I just adore her.

On the day of Burning's book birthday, I tweeted about going to the launch party that night. I had looked at the website for Gatsby books the night before and I would have bet money that it listed the 11th as the date. Turns out, I was waaaay off, it was the 15th. So, I scrapped my initial plans of going to a different signing event and planned on Long Beach instead of Hollywood. 

I got up to the bookstore around 3:30 and stayed in the car, trying to finish The 5th Wave before heading inside. Just after 4, I decided to head in. 

Right by the back entrance door, they had this:

And on the counter, there was this display:

 

Gatsby books is a gorgeous little used book store. I ended up spending over 30 minutes wandering around from shelf to shelf. I bought some books and then settled into front row to wait for the event. And still try to finish The 5th Wave.

 

 

Elana came to the store just after 4:30. The event area is right next to the front entrance, so she saw me right away. We hugged, said hello and then ended up talking about The 5th Wave. Before heading toward the back of the store, she handed me a flyer with directions to the Burning after party. 

Just before 5, Elana came over and sat near me. We discussed the books we've recently read [she's reading Leigh Bardugo's books], the idea of a trilogy versus a stand alone and the possibility of her writing companion novellas for some of the characters in Burning. [Yes. Please.]

Around 5:30, Shawn, the owner of Gatsby books went to the front of the crowd.  He talked about how books were magical and the latest magician was at the store to share her book, then introduced Elana.

 

Elana started talking about writing process. Burning was completely easy to write. Wrote it in 7 weeks and it was unlike anything else experienced. Her editor didn't want to change a word and it was sent straight to copy editor. She thought it was maybe something that happened with every second book, but then it didn't happen with her third book.

She wrote the book 2 summers ago and knew it needed to be published in summer. The planned title was Gypsy, but was told [by her editor? I'm not sure who said it] was a boring title. 

 

She is always asked if the books are autobiographical? No. She's not a mystic or a gypsy and never been to Burning Man. So, no, not at all. And then she got the arc and after reading, realized that there was parts of her in it. 

Book was written for all of the kids in her life. Adulthood is not something to be afraid of. There is something equally magical to childhood. Also for all of her girlfriends. For all of the joys of being a woman that may be forgotten when doing dishes. 

And for her husband. 21 years ago, she looked across a room and saw a boy playing table tennis ["and kicking ass!"] and said, "that one". Might not have meant the one she was going to marry, but she knew he was a good one. 

After she read from her planned speech/presentation, Elana read two passages from Burning. 

After she did the reading, she talked again about the after party [at her house] and how everyone who attended was invited.  And then the signing started!

I was the fourth person up to her.  She thanked me again for driving up. Before she opened my book, she started spelling my name [correctly!!] to confirm. She asked if I was going to the party, when I said I wasn't sure, Elana started playing dirty. She offered me an arc of Splendor if I went to the house... Unfortunately, I was unable to go.

 

Elana is the sweetest person ever.  She is absolutely charismatic and her books are amazing. I highly recommend getting them and meeting her as soon as you can.

The time there was artwork

Finding out about Sacred was pure luck. I had just happened to read an article about the book on the same day that I was scrolling through Mysterious Galaxy's event list. And since I'm a sucker for a release/launch party, it was a done deal.

We got up to the store early, as usual. Killed some time getting the best hot chocolate EVER from Catalina coffee. When we went into the event area, they had different pieces of artwork up, all that represented scenes from the book.

 

We had settled close to the event area before it started. I was stealing electricity and watching people. At one point, Elana walked by and asked if I was there for the event. When I said yes, she introduced herself. And when I told her my name, she was excited to see that I had come to the event. [We had talked on twitter a couple of days previously]. Elana and I chatted for a couple of minutes about how I found the book and her other books before she had to go take care of the awesome pot of hot chocolate and snacks they were providing.

The event started right at 7:30. Elana first talked about all of the family members who were there to support her and pointed them out. She showed us the book trailer [and made the most adorable faces while it was on], then read from the book.



During the Q&A, she said that she is all over her main character, but mostly the things that Scarlet worries about and Elana wished for Scarlet's hair.

Elana didn't get a chance to go to Catalina for research, but she had been there before. She wanted to get the teen perspective of growing up on the island without being creepy and decided to call up the shops while teens were working. It worked out perfectly: the teens could be on the phone at work and Elana could get her research information.

After about 30 minutes of answering various questions [including one from a little boy asking when they could go home because he was tired], she started signing. I hopped up to be first, since we were in the front row. She thanked me for coming, saying that she was so excited there was a real reader there.

You guys. She remembered how to spell my name. That's never happened.

Elana is absolutely adorable. She's funny and animated and just so excited to be an author and not only does it show, it makes her presentation that much more interesting. I'm so eager to read Sacred.