Sara Reyes | How I Attended a Sherrilyn Kenyon Signing Event...or New Friends, New Experiences

This week I seemed to spend half my time buying books, getting a ticket for a book signing and then standing in line and waiting for a signing. It probably was only a couple of hours but I'm sure you know what it's like to try to mesh your schedule with a family's schedule especially when there is car pooling involved!

So, here's how it worked out -- I got up before dawn and showered and dressed to leave at 6:30am to go to downtown Dallas on Tuesday, August 4th, the day BAD MOON RISING was officially released. Now in the old days with a "real job" that was my usual routine but it's been a couple of years and I only get up that early to work in my "work clothes" aka pajamas, so to be actually showered and dressed is a shocker, but I managed. Then I drove downtown barely missing the rush hour traffic and just avoiding a few of the angry drivers. Oh, yes, and the sun rose. It may have been beautiful but I was too busy trying to keep my eyes open and avoiding other motorists without the help of coffee. Sigh. After dropping off one passenger I had two hours to "kill" but I had brought my laptop and thoughts of 1) coffee and 2) WiFi danced in my head. Fortunately I found a coffee / restaurant, sadly no WiFi. So, I went in, had breakfast (with coffee, probably a full pot) and did my 'to do' list for the day.

At 8:45am I headed out to the Barnes & Noble to buy the books (Sherrilyn Kenyon's BAD MOON RISING and the BAD series) as I was the designated "buyer" and was very surprised when I got to the store and found it opening to a line of customers. All hot footing it to the SK table of books, then check out and then the Information Desk for the numbered line ticket. Organized but I was grateful for the pot of coffee in me! Finding myself as ticket line holders 16 - 20, I chatted with the CRM and was introduced to another fan who wanted to know all about our book club and "dinner" with Sherrilyn and Dianna Love scheduled lunch for the next day. We chatted and exchanged contact information. Then it was off to find an electrical outlet, a table big enough for two laptops and to see if the 'free' WiFi at BN really worked or not. Success after asking around where they hide the electrical outlets and yes, yes, the WiFi is now free and decent. Settled in for two hours of work when I get a call, my hair stylist can see me an hour early. Much rejoicing but little work done because we're now packing everything up and heading back north.

Then it was two hours as a baked potato, I am so glad I can give some people laughter in their miserable lives, chatting up in the salon and being introduced to another "reader of your stuff." Talked about the book club, Fresh Fiction and the signing the next day. Exchanged information, got nails done, hair washed and styled. The gray is gone for another couple of weeks. Then it was off to meet a business associate. More work. Then it was back down town for a sneak preview of "Julie & Julia," we even take a note book along to jot down thoughts as a review is required for this one. Then after a quick bite at the food court, we enjoy the antics of the free showing preview audience (most won their seats at radio show giveaways and didn't really have the assigned press seats they were trying to use) and watch a lovely film created from TWO books: MY LIFE IN FRANCE by Julia Child and JULIE & JULIA by Julie Powell. A great film I highly recommend it. See Gwen's review.

Home by 11pm and a couple more hours of work, then crash. Next day is the biggie with a lunch and sure to be massive signing. Seriously, if the tickets for the signing are given out the DAY BEFORE they must anticipate hordes of people! And since I've been to a Sherrilyn Kenyon signing before, I do know hordes will show up. So it's up early, get in 90 minutes of work, get dressed and head out for lunch. First snag, their planes are delayed, lunch will be a bit rushed, more flight problems so lunch is canceled. No biggie except I need to call all the other people who were coming to tell them, we still go to the store early and find friends who headed there early. Go to lunch at Cheesecake Factory, I mean, may as well have a good time anyway, gathering a new friend to come along to join us. Eat and then go back to the BN to find the hordes have arrived and the signing area is transformed from a lonely couple of rows to moved tables, and over a hundred chairs. It wasn't exactly a fixed auditorium but they did their very best to create room for over 200 people. And all the chairs were taken so it was off to find standing room with a line of view to the front and stay out of the fire lanes. A slight challenge but time to talk to others standing around clutching their stacks of books. Everyone is so excited. A few are dressed up in costumes of one sort or another. Not quite sure if they were characters or just into the costuming. It was festive and noisy. A mixture of women, girls, men and children as Sherrilyn's work is in book, comics, graphic novels and I think anime.

Books Included:

Then Sherrilyn arrived with Dianna Love at a few minutes after 5pm and took to the microphone. Sherrilyn regaled the audience which continued to grow as people got off work and out of school and managed to fight rush hour traffic in Dallas to get to the store. The signing started at 5pm so there would be plenty of time to sign all the books. After about 30 minutes of questions and responses, Sherrilyn was stationed at the signing table, the rules were read again and the line began. Oh, My, Word! I can only say the trip downtown the day before paid off! Being number 16 was a blessing. We got up at our turn, our books signed, hugs given, photos taken and could move on by 5:45 but the crowd was still growing. At 6pm I finally found a chair that had been vacated by someone whose number was called, and I made friends with the people around me: where are you from, who are your other favorite authors, the usual reader talk. Meet other reviewers, serious readers and bloggers. More people came, the chairs stayed full. By 8pm I was determined to see this through, I would stick to the end. I Twittered progress reports until my phone ran out of juice, then finally around 9:30pm I thought I saw the end. Ha! It finally ended at 10:30pm with the last eBay collector. Throughout this whole five and half hours of signing, Sherrilyn never stopped smiling, laughing, talking with her readers, hugging, posing for pictures and was continually gracious and just wonderful! Dianna Love kept the crowd upbeat with random prize drawing from our tickets, chatting and teasing the audience and keeping all our spirits up! Better than Disney! It was amazing and definitely not something you see at other signings.

Finally it was time (at 10:30pm) for Sherrilyn to sign what was left of the store's stock -- not much maybe a handful of books plus a box of BAD MOON RISING for people who bought theirs but for one reason or another could not make the signing. I did a couple more hugs, got a picture of the survivors and headed out to the checkout. After all, I'd been in a book store for over six hours, I found some things to buy.

Then it was home in the rain still amazed and grateful to know and admire two very beautiful women, talented authors and great friends!

So now, it's your turn, tell us your book signing experience -- any author -- and you'll be entered to win our Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love bundle. It's the books they signed especially for a Fresh Fiction Fan plus the signing ticket (number 16) along with the bookmarks, buttons and prize I won -- "Bite Me" elastic wrist band. It will be like you were THERE with me! Definite collectors item! Just comment below or on Sandi's blog tomorrow and you'll be in the pool of entrees! See our photos from the signing

Until next time...
Get out there and READ a book...
Sara Reyes
DFW Tea Readers Group
Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas November 13-15, 2009!

Special preview: Sherrilyn and Dianna will be our special guests in 2010 for Readers 'n 'ritas so mark your calendars now for November 12-14th, 2010! You will NOT want to miss this one!