Author Event: Libba Bray of The Diviners

Libba Bray visits Southern California to promote The Diviners.

My Author Event Experience:

I’ve been a fan of Libba Bray’s since 2008 when I read and adored her Gemma Doyle trilogy. Hers was one of the earlier fantasy series that proved to me this genre was surely at the top of my list. Then I came across her book Going Bovine and realized I easily crush on this author’s writing! However, I haven’t read a book of hers since and quite frankly I miss the lady.

 

So when I heard she was going to be at one of my favorite California Southland bookstores touring her current release The Diviners, I was so excited to make a trip down there and meet the woman that captivates my attention, and what an awesome time it turned out to be! I have so much to share!!

 

The event started off with a Halloween Haunting of sorts. We were treated to one of Libba’s early stories written back when she was in the fifth grade. For those of you that haven’t had the pleasure of Libba doing a reading, let me just say I could NOT stop laughing!! Don’t get me wrong, her early writing of Death Castle was not bad at all… well not completely anyway, :P but her narration is uniquely Braylicious! She had the crowd cracking up!! I enjoyed listening to her early non-published work of characters falling down holes and getting stuck in the 16th and 17th century for years, so pretty much IT.WAS.AWESOME!

 

Then she started to take questions from the crowd and shared all sorts of fun facts about herself. For example, did you know that…

• When she has writer’s block, she listens to music for inspiration.
• The hardest book she’s written to date was the concluding installment of her Gemma Doyle Trilogy – A Sweet Far Thing.
• Her favorite book of her collection is Going Bovine, which also happens to be my all time favorite.
• She narrated the audio for her Beauty Queens novel in 5 days and broke both arms in a fall while leaving the studio. OUCH! 
• Her typical writing day starts at around 7:30am and she enjoys writing at a café near her home.

 

When asked what current YA books she’s recently read and enjoyed, she mentioned The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater and Every Day by David Levithan. Some of her favorite children stories include Charlotte’s Web and Narnia. And if you asked her what her favorite classic is, that would be Cather in the Rye.

 

Libba Bray also spent some time providing tips to aspiring authors including how important it is to read as much as possible, including books outside of your genre. She mentioned reading books that are wonderful so they can inspire you, as well as books that are bad so they can boost your confidence. LOL But most importantly, she stressed the importance of being brave and taking risks as a writer.

 

Overall, after getting a chance to meet and chat with her, I can’t wait to dive into The Diviners. My visit with Libba Bray was fantastic!

 

 But that’s not all!

  

I can’t end this wonderful author event without mentioning another highlight to my evening. Let me start off by saying that I’ve been on virtual book forums for close to five years and one thing I value besides the great book recommendations I receive from fellow avid readers, is the friendships I make along the way. Well, last night I had the chance to meet Rachel a fellow book blogger from The Readers Den. I have never met her face to face, but we chat all the time behind the scenes. When I got to the event, I knew exactly who she was and she saved me a spot at the front of the crowd. Thank you so much Rachel! That’s my favorite spot to sit as well. :D When I sat down, I felt like we just picked up right where our last conversation left off. Having never her met her before; you would never guess that from our interaction with each other. We laughed, talked, shopped and had tea at the café after the signing and it was the perfect ending to a great night full of fabulous book fun. Rachel, you are full of awesome! I loved meeting you!

 

 

Okay, last bit, I promise!!

  

I was able to obtain an extra copy of The Diviners and have it signed by Libba Bray. Yup, that's her... signing the book. :) She also gave me some awesome swag for the giveaway, including a Diviners necklace and a few buttons. All you have to do for a chance to win this signed copy of The Diviners and swag is fill out the rafflecopter and share a thoughtful comment on my visit with Libba Bray or anything you’d like to share about this author and why you’re excited to win The Diviners. Good luck!

 

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Books by Libba Bray

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