Author Event: Dark Days of Winter 2013

Barnes & Noble Huntington Beach, CA on Friday, February 4, 2013 

Well, 2013 has definitely started off with a book bang! Less than two short months into the year, and I’ve already had the pleasure of attending two amazing author and publisher events. I have a few more in the immediate horizon, so I’ll be sure to continue to bring you updates and share some prize packs from each event. 

For this author event, I had the pleasure of attending the Pitch Dark Days hosted by HarperCollins at the Barnes & Noble in Huntington Beach California. There were four amazing authors in the panel which I’m sure you’re all familiar with, including: 

Brodi Ashton author of Everbound; Cynthia Hand author of Boundless; Tahereh Mafi author of Unravel Me; and Veronica Rossi author of Through the Evernight

When I got there, I immediately picked up two books, which I’ll be sharing with our WinterHaven followers in a few, and I was able to grab a seat in the third row! The last time I attended a Dark Days event, there were over 400 people, and I got stuck in the sea of fans. But that’s not all! I was also able to sit next to my book buddy Rachel from The Readers Den, so getting there over an hour early and having some time to chat with Rachel turned out to be the perfect start to this fun night! 

The turnout for this event was great, but still intimate enough that the authors were able to share some insight into their books, characters and writing process. Some random facts I learned: 

· The authors all agreed that their subconscious plays a powerful force in their writing. So if instinct shares something, they run with it. 

· Brodi Ashton’s character Cole is probably the closest to her natural voice, so she finds it easy and fun to write his character. 

· Tahereh Mafi loves writing Warner’s character in her Unravel Me series as it allows her to share a very flawed character that has an ability to delicately balance good and evil. 

· When Veronica Rossi first pitched her Evernight series to a publisher it involved a cocktail event, an exchange of emails, limited writing utensils and her bra… nuff said. : } 

When the authors were asked what helps them get from completing the writing process for one installment and picking up to move on to the next installment, they all agreed that it takes a combination of candy, caffeine, deadlines and wine. Clearly you can see it’s the minor details that catch my attention, right? 

As far as how they feel about completing a series and wrapping up with the final chapters, there seemed to be mixed emotions among the panel. Some find it emotional, but Tahereh was clear to point out that she typically finds herself ready to move on and excited to start the next new story. 

As I mentioned, this event was somewhat intimate, so it really allowed the readers to chat with the authors when the book signing began. I’m probably not the only one that feels this way, but when I meet these authors, I often find myself tongue tied and star-struck, but these authors are so gracious and welcoming that they seem to put their crowd at ease. So awesome!

I was able to get all of my books signed and meet all four authors in attendance. So for today, I’ll be sharing two signed books with ONE lucky WinterHaven follower. For those wanting a chance to win a SIGNED copy of Boundless by Cynthia Hand and Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi, simply fill out the rafflecopter below and share a thoughtful comment on these books, authors or event. Good luck!

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