Unravel Me (the second book in the Shatter Me series) had came out on the 5th (review to come, probably on Thursday) and I finished it the next day. On Twitter, Tahereh Mafi posted that she was on tour. Oh. My. God. I frantically searched online to see if she would be coming to my area, and I finally found it on the Harper Collins website. She (along with Veronica Rossi, Brodi Ashton, and Cynthia Hand) was going to be about an hour from me the next day. WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! Excitement was overwhelming me (and, of course, I had to brag to Kristen and my other friend that I was going to meet her ^^). The only concern about the event was that a blizzard was coming the next day.
FYI: We got about 3 feet of snow here, and I survived!
Anyway, while we were eating dinner, I was all hyper and frantic to get to the event to get good seats.
Mom: There won't be that many people there. You'll get great seats.
Me: Mom! It's Tahereh Mafi!
When we finally got to the event, we found that I was right. From my seat, I could only see the right side of Veronica Rossi's head. Perfect view, right? Before the event started, I was literally shaking with excitement. I'm not kidding!
Also, stupid Nora was stupid and only bought the latest books from each of the authors. I've only read Tahereh Mafi's series. *sigh* Now I need to get the other ones UNSIGNED. I'm kicking myself so hard.
The event started with the authors describing themselves and their latest books. Brodi Ashton talked about Everbound, Cynthia Hand talked about Boundless, Tahereh Mafi talked about Unravel Me, and Veronica Rossi talked about Through the Ever Night. I'm very excited to read each of them.
- Tahereh Mafi explained how some people think that she is male. Why?? I get that her name is different, but it still sounds like a female name.
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| Veronica Rossi, Tahereh Mafi |
- Veronica Rossi used to be an oil painter. I can see how painting could help her visualize her stories.
- Tahereh Mafi studied humanities in college and was 22 when she got her book deal. She was one of those kids who read A LOT (What? Kristen and I aren't like that! What are you talking about? .........). She was too busy in college to read, then picked up a book again. In less than a year, she fell in love with reading again. That's how she started writing. Such a nice story.
Cynthia Hand and Brodi Ashton got...interesting. Brodi explained Cynthia's story while Cynthia acted her story out (then they swapped roles). It was quite amusing.
- Cynthia started writing fanfic, which almost never had an ending, went to law school, which didn't work out, and was clueless when she got her MFA. Great story, Cynthia! xD
- Brodi Ashton hated writing as a child (I used to as well). When she grew up, she was scared of her baby, still lived with her dad, and still had a curfew at age 26.
"I put the baby in the corner."
-Brodi Ashton
Wow. Authors have...interesting lives.
Social Media and Writing
I was very excited when this topic came up and was immediately forced upon Tahereh. As a loyal Twitter follower of hers, I know that she constantly Tweets during revision time. She is (she said this, not me!) obsessed with the internet. My gut hurt from laughing. Veronica Rossi also enjoys the internet. Cynthia Hand, on the other...hand (no pun intended), wrote in a notebook to get away from her laptop--a strategy I should consider.
"Guard your writing time."
-Cynthia Hand
Also, I'm not sure how this came up on this topic, but Brodi Ashton was straightening her hair when her iron exploded and burned her hair.
Cynthia: What's that smell?
Brodi said it was her "Little Women Moment."
Favorite Scene to Write
Oh, Chapter 62, Chapter 62. I thought this would be Tahereh's answer, seeing as it was ALL SHE TWEETED ABOUT for a while. Actually, she enjoyed writing the "shower scenes" and the scene when Juliette saw Adam's tattoo for the first time. Adam's tattoo is a bird, as some of you may know, and her brother "just so happens" to have one, as well. This brother is the only brother who has actually read Shatter Me, so it was an "awkward Thanksgiving."
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| Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and some random guy in the background |
Tahereh Mafi also mentioned that she likes reading picture books. So do I. Picture books just have "brillianter" morals (blame Brodi Ashton for making up the word "brillianter") For example, in the book, I Want my Hat Back, the innocent moral is "KILL THE RABBIT."
In the signing line, I got a chance to talk to each of the authors. They are all so sweet and funny and I even got a chance to discuss The Hunger Games (mainly Mockingjay) with Veronica Rossi and Tahereh Mafi.
Tahereh's Thoughts: Noo! Peeta!
Veronica's Thoughts: Noo! Finnick!
My Thoughts: ...
I had a lot of fun, laughed my butt off, and actually got a chance to meet one of my favorite authors ever. I'd say the event was a success. Wouldn't you?
-Nora
I loved the post, and I especially loved the details about the author appearance. I often wish that bookstores would offer summaries like this after an author has visited. Sounds like it was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteBest of all, your post has SO MUCH VOICE. It's as if you are sitting here, speaking to me, and that is not an easy thing to achieve. Brava!
I look forward to more posts! You're off to a great start!
Oh, and I must know, who are the other four of your top 5 authors?