Fangirling: In Which I Attend My First Book Signing

Hm…if fangirls can be authors, can authors be fangirls? Let’s look at an example of author fangirling:

A certain author (we won’t name names) might really like Marissa Meyer — the author of The Lunar Chronicles — and she might drive 5 hours to Salt Lake to meet said amazing Marissa, bringing in all six of her gigantic books for Marissa to sign, standing in line in 10 degrees to be first in the door, and squealing like a kid.

Okay okay, so it was me. I did all of that. I was a fangirl and I didn’t mind one bit. (Fangirls, unite!)

Last week (if you hadn’t guessed already) I had the privilege of meeting the fantastic Marissa Meyer! She wrote the fairytale retellings Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter. They’re all amazing and I highly recommend each book. Clean, gripping, and wholesome.

fangirling-Nadine Brandes and Marissa Meyer

You know those moments you build someone up in your mind and then you meet them and realize they’re kind of a boring if-not unpleasant human? NOT SO WITH MARISSA! She was friendly, personable, full of spice and everything nice. 😛

I, of course, blabbered all over her and didn’t say any of the things I’d wanted to. I said all of the generic “Thank-you-for-writing-awesome-books” things that just … *facepalm* Oh well. I was also the dork who wrote her a letter because I knew I’d be a fangirling blabberer when I met her. Yup. I planned ahead. Go me.

But this is not the only highlight of my trip to Salt Lake City.

I got to meet up with a fellow author for coffee! Sometimes, I feel rather alone in this little valley of mine. Not only are there no other YA authors (that I know of. IF YOU LIVE HERE, COME FIND ME!), but there are few readers of YA fiction here, too. So I can’t even let out my fangirl.

Well, there just happens to be another author in existence who encounters these same difficulties and her name is Sara Ella. She lives only one state over. xD

Sara Ella and Nadine Brandes

We drank coffee, did some major fangirling, took videos, froze together, talked writing/publishing/books/libraries/small towns. IT WAS HEAVEN. Even if Marissa Meyer hadn’t been there, the drive to meet up with lovely Sara was totally worth it. Her book, Unblemished, releases this October from Thomas Nelsoon!!! I cannot wait to read it and you should go add it on Goodreads. 😀

This was my first book signing. *waves at the other Newbies* And I’m afraid…I’m slightly addicted. Book signings are like Disneyland lines but with BOOKS at the end! (Tweet this) I also got a good idea of what happens at book signings. I thought I just showed up, stood in line for eight years, and then walked away with signed books. Nope! Marissa Meyer spoke to the whole crowd and even told a fairytale. She shared the story behind writing her newest release, Stars Above, and I drank up every word (while taking notes, of course.)

I want to go to another one. No, more than that, I want to do one. Though of course I won’t have 700 screaming fans lined up to meet me. 😉  Still, this is where you come in:

Have you ever attended a book signing before? Tell me the story! (Tweet this)

What do YOU think would be fun at a signing? And if you could attend a book signing with any author ever, who would it be? (Tweet this)

 



About Nadine Brandes

NADINE BRANDES once spent four days as a sea cook in the name of book research. She is the author of the award-winning ROMANOV, FAWKES, and the Out of Time Series. Her inner fangirl perks up at the mention of soul-talk, Quidditch, bookstagram, and Oreos. When she's not busy writing novels about bold living, she's adventuring through Middle Earth or taste-testing a new chai. She and her Auror husband are building a Tiny House on wheels with their Halfling children. Current mission: paint the world in shalom.
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19 Comments

  1. Definitely Tricia Mingerink and you! Going to your book signing would be sooo awesome!

  2. I would love to go to your book signing! Tricia Mingerink’s signing would be cool too, but my books came signed. 😀

  3. I went to one on accident. I was at B&N and there was this guy there at a table selling books. Now this is before I had gotten into the whole writing / author world, but even then I had this intense sadness that no one was there supporting him or buying his books. He was trying to convince me to buy one, and if I had remotely thought I could enjoy his books I might have. But it was a genre I just didn’t care about. I just hope that other people came out and supported him before or after I was there because NO author should have to go through that. Let’s support our local authors people!

    • Aww yes. I think if I ever did a book signing, I’d want to bring a friend author so that we could at least chat and help each other garner the attention of readers. 🙂

  4. ACK!!! So awesome!!!! Marissa Meyer actually visited a city about four hours from mine, and I was so bummed I couldn’t go. *sigh*

  5. I’ve never been to a book signing, but it sounds so cool! And I totally understand about the letter thing.

  6. sierrafaith327

    I’ve never been to a book signing 🙁 There are never any close by! I hope to go to one someday 🙂

    • Maybe someday! 🙂 I mean, I just went to my first one and I’m way older than you. 😉 Maybe someday you’ll move to a place where book signings happen all the time. 😛

  7. Oh, I just finished rearing Scarlet! I have never been to a book signing but they sound so cool! They are always so far away if they happen…. normally in America 😀 countries away… But that is so cool that you got to meet Marissa Meyer! I wish I could travel back in time and meet C.S. Lewis or Tolkien or both….

  8. Eee, Nadine, that must have been EPIC!!!!! No, I haven’t been to one, but I would LOVE to someday! That must have just been awesome! I listened to Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress on audiobook, and they were quite awesome! I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on her latest ones! 😀

    • It was!!! Ahhh!! You’re going to LOVE Winter! ANd be sure to read/listen to Fairest right now, before reading Winter. It’s really good and makes everything in Winter make WAY more sense.

  9. That’s JUST like when I met my favorite author! Me, my sister, and a friend packed in the back of their car and drove for 2 1/2 hours to meet him at a homeschooling book signing/writing seminar, and when we got there, there was less then ten people and those people had only read one or two of his books! (Compared to my twenty.) He was actually funny and nice and … Best. Day. Ever.

  10. Yeah, I’ve never been to a book signing before, but it would be very neat. ^-^ If I could attend any author’s book signing… Honestly, it would be yours! xD

    I’ve read Cinder, Scarlett, and Cress, and I’m still waiting for everyone else to be done with Winter at my library. xP When I requested it, there were 38 other people in line to get it first… I think we’re down to 27 now…

  11. I would drive to China to get my books signed by you! And Tricia Mingerink!

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