Authors in the OC 2015

This weekend I attended the Authors in the OC book signing and let me tell you, I am now hooked on book signing events. I am very fortunate that my friend Mindy and her cousin were able to give me their tickets, although I was sad Mindy could not attend. I ended up inviting my good friend, and fellow reader, Dream along. She hadn't read any of the authors, but I think she's hooked just as much as I am now. It was a fast paced experience and very different from the solo author signings I have attended in the past. I didn't get much solo time with individual authors, I probably would have had I been able to book more than one day into my schedule, but I am glad I tried it this time. I have my eyes open for upcoming events and hopefully will attend Authors in the OC next year.

I went into Authors in the OC knowing I didn't own every authors book in hard copy. I purchased a lot for signature, but most I felt were too expensive to purchase when I already owned copies on my Kindle. I picked out who I wanted to meet, which is different than how most did it. I knew I wouldn't have the time or energy to meet everyone, especially once we got there and saw the number of people. I met a few extra I didn't plan to, left with copies of books I didn't plan to buy, and a whole lot of new books on my TBR shelf. I do plan to make a cute canvas for next year, or any future book events, because I love the idea of my office being covered in authors signatures! The pictures I did take this time will be framed, likely hung up right alongside the boxes I will use to display my books.

See pictures below...



Dream and I left town around 10 am, a little later than desired, but that's what happens when you really look forward to sleeping in on the weekends. We didn't hit any traffic and arrived just in time to sign in and get some lunch. Unfortunately, it was chaos; lines were long, some girls were in bad moods, and food was going to take over an hour. We plopped ourselves down onto two chairs, between two separate groups of girls, and just planned to enjoy our food when it came. This part ended up being the most fun. We made friends with the three girls and definitely banded together on being the nice girls. We talked about authors, we listened to the bartender's hilarious stories about Disneyland's weekend event, Gay Days, and did a round of shots. We were definitely those fun, relaxed girls. We didn't even attempt to go inside the double doors to meet authors until 2 pm, which ended up being perfect for us. Lines had died down, people were more comfortable, and it was HOT. It was incredibly pink, as the event is raising money for the AVON breast cancer foundation. I like pink by the way. We rushed through meeting who we could, stopping and talking to those we really wanted to talk to, and I collected a pile of photos. I'll be reviewing the books I picked up there over the next couple of weeks, some are older and some are brand new. We left early after the heat got to me and made it home around 8 pm. I cuddled into bed and fell asleep by 9 pm, on a Saturday. It was fantastic.

Rachel happens to my friend Danielle's cousin; She also manages a website I obsessively check weekly, posts the best Instagram posts ever, and wrote only the best chick-lit book I have ever read about event planning. I'll be reviewing Party Girl later this week, but let me give you a snippet. I rated it 5 stars, loved the character of Landon, laughed a lot while I read, and immediately purchased book 2. Rachel's a funny, confident woman and I definitely have moved her to my list of favorite authors and women to look up to.

Beth Flynn wrote Nine Minutes and Out of Time, which I reviewed in my very first review post on this blog. The same friend that gave me tickets to Authors in the OC, Mindy, also connected me to Beth Flynn and her amazing books. I had been in a reading slump for quite some time prior to Nine Minutes; I'd purchased books that were recommended that I ended up hating and had taken more than a month of from reading anything, but free reads from Amazon. Beth Flynn lit the fire in me again. The story line was fresh, the characters were both likable and truly terrible, and when I finished reading I picked it up and read it again. I now am a dedicated #teamGrizz member, I participate actively in Beth's fan group, and I recommend these books to literally everyone. I was so thankful to have met her, probably told her about three times, and I'll be cherishing my signed copy of Nine Minutes.

Lexi Ryan is adorable, I know that's not everyone's favorite word, but she is. She was smiley, she was nice, she had that cute dress on, and most of all, she signed my copy of Unbreak Me, which is certainly not one of her most recent books. It is my favorite of hers however, as it is the first one I picked up that introduced me to her as an author. I've read all of her books from 2012 to the present and will be holding out hope for all her future books to come. Plus, if I am being completely honest, the main character is totally a man I call a book boyfriend.

If you want to get your emotions flowing, read Kim Holden's Bright Side. If you want to get more emotions flowing, meet her in person and she'll ask you if she can hug you. That's right, she wants to hug you, not the other way around. It's a heartwarming feeling to know authors feel the same way that readers do about them.
Bright Side is sad, inspiring, and hopeful. You'll be attached in no time at all, especially to the characters. I haven't read Gus yet, but it is sitting on my Kindle just begging me to open it up.