Saturday, May 31, 2008

The Shrinking Violets Do BEA 2008


Dear Friends,

There just couldn't have been a more perfect way to end May's celebration of National Independent Bookseller Month than for Robin and I to spend it at Book Expo America 2008 in Los Angeles. Wow! What an amazing event! We were up to our armpits in booksellers, authors, publishing houses, giant cartoon figures in those big floppy shoes (way scarier than clowns IMHO), and bibliophiles by the kabillions.

Robin was an absolute **rOcK sTaR** had a really great time all weekend-- rubbing shoulders with the likes of and was humbled to be in the same room with Ann Patchett and Sherman Alexie at the Book Sense luncheon yesterday where they honored all those Book Sense picks of this past year. She had two book signing sessions today, along with so many of our favorite children's authors. (I'm going to be in so much trouble with her for the rock star comment, but she like totally was. :->)

Wow! I have the energy reserves of a anemic gnat right now. Wow! This is diet coke (x 4) and a venti latte speaking. Mary Hershey crashed at approximately 3:45pm. But-- we absolutely wanted to check in with all of you before we pulled up the rug for the weekend to thank you all for all that you've done to join us in the month long celebration. It has been such great fun to discover all the indies that you love and the have you cheering alongside of us.

We will be back on Monday for the exciting finish to the month-long love-a-thon! Get ready! We're going to announce the WINNER of the 2008 Indie Bookseller of the Year! Do not miss it!

And we will be announcing which one of YOU will be winning our fabulous and biggest SVP prize ever-- TEN children's books, a Shrinking Violet coffee/tea mug, assorted sweets and schwag, and with your picture, bio and your book/future book/WIP posted in an upcoming blog with us.

This is the view from our room this weekend at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel, where the National SCBWI Convention is held ever year. It's our fave hotel in the universe on account of the Nap-Like-A-Dead-Girl event that we always enjoy while we are there. Totally random, but I did want to do a plug for Nationals.

Lastly, Robin thinks you should try and guess which of us is wearing which shoes in the pictures above and below. For bonus points, name the nail polish color.

-] -}
Over and out!
The Sleeping Violets

[Photos of feet by the awesome Thalia Chaltas, Because I Am Furniture, Viking, Spring 2009]

16 comments:

Stephanie J. Blake said...

I'm so jealous! Free stuff, but mostly seeing editors and authors in the wild--wow!

Mary's toes are Cherry Red?

Jennifer R. Hubbard said...

I'll take the other option and say it's Robin in the sandals.
Looking forward to tomorrow!
Drumroll:::::::::::::::::::::

Anonymous said...

I think Mary has the sandals and Robin has the sneaks. But that's probably based mostly on the fact that I just can't see Theodosia in the sandals. :)

Nail polish color--I don't stand a chance!

Katia said...

Ah, lucky yous ! My first PB, Amadi's Snowman, is there with Tilbury House, publishers, the book has been out for two days, and I'm in India and can't even see it on bookshelves :) Hope you have a blast in LA.

And I would also randomly go for the painted toes belonging to Mary, and the sneakers to Robin. ?? Suspense !

Anonymous said...

Will you be announcing the winner of the Fairy Godsisters scholarship today?

Anonymous said...

I'm jes gonna say that y'all have the shapeliest ankles, both of yez!

Is the nail polish called Rhode Island Red? (No, wait, that's a breed of chicken...)

hugses, FGS Thalia

R.L. LaFevers said...

Anonymous,
We have contacted the winner of the FGS Grant and are waiting to hear back from her. I'm assuming we will announce once it is confirmed they can accept the grant. Mary, is that the plan?

Robin

Mary Hershey said...

That is ze plan! We are waiting for said candidate to confirm that s/he can attend. If said s/he cannot, we will be contacting the next s/he in line. :-)

BIG day.

(Very tricky how you edited the "rock star" comments, Robin!)

Mary

Stephanie J. Blake said...

You guys are awesome! Congrats to the lucky person! See you in LA!

Shari Green said...

Is it perchance "Shrinking Violet" polish on Mary's toes? ;-)

jenn said...

I've really enjoyed reading about some of the amazing indie bookstores that are out there. Thanks so much for highlighting them this month! I feel like I most frequently hear about indies when they are struggling or closing, and it's refreshing and inspiring to hear success stories too. Now I have a bunch of trips I want to take just so I can visit all these cool stores.

tanita✿davis said...

I've been off-net because I'm moving and traveling (in the same week - whose dumb idea was this!?) but I have to chime in and say Mary in the cute tennis and Robin in the sandals -- with Shrinking Violet polish, maybe? Dunno why --

I recognize that eye! I'm so bummed I can't go to SCBWI this year, but congrats in advance to the Fairy Godsister/mister who goes.

Mary Hershey said...

Yay, Tadmack! You're the first one to guess it right. Yes, I'm in the sneaks and Robin is in the sandals.
She told me the color of the nail polish, but I forget.

We'll give you full credit for guessing the right footwear, however. You've won a Shrinking Violet coffee/tea mug. :-)

Will you send me your mailing address? Email me off-line at mlhrshy@aol.com.

Mary

Mary Hershey said...

Whoopsie-doodle! Robin just pointed out that LiquidAmbar had also guessed correctly, too.

Two winnahs! Love it--
Mary

R.L. LaFevers said...

This was so amusing to me because really, in real life, Mary is much more the toe nail polish person than I am. I totally live in my sneaks. In fact, the last time I painted my toes was in August of 2003 for a conference in New York--that's how rarely I do it...and I love how the whopping majority of you had inferred that from our blogging personalities.

Okay, maybe that kind of stuff is only fascinating to me...

Katia said...

Nope, Robin, I find that fascinating, too. I've only been reading this blog for, what over a month or so, and yet, I was pretty sure of myself when I said that Mary had the sandals, and you had the sneaks. And when she wrote, "no, it's the other way around," I was like : really? Well, that's one of the reasons we're writers, right? We understand the power of voice and how much it can say about a person :) Ok enough from my end.