In my last blog, I promised to revisit the LA Festival of Books. My thoughts on the Festival include some important housekeeping items and some personal highlights.
- Prior to the Festival, review who is on the panels and check out the moderators, as well as the panelists. If you’re a writer or an avid reader, you’ll want to listen to people with passion for their writing. The moderators can also make or break the experience. The two moderators from The Ripped Bodice bookstore, (Katie and Taylor were especially good), made a point of reading all of their panelists’ featured books. Their questions were germane and drew out some of the most personal and interesting responses.
Bea Hodges-Koch, co-owner with her sister, Leah Koch, of The Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore located in both LA and Brooklyn, NY - When signing up for the panels, make sure you continue the process until you get the confirmation. I didn’t do that and, by the time I discovered my mistake, I lost out with no spot for me to attend one panel.
- Talk with people when you’re waiting online or if you sit down on a curb to take a break. I met one of the most fascinating people that way. Joan was resting while her son was in a booth across the path talking about his poetry. I mentioned a famous author (Diana Gabaldon) I’d interviewed when I was a journalist and she shared that she’d been Danielle Steel’s hairdresser. Joan affirmed that Ms. Steel was a nice person and Joan obviously enjoyed her conversations with her.
- Bring snacks and some water. Getting to a food truck or a campus food source could be out of the way. Lines take time. Also, allow time for restroom breaks since crowds get large during the breaks.
- At least at the USC campus, building signage was not obvious or plentiful. Allow time to find the building and allow for the possibility that the entry location might be on the opposite side of the building. I was late for several of the panels because they were far from my last panel and sometimes finding the location was a challenge. Even a student on campus couldn’t identify one location. Note: I had a campus map, but that wasn’t explicit enough.
If you decide to go to FOB, wear comfortable shoes since you could be covering lots of ground in the half hour between panels.
I recommend the event. Just be prepared!
Lines can be long if you decide to purchase a book and wait in line for an author’s autograph. I almost missed one panel when the line was very long. I also bought only one book, since I didn’t want to carry it around all day.
Good news: People were friendly! We were all there to share the joys of reading and finding new authors to love.
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REMINDER: If you’re a romance writer or planning to be one, please consider creating a 6,000-10,000- word steamy or spicy romance short story to submit June 1st. For full details, see: contest.JaneRohde.com
There’s no fee for submitting your story! And, if you’re chosen as a winner or finalist, we’ll publish your story in an e-book anthology.
I hope you’re having all the finer things in life to inspire you: Love, excellent health, challenges to make you appreciate life, friends, laughter, profound experiences, and joy!
COMING SOON: The prequel to the Louisa’s Vineyard Series, Love at First Sight, gives you the scoop on Louisa’s parents’ lives. The book will debut by the end of August, in time for the start of the new school year. I’ll keep you posted on availability and progress. Currently, it’s in editing.
Warmest regards,
Shelley Sommers
Romance Author
ShelleySommers.com
Shelley@ShelleySommers.com