Siege and Storm Launch Party Recap + Giveaway

This recap is ridiculously overdue. Apologies for the lateness of it but sometimes life just happens. I was lucky enough to be able to make the launch party for Leigh Bardugo's Siege and Storm on June 3, 2013 at Hemingway's in Hollywood. I had never been to Hemingway's before but it's a really cool bar that uses books as decor.

My partner in crime for this event was Kimberly from The Windy Pages. She got there a little before me and got in line. We arrived a couple of hours before the party started and there was actually a good size line when we got there. (Also - hi to Cindi and Lupe, our line-mates)

Inside, the bar was packed with people. As you can see, bookshelves lined the walls. I didn't get close enough to see if the books were real and could be pulled down, but I am assuming that they were. There was a photo booth (with props) along with a signature cocktail that Kimberly says was quite tasty. I tried to get a picture of it but it was super dark and a lot of the pictures did not come out very well.

leigh hugging friends and a typewriter wall

After everyone milled about for a bit and had a chance to buy their books, it was time to start. Leigh came up to the front and thanked everyone for coming. She then read a little bit from her diary that she found from when she was 14.   In the diary was a list of things that Leigh said that she would change about the world. They were:

1. pollution

2. overpopulation

3. racism

4. condesension to teens - I am not less of a person because of my age.

That last one got a chuckle.

Leigh then read from her book, aided by Margi Stohl, who held up her phone as a light so Leigh could see (I told you it was dark in there). Then one of Leigh's friends got her to sing the "Charles in Charge" theme song. I do have a video of this but am not posting it. Not because Leigh sounded bad (she sounded great) but because I just have a feeling it's not one of those things she might necessarily want plastered all over the internet. Anyway...

Leigh then took some questions from the audience. I have tried to paraphrase a few of them here.

Who is your favorite character?

Gemya

Who would play the Darkling in a movie?

Leigh said that there probably isn''t anyone beautiful enough to play the Darkling. Perhaps a young Gary Oldman or young Richard Armitage. She said that the actor would need to have a certain gravitas, so that people would believe that he could take over the world. (I just gotta say that Leigh has great taste in men)

Does music play a role in your writing?

Leigh often uses music to get in the mood for writing though she only listens to white noise/background type music when actually writing. During Siege and Storm a couple of the songs that she listend to a lot to get her in the writing mood were "Cosmic Love" by Florene + the Machine and "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush.

What is the hardest thing about writing a sequel?

Leigh said that she had a lot of doubt when writing the sequel. What if the first book was a fluke? What if she only had one book in her and couldn't write another? Leigh said that she just turned in the draft for Book 3.

After a few more questions, it was book signing time. We tried to get in line quickly since it looked like the line might be a little crazy. We did pretty well and managed to get to Leigh after about 30 min or so. While talking to Leigh, I showed her my Siege and Storm nails. Leigh is also so sweet and funny, and I just love seeing her when we can. After some pics and hugs we were on our way.

For more pics, please check out our Facebook album.

But I didn't just get a book signed for me, dear readers. Oh no, I got one for you, too! Yup I am giving away one (1) signed HC of Siege and Storm along with some button-y swag. All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter form below. Winner will be picked after the giveaway ends on June 28. This giveaway is for US residents only. Sorry, international friends. Promise we'll have something for you soon. Thanks for reading and good luck!

Giveaway Rules:

1. Open to US residents only.
2. We are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged items. 
3. One set of entries per household please. 
4. If you are under 13, please get a parent or guardian's permission to enter, as you will be sharing personal info such as an email address. 
5. Winner will be chosen randomly via Rafflecopter widget a day or two after the contest ends. 
6. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to to the email, otherwise we will pick a new winner. 
7. If you have any questions, feel free to email us. You can review our full contest policy here. 
8. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ANY PERSONAL INFO IN THE COMMENTS. Sorry for the caps but we always get people leaving their email in the comments. Rafflecopter will collect all that without having personal info in the comments for all the world (and spambots) to find. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---