Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand & Jodi Meadows at MGRB Recap

Hello! I've been meaning to write this recap for a couple of weeks now and have only just found the time to sit down and do it. Sorry for the tardiness but I hope you still find this a fun read. A couple of weeks ago on March 29, 2014, Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand and Jodi Meadows were scheduled for a signing at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach. I really wasn't sure if I was going to go because the store really isn't that close to me but, in the end, I rallied to go and am glad that I did. (Note that this recap may be a little disjointed as my notes are hard to read.)

I showed up about 40 minutes ahead of time and actually ran into the authors at the cafe. I played it pretty cool though and didn't fangirl. Luckily my friend Nicole at The Reader's Antidote was there so I had a hangout buddy. The panel started on time with the authors going through brief intros first. Brodi prompted Jodi into telling a crazy story about where she gets her ideas. I don't remember the whole thing but it involved a unicorn, fighting ninjas and time travel.

I like this picture because it gives a good idea about the tone of the panel. It's clear that these ladies are all friends and know each other well. When talking about their books Brodi admitted that she sees dog faces in clouds. She proceeded to point out some of the dog faces on her book covers, including a border collie, which I was able to see, too.

 

Cynthia Hand said that she originally thought that Unearthly was going to be 4 books while Brodi Ashton said that she though Everneath was going to be a standalone. Brodi also admitted that she hates world building but that she learned to do it in order to write her books. It's still not her favorite part of writing but she can do it. Jodi Meadows on the other hand, loves world building and her next novel is a YA fantasy.

When asked what some of their favorite YA books were, the authors answered:

CH: Out of the Easy, Cruel Beauty, Reboot, Infinite

JM: Defiance, Girl of Fire and Thorns series

BA: Anna and the French Kiss

 

After a few more questions it was time to sign books. I spoke to Jodi a bit about her knitting and spinning (yay another knitter!) and she told me that she was currently working on a YA fantasy novel. I chatted a bit with Brodi and Cynthia as well, who were both very sweet.

Sorry that wasn't the most extensive recap but I was really just enjoying myself and these authors. Thanks to MGRB for a great event and to the authors for coming out. Have you met any of these lovely authors? I'd love to know. :)

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Recap: S.J. Harper at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach

Hi, everyone. As you may remember, a few weeks ago I mentioned that I went to Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach and happened upon a book signing for S.J. Harper's new book, Cursed. S.J. Harper is the pen name for Jeanne C. Stein (Anna Strong) and Samantha Sommersby (Forbidden). Both are established names in urban fantasy and I decided to sit in on the signing to learn more about their new book. (Side note that I already read the book and really enjoyed it. I am excited for book 2!)

The signing got off to a bit of a late start due to a misunderstanding about the start time, but it was all good and I got to catch up with some fun people that I had met previously at the Nalini Singh signing. Sam came out first and read a little bit from the book.

sam reading from cursed

Jeanne was nearing the end of her Anna Strong series and her publisher asked her to come up with some ideas for a new series. Sam had an idea for an urban fantasy series that she thought would work well with Jeanne's knack for writing police procedurals and her knack for romance. They pitched the idea to Jeanne's publisher and they quickly picked it up.

sam and jeanne

The two mapped out each scene of the book in detail. They would write at the same time, each taking a different scene. When they were done, they swapped scenes and critiqued each other. They said that the method worked well and the process was a lot faster with two people writing. 

They have already turned in book 2 of the series and, at the time of the signing, the cover to the book was being discussed.  Hopefully this means that it will be coming out soon and not a year from now. The two discussed how happy they were with the cover model for Cursed and how she ended up getting in touch with Sam. 

that's suzanne lazear's adorable daughter in the background

They said that the S.J. in their pen name stood for their real names (Sam and Jeanne) but that the H was made up because they found out that the letter H was usually at about eye level at the bookstore. Harris and Hamilton were already taken so they decided on Harper.

Both of these ladies were lovely in person. It's clear that they are good friends and it was fun listening to them both. Like I said above, I already read the book and liked it a lot. I would definitely recommend this series for urban fantasy fans. 

If you stuck through this whole post, gold star for you! Let me know if you end up picking this one up and what you think of it. Thanks for stopping by. :)

Meet FBI Agents Emma Monroe and Zack Armstrong.She's cursed. He's damned. Together, they make one hell of a team.

Emma Monroe is a Siren, cursed by the gods and bound to earth to atone for an ancient failure. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now that she works missing persons cases for the FBI, it could be just a rescue away. Unless her new partner leads her astray.

Special Agent Zack Armstrong just transferred into the San Diego Field Office. He’s a werewolf, doing his best to beat back the demons from his dark and dangerous past. As a former Black Ops sniper, he’s taken enough lives. Now he’s doing penance by saving them.

Emma and Zack’s very first case draws them deep into the realm of the paranormal, and forces them to use their own supernatural abilities. But that leaves each of them vulnerable, and there are lines partners should not cross. As secrets are revealed and more women go missing, one thing becomes clear: as they race to save the victims, Emma and Zack risk losing themselves.

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Nalini Singh at Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach

Hi, everyone. This is a ridiculously late recap post. I don't know what happened. I planned on writing this the same week it happened but time just got away from me and now it's months later. Hope you guys don't mind this trip down memory lane. :)

If you don't know, Nalini Singh is one of my most favorite authors. I'll pretty much read anything by her. When I heard that she was touring for the newest book in her Psy-Changeling series, I was ecstatic. The SoCal tour stop was set for Mysterious Galaxy Redondo Beach, which isn't that close to me. I knew it would take me at least an hour to get there - in good traffic. So I decided to take the afternoon off and leave really early and just hang out. I bought my copy of Heart of Obsidian, got a cold coffee beverage, and sat down to read while I waited for the signing.

There were actually quite a few people there who showed up early, too, and I ended up chatting with some of them. It's really fun hanging out with people who love the same books as you do because it's like you already speak the same language. About half and hour before showtime, the staff let us back into the store to get seats. There was a good crowd there by that time though more would show up later. And finally it was time for Nalini to come out! She looked cute as always, in a gorgeous print dress. I kind of love the picture below because of the MG employee doing some sneaky legwork. 

The event started right off with questions from the audience. Someone asked if Amara would ever got her own story. Nalini said that, though she would definitely be back, Amara would not get her own HEA story. She's too unstable and "crazy." Nalini did confirm that there will be more stories on the Arrows. This elicited much cheering from the audience.

Someone asked if Nalini would ever go back to Dark River (we haven't had a Dark River story in a long time). Nalini said that she she always intended for Dark River to be a small, unique pack. They don't have many members and she knew that there would be fewer stories from them. However, she said that she would definitely go back to Dark River one day (yay!).

When asked if she writes for herself or tries to please her audience, Nalini said that she writes to please herself. She knows that she can't please everyone and that she goes with her gut when writing.

One of the hot topics was what kind of pup-cubs would Riley and Mercy have. Nalini didn't give anything away but she did confirm that the kids would be all wolf or all cat, not a mix.

When asked who some of her favorite authors were, Nalini mentioned JD Robb, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook and Julie James. 

Then it was time for signing! Unfortunately the staff at MG decided to line people up by letting everyone standing go first and everyone sitting go last. So, even though most of us sitting had been there for hours, we had to go last. It was worth it to see Nalini but I still wish I could have gotten closer to the front of the line. 

Nalini was sweet and gracious and signed the big stack of books I had. We had a nice chat about her travels and touring before I said goodbye and let the next person go. By then there were less than 10 people left in the line and I was pooped. Luckily traffic wasn't terrible and I made it home in less than an hour.

I had a great time at the signing. I don't usually go to a lot of signings by myself but I made some friends there and had fun. I really hope Nalini comes back again soon. If you're interested in seeing a few more pics from the event, you can check out my Facebook album.  And if you've never read a Nalini Singh book, do it! I am totally enabling you to do it right now.

Thanks for hanging out and reading this overdue recap. I think I have one more recap event I need to post about to catch up. Have you been to any great signings recently?

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