L.A. Times Festival of Books

I believe the theme this past weekend was Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day. 
Eesh. 
I love the rain, (and doubly so since relocating to California), but could've done without it this past weekend. Still, I loved seeing so many readers brave the elements to get their book fix. 
Anyway, I had a blast meeting so many new readers, reconnecting with those I met last year, and discovering new authors.
Oh, and I have a few fun stories for you too...

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Figured I'd kick things off with the fun stories of the weekend. In no particular order, here's the ones that made me laugh.

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Life Is Good...if you like Star Wars

 My booth neighbor this year was the Life Is Good group. They ran a competition both days challenging kids to draw/color a picture wanting to know 'what makes life good?' The winner would receive a $2,000 scholarship + have their picture featured on a t-shirt. Pretty sweet, right?
One little boy didn't.
(*I didn't catch his name, so we'll call him Little Johnny.)
Here's what followed:

Life Is Good rep:
Hey! Would you like to draw a picture on what makes life good? It's a competition where you can win a scholarship and--

Little Johnny
(unimpressed)
I don't like competitions. I don't like drawing. 

Life Is Good rep
Oh, well--

Little Johnny
I pretty much just like Star Wars.

And then Little Johnny walked away...like a boss.
What made it even better though was his mom's reaction...

Little Johnny's Mom
Johnny, hon, I--
(sighs and turns to the Life Is Good rep)
That's why we're here....he needs friends.

Little Johnny, wherever you are....May The Force Be With You.

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More Than One Rascal

Anyone who knows me well will tell you I'm more than a bit rascally. I like to pull pranks, keep people on their toes, and I generally condone a bit of mischief. I love my rascal identity so much that I've included it as part of my brand - 'Author. Actor. Rascal.' 
It typically gets a few laughs here and there and it's always fun to meet other rascals. However, this weekend I learned not everyone enjoys rascals. Here's what happened...
For anyone who's never exhibited at a show/festival, the rules are you have to man your booth at all times. If you're running solo, this creates a bit of a problem when the need for a restroom break arises. Fortunately, a friend of mine stopped by my booth to allow me a quick trip. I leave my booth and have to cut across the main traffic lines of people walking to other booths, waiting in line for signings, etc. As I'm walking with traffic/waiting for a break in the line, I overhear these two teenager girls talking behind me (both speaking in stereotypical Valley Girl fashion).
​Here was their conversation:

JULIE
Oh, my Gawd, Becky, did you like see the sign on that one booth? It said author, actor, rascal!

BECKY
Oh, my Gawd! No way! That would totally be us, if we ever had a booth here!

JULIE
I know, riiiight? Except I wouldn't put rascal on mine...like ever.

BECKY
Why not?

JULIE
Because most rascals are men, and all men are swine!

Thanks very much.
Also, neither had any idea that it was my booth. Loved it. ;)

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The Cool Ran

 This was the story that kicked my weekend off and let me know it was gonna be a good festival.
 The first few to approach my booth were three younger kids, all around ten years old.
Here's what happened:

BOY
(slaps his hands on my table)
What's free here?

AARON
(eyeballs the greedy little boy)
You can have a sucker...

BOY
What about the books? Are they free?

GIRL
(to her friend)
Ugh. Books aren't free. They cost money to make.
(quietly to Aaron)
May I have a sucker, please?

AARON
Yes, you may.

BOY
You can get free books at this festival! I already got one this morning...
(reaches into his bag and then proudly reveals his treasure)
It's called...The Cool Ran.

I didn't tell him the actual title was 'The Quran'.

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OTHER AUTHORS AND THEIR RELEASES

If you attended the festival, chances are good you ran into these other amazing authors of YA and MG fiction. If you didn't, check them out today by clicking on the below book covers to check out their websites and find out more.

I've mentioned Nara Duffie's The Monster Realm before on my blog, but wanted to do so again as she'll be a featured speaker this weekend for a Ted Talk near San Diego.

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 And that's a wrap for this year's L.A. Times Festival of Books. I should be back next year in what will hopefully be a sunnier, warmer event. Thanks again to all of you who visited this year! I hope you enjoy the reads! :)