Last year I spent several days at BEA but this year I was only able to go down for the day. A day which started with my 8yo home from school. And if you know anything about me–that makes me crazy. Maybe I do have a little bit of a control freak streak that comes out from time to time. But my sitter (practically a big sister to my boys) was already lined up to hang with the 12 you for the day (he graduated to middle school the day before) so I decided to put on my fancy shoes and go anyway.

I’m so glad I wore those comfy puppies on my feet and stashed my fancy shoes and top in my bag for the Simon & Schuster Pulse/Aladdin happy hour. Because the first thing I had to do when I hit NYC was wait in about a 20 person taxi line in the sweltering heat. OMG! Liked the Wicked Witch of the West–I was melting!

This was when I only had 3 or 4 people in front of me and I was getting excited. LOL!

A sweaty but very happy me in the cab with air conditioning until….

My driver stopped at a red light, pulled out a book and started reading. It was pointed out to me how cool it was that I was going to Book Expo America and my cab driver was reading. NO! Sorry, not cool. Even with air conditioning–not cool! Unless a new Harry Potter book comes out–then I’ll totally let you do it. But that’s it.

Made it to BEA alive and who was waiting for me? Lisa Lueddecke from The Young Adult Connection. <3 We were roomies for BEA last year and this was our 1 year Friendaversary. It was so awesome to see her, but I’m going to straight up say that between her evil, painful shoes, my lunch with my agent and the poor cell phone service, I didn’t see her nearly as much as I wanted to. Such a tease. We are totally going to have to Skype or something. Soon. If I could figure out how to Skype. I seriously have SDD Skype Deficit Disorder. *le sigh*

But just like old times, Lisa and I went ARC hunting and we found OMG!!!! LAUREN MYRACLE!!!!!!! AND I HUGGED HER!!!!!! AND SHE IS MORE AWESOME IN REAL LIFE THAN ALL CAPS CAN REALLY EXPLAIN.

And of course I had lunch and hung out with the agent of awesome…MICHELLE WOLFSON!!!! One of my favorite things in the whole world. <3 I also got to finally meet my Wolf Pack Sistah, Jennifer Iacopelli, debut author of GAME. SET. MATCH. Which I started reading on the train ride home and LOVE!!!!! And I also ran into my local book buddy and friend Emily.

There was more, a hazy hot blur of more. I actually ran into a lot more friends and met a bunch of amazing new people between BEA and the Pulse/Aladdin Happy Hour, but my phone battery!!!! The Javits Center eats battery bars for snacks, but on the bright side I met old and new friends while hanging at the charging station. LOL!

So, what have I decided about BEA? I need less than three and a half days and just a little bit more than one. And on the bucket list…I plan on signing there at some point. And on that note–it’s back to work.

PS I’d just like to add that I REALLY REALLY WANTED an ARC of FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell. And I may have threatened to mug a young book blogger at the charging station, when she whipped out her copy. But I didn’t. So–there was that. What book from BEA would you have almost mugged a book blogger for?

Tags: BEA, Book Expo America, Fangirl, Game. Set. Match., Jennifer Iacopelli, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lauren Myracle, Lisa Lueddecke, Michelle Wolfson, NYC, Rainbow Rowell, Taxi

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Just like my Freaky Friday Interviews of aspiring authors, I’ve discovered that there’s a whole world of YA bloggers just starting out. I thought it would be fun to highlight some of these newbie bloggers because-lets face it-bloggers are freaky book lovers too and we should all work together in our quest to take over the world one YA book at a time.

Today’s interview is with Lisa Lueddecke. We met online and can’t seem to stop chatting with each other. So in a spurt of genius we decided to interview each other. You can check out my interview with Lisa at the YOUNG ADULT CONNECTION.

Bio: I’m a 20-something who reads and writes young adult novels. I’m a sucker for a good story, and I don’t care what genre. Drinker of coffee. Great Dane mom. Fashionista at heart.

Lisa, could you tell me a little about you and how you came to be a blogger.

Well, as for who I am, I am a 22-year-old who spends way too much time reading, writing, and blogging. I’ve always been a reader and a writer, but more recently, I discovered the wonderful world of blogging. I spent months reading other people’s blogs, following them, and learning about what sort of content people like most. I’ve kept a blog for my writer self for a while, but I decided to start one up for my reading, and thus, The Young Adult Connection was born. People love young adult literature, and I am one of them, so I thought that a blog that connects people with what’s new, or what’s older that they might have missed, could be a useful tool.

I have to agree–YA Books are starting to almost have a cult following in the world of books. It’s a very exciting time to be a reader and a writer. Who has had an influence on you in the blogging community. What have they taught you? Who do you look up to?

One blog I have always followed is The Story Siren, run by Kristi. She is a great blogger with all kinds of great content, and she has so many useful tools for bloggers, as well. Also, Pam at Bookalicious is great. I don’t know either of them personally, though. I read a ton of other blogs as well, but those are the two most prominent ones. And I don’t just read other book blogs. I read writer’s blogs, as well. It’s all useful information, and helps me with writing and blogging. See that? Multitasking. :).

I have to agree, I’ve often turned to both of those blogs for great information. And I love the multitasking. What advice would you give new book bloggers? Is there any big mistakes you’ve made that they should avoid?

I would say that the best thing you shouldn’t do is spam other blogs. No one wants a ton of comments that have nothing to do with their post asking you to follow them and check out their blog. There are other ways of networking. Follow. Read. Have interesting content. Join blogging databases. Participate in memes and challenges, like The Story Siren’s weekly In My Mailbox post. Host giveaways. They are all great tools. It’s okay to promote, just do it the right way. And I don’t know if it counts as a mistake that I’ve made, but I found that there is a difference between just content for the sake of having content, and good content. People want good content.

As a blogger I agree, there is a difference between content and GOOD content. Although, some days I am surprised at what resonates with people. I suggest looking for a common thread in your previous posts that have done well. And cross your fingers and pray–that can’t hurt either, right? What do you want to see from author/blogger relationships and interactions, considering they are always growing and changing?

It’s good to build those kind of friendships, and as a blogger, it is amazing to watch the whole process unfold with individual authors. From the Publisher’s Marketplace announcement, to the cover reveal, to the ARCs, and all the way up to release day! My writer half is fascinated by the whole process, and my blogger half gets to see it happen all the time! As far as what I would want from an author/blogger relationship, it would be exactly what I just said. Being there to see and help promote a book from start to finish.

I can tell you right now, that means the world to authors–particularly debut authors trying to get their novel out there. The only way to really sell a book is word of mouth.I can’t even begin to express my appreciation for all that you do to help promote that process.So…I’m going to give you a chance to word of mouth some of your favorites.  Top 5 most loved books that have had an impact on you and why?

Well, even though I am a young adult book blogger, a lot of the books that have impacted me are not in that category. Here is my overall list, in no particular order:

Wuthering Heights – Because it’s dark and suspenseful, and the romance is amazing.
Jane Eyre – The writing is just so fantastic. Incredible story.
A Tale of Two Cities – It’s just one of those stories that sticks with you.
The Hunger Games – Who wasn’t sucked in to that like a tornado? She is a master of pacing, plot and characters.
Ella Enchanted – A younger teen story that is so adorable and beautiful. I’ve read it upwards of five times.

All good choices for sure!  Lisa, thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. Don’t forget to pop on over and check out Lisa’s amazing blog THE YOUNG ADULT CONNECTION. You can also find her on TWITTER.

Of course if you have any follow up questions for Lisa, I’m sure we could get her to answer them. Or do you have any stories about what you felt like trying to start a blog? It isn’t easy–for a long time I felt like I was talking to myself. LOL! What challenges do you face? What advice have you got to give to someone who is trying to start blogging?
 

Tags: Book Bloggers, interview, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Lisa Lueddecke, The Young Adult Connecction

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