I’ve never been to any kind of book convention or conference . . . ever, so it’s actually fitting that my first event as an author is like, the biggest trade show in the entire world. (Could that be an exaggeration?)

 

Two weeks from today I will be on my way to New York City. I will have my husband, my pre-schooler, my parents, and one of my brothers in tow. (We’re clearly using BEA as an excuse to take a family vacay.) I’m not sure who I’m worried about the most: my husband, who has never flown; my pre-schooler, because she’s a pre-schooler . . . enough said; or my brother, who is 12 and annoyed that we aren’t taking the train.

 

Though I will try to act as cool as possible, for four days we will be tour-ons. (Cough. Tourist Morons.)

 

That Saturday, though, I will be walking around the Javits Center, trying to score as many ARC’s as humanly possible without looking like a hoarder, and, for at least an hour, signing copies of ONE WISH.

 

Of course, having never been to one of these events before, my typical neurosis is at an all-time high:

 

What if no one comes to my table? What if someone *does* come to my table? What if I forget my name? What if I forget how to *spell* my name? What if Nicholas Sparks drops by to get a signed copy of my book and I forget how to spell *his* name?

 

I guess what this means is, if you happen to be at BEA, I hope you’ll stop by to see me. This also means that, in light of the fact that I will be a convention newbie, I hope you won’t be offended if 1) it takes an extra moment or two (or ten) to write my message on your book (I’d hate to misspell *your* name!), or 2) I look like a tour-on hoarder.

 

I’ll be at the WestSide Booth (#3931) on Saturday from 2:00-3:00.

 

Are you going to BEA? What events are you attending? Any particular author you’d die to run into?

 

Also, any advice you may have for this neurotic newbie tour-on hoarder would be greatly appreciated.

About The Author

Leigh Brescia grew up in North Carolina, spending most of her days playing in the woods behind her home and imagining she was a princess. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Communication from Mount Olive College and her Master’s degree from Fort Hays State University. As an undergraduate, she worked in the Office of Public Affairs, where she wrote press releases and feature articles for the local newspapers and campus magazines. She currently teaches online English composition courses for three universities, and an online “Writing Novels for Young Adults” course for UC Irvine.  Read more about Leigh Brescia.

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